SFA University
April 3, 2018 Nacogdoches — The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Sciences and Mathematics will host its fourth annual Women in STEM Luncheon and Style Show noon Tuesday, April 17, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.
Doors open at 11 a.m. for a gallery walk poster presentation highlighting STEM research accomplishments by SFA students and faculty.
The luncheon and style show is a scholarship fundraising event benefiting students committed to the advancement of women pursuing STEM degrees at SFA.
“The SFA Women in STEM Luncheon and Style Show is not necessarily for women but about women – women who choose challenging majors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Dr. Kimberly M. Childs, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics. “Having female role models, along with male and female mentors, is key in encouraging young women to pursue and persist in STEM fields.”
During the luncheon, Elijah White Jr., vice president of geoscience for ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, will speak about the need for the advancement and support of women in STEM.
The style show will follow with fashions provided by The Town House and Miller’s Point. To highlight the importance of having men support women in these disciplines, selected men will escort female role models during the show.
“Because women still remain in the minority in STEM fields, the event is especially pertinent,” Childs said. “Women need to see themselves in the story. They want to know how what they are doing benefits others.”
Last year’s event provided six students with $5,000 scholarships.
“We strive to demonstrate each year during the Women in STEM Luncheon and Style Show that with style and grace women are leaning in and taking a seat at the table,” Childs said.
The deadline for reservations is Friday, April 13. Tickets are $40 each or $300 for a table of eight. For more information about the event or to make a reservation, call (936) 468-2805 or email kdcarmona@sfasu.edu.
By Joanna Armstrong, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University
April 2, 2018 Nacogdoches – The College of Fine Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University will join the National Civil Rights Museum’s MLK50 initiative Wednesday, April 4, by tolling the bells in Griffith Fine Arts Building in observance of the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
While many will be in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4 to attend events commemorating the contributions King made during his 39 years before his assassination at the Lorriane Motel in Memphis on the evening of April 4, 1968, other observances will take place across the nation. One of those is a unified tolling of bells at universities that have chapels or bell towers.
King was assassinated at 6:01 p.m. Central Standard Time. Since the news rippled across the country, the bells will first ring at the National Civil Rights Museum at 6:01 p.m. CST. Bells will chime in the City of Memphis at 6:03 p.m. CST, at 6:05 p.m. CST nationally and 6:07 p.m. CST internationally.
At 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, the bells in Griffith Fine Arts Building will toll 39 times to mark the years King was alive.
“This is a simple, yet sincere way for us to acknowledge the loss of Dr. King, but more importantly, to recognize the significant contributions he made around the world,” said Dr. A.C. “Buddy” Himes, dean of the SFA College of Fine Arts.
March 20, 2018 Nacogdoches — With standing mixers at the ready, teams of Stephen F. Austin State University students eagerly await the signal to kick off their competition. Three, two, one, and the students are off mixing ingredients to be the first to make whipped cream.
Recently, representatives from Dairy MAX, a nonprofit dairy council representing dairy farm families across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Southwest Kansas, spoke to students enrolled in principles of food science courses in SFA’s School of Human Sciences.
Sarah Ryan, Dairy MAX program coordinator, registered dietitian, SFA alumna and former SFA student regent, discussed how the company works with dairy farmers and the nutritional value of milk and other dairy products.
Ryan and her colleagues Katie McKee and Monica Silva informed students on the science behind milk’s role in the diet and in recipe applications. Students sampled two-percent, almond and pea milk while discussing the nutrition cow’s milk provides.
Dairy MAX representatives also shook things up — literally — by having students shake heavy cream in jars to create butter. Students viewed and discussed different yogurts and why cow’s milk is ideal for making creamy yogurt. Ryan also gave a frothing demonstration and explained the science behind why cow’s milk is better than others.
“The presentation was very informational and helped me learn more about the dairy industry and how to make things like butter and whipped cream,” said Raquel Martinez, SFA junior from Tyler.
The class ended with a taste of their homemade whipped creams over ice cream sundaes.
Jill Pruett, adjunct instructor at SFA, helped organize the demonstration and visit.
“The beautiful part of this presentation is Sarah is an SFA alumna, so it shows students what types of opportunities are available once they graduate,” Pruett said. “I love when we are able to bring new energy to a topic and reinforce key concepts that we cover in class.”
Likewise, Ryan and her team said they enjoyed sharing their knowledge with students and introducing them to new aspects of food science and nutrition.
“I have a special place in my heart for SFA,” Ryan said. “This class got me excited about food science, and I was thrilled to come back and share more about food science and how dairy fits into nutrition.”
For more information about SFA’s School of Human Sciences, visit sfasu.edu/hms.
To learn more about Dairy MAX and to find #DairyAmazing recipes, visit DairyDiscoveryZone.com.
By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.
March 12, 2018 Nacogdoches — The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center named Stephen F. Austin State University “College of the Year” in recognition of the university’s role in increasing blood donations. The award was presented at the center’s recent Celebration of Life ceremony in Houston.
Colleges and universities within the blood center’s 26 partner counties were considered for the “College of the Year” title.
“SFA is unquestionably a terrific asset to this whole region,” said James Slack of Lufkin, advisory board chairman of The Blood Center East Texas and a member of the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center board of trustees. “It makes all of us proud as we see new leaders being prepared, especially when they show hearts for service and concern for their fellow man.”
SFA has partnered with the blood center for 15 years, hosting a total of 700 blood drives since 2003. More than 17,000 units of blood have been collected as a result of this work, saving 50,610 lives, according to Brian Gannon, president and CEO of The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.
The Gulf Coast center must maintain an adequate supply of blood and blood components to meet the needs of 170 hospitals and health care institutions in the Texas Gulf Coast, Brazos Valley and East Texas regions, according to Cameron Palmer, media and promotions coordinator for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.
“The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center must collect 1,000 components a day to replenish the supplies needed,” Palmer said. “Every donation can help save up to three lives.”
Palmer said schools and universities make up about 40 percent of all the donations.
“We like to target this group of individuals to continue to educate them on the importance of donating,” Palmer said.
According to center officials, many people do not donate blood due to fear of the procedure. Jacob Samford, a sophomore music education major from Tenaha, decided to donate blood and overcame his fear.
“I love that something that I do right now by just taking a little time out of my day can potentially save a life in the future," Samford said.
The Blood Center also has volunteer options for those who cannot donate blood due to health issues.
"Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center has a great program with several volunteer opportunities," Palmer said. "You also can host your own blood drive to educate and encourage people in the community to donate."
For more information about student activities at SFA, visit www.sfasu.edu/life-at-sfa.
Shannon Poe, an SFA mass communication major and webmaster for The Pine Log, contributed to this story.
March 7, 2018 Nacogdoches – The Cole Art Center at The Old Opera House, Stephen F. Austin State University’s historic downtown art gallery, will be open regular hours during spring break.
Showing in Cole Art Center are the exhibitions “Junko Chodos: Can We Hear Our Own Voice?” and “Peter Sarkisian: Video Works.” “Junko Chodos: Can We Hear Our Own Voice?” features mixed media pieces and large-scale drawings. The show runs through March 25. The Sarkisian exhibition, which features video projections on sculpture, will show through April 21.
The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. Regular hours are from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The popular Texas National Competition and Exhibition will open in Cole Art Center Saturday, April 14. The juror’s talk with art critic and author Jed Perl begins at 5 p.m., followed by the opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m., during which time the competition winners will be announced.
Griffith Gallery in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus will be closed during spring break and will reopen Tuesday, March 20. Showing is “Erle Loran (1905-1999): A Modern Artist of the American West,” which features a retrospective of more than 60 works in diverse media, including oil paintings, watercolor, gouache, mixed media drawings and charcoal studies. The Loran show runs through April 14.
Regular Griffith Gallery hours are from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday during fall and spring semesters.
For more information, contact the gallery director at (936) 468-1131 or the front desk at (936) 468-5500.
February 27, 2018 - Stephen F. Austin State University is one of the safest colleges in America, according to a recent report from the National Council for Home Safety and Security.
The council, a trade association comprising home security professionals across the U.S., based its report on data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting and the Campus Safety Security Survey.
According to the council, nearly all accredited U.S. institutions were considered, and a list of the 100 safest campuses in the nation was compiled. Only nine Texas schools are on the list: Texas A&M University-Commerce (No. 33), Texas Woman’s University (No. 40), the University of Texas at El Paso (No. 41), the University of North Texas (No. 48), Texas A&M University (No. 49), SFA (No. 55), Tarleton (No. 57), Texas State University (No. 80) and the University of Texas at Arlington (No. 84).
Through the use of innovative technology efforts, prevention trainings and more, SFA’s Department of Public Safety provides police, parking, safety technology and emergency management services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“It takes community teamwork to create a safe living and learning environment,” said Marc Cossich, executive director of public safety and chief of police at SFA. “Parents can feel comfortable sending their family members to SFA, and community members can feel safe attending the range of events on campus.”
DPS employs 28 police officers who work closely with local, state and federal agencies to provide a safe environment. Officers provide 24-hour patrol protection on campus, including all parking lots, residence halls, and administration and academic buildings. University police officers are vested with all powers, privileges and immunities of peace officers within the county.
“To truly make a campus safe, it takes the entire community,” Cossich said.
Approximately 300 yellow emergency call boxes are located throughout campus to provide people with a direct line to the DPS communications center. The boxes can be utilized to request police assistance and escorts or report vehicle trouble. At SFA, more than 900 surveillance cameras are in operation, and there are about 80 automated external defibrillators positioned on campus.
The SFA community also has access to personal alert systems: JackAlert and Lumberjack Guardian. JackAlert notifies of possible threats and dangers on campus, such as inclement weather or serious crimes. This notification system sends alerts through text message, voice call, email, Facebook, Twitter and on TVs connected to the campus cable provider. To register, SFA students and employees can log in to mySFA and select “Register to get Campus Alerts.”
Likewise, the Lumberjack Guardian mobile app enhances campus safety through real-time interactive features to create a virtual safety network of friends, family and DPS officers. Features include a panic button, tip texting to report crimes anonymously, personal guardians and safety timer, and a safety profile.
Services are in place to help people travel across campus safely. In 2012, the Parking and Traffic Division of the university’s DPS began offering an evening shuttle. This shuttle operates from 5:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday weekly during the fall and spring semesters and on special occasions, following a 15-minute route through campus. The shuttles are ADA-compliant and wheelchair accessible. To see the shuttle schedule, visit nextbus.com. People also can request a police escort from campus buildings to shuttle stops.
Prevention trainings are key in keeping the SFA community safe and prepared. Trainings are varied and include courses on alcohol, drug and sexual assault awareness; office, residence hall and personal safety; travel risks; and more.
For more information on the DPS, visit sfasu.edu/dps.
February 19, 2018 - Two Stephen F. Austin State University alumni, Karen Gantt of McKinney and Tom Mason of Dallas, recently participated in their first official meetings as members of the SFA Board of Regents. Brigettee Henderson of Lufkin and Ken Schaefer of Brownsville, who recently completed six-year terms on the board, were reappointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to continue their service to the university.
Gantt is an attorney and partner at the law offices of McCraw Gantt. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the College of the State Bar of Texas, which recognizes lawyers, paralegals and judges who maintain and enhance their skills through significant voluntary participation in legal education. She is a former member of the SFA Alumni Foundation Board of Governors and a past president of SFA’s Alumni Association.
Gantt graduated summa cum laude from SFA with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and was the highest-ranking graduate in her class. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Texas School of Law, where she was associate editor of The Review of Litigation.
Mason serves as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Hillwood Development, one of the top industrial, commercial and residential real estate developers in the country. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves and received a Bachelor of Science in math and general business from SFA. He is a certified public accountant and serves on the board of the Caruth Village Homeowners Association and is an officer of the Land-Hyland Scholarship Fund.
While attending SFA, Mason was a member of Phi Delta Theta social fraternity, sophomore class vice president, chairman of Greek Week activities, and was elected to Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities.
Gantt, Henderson and Mason were appointed to six-year terms. In addition to her reappointment as an SFA regent, Henderson was elected by board members during their meeting to serve as chair of the board. Her term as chair will begin April 24, 2018.
Henderson holds bachelor’s degrees in interior design and communication from SFA and is an independent consulting interior designer and executive assistant at Carnes and Co. Auctioneers. She is secretary of the Angelina Arts Alliance Board of Directors, a member of the Buckner Family Place board of directors, Buckner Family Services Circle of Angels and Junior League of Lufkin Sustainers.
A past board member of the Lufkin Salvation Army, Museum of East Texas and Angelina Beautiful Clean, Henderson is a former chair of the American Cancer Society’s Cattle Baron’s Gala in Angelina County and is past president of the Junior League of Lufkin.
Reappointed to fill the term of the late Barry Nelson, who passed away in November 2016, Schaefer will serve on the board through 2019.
A 1970 graduate of SFA with a Bachelor of Business Administration in economics, Schaefer is owner and president of Schaefer Stevedoring Company, which provides shipping services within the maritime and port logistics industries of the U.S. and Mexico. He is director of the West Gulf Maritime Association and a past board member of the University of Texas Pan American, Texas Commerce Bank, Fondo de Inversion de Veracruz, and Almacenadora Regional del Golfo.
During his first term as regent, Schaefer served as vice chair of the board and as chair of the building and grounds committee and the finance and audit committee.
For more information about the SFA Board of Regents, visit www.sfasu.edu/regents.
February 14, 2018 - The Stephen F. Austin State University Observatory will host its next public viewing session 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, weather permitting, giving visitors the opportunity to see the night sky like they have never seen it before.
Opening its doors to the public periodically throughout the year, the observatory is home to over 15 telescopes, including one formerly used by NASA.
The sessions offer visitors “an opportunity to do what they can’t do at home, and that is see the nighttime sky,” said Dr. Norman Markworth, professor in the Department of Physics, Engineering, and Astronomy and director of the SFA Observatory.
Visitors will have the chance to view the facility’s 41- and 18-inch telescopes and can utilize 8-inch telescopes set up for public use.
Students from the SFA chapter of the Society of Physics Students will assist with use of the telescopes, while visitors receive a quick lesson in sky lore and view constellations and star groups.
Housed 11 miles north of Nacogdoches, the observatory was built in the mid-1970s and has aided in various research efforts. Among its equipment, the observatory boasts an 18-inch telescope originally used by NASA on the Marshall Islands in the 1960s to help find landing sites on the moon.
“The story I heard was NASA wasn’t going to pay to have it shipped back to the U.S.,” Markworth said. “They were going to throw it in the ocean. I don’t know what happened, but they were finally convinced to ship the telescope back, and it lives here now.”
Today, the telescope is primarily used for asteroid hunting, Markworth said. The department also has a 41-inch telescope, built by Markworth and the department, used predominately for variable star research, a 16-inch telescope in a roll-off roof observatory and several other telescopes.
The observatory is used for educational purposes, giving students a place to conduct research and hosting astronomy students several times a week.
“It’s my philosophy that we do what students want done,” Markworth said. “If they want to work on projects, we’ll see that we can do it.”
While the observatory is primarily used for research, viewing sessions are held throughout the year to give the public an opportunity to see what they might not be able to see at home.
“I think humans have always had a curiosity for what that stuff is up there,” Markworth said, “and the more prevalent technology is, the less people actually want to know about stuff in the sky. But if you tell them, they’re really curious. They want to know more.”
The event is free and open to students and visitors of all ages. For large group accommodations, email astro@sfasu.edu.
By Joanna Armstrong, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University
February 12, 2018 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Human Sciences has launched a new degree program that allows students to earn a four-year degree completely online.
The program, which became available to SFA students in fall 2017, offers an entirely online Bachelor of Science in human sciences with an emphasis in human development and family studies. All core and elective courses are available online.
Dr. Rachel Jumper, assistant professor in SFA’s School of Human Sciences, said the online delivery allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university while working full time and living anywhere.
“We are meeting students ‘where they are’ rather than requiring them to come to us. They have access to the same faculty members, courses and university resources while not having to uproot their lives,” Jumper said. “While the human development and family studies degree has been an online completer program for several years, going fully online allows even more students to become Lumberjacks immediately rather than having to transfer from another school.”
Drs. Lynda Martin, director of the School of Human Sciences, and Hyunsook Kang, assistant professor, agree the online delivery method benefits both the students and university.
“We want to attract more students from diverse populations, which may enhance our quality of education,” Kang said. “An online program’s flexibility and convenience may increase our enrollment.”
With this degree, students learn to become “caretakers for our society,” Jumper said. Students learn to understand the growth, change and development of children, adults and the family while integrating a lifespan, multi-contextual and family systems approach.
Upon graduation, students have a variety of career options, including becoming early intervention specialists, lobbyists, directors of child care and senior citizen facilities, Head Start teachers, parent educators, camp directors and more.
“We are passionate about educating individuals regarding families and lifespan development,” Martin said. “By making this information available online, our reach is much greater, and the theory and research can be shared with more individuals.”
For more information about the program, visit sfaonline.info/human-development-and-family-studies.
By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.
February 12, 2018 Nacogdoches – There’s a line in the show: “ … the best camouflage of all, in my opinion, is the plain and simple truth. Because nobody ever believes it.”
Dr. Richard Jones had long forgotten that line in Max Frisch’s play “(Biedermann and) The Firebugs,” but he remembered this theme from when he first read the play more than 30 years ago.
“I was thinking about some specific episodes in my own life, but especially about the political climate today,” he said. “Ultimately, I was intrigued by the fact that the major surprise in this play is that there are no surprises in this play.”
Jones, professor of theatre at Stephen F. Austin State University, will direct “(Biedermann and) The Firebugs” when the School of Theatre presents it as part of this year’s Mainstage Series.
According to Jones, businessman Gottlieb Biedermann opens the play muttering about how arsonists (“firebugs”) have had so little trouble finagling their way into people’s houses, only to burn them down. And then the doorbell rings…
“Really, everyone knows what’s going to happen within the first 10 minutes,” he explains. “The play is not so much about where we’re going as how we get there.”
The play was originally written as a response to Nazism/Fascism, Jones explained.
“It comes from a moment in time when absurdism took on a political element and, in this case, overlapped with the more overtly political form of epic theatre,” he said. “Playwright Max Frisch was not infrequently accused of Communist sympathies. Certainly his politics leaned a little to the left, but he was really more anti-Nazi than pro-Marxist.”
The play presents its share of challenging moments for a director, Jones said, one of which is that it moves in and out of presentational vs. representational style.
“That is, there are moments when the characters explicitly acknowledge the audience, and moments when the actors pretend not to notice the audience at all,” he said. “It’s also a very funny play, but if it lapses too far into farce, the themes of ethical behavior, moral courage and critical thinking are subordinated.”
Jones said another challenge is the number of new theatre students the play will feature in its cast.
“It’s always a challenge to work with new people,” he said. “I’ve previously directed only two of the 13 actors in this play, and over half the cast wasn’t at SFA a year ago. The newcomers are all great to work with, but it inevitably takes a little more time for them to know what to expect from me, and for me to figure out how help them do their best work.”
Student actors will learn from the mix of styles in the play, and from the many lines (more than usual, according to Jones) that can be interpreted in fundamentally different ways.
“That’s especially challenging, because the temptation is to split the difference, and we end up losing the sense of the moment altogether,” Jones said.
Jones hopes the audience will appreciate and enjoy the humor in the play.
“I hope they have a good time and share a few laughs with us,” he said. “If they leave a little more likely to confront their fears and do the right thing, even at a risk, so much the better.”
The play is appropriate for all ages. However, young children probably would not understand it, but those in mid-teens and up would comprehend its themes.
“(Biedermann and) The Firebugs” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Feb. 27 through March 3, in W.M. Turner Auditorium in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive, on the SFA campus.
Single tickets are $15 for adult, $10 for senior and $7.50 for student/youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.theatre.sfasu.edu.
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