SFA University
February 20, 2024 - Nearly 95% of Stephen F. Austin State University’s May 2023 graduating class reported positive career outcomes within six months of graduation, according to a class-specific survey conducted by the university’s Center for Career and Professional Development, marking a 5% increase from last year’s rate.
The First Destination Survey is used to capture information from SFA’s new graduates within their first six months after graduation. Specifically, it looks at information related to post-graduation next steps, including whether they are working, continuing education, joining the military or participating in service or volunteer programs, such as the Peace Corps.
The survey is meant to provide clear, concise and consistent data on the outcomes associated with SFA students as well as the national outcomes associated with a college education, according to an article on the Handshake website, the platform CCPD uses to connect students with industry professionals. For this reason, the questions in the survey are compliant with the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
The FDS is one way SFA tracks the success of students and those who help prepare them for the job market, said CCPD director Brent McLemore, “allowing us to tell their stories more completely, celebrate accordingly and improve more effectively.”
Between self-reported student data and the CCPD’s post-graduation knowledge rate, overall survey results account for 48% of the May 2023 SFA graduating class, which is slightly higher than both national (47%) and regional (40%) knowledge rates when comparing to class of 2022 data. National class of 2023 data will not be released until this fall. As with all class career outcomes, the reported data will include graduating students from each semester within an academic year.
Still, McLemore and other SFA administrators were excited to see that SFA’s reported career outcome rate within six months of graduation for May 2023 graduates was 6% higher than the 2022 national average and 10% higher than the 2022 southwest U.S. average. The southwest region includes Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
“It is always encouraging to see positive career outcomes at above average rates,” McLemore said. “These trends are reflective of the good work our faculty members put in each day to educate our students. Along with the many campus advisors, mentors and staff, their work results in students who are competitive in the job market, bringing significant value to it as potential employees.”
With several student resources focused on microcredentialing and experiential learning now being made possible through SFA’s affiliation with The University of Texas System, McLemore said he expects these positive trends to continue.
“We are very excited to support this upward trajectory in CCPD,” he said.
To learn more about the CCPD, including its career exploration and employer connection services, visit sfasu.edu/ccpd.
About Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
A touring production of “Oskar’s Bigger Bully Battle” comes to the Stephen F. Austin State University campus for two performances on Thursday, March 7, in W.M. Turner Auditorium as part of the Children’s Performing Arts Series.
February 9, 2024 - The Children’s Performing Arts Series at Stephen F. Austin State University will present two performances of “Oskar’s Bigger Bully Battle” Thursday, March 7, 2024 in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.
Oskar is the central character in a series of educational plays by Houston-based Alley Theatre. Oskar is a bright, excitable and extremely creative fifth-grader. In this play, a very thorny incident shocks the schoolyard, and everyone is stumped and confused. But never fear – Oskar to the rescue!
“In this wacky adventure about the bullying cycle, Oskar learns that everyday comments can start a dangerous chain reaction that stops the whole school in its tracks,” explains Diane Peterson, Fine Arts Box Office manager and director of the children’s series. “‘Oskar and the Bigger Bully Battle’ encourages students to stand up for victims, while also teaching them how to express empathy for bullies – helping everybody on the playground to move happily forward together.”
The Children’s Performing Arts Series, presented by the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, features professional touring shows designed to entertain, educate and engage young audiences of all ages, according to Peterson.
“Oskar’s Bigger Bully Battle” targets children in prekindergarten through fifth grades. Performances are at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Turner Auditorium is located in Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.
Tickets are $9 for individuals and $7 per person for groups of 20 or more. Call 936.468.6407 or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice for tickets or more information.
“I Think Therefore I Am” by Huntsville freshman Cooper Baley is among the artworks in this year’s “Words of Art” collaborative exhibition titled “Co-Elaborate,” showing Feb. 5 through 9 in the student galleries of the Lower Art Building on Wilson Drive on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.
February 2, 2024 - Formerly a course at Stephen F. Austin State University called “Pen & Pigment,” “Words of Art” is a student organization-led collaborative event that presents contributors with publication and exhibition opportunities.
Students who participated in “Pen & Pigment” engaged with one another to produce cohesive paintings and poetry that effectively correlated their disciplines.
“Words of Art” epitomizes the idea of interdisciplinarity by expanding the accepted disciplines and by being facilitated by student organizations Subplots and Art Alliance. The goal was to increase flexibility and increase the number of disciplines involved in the event, according to Megan Bynum, event organizer.
The exhibition, titled “Co-Elaborate,” will be shown Feb. 5 through 9 in the student galleries of the Lower Art Building on Wilson Drive. A closing reception is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9. The public is invited to celebrate the contributors and the people who made this event possible. Attendees will have the chance to show their support by voting for the People’s Choice Award, highlighting the artist and writer who best displayed interdisciplinarity.
The gallery hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Megan Bynum at (325) 998-5425 or bynummc1@jacks.sfasu.edu.
Joe Zimmerman
February 1, 2024 – The University Series at Stephen F. Austin State University brings comedian Joe Zimmerman to Nacogdoches for a performance at 7:30pm Thursday, February 22, in W.M. Turner Auditorium, Griffith Fine Arts Building, on the SFA campus.
A favorite of late-night shows such as “The Tonight Show,” “Last Comic Standing” and “Comedy Central,” Zimmerman is a frequent performer on university campuses and at corporate events.
“I am a huge comedy fan,” said Dr. Gary Wurtz, dean of the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, which hosts the University Series. “I became aware of Joe Zimmerman after hearing him on Sirius radio, as well as watching his performances on YouTube. When I had the opportunity to book him on this year’s University Series, I jumped on it and can’t wait to have him here.”
Zimmerman grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, and started his comedy career in North Carolina shortly after graduating Davidson College where he was an English major. While starting out in the South, he launched a tour with three friends called “The Beards of Comedy” and landed a record deal with Comedy Central Records. In 2012, he moved to New York City, quickly appearing on “The Late Late Show” and John Oliver’s “New York Stand-Up Show,” as well as Montreal’s “Just for Laughs” festival.
His resume has since grown to include “The Tonight Show,” “Conan,” “Nickelodeon,” “Last Comic Standing,” his own “Comedy Central Half Hour,” and the Comedy Cellar’s topical show, “This Week at the Comedy Cellar.” His first solo album, “Smiling at Wolves,” reached No. 2 on the iTunes comedy charts, and, shortly after, Paste Magazine named him one of 10 Best Comedians from the South. His second album, “Innocence,” came out on Comedy Central Records in 2018 and is played regularly on Sirius XM radio. In 2019, he recorded a dry bar special with upwards of a million views on YouTube. His one-hour comedy special “Cult Classic,” directed by Nate Bargatze and produced by 800 Pound Gorilla, came out in 2023. Zimmerman has also contributed humor writing to The New York Times and The New Yorker, and he has appeared on numerous podcasts and radio.
Justin Smith
His opening act is Justin Smith, a New York City-based comedian from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Smith’s biography states he was “raised in a religious household, went to a conservative Christian college, worked in the oilfield and loves BBQ and the phrase ‘fixen to.’” He is also described as “quick-witted, brutally honest and incredibly engaging.” His show dialog ranges from making fun of high school proms on MTV to talking about the intricate details of comedy on PBS.
Single event tickets for Joe Zimmerman and Justin Smith are adult, $30; senior (62 or better), $24; SFA faculty/staff, $15; non-SFA student/youth, $12; SFA student, $3. To purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS, or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice. The Fine Arts Box Office is located in the second floor lobby, Griffith Fine Arts Building, SFA campus. A reception will be held in the second-floor lobby immediately following the performance.
Dr. Matibur Zamadar, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Stephen F. Austin State University, received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for his invention of a new type of antibiotic for drug resistant bacteria.
January 31, 2024 — Dr. Matibur Zamadar, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Stephen F. Austin State University, has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for his second invention of a drug to treat bacteria that is resistant to most existing antibiotics and kills millions of people around the world with an invasive infection.
Zamadar created a drug to reduce antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when medication loses its ability to kill bacteria. This drug is effective at a relatively low single dose or reduced repeat doses. His invention is effective to treat cancer as well as bacterial infection complications of cancer treatment, especially when cancer cells are surgically removed.
“Pathogenic bacteria often develop resistance against conventional antibacterial agents, which lose efficacy over time,” Zamadar said. “By developing adaptive bacterial resistance, many bacteria become resistant to specific antibacterial structures. As bacteria become more resistant to antibacterial medications, dosages are increased until highest doses become ineffective against the most resistant bacteria.”
Overuse of antibiotics often lead to the emergence of more resistant pathogens. Zamadar’s invention will counteract this.
“Studies project that by 2050 antibacterial resistance will kill 300 million people worldwide, and total world economic loss will be around $100 trillion if antibacterial resistance is not addressed,” he said. “Also, conventional antibiotics are costly and not easily synthesized or readily available to poorer developing or certain developed countries. Patients receiving extended treatment for cancer are at high risk of developing bacterial infections and bacterial resistance due to prolonged neutropenia, lymphocyte dysfunction, and use of invasive devices.”
Patients using chemotherapy drugs will benefit from this invention since they are usually unable to get rid of live bacteria from the tumor site. According to Zamadar, physicians often administer a high dose of antibiotics to cancer patients, which leads to resistant pathogen issues and can cause negative side effects for patients after tumor surgery.
Zamadar began the patent application process in 2020. This is the second U.S. patent granted to a professor in SFA’s College of Sciences and Mathematics within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Zamadar previously obtained one U.S. patent and two international patents from India and South Africa for his prior invention for a drug for cancer treatment in 2022.
“Obtaining this patent would not have been possible without support from SFA faculty members and students,” Zamadar said. “Dr. Michele Harris, associate dean and professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and undergraduate students Aqeeb Ali and Jacob Herschmann provided technical support throughout the patent process. Retired patent attorney Tom Pruitt provided his expertise to file the patent application.”
To learn more about SFA’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, visit sfasu.edu/chemistry.
About Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
Elementary and middle school students will show off their technical skills and problem-solving abilities at the FIRST LEGO League Challenge Texas area qualifier tournament from 9am to 2pm Jan. 20 in the Cole STEM Building’s Nelson Atrium.
January 19, 2024 - The STEM Research and Learning Center at Stephen F. Austin State University will host the FIRST LEGO League Challenge East Texas area qualifier tournament from 9am to 2pm Jan. 20 in the Cole STEM Building’s Nelson Atrium.
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, is an international youth organization that operates several competitions, including the upcoming FIRST LEGO League. This LEGO-based challenge introduces science, technology, engineering and mathematics to elementary and middle school students through fun hands-on learning. Participants gain real-world problem-solving experience through a guided, global robotics program, helping today's students and teachers build a better future together.
“FIRST LEGO League gives students the opportunity to learn and practice a variety of skills from coding and teamwork to research and communication,” said Corina Rivera, K-12 outreach coordinator for SFA’s STEM Research and Learning Center. “This year, we are excited to host teams from local school districts as well as teams traveling from Houston.”
Teams will navigate LEGO Mindstorm and Spike robots through themed missions, demonstrating their technical skills and problem-solving abilities. As part of the league’s season, students have tackled real-world challenges through research, teamwork and the presentation of their innovative solutions.
January 19, 2024 — Stephen F. Austin State University will recognize several prominent donors who have supported the institution during the 33rd annual SFA Gala, slated for Saturday, January 27, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom. Hosted by the SFASU Foundation, the annual black-tie event honors generous benefactors to the university; showcases the impact of their giving on the students, faculty, staff and programs; and reiterates the need for the university’s endowment.
The 2024 honorees, inducted into two of the university’s three tiers of giving, are Patsy Barton of Nacogdoches, Chris and Jim Berry of Farmers Branch, Judy and Larry Holt of College Station, the late Carolyn Downing and Harry Downing of Nacogdoches, and Ashley and Greg Arnold of Dallas.
“The dedicated support of our donors enhances the prestige of our institution and helps shape a future that reflects our university’s exceptional quality as we have just celebrated 100 years of excellence,” said Jill Still, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the SFASU Foundation.
Badders Law Firm is the title sponsor for the event. Since 1964, the personal injury attorneys have focused on providing representation to ensure clients obtain justice and relief after suffering serious injuries.
Fredonia Society Inductees
Patsy Barton
Although Patsy Barton and her late husband, Doyle G. Barton, did not attend SFA, they began establishing and endowing scholarships in 2012 to aid students preparing to enter public education. Their daughter, Dr. Paula Barton Griffin, and grandson, Sean Griffin, have multiple degrees from the university. After her husband’s passing in 2013, Patsy Barton continued the path of giving to the James I. Perkins College of Education. She relocated to Nacogdoches in 2017.
Patsy and Doyle Barton were born and raised in Russellville, Arkansas. After graduating from high school, they married and moved to Kansas and eventually to Texas. Patsy Barton was a homemaker and partner to her late husband while he supported the family in retail management and as a franchisee for Sonic Drive-In.
Neither Patsy nor Doyle Barton had the opportunity to pursue a college education. However, they provided financial support for their children and grandchildren to do so. Both Patsy Barton and her late husband shared a desire to provide financial support through scholarships for students to study and obtain university degrees. This passion has encouraged members of their family to obtain advanced degrees, including six bachelor’s, three master’s and one doctoral degree.
Chris and Jim Berry
Christine “Chris” Sanner Berry and Jimmy “Jim” Berry first met as students while attending SFA. The couple married a year after graduating in 1985.
Most recently, Chris and Jim Berry have endowed the Sanner-Berry Business Professorship in the Rusche College of Business as part of their long tradition of supporting education inside and outside the classroom. The new endowment is the largest professorship in the College of Business and will be designated to a faculty member who demonstrates the ability to engage students in meaningful learning experiences. With this professorship, the Berrys ensure future Lumberjacks will have the same opportunities to learn from accomplished faculty members as they did.
The Berrys, along with other managing partners at Deloitte, also have helped establish the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholarship Endowment, which supports scholarships annually for high-performing students pursuing an accounting degree. The endowment is currently the largest scholarship-specific endowment in the Schlief School of Accountancy.
Jim Berry retired from Deloitte in 2021 after a 30-year career where he led the U.S. real estate sector and distinguished himself as a partner and vice chairman. That same year, the Rusche College of Business dean’s suite was named the Jimmy D. Berry Dean’s Suite in honor of his retirement and to recognize his involvement in building the successful partnership between SFA and Deloitte.
Judy and Larry Holt
Judy and Larry Holt began working to honor the memory of his mother, Celeste Duncan Holt, by establishing a scholarship endowment in her name at SFA. Although the Holts did not attend SFA, Larry Holt’s mother attended SFA, and all of his family is from nearby Shelby County. The scholarship endowment provides annual financial support to students from Shelby County pursuing a degree in education, as Celeste Holt spent her career as a teacher after graduating from SFA in 1952.
Most recently, the Holts have created a new endowment to support the East Texas Research Center, the official university archive and state-designated repository for the historical records of surrounding counties.
Larry Holt earned a Juris Doctor from Baylor University and a Master of Laws from Southern Methodist University. He now practices law in estate planning, probate, trusts, wills, real estate, oil and gas, and public finance. He is dedicated to the support of libraries and archives. In 2009, he was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve as commissioner at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Judy Holt is currently a member of the board of directors of the Greater Texas Foundation. She was the foundation’s interim executive director and first chief executive officer in 2006. Prior to that, her service began in 1987 as the first employee with one of Greater Texas Foundation’s former subsidiary organizations. Judy Holt holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Texas A&M University.
Carolyn and Harry Downing
Carolyn and Harry Downing were high school sweethearts at Manila High School in Manila, Arkansas, and married after Carolyn graduated high school in 1965. Serving as a licensed practical nurse, she supported her husband as he earned three degrees in physics: a Bachelor of Science from Arkansas State University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Florida State University.
Harry Downing joined SFA’s Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy in 1975, and Carolyn Downing began a 27-year career as an office nurse for Dr. Aaron Polk in Nacogdoches a few years later. Harry Downing became a professor in 1987 and later served as department chair for more than 30 years, receiving the College of Sciences and Mathematics Teaching Excellence Award and the Robert N. Little Award for outstanding contributions to physics higher education in Texas. He was named SFA’s 2013-14 Regents Scholar.
Carolyn Downing passed away in January 2020. Although the Downings had no children during their 54-year marriage, they influenced many people through their interactions with patients and students. To honor Carolyn Downing, Harry Downing established three SFA scholarships in nursing, physics and engineering. On July 21, 2020, SFA’s board of regents approved the naming of the Harry and Carolyn Downing Physics Resource Commons and the Harry and Carolyn Downing Engineering Resource Commons.
Stephen F. Austin Society Inductees
Ashley and Greg Arnold
The Greg Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship at SFA is the result of many years of leadership, determination and passion for service to business and community by Ashley and Greg Arnold. Greg Arnold earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from SFA in 1987 and went on to spend his time developing a nationally recognized multidivisional company focused on the energy, aviation and real-estate industries.
Greg Arnold is chief executive officer of TAC – The Arnold Companies, a privately owned family office investment and holding company with a diversified portfolio of investments featuring private and public companies. The company was built on services in petroleum marketing and private aviation, growing to national coverage in both industries and employing approximately 1,000 associates. Ashley Arnold is an active philanthropist and supporter of many organizations in the Dallas and North Texas areas.
Greg and Ashley Arnold’s leadership and spirit of giving reflect the entrepreneurial mindset that is the focal point for supporting generations of SFA students to come.
On July 26, 2022, the SFA board of regents expressed its admiration, gratitude and high regard for the Arnolds by naming the Greg Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship.
About Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
January 10, 2024 - Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art’s call for entries in the 2024 Texas National Competition and Exhibition will remain open through a Feb. 2 deadline.
This article is copied from Shelby County Today without permission.
Texas National features an assortment of art from various media, according to Weelynd McMullan, exhibition coordinator for The Cole Art Center at The Old Opera House where the exhibition will show from April 12 through June 30.
The School of Art’s annual juried competition and exhibition attracts entrants from across the United States, providing artists an opportunity to have their work juried by highly acclaimed curators, artists and critics, such as this year’s juror, Peter S. Briggs, noted art historian, researcher and curator.
This article is copied from Shelby County Today without permission.
A reception on the evening of April 12 will open the exhibition. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places and best in show at the juror’s discretion.
Briggs earned a doctorate in art history from the University of New Mexico and has curated more than 140 art exhibitions and published more than 95 articles, books and exhibition catalogs primarily on 20th and 21st century American art. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, and is writing a book about Terry Allen's graphic art. Briggs began his pursuit as a curator in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico Art Museum and the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. He retired as chief curator at the University of Arizona Museum of Art and then moved to Lubbock as the Helen Devitt Jones Endowed Curator of Art at the Museum of Texas Tech University. While at Texas Tech he transformed the art collection through the creation of the Artist Printmaker/Photographer Research Collection and expanded the museum's holdings from some 3,000 artworks to over 25,000. In the university's graduate program of Heritage and Museum Sciences he developed and taught curatorial methodology, and as a two-time Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Vilnius Academy of Art, Lithuania, and the Academy of Art and Design in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, he created and taught curatorial practices for studio artists. Briggs has received more than 30 research and program grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; has been an Organization of American States (OAS) research fellow at the Museo del Hombre Panameño and the Museo Nacional of Costa Rica; and received fellowships and grants from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, American Alliance of Museums, Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund for Folk Culture and Tinker Foundation, among others.
This article is copied from Shelby County Today without permission.
Call for entries information for Texas National 2024 can be accessed by clicking here.
The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.
Plants, such as the Salvia coccinea 'Summer Jewel White' pictured above, will be available at SFA Gardens’ annual Garden Gala Day Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 6 and 7 at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.
January 8, 2024 — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host its annual Garden Gala Day Plant Sale from 9am to 2pm April 6 and 7 at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.
The sale will feature an array of hard-to-find, “Texas-tough” plants, including exclusive SFA introductions, Texas natives, edibles, tropicals, perennials, shrubs and trees, with an emphasis on pollinator-friendly selections. The featured plants are produced by SFA Gardens staff members and volunteers. A full list of available plants will be posted at sfasu.edu/sfagardens two weeks before the sale.
This event raises benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, Pineywoods Native Plant Center, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden, Gayla Mize Garden and Kingham Children’s Garden.
Parking will be available at SFA’s Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center, located at 2428 Raguet St. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early and bring a wagon for their plants.
For more information, call (936) 468-4404 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.
About Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
December 14, 2023 - Stephen F. Austin State University construction management graduating seniors in the James I. Perkins College of Education’s School of Human Sciences celebrated the end of the semester with hard hat ceremony Dec.1. The graduating seniors are pictured holding hard hats: front row, from left, are Sally Ann Swearingen, SFA professor of interior design and construction management coordinator; Charles Gelvin; Leoncio Escalante; Nolan Mote; Isaac Ramirez; and Dr. Nathaniel Walker, SFA associate professor of human sciences. Also in attendance were members of SFA’s construction management external advisory board: back row, from left, are Chris Oliveria, Bossworth Steel Erectors in New Braunfels; Dan Hlavac, director of Harvey Builders in Houston; John Glaze, president of Fast Track Specialties in Houston; and Jordan Elder, senior project manager at Drewery Construction in Nacogdoches. The ceremony and the gifted hard hats are provided by the 18 members of SFA’s construction management advisory board.
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