SFA University
May 28, 2024 — Stephen F. Austin State University’s police department and its Emergency Management team will conduct Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training sessions June 3-7 at an unspecified location on the SFA campus.
Despite the enhanced police presence during the specified time, members of the university and Nacogdoches communities should be aware this is a drill and not an immediate threat.
“We believe that by fostering a safe and secure environment, we can provide the best possible setting for educational growth and development,” said Jeremy Pickett, Emergency Management director.
According to Pickett, this training is a critical component of the University Police Department’s efforts to provide a safe and secure environment for faculty, staff, students and visitors. UPD staff members and select university personnel will take part in the drill.
The training program is designed to equip law enforcement officers with the necessary skills and knowledge to respond swiftly and effectively to emergency situations, including active shooter scenarios.
This initiative is part of UPD’s compliance with Texas House Bill 3, which mandates comprehensive school safety measures. The bill underscores the importance of proactive safety protocols in educational settings, and this training is a key step in meeting these requirements.
For more information, contact UPD at (936) 468-2608 or updemail@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.
Students taking the “Teaching Science in EC-6” course demonstrate learning activities they learned to students in kindergarten through third grade.
May 23, 2024 — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens recently hosted the 26th annual Bugs, Bees, Butterflies and Blossoms event on April 5 and April 19 at the Mast Arboretum.
This collaborative event — organized by the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, SFA Gardens, SFA Department of Education Studies, Texas Forestry Association, and Texas A&M Forest Service — offers SFA education students valuable hands-on teaching experiences with kindergarten through third-grade children in an engaging outdoor environment.
Dr. Melissa Hulings, assistant professor of education studies, arranged for 42 SFA students taking the “Teaching Science in EC-6” course to participate as activity hosts for the event.
The SFA students were provided training through Project Learning Tree and resources to conduct four activities that “engage children in learning about the environment through the lens of forests” according to Dr. Alan Sowards, SFA professor emeritus of education studies and founder of the event.
The event was attended by 554 children across 32 classes from eight public, private and home schools. The children learned about the life cycles of butterflies, honeybees and trees, including the role of decomposers in the tree cycle and the adaptations of plants and animals that help them survive.
“What I love about this event is that some teachers who brought their classes to Bugs, Bees, Butterflies and Blossoms also attended the event as a child, later graduated from SFA in education studies, and are now bringing their students to the event,” said Kay Jenkins, SFA Gardens environmental educational programs coordinator.
The Four Seasons Garden Club supported the event through a donation used to purchase a classroom set of Project Learning Tree’s K-8 activity guides and event T-shirts for the SFA students to wear. Local beekeeper David Gallager provided observation honeybee hives for one of the activities, and SFA Gardens provided live decomposers, plants and butterflies in various life cycle stages and other resources for the activities.
“Bugs, Bees, Butterflies and Blossoms is the largest and longest-running environmental education program in East Texas,” said Ted Stevens, education director with the Texas Forestry Association. “This year was another success as it gave future teachers the confidence to incorporate environmental education into their classrooms and provided a service to the community around the university by hosting an interactive and fun environmental education field investigation for local school children in SFA’s beautiful gardens.”
Ted Stevens; Laura Stevens, wildland urban interface coordinator for the Texas A&M Forest Service; Jenkins; and Elyce Rodewald, SFA Gardens program associate, hosted the trainings for SFA students.
Stephen F. Austin State University’s Jordan Coleman, a Master of Arts in public history student from Effingham, Illinois, has been named a fellow for the Jess Hay Endowment for Chancellor’s Graduate Student Research Fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year by The University of Texas System.
May 17, 2024 — Stephen F. Austin State University’s Jordan Coleman, a Master of Arts in public history student from Effingham, Illinois, has been named a Jess Hay Graduate Fellow by The University of Texas System for the 2024-25 academic year.
The fellowship is a unique graduate opportunity established by the late Jess Hay, a former UT System regent who was an advocate and visionary leader for the UT System. Hay passed away in 2015. The fellowship was designed to tie graduate education to timely and high-quality research benefiting the state of Texas.
“I feel incredibly honored to have received the Jess Hay fellowship knowing the amount of great research being completed throughout the UT System,” Coleman said. “It is also wonderful to see research coming out of SFA’s College of Liberal and Applied Arts recognized by not only SFA but by the UT System.”
As part of the program, four annual graduate student research fellowships of $15,000 each rotate among UT System institutions, benefiting two academic institutions and two health institutions each year.
Coleman, who served one deployment in Iraq while serving in the United States Army as an infantryman, was selected based on his research and thesis capstone project on former Congressman Charles Wilson’s congressional papers housed in SFA’s East Texas Research Center.
According to Coleman, Wilson was an internationally recognized politician whose career has continued to be historically significant since his death. The intended outcome of Coleman’s capstone thesis is to catalog and add hundreds of new historical items to the Charlie Wilson Collection and make it available for streamlined public research almost 30 years after its creation.
To enable and expand access to the collection, Coleman is creating an updated finding aid that includes these previously uncatalogued objects, folders, photographs, and audio and visual items. Adding these pieces to the Charles Wilson Congressional Papers finding aid will allow researchers global access to the ETRC’s audio and visual recordings of Charles Wilson during his time in office.
As part of the cataloguing process, Coleman will put the collection into archival-quality boxes and folders, introduce safe storage methods for objects and oversized items, and make recommendations for which media items need to be digitized as soon as possible, including 300 video and audio cassettes, reel-to-reel films, video home system tapes and broadcast films. These tactics will ensure the collection’s long-term survival and usability by the public.
Coleman said the $15,000 award will be used to purchase all the supplies needed to correctly preserve the audio and visual materials within the Charles Wilson Congressional Papers collection at the ETRC, and research Wilson further in both Austin and Washington, D.C.
Initially unfamiliar with the fellowship, Coleman was encouraged by his history professors to apply and credits the remarkable mentorship of faculty members — particularly Drs. Perky Beisel and Lydia Towns, SFA professor and lecturer of history, respectively — as the reason for his academic achievements.
“Jordan Coleman is a top-notch graduate student in every area: research, analysis and writing,” Beisel said. “He's been a consistent leader in his seminar courses and has gone above and beyond to gain additional hands-on experiences within the field of public history. As president of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honors society, Jordan has led an ambitious fundraising campaign and organized a regional conference, thus revitalizing the organization and making SFA a destination for history-minded students.”
Along with the Jess Hay Graduate Fellowship, Coleman has presented at seven conferences while in graduate school and has been awarded multiple state and international awards for his research. Additionally, Coleman wrote a National Register of Historic Places Nomination for the Concord Rosenwald School in Mount Enterprise while interning for Preservation Texas.
He also has been involved in six projects over the past two years spanning all aspects of becoming a public historian. He has worked on a Native American Graves and Repatriation Act project, assisted in the creation of a preservation and management plan for a historic cemetery, conducted and transcribed oral histories and has processed hundreds of boxes of documents and digitized thousands of photographs at the ETRC.
Coleman currently works at the ETRC as a graduate research assistant and credits his wife, Holly, and son, Axel, as his biggest supporters and motivators.
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.
About the University of Texas System
The University of Texas System has enhanced the lives of Texans and individuals worldwide through its commitment to education, research and health care for 140 years. With 14 institutions collectively enrolling over 254,000 students, the UT System stands as one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions annually produce over 66,000 graduates and award more than one-third of the undergraduate degrees in Texas, as well as over 60% of the state's medical degrees. The combined efforts of UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics resulted in over 10.7 million outpatient visits and more than 2 million hospital days last year. The UT System’s $3.8 billion research enterprise is one of the nation’s most innovative and ranks No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the nation for federal research expenditures. The UT System has an operating budget of $29.1 billion for fiscal year 2024 and employs more than 116,000 faculty, health care professionals, support staff and student workers.
SFA theatre students Mariano Aguirre, senior theatre major from Little Elm, and Kiya Green, senior theatre major from Waxahachie, earned top honors at the National Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival recently in Washington, D.C., in winning the Irene Ryan Acting Competition.
May 15, 2024 - Two theatre students from Stephen F. Austin State University brought the highest honors in collegiate acting to the university when they won the Irene Ryan Acting Competition at the National Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival recently in Washington, D.C.
The acting duo of Kiya Green, senior theatre major from Waxahachie, and Mariano Aguirre, senior theatre major from Little Elm, were rated No. 1 in the nation for their competition performances in which the students had five minutes to present two monologues and one duo scene to be judged by a variety of professionals and theatre makers, according to Cleo House-Keller, director of the SFA School of Theatre and Dance. The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship is a prestigious award in the field of theater arts, named after the acclaimed actress Irene Ryan.
“For those who aren’t familiar with KCACTF and the Irene Ryan competition, it might be hard to convey or understand the significance of Kiya and Mariano’s win,” House-Keller explained. “It is easily equal to winning an NCAA championship. These students came out on top of all of the actors in this competition from across the entire U.S. For SFA to be recognized like this – not that long ago for our production of “Bootycandy” in 2021 and again more recently with SFA theatre student Danielle Wooden winning the national title last year for stage management – only serves to highlight that theatre training at SFA is among the best in the country.”
Each April, the Kennedy Center welcomes outstanding theater students to the KCACTF National Festival. Student awardees in design, performance, directing, playwriting, stage management, dramaturgy, arts leadership and theatre criticism are invited from all eight regions. Through master classes, presentations, conversations and staged readings, students learn from and connect with established theatre artists, as well as their peers from across the country. At this national event, students are eligible for professional training opportunities, fellowships and awards based on their projects and work presented during the festival.
In earning Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships, Green will receive a $5,000 award, and Mariano will receive a $1,000 award. She also earned a Jane Alexander Award for Acting and a $2,500 award from the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, and she won a Mark Twain Scholarship for Comic Performance and a $1,000 award.
Aguirre won a five-day actor intensive session with Encompass Collective in which he will join other ensemble awardees in participating in graduate school-level actor training, including movement, voice, scene study and self-tape. Encompass Collective is a community of Global Majority actors trained at the top graduate school programs in the U.S. and who are committed to training the next generation of artists to sustain a professional career in acting.
Both Green and Aguirre graduated in May after earning Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. Green is exploring two “exciting options” in her career path, including working with The Ensemble Theatre in Houston or moving to Atlanta, Ga., to “kickstart my acting career.”
“Both paths offer their own challenges and rewards, and I'm eager to see how each choice shapes my artistic trajectory,” she said. “I am incredibly excited about my future in acting. While I tend to be self-critical, I know that I've been blessed with a gift from God, and I'm determined not to let it go to waste. Winning this award is a testament to countless hours of hard work and dedication. It's a reminder that my efforts have paid off, and that I'm on the right path. I can't wait to see how I can continue to grow as an actor.”
"The Kennedy Center offers such an incredible opportunity,” Aguirre said, “and I was so honored to serve as Kiya’s scene partner for the festival. Meeting so many theatre students from around the nation, and working with one another throughout the week alongside some of the nation's top theatre professionals was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Receiving such honors for your work is an incredible experience,” Aguirre added, “and as we graduate, the recognition also reassures us that our theatre faculty at SFA have well-prepared us to forge our own artistic pathways in the professional world."
For more information about the School of Theatre and Dance, call (936) 468-4003 or visit sfasu.edu/theatre-dance.
Dr. Mikhail Kouliavtsev, chair of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Economics and Finance in the Rusche College of Business, presents students with monetary awards — many donated by Nacogdoches-area financial institutions — during an April 17 ceremony.
May 10, 2024 - Stephen F. Austin State University students received monetary awards — many donated by Nacogdoches-area financial institutions — during an April 17 ceremony.
Award recipients were chosen by faculty members from the SFA Rusche College of Business’ Department of Economics and Finance.
“Students were selected based on their academic achievement in their coursework, engagement in research projects, participation in conferences, and pursuit of their future career goals — whether employment, entrepreneurship or graduate study,” said Dr. Mikhail Kouliavtsev, chair of the department.
William King, finance senior from Nacogdoches, received the Entrepreneurship Award, and Ngoc Hoang, finance junior from Vietnam, received the Portfolio Management Award. Both awards were sponsored by Buchanan Wealth Management.
Other achievement award recipients included Brent Pigg, a finance senior from Lufkin, who received the Asset Liability Management Award sponsored by Citizens 1st Bank, and Hudson Heim, banking senior from Henderson, who received the Financial Institutions Award sponsored by Cadence Bank.
The Economics Reading Group presented Jessica Frasier, general business junior from Bay City, with the Economic Pursuits Award, and Nashally Arellano, first-year marketing major from Houston, with the Economic Interest Award. Both awards were sponsored by the Charles Koch Foundation.
The High-Ranking Economics Major Award, sponsored by the Charles Koch Foundation, went to senior Clay Patrick of Livingston. The High-Ranking Finance Junior and High-Ranking Finance Senior awards, both sponsored by Southside Bank, went to Cole Lemons of Gunter and Ethan Johnston of Montgomery, respectively. Tina Packard, finance and banking senior from Nacogdoches, received the High-Ranking Banking Major Award from SFA’s Chadwick Banking Program.
Dan Nguyen of Vietnam received the Outstanding Economics/Finance Graduate Award sponsored by Austin Bank. Hana Roers, sports business junior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, and Toby Sherman, economics junior from Gilbert, Arizona, received the Undergraduate Scholar Award. Those awards were sponsored by the ECON 3339 Packet Fund.
The Finance Club Award, sponsored by Commercial Bank of Texas, went to Whitton Malone, finance junior from Carthage, and David Kaiser, lecturer and director of the Chadwick Banking Program, was named Favorite Professor by the Finance Club.
“It is an honor to work with this great group of students, and I am so very appreciative of this recognition,” Kaiser said.
For more information on these awards and SFA’s Department of Economics and Finance, visit sfasu.edu/ecofin.
From left: Brady Dill, a senior history major from Spring; Jordan Gonzales, a senior entrepreneurship major from Nacogdoches; Wyatt Brasher, an entrepreneurship junior from Texas City; and Nykia Benit, a first-year hospitality administration major from Hutchins; and Paulina Salazar, a management senior from Center.
May 2, 2024 — From recording studios to lobbyist apps, Stephen F. Austin State University students pitched their business ideas to win the third annual “Shark Tank”-style Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition April 26.
“It takes a lot of moxie to stand up and say, ‘I’ve got an idea that is worth investing in,’” Matthew Smilor, director of the Rusche College of Business’ Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship, told contestants. "Year after year, I'm consistently amazed by the creativity and innovation of SFA's students. Their ingenuity, determination and passion are truly inspiring.
Contestants were judged on the market opportunities for their businesses as well as their situational awareness, pitches, business models and go-to-market strategies by three judges: Jenny Meyer, SFA alumna and president and CEO of JEM Advisors in Houston; Kevin Carr, SFA alumnus and owner of Community Beer Co. in Dallas; and Bill McGaughey, SFA alumnus, certified public accountant and entrepreneur based in Lufkin.
The competition began with the lightning round, during which 12 students pitched their ideas. The judges narrowed down the contestants to five finalists, who presented longer pitches during the final round.
“The competition was really fierce,” said Dr. Raymond Jones, associate professor and director of the entrepreneurship program at SFA. “Each of the finalists was prepared and handled the tough questions from the judges very well.”
The first-place prize of $10,000 went to Sauce Dudes, an online platform that delivers “only the best gourmet sauce and spice blends to market from southern style recipes,” by Brady Dill, a senior history major from Spring. Jordan Gonzales, a senior entrepreneurship major from Nacogdoches, earned the $5,000 second-place prize with Beyond the Vine Cellars, a mobile wine trailer for events. The $2,500 third-place prize went to Wyatt Brasher, an entrepreneurship junior from Texas City, for Immersify event-planning software with augmented- and virtual-reality features to help clients truly see how an event will look.
The two remaining finalists who earned $1,250 each were hospitality administration first-year student Nykia Benit of Hutchins with Kingdom Kitchen, a junior culinary arts school, and Paulina Salazar, a management senior from Center, with JackTrack Parking, a parking app that highlights open spaces on the SFA campus.
“I am extremely grateful to be awarded the win in this difficult competition,” Dill said. “The other competitors were fantastic, and I am humbled to be selected as the winner. I plan to use my winnings to help grow my business into something profitable for years to come. I’d also like to thank the judges for giving us their valuable time.”
To learn more about the competition, center and SFA’s entrepreneurship program, visit sfasu.edu/ace.
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.
April 30, 2024 — To better reflect its mission and scope, Stephen F. Austin State University’s STEM Research and Learning Center has been renamed the STEM Education and Research Center. This name change marks an exciting new chapter in the center's commitment to serving the educational needs of local school districts in deep East Texas.
The STEM Research and Learning Center has long been a place for academic support and resources for educators and students alike, hosting well-known STEM field days each year for regional K-12 schools. Its evolution into the STEM Education and Research Center is a natural progression that aligns with its expanded focus on fostering excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education within the region.
Serving as the outreach arm of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, the center is designed to advance STEM learning, pedagogy and practice.
“The decision to rebrand comes at a pivotal moment as the STEM Education and Research Center reaffirms its commitment to advancing the college’s vision: To empower the next generation of STEM professionals to lead and serve in a changing world,” said Dr. Kimberly Childs, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics and executive director of the center. “Through the STEM Education and Research Center, we strive to inspire and challenge students to achieve the college vision for their lives.”
JacksTeach, an academic program designed to equip students majoring in mathematics, biology, physics or chemistry with the necessary tools to obtain a teaching certification for secondary education, will now be housed within the center, consolidating resources and amplifying its impact. JacksTeach is a replication of UTeach, a nationally recognized STEM teacher preparation program, and a partner of the university’s educator preparation program in the James I. Perkins College of Education.
“JacksTeach is able to provide our students with extensive and meaningful classroom experiences through strong partnerships with local school districts,” said Dr. Jane Long, director of JacksTeach and co-director of the center. “We are very excited for new avenues to support the schools that make our work possible through the new STEM Education and Research Center.”
Through its continued collaboration with local school districts and educational stakeholders, the STEM Education and Research Center remains steadfast in its mission to foster talented STEM students into lifelong learners and innovators.
“We embrace the opportunity to unite the STEM Education and Research Center and JacksTeach,” said Dr. Jana Redfield, co-director of the center. “As one unit, we will strengthen institutionalized programs while developing new and innovative STEM offerings that will positively impact the future of K-12 students, educators and the SFA community.”
The STEM Education and Research Center will hold an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. May 7 in the Cole STEM Building.
For more information about the STEM Education and Research Center and its programs, visit sfasu.edu/stem.
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.
By Alyssa Faykus, editorial services senior specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University
April 24, 2024 — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.
Greg Grant, award-winning horticulturist, writer, conservationist, bulb farmer and seventh-generation East Texan, will present “Pines, Pawpaws and Pocket Prairies.”
Grant authored the books “In Greg’s Garden: A Pineywoods Perspective on Gardening, Nature, and Family” and “Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening,” as well as co-authored “Heirloom Gardening in the South, Texas Home Landscaping, The Southern Heirloom Garden,” and “The Rose Rustlers.” He also writes the popular “In Greg’s Garden” column for Texas Gardener magazine, a weekly garden column in the Tyler Morning Telegraph, and writes a monthly “Greg’s Ramblings” blog. He is the Smith County horticulturist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Tyler, where he is coordinator of the Smith County Master Gardener volunteer program and director of the Tyler Botanical Garden.
Grant has degrees in floriculture and horticulture, both from Texas A&M University, and attended postgraduate classes at Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University and SFA, where he is currently working on a doctoral degree in forestry. He has previous experience as a horticulturist with SFA Gardens, Mercer Arboretum and San Antonio Botanical Gardens, and as an instructor at SFA and LSU.
Grant has introduced several successful plants to the Southern nursery industry, including dwarf pink Mexican petunia, Gold Star speranza, Laura Bush petunia, John Fanick phlox, Stars and Stripes pentas, Pam’s Pink honeysuckle, Lecompte vitex, Henry and Augusta Duelberg sages, Big Momma and Pam Puryear Turk’s Cap, Peppermint Flare hibiscus, the Marie Daly and Nacogdoches (Grandma’s Yellow) roses.
He was presented the lifetime membership award from the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, the county agent award from the Turfgrass Producers of Texas, the Superior Service Award by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the Lynn Lowrey Memorial Award by the Native Plant Society of Texas, and the Lone Star Land Steward Award by Texas Parks and Wildlife. His book “Heirloom Gardening in the South” was a Garden Writers Association Silver Award recipient.
He has traveled extensively to hundreds of botanical gardens throughout the United States and Europe and has given over 2,000 entertaining, story-filled lectures. He is a graduate of the Benz School of Floral Design and a lifetime member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, the Southern Garden History Society and the Texas Bluebird Society. His work has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, including Southern Living, Woman’s Day, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, and The San Antonio Express News.
Grant and his wife live in deep East Texas in his grandparents’ old farmhouse, where he tends the Rebel Eloy Emanis Pine Savanna and Bird Sanctuary, a bluebird trail, an heirloom bulb farm, a dozen chickens, two cats and a Jack Russell terrier.
The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the lecture series fund are appreciated.
Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St., or Raguet Elementary School, 2708 Raguet St.
For more information, email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.
April 10, 2024 –– Through funding made available as a result of Stephen F. Austin State University’s affiliation with The University of Texas System, SFA has partnered with virtual health and well-being provider, TimelyCare, as part of the university’s ongoing commitment to provide and improve health and well-being services to its student body. The partnership, which began in January, greatly expands and streamlines existing services and adds new opportunities for students to seek mental and physical health support.
TimelyCare, a trusted virtual health and well-being provider for higher education, is administered through SFA’s Health and Wellness Hub and offers students free access to mental health and basic needs assistance. The partnership is an extension of The Hub’s mission: To support the health and well-being of every Lumberjack and offer comprehensive services that treat the whole person — mind, body and spirit.
According to Clare Fite, the university’s Counseling Services director, the service broadens the scope of services The Hub can provide, including numerous counseling options that specialize in a variety of topics pertaining to mental health.
“TimelyCare allows students to access a large pool of highly trained and diverse mental health professionals at no cost to them,” Fite said. “In addition to therapy, students can access crisis resources, self-assessments, peer support and education on a variety of topics that pertain to their overall well-being. College can be a difficult time with a lot of transition. We encourage our students to seek support early and often.”
Through TimelyCare, students can access virtual care options on their phone or other devices from licensed counselors in all 50 states at no cost and without traditional insurance for up to nine sessions each academic year. Services include:
- TalkNow: on-demand mental health and emotional support
- Appointment-based mental health counseling
- Psychiatric support
- Health coaching
- Basic needs assistance
- Care navigation
- Peer support community
- Digital self-care content
Once registered, students can access services anytime if their SFA email is active. Though students are allotted nine sessions per year through TimelyCare, TalkNow sessions, which are 20 minutes, do not count toward the nine sessions. There is no limit on how many times a student can access their TalkNow service. Students are not required be registered for summer courses to access the services.
According to TimelyCare, 75% of college students who accessed virtual mental health and well-being interventions through TimelyCare reported mental health improvements, including 100% those who presented as a potential suicide risk. More than half of all students who have sought mental health support through TimelyCare said they would have done nothing if the service were not available.
“The UT System has positively impacted SFA and the Nacogdoches communities in so many ways,” Fite said. “With SFA joining the UT System, we are now able to offer a variety of therapeutic services we were not able to before, including crisis counseling 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and expanded individual counseling services via telehealth. I am confident that they are going to greatly benefit our students and are a direct result of SFA joining the UT System.”
Additionally, as part of The Hub’s commitment to streamline the process for student access to well-being services, a crisis line has been implemented for quick contact to a counselor 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To access the service, students call the Hub at (936) 468-4HUB (or 4482) and press No. 1. There is no time limit or restriction on the number of times called. In severe cases, the level of intervention can require assistance from University Police Department or Counseling Services. Students also may visit the Health and Wellness Hub at 2106 Raguet St. in person during regular business hours.
For more information about the Health and Wellness Hub, visit sfasu.edu/thehub.
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.
About the University of Texas System
The University of Texas System has enhanced the lives of Texans and individuals worldwide through its commitment to education, research and health care for 140 years. With 14 institutions collectively enrolling over 254,000 students, the UT System stands as one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions annually produce over 66,000 graduates and award more than one-third of the undergraduate degrees in Texas, as well as over 60% of the state's medical degrees. The combined efforts of UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics resulted in over 10.7 million outpatient visits and more than 2 million hospital days last year. The UT System’s $3.8 billion research enterprise is one of the nation’s most innovative and ranks No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the nation for federal research expenditures. The UT System has an operating budget of $29.1 billion for fiscal year 2024 and employs more than 116,000 faculty, health care professionals, support staff and student workers.
Finalists present their research during the poster session at Stephen F. Austin State University’s 2023 Undergraduate Research Conference. The 2024 conference is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. April 9 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center theater and Twilight Ballroom. The conference is free and open to the public.
April 1, 2024 — Seven student groups and individuals from Stephen F. Austin State University and Tyler Junior College were named top scholars for their research, which they will present during the 2024 Undergraduate Research Conference from 4 to 7 p.m. April 9 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center theater. The conference is free and open to the public.
“We celebrate the best of student research and their mentors,” said Dr. Leslie Cecil, director of the new SFA Center for Student Research and Creative Discovery, which hosts the conference. “For many faculty members, undergraduate research is what drives our research and enthusiasm to keep involving students in research.”
Since 2009, representatives from each of SFA’s six colleges have selected outstanding undergraduate student research from the previous calendar year. The best individual or group research project within each college and one from a non-SFA institution is awarded the top scholar title; SFA top scholars receive $500, while the non-SFA top scholar receives a scholarship to SFA. Additional outstanding student research projects are selected per college, and these finalists present during the conference’s poster session.
In 2012, the conference expanded to include regional colleges. Students from Lone Star College-North Harris, Tyler Junior College and The University of Texas at Tyler have participated in the conference.
The 2024 top scholar award recipients and their faculty mentors are:
- Amanda Albright, James I. Perkins College of Education, “Diet Considerations to Promote Bone Health, Prevent Chronic Disease and Optimize Healing After Orthopedic Surgery,” faculty sponsor: Justin Pelham, clinical instructor of dietetics and nutritional sciences at SFA
- Amelia Beam, Tyler Junior College, “Grounded: The Causes and Consequences of Pilot Shortages on the Airline Industry,” faculty sponsor: Dr. Andrea Hathcote, professor of learning framework at TJC
- Megan Beeksma, College of Sciences and Mathematics, “Exploring the Diversity of Cichlid Fishes in Rivers of Guyana, South America,” faculty sponsor: Dr. Carmen Montaña-Schalk, assistant professor of biology at SFA
- Carson Chulp, Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, “‘Plane of Existence’: A Composition by an SFA Percussionist, for the SFA Percussion Ensemble,” faculty sponsor: Dr. Bradley Meyer, associate professor of music at SFA
- Victoria Hoover, College of Liberal and Applied Arts, “Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, Cleopatra? A Study of Past Life Regression, Practitioners and the Impact of Reincarnation Beliefs,” faculty sponsor: Dr. Karol Chandler-Ezell, associate professor of anthropology at SFA
- Cari Mitchell, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, “An Interactive Map of Historical Buildings of Downtown Nacogdoches, Texas,” faculty sponsor: Dr. I-Kuai Hung, professor of forestry at SFA
- Hana Roers and Toby Sherman, Nelson Rusche College of Business, “2021 American Housing,” faculty sponsor: Dr. Rebecca Davis, assistant professor of economics at SFA
A Faculty Mentor of the Year also is honored at the conference. This year, Montaña-Schalk received the award and $500 for demonstrating a commitment to undergraduate research by sponsoring students who have been selected as top scholars and finalists.
Following the top scholar presentations, a poster session featuring more than 50 finalists will be held in the student center’s Twilight Ballroom. Refreshments will be served.
The Undergraduate Research Conference gives students the opportunity to gain poster and oral presentation skills as well as connect with experts who may help them with their future educational and professional goals, Cecil said.
“They present their research to a general audience that includes many people both inside and outside SFA,” she said. “This helps them with entrance to graduate schools or job-related critical thinking and research skills.”
The Center for Student Research and Creative Discovery was recently established in SFA’s Office of Research and Graduate Studies to promote, support and showcase the research, discovery and creative efforts of SFA’s undergraduate students. It does this by connecting students with faculty mentors and research opportunities and by offering resources, such as funding to present projects at conferences.
To learn more about this center, visit sfasu.edu/csrcd. To view a list of Undergraduate Research Conference finalists, visit sfasu.edu/urc.
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.
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