SFA University
November 24, 2020 - Nacogdoches Helping Other People Eat food pantry is expanding thanks to a grant that involves a collaboration with three Stephen F. Austin State University schools.
Nacogdoches HOPE is using the funding from a large fiscal year 2021 Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge grant awarded by the East Texas Food Bank to purchase a building and property next to the food pantry and Jo’s Diner soup kitchen at 2100 E. Main St. This will help increase the number of individuals who can be served and food distribution, expand services and improve efficiency.
“With this expansion, we’ll be able to better connect clients with needed resources and services,” said Dr. Sharon Ninness, director of the expansion project, grant writer and Nacogdoches HOPE board member. “We look forward to broadening our collaboration with SFA as part of this project.”
Students from SFA’s DeWitt School of Nursing in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, School of Human Sciences in the James I. Perkins College of Education and School of Social Work in the College of Liberal and Applied Arts will gain valuable experience while serving the community, according to Wilma Cordova, professor of social work at SFA and volunteer coordinator for Nacogdoches HOPE.
“It is very common for schools of social work to have resource centers to connect clients to transportation, medical, mental health counseling, employment and child care services,” Cordova said. “To finally have a place to provide direct community support and a training location for our students is an ideal collaboration for the neighborhood, which is located in what the 2020 U.S. Census designated as the tract with the highest level of poverty in East Texas. Establishing this resource at the food pantry is key to helping achieve a healthier community.”
Students from SFA’s School of Social Work have interned at Nacogdoches HOPE during the past year to help with the 144% increase in demand for services since November 2019, according to Cordova.
The new building will have offices for social work interns to provide information and referral services to those in need; for human sciences interns in SFA’s food and nutrition program to provide clients with dietary consultations; and for nursing students and faculty members to conduct wellness checks for individuals who request them.
“This opens up new opportunities for our nursing students to learn and to provide care within the community,” said Michelle Klein, clinical instructor in the School of Nursing. “We are excited to collaborate with SFA’s School of Social Work and School of Human Sciences to improve the health and wellness of so many through Nacogdoches HOPE.”
In addition to food storage, meal preparation and computers clients can use to research healthy recipes and nutrition information, the building will house classes for the Cooking Matters program, a partnership established six years ago between SFA’s School of Human Sciences and the East Texas Food Bank in Tyler. It’s designed to help curb high levels of food insecurity in East Texas while giving SFA students valuable experience.
“This allows our students to demonstrate their nutrition knowledge with interactive education and cooking demonstrations,” said Justin Pelham, clinical instructor of food and nutrition at SFA. “Community opportunities enhance the student-learning experience when working with our underserved populations locally, making a significant impact in the students’ lives well past their undergraduate experience at SFA.”
The new building also will be used to serve more than 50 people during Jo’s Diner lunches. For the safety of its clients and volunteers, Jo’s Diner has been closed to in-person meals since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but SFA human sciences students and faculty members helped clients by serving to-go lunches from the Lumberjack Express mobile food lab Oct. 14 through Nov. 18.
“The food was purchased by HOPE and prepared in the pantry’s kitchen,” Ninness said. “SFA students planned, prepared, cooked and distributed meals for the lunches under the supervision of SFA faculty members.”
Over six weeks, SFA students served more than 300 meals to members of the Nacogdoches community, according to Dr. Donna Fickes, clinical instructor of hospitality administration at SFA.
“The drive-thru lunches have been well-received,” Fickes said. “As soon as the Lumberjack Express arrives, people start walking up to ask when we will start serving. We will look at restarting our service-learning experience in the spring semester to continue filling this need in our community.”
Lauren Christopher, an SFA food and nutrition senior from Tyler, helped purchase food for the lunches and plan and prepare meals as part of her internship at Nacogdoches HOPE.
“This is a great way for students to get involved with helping their community,” Christopher said. “I encourage SFA students to volunteer and help people in need.”
As Thanksgiving approaches, the food pantry needs more help than ever, Ninness said.
Nacogdoches HOPE is requesting food items, including peanut butter, jelly, pinto beans, rice, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, Chunky soups and canned meats (chicken, salmon, tuna, chili, roast beef or corned beef hash). For drop-off times, email nacogdocheshope@yahoo.com.
The food pantry also needs monetary donations. To donate by check, PayPal or credit card or through your Amazon and Kroger purchases, visit nacogdocheshope.com.
“A donation of $25 will provide boxes of supplemental food to four families because HOPE purchases food from the East Texas Food Bank for pennies on the dollar,” Ninness said. “Every donation helps, no matter how small. Ninety cents of every dollar donated goes to HOPE’s food program. This organization is operated 100% by unpaid volunteers.”
For information on volunteering at the food pantry and Jo’s Diner, email Cordova at wcordova@sfasu.edu. For information on volunteering to help move items, paint, landscape and engage in other activities related to the expansion project, contact Ninness at sninness@suddenlink.net.
From left, Stephen F. Austin State University hospitality administration students Sandra Ramos, Jordan Generals and Jaclyn Castillo and their instructor, Dr. Donna Fickes, distributed lunches recently at Nacogdoches Helping Other People Eat food pantry. SFA faculty members and students served more than 300 meals to Nacogdoches HOPE clients during drive-thru lunch distributions from SFA’s Lumberjack Express on Wednesdays in October and November. Through a grant awarded by the East Texas Food Bank, Nacogdoches HOPE is purchasing a building and property next to the food pantry and Jo’s Diner soup kitchen at 2100 E. Main St. In addition to providing food and other resources to more individuals in the county, the expansion will offer faculty-supervised service-learning opportunities to students in three SFA schools: DeWitt School of Nursing, School of Human Sciences and School of Social Work.
November 20, 2020 - The Stephen F. Austin State University Charter School’s 12th annual Walkathon has raised over $24,000, a fundraising record for the school, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We're incredibly grateful to our community of family, friends and supporters for their generous giving,” said Jordan Wright, Walkathon co-chair and secretary of the SFA Charter School Parent-Teacher Organization. “It’s because of them that we’ve had such a successful fundraiser.”
The Walkathon is the PTO's only fundraiser each year. Donations usually go toward transportation to learning trips, tickets to the Children’s Performing Arts Series at SFA, author visits and social events, but the school had to postpone those this year because of the pandemic. Instead, the PTO is considering purchasing a shade canopy and additional equipment for the playgrounds.
“This year's theme was ‘Walk It Out,’” said Abby Scorsonelli, Walkathon co-chair. “We thought it appropriate considering the times. We had to adapt our typical plans due to the public health situation.”
On Nov. 20, students attending in-person classes walked the concourse at SFA’s Homer Bryce Stadium. Students in each grade took turns walking for 20 minutes while practicing physical distancing.
Family and guests weren’t allowed to walk with the students this year, but the Walkathon was broadcast on Facebook Live for the school’s remote learners and students’ fans to cheer them on virtually.
Four platinum sponsors donated more than $750 each to the fundraiser: Nails 2000, TFP Nutrition, Turner Fabrication and West Loop Animal Clinic in Lufkin.
“I am humbled each year by the ever-growing generosity of our community,” said Lysa Hagan, principal and CEO of the charter school.
“Our PTO and Walkathon co-chairs work hard to engage our community members in our Walkathon, including recruiting many to provide video messages encouraging the fundraising efforts of our school family,” Hagan added. “Their unique ideas certainly seem to work, as our students and parents continually surpass all expectations for our Walkathon fundraising goals. We are so grateful!”
Students at the Stephen F. Austin State University Charter School walked around the concourse at SFA’s Homer Bryce Stadium Nov. 20 for their 12th annual Walkathon, which set a new school record this year. Supporters and businesses, including Nails 2000, TFP Nutrition, Turner Fabrication and West Loop Animal Clinic in Lufkin, donated over $24,000 for playground improvements at the school. Photo by Robin Johnson
November 20, 2020 - When the COVID-19 pandemic moved many college students to online learning, teacher candidates at Stephen F. Austin State University were among them.
Those in SFA’s Community Responsiveness and Engaged Advocacy in Teacher Education program, or C.R.E.A.T.E., saw their usual face-to-face community engagement projects canceled, but they soon found service-learning opportunities through a new partnership formed between C.R.E.A.T.E. and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville.
“Community engagement and service are hallmark experiences of the C.R.E.A.T.E. program, and I did not want students to miss out on this type of authentic learning just because most would not be residing in Nacogdoches during the fall 2020 semester,” said Dr. Lauren Burrow, associate professor of education studies and cofounder of C.R.E.A.T.E.
Dr. Shelby Gull Laird, former assistant professor of forestry at SFA and head of the Whiteville branch of the museum, saw a way to help provide online service-learning projects for SFA teacher candidates and connected Burrow with Brian Wuertz, community engagement educator at the museum.
“I knew this partnership could help SFA teacher candidates develop their teaching and activity creation skills even though they’re working online,” Laird said.
To help the four student teams design family-friendly activities for museum visitors, Wuertz guided them in applying the knowledge and skills they gained through Burrow’s writing methods course and the science education course taught by Dr. Tonya Jeffery, assistant professor of education studies.
“The teacher candidates synthesized our needs with their teacher training to create resources that will engage guests in exploration and inquiry in underutilized outdoor spaces at our museum,” Wuertz said. “In addition to generating curiosity about science and nature, these resources will help promote literacy skills.”
The resources, including activities and books, will become property of the museum.
The teacher candidates said they will apply what they’ve learned during this opportunity in their own communities.
“We learned a lot about community partnerships and how we can work with different organizations in our school districts to design experiences for children that will complement what they’ll learn in the classroom,” said Destinee Davis, an elementary education senior from Tyler. “This experience has been a real eye-opener for me.”
Davis said this lesson prompted her to focus on details like copyrights as well as the big picture of how students from a different state would respond to the material she created for use outside a classroom setting.
“There aren’t many education seniors who can say they’ve collaborated with a museum before,” Davis said. “This project is something I can be proud of, and when it's time for those future job interviews, I will definitely make sure to mention my experience collaborating with an out-of-state museum to help with student learning.”
For more information on C.R.E.A.T.E., email Burrow at burrowle@sfasu.edu or Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor of education studies and cofounder of C.R.E.A.T.E, at olsonbehk@sfasu.edu. For more information on the museum, visit naturalsciences.org/visit/whiteville.
November 19, 2020 - For the second consecutive year, the Society of American Foresters recognized the Stephen F. Austin State University student chapter among the top three in the nation during the organization’s virtual conference held in October.
“Winning this award for the second year in a row is very gratifying,” said Jacob Muggeridge, forestry major and president of the SFA student chapter. “I hope we can continue the tradition this upcoming year with further events and engagement in the spring semester.”
The recognition is based on the accomplishments of the student chapter, as well as its service to the community.
Muggeridge said that with the guidance of Dr. Rebecca Kidd, assistant professor of forest ecology and SAF student chapter faculty advisor, the chapter actively built and maintained relationships with local groups, such as the Angelina-Nacogdoches Forest Landowners Association, and conducted a number of service projects with Mission Tejas State Park and the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.
“Through Dr. Rebecca Kidd’s leadership, student members of the SFA student chapter of the SAF have developed an exemplary record of service to the forestry profession and the East Texas community,” said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. “They are outstanding ambassadors for the SFA forestry program and deserving of this national recognition.”
November 13, 2020 - Art education students at Stephen F. Austin State University are continuing to explore new and innovative ways to teach art to members of the Boys and Girls Club of Deep East Texas.
In another collaborative effort, the SFA School of Art, the Boys and Girls Club and the Community Arts Center of East Texas helped students create a colorful mural completely online.
This colorful mural was created online by art education majors at SFA and student artist participants of the Boys and Girls Club of Deep East Texas. It will be displayed at the Judy B. McDonald Public Library in Nacogdoches.
“In weekly Zoom meetings, art education students conducted one-on-one tutorial painting sessions with Boys and Girls Club participants in which each student painted a square of a graphed image,” explained Dr. Maggie Leysath, professor of art education at SFA.
Boys and Girls Club children discussed the meaning of “intercultural harmony" and created images that reflected their ideas. Art education students took those ideas and created a central image of helping hands.
“The final result is a collaborative image that highlights the individuals who created it,” Leysath said, “and, it was completely done from remote locations.
“Well done future art educators,” she added, “and a big, huge thank you to everyone at the Boys and Girls Club and the awesome Community Arts Center of East Texas.”
The mural is being installed for viewing at the Judy B. McDonald Public Library in Nacogdoches.
For more information about the School of Art, call (936) 468-4804 or visit art.sfasu.edu.
November 9, 2020 - Educators wanting to further their careers can now earn a doctorate in educational leadership without leaving their hometowns through a new online program in the James I. Perkins College of Education at Stephen F. Austin State University.
“This is the first completely online doctoral degree offered by SFA,” said Dr. Stacy Hendricks, coordinator for the educational leadership doctoral program and associate dean in the Perkins College of Education. “It is designed for those who are fully employed in school districts or other educational agencies. They can participate in the program while meeting their job and family commitments.”
The Doctor of Education in educational leadership prepares K-12 and higher education leaders to address population growth issues, cultural diversity, policy analysis and design, problem-solving and the change process through content-specific coursework and summer field-based leadership internships.
The program features 66 hours of challenging, relevant curriculum taught using a cohort design with collegial support. Participants can specialize in specific content areas to become institutional and agency researchers, curriculum specialists and K-12 leaders, among other roles.
Some program participants progress into nonacademic college and university administrator positions.
“Though this degree does not automatically make you eligible to become a faculty member or an academic leader, such as a unit head, dean or provost, you can pursue academic leadership opportunities with the appropriate faculty qualifications and experience,” Hendricks said.
The deadline to apply for the program is March 15, and the new cohort begins May 17.
For more information, email Hendricks at edd@sfasu.edu or visit sfasu.edu/sfaonline.
November 3, 2020 - Registration for spring 2021 at Stephen F. Austin State University will begin Monday, Nov. 9, as campus faculty, staff and administrators gear up to offer another safe and highly flexible academic semester.
The spring 2021 semester at SFA is expected to operate much like fall 2020, according to Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president.
“If we continue to do the right things, we will be able to operate as close to normal as possible in the spring,” he said. “Our campus community has been very resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we can’t let our guard down now. We will need to continue to pay attention to the three Ws — watching our distance, wearing our masks and washing our hands."
Spring classes start Friday, Jan. 8. The university decided to begin the spring semester earlier than normal to accommodate for its newer, flexible eight-week sessions. These shortened terms allow students to earn the same number of credit hours for one class in half the amount of weeks as a regular semester.
Students can take both eight-week and traditional 16-week courses at the same time, making it easier for students to fulfill SFA’s “15 to Finish” initiative, which encourages students to take 15 credit hours per semester. This allows students to graduate in less time than the national average and can save a student thousands of dollars during the course of four years.
Delivery methods for spring classes will remain just as flexible as they were in the fall. Classes will continue to be offered in face-to-face, online, livestream, hybrid or hyflex formats, and distance-learning opportunities continue to expand.
Faculty members choose the modality of their courses, and students are able to select the course delivery types that best fit their needs.
“The spring and fall 2020 semesters were a true test of SFA’s ability to evolve on the spot, and our faculty, staff and administrators met that challenge with strength, transitioning thousands of courses to remote learning formats in a matter of weeks,” said Dr. Steve Bullard, SFA provost. “However, we understand students are still dealing with a lot of change and uncertainty, so we continued to expand those offerings throughout the fall and are excited to have versatile course options again in the spring.”
At present, the breakdown of available spring course modalities, including both undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, is 41% hybrid, 31% face-to-face, 21% fully online and 6% livestream.
SFA also will continue to offer test-optional admissions for all 2021 semesters — a decision prompted by the cancellation of SAT and ACT exam administration at testing centers across the state that are struggling to accommodate test participants due to required physical distancing standards.
While the test score requirement is lifted for the admission process, students who were able to take the SAT or ACT are encouraged to submit those scores with their ApplyTexas application as they may be needed in the scholarship review process.
Administrators feel positive about the success of the fall semester, despite steep state-level budget cuts across a number of sectors.
Fall 2020 enrollment numbers were much better than many educational forecasts predicted based on impacts of the pandemic. Fall enrollment at SFA totaled 12,620 students, a decrease of 349 students, or 2.7%. However, there was a 10.7% increase in SFA’s graduate enrollment, from 1,475 students in fall 2019 to 1,633 students in fall 2020.
SFA administrators were especially pleased with fall retention rates, which indicate a potential 7% increase, from 70% in fall 2019 to 77% this fall.
The university will continue to support students and employees in the spring through use of on-campus signage promoting physical distancing guidelines and ways to safely interact with others.
Safety measures implemented in the fall that will continue in the spring include:
- regular sanitizing of high-touch-point areas in all campus buildings
- reduced seating capacity in classrooms to help ensure proper physical distancing based on the room’s square footage
- available use of hand-sanitizing stations in buildings across campus
- touchless service in all dining halls
- and physically distanced workout equipment in the Student Recreation Center to help ensure Lumberjacks continue to have an outlet for mental and physical health.
For more information, visit our Spring 2021 Guide at sfasu.edu/spring2021.
November 2, 2020 - Stephen F. Austin State University’s horticulture program will host an annual fall plant sale from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the SFA Plantery, located at 1924 Wilson Drive.
Plants available for purchase include a variety of winter annuals, such as pansies, violas, wallflowers, sweet alyssum and snapdragons. All plants are winter hardy and grow well in East Texas. Plants are $2 per pot or $32 for a tray of 18 plants.
“The students are so excited to sell great plants to our community,” said Dr. Jared Barnes, associate professor of horticulture and steward of the Plantery. “More and more research has shown that people have turned to gardening this year to relieve stress and anxiety, and we are happy to provide plants that enrich people’s lives.”
The plant sale will be held outdoors and follow university protocols for physical distancing and safety. All attendees must wear masks and are encouraged to bring exact change or a check.
Attendees also may opt for in-car pick up. Those who wish to do so are encouraged to email the Plantery for a list of available plants. Pick-up orders will be accepted until 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.
For more information, contact Barnes at sfahorticulture@gmail.com. To learn more about SFA’s horticulture program, visit www.horticultureisawesome.com/the-plantery or follow @sfahorticulture on Instagram.
Stephen F. Austin State University’s horticulture program will host an annual fall plant sale from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the SFA Plantery, located at 1924 Wilson Drive. Pictured, SFA horticulture students tend to winter annuals grown at the Plantery.
October 30, 2020 - Stephen F. Austin State University has partnered with Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Academic Alliance to offer a face-to-face completer program for the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies’ early childhood through grade 6 concentration in Bryan-College Station.
This partnership, beginning in fall 2021, will help students from Blinn College District and other institutions seamlessly transition into the SFA program.
“The SFA campus and the RELLIS Academic Alliance share a very important goal: We want to reshape education to meet the needs of our Texas students,” said Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president. “The RELLIS Campus is a tremendous model where multiple institutions are offering programs in one location. That’s innovation, and innovation is the key to success.”
With its focus on early childhood and reading education preparation as well as extensive field experiences, the BSIS with the EC-6 concentration has a strong reputation for developing future teachers’ knowledge and skills in education with courses that provide real-world experience working with children.
“As a regional university, SFA has a historically strong reputation for helping to fill the employment needs of the area by providing access to high-quality educational opportunities,” said Dr. Judy Abbott, dean of SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education. “Bringing our showcase degree, the BSIS, to the RELLIS Academic Alliance provides access for Bryan-College Station area students to a well-established and respected educator preparation program.”
SFA is the first institution outside the Texas A&M University System to be invited to offer a bachelor’s degree within the RELLIS Academic Alliance.
“We are proud to partner with SFA to offer an established, quality education program to our students at RELLIS,” said Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. “I have no doubt this program will be an asset to the Academic Alliance and future students. We think it’s going to become one of the fastest growing offerings that we have.”
Abbott hopes this partnership will help address the shortage of certified teachers for the state’s public schools.
“The Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies is the most frequently awarded degree at SFA, so this opportunity to bring the BSIS to the RELLIS Academic Alliance is remarkable,” Abbott said. “We are excited to become a partner in the RELLIS Academic Alliance and to increase the development of teacher education students eligible to become certified and step into the classrooms of Texas schools.”
Students seeking to enroll in the BSIS completer program may apply for SFA’s community college transfer scholarship. This funding opportunity offers students transferring from a community college $1,000 per year if the student’s GPA is 3.0 to 3.49, or $2,000 per year if the student’s GPA is above 3.50. To be eligible, students must have at least 45 transferable hours.
About the RELLIS Academic Alliance
With the addition of the education program, the RELLIS Academic Alliance offers 26 unique academic options from 10 Texas A&M System regional universities and Stephen F. Austin State University. Program options include degrees in a variety of fields, including technology and engineering, business and industry, natural and human sciences and public service. For more information about the RELLIS Academic Alliance, visit rellis.tamus.edu/academicalliance.
About the RELLIS Campus
Founded in 2016 by the Texas A&M University System, the RELLIS Campus in Bryan fosters cutting-edge research, technology development, workforce training and two- and four-year college degrees by tapping the system’s state agencies and multiple universities, along with academic, corporate and government partners outside the system.
For more information, visit sfasu.edu/rellis.
Stephen F. Austin State University has partnered with Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Academic Alliance to offer a face-to-face completer program for the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies’ early childhood through grade 6 concentration in Bryan-College Station. The partnership will begin in fall 2021. On hand to make the announcement at SFA were Dr. Jim Nelson, director of the RELLIS Academic Alliance and associate vice chancellor of the Texas A&M University System; Dr. Nancy Jordan, provost of the RELLIS Academic Alliance and associate vice chancellor of the Texas A&M University System; John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System; Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president; and Dr. Steve Bullard, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at SFA.
October 30, 2020 - Demolition is winding down inside the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus in conjunction with a fine arts expansion and renovation project that will add nearly 68,000 square feet to the current building.
Phase II of the project – construction/expansion of the building – will soon be underway and is being described by construction officials as “an extensive project” that will start with massive dirt removal, including digging a hole deeper than the current Johnson Coliseum expansion and three times larger.
As a result, motorists and pedestrians in the area should expect construction zone changes that will alter traffic patterns starting next week and continuing for an estimated two years.
Beginning Nov. 3, a construction zone will be established around the Griffith Fine Arts Building that includes the creation of a perimeter fence surrounding the work site. In order to accommodate site preparation and construction, traffic and pedestrian routes in close proximity to the Griffith Fine Arts Building will be impacted. This includes the areas near the intersection of North Street and East College Street, and the parking spaces located along the westbound lane of Alumni Drive. It is anticipated that construction will take up to 24 months, weather permitting. Motorists and pedestrians are urged to use extreme caution in the area, expect minor traffic delays and use alternate routes if possible.
Note the following areas of impact:
- Sidewalks will be closed to pedestrians around the work site, including the east sidewalk on North Street from Alumni Drive to East College Street and the south sidewalk of East College Street from North Street to the Wright Music Building.
- Eastbound traffic on East College Street will be reduced to one left lane only from North Street to the music building.
- Westbound traffic on Alumni Drive will be reduced to one left lane only from the music building to North Street.
- The small parking lot behind the Music Building, along East College Street will be permanently closed for the duration of the project.
The Fine Arts Expansion Initiative will include extensive renovations to the existing Griffith Fine Arts Building and add handicap parking, a patron drop-off zone (off of East College Street) and new construction which will extend the building along North Street nearly to the corner of East College Street. The renovated and expanded state-of-the-art building will include two dance studios, two theatres, a renovated Turner Auditorium and pre-event lobby space, recording studio, sound stage, audio and video editing rooms, an art gallery, multiple classrooms, rehearsal facilities, faculty offices and the offices of the College of Fine Arts dean. The facilities will house the CFA’s sound recording technology, filmmaking, theatre, dance and musical theatre programs.
Renovation to the existing building and new construction will be underway simultaneously. New construction of 67,905 square feet will bring the total building space to 137,374 square feet.
The anticipated construction will help ease the need for additional space to accommodate continued growth in the College of Fine Arts, according to Dr. A.C. “Buddy” Himes, dean, who has repeatedly stated for many years in his Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ assessment report: “Only through construction of additional facilities will the College of Fine Arts be able to fully alleviate concerns for space, grow to its potential in enrollment, be competitive with similar programs in Texas, and fully capitalize upon student markets for new programs.”
“Now, this is coming to fruition,” Himes said. “The lesson to be learned is to develop your vision, articulate this clearly for all to see and understand, and never lose sight of this no matter what obstacles may occur.”
Questions or concerns about construction may be directed to the Physical Plant Department Work Control at (936) 468-3206 or the University Police Department at (936) 468-2608.
Beginning Nov. 3, a construction zone will be established around the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus that includes the creation of a perimeter fence surrounding the work site.
A portion of traffic lanes along Alumni Drive on the SFA campus and East College Street will be affected by the expansion of Griffith Fine Arts Building. (Aerial Map)
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