SFA University
SFA Students Assist Texas Parks, Wildlife Department in Collecting Statewide Data on Park Visitation
On the eve of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s centennial, three Stephen F. Austin State University graduate students, accompanied by a team of undergraduate research assistants, are traveling the state to collect visitor data at 64 of Texas’ 90 state parks. This information, accompanied by a more in-depth electronic visitor survey, will provide the agency with a better perspective of visitor demographics and recreational trends, as well as how the agency can best serve the public moving forward. Pictured left to right are SFA students Amy Garcia, Jacie Anderson, Alexandria Castro, Olivia Perkins, Rachel Bjerkaas and Neptune Gainer.
February 17, 2022 — Each year, more than 8 million people visit the 90 state parks, historic sites and natural areas managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In order to continue to meet the needs of visitors and offer relevant programming that reaches all Texans, the agency seeks to better understand exactly who these guests are and what motivates them to visit. Three Stephen F. Austin State University graduate students are crisscrossing the state to find out.
“We are collecting information regarding visitor use in roughly two-thirds of the parks throughout the state,” said Mark Risinger, Master of Science in resource communications student. “This includes demographics, frequency of use and activities the visitors pursued during their stay.”
In December, Rachel Bjerkaas, also a resource communications graduate student, led a group of undergraduate research assistants to West Texas where they conducted surveys at Franklin Mountains, Davis Mountains, Balmorhea and Monahans Sandhills state parks. While some of the survey data, such as visitor count and documented recreational activities, is collected without directly interacting with park patrons, further information regarding park use and visitor perceptions is gleaned through direct conversations.
“Speaking with visitors is one of my favorite parts of this project,” Bjerkaas said. “I love listening to them and understanding what some of their most memorable experiences are.”
Bjerkaas, who earned a Bachelor of Science in environmental science from SFA, said this is one of the very reasons she chose to pursue a graduate degree.
“I wanted the opportunity to help others understand the importance of nature and environmental issues,” Bjerkaas said. “Pursuing a graduate degree in resource communications allows me to spend my time working with people in the beautiful outdoor places around us.”
As most Texans can attest, seasonality greatly affects which parks are visited and the activities guests enjoy. For example, during the summer, Texas state park patrons are often advised to avoid hiking during certain hours due to the threat of heat exhaustion. Conversely, many visitors flock to Texas to escape harsh winters.
“South Texas parks will see a number of snowbirds that visit during the winter,” said Cam Rojas, resource communications graduate student. “In order to quantify the seasonality change of parks, we’ll survey 30 select parks over summer, fall and spring.”
Following these in-park surveys, a second, more comprehensive online survey will be distributed to individuals present on the Texas State Parks’ email list.
While the subsequent results of these surveys are invaluable for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Dr. Pat Stephens Williams, SFA professor of human dimensions of natural resources and project advisor, feels that the student growth taking place is the true asset.
“As we have progressed, we have recognized the individual strengths of each graduate student as they coordinate and lead the teams in data collection,” Stephens Williams said. “Some of the undergraduate students have absolutely blossomed in the field, and it has shown us how we can help improve and guide students in the future.”
In addition to supporting student growth, Stephens Williams notes that the project illustrates the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Dr. Ray Darville, chair of SFA’s Department of Anthropology, Geography and Sociology, serves as co-principal investigator for this and other research projects within the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.
This undertaking precedes the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and it reflects the agencies dedication to serving all Texans.
“We’re always trying to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment, so having a strong understanding of our visitors, their backgrounds and their needs helps turn us into a stronger organization with better programming,” said David Kurtenbach, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department program director for business management. “We say it all the time — Texas State Parks are for everyone, and we want to create the type of environment where everyone feels that parks are a part of their life.”
Story by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Contact information: (936) 468-1185 or fullersa@sfasu.edu.
February 15, 2022 – The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre’s presentation of the student-directed one-act play “In Shakespeare and the Bible,” originally slated for Feb. 4 and 5, has been rescheduled for March 18 and 19.
The play had to be rescheduled due to the campus closure on Feb. 4 in expectation of inclement weather.
Thornton Wilder’s “In Shakespeare and the Bible” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, in Regents Suite A in the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus.
Tickets are $4. To purchase tickets, visit the SFA Fine Arts Box Office online at boxoffice.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407. Advanced sales end at 3 p.m. on March 18. Available tickets may be purchased at the door.
Tickets already purchased for one of the Feb. 4-5 performances will be transferred to the new performance dates. Tickets may be switched to a different day or time, a different event, or be refunded. Contact the Fine Arts Box Office for details.
For more information about the play, call the School of Theatre at (936) 468-4003 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.
The SFA Percussion Ensemble will present its TMEA concert program in a preview performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
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January 25, 2022 - The Percussion Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University has been invited to perform at this year’s Texas Music Educators Association convention slated for Feb. 9 through 12 in San Antonio. Representing more than 17,000 current and future music educator members, TMEA works to support the future of music education in Texas.
The ensemble’s TMEA program will be presented in a preview concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus. The recital features works by Joe W. Moore, Francisco Perez, Andrea Venet and Andy Akiho. The Percussion Ensemble is directed by Dr. Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies at SFA, with Dr. Jamie Vilseck, the ensemble’s coach.
Written in 2018, Moore’s “Ojo” was inspired by Latin folklore with a goal of keeping the audience engaged with quick passages, rhythmic variety, timbre changes, and movements transitioning between instruments, giving the performers "ojo" (meaning “evil eye”) because “there is no other option but to watch and listen intently,” according to Moore.
“Ephemera” was inspired by the Lamar University students of Perez during the past two years of the pandemic. “After almost two years without composing any original music for percussion, witnessing the grit and hard work from my students at Lamar University over the course of the eventful 2020-2021 year inspired me to write this short but deeply meaningful piece for mallet sextet,” he wrote.
Venet’s “Omnes Trio,” Latin for “Trio for All,” was written as an expression to promote equality within the percussion field, according to the composer. “With homogeneous instrumentation and a shared set-up, the piece is characterized by hocketed rhythmic lines, trading grooves between players, and soloistic passages that create rapidly flowing textures and quasi-melodic lines,” Venet wrote.
Akiho’s “to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem” was originally written for chamber ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, vibes and drums) and premiered at the 2008 Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. Akiho said 2008 was one of the most influential and fortunate years of his life, but it began “hilariously tumultuous.”
“Within the span of 48 hours, I carelessly threw myself into multiple ridiculously unfortunate New York City situations – illegally parking my car under a suspicious overpass only to find it completely trashed and inoperable after being broken into; nearly slicing my thumb off cutting carrots with an ironically dull knife; and being attacked and stabbed by a gang while cluelessly walking home from the Manhattan School of Music after a late-night practice session,” he wrote. “This seven-minute composition depicts that particular evening expressed as a nonlinear soundtrack: escaping the attack, following the perpetrators in a taxi, trying to convince the apathetic cops to help me find the suspects, and the hospital monitor beeps of the emergency room are some of the themes in the music narration. Balancing out the NYC karma later that year, I found an old upright piano on the same corner where I was attacked. With the help of a friendly bystander, I pushed the piano up the hill to my apartment and composed this piece on it.”
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.
Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host its annual Garden Gala Day Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 9 and 10 at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center. The sale will feature a variety of extensively trialed plants, including the Lonicera ‘Pam’s Pink’ flower pictured here.
January 7, 2022 — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host its annual Garden Gala Day Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 9 and 10 at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.
The sale will feature more than 300 varieties of hard-to-find, “Texas-tough” plants, including Texas natives, edibles, heirlooms, tropicals, perennials, shrubs and trees, with an emphasis on pollinator-friendly selections, as well as exclusive SFA introductions. The featured plants are extensively trialed before being offered to the public and are produced by SFA Gardens staff members and volunteers.
This popular event benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, PNPC, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden, along with educational programs hosted monthly at the gardens. Educational programs provided at the SFA Gardens reach more than 15,000 participants annually.
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 to haul their plants.
For more information, call (936) 468-4404 or visit sfasu.edu/sfagardens. A full list of available plants will be made available two weeks before the sale.
December 9, 2021 - Gerald W. “Jerry” Schlief, Stephen F. Austin State University alumnus and president and CEO of Auterra Energy LLC, will offer the commencement addresses during the university’s three graduation ceremonies Saturday.
Schlief received a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and served as an innovative leader in the independent oil and gas industry in Houston. He has served on the SFASU Foundation Board of Trustees since 2008 and currently serves as chair.
Schlief and his wife, Candy, were inducted into the Stephen F. Austin Society in 2006 for their generous giving to the university, including funds to support the Gerald W. Schlief School of Accountancy in perpetuity, as well as the Gerald and Candace Schlief Tennis Complex, and the Gerald and Candy Schlief Lobby in the McGee Business Building.
Graduates and their guests must present tickets to enter Johnson Coliseum for commencement. Tickets are free and will help university officials ensure the venue is not overcrowded. Each graduation candidate will be allotted one ticket for themselves and a maximum of 10 guest tickets.
Candidates from the Rusche College of Business, the Department of Education Studies, and May and August 2020 graduates will participate in a 9 a.m. ceremony.
Candidates from the Department of Human Services and Educational Leadership, the School of Human Sciences, the College of Fine Arts, and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture will participate in a noon ceremony.
Candidates from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, and the College of Sciences and Mathematics will participate in a 3 p.m. ceremony.
Degrees to be awarded include 903 bachelor’s, 157 master’s and four doctoral degrees. Approximately 334 students will graduate with honors, including 105 cum laude, 96 magna cum laude and 132 summa cum laude. Thirty-one students will graduate with the university scholar designation.
The ceremony will be livestreamed on the SFA Facebook page, facebook.com/sfasu. For more information, visit sfasu.edu/commencement.
December 8, 2021 — Stephen F. Austin State University and Panola College recently announced an academic partnership in which students have the opportunity to complete an associate degree and Bachelor of Science in Nursing concurrently.
Administrators from the two schools signed an articulation agreement in November on SFA’s campus to make the partnership official.
“This is a tremendous partnership,” said Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president. “The relationship between SFA and Panola College is one that is longstanding, and this strengthens that relationship even more.”
Students will be enrolled at both Panola College and SFA while in the program; however, the majority of courses toward the BSN will be completed online. The program strives to reduce the traditional barriers frequently experienced by students who have the goal of being accepted directly into a BSN program at a university.
“The agreement with SFA allows nursing students who are accepted into the Associate Degree Nursing program at Panola College and who have completed required core courses for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to take online courses with SFA toward a BSN while completing an ADN at Panola College,” said Annissa Jackson, the chair of nursing programs at Panola College.
SFA and Panola College have established a number of partnerships over the years with the goal of creating a seamless transition for students who wish to continue their education beyond an associate degree.
“Panola College is excited about this new framework for an articulation agreement with SFA,” said Dr. Gregory Powell, Panola College president. “SFA is a preferred destination for our students, and this agreement will ease that transition for our students.”
For more information about SFA’s School of Nursing, visit sfasu.edu/nursing.
December 7, 2021 — The Stephen F. Austin State University educator preparation program has earned a seven-year national accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
“Simply put, this accreditation is quality assurance through external peer review,” said Dr. Christina Sinclair, SFA associate dean of assessment and accountability. “When an institution or specialized program is accredited by CAEP, it has demonstrated it meets standards set forth by organizations representing the academic community, professionals and other stakeholders. To maintain accreditation, the institution or program must undergo a similar review on a regular basis, typically every seven to 10 years.”
Several benchmarks must be reached in order to receive accreditation, including annual reporting, a self-study process, formative review and visit to the campus by the CAEP review team.
CAEP is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which affirms the standards and processes of the accrediting organization are consistent with the academic quality, improvement and accountability expectations CHEA has established, including the eligibility standard that the majority of institutions or programs each accredits are degree granting.
“Accreditation by CAEP provides a framework that has pushed educator preparations programs to continually self-assess and conduct evidence-based analysis of their programs and efficacy,” Sinclair said. “These evidence-based shifts, rooted in continuous improvement, are helping ensure preparation programs like SFA’s are more likely to produce successful educators.”
Sinclair points out that accreditation matters to a broad audience, including:
- P-12 learners – Outcomes-based evidence means all learners are at the center of determining effectiveness as educators.
- Teacher educators – Since the process is infused with research and development, the knowledge base of effective practice will grow.
- State education agencies – Provides a stronger partner for quality assurance, helps connect the national consensus on preparation to state-level policy and provides support for a state’s own authorization/accountability system.
- Education professionals – Rigorous standards elevate the profession.
“Educator accreditation by CAEP is a seal of approval that assures quality in educator preparation. Accreditation ensures educator programs prepare new teachers to know their subjects, their students and have the clinical training that allows them to enter the classroom ready to effectively teach,” Sinclair said.
For more information about SFA’s educator preparation program, visit sfasu.edu/coe/student-resources/educator-preparation.
December 1, 2021 – The School of Theatre at Stephen F. Austin State University was honored by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival with numerous awards and nominations for the school’s fall semester plays “Bootycandy” and “Ajax in Iraq.”
The KCACTF is a national theater program involving 18,000 students annually from colleges and universities across the country. Since its inception, KCACTF has given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills, and receive national recognition for excellence.
“We are truly excited and honored that our students have been recognized for their hard work,” said Cleo House Jr., director of the School of Theatre and director of “Bootycandy.” “I believe this is a record number of SFA students to be recognized by KCACTF in one semester. This speaks to the commitment of not only the students, but also to the dedication of our faculty.”
“Bootycandy” is being “held for consideration” for invitation to the regional festival in 2022, which means that it will be a part of a select list of plays and musicals from university productions across Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana that will be reviewed, discussed and voted on by the regional committee. The committee’s goal is to select/rank the productions that represent “the best of what our region offers,” according to House. Only the top plays will be presented at the regional festival.
“It may sound corny, but it really is an honor just to be nominated, because some excellent theatre is happening in our region and across Texas,” House said.
The School of Theatre presented Robert O’Hara’s play “Bootycandy” for its first Mainstage production in October. The play is a satiric portrait of American life told through the lens of Sutter, a gay black man on an outrageous odyssey through his childhood home, his church, dive bars, motel rooms and even nursing homes. O'Hara weaves together scenes, sermons, sketches and daring meta-theatrics to create a kaleidoscopic portrayal of growing up gay and Black.
Ellen McLaughlin’s play “Ajax in Iraq” was presented in collaboration with Panola College Theatre in November at the Community House in Center. The play was described as a mash-up of Sophocles' classic tragedy “Ajax” with the modern-day war in Iraq. The schools sought to help their students and communities gain a better understanding of the difficulties U.S. military members and everyone in their lives endure in dealing with war and its aftermath.
The KCACTF commendations are as follows:
“Bootycandy” – Beaumont junior Andr'e J. Hankerson, Irene Ryan Acting Nominee; Texarkana sophomore Daun (DJ) Whaley, Irene Ryan Acting Nominee; Longview freshman Jaz'Lyn Lewis, Irene Ryan Acting Nominee; Waxahachie sophomore Kiya Green, Meritorious Achievement in Acting; Nacogdoches senior Ty Carter, Meritorious Achievement in Acting; Katy senior Alexis Hargy, Meritorious Achievement in Assistant Directing; Cleo House Jr., Meritorious Achievement in Directing; McKinney senior Carson Cook, Meritorious Achievement in Lighting Design; Splendora junior Stephen Bradley, Meritorious Achievement in Properties Design; and cast of “Bootycandy,” Meritorious Achievement Ensemble.
“Ajax in Iraq” – Allen senior Sara Clark, Irene Ryan Acting Nominee; Katy freshman Astrid Maldonado, Irene Ryan Acting Nominee; Cushing junior Drake Willis, Irene Ryan Acting Nominee; Lufkin junior Chance Chunn, Meritorious Achievement in Stage Management; Houston senior Elizabeth Bobbitt, Meritorious Achievement in Stage Management; Ponder sophomore Connor Molen, Meritorious Achievement in Consent Forward Practices; and The Woodlands senior Dorie Bloodworth, Meritorious Achievement in Assistant Directing.
For more information about the SFA School of Theatre, call (936) 468-4003 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.
December 1, 2021 — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, December 9, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.
Dr. David Creech, SFA Gardens director and professor emeritus of agriculture, will present “SFA Gardens: The Plants, People, and Plans for the Challenges Ahead.”
Creech has been at SFA since September 1978. He received his bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Texas A&M University in 1970, a master’s degree in horticulture from Colorado State University in 1972, and his doctoral degree from Texas A&M in 1978. After a long career in teaching, Creech retired in 2007 but returned to direct SFA Gardens in a part-time position.
Creech’s research interests are varied and include fruits and vegetables, evaluating ornamentals for East Texas, conservation horticulture with endangered plants, salinity studies and, most recently, investigating the potential of kiwifruit as a specialty crop for Texas.
Since 1981, Creech has accumulated a long list of international work in Pakistan, Guatemala, Mexico, Nepal, Israel and China. In the last 21 years, he has undertaken more than 25 consultancies in China, working with the Blueberry Improvement Program and Taxodium Improvement Program at the Nanjing Botanical Garden, as well as connecting with the new plants arena in the China nursery and landscape industries. He is an advocate of increasing forest cover and smart use of land and plant resources.
The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month. It is preceded by an attendee social at 6:30 p.m. and a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.
Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.
For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.
Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre, in collaboration with Panola College Theatre, will present Ellen McLaughlin’ play “Ajax in Iraq” Nov. 9 through 13 at the Community House in Center.
November 9, 2021 – Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre, in collaboration with Panola College Theatre, will present Ellen McLaughlin’ play “Ajax in Iraq” November 9 through 13 at the Community House in Center.
Past and present collide in McLaughlin's mash-up of Sophocles' classic tragedy “Ajax” with the modern-day war in Iraq. The play follows the parallel narratives of Ajax, an ancient Greek military hero, and A.J., a modern female American soldier, both undone by the betrayal of a commanding officer. Athena, goddess of war, coolly presides over the whole. Inspired by material collected from interviews with Iraq war veterans and their families, “Ajax in Iraq” explores the timeless struggle soldiers face in trying to make sense of war.
“Ajax in Iraq” will be presented at 7:30 nightly Tuesday through Saturday, November 9 through 13, in Community House, 425 San Augustine St. in Center. The play was particularly suited for SFA School of Theatre Director Cleo House Jr.’s idea to develop a show in collaboration with a nearby junior college, according to Dr. Slade Billew, assistant professor of theatre at SFA.
“We have had a good relationship with Panola over the years, so we thought they would be the perfect partner to test this idea,” he said. Billew and Karen King, professor of theatre at Panola, selected McLaughlin’s play.
“We were looking for something that spoke to ongoing issues and concerns in our country and our region particularly,” Billew said. “The experience of soldiers and veterans is an important ongoing conversation, and this play does an excellent job of exploring the timelessness of those questions by connecting the contemporary war in Iraq with the oldest known war in the western tradition, the Trojan War.”
The play also worked well to divide between two locations two casts of students that are only able to all be in the same place occasionally. The play follows two stories simultaneously – the first being Ajax, a soldier in the Trojan war who is driven to destructive behavior by the influence of the goddess Athena.
“This part is loosely based on Sophocles’ ancient play ‘Ajax,’ but it has been updated in its language by the playwright,” Billew said. “The other part of the play is centered on the experience of contemporary soldiers in the Iraq war. It focuses specifically on the experience of a female soldier, A.J., whose journey mirrors that of Ajax. The contemporary parts of the play were created by McLaughlin from interviews with soldiers and veterans of the Iraq war, as well as their families.”
Billew said he believes it is important that the experiences of soldiers, veterans and their families “are seen and shared with the larger community.”
“Often, these groups suffer in silence,” he said, “and the play offers an artistic way for audiences who don’t know these stories to come to a better understanding of the experiences of our military community in a way that is respectful, but also honest about the difficulties of that experience for soldiers themselves and everyone in their lives.”
Of particular challenge in this collaboration is creating a production with two teams that don’t get to be “in the same space regularly,” Billew said.
“In some ways, the tools we have developed through the pandemic for communicating and creating over distances have been helpful here,” he said. “Also, we are performing the show in Center – not at SFA or Panola. The people and leadership of Center have been really supportive and great in working with us. We have about five days to turn a community house into a theatre and figure out how the show works in that space.”
The play’s subject matter and plot also present challenges in directing, Billew said.
“Different students have different levels of relationship to the experience of the military, so some of them are really thinking about these issues deeply for the first time,” he explained. “Also, because we are collaborating, the students have to be even more adaptable than normal. When we do have the chance to all be together, they have to really focus and learn to quickly to work with people they have just met.”
Billew said he hopes military men and women and their families who come to the play “feel seen and believe that we have done our best to reflect some parts of their experience.”
“I hope other audience members get an insight into a part of our country that is often opaque to the average citizen,” he added.
Containing adult language, adult content and a scene of sexual violence, “Ajax in Iraq” is for mature audiences.
General ticket prices are: adult, $15; senior (62+) $10; SFA faculty/staff, $7.50; youth, $7.50; student, $5. Purchase tickets at boxoffice.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407. For questions about the play, contact the School of Theatre at (936) 468-4003. A pre-recorded performance of the show will also be available for purchase a full 72-hour period between Nov. 11 and 13. Cost is $29.95 Access to that may be purchased through get.broadwayondemand.com.
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