Shelby County Today

June 20, 2017 - Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business offers students the opportunity to study abroad in France and Austria through partnerships with two business schools.

Since 2013, SFA business students have had the opportunity to study at either Groupe Sup De Co La Rochelle in France or MCI Management Center Innsbruck in Austria, which are both business schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Lone Wittliff, lecturer in SFA’s Department of Management, Marketing and International Business, was instrumental in bringing these partnerships to fruition and continues to work as a liaison in helping SFA students enroll in this exchange program.

“Our students meet others from all over the world and gain cultural understanding and experiences,” Wittliff said. “For many of them, this is the highlight of their college experience with memories to last a lifetime.”

Since its inception, 21 SFA students have studied abroad with 18 studying in France and three in Austria. SFA also has hosted nine French students.

During this semester long program, SFA students enroll in various courses abroad that count toward their SFA degree plan.

“Students not only learn the essential business skills that will help them advance in their careers, but they also gain cultural experiences that will help them stand out to employers,” Wittliff said. “Much of the student body at both schools in Europe is international. This gives our students incredible insights to cultural differences and understandings and provides them with the opportunity to make lasting friendships.”

All College of Business students, except accounting majors, are eligible for the program. Students must have at least a 2.5 GPA and have completed various introduction business foundation courses. Students meeting the criteria may be eligible for a $1,200 scholarship from SFA’s Office of International Programs.

Those with a 3.0 GPA may receive an additional $1,000 scholarship from the College of Business. Participation in the college’s Student Success Passport Program also may provide additional scholarship opportunities. For this program, students pay SFA tuition, and room and board fees are approximately the same or less in France and Austria than in Nacogdoches.

For more information, contact Wittliff at lwittliff@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University students studying at the Business and Hotel Management School in Switzerland will have the opportunity to take a variety of classes from culinary labs and specific areas of hotel operations and management to leadership classes geared toward the service industry. B.H.M.S. offers highly ranked hospitality management and culinary arts programming.

June 9, 2017 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University students in the hospitality administration program can now study abroad at the Business and Hotel Management School in Switzerland during their junior year thanks to a new exchange agreement between the two institutions.
 
Dr. Lynda Martin, director of SFA’s School of Human Sciences, explained this exchange agreement presents an opportunity for SFA hospitality administration students to experience Switzerland’s prestigious service industry.
 
“Switzerland is considered the gold standard with regard to fine service in the hospitality industry,” Martin said. “Students will learn first-class service in the classroom with students from around the world and will have hands-on experience at some of the finest levels offered by our industry.”
 
Andrea Gardner, U.S. representative for B.H.M.S., helped spearhead this partnership.
 
“We are thrilled to partner with SFA’s hospitality administration program to offer this unique opportunity to SFA students,” Gardner said. “When I visited Nacogdoches last year, I was impressed by the facilities, leadership and level of instruction I witnessed at SFA. Our programs align nicely, and I am encouraged to see that Dr. Martin and her team are committed to providing students with a global, well-rounded understanding of the industry.”
 
B.H.M.S. offers highly ranked hospitality management and culinary arts programming. SFA students studying at B.H.M.S. will have the opportunity to take a variety of classes from culinary labs and specific areas of hotel operations and management to leadership classes geared toward the service industry.
 
Students will study two consecutive semesters or one year abroad, and their courses will count toward their SFA degree. The first semester, students will earn the equivalent of 12 SFA credit hours, and the following semester they will participate in an internship where they will have the opportunity to work with one of B.H.M.S’s industry partners.
 
“With SFA students having the opportunity to do an internship at a Swiss hotel or restaurant, they will truly build credentials that are admired by all within the hospitality field,” Martin said. “Not only will our students’ skills and credentials be enhanced, but they also will become better global citizens and hosts.”
 
To participate in this exchange, students must have good academic standing, completed at least one year of full-time study at SFA, be eligible to enroll in subjects that constitute a full-time load at B.H.M.S. and have the required language proficiency to take classes at B.H.M.S.
 
B.H.M.S. is located in the heart of Lucerne, Switzerland, and is within walking distance of the city center.
 
For more information, contact Martin at (936) 468-2255 or martinlj@sfasu.edu.
Cutline (Lucerne Switzerland): The Business and Hotel Management School is located in the heart of Lucerne, Switzerland, and is within walking distance of the city center, which will provide SFA students various opportunities to experience Switzerland’s prestigious service industry.

June 7, 2017 - A Lecture with Melanie Sanford

Stephen F. Austin State University’s fashion merchandising program in the School of Human Sciences recently hosted Conserving the Classics: A Lecture with Melanie Sanford on the university’s campus.

During the lecture, Sanford, a textile conservator with experience in high-profile venues such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Dallas Historical Society, discussed textile conservation, restoration, storage, and handling and display techniques. She also provided a brief discussion regarding the recovery of wet textiles after a disaster.

As a textile conservator, Sanford has helped with the preservation and display of well-known textiles, including former first lady Jackie Kennedy’s “Mona Lisa” dress, which is a beaded evening gown Kennedy wore to the opening of the Mona Lisa exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in 1963. Sanford also has textile conservation experience reaching much further back in history to a red coat from the Revolutionary War.

“This event allowed the fashion merchandising program to continue to foster relationships with university and community groups we have worked with on exhibits or special programs utilizing pieces from SFA’s collection,” said Jamie Cupit, instructor in SFA’s fashion merchandising program.

During the lecture, Sanford showcased several items from SFA’s collection, including a bodice and skirt from about 1875, a 1911 lace graduation dress, and a 1960s Diane Von Furstenberg leopard jumpsuit. She also highlighted historical fashions in her presentation, including an evening gown with beetle wings stitched in to add iridescence.

“The collection contains numerous pieces tied to university and Nacogdoches history worn by well-known area residents and university and community leaders,” Cupit said. “The collection serves as an artifact for documenting community history. This event allowed us to showcase that and highlight the dire need to preserve it.”

SFA’s collection comprises approximately 800 fashion apparel pieces and accessories dating from the 1870s to 1990s. While the majority of SFA’s collection consists of women’s apparel, it also includes men’s and children’s apparel, military uniforms and wedding dresses dating from 1890 to 1980.

Additionally, the collection contains accessory pieces from the 20th century, which includes approximately 500 hats from designers such as Mr. John, Adolfo and Elsa Schiaparelli. More than 60 pairs of brand-name shoes and handbags dating from the 1880s to the 1970s also are part of the collection. There are many late 1800s reticules (small handbags), 1950s and 1960s beaded evening bags and 1970s box-style bags made of wicker, plastic and wood.

Sanford assessed SFA’s collection and offered advice on its preservation, storage and handling.

“Being able to bring a knowledgeable conservator to SFA to conduct a preservation assessment of the collection means we are taking the necessary steps toward a long-range plan for the care and sustainability of it,” Cupit said.

The collection is utilized primarily for teaching 20th century costume, which studies the evolution of fashion with an emphasis on the relationships of clothing, people and the times in which they lived, and visual merchandising, which identifies techniques for the visual presentation of fashion merchandise. Students create displays, display cases and a fashion gallery utilizing the collection.

Currently, the collection is housed in a small storage area located behind the fashion gallery in the Education Annex. According to Cupit, the storage area was not designed for apparel preservation and due to a lack of proper preservation equipment and facilities, many of the earlier, more delicate pieces are beginning to deteriorate.

An initiative is underway to raise funds to update the equipment and facilities and conserve SFA’s collection for posterity.

A grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities sponsored Conserving the Classics.
 
For more information about the collection or how to make a donation, contact Cupit at (936) 468-2238 or jrcupit@sfasu.edu.

June 5, 2017 Nacogdoches – Images depicting Nacogdoches’ history, beauty and artistry are now available to share as notecards and postcards through an art scholarship fundraiser organized by the Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Local photographers provided the images for the eight different designs featured on the 5-by-4½-inch notecards with envelopes and the 4-by-6-inch postcards that will be available for purchase during the Texas Blueberry Festival on June 10.

“The FVA is grateful to the talented artists and supportive people who generously allowed us to use their artworks to benefit this art scholarship fundraiser,” said Jean Stephens, FVA president.

Available images include:

•  “The Messenger” – Sculpture by Joe Barrington (winner of the first Sculpture For All); photograph by Bill Nieberding.
•  “Bunny” – Sculpture by Jeffie Brewer.
•  “Sunset Sky” – Oil painting by Peter Andrew; from the collection of SFA Regent Scott Coleman.
•  Historic Zion Hill Baptist Church window – Photograph by Christopher Talbot.
•  Surfin’ Steve, SFA campus – Photograph by Bill Nieberding.
•  Downtown Nacogdoches – Photograph by Ryan Russell.
•  Thomas J. Rusk monument, Oak Grove Cemetery – Photograph by Stan Bohon.
•  “Lighting the Copal” – Dia de los Muertos Fiesta, downtown Nacogdoches; photograph by Bill Nieberding.

Project committee members included Nieberding, Bohon, Stephens, Lily Phou and John Handley, director of SFA art galleries.

Notecards are $3 each, or four for $10 or eight for $20. Postcards are $1 each, or four for $3 or eight for $6.

FVA volunteers will sell the cards during the Blueberry Festival at the organization’s booth located in front of The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House on Main Street. Gumbo, blueberry tea and blueberry muffins will also be sold. All proceeds will benefit scholarships awarded through the SFA School of Art.

Following the festival, the cards can be purchased at Cole Art Center. For additional information, call (936) 468-6557.