SFA University
October 6, 2017 Nacogdoches, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. Rebecca Turk, education and events manager for Moore Farms Botanical Gardens in Lake City, South Carolina, will present “Moore Farms Botanical Garden: A Germinating Success from Concept and Collections to Programs.”
Turk is responsible for all visitation programs and outreach at Moore Farms Botanical Gardens. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in agriculture from SFA in 2010 before completing her Master of Science in horticulture from North Carolina State University in 2012.
Turk discovered her passion for public horticulture and teaching through her mom as well as various jobs at the SFA Mast Arboretum, Nacogdoches Naturally, Missouri Botanical Garden and the JC Raulston Arboretum. She has a strong interest in educating the community and sharing her love of the outdoors.
Turk and her husband, Christopher, love their shared interest in horticulture and enjoy every moment outside with their cat, Daphne, and two dogs, Gaia and Hazel. They recently celebrated the birth of their first child, Emilia, in July.
The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held 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 Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.
Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.
For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.
October 5, 2017 Nacogdoches — Being on the sidelines never looked so good.
During the summer, three graduate students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s athletic training program interned as athletic trainers with the NFL and Women’s NBA.
Cody Oliver, Lufkin native, spent seven weeks working with the Houston Texans, and Chris Elliott of Nashville, Tennessee, served the Tennessee Titans. Sara Caitlin Godwin from Auburn, Alabama, interned with the New York Liberty Women’s NBA team.
During their internships, both Oliver and Elliott were tasked with helping athletes with their morning treatments, setting up and breaking down the field for daily practices, administering post-practice treatments and more.
“As far as athletic training goes, the NFL is considered one of the top jobs you can get,” Elliott said. “Being part of the NFL, seeing how it operates, and being around some of the world’s best athletes and helping them perform their best was a really cool experience.”
Both Elliott and Oliver worked with their team’s defensive backs. For Oliver, the Houston Texans’ game against the New England Patriots was a highlight of his internship.
“There was one athlete whom I worked with a lot. It was surreal when he ran out of the tunnel and onto the sidelines to play against the reigning Super Bowl Champs with 75,000 people screaming,” Oliver said. “That’s when it hit me that I was in the NFL. To see him back on the field for the first time in months and have a great game was rewarding.”
Likewise, Godwin’s work routine was similar to Oliver’s and Elliott’s. Every morning she would set up for practice, prepare equipment and administer treatments. She was the only intern for the team.
“It was great to be put into that environment and expected to perform from the get go,” Godwin said.
While in the Big Apple, Godwin experienced a change of pace and learned how to operate in a new environment.
“New York is busy and fast. It truly is the city that never sleeps and that’s kind of the attitude of the New York Liberty,” Godwin said.
The team practiced in Tarrytown, New York, and would often play in the infamous Madison Square Garden. Godwin would be on the sidelines at every game and described the experience as “surreal.”
“I was walking around the hallways thinking there were so many famous people here before me. I felt like a little fish in a big pond,” Godwin said.
Becoming an athletic trainer wasn’t always the plan for Godwin. As an undergraduate, she dabbled in chemical engineering and exercise science, but she soon began researching athletic training as a career. Oliver, however, played college baseball for four years and considered a career in the medical field. HIs passion for sports lead him to athletic training.
“I fell in love with it,” Oliver said. “I’ve been called to serve and doing this is a way to give back to athletes now that I’m not playing anymore. The feeling you get seeing an injured athlete you’ve been working with get back on the field and play the sport he loves is amazing. You can’t get that feeling from any other profession.”
Similarly, Elliott played college basketball for four years and said he was hurt about 50 percent of the time, which led to him developing a good relationship with one of the athletic trainers.
“He helped me a lot with rehab, physically and mentally. The way he mentored me and invested in me made me want to have that same relationship and be able to help other athletes like he did for me,” Elliott said. “I knew through my experiences I could be empathetic to a lot of what other college athletes are going through.”
Through SFA’s professional athletic training program led by Dr. Linda Bobo, students earn a Master of Science in athletic training and participate in various hands-on learning experiences such as internships and clinical work. Students work with athletes in various sports and work with doctors in general medical settings to gain real-world experience.
This year, Oliver is working with Diboll High School’s football team, and next year he will be working with Angelina College’s softball team. Godwin is working with Angelina College’s men’s basketball team and will work with SFA’s baseball team in the spring. Elliott is currently serving SFA’s volleyball team and will work with SFA’s track and field team in the spring.
“I had a lot of at experience coming into the program; however, I lacked confidence. Dr. Bobo’s program is rigorous and very helpful. You either sink or swim, and I chose to swim,” Oliver said. “I learned on the go, so when it came to the summer, it was a breeze. I’m really thankful for this program and all it’s done to help me in just one year.”
By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.
October 5, 2017 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University’s Office of International Programs is hosting 14 exchange students from six different locations this semester.
“This has been one of the most diverse groups of foreign exchange students the university has hosted,” Heather Catton, SFA director of international programs, said.
The group comprises two students from Pakistan, two from Tunisia, five from France, three from the United Kingdom, one from Taiwan and one from Malta. Eleven of the students are undergraduates while three are graduate students.
The students participate in exchanges through different programs.
Two programs are offered by the U.S. State Department: Global UGRAD, which is part of a broader effort to promote a better understanding of the U.S. abroad, especially among future world leaders, and the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship, which allows students to develop a deeper understanding of American culture and gain new skills that will help them further the economic growth and development of their country.
Along with the U.S. State Department programs, students come from the Rose Bruford theatre exchange program, the LaRochelle business exchange program and the ISEP world-wide study abroad program.
Sujata Panjwani, a Pakistan exchange student through the Global UGRAD program, said studying in America will help both her education and personal growth.
“I have a great desire to enhance and share my knowledge and explore the widely diversified cultures in the U.S.,” Panjwani said. “Being a Pakistani and coming from a different culture, I have a lot to share in terms of my beliefs, perception and ideology.”
Mariem Hmidy, an exchange student from Tunisia through the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship, believes her time in America will benefit her when she returns home.
“Tunisia needs its young citizens to help make the country better,” Hmidy said. “Tunisia needs active young people to help its economic and political needs. This exchange program teaches me how to be a better citizen.”
While at SFA, Hmidy will undergo career preparation activities in the fall and an internship in the spring.
The SFA Office of International Programs works to ensure the students thrive during their time at the university. The program works to help students easily transition to living in America. Many exchange students deal with a myriad of issues and new challenges, such as introductions to new and different foods, academic course offerings and lack of public transportation. The office also verifies that credits acquired at SFA will transfer when the exchange students return to their home countries.
Catton said she encourages the exchange students to participate in different activities while studying abroad.
“A lot of students get to experience what life is like at a U.S. university while they are here, such as enjoying social clubs and joining fraternities and sororities. Many foreign colleges do not have the same social opportunities we do in the U.S., so these students really take advantage of those activities while here.”
The Office of International Programs hopes to expand the number of exchange programs SFA offers. In the spring, Catton said they are planning to add Université Jean Monnet in France to the list of participants.
For more information about international programs at SFA, visit http://www.sfasu.edu/oip/.
October 4, 2017 Nacogdoches — The Stephen F. Austin State University equine program successfully exhibited two weanling colts from the university’s breeding program at the 2017 American Paint Horse Association World Championship Show held in Fort Worth.
Make Me Move, a solid paint-bred colt, was named Reserve Breeder’s Trust Futurity Champion and placed sixth in the solid paint-bred Weanling Stallions Class, while Remember the Name, also a solid paint-bred colt, placed fifth in the same class.
“The success of this world show, coupled with the success of the Palomino Horse Breeders Association World Show when I showed Missbehavenhollywood, another SFA-owned horse, puts us on the map as not only contenders in the show pen, but also as breeders of world show-quality horses,” said Michaelle Coker, SFA equine center supervisor. “This will only boost our program and help us reach our goals of a winning show team and a viable breeding program.”
The colts were born this winter at SFA’s Walter C. Todd Agricultural Research Center and are a significant milestone in the growth of the university’s equine program that received a donation of seven broodmares in 2015 from Trudy Day and Nancy Batzloff.
“It’s a very small brood mare herd, but it’s mighty,” Coker said. “Fifty-percent of our broodmare herd had offspring competing at the world championship show this year.”
In addition to Make Me Move and Remember the Name, SFA-born Smokn Lopin was shown by a representative of Hat Creek Ranch and placed fourth in Open Ranch Riding and eighth in Open Ranch Trail Riding.
Coker said she believes this is the first time that a university has shown a horse they bred at the American Paint Horse Association World Championship.
Students are an integral component of the expanding program and play key roles in every aspect of foaling, training and showing.
Kelsey Chatigny and Sarah Bone, both senior animal science majors, were enrolled in the equine reproduction course that monitored the gestation and birth of both colts. They continued their direct involvement through an independent study course designed to prepare students to work in the equine industry. With assistance from Coker, Bone and Chatigny fed, groomed, trained and exercised the colts six days a week in preparation for the world show.
“We spent the entire summer at the equine center at all times of the day,” Chatigny said. “We learned a lot of time management and organizational skills.”
Their steadfast care undoubtedly paid off as the two colts were led through a litany of inspections from judges who examined everything from the colts’ teeth to the manner in which they move.
To learn more about the SFA equine program, contact Michaelle Coker at cokermk@sfasu.edu.
Story by Sarah Fuller, Stephen F. Austin State University Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture outreach coordinator.
October 3, 2017 - Stephen F. Austin State University’s Office of International Programs is hosting 14 exchange students from six different locations this semester.
“This has been one of the most diverse groups of foreign exchange students the university has hosted,” Heather Catton, SFA director of international programs, said.
The students comprise of two from Pakistan, two from Tunisia, five from France, three from the United Kingdom, one from Taiwan and one from Malta. Eleven of the students are undergraduates while three are graduate students.
The students participate in exchanges through different programs.
Two programs are offered by the U.S. State Department: Global UGRAD, which is part of a broader effort to promote a better understanding of the U.S. abroad, especially among future world leaders, and the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship, which allows students to develop a deeper understanding of American culture and gain new skills that will help them further the economic growth and development of their country.
Along with the U.S. State Department programs, students come from the Rose Bruford theatre exchange program, the LaRochelle business exchange program and the ISEP world-wide study abroad program.
Sujata Panjwani, a Pakistan exchange student through the Global UGRAD program, said studying in America will help both her education and personal growth.
“I have a great desire to enhance and share my knowledge and explore the widely diversified cultures in the U.S.,” Panjwani said. “Being a Pakistani and coming from a different culture, I have a lot to share in terms of my beliefs, perception and ideology.”
Mariem Hmidy, an exchange student from Tunisia through the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship, believes her time in America will benefit her when she returns home.
“Tunisia needs its young citizens to help make the country better,” Hmidy said. “Tunisia needs active young people to help its economic and political needs. This exchange program teaches me how to be a better citizen.”
While at SFA, Hmidy will undergo career preparation activities in the fall and an internship in the spring.
The SFA Office of International Programs works to ensure the students thrive during their time at the university. The program works to help students easily transition to living in America. Many exchange students deal with a myriad of issues and new challenges, such as introductions to new and different foods, academic course offerings and lack of public transportation. The office also verifies that credits acquired at SFA will transfer when the exchange students return to their home countries.
Catton said she encourages the exchange students to participate in different activities while studying abroad.
“A lot of students get to experience what life is like at a U.S. university while they are here, such as enjoying social clubs and joining fraternities and sororities. Many foreign colleges do not have the same social opportunities we do in the U.S., so these students really take advantage of those activities while here.”
The Office of International Programs hopes to expand the number of exchange programs SFA offers. In the spring, Catton said they are planning to add Université Jean Monnet in France to the list of participants.
For more information about international programs at SFA, visit http://www.sfasu.edu/oip/.
September 27, 2017 - While Stephen F. Austin State University is reporting a fall enrollment of 12,614 students, a 1-percent decrease from fall 2016, there are bright spots to be found in the enrollment numbers.
The highest first-time undergraduate retention rate for fall 2017 is 71.6 percent, representing a 4.3-percent increase during the past five years.
SFA has recorded a five-year increase in the number of first-time undergraduates of 6.6 percent. In 2013, there were 2,016 SFA students who were first-time undergraduates; in 2017, there are 2,150 first-time undergraduates.
“This upward trend is a reflection of the new initiatives we have implemented to create meaningful and sustained enrollment growth,” said Dr. Steve Bullard, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are setting tuition and fees earlier so that we can offer financial aid packages sooner, and we’ve increased the amount of scholarship dollars that are available. We created new programs, including an online Bachelor of Business Administration and programs in Houston and The Woodlands. All of these will contribute to future growth in enrollment.”
SFA also awarded more degrees in 2017 than in 2016, when 2,703 degrees were distributed. During the 2017 academic year, the university awarded 2,767 degrees, a 2.4-percent increase over the prior year.
The number of students in each of SFA’s six colleges is:
· Rusche College of Business, 1,848, a 3.4-percent increase from 1,787 in fall 2016;
· James I. Perkins College of Education, 3,968, a 2.6-percent decrease from 4,076;
· College of Fine Arts, 920, a .1-percent increase from 919;
· Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, 800, a 4.2-percent increase from 768;
· College of Liberal and Applied Arts, 2,672, a decrease of 1.9 percent from 2,724; and
· College of Sciences and Mathematics, 2,406, down 2.5 percent from 2,468.
While SFA recorded increased graduate enrollment in half of its colleges for fall 2017, overall enrollment in SFA’s Graduate School was down 3.3 percent.
“As market and student demands change, we respond by developing new graduate programs and by offering existing degrees in new ways,” said Dr. Richard Berry, Graduate School dean. “Other such offerings are in the works now and will launch in the coming year. These changes in program delivery are a part of the university’s initiative to ‘meet our students where they are.’”
Among the graduate programs offered by the university are a Master of Social Work in a face-to-face format in The Woodlands and an online Master of Public Administration. This fall, the university also began offering a Master of Science in Nursing with a nurse practitioner focus online. In the coming year, SFA will implement a Master of Science in cybersecurity.
In the College of Sciences and Mathematics, graduate enrollment increased by 13.2 percent with a total of 137 graduate students enrolled. Additionally, graduate enrollment grew in the Rusche College of Business from 128 to 134, a 4.7-percent increase from fall 2016. Also, graduate enrollment in the College of Fine Arts grew from 78 to 82 students, a 5.1-percent increase. Decreases were reported in the College of Education, from 989 to 965; Forestry and Agriculture, from 107 to 91; and Liberal and Applied Arts, from 261 to 220.
September 26, 2017 - The following students received degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University during the August 2017 commencement exercises:
Center, TX
- Christopher Ryan Draper, Master of Education, Educational Leadership, James I. Perkins College of Education
- William Jacob Hudspeth, Master of Science, Kinesiology, James I. Perkins College of Education
- Johnathan Eli Liker, Bachelor of Business Administration, Management, Nelson Rusche College of Business
- Ashley Ann Sellman, Bachelor of Science, Fashion Merchandising, James I. Perkins College of Education
Shelbyville, TX
- Elizabeth Nicole Grissom, Bachelor of Science, Health Science, James I. Perkins College of Education
Tenaha, TX
- Michael Patterson Hill, Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership, James I. Perkins College of Education
September 26, 2017 - The Children’s Performing Arts Series at Stephen F. Austin State University will open its 2017-18 season on Friday, Oct. 13, with a performance of the Virginia Repertory Theatre’s “Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs.”
This musical adaptation of the classic Grimm’s fairy tale comes to life with a talented ensemble of actors and wonderful puppets, according to Diane Peterson, Fine Arts Box Office manager and director of the series.
“Follow along as Snow White meets her pint-sized friends, takes the apple from the Evil Queen, receives a kiss from the Prince, and lives happily ever after,” Peterson said. “This faithful rendition of the fable will inspire young audiences to read the original.”
“Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs” targets children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Performances are at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in W.M. Turner Auditorium, located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus. Tickets are $7.50 for individuals and $6 per person for groups of 20 or more.
This presentation of “Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs,” based on the original story by the Brothers Grimm, is by Bruce Craig Miller and Ford Flannagan with lyrics by Bruce Craig Miller and music by Ron Barnett.
Presented by the SFA College of Fine Arts, the Children’s Performing Arts Series annually features five shows designed to entertain, educate and engage young audiences of all ages, according to Peterson. Study guides provide suggestions for pre- and post-performance activities and discussions for teachers to use in the classroom. A study guide for “Snow White” may be accessed at http://va-rep.org/tour/guides/snow_white.pdf.
Other upcoming CPAS performances include “A Christmas Carol” on Friday, Dec. 1; “Harriet Tubman & The Underground Railroad” on Thursday, Feb. 1; Super Scientific Circus on Wednesday, March 7; and “The Ugly Duckling” on Friday, April 27.
To order tickets, call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. Visit the CPAS website at www.cpas.sfasu.edu for additional information.
September 21, 2017 Nacogdoches — With tears still welling at the corner of her eyes, Natalie Clem of Memphis, Tennessee, offered her sincere gratitude for being named the first recipient of the Christopher J. Snyder Memorial Scholarship, which was recently endowed at Stephen F. Austin State University.
“Orientation and mobility is my passion,” Clem told the crowd gathered in the Human Services Building third-floor conference room, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. “Christopher J. Snyder is an inspiration to me because he made it from Chicago to Nacogdoches in 1997 to do something that I love and I’m passionate about as well. To be able to follow in his passion and love for orientation and mobility is an honor.”
Snyder was a two-time SFA graduate and a certified orientation and mobility specialist.
Snyder moved to Nacogdoches from Chicago in 1997 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in orientation and mobility, and he graduated in 1999. He returned to Illinois to work with visually impaired students, teaching them how to travel safely in different environments. In 2001, Snyder and Nacogdoches native Kim Luna were married, and they lived in the Chicago area until 2004.
“He arranged a trip for his seniors to Wrigley Field, and their assignment was to be able to plan the route, get on the bus, get on the train and get to their seat in the stadium,” Luna said during the scholarship ceremony. “I met them at the train station, and it was very touching and gave me a real admiration for those of you who are helping and working with others, especially the blind. Your profession does make a difference in the world. It impacts students every day.”
Snyder served each summer as an instructor for a six-week SFA course teaching other teachers orientation and mobility skills to better assist their visually impaired students.
In 2005, he earned his Master of Education in special education with an emphasis in serious emotional disorders and autism. He began working for Nacogdoches ISD that year as an assistive technology teacher and orientation and mobility specialist, working with special-needs students and their teachers throughout the district.
Snyder passed away in January after being diagnosed with cancer in August 2016. To honor his memory, Snyder’s family worked to create a scholarship for orientation and mobility students. Enough donations were received from family, students and friends to establish the permanently endowed Christopher J. Snyder Memorial Scholarship.
“The field of orientation and mobility changed Chris’ life,” said Michael Munro, director of the visual impairment and orientation and mobility program at SFA. “We currently have the only undergraduate orientation and mobility program in the country. I hope that the Christopher J. Snyder Memorial Scholarship will facilitate others to move to Texas to study and fall in love with this great field.”
The scholarship’s endowment will allow “the memory of Chris to continue through each and every scholarship recipient,” Luna said. “I think it takes very special people to be in this field, and Chris was very passionate about his profession. Until his very last day, he was very much a part of education and the orientation and mobility community.”
By Christine Broussard, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University
September 20, 2017 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host its annual Fabulous Fall Festival Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 7, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St., in historic Nacogdoches.
The sale will feature a variety of hard-to-find, “Texas-tough” plants, including Texas natives, heirlooms, perennials, shrubs and trees, with an emphasis on pollinator friendly natives as well as exclusive SFA introductions. The featured plants are extensively trialed before being offered to the public and are produced by staff members and volunteers of the SFA Gardens.
This popular event benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, PNPC, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden, along with educational programs that are 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, 2428 Raguet St., and visitors are encouraged to arrive early and bring a wagon for their plants.
For more information and a list of available plants, call (936) 468-4404, or visit sfagardens.sfasu.edu two weeks before the sale.
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