SFA University
May 8, 2017 - Dr. Tim Clipson, Stephen F. Austin State University professor in the Department of Business Communication and Legal Studies and SFA 101 Freshman Success coordinator, will offer the commencement address during the university’s spring graduation ceremonies Saturday, May 13.
Clipson has served SFA for 36 years in various roles and was recently named professor emeritus in the Department of Business Communication and Legal Studies. He will retire from SFA May 31.
“Dr. Clipson is one of the best-known and beloved professors on campus. His leadership has helped move the university forward, and his legacy will leave a lasting impact on generations of Lumberjacks,” said Dr. Baker Pattillo, university president.
In 1998, Clipson was named coordinator of the SFA 101 Freshman Success program, which seeks to introduce incoming freshmen to life at SFA in a supportive environment. Within the Rusche College of Business, Clipson teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses. During the past decade, the majority of his curriculum has focused on business leadership.
“I often say being a university professor is by far one of the best jobs anyone could ever have. For me, it has allowed me to fulfill what I believe I was called to do,” Clipson said.
Prior to joining the Lumberjack family, Clipson taught at Oklahoma State University for two years and in public school at the junior high and high school levels for seven years. He is president of Leadership Is For Everyone (LIFE!), a professional leadership and communication consulting firm.
Clipson received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Nazarene University, his Master of Education from the University of North Texas, and his doctoral degree with a specialization in business communication/training and development for business and industry from Oklahoma State University.
In 2016, Clipson was the recipient of the Meada Gibbs Outstanding Teacher-Scholar Award for the Association for Business Communication and received the Outstanding Educator Award for the Federation of Business Disciplines.
Clipson’s additional accolades include: Distinguished Paper Award for Association for Business Communication-Southwestern U.S., Teaching Innovation Award and Marlin C. Young Teaching Excellence Award from the Rusche College of Business, SFA Teaching Excellence Award and Distinguished Professor.
Candidates from SFA's James I. Perkins College of Education and College of Fine Arts will participate in a 9:30 a.m. ceremony. Candidates from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, the Rusche College of Business, the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, and the College of Sciences and Mathematics will participate in a 2 p.m. ceremony. Both ceremonies will be held in Johnson Coliseum on the university campus.
Approximately 1,496 degrees are expected to be awarded, including 1,166 bachelor's, 320 master's and 10 doctoral degrees. More than 350 students are expected to graduate with honors, including 122 cum laude, 113 magna cum laude and 116 summa cum laude. Also, there will be approximately 78 students graduating with university scholar honors.
Master’s and doctoral candidates will graduate with their respective colleges, and Clipson will provide the commencement address at both ceremonies.
May 4, 2017 Nacogdoches, Texas – Registration is underway for the annual Summer Art Academy offered by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art for the two-week camp that will meet June 5 through 16 on the SFA campus.
Students going into kindergarten through sixth grade may enroll in classes that include drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramics.
“Art Academy is an exciting opportunity for local youth to work with SFA graduate and undergraduate art students to create original projects using a variety of materials.” said Dr. Cala Coats, SFA art instructor and director of the academy.
Classes will meet from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Art Building on Wilson Drive. An exhibition of the students’ work will be at 5 p.m. Friday, June 16, in the Art Building. Afterward, the students may take their work home.
The registration fee on or before June 1 is $185 and includes all art supplies, exhibition expenses and daily refreshments. Late registration after June 1 is $200. Registration information is available at http://www.art.sfasu.edu/artacademy or in person at the School of Art.
For additional information, contact Coats at (936) 468-4264 or by email at coatsc@sfasu.edu
May 1, 2017 Nacogdoches, Texas – The exhibition “Pollinators of the World” will show May 4 through 20 in The Cole Art Center at The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.
“Pollinators of the World” is curated by Charles Jones, director of the LaNana Creek Press at Stephen F. Austin State University, and Dr. David Kulhavy, Lawrence C. Walker Distinguished Professor in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, SFA.
International in scope, the exhibition features art from United States, Costa Rica, South Korea, Jamaica, Russia and the Czech Republic. Its purpose is to highlight the role of pollinators around the world.
“The recurring theme of bees, hummingbirds and bats indicate the significance and importance of these pollinators,” according to Kulhavy. “These pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystems by carrying pollen from plant to plant to carry genetic material for reproduction of flowering plants.”
Artists and student-artists of all levels were invited to create works on paper that reflected important pollinators from their area of the world. Among the submissions to the exhibit are images of bees, bats, birds, moths, butterflies, flies, beetles, lemurs, bush babies and geckos.
“The refreshing styles and varied mediums of the works in the exhibit portray the rich color, texture and vibrancy of this part of our environment,” Jones said.
The exhibit contains work by local artists Piero Fenci and Liz Akamatsu, Corinne Jones, Charles Jones, Peter Andrew, Neal Cox and students from the SFA School of Art. Also represented are block prints of butterflies, bush babies and geckos from young artists from Nová Paka, the Czech Republic. From Jamaica, artists portray pollinating butterflies, hummingbirds and bats in mixed media. From Alapaevsk, Sverdlovskaya region, Russia, artists from the P.I. Tchaikovsky Children's Art School present color engravings on cardboard of “The Rustle of Wings,” “Dancing on Flowers,” “Velvet Bees” and “Cities of Butterflies.” From South Korea, students portray bees and butterflies in mixed media. Other works come from students from Holy Trinity School, Dallas, presenting bees, bats, hummingbirds and the monarch butterfly.
Jones and Kulhavy included “Pollinator LIVE,” the text of a song on a woodcut print, and woodcuts and poetry quatrains of the “Monarch Butterfly” and the “Zebra Swallowtail” from “A Forest Insect Alphabet” series, LaNana Creek Press.
Admission is free. The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.
April 28, 2017 Nacogdoches – Dr. Brad Meyer, director of the percussion studio at Stephen F. Austin State University, will continue his “In the Trees” contemporary/new-music concert series with a performance of his original composition “For Whom …” featuring the carillon atop the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.
The performance will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 6, with audience outdoor seating in the green space between Griffith Fine Arts Building and the entrance to Cole Concert Hall in Wright Music Building.
Specifically written by Meyer for the restored carillon, “For Whom …” is a chronological representation of a tsunami striking a coastal city/town, Meyer explained.
“The tsunami in this composition is a metaphor for the big changes that happen in each of our lives,” he said. “The composition represents the calm before the storm, followed by the feeling of impending doom, the mass exodus of animals that can sense the impending disaster better than humans, the actual strike of the tsunami, the physical and emotional aftermath, and finally the feelings of total uncertainty and loss,” Meyer said.
The performers will include the SFA Percussion Studio, as well as students from the other instrumental areas in the SFA School of Music, with Meyer playing the carillon.
The recent restoration and expansion of the bell tower of Griffith Fine Arts Building was completed through a campus-community partnership with funding provided by the Charles and Lois Marie Bright Foundation. The project added 10 new bells to the original 15 installed when the Griffith Building was constructed in 1959. The addition created a full two-octave chromatic carillon.
After a short introduction by Meyer, the performance should last 45 minutes. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, picnic items and umbrellas to keep out of the sun. If there is inclement weather, the performance will be canceled due to the necessity of the carillon.
Admission is free. For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
April 26, 2017 Nacogdoches – Stephen F. Austin State University theatre students, from left, Daniel Hicks, Richmond sophomore; Kara Bruntz, Southlake senior; Avery Tindol, Tenaha senior; and Sarah Lovelady, Leander sophomore, perform in a scene from Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth” being presented at 7:30 nightly through Saturday, April 29, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. The play is about the Antrobus family, which narrowly escapes one disaster after another, from ancient times to the present, Single tickets are $15 for adult, $10 for senior and $7.50 for student/youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.theatre.sfasu.edu.
Photo credit: Lane Davidson
Submitted by Robbie Goodrich
April 26, 2017 Nacogdoches — Through a new partnership, Stephen F. Austin State University students will have the opportunity to gain tangible corporate experience and become the next generation of information technology talent while simultaneously completing their degrees.
During the SFA Board of Regents quarterly meeting Tuesday, regents approved a partnership between SFA and Fenway Group, a company dedicated to training college students to become the next generation of IT talent. Employees of Fenway Group teach college students how to work in corporate America, which often leads to employment upon program completion and graduation.
Martin Santora, founder and president of Fenway Group, said the company has a 100-percent job-placement rate. He explained to regents that program completers are recruited to work with the company, a corporate client, or a public or private entity within the graduate’s area of study.
Dr. Steve Bullard, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs, called the program a great opportunity for students and the university.
“Partnering with Fenway Group is a win, win, win,” Bullard said. “At SFA, our goal is to provide students with transformative experiences. Students who work for Fenway Group will not simply work a job — their lives will be transformed.”
Fenway Group serves as an alternative to corporate business-related offshoring, working to keep IT careers in America. Using a unique business model, Fenway Group partners with select universities to provide business services for major corporations that include managed services, talent pipeline and collaborative projects. Some of its clients include Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and CenturyLink.
Students who participate in the program will work 20 hours a week, with SFA alumni serving as coaches and mentors to the team. The team will work daily with a corporate client, and the students will be paid $10 to $20 an hour, depending on the position.
“Fenway Group provides students real-world opportunities while giving constant guidance and mentorship, and we are looking forward to incorporating the group’s expertise into our university culture,” Bullard said. “This partnership will help our students attain the necessary first two years of experience for entry-level positions and begin establishing their careers before leaving SFA.”
Fenway Group will have an on-campus office in the McGee Business Building, and the program will be open to all majors.
In continuation of providing students with transformative experiences and hands-on learning opportunities, regents also approved the purchase for the Department of Biology of state-of-the-art equipment, including a Tecnai 12 transmission electron microscope and a silicon drift detector X-ray microanalysis system.
“This equipment will provide students access to cutting-edge technology, as well as position SFA uniquely among peer institutions to be able to train students on these pieces of scientific equipment,” Bullard said.
Additionally, regents voted to exempt students enrolled in online-only, off-campus-only or a combination of these course-delivery methods from charges for recreational sports and university center fees beginning fall 2017. Also, students taking study-abroad courses lasting longer than four weeks will be exempt from the recreational sports and university center fees.
The board also approved fees for a three-week Summer High School Academy for international high school students focusing on English as a second language, science and math for summer 2017. The $4,495 participant fee will cover program costs, excursions, housing, meal plan, insurance and local transportation.
A $1,900 fee for the Proyecta 100,000 program, a one-month ESL program for Mexican teachers and students, was approved. This fee will cover teaching, lab modules, excursion and local transportation.
Regents approved a summer budget of $3.6 million for fiscal year 2016-17, which covers two regular summer semesters and a mini-semester. Regents ratified $368,162 in additional grant awards allocable to fiscal year 2017. The funds are a portion of approximately $6 million for the fiscal year.
Board members approved an audit charter and acknowledged the receipt of the audit services report. Regents approved an extension of the William & Fudge contract through June 30, 2018, and the Windham Professional debt collection contract through Aug. 31, 2018, as well as a contract with People Admin, a human resources application system that enables the electronic handling of SFA’s employee recruitment and onboarding processes. Regents also approved a contract renewal with Ad Astra scheduling software.
An amendment to the Aramark contract, which will allow for Chick-fil-A renovations in the Baker Pattillo Student Center, also was approved.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the board approved a proposal to increase the tuition bond debt service budget by $3.5 million for the fiscal year 2017.
Additionally, the board approved the establishment of the Alfred and Madeline Danheim quasi-endowments, which will allow for student scholarships and support of the School of Music.
Regents approved policy revisions, curriculum changes and minutes from the January and March meetings. They received updates on Senate Bill 20, NCAA revenue distribution, the fine arts architecture project by Kirksey Architecture, current university construction, planned maintenance, the Carillon Bells Project and the university’s marketing campaign. The board also heard reports from the Faculty Senate, Student Government Association and the university president.
April 25, 2017 Nacogdoches — Nurses across the state now have access to an online family nurse practitioner program that will be offered this fall by Stephen F. Austin State University. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Board of Nursing recently approved the Master of Science in Nursing program.
“The new program will help the whole community as well as the School of Nursing,” said Dr. Sara Bishop, director of SFA’s DeWitt School of Nursing. “We are already one of the best-known schools of nursing in Texas – our graduation rates are excellent, and our students perform remarkably on their state board exams. This program will offer nurses access to graduate nursing education and provide much-needed primary care to citizens in Deep East Texas.”
The Master of Science in Nursing with focus as a family nurse practitioner requires 46 credit hours and 720 minimum clinical hours to complete. Students will be allowed to utilize preceptors for clinical experiences in their home communities, when possible.
A $750,000 grant from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation strengthened development of the online program, which includes a few on-campus clinical experiences. “We could not have gained momentum if it were not for the support of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, and we are most thankful,” Bishop said.
Admission to the program will occur only during the fall semester. Priority deadline for fall admission is July 1 for the 2017-18 academic year. After 2017-18, the priority deadline will be April 1.
There are several specific requirements for program admittance, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an accredited institution, a current unencumbered Texas registered nurse license, one year of full-time or equivalent experience practicing as a registered nurse, and more.
The SFA nursing administrators stated that access to health care is a growing concern across the nation. Many Texas counties have a shortage of primary care providers, including the counties in Deep East Texas. The leaders believe this program will connect SFA and East Texas communities through learning opportunities.
“Many of the students will be working with area nurse practitioners and primary care physicians in clinical sites where they will receive assistance and training,” said Dr. Janice Hensarling, associate professor of nursing and Master of Science in Nursing assistant program coordinator. “We have already received so much support from the community, and our program will focus on the needs of rural East Texas.”
For additional information about admission requirements and other details, contact Hensarling at (936) 468-7732 or jhensarling@sfasu.edu.
April 24, 2017 Nacogdoches – The bands at Stephen F. Austin State University will present the annual “Concert in the Park” Sunday, April 30, in the wooded area along Vista Drive and in front of the Wright Music Building on the SFA campus. The concert begins at 2 p.m. and is free to the public.
SFA alumnus Doice Grant, owner of Tatum Music Company in Longview, will be honored with an induction into the SFA Band Directors’ Hall of Fame. Grant earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SFA where he was a member of Kappa Kappa Psi honorary band fraternity and was selected “Outstanding Bandsman” of the Lumberjack Marching Band. Grant taught at Carthage and Center ISDs before joining the leadership of Tatum Music in 1994.
All four SFA concert bands will perform. Opening the concert will be University Band, under the direction of David Campo, associate director of bands, and graduate assistant Teresa Powell. The University Band will perform “Coast Guards March” by Karl King and “Autobahn” by Ryan George.
The Symphonic Band, under the direction of Tamey Anglley, assistant director of bands at SFA, will perform “Cajun Folks Songs” by Texas composer Frank Ticheli. Graduate assistant Brandon Beavers will conduct “Sea Songs” by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The Wind Symphony, also directed by Campo, will perform three selections, including “Inglesina,” a march by Davide Delle Cese.
The Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Fred J. Allen, director of bands, will close the concert and will perform four pieces, including music from the movie “Star Wars” and a march by John Philip Sousa, “The Globe and Eagle.” Guest conductor and honoree Grant will conduct “Procession of the Nobles” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
KKY and Tau Beta Sigma, honorary band service fraternity and sorority, will sell hamburger plates beginning at 1 p.m. Plates are $5 each and will include a burger, chips and beverage.
For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
April 22, 2017 - The Stephen F. Austin State University of Music has announced that SFA Alumnus and former Center High School Band Director, Doice Grant, will be the newest inductee into the SFA Band Directors' Hall of Fame.
A ceremony is set during this year's Concert in the Park, scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, April 30, 2017, on the lawn in front of the Wright Music Building on the SFA campus in Nacogdoches.
Mr. Grant earned his bachelor of fine arts degree from Stephen F. Austin University in 1982. Doice was the treasurer and President of Kappa Kappa Psi honorary band fraternity while attending SFA. The chapter won the first of two "Founder's Awards" (outstanding chapter in the nation) during this time as President of the chapter.
Grant was a member of Pi Kappa Lambda national music society and Alpha Chi National college honor society. He was also selected as the "Outstanding Bandsman" as a member of the Lumberjack band.
As a KKY active and officer, Doice helped form the SFA Band Alumni Association and the SFA Band Director's Hall of Fame, which makes this year's award presentation to Grant all the more meaningful. While a member of KKY, Doice presented to his father, Neil Grant, the Hall of Fame award. Now Mr. Grant's daughter, Rachel Grant, a member of the SFA Band, will watch her father receive the same honor.
Mr. Grant is a life member of both the SFA Band Alumni Association and the SFA Alumni Association.
Grant was the director of the middle school band in Carthage from 1983-1985, during which time the band won sweepstakes awards each of those years.
Grant directed the Center High School Band from 1985-1993, where his bands also received the sweepstakes award each year. During those years the Center band was also a three-time honor band finalist and two-time winner of the Outstanding Band in its class at the National Association of Military Marching Bands contest at Texas A&M University. The band also won numerous awards at national contests in Gatlinsburg, Tennessee and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Grant says, "The school and community support of the Roughrider Band as well as the outstanding students I had the privilege to work with made being the band director at Center High School the most rewarding job I have ever had."
Mr. Grant served as the NAMMB President for two years, the SFA Band Alumni Association President, and the TMEA region 21 chairman. He was selected as a member of the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity in 1992 and was awarded the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Contributor to Texas Bands Award in 2009.
Grant is the owner of Tatum Music Company in Longview and Tyler. For the last twenty-three years, he has worked with bands in the East Texas area as a service provided by Tatum Music Company, just as his father did before him.
Doice and his wife, Beth, live in Longview. Their daughter is earning her music education degree and their son, Levi, a member of the Longview Lobo band, is a junior at Longview High School.
April 20, 2017 Nacogdoches – The SFA Friends of Music will accept reservations through noon Monday, April 24, for Extravaganza 30, Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music’s annual gala banquet. The event, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, in the Grand Ballroom of SFA’s Baker Pattillo Student Center, will honor Dr. Peggy Wright of Nacogdoches as Outstanding Music Alumna.
This year’s Extravaganza, “Golden Stars of SFA,” celebrates the 30th anniversary of the gala and fundraiser, which features gourmet dining, performances by student soloists and ensembles, and the presentation of student awards in an exciting evening of music, according to Dr. Gary Wurtz, director of the SFA School of Music.
“There is no better way to experience a cross section of what the SFA School of Music has to offer than at our annual Extravaganza,” Wurtz said. “While enjoying a good meal, those in attendance hear performances by the top choir, band, orchestra, jazz band, student recitalists, opera performers, and more. Our fantastic students provide both dinner music and a dance to end the evening. It is really a lot of fun!”
Part music student awards ceremony, part formal dinner, and part musical potpourri, Extravaganza will feature jazz, wind ensemble, choir, opera, string quartet and orchestra. Additional highlights include awarding Outstanding Music Alumni and Outstanding Recitalists of the year.
As is tradition with Extravaganza, the music faculty has selected an outstanding music graduate to honor, and this year’s recipient is Dr. Peggy Wright.
“Mrs. Wright is a stalwart of the Nacogdoches community and an avid supporter of all things SFA,” Wurtz said, “but many people may not realize that she has a bachelor’s degree in music from SFA, as well. This year, the committee voted unanimously that Mrs. Wright must be our honoree, and, in fact, they all agreed that it has been an oversight to not award this to her much sooner! Mrs. Wright’s support of the School of Music over the years has been overwhelming, and we are excited to have this opportunity to honor her in this way.”
Wright’s work on behalf of SFA includes her service as president of the SFA Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1974-75; member of the SFA Board of Regents from 1973-83 and 1987-93, serving as chairman of the board for four years; member of the SFASU Foundation Board of Trustees, serving as secretary/treasurer from 1987-2006 and chairman from 1985-87; and member of Friends of Music and the Dean’s Circle. She was named the SFA Distinguished Alumna in 1985 and Nacogdoches Woman of the Year in 1989. In 1997, the SFA Board of Regents selected her as the second recipient of an honorary university doctorate.
Along with her late husband Tom, Wright’s philanthropy to SFA has been extensive, including the creation of the Wedgeworth-Wright Endowment for the Arts. In recognition of the Wrights’ longstanding commitment and love for SFA, the music building was named the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building in 1999. She also has been highly involved in the Nacogdoches community, serving in numerous leadership roles, including president of the Cum Concilio Club, regent for the Nacogdoches Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, and member of the Texas Council of Economic Education Board of Directors, Citizens 1st Bank Board of Directors, Heritage Club, Dallas Woman’s Club and National Society of Colonial Dames of America. In 2004, the Wrights shared the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizens of the Year award. The Wrights are longtime members of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and they have two daughters, Kitty Dippel of Brenham and Peggy Pollock of Dallas, six grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
The Extravaganza 30 committee includes John and Melinda Rohrer, co-chairs, Carolyn King, Caryl and Harold Hall, MaryAnn and Farrar Bentley, Kimberly LaGraff, Gloria and Cecil Settle, Barb Stump, Shirley Watterston and Gloria Williams.
“We want to invite everyone to come and celebrate this 30th Extravaganza with us,” Melinda Rohrer said.
This year’s Friends of Music officers include Caryl Hall, president; Marinell Booth, president-elect; Missy DeVine, secretary/treasurer; and Jackie Warthan, past president.
Tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for SFA students. Patron level tickets range in prices from $65 to $140, and donations will be accepted for the Friends of Music scholarship fund. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
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