Shelby County Today

October 13, 2023 — For the first time in its 40 years, the largest annual event focused on the civic engagement of college students will take place in Texas, and Stephen F. Austin State University is hosting it.

“The IMPACT Conference has a significant, nationally recognized history of building on our country’s legacy of encouraging student service and civic engagement as a way of giving back to the communities that support college campuses and their students,” said Dr. Lauren Burrow, professor of education studies at SFA and campus coordinator for the conference. “With this being the 40th anniversary of IMPACT and the 100th anniversary of SFA, this first-time campus hosting of the conference in Texas is a historical honor.”

Scheduled for February 22-23, 2024, the event will seek to strengthen student involvement in community service, service learning, community-based research, advocacy and social justice. According to its website, IMPACT works to broaden student experiences and expertise by connecting them with administrators, faculty, AmeriCorps members and nonprofit professionals to learn and share effective practices. These connections help students improve personal skills and organizational strategies, discover opportunities and resources, exchange stories, and be inspired and challenged to sustain IMPACT’s efforts.

“It is my hope that Lumberjacks and local Nacogdoches businesses and organizations benefit from a national spotlight on the good deeds and civic education that are ongoing throughout the state of Texas,” Burrow said.

As part of its host duties, SFA is seeking workshop proposals for the event with a deadline of October 23. The conference will feature presenters who share their extensive knowledge and experience in their work for social change. Past presentation topics include action and advocacy, community partnerships, leadership skills, service learning, social issues, and social media and technology.

In addition, the 2024 Impact Conference will offer workshops in three new 75-minute formats: interactive sessions intended to highlight the presenter’s knowledge and/or practice on a given topic; sessions with two presenters focusing on the outcomes and practical application of programs and events that relate to IMPACT’s mission, vision and values; and roundtables for attendees to have an informal conversation about a shared topic of interest. To learn more about the workshops, visit impactconference.org/workshops. To submit workshop proposals by October 23, view the 2024 workshops proposal application.

“I encourage all students, administrators, faculty and community members to take advantage of access to a national conference, as a presenter and/or an attendee, because it’s an unprecedented opportunity to hear and/or contribute to national conversations in our own backyard,” Burrow said. “I hope colleges and communities throughout Texas show up to show our nation what sets Texas apart.”

Burrow said she knows the cost of participating in national conferences is rising, so SFA students and East Texas community members could benefit greatly from the opportunities and connections the IMPACT Conference will offer right here in Nacogdoches.

“Having access to a national conference on our campus could provide an affordable conference opportunity that most students would not otherwise get to experience,” she said. “Additionally, many conferences are geared toward presenting research studies headed for future publications, but the IMPACT conference makes room for ‘thought talks,’ too, so that students around the nation can hear about and cheer on the civic engagement of their peers — with big and small topics.”

In addition to session proposals, 2024 IMPACT Conference organizers are looking for local sponsors for the event. To learn more about sponsoring the conference, email sponsorship@impactconference.org.

According to Burrow, the host campus selection process included two rounds of written proposals during which hopeful universities and colleges presented their campus assets and articulated their alignment with the IMPACT Conference’s mission, vision and values.

“I am appreciative to colleagues and administrators who enthusiastically supported me in preparing the proposal paperwork submissions, including Provost Dr. Lorenzo Smith, Dr. Michara DeLaney-Fields, Dr. Veronica Beavers, Dr. Jannah Nerren and others,” she said.

To learn more about the conference, visit the IMPACT website, or register to attend at givepulse.com/event/379717.

Omar Thomas

October 5, 2023 - The Wind Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “The Music of Omar Thomas” for its first concert of the 2023-24 academic year. The program will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in Turner Auditorium inside the newly renovated Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.

“This will be the first concert for the Wind Ensemble in Turner Auditorium since the spring semester of 2020 before the COVID pandemic,” said Dr. Tamey Anglley, director of bands at SFA and director of the Wind Ensemble. “We have an exciting first program planned featuring the music of highly acclaimed and award-winning jazz and wind band composer Omar Thomas.”

Thomas, assistant professor of composition and jazz studies at The University of Texas at Austin, is guest composer in residency at SFA in early October, working with all three SFA concert bands, Swingin’ Axes jazz band and the SFA composition studio during his time on campus.

The Wind Ensemble will perform three pieces by Thomas as well as the band arrangement of “Summerland” by William Grant Still, which was originally composed for piano. Still was known as the “Dean of African-American Classical Composers,” composing nearly 200 works.  “Summerland” is the second movement from “Three Visions” for piano and integrates hints of the blues and gives a nod to his fellow composer Claude Debussy, according to Anglley.

The first piece by Thomas will be “A Mother of a Revolution!” written in 2019. The composer writes, “this piece is a celebration of the bravery of trans women, and in particular, Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson. Marsha is credited with being one of the instigators of the famous Stonewall uprising of June 28, 1969 – one of the pivotal events of the LGBTQ liberation movement of the 20th century.” Thomas integrates both a march-like style along with a disco vibe to honor the legacy of the Stonewall revolution.

“The Low-Down Brown Get-Down” was written in 2020, and Thomas describes it as “the soundtrack for a nonexistent blaxploitation film. It pulls from various sounds and styles of African-American folk music, such as funk, R&B, soul, early hip hop, the blues and even film noir.”  He also gives a nod to the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, both in the composition and in the title.

The concert finale is Thomas’ most performed piece, “Come Sunday,” written in 2018. Thomas writes that it “is a two-movement tribute to the Hammond organ’s central role in black worship services. The title is a direct nod to Duke Ellington, who held an inspired love for classical music and allowed it to influence his own work in a multitude of ways.”  “Come Sunday” is in two movements, including “Testimony” and “Shout!,” and is reminiscent of church services across the nation.

“This concert is not one to miss,” Anglley said.

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 sfasu.edu/boxoffice, For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

September 20, 2023 — To celebrate Stephen F. Austin State University’s 100 years of higher education, the Division of University Marketing Communications held the SFA centennial design contest to involve all Lumberjacks in celebrating the historic milestone.

UMC asked for artists of all ages to submit an original design using a coloring page of the centennial logo. Winning designs were turned into centennial-themed merchandise and are now available for purchase.

Emma Villafranco, 10, daughter of alumni Enrique Villafranco ’13 and Erika Rangel Villafranco ’13, won the contest’s child category. Her winning design features a vibrant, multicolored background and lots of purple.

The centennial design contest’s child category winner.

“I chose these colors because I thought it really showed SFA spirit, and if the SFA Lumberjack would have colored this page, he would have picked them, too,” Emma said. “I chose to enter this contest because coloring is one of my favorite hobbies and I want to go to SFA!”

Leah Fox, 16, winner of the teen category, is the daughter of alumni Lt. Col. Matthew Fox ’03 and Gina Fox ’03. Leah’s winning design depicts an axe with a purple background imposed under the centennial logo.

Centennial design contest’s teen category winner.

“What a blessing and honor to be chosen to represent the teen division,” Leah said. “I was thrilled that the university I would like to attend to pursue a degree in graphic design chose me as the winner. Thank you, SFA, for giving me this boost of confidence in myself and my work.”

Savannah Walker ’19, winner of the adult category, was inspired by different iconography of SFA and Nacogdoches for her design.

“My design was inspired by my personal experience on campus and my many fond memories of SFA,” Walker said. “The squirrel, baby ducks, and the baby armadillo I would see at the Art Building pay homage to the East Texas wildlife that I encountered on campus, which always made my day.”

Centennial design contest’s adult category winner.

Walker said the inclusion of university traditions was also an important aspect to include in her design.

“Traditions like decorating axe handles and the Big Dip helped create some of my best memories of campus life. I also had to add Steen Hall done up for Christmas. This was my way of preserving those special moments and translating them into a piece that I think captures the heart of SFA,” she said.

Merchandise with the winning centennial designs can be purchased at gosfa.com/jackbackers for the child category or gosfa.com/unlimiteddesigns for the teen and adult categories.

To view the winning designs and obtain more information on SFA’s centennial, visit sfasu.edu/centennial.

About Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 36 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

The cover of Stephen F. Austin State University’s 2023 Stone Fort yearbook features debossed numerals and gold foil lettering. A limited number of this special centennial volume is available for purchase by SFA alumni, supporters and community members this fall. Contact the SFA Department of Student Publications for more information.

September 13, 2023 — A limited number of centennial volumes of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Stone Fort yearbook, celebrating a century of Lumberjack history and tradition, are available this fall for purchase by alumni, supporters and community members while supplies last.

The full-color, hardback edition costs $67 and features 312 pages of SFA images and stories pertaining to the past year and all 99 years that came before it. Proceeds from annual yearbook sales are used to help cover the cost of printing and pay for SFA student writers, photographers and editors who work for the award-winning publication.

“The yearbook staff set a goal in summer 2022 to elevate the centennial edition in all aspects, from making it full color to delving deep into the institution’s history for content and perspective to designing a high-quality cover that would look nice on any Lumberjack’s coffee table for years to come,” said Laney Wise, current Stone Fort editor-in-chief.

"Working on the centennial yearbook was such an honor,” said Wise, a junior graphic design major from Keller. “I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of such an important piece of SFA history, and I had an amazing time getting to talk to so many of my peers to help tell the story of SFA."

Many historical photos and references from past SFA yearbooks made their way into the special centennial edition, said SFA Department of Student Publications Coordinator and Stone Fort advisor Rachel Clark.

“The students and staff have had a lot of fun during the last year reviewing past yearbooks and seeing how the campus has changed over the decades, not to mention students’ outfits and hairstyles,” she said. “But just as remarkable to us was the realization that a lot of aspects of student life at SFA, in particular Lumberjacks’ school spirit and reverence for tradition, haven’t really changed that much in the past 100 years.”

The first volume of the Stone Fort yearbook was produced in 1924 and chronicled the first academic year of SFA’s history. Except for two years during the Great Depression, the yearbook has recorded each intervening year of the unique SFA student experience.

Just a handful of Texas universities and only four public institutions in the state are still producing a traditional, printed yearbook each year, according to Amy Roquemore, director of student publications and divisional media at SFA. The Stone Fort routinely wins writing, photography and design awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and earned two national awards from the College Media Association in 2022.

“Changes in the student staffs’ interests and preferences, as well as publication design trends and cultural and societal institutions, have resulted in each Stone Fort yearbook’s uniqueness, yet the volumes share a throughline of Lumberjack history, spirit and tradition,” Roquemore said. “For the centennial edition, the staff doubled down on SFA history, and the students did an outstanding job of encapsulating highlights of the 2022-23 academic year while also paying homage to the history and alumni behind a lot of the traditions and activities Lumberjacks take part in today.”

Roquemore said the professional and student staffs decided early on in the centennial yearbook’s production to make the special edition available to alumni and community members in addition to current student yearbook subscribers.

“We knew this would be a one-of-a-kind piece of SFA history that Lumberjacks would want to have, whether they attended classes last week or many decades ago,” she added.

To purchase a centennial Stone Fort yearbook, call the SFA Department of Student Publications at (936) 468-4703, email clarkr1@sfasu.edu or stop by the office located in Room 2.308 of the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Stone Fort yearbook

Preserving one of the oldest traditions at SFA, Stone Fort staff members strive to create a yearbook that accurately captures the essence of the university and what it means to be a Lumberjack. Through compelling storytelling, captivating images and imaginative design, the staff works to foster a sense of community while developing talented students who share passions for journalism and art. Each volume is intended to portray the SFA student experience with accuracy and integrity, serving as one of the university’s primary sources of recorded history.

About Stephen F. Austin State University

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 36 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.