Shelby County Today

June 6, 2016 - 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, June 9, in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. Greg Grant, research associate with the SFA Gardens’ Pineywoods Native Plant Center, will present “Show Me Your Garden and I Shall Tell You What You Are: Twenty Years Creating One View.”
 
Grant, who is an award-winning horticulturist, writer, conservationist and seventh-generation Texan, will relate two decades of planning the landscape in front of his restored family home during his lecture. He lives in his grandparents’ restored dogtrot farmhouse, where he tends a small cottage garden, his Rebel Eloy Emanis Pine Savanna and Bird Sanctuary, a flock of laying hens, and terriers Acer, Lizzie, Mollie and Sonny.
 
He is author of “In Greg’s Garden: A Pineywoods Perspective on Gardening, Nature, and Family” and “Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening,” and is co-author of “Heirloom Gardening in the South,” “Texas Home Landscaping” and “The Southern Heirloom Garden.” He is currently finishing “The Rose Rustlers” with William C. Welch and Texas A&M Press. He also writes the popular “In Greg’s Garden” column for Texas Gardener magazine and writes “Greg’s Ramblings,” a monthly blog at arborgate.com.
 
Grant has degrees in floriculture and horticulture both from Texas A&M University, and he has attended post-graduate classes at Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University and SFA. His garden, farm and plant introductions have been featured in many magazines and newspapers, including Southern Living, Woman’s Day, Texas Gardener, Neil Sperry’s Gardens, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times and The San Antonio Express News.
 
The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month at SFA’s Pineywoods Native Plant Center. A rare plant raffle will be held 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 nearby Raguet Elementary School, 2428 Raguet St., with continual shuttle service to the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building.
 
For more information, call (936) 468-1832 or email grantdamon@sfasu.edu.

June 1, 2016 -  More than 14,000 miles away in Bangalore, India, Stephen F. Austin State University graduate student Nandita Mehrotra puts the finishing touches on her thesis in preparation for its defense.

During the past few months, she has been studying patient-turnaround time at an outpatient cancer center in India and the role interior design plays in health care settings.
 
As a full-time employee in India, Mehrotra was able to complete her Master of Science in human sciences online in May through SFA’s School of Human Sciences within the James I. Perkins College of Education.
 
“The ability to pursue a master’s degree in the U.S. while living in India was wonderful,” Mehrotra said. “I was able to complete my degree only because it was available online.”
 
Heather Catton, director of international studies and programs at SFA, agrees offering courses online provides international students with great opportunities.
 
“For students like Nandita, who are working full time and/or have a family, they can’t drop everything and move to another country to earn their degree,” Catton said. “When a degree can be offered completely online, it’s a great option for students because they have access to the academic content. They can continue to work, live at home, and still have a U.S. degree and a different perspective.”
 
Mehrotra said she enjoyed the experience.
 
“It was very interesting to interact with faculty members and students halfway around the world and understand their way of thinking, working and expressing thoughts, ideas and analyses,” Mehrotra said.
 
Through Desire 2 Learn, SFA’s online course-delivery system, Mehrotra worked with other SFA students and faculty members. Her coursework consisted of the completion of specialized health care readings and textbooks, performance of on-site facility analyses and weekly interaction with renowned leaders in the health care design industry, which she described as interesting and helpful.
 
Mehrotra surveyed patients for 12 days for her thesis to obtain an understanding of patient experiences and satisfaction levels. She mapped the movement of 19 patients in the facility and interviewed 15 health care providers and staff members. She also studied patient, doctor and staff member perspectives on patient turnaround time.
 
“The Collaborate feature in Desire 2 Learn is a wonderful tool for online education and really makes the educational/classroom interaction easy and enjoyable,” Mehrotra said. “I was able to attend a significant percentage of online study sessions because of the difference between Indian Standard Time and U.S. Central Time. When it was morning at SFA, it was late evening in Bangalore, and I was home from work then.”
 
Dr. Mitzi Perritt, professor of interior design and graduate coordinator in SFA’s School of Human Sciences, met with Mehrotra weekly via Collaborate in D2L and said it was as if they were in the same classroom.
 
“Nandita has been a special student. She is eager to learn, very respectful and produces high-quality work. It has been an amazing experience for me to work with her as her major professor and teacher,” Perritt said. “Our relationship is a close one, and we have enjoyed working together.”

May 25, 2016 — The addition of a crop science course into the core curriculum has accelerated the need to build a 7,200-square-foot, three-bay, gutter-connected greenhouse totaling $150,000 on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

The new facility will provide the SFA Gardens with a much-needed area for plant production and student-driven research projects, said SFA Gardens Director Dr. David Creech, as well as assist horticulture and forestry students in obtaining real-world experience in an industry-standard greenhouse.

“Our current area is already inadequate to house the space needs we have for numerous horticulture labs,” said Dawn Stover, SFA Gardens research associate, “including crop science, fruits and vegetables, plant propagation, nursery management, greenhouse management, etc., as well as soil science experiments, graduate student projects, an active horticulture club, and plants for the SFA Gardens and the Sprout Garden.”

The greenhouse will be used to grow plants for special projects and research. It also will be used to grow many of the plants available for purchase at fundraiser plant sales. Stover said the SFA Gardens also would benefit by incorporating many of the plants grown there into its landscapes.

“With the addition of crop science into the core, we have the potential to see 150 additional students each semester,” said Stover. “We simply need more space to accommodate our growing program.”

To make a donation, call (936) 468-5406; visit www.sfasu.edu/give; or mail checks, write “greenhouse” in the memo line, to P.O. Box 6092, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962-6092.

May 14, 2016 — Stephen F. Austin State University’s Nelson Rusche College of Business recently announced the establishment of a new lecture series.

In 2002, SFA’s College of Business was named in honor of A. Nelson Rusche, who endowed the college with a $5 million gift, which provides scholarships to students majoring in business and also supports other programs, including a distinguished lecture series.

The Nelson Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series is scheduled to premiere Nov. 3, and according to Dr. Timothy Bisping, dean of the Nelson Rusche College of Business, it will provide opportunities to bring scholars and business leaders to the SFA campus to discuss relevant issues.   

“The series will convey to our students and other members of the SFA and Nacogdoches communities ideas, insights and knowledge they might otherwise be unable to obtain without considerable expense,” Bisping said. “It also is a wonderful way to highlight the Nelson Rusche College of Business and our exceptional programs, students, and faculty and staff members.”

Bisping said Rusche, who graduated from SFA in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and served on the university’s Board of Regents for three years, had a clear vision for the series.

“Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Rusche, I have learned a great deal from others about his integrity and desire to help SFA students succeed, and I am honored to have the privilege of bringing his vision to life,” Bisping said.

Bisping added the impact of Rusche’s generosity and guidance cannot be understated.

“The resources he made available to help attract and retain top students, provide special student-learning opportunities and pursue other crucial initiatives have allowed us to build upon the excellent programs already in place within the Rusche College of Business,” Bisping said.

Born in Appleby, Texas, Rusche served in the U.S. Army during World War II and received a Purple Heart for his service with the 43rd Infantry Division in New Guinea and the Philippines.

In 1951, Rusche purchased his first Gulf Oil service station and later became a commissioned agent. The A.N. Rusche Distributing Co. grew to be a 250-million-gallon-a-year distributor—Gulf Oil’s largest customer. Rusche later expanded his business to include automated car washes and convenience stores.

His distributing company received numerous awards and honors from the Texas Oil Marketers Association, now known as the Texas Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association. He served as president of the association and was active in the Past Presidents’ Association. He was honored with the E.K. Bennett Award in 1996, making him the association’s “Man of the Year.”

Rusche passed away Sept. 17, 2013.