Everything Nac

In an effort to keep children and families entertained during the summer months, Stephen F. Austin State University’s Student Activities Association is set to host a number of family-friendly movies during its annual Summer Movie Series in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Theater.

All movies in the series are rated G to PG and will play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer. This year’s movies include:

Bolt: 10 a.m. June 4 and 2 p.m. June 5

Zootopia: 10 a.m. June 11 and 2 p.m. June 12

Migration: 10 a.m. June 25 and 2 p.m. June 26

Monsters University: 10 a.m. July 9 and 2 p.m. July 10

Trolls Band Together: 10 a.m. July 16 and 2 p.m. July 17

Shark Tale: 10 a.m. July 23 and 2 p.m. July 24

Up: 10 a.m. July 30 and 2 p.m. July 31

The series is open to the public, and tickets for adults and children ages 2-12 are $5. SFA students with a valid university ID earn free admittance. Additionally, unlimited popcorn and a drink are included with the price of a ticket, and candy is $2 for one or $3 for two.

For more information or to view a summary of each movie, visit sfasu.edu/saacinema.

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 37 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.

By University Marketing Communications

Many obstacles can stand in the way of being admitted into medical school, but for two Stephen F. Austin State University students, the path to their dreams just got a little clearer.

Perla Tovar, junior biochemistry major from Lufkin, and Mckenna Dillard, junior biochemistry major from Stephenville, have been accepted into the Joint Admission Medical Program. This undergraduate pipeline program was created by the Texas Legislature in 2001 to close gaps between participation and success for Texans pursuing their dreams of becoming a doctor, according to the JAMP website, texasjamp.org.

Each year, JAMP accepts two students from SFA who are highly qualified but economically disadvantaged and want to pursue careers in medicine.

“As the JAMP faculty director at SFA, I am privileged to witness the life-changing moment when students become JAMP scholars,” said Dr. Erin Childress, director of SFA’s pre-health professions program. “The road to medical school is challenging, but JAMP provides incredible resources and support throughout the process. The program’s selection process, which includes two students from each participating university, significantly increases the chances of an SFA student being selected for JAMP compared to if they attended a larger university in Texas.”

Students participating in JAMP who meet eligibility requirements are guaranteed admission to a Texas medical school and awarded scholarships to support their educational journey.

Tovar’s aspirations are to become a successful researcher in genetic disorders, specifically cancer, and become an ophthalmologist.

“When I found out I was accepted into JAMP, I couldn’t believe it,” Tovar said. “It was a bittersweet and exciting moment for me. I give thanks to God because I asked Him that I may only be accepted if this was the right path for me.”

Tovar learned about JAMP during SFA Orientation when Childress reviewed the program and encouraged her to apply. Tovar graduated from high school in May 2023 and worried that her age could negatively impact her ability to get into JAMP. But thanks to expert guidance from her high school counselor, she had all the prerequisites necessary to apply to JAMP.

Dillard aims to go to the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine or the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School to become a cardiologist or study orthopedics.

“When I received the email that I had been accepted into JAMP, it was 10 minutes before my next class,” Dillard said. “I immediately had to call my entire family. I was super excited to have been given the opportunity to achieve my goal of becoming a doctor.”

To learn more about SFA’s pre-health professions program, visit sfasu.edu/prehealth.

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 37 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.

By Alyssa Faykus, editorial services senior specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University

Dr. Roslyn Fraser, associate professor of sociology in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Anthropology, Geography and Sociology, has been named Fulbright Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year.

The Fulbright Program, the United States government’s flagship program for international educational and cultural exchange, selects university faculty members and professionals to conduct research, teach and produce artistic and professional projects in other countries in an effort to find solutions to challenges facing our world.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Fraser will spend 10 months beginning this August in Port Louis, Mauritius — an island in the Indian Ocean — to work on her research and teach graduate courses at the University of Technology, Mauritius.

“It is an honor to be selected to travel to another part of the world to represent our university, our country and the discipline of sociology,” Fraser said. “That level of recognition has real weight to it. It feels like being told ‘You’re doing good things. Keep it up.'”

Fraser’s research examines women’s international labor migration through a qualitative study of the experiences of Bangladeshi women working in the Mauritian garment sector. Fraser’s previous research studies have taken place in villages in rural Bangladesh, with a focus on women’s work and family dynamics as people emigrate abroad for work. The Fulbright Program will allow her to see the other side of workers’ experiences by traveling to a country where Bangladeshi workers are going as labor migrants.

“I first became interested in Mauritius after looking at some migration data out of Bangladesh,” Fraser said. “I noticed large waves of women migrating there for industrial jobs in clothing factories.”

Fraser’s fascination with cultural differences and immigration comes from stories of her parents immigrating to the United States from Australia four-and-a-half months before Fraser was born. Fraser said she learned a lot by seeing the world through their eyes.

Along with teaching graduate courses, Fraser also will help the host university develop their graduate school and serve as an advisor for a doctoral candidate during their studies.

“It is widely understood that PhD training in the United States is very rigorous, so universities in middle- and lower-income countries seeking to grow their own graduate studies like to collaborate with U.S. faculty members as they develop local programs,” she said.

Fraser credits a small list of female faculty mentors she’s worked with throughout the years for changing her perception of the Fulbright Program’s accessibility, which she thought of as obtainable only for Ivy League faculty members.

“I remember clearly a philosophy professor who took the time to sit down and explain the Fulbright to me and how the application worked,” Fraser said. “She made it feel attainable, despite how much work it would be. By the end of the conversation, I thought, ‘Oh! I can probably do this. Why not!’ If not for people like her and my other mentors, my life would look very different today.”

According to the Fulbright Scholar Program’s website, the program was established by Congress in 1946 to increase mutual understanding and support friendly and peaceful relations between people of the U.S. and those from other countries.

For more information about the Department of Anthropology, Geology and Sociology, visit sfasu.edu/anthrogeosoc.

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 37 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.

By University Marketing Communications

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. May 9 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

Greg Grant, award-winning horticulturist, writer, conservationist, bulb farmer and seventh-generation East Texan, will present “Pines, Pawpaws and Pocket Prairies.”

Grant authored the books “In Greg’s Garden: A Pineywoods Perspective on Gardening, Nature, and Family” and “Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening,” as well as co-authored “Heirloom Gardening in the South, Texas Home Landscaping, The Southern Heirloom Garden,” and “The Rose Rustlers.” He also writes the popular “In Greg’s Garden” column for Texas Gardener magazine, a weekly garden column in the Tyler Morning Telegraph, and writes a monthly “Greg’s Ramblings” blog. He is the Smith County horticulturist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Tyler, where he is coordinator of the Smith County Master Gardener volunteer program and director of the Tyler Botanical Garden.

Grant has degrees in floriculture and horticulture, both from Texas A&M University, and attended postgraduate classes at Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University and SFA, where he is currently working on a doctoral degree in forestry. He has previous experience as a horticulturist with SFA Gardens, Mercer Arboretum and San Antonio Botanical Gardens, and as an instructor at SFA and LSU.

Grant has introduced several successful plants to the Southern nursery industry, including dwarf pink Mexican petunia, Gold Star speranza, Laura Bush petunia, John Fanick phlox, Stars and Stripes pentas, Pam’s Pink honeysuckle, Lecompte vitex, Henry and Augusta Duelberg sages, Big Momma and Pam Puryear Turk’s Cap, Peppermint Flare hibiscus, the Marie Daly and Nacogdoches (Grandma’s Yellow) roses.

He was presented the lifetime membership award from the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, the county agent award from the Turfgrass Producers of Texas, the Superior Service Award by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the Lynn Lowrey Memorial Award by the Native Plant Society of Texas, and the Lone Star Land Steward Award by Texas Parks and Wildlife. His book “Heirloom Gardening in the South” was a Garden Writers Association Silver Award recipient.

He has traveled extensively to hundreds of botanical gardens throughout the United States and Europe and has given over 2,000 entertaining, story-filled lectures. He is a graduate of the Benz School of Floral Design and a lifetime member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, the Southern Garden History Society and the Texas Bluebird Society. His work has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, including Southern Living, Woman’s Day, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, and The San Antonio Express News.

Grant and his wife live in deep East Texas in his grandparents’ old farmhouse, where he tends the Rebel Eloy Emanis Pine Savanna and Bird Sanctuary, a bluebird trail, an heirloom bulb farm, a dozen chickens, two cats and a Jack Russell terrier.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is 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 lecture series fund are appreciated.

Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St., or Raguet Elementary School, 2708 Raguet St.

For more information, email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

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 37 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.