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The Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents held a specially called meeting Monday to honor two donors by naming SFA’s math building as the Roy E. and Linda Bush Mathematical Sciences Building.

According to Jill Still, vice president for university advancement, Roy and Linda Bush have generously supported SFA and have demonstrated the value they placed on higher education and the university.

A native of Childress, Texas, Roy earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from SFA in 1957 and put to use the knowledge and skills he cultivated at the university while serving in the U.S. Navy and throughout his career. He married Linda Stone, a Houston native and an accountant, in January 1965.

Roy enjoyed a 25-year career with Conoco, managing drilling operations in Louisiana and Italy and eventually serving as vice president of Conoco Egypt. Linda began her career in the oil and gas industry and transitioned into the real estate field in New Orleans, Houston and Austin.

“After Roy’s death on August 13, 2018, Linda honored her husband’s legacy with a gift to SFA,” Still said. “The contributions Mr. and Mrs. Bush have made to SFA will not be forgotten.”

A ribbon cutting to celebrate the renaming of the building will be held at 1:30 p.m. April 29 in conjunction with the quarterly meeting of the Board of Regents.

For more information about the College of Sciences and Mathematics, visit sfasu.edu/math.

The Stephen F. Austin State University European Union Team recently tied for fourth place at the Midwest Model European Union Competition.

The SFA team competed at Indiana University against 21 other teams from schools such as the University of Illinois, Texas Woman’s University and Iowa State University. SFA’s team represented Estonia in the competition.

The MMEU competition is the second-oldest intercollegiate simulation of the European Union in North America. According to Dr. Steven Galatas, SFA associate professor of government and SFA Model EU faculty advisor, the competition allows students to immerse themselves in the policies and procedures of the EU.

“The purpose of MMEU is to provide a hands-on learning experience about how the European Union operates, to work with students from across the U.S. to debate and discuss issues related to the European Union, and to promote awareness and understanding of the union and its role in the world,” Galatas said.

“It was amazing to see our school, which was representing a tiny country, compete head-to-head with Big Ten Conference schools and other large universities,” said SFA student Morgan Moya of New Braunfels, who served as the environmental minister of Estonia.

In addition to tying for fourth place, three individual award winners from SFA included Aaron Kelley of Ennis, who received first place as the economics minister of Estonia; Moya, who won second place; and Daniel Greco of Katy, who placed third as minister in the foreign affairs council.

SFA students received their country assignment though a lottery system. The team met often during spring semester to discuss Estonia’s position on key issues facing the EU, such as Brexit, immigration and refugees, climate change, and more. Additionally, each member wrote a piece of legislation to submit for the competition.

“I prepared for this competition by investing a lot of time researching Estonia so that I could respond to unexpected situations,” Greco said. “I also spent time getting to know my team members so we could work well together and our team dynamic would be strong.”

The political science program within the Department of Government sponsors the team. Upon completing the European Union course in the fall, Galatas invited select students to join the team.

“The SFA Department of Government does a phenomenal job of preparing its students for events like this,” Moya said. “I had no experience with the European Union prior to this, but other classes I have taken at SFA helped me with background information regarding European politics, as well as parliamentary procedures that helped me during the competition.”

Students at other universities often participate in Model EU competitions as a requirement for a course, but volunteers comprised SFA’s team.

“Dr. Galatas’ class on the EU taught me a lot and showed me how interesting the EU can be,” Greco said. “But I chose to join the team because I wanted to well-represent SFA in an academic competition and demonstrate that SFA’s political science program can compete on a level with other universities.”

To learn more about SFA’s Model EU team, contact Galatas at galatasse@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-2003.

By Emily Brown, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Dr. John C. Pruit, a Stephen F. Austin State University assistant professor of sociology, has learned the lessons taught in preschool often have the ability to go beyond classroom walls.

“Analytically, the preschool teacher is a simplified social identity, but preschool teaching is strikingly complex in everyday practice,” said Pruit. “With my research, I wanted to show that how preschool teachers teach is anything but straightforward.”

Pruit focuses his research on preschool teachers and classroom settings — an interest that began from both an analytical and personal standpoint. When his own son entered preschool, Pruit found himself wondering what he could do better in regards to understanding both the constraints of and constructs within the classroom.

Studying education and preschool teachers in particular has influenced Pruit’s own teaching style. Through his research, he has realized that preschool teachers both teach and care for their students, which is something he tries to achieve in his own interactions with college students.

“I try to approach my students with compassion and let them know that I care about them and want them to succeed,” Pruit said. “Sometimes they just need someone to listen to them and validate their experience.

“I also often talk to students about the times I have failed at doing things well. This allows my students to see that I am human and, like all humans, I make mistakes; but these mistakes are often opportunities to learn.”

Using a constructivist approach, he engages students in critically thinking about how sociology, especially sociological theory, is applicable to their everyday lives.

Along with studying education, Pruit’s research areas include narrative, identity and sociology of early childhood, deviance and sociological social psychology.

“I’m interested in how people put their lives together within institutional contexts,” Pruit said. “I prefer to do research in the settings in which I talk and interact.”

Pruit holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Memphis and a doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Missouri. Prior to joining SFA’s College of Liberal and Applied Arts faculty in 2016, Pruit was a visiting assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University in Abington.

He has authored several journal articles and textbooks, and recently published a book, “Between Teaching and Caring in Preschool: Talk, Interaction, and the Preschool Teacher Identity,” where he used ethnographic and interview data to analyze how preschool teachers construct institutional identities. He is a member of the American Sociological Association, the Midwest Sociological Society and the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction.

Most recently, Pruit received the Teaching Excellence Award for being an outstanding faculty member in the College of Liberal and Applied Arts. The Teaching Excellence Award is based on knowledge of subject matter, quality of lectures and assignments, enthusiasm for teaching, commitment to continuous improvement, contribution to the quality of teaching at SFA by assisting and encouraging other faculty members, and interest in and availability to students.

“Receiving the Teaching Excellence Award is humbling and validating. I am fortunate to be a part of the education of some of the best students at SFA and in the state of Texas,” said Pruit. “My job is more meaningful because my students are learning to think about the social world in a thoughtful, imaginative and critical manner.”

By Emily Brown, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

It’s big. It’s purple. It’s the Lumberjack Express. This spring Stephen F. Austin State University rolled out its newest endeavor — the Lumberjack Express mobile food lab.

As the only one of its kind in Texas, this learning laboratory provides students in the School of Human Sciences a taste of the real world.

“There are only a few food trucks nationally that are utilized as an academic laboratory,” said Dr. Lynda Martin, director of SFA’s School of Human Sciences. “It has been so exciting watching the students make the Lumberjack Express their own and seeing how the campus community has responded to this new learning experience.”

Four faculty members from the School of Human Sciences were instrumental in bringing the Lumberjack Express to campus: Dr. Chay Runnels, hospitality administration program coordinator and associate professor; Dr. Donna Fickes, clinical instructor; Todd Barrios, chef instructor; and Justin Pelham, clinical instructor.

In recognition of their work, they were recently awarded a Bright Spot award by the SFA Faculty Senate, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the SFA vice presidents.

While attending the National Restaurant Association’s annual show a few years ago in Illinois, Runnels noticed a food truck with a university logo on it. This sighting sparked an idea.

“We began researching the possibility of a mobile food lab that would be a true learning laboratory. From the beginning, we had a lot of support from administration,” Runnels said.

Soon, wheels started turning — literally, as faculty members and students worked to bring the food truck trend to campus.

“We had many meetings. We worked with an undergraduate student to develop a business plan, and we researched other food trucks and institutions that had something similar to what we were proposing,” Runnels said. “It’s been a learning experience for us all.”

Once SFA’s Board of Regents approved the purchase of the mobile food lab in January 2018, Fickes began coordinating the development effort. In addition to teaching, Fickes contacted people in the industry and worked with faculty members to ensure the new mobile food lab would meet program needs.

Barrios worked on creating the kitchen’s layout, as well as selecting the kitchen utensils. Pelham represented the food, nutrition and dietetics program in helping select the menu items.

A mobile food management course was developed that focuses on the food truck industry and directly ties in with the Lumberjack Express. Students in other areas, such as event planning, also have the opportunity to use the Lumberjack Express for coursework.

“Our goal is to provide students a timely, transformational learning experience. The food truck trend has grown into a food truck culture,” Fickes said. “It is a viable way for someone to enter the hospitality industry with fewer expenses and immediate return on investment. Providing our students an environment where they can learn through trial and error puts them a step ahead of their competition.”

Service at the Lumberjack Express began in February. Much like the Culinary Café, the Lumberjack Express is a student-run operation. Hospitality majors, under the direction of Barrios, prepare the meals every Tuesday and Thursday. The cuisine is based on various themes, such as Latin, Texas barbecue, Asian, Creole and Mediterranean. Music streaming from the Lumberjack Express and smiling faces inside the truck greet customers picking up their food.

“The students love working on Lumberjack Express and have taken immediate ownership of it,” Fickes said. “Guests have been very positive about student interactions, and they have loved the street food creations we are serving.”

The Lumberjack Express also will be utilized at outreach and recruiting events, such as career and college fairs and Showcase Saturday. Pelham also plans on using the lab for cooking demonstrations in the community during the Cooking Matters Program his students host annually.

To learn more about the Lumberjack Express and to purchase tickets, visit sfasu.edu/lumberjackexpress.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.