Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University will launch a bachelor’s degree in data analytics in the spring of 2019, preparing students to fill jobs that meet the expanding data management needs of business and industry.

According to SFA faculty members, the program is one of only a few that exist throughout the state.

“The world runs on data,” said Dr. Puntitra Glendowne, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science. “There is no shortage of data, but there is a shortage of people equipped with the necessary skills to properly handle, transform and, ultimately, extract meaningful information from it.”

Students in the program study data acquisition and visualization, statistical modeling, database management and distributed computing, skills used in the analysis of business and economic data, said Dr. Kimberly Childs, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

“Data analytics is a high-profile program designed to drive innovation through data-informed decision-making,” Childs said.

The bachelor’s degree includes computer science, economics and mathematics courses, combining lecture with practical experience in the computing lab.

“Students who may have walked away from a pure computer science, math or business degree are finding their way to data analytics as a way to pursue a variety of interests while broadening and strengthening their worth in the job market,” said Dr. Deborah Dunn, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science.

For more information about the program, visit sfasu.edu/academics/colleges/sciences-math/computer-science/academics/data-analytics, or call (936) 468-2508.

By Joanna Armstrong, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Office of Multicultural Affairs encourages the campus and Nacogdoches communities to submit community work projects for the ninth annual MLK Day of Service scheduled for Jan. 21.

The deadline to submit a project is Jan. 4, 2019. Volunteers are needed and can sign up online at sfasu.edu/oma now through Jan. 9. Participants will receive a free lunch and event T-shirt.

“This day is not a day of selfishness but of selflessness. Please join us as we focus on truly honoring Dr. King’s legacy by helping others,” said Veronica Beavers, OMA director.

As part of this year’s day of service, SFA will partner with Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful and SFA’s Food for Thought food pantry. Students also will be helping with the senior-friendly community garden.

Other service projects will be conducted at public parks, private homes and a variety of other sites. Hundreds of student volunteers are expected to take part in projects, such as painting and landscaping. Last year students helped at Millard’s Crossing Historic Village, St. Paul African-American Cemetery, Habitat Restore and Thomas J. Rusk Elementary School.

Event check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Theater, second floor. Guest speaker the Rev. Leonard Sweat will kick off the day of service with a presentation. Sweat is the pastor of St. James Baptist Church in Nacogdoches and served as president of the local NAACP chapter for four years. He also served in the Air Force as a photography lab specialist. He is a member of the Progressive Leadership Group and Community Improvement Program.

Congress passed legislation in 1983 to commemorate King’s life as a civil rights activist. In 1994, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which falls on the third Monday of January, was named a national day of service and is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

For more information, contact Beavers at (936) 468-1073, email oma@sfasu.edu, or visit sfasu.edu/oma.

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

Students from the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Social Work worked to secure grants for C&R Kuttbottle Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Nacogdoches that recycles and repurposes glass, the only East Texas organization to do so.

For their seminar in advanced rural practice course, the students wrote a grant proposal that sought funds for the organization. Dr. Jose Carbajal, assistant professor of social work, instructed students to identify a need within the nonprofit and write a full grant proposal designed to address it.

Throughout the semester, students met with the founders to assess their funding needs. All the students researched potential grant applications for the organization.

Carbajal chose C&R Kuttbottle because it’s locally based, which made it easier for the students to frequently interact with the organization’s leaders.

“I wanted the students to have this experience so they were not intimidated by the process of searching for and submitting a grant application,” Carbajal said. “In addition, I wanted them to learn the importance of community practice and to address a societal need.”

This course also provided an opportunity for students to work with a real organization in order to gain practical experience with grant writing.

Sabrina Guerrero, an SFA social work student, said, “The grant process was very real to all of us, and the reality of the difference it could make for C&R Kuttbottle motivated us even more.”

C&R Kuttbottle’s goal is to promote environmental sustainability awareness and encourage more community involvement in recycling. During the semester, the organization’s purpose fueled the students’ passion for the cause.

“If this grant is successful, I am hoping it will help spread awareness of the work C&R Kuttbottle does in Nacogdoches,” Guerrero said. “We want to inspire others to get involved in whatever way they can and help this necessary cause.”

Carbajal is proud of the work his students accomplished for the foundation, and he believes each student gained practical experience with grant writing.

“Grant writing is a technical, concise, persuasive writing skill. Foundations use this writing style to assess whether a grant proposal application satisfies its mission.”

To learn more about the work of SFA School of Social Work students, visit www.sfasu.edu/socialwork.

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

The estate of the late Nancy Delaney has funded two endowed scholarships for students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Art and College of Fine Arts. A portion of the funding came from a recent sale of Delaney’s jewelry collection at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, SFA’s downtown art gallery. Commercial Bank of Texas managed the estate and presented the scholarship funds to SFA representatives. Pictured are, from left, John Handley, director of SFA art galleries; Dr. A.C. “Buddy” Himes, dean of the College of Fine Arts; Christopher Talbot, director of the School of Art; Drew Knowles, CBTx general counsel; Rusty Rust, CBTx CEO; David Shofner, CBTx wealth management and trust officer; Jimmy Mize, CBTx executive vice president. The Creighton H. Delaney Endowed Scholarship is for a financially needy student in the School of Art, and the John N. Staley and Margaret Anderson Staley Endowed Scholarship is for a financially needy female student in the College of Fine Arts.