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Attorney and ceramicist Chris Balch of Atlanta, Georgia, will visit the Stephen F. Austin State University campus to deliver a lecture on art and the law at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Room 106 of the Art Building.

“Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed to Ask a Lawyer – for Visual Artists” is free and open to the public.

In more than 25 years of practicing law, Balch has advised cities, counties, large and small companies and individuals in a broad range of legal disputes and questions. His private clients have sent him around the world in defense of claims, and he has tried more than 100 cases to verdict before a jury.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Balch served in the United States Marine Corps, receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1993. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal in 1989. Upon graduation from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law with honors in 1992, Balch clerked for United States District Judge Duross Fitzpatrick. His duties and responsibilities brought him intimate knowledge and understanding of federal civil rights statutes and their litigation. Assisting with more than 15 jury trials and more than a dozen non-jury trials during his two-year clerkship, Balch said he “learned important lessons for the young lawyer on preparation, integrity and tenacity.”

Balch is married to artist and metalsmith Victoria Lansford, author of the “Metal Techniques of Bronze Age Masters” series of books and videos. They live in Atlanta with their college freshman son, Skyler.

For more information about the lecture, call the School of Art office at (936) 468-4804. The Art Building is located off Wilson Drive.

As a marketing coordinator and camp counselor for middle school girls, Maxine McFadden knew uprooting her life to pursue a degree wasn’t an option. However, thanks to a new online degree program at Stephen F. Austin State University, she can now work toward her educational goals.

Recently, SFA launched a completely online bachelor’s degree in human sciences with an emphasis in human development and family studies. For McFadden and other nontraditional students this program is a perfect fit.

“Being enrolled in this online program has helped me continue to work full time while providing me with the flexibility of going to school on my time,” McFadden said. “I didn’t have to uproot my family to go to school. I was able to remain in Tyler and continue my everyday life.”

Through this program, students learn to become “caretakers of our society,” said Dr. Rachel Jumper, assistant professor in SFA’s School of Human Sciences. Students learn to understand the growth, change and development of children, adults and the family while integrating a lifespan, multi-contextual and family systems approach.

“The best part is I still get one-on-one help from my professors because of virtual office hours,” McFadden said. “My biggest concern about the online program was that I wasn’t going to be able to get the personal attention I needed. I was very wrong about that.

“I work 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and it is hard to work full time and go to school. The online program has given me freedom to work on school work when it is convenient for me, but it still gives me strict deadlines,” she said.

Along with the new program, SFA has partnered with Tyler Independent School District Head Start to offer a place for SFA students in the Tyler area to conduct observation and volunteer hours, which are requirements of the program.

Upon graduation, students have a variety of career options, including becoming early intervention specialists, lobbyists, directors of child care and senior citizen facilities, Head Start teachers, parent educators, camp directors and more.

“The most valuable lesson I have learned from this program is to not give up. You always have someone in your corner cheering you on and helping you,” McFadden said. “Everyone in the program cares about children and their families and graduating quality people from this program.”

To learn more, visit sfaonline.info/human-development-and-family-studies.

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

Stephen F. Austin State University’s DeWitt School of Nursing is partnering with East Texas Community Health Services to provide free flu vaccinations, blood glucose testing, cholesterol screening and blood pressure readings Oct. 10 through 14 at the Piney Woods Fair.

Students from the fourth semester nursing class will be set up in the Expo Center from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 3 to 10 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Flu shots will be offered by East Texas Community Health Services as long as supplies last. In the event of a shortage, vouchers will be handed out for free flu shots at the clinic.

“It’s a great opportunity for our nursing students to get a sense of community and community nursing,” said Dr. Della Connor, SFA associate professor of nursing. “They spend quite a bit of time in the hospital and outpatient-type settings during their careers as student nurses, and this helps them experience preventative measures in a non-typical setting.”

Senior nursing student Karli Butler, a team leader for the event, is volunteering at the fair to put to use the skills she has cultivated in the School of Nursing.

“We are excited to serve our community by providing opportunities to give vaccinations and health screenings and educate the public about living healthier lifestyles,” Butler said.

For more information about the School of Nursing, visit sfasu.edu/academics/colleges/sciences-math/nursing.

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

The Department of Mass Communication at Stephen F. Austin State University received notification from Grad School Hub that its online master’s degree has been ranked the most affordable program in the nation.

Grad School Hub compiled the list to provide graduate students and higher education faculty members with information regarding high-quality accredited graduate programs, according to its website. Its mission is to provide people who are interested in attending graduate school with all the resources they need to make a good decision about the type of degree that is right for them and to help them explore the options in that degree program.

Among the 30 programs Grad School Hub evaluated for affordability, SFA outranked other schools, including the University of Alabama and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“Our online master’s degree meets market demand by allowing students to pursue their degree without having to attend a brick-and-mortar building during a time in their life when that often is not an option,” said Dr. John Hendricks, chair of the Department of Mass Communication at SFA.

According to Hendricks, SFA’s online master’s degree program in mass communication has experienced a 443-percent enrollment increase during the past five years, which speaks to the program’s focus on meeting market demand for journalists and public relations professionals.

“With the rapid changes in technology and our changing world, we are seeing more and more professionals return to college to complete a graduate degree,” Hendricks said. “Our program is taught by faculty members who also have worked in the industry. They understand what’s needed in today’s workforce and are dedicated to ensuring that our program’s graduates receive the education they need to advance in their careers.”

For more information on SFA’s mass communication department, visit www.sfasu.edu/masscomm/.

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

Stephen F. Austin State University’s campus recreation and alumni association will host the ninth annual Homecoming 5K beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, on the SFA campus near the new Ed and Gwen Cole STEM Building located off Clark Boulevard.

The event brings together students, alumni, faculty and staff, and community members to raise money for SFA scholarships and celebrate this year’s Homecoming theme, “Decades.” The 3.1-mile course winds through the beautiful SFA campus and along the paved trails of the SFA Gardens’ Tucker Woods, the arboretum and Lanana Creek Trail. This year “virtual runners” also will be able to participate.

“Supporters don’t have to live in the Nacogdoches area to join in the fun,” said Katie Blevins, campus recreation promotions and sponsorship coordinator. “Anyone can be a virtual runner or walker and complete a 5K course in his or her hometown. This allows participants to show their purple pride during SFA’s Homecoming week celebration from any location at any time during Homecoming week.”

Participants are encouraged to register before Oct. 12 to guarantee a race T-shirt. The student registration rate is $15, the faculty, staff, alumni and virtual runner rate is $25, and the community member rate is $35. A 1-mile option also is available for $5 but does not include a T-shirt. T-shirts may be purchased for an additional $10. Registration also is available on race day beginning at 4 p.m.

“This year we are encouraging participants to dress in costume and enter the #SFA5K Costume Contest,” Blevins said. “The contest will offer an individual costume category, as well as a team category. We hope friends, family members and coworkers will dress in purple to show their SFA spirit, or as a favorite TV or movie character from the past, present or future to celebrate the decades theme.”

The Homecoming 5K is a family and dog friendly event. Winners in each category will be recognized during an awards ceremony after the race.

For more information, or to register or become a sponsor, visit sfasu.edu/campusrec.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture will host NacogdoTREES, a free community-wide contest celebrating the natural beauty of Nacogdoches, from Oct. 1 through Nov. 16.

“The goal of NacogdoTREES is to highlight the importance of urban and community trees, raise awareness of their ecological benefits, introduce the community to the field of forestry and encourage citizens to spend time outdoors,” said Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.

The competition includes categories for largest tree circumference, largest crown, tallest tree, best shade tree and best overall tree. Prizes will be awarded for each category. Faculty members developed videos to teach some basic forestry measurements, including tree height and crown spread. The videos are available on the competition’s web page to guide participants through the process.

“Keep in mind that it’s not just all about numbers and measurements,” said Dr. Shelby Laird, assistant professor of forestry at SFA. “The best overall tree may be the tree with the best story, the most fans or simply just the most beautiful. We really hope NacogdoTREES encourages people to visit some of our amazing city parks and the SFA campus.”

The competition also will serve as a learning opportunity for beginning forestry students at SFA. Students enrolled in Laird’s careers and competencies in forestry course will execute the required technical measurements to determine the winners in each category. Laird said she also hopes the competition will provide insight into what specifically endears individuals to certain trees and provide baseline data for future research.

Trees eligible for submission must be located on the SFA campus, properties managed by Nacogdoches Parks and Recreation or on the entrant’s personal property. For competition guidelines, an entry form, a list of prizes, area maps and resources, visit forestry.sfasu.edu/nacogdotrees/.