Everything Nac

In support of individuals who have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Stephen F. Austin State University and various on-campus organizations are collecting donations to aid in relief efforts. Donations are being transported to Drewery Construction, the Nacogdoches company that is making daily deliveries to shelters in affected areas.

“Hurricane Harvey has been an unprecedented weather emergency and has destroyed property and displaced families statewide,” said Dr. Adam Peck, assistant vice president and dean of Student Affairs. “Student safety has remained one of our top priorities during this disaster, and we are now working on the relief phase.”

SFA and Nacogdoches community members can bring items such as diapers, baby formula, dog and cat food, first aid kits and water to the Student Recreation Center on the university campus. The center is open from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to midnight Sunday. For a complete list of items being collected, visit sfasu.edu/harvey.

“Our students are hard workers with a heart for service,” Peck said. “I have been impressed, but not surprised, at how eager they have been to lend a helping hand.”

SFA’s Student Government Association voted Wednesday night to allocate funds for hurricane relief efforts. Jessie Jenkins, SGA president, said the organization plans to use the funds to purchase essential items for Hurricane Harvey victims.

“SGA is working for our students and for our community,” Jenkins said. “Many people were affected, and this will only be the beginning of what SGA will do for our fellow Lumberjacks and Texans.”

SFA’s Office of International Programs, located in Dugas Liberal Arts North, Room 402, also is serving as a donation location. The Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics in the School of Human Sciences is accepting non-perishable food and toiletry items for the Houston Food Bank. A donation box is located at the Human Sciences North Building, Room 101.

Throughout the week, various organizations and fraternities have hosted events and collected donations to support relief efforts.

For more information about any of these initiatives, call (936) 468-2605.

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

The sale of notecards and postcards featuring images depicting Nacogdoches’ history, beauty and artistry continues to benefit art scholarships through a fundraiser organized by the Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Local photographers provided the images for the eight different designs featured on the 5-by-4½-inch notecards with envelopes and the 4-by-6-inch postcards that are available for purchase at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

“These beautiful notecards and postcards make nice, inexpensive gifts while supporting a good cause – art scholarships,” said Jean Stephens, FVA member. “This is also a great way to spread the word about Nacogdoches and SFA.”

Available images include:

• “The Messenger” – Sculpture by Joe Barrington (winner of the first Sculpture For All); photograph by Bill Nieberding.

• “Bunny” – Sculpture by Jeffie Brewer.

• “Sunset Sky” – Oil painting by Peter Andrew; from the collection of SFA Regent Scott Coleman.

• Historic Zion Hill Baptist Church window – Photograph by Christopher Talbot.

• Surfin’ Steve, SFA campus – Photograph by Bill Nieberding.

• Downtown Nacogdoches – Photograph by Ryan Russell.

• Thomas J. Rusk monument, Oak Grove Cemetery – Photograph by Stan Bohon.

• “Lighting the Copal” – Dia de los Muertos Fiesta, downtown Nacogdoches; photograph by Bill Nieberding.

Notecards are $3 each, or four for $10 or eight for $20. Postcards are $1 each, or four for $3 or eight for $6. For additional information, call (936) 468-6557.

“Fragmentation: The Lithographs of Wayne Kimball” will open Thursday, Sept. 14, in Griffith Gallery on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

The exhibition features finely detailed lithographs on paper.

Neal Cox, associate professor in the School of Art teaching printmaking, digital media, photography and drawing, who studied under Kimball, said of his work: “There is a connection to surrealism, a la Magritte, but in a more contemporary manner. He likes to make subtle comments on current events or pop culture (at least the popular culture he is interested in) while connecting with elements of antiquity.

“He also seems interested in architectural detail, particularly interior design and even furniture design,” Cox added. “All the work seems like a staged collage of sorts.”

A reception with the artist is scheduled for 5-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5.

Kimball holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Southern Utah, Cedar City, and a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona, Tucson. He holds a Master Printer certification from the Tamarind Institute, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Kimball’s teaching experience includes a number of faculty positions at universities in New Mexico, Wisconsin, California, Texas and Arizona. He was a professor in the Department of Visual Arts at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Since his retirement in 2009, Kimball has continued to produce and exhibit his work, which can be found in collections ranging from the National Gallery of Art, the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Museum.

The exhibition will show through Nov. 10. Griffith Gallery is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Dr.

Admission to the exhibition and reception, which is sponsored in part by the SFA School of Art, Friends of the Visual Arts and Nacogdoches Junior Forum, is free. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Annual School of Art Faculty Exhibition will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Each year, the faculty exhibition features a wide variety of artworks in ceramics, sculpture, photography, painting, prints, metals and mixed media, according to John Handley, director of SFA art galleries.

“I think our faculty looks forward to this exhibition each fall as a way to kick off the school year and showcase their personal work for incoming students and the public at large to see,” Handley said. “Sometimes it’s easy to forget that many of our faculty are also professional working artists whose work is in private collections and museums around the world.”

This year’s featured faculty artist is Bill Nieberding, assistant professor in the School of Art, who will present an exhibition of his photography. “Personae in Places: The Photography of William Nieberding” explores the artist’s fascination with the human form in public spaces over the last two decades, Handley explained.

“Early black and white environmental portraits, recent street photographs, and events, such as Dia De Los Muertos festival in Nacogdoches, are featured,” Handley said. “The images explore complex aspects of identity revealed in the way people present themselves to the public eye and to the unwavering eye of the camera.”

Nieberding’s exhibition will show in Reavley Gallery, and the faculty exhibition will be in Ledbetter Gallery. Both shows will be exhibited through Oct. 21. The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House is located at 329 E. Main St.

Admission to the exhibition and reception, which is sponsored in part by the Friends of the Visual Arts and Nacogdoches Junior Forum, is free. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

By Christine Broussard
Contributing writer

Nineteen family nurse practitioner students from across Texas visited the Stephen F. Austin State University DeWitt School of Nursing Building last week for the first Master of Science in Nursing program orientation in the university’s history.

The new online program makes it easier for East Texas nurses to access graduate nursing education while providing much-needed primary care to citizens of Deep East Texas.

“Because I’m a single mom working two jobs with two kids, I would not have been able to go back to school if it was not for SFA’s new online program,” Shannon Weaver of Longview said during last week’s orientation. “I think for so many of us, at this point in our lives, hybrid programs or those that require in-person classes are just not a feasible option, so I love that aspect of SFA’s new program.”

The Master of Science in Nursing with focus as a family nurse practitioner requires 46 credit hours and 720 minimum clinical hours to complete. Students will be allowed to utilize preceptors for clinical experiences in their home communities, when possible.

“For similar programs at other universities, you have to be on campus so many days a week and that was just not an option for me unless I was wanting to relocate, find a new job and go to school at the same time,” said Grant Harris, a Master of Science in Nursing student and SFA graduate. “The master’s degree in nursing was just a really flexible program and great fit.”

A $750,000 grant from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation strengthened development of the online program, which includes a few on-campus clinical experiences.

“We could not have gained momentum if it were not for the support of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, and we are most thankful,” said Dr. Sara Bishop, director of SFA’s DeWitt School of Nursing.

The SFA nursing administrators stated that access to health care is a growing concern across the nation. Many Texas counties have a shortage of primary care providers, including the counties in Deep East Texas. The leaders believe this program will connect SFA and East Texas communities through learning opportunities.

“Many of the students will be working with area nurse practitioners and primary care physicians in clinical sites where they will receive assistance and training,” said Dr. Janice Hensarling, associate professor of nursing and Master of Science in Nursing assistant program coordinator. “We have already received so much support from the community, and our program will focus on the needs of rural East Texas.”

According to Dr. Christell Bray, program coordinator, the first class is scheduled to graduate in 2020.

For additional information about admission requirements and other details, contact Hensarling at (936) 468-7732 or jhensarling@sfasu.edu.

Christine Broussard is a senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.