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Stephen F. Austin State University Rusche College of Business graduate students in the Society for Advancement of Management recently placed first in the graduate division during the annual Council for Advancement and Support of Education competition held in Orlando, Florida. SFA’s undergraduate team finished third in its division.

The first-place graduate team comprised Jennifer Nicely, Robyn Davis and Lauren Rose, who are all accounting majors enrolled in SFA’s Master of Professional Accountancy program. Nicely also received Outstanding Regional SAM Student, as well as National Outstanding SAM Student.

“Our team comprised all accounting majors, which I feel the judges don’t see often in competition,” Nicely said. “Because of this, we had a strong analysis, as well as financial backing, which really supported our answer to the case. The judges were very impressed by this fact.”

The third-place undergraduate team comprised four seniors: Corey Johnson, marketing major; Derek Orlando, management major; Juliana Romero, human resources management major; and Kimberli Scott, marketing major. Romero and Johnathan Kelly, senior management major, also received the Outstanding Regional SAM Student award.

“The SAM competition gave me an extra experience at SFA, and now I feel a lot better about being able to participate in something and make a difference for an SFA organization,” Scott said.

During the conference, schools from across the country competed for their competitive papers, abstracts or cases to be regionally and nationally recognized. The CASE competition requires chapters to send teams to compete and present a selected case and the team’s recommended solution before judges.

“For SFA to have two teams able to attend and win an award in each category is outstanding. I’m very proud of our students,” said Dr. Gina Harden, faculty advisor.

SFA also placed first in the large division for its SAM organization activity throughout the year. This award recognizes activities such as bimonthly meetings for members, field trips to local businesses, guest speakers, fundraising, and social and volunteer events.

SAM seeks to provide an opportunity for members to increase their management skills and expertise through participation programs and services designed to improve the professional quality of their knowledge, performance and leadership ability.

Representatives from Stephen F. Austin State University and LeTourneau University recently signed an articulation agreement ensuring a seamless transition for LETU kinesiology students to pursue a Master of Science in athletic training at SFA.

Under the new agreement, LETU students will have the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in athletic training in approximately five years, instead of six. Students will complete their bachelor’s degree in three years at LETU and then transfer to SFA to complete their final two years. Coursework at SFA will “reverse transfer” back to LETU to complete the bachelor degree requirements in kinesiology, while also counting toward the student’s master’s degree in athletic training.

“The positive aspects of this idea kept it moving forward to fruition,” said Dr. Judy Abbott, dean of the James I. Perkins College of Education at SFA. “Collaboration in higher education is vital, and we look forward to the many opportunities this agreement will open for students.”

Dr. Larry Frazier, dean of LETU’s College of Education, Arts and Sciences, agreed the collaboration is beneficial.

“This agreement is good for LeTourneau and good for SFA,” Frazier said. “We are both committed to the higher education of East Texas. We have great students at LeTourneau and are excited to provide them with this opportunity to pursue a graduate degree through SFA. We hope this will be a model we can replicate.”

Dr. Linda Bobo, professor of kinesiology and health science at SFA, and Dr. Wayne Jacobs, professor of kinesiology at LETU, were the driving forces behind this agreement.

“I have known about the quality of SFA’s athletic training program for a number of years, but our students have not had the ability to pursue a master’s degree in this field,” Jacobs said. “Now that we’ve moved to graduate-level preparation for athletic trainers, this was the perfect time for us to begin this partnership. We are very thankful we will be able to offer this to our students.”

Bobo and Jacobs adjusted LETU’s curriculum to accommodate SFA’s requirements and ensure students experience a smooth transition into the graduate program.

SFA’s graduate athletic training program works on a cohort system and limits admission to keep class sizes small. The program is based on community service and offers students the ability to work in a range of diverse clinical sites, including the university, area high schools, orthopedic and surgical units, and others.

Students enrolled in the program also have the opportunity to earn three professional certifications before graduation, which include CPR instructor certification, Graston Technique in Soft Tissue Mobilization certification, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine’s Corrective Exercise Specialist certification. SFA’s program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.