Everything Nac

Dr. Patrick Jenlink, professor of secondary education and educational leadership at Stephen F. Austin State University, has been named the university’s 2017-18 Regents Professor.

Reserved for exemplary community and university role models, the title of Regents Professor is the highest honor SFA bestows upon faculty members.

“Dr. Jenlink is a point of pride for the Perkins College of Education,” said Dr. Judy Abbott, dean of SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education. “It is fitting that his influence on doctoral students and the educational leadership and policy of the region, state and nation is now being recognized as a point of pride by the SFA Board of Regents.”

Jenlink joined the SFA faculty in 1997 and is doctoral program coordinator for the department. He is a prolific writer, speaker and scholar, having authored or co-authored hundreds of books, book chapters and journal articles. He has presented at numerous national and international conferences, and he has served on myriad committees for students completing their theses or dissertations to complete master or doctoral degrees.

Also during Tuesday’s board meeting, two longtime SFA professors were named professor emeritus.

Dr. Tim Clipson, who will retire in May 2017 following 36 years of teaching at SFA, was named professor emeritus of business communication and legal studies. While at SFA, Clipson has held the ranks of assistant professor, associate professor and professor in the Rusche College of Business, where he teaches specialized executive leadership courses. Since 1998, Clipson also has served as the SFA 101 Freshman Success coordinator.

Dr. John Moore, who has served SFA for 46 years, was named professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry. During his tenure at SFA, Moore has been a professor in the Department of Chemistry, director of the Teaching Excellence Center, and co-director of SFA’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Center. He was the 2008-09 Regents Professor.

Dr. Joey Bray, an associate professor in the Department of Agriculture, was approved as chair of the department by the Board of Regents. Bray had served as interim chair of the department since September 2016. He replaces Dr. Dale Perritt, who plans to retire in August after more than 35 years of service to the university.

The Board of Regents also approved the following faculty promotions:

To professor – Kenneth Austin and Linda Jones Black, secondary education and educational leadership; Erin Brown, Michael Maurer and Craig Morton, agriculture; Todd Brown, economics and finance; Ken Collier, government; Dana Cooper, history; Jennifer Dalmas, music; Eric Jones, kinesiology and health science; Matthew Kwiatkowski, biology; Michael Martin and Christine Butterworth McDermott, English and creative writing; and Joseph Musser, physics, engineering and astronomy.

To associate professor – Scott Bailey, secondary education; Susan Casey, Tracey Hasbun and Tingting Xu, elementary education; Carlos Cuadra, languages, cultures and communication; Nina Ellis-Hervey, Human Services; Darrell Fry, chemistry and biochemistry; Casey Hart, mass communication; Stacy Hendricks, secondary education and educational leadership; and Gene Moon, music.

Regents also approved the appointment of Jennifer Perry as clinical instructor of human services.

Staff appointments approved during Tuesday’s meeting included Joseph Shannon, program director for Academic Affairs – university partnerships; Tony Gilbert, assistant football coach; Alexander Vanvalkenburgh, athletic trainer; and Kathy Bryson, program director, Academic Assistance Resource Center.

Status changes in the James I. Perkins College of Education included Lydia Richardson, from instructor to assistant professor of human services, and Christina Sinclair, from associate professor of kinesiology and health science to associate professor and interim associate dean.

In the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, the board approved status changes for Dawn Stover, from educational program coordinator and research associate to ornamental plant evaluation research associate, and Paul Weatherford, from lab associate to interim director of the Soil, Plant and Water Analysis Laboratory.

Additional status changes approved by regents included adjunct faculty members Carrie Butler, to clinical instructor, and Cynthia Devlin, to visiting lecturer, in the College of Liberal and Applied Arts; Michael Coffee, from assistant director of Information Technology Services to interim chief information officer; Gavin McCarty, from manager of the SFA Post Office to Post Office manager and interim director of printing services; Danny Hamilton, from building operator II to manager of Residence Life systems; Deborah Dunn, from professor of computer science to professor and interim chair of computer science in the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

Faculty members granted tenure by the board included Susan Casey, elementary education; Carlos Cuadra, languages, cultures and communication; Nina Ellis-Hervey and Jennifer Kennon, human services; Darrell Frey, chemistry and biochemistry; Casey Hart, mass communication; Stacy Hendricks, secondary education and educational leadership; and Carol Wright, general business.

Kyle Ainsworth, a special collections librarian in the East Texas Research Center, was granted tenure, as well as faculty development leave for summer 2017. Faculty development leave also was granted to Andrew Brininstool of the Department of English and Creative Writing, Aryendra Chakravartty of the Department of History, and Amanda Rudolph of the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership for fall 2017. Chris Comer, Forestry, was granted faculty development leave for spring 2018.

The board approved retirements of faculty and staff members with 79 years of combined service to the university. Retirements include James Kendall, network support specialist II; Wynter Chauvin, professor of elementary education; Pedro Escamilla, assistant professor of languages, cultures and communication; and Scott Slough, professor of secondary education.

A mother-daughter team recently established the Lori McGough Harkness Early Childhood Lab Scholarship at Stephen F. Austin State University to help offset the cost of quality child care and education.

The scholarship is named in honor of Dr. Lori Harkness, director of SFA’s Early Childhood Lab and campus coordinator of the SFA Charter School. Her mother, Kathleen McGough, is a faculty member in SFA’s Department of Languages, Cultures and Communication.

“This scholarship is the first of its kind at SFA,” Jill Still, SFA vice president for university advancement, said. “Many parents within our community desire for their children to attend this exemplary program. This scholarship will assist families with the costs associated with dual enrollment while honoring a dedicated leader whose focus and lifelong work has been devoted to children.”

The scholarship will provide assistance for families who have more than one child enrolled in SFA’s Early Childhood Lab. Both parents must be working full time or be enrolled as full-time SFA students and must not qualify for additional child care funding through any other program. The scholarship will be awarded each semester.

“Child care is expensive. Quality child care is even more priceless,” Harkness said. “I value the ECHL and know exactly what it offers and provides each child. All four of my children would not be who they are without the ECHL teachers and staff members. It can be a struggle to pay for multiple children to attend. I wanted to help provide support for those families who work hard and truly sacrifice for their children.”

McGough said her daughter’s love and concern for children is what inspired them to create the scholarship.

“Being able to offer monetary help to families who have more than one child in the lab is something Lori feels is necessary,” McGough said. “Lori is concerned about every child who comes through the lab’s doors. Her care and love for ‘her SFA children’ is what drives her to offer the very best education and life skills for each one.”

Harkness has worked at SFA for more than 22 years. Her connection to the university began in 1993 when she was a student pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. As a student, she worked in the ECHL where she served as a teacher’s assistant. She later received her Master of Education from SFA in 1998.

“Children have always been a priority for me,” Harkness said. “As I’ve worked at the ECHL for many years, I have witnessed firsthand how much parents sacrifice to give their children the opportunity to grow and learn here.”

The lab offers early care and education programs for young children in the Nacogdoches community and serves five age groups, including classes for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The program offers year-round, full-time care from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. SFA students preparing to work with young children and their families assist in the lab, which is designed to facilitate the total development of young children.

“This has been a dream of Lori’s for many years — to make an impact on the lives of the children who attend the lab. She’s dedicated her entire adult life to the SFA Early Childhood Lab,” McGough said. “I’m so proud of Lori and her generosity and love as well as her dedication and compassion for the children and their families.”

For information on how to apply for this scholarship, contact April Smith, associate director of development at SFA, at (936) 468-2278.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “If You Build It” at 7 p.m. Friday, May 5, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

“If You Build It” follows designer-activists Emily Pilloton and Matthew Miller to rural Bertie County, the poorest in North Carolina, where they work with local high school students to help transform both their community and their lives.

Living on credit and grant money and fighting a change-resistant school board, Pilloton and Miller lead their students through a year-long, full-scale design-and-build project that does much more than just teach basic construction skills: it shows 10 teenagers the power of design-thinking to reinvent not just their town, but their own sense of what’s possible, according to information at ifyoubuilditmovie.com.

Directed by Patrick Creadon and produced by Christine O’Malley and Neal Baer, “If You Build It” offers a “compelling and hopeful vision for a new kind of classroom in which students learn the tools to design their own futures.”

This screening is part of the School of Art’s monthly Friday Film Series and is sponsored in part by William Arscott, Nacogdoches Film Festival, Karon Gillespie, Mike Mollot, David Kulhavy, Brad Maule, John and Kristen Heath, Galleria Z, Jill Carrington, Jean Stephens, Jim and Mary Neal, Richard Orton, Main Street Nacogdoches and Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

The Latin Lumberjacks ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present a Cinco de Mayo concert from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 4, in the plaza outside the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus.

The Latin Lumberjacks is comprised of members of the Sound Recording Technology program within the SFA School of Music. Directed by Luigi Lazareno, music faculty member, the group will perform a variety of classical and popular songs in salsa style.

The program will feature colorful, happy salsa sounds that highlight the powerful rhythms of cha-cha-cha, bolero, guaguancó, son montuno, bachata and others performed with piano, bass, brass, congas, maracas, claves and other Latin music instruments, along with vocals.

The program will combine classical works of C.P.E Bach and W.A. Mozart with the diverse works of Mexican concert pianist, songwriter and recording artist Consuelo Velazquez, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Michael Jackson, Marc Anthony, Stevie Wonder, Seis del Solar, Gloria Gaynor and Walter Fuentes, according to Lazareno.

“There will be something for everyone, so bring your dancing shoes,” Lazareno advised those who plan to attend.

The concert is free. For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The combined choirs at Stephen F. Austin State University, along with the Orchestra of the Pines and faculty soloists, will present Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

The oratorio depicts events in the life of the biblical prophet Elijah, taken from the books 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament.

This choral and orchestral masterwork will feature the A Cappella Choir, Choral Union and Women’s Choir, along with voice faculty members Debbie Berry, soprano; Ric Berry, tenor; and Nita Hudson, alto. Chris Turner, assistant professor in the School of Music, will sing the role of Elijah. Tim King, director of choral activities at SFA, will conduct.

“Ever since Handel’s ‘Messiah’ had first captivated audiences in 1743 – and recently for Nacogdoches on April 8 by the A Cappella Choir and Chamber Orchestra – ‘Elijah’ has occupied a pre-eminent position in concert halls around the world,” King said. “After its resounding first performance, ‘Elijah’ immediately established itself as second only to ‘Messiah.’ It has received countless performances since its premier in 1846 and has enjoyed an enormous popularity to the present day.”

Among the familiar choruses and solos included are “He Watching Over Israel,” “Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord,” “If With All Your Hearts,” “Is Not His Word Like a Fire,” “O Rest in the Lord” and “Thanks be to God.”

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Biology will host the 28th J.H. Burr Jr. Distinguished Lecture in Biology at 7:30 p.m. April 28 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center’s Twilight Ballroom. Dr. Michael Hitchcock will present “Behind the Scenes of Personalized Medicine: Cancer Treatment in the Era of Human Genomics.”

Hitchcock received his Master of Science in biology from SFA and graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

He currently serves as a Hematology Fellow at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and will transition later this year to a position as a pathologist at Eastern Connecticut Pathology Consultants in Hartford, Connecticut.

“I want to highlight the progress we have made with targeted therapy and immunotherapy and introduce the audience to the technology and testing that occurs in that process,” Hitchcock said. “I also want to highlight all the career opportunities that are available in the diagnostic spectrum of the medical field: pathologists, cytogeneticists, flow cytometry analysts, histotechnologists and medical technologists.”

The J.H. Burr Jr. Distinguished Lecture in Biology is a speaker series endowed in honor of Professor J.H. Burr, who earned his doctoral degree in histology from Rice University and taught at SFA from 1951 to 1986. The series hosts speakers who discuss topics at the forefront of biological research.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Department of Biology at (936) 468-3601.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 11, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. Brie Arthur, a horticulture media personality, will present “The Foodscape Revolution.”

Originally from Southeastern Michigan, Arthur studied landscape design and horticulture at Purdue University. With more than a decade of experience as a grower and propagator at leading nurseries such as Plant Delights and Camellia Forest, she combines her passion for plants, design and communicating the value of horticulture.

Arthur is a correspondent on the PBS television show “Growing a Greener World” and is leading the national suburban foodscape movement — a community landscape practice that incorporates sustainable, local food production and embraces beauty and utility. Her forthcoming book, “The Foodscape Revolution,” published by St. Lynn’s Press, was made available in March.

Arthur has fine-tuned her signature foodscaping design technique by encouraging everyone to learn how pairing edibles in a traditional ornamental landscape increases bio-diversity and adds purpose to everyday spaces. The best edible and ornamental plants are featured to inspire attendees to create purposeful landscapes that engage people of all ages. Organic growing insights will be shared to encourage professionals and homeowners alike to embrace sustainable practices.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare-plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at nearby Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St., with continual shuttle service to the Brundrett Conservation Education Building.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.