Everything Nac

Three ribbon-cuttings held in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Nelson Rusche College of Business made history on Monday. According to President Baker Pattillo, it was the first time three ribbon-cuttings had been held in one day at the university.

The ceremony marked the official opening of three new features within the college – the Mattress Firm Commons, the Marleta Chadwick Student Financial Advisors suite and the Mark T. Layton Lobby.

Donors and representatives from each group were in attendance, and Pattillo credited each group with making the renovations possible.

“These renovations have been a dream for many people for many years,” Pattillo said. “Because of the generosity of some of our alumni and friends of the university, we were able to move forward with this project.”

The renovations on the first and second floors of the building began in summer 2015 and align with the college’s strategic focus, said Dr. Timothy Bisping, business dean.

“One of the wonderful things about SFA and the Nelson Rusche College of Business is that everything we do is about the success of our students,” Bisping said. “We have a new mission with a strategic focus within the college—Learn, Launch, Lead. We want our students to learn the material they need to be successful. We want to help them launch successful careers, and we want them to become leaders in their fields.”

The Mattress Firm Commons creates an environment that fosters collaboration and teamwork. Amanda Robbins, director of talent acquisition and retention for Mattress Firm, spoke on behalf of company CEO Steve Stagner, a 1991 SFA marketing graduate who was instrumental in creating the commons area.

“This building is very near and dear to my heart. I’ve spent many hours on this campus, not only as a student, but also here attracting and acquiring top talent,” said Robbins, who also is an SFA graduate. “SFA has really been one of the main pillars of success in our company.”

Robbins said that during her time as an employee, Mattress Firm has grown from 300 stores to 3,500 stores nationwide.

“SFA is one of the universities that helps us achieve that success and growth,” Robbins said. “The Mattress Firm Commons supports the learning environment and collaborative space we have at Mattress Firm. It’s very exciting to see and be a part of. We hope the building will foster a lot of learning and hopefully more Lumberjacks will join Mattress Firm.”

The Marleta Chadwick Student Financial Advisors suite honors the late Marleta Chadwick of Center and houses space for a student group dedicated to providing free financial advice and money management tips to SFA students and members of the Nacogdoches community. Marleta Chadwick’s children, David Chadwick, Carleta Sandeen and Martha Lou Scott, were in attendance.

“Mother was one who never wanted the limelight or spotlight. We walked into the lobby and the suite is exactly where mother would be—in the corner,” David Chadwick said. “There is no mistake of its simplicity, and there is no mistaking that Marleta Chadwick is in the building. We are so grateful that you acknowledged her, and for what you are doing to prepare for East Texas and our whole country for the future.”

The final ribbon-cutting of the day honored Mark T. Layton, who earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1974 from SFA. A letterman on the Lumberjack football team, Layton is a licensed CPA and joined Deloitte, where he developed financial expertise with significant experience in corporate governance, risk management, regulatory compliance and financial reporting.

“Mark Layton served in many senior leadership roles at Deloitte, including his role as managing partner of Deloitte’s North Texas office,” said Jason Downing, Deloitte North Texas managing partner and also an SFA alumnus. “As a fellow SFA graduate, it gives me a great sense of pride to see Mark’s legacy celebrated in the university that prepared both of us for our business careers at Deloitte. We commemorate Mark’s retirement by dedicating the Mark T. Layton Lobby to the students who will walk these halls for generations to come.”

Layton led an initiative at Deloitte to recruit and hire SFA business graduates. Many of his friends and colleagues, in honor of his loyalty and dedication to his profession, made contributions that allowed the lobby to be named in his honor.

“When you walk into the Mark T. Layton Lobby and throughout these renovated areas, you see professionalism,” Bisping said. “When our students walk out as graduates, land their first job and walk into a professional environment, it will not be foreign to them.”

Bisping said the college will continue the renovation project on the third and fourth floors of the McGee Building. He described these areas as blank canvases that can be utilized to further the college’s mission.

For more information about the SFA Nelson Rusche College of Business, visit www.sfasu.edu/cob.

Trio Mélange, composed of music faculty members of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, will perform new music for soprano, horn and piano in a recital at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. The guest artist recital features Claire Vangelisti, soprano, Richard Seiler, piano, and James Boldin, horn, performing works of Carl Gottlieb Reissiger, Auguste Panseron, Eurico Carrapatoso and Gina Gillie.

Vangelisti’s voice has graced both national and international concert and operatic stages, performing repertoire from Bach to Berg. She has performed as concert soloist with organizations such as The San Antonio Symphony, The Temple Philharmonic Orchestra, The Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Texas Chamber Consort and the Monroe Symphony Orchestra. Her stage career includes appearances with Austin Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera of San Antonio, Southwest Opera and The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin.

Boldin maintains a diverse career as an educator and performer. He has performed at the 44th, 45th and 47th International Horn Symposiums and at numerous regional horn workshops. An active orchestral musician, Boldin holds positions with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Rapides Symphony Orchestra and Monroe Symphony Orchestra.

Seiler has taught master classes and performed as a solo/collaborative pianist in the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan and China, has soloed with orchestras in North Carolina, Illinois and Louisiana, and has recorded for Centaur Records (twice) and MSR Classics. Seiler performs and tours frequently, and has performed at numerous international and national conventions.

Admission to 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 Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present Coleidoscope at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The faculty recital is part of the Cole Performing Arts Series and features chamber music for saxophone, strings and piano. The program explores a number of interesting chamber music combinations, according to Dr. Jennifer Dalmas, associate professor of violin and viola in the School of Music.

Among the selections to be performed is the Quintet for Saxophone and String Quartet by Adolf Busch.

“This is an interesting and substantial piece in the saxophone/strings chamber music repertoire,” Dalmas said, “and its compositional style is firmly rooted in the German Romantic tradition.” Although it was written in 1925, it was not published until the 1980s.

“Dash” by contemporary Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon is a one-movement piece originally written for flute, clarinet and piano.

“The version we will perform features saxophone, violin and piano,” Dalmas said. “This short piece is appropriately named, as all instruments race in scale patterns and repeated figures, creating a sense of urgency throughout.”

Also featured will be “Six Studies in English Folksongs” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Written in 1926, the work is “a charming set of pieces originally composed for cello and piano that has been transcribed effectively for saxophone and string quintet,” Dalmas said.

“The Coleidoscope concert, as always, is lovingly dedicated to Ed Cole, for whom the series is named,” she said. “A reception in Ed Cole’s honor will be held after the concert.”

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 visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University is home to the SFA Charter School, a multifaceted institution serving both the public and university.

The charter school is located on the first floor of the Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center. This 120,000-square-foot facility brings under one roof the nationally accredited Early Childhood Laboratory, SFA Charter School and award-winning Department of Elementary Education.

“The Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center is unique in the state of Texas. This facility supports our theory to practice belief — learning to teach effectively occurs in settings of mutual respect, best practices and critical analysis,” said Dr. Judy Abbott, dean of the James I. Perkins College of Education. “Blending the work of a university with the practice of teaching early childhood and elementary children creates a rich environment for learning.”

The SFA Charter School is a free public school with the flexibility to adapt to the educational needs of individual students. Lysa Hagan, SFA Charter School principal, explained the school offers parents another educational choice for their children.

“Our curriculum is based on a constructivist learning environment, and it is different from a more traditional environment you see in other schools,” Hagan said. “We believe a child comes in to any learning opportunity with background knowledge, so our job is to find out what that child already knows related to the subject and then build on that in an individual way. It’s a very active and hands-on learning opportunity.”

It’s the school’s mission to create a learning environment through a constructivist approach utilizing learning centers and an inquiry-based method that supports the student’s development of self-responsibility, autonomy, openness, problem solving and integrity.

“We believe learning is a social activity,” Hagan said. “There is so much for the children to learn from one another, as well as from the teacher.”

Including the lighting, the charter school’s classrooms are different from traditional settings. Hagan explained the rooms do not use overhead lighting, but use indirect lighting and soft music to create a calm and homey atmosphere. Students also sit at tables always facing each other, so they can discuss what they are learning.

“We have really tried to set our classrooms up as a community or family,” Hagan said.

The school instructs children from kindergarten through fifth grade with two classes at each grade level. Students also can participate in physical education, music and art classes. The curriculum follows the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, which the Texas Education Agency mandates; however, much of the instruction is utilizing innovative research from educational professionals such as Cathy Fosnot, Lucy Calkins and Ellin Keene.

“Charter school teachers and leadership are committed to meeting state requirements while remaining committed to implementing instructional practices based on research focused on deep learning and child development,” Abbott said. “Additionally, the reciprocal professional development opportunities for SFA faculty members, educator preparation candidates, and charter teachers and students contribute to the unique learning opportunities found at the SFA Charter School.”

Currently, there are about 245 enrolled students. Each year, the school offers an application lottery. Pursuant to charter school law in Texas, the SFA Charter School offers an equal opportunity for any child to attend. Applicants are entered into a lottery where a third party, who is not connected to the school, selects the names. The application process for the 2016-17 school year is underway, and applications are available in the SFA Charter School Office. Applications must be returned by 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29.

The SFA Charter School and Early Childhood Lab also serve more than 2,000 SFA students each fall and spring semester. Students from various academic departments at SFA, including kinesiology, psychology, music education, human services and human sciences, utilize the charter school and lab for research and instruction.

SFA’s Department of Elementary Education in the James I. Perkins College of Education collaborates with the charter school. In fact, Hagan said the school’s classes reflect methods the SFA Department of Elementary Education is teaching its university students. SFA students enrolled in the Field Experience II course spend three hours a day, four days a week observing and working with students at the charter school. SFA students teach various lessons and work one-on-one with the children.

“We serve as an environment to support university students and serve as a laboratory setting,” Hagan said. “We feel the SFA students know how they learned in school and have a traditional idea of how to teach. We bring them to the charter school, and the students see an alternative method for educating children.”

Also, there are one to four student teachers assigned to the charter school each semester.

According to Hagan, the SFA Charter School has a track record of success and is a state-of-the-art facility for students and educators.

“We couldn’t do what we do without the university’s support,” Hagan said. “We would not be the school or have the success we have without SFA.”