Everything Nac

Students at Stephen F. Austin State University and other state institutions will soon begin noticing changes in curriculum that were mandated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. As directed by the Texas Legislature, the coordinating board issued rules in 2011 requiring a complete overhaul in all Texas public higher education institutions of the core curriculum – 42 semester credit hours of coursework that students must take and that must be transferable from one higher education institution to another.

“The courses in the core curriculum provide the educational opportunities that distinguish university education from vocational training,” said Dr. Richard Berry, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Some majors prepare students for work in specific professions, but all SFA graduates gain an in-depth understanding in their major field of study. Additionally, through the courses in the core curriculum, students are prepared to participate thoughtfully in public discourse, to become responsible citizens in a changing world and to understand the rewards of a lifetime of continued learning.”

The core curriculum offered by Texas universities had centered on knowledge-based objectives that stressed the acquisition of information and skills specific to a particular subject. The expected outcomes have been re-envisioned as a set of core objectives that cross traditional subject area boundaries and focus on the progressive development of student skills. Each course in the core curriculum now is expected to teach:

• critical thinking
• communication skills
• empirical and quantitative skills
• teamwork
• social responsibility and
• personal responsibility.

An advisory committee appointed by the provost worked to make the necessary changes to SFA’s undergraduate core curriculum. Each department and college reviewed each core course it offers; some courses were deleted, new courses were created and most existing courses were revised. Committee members worked to balance competing needs: the expectation that core curriculum classes would achieve the new, broader objectives and ease the transfer of courses from one college to another.

Beginning in fall 2014, faculty members who teach courses designated as fulfilling a component area will be responsible for assessing the core objectives for that component area. Berry said that the “teamwork” objective may be the biggest challenge.

“Many core courses already make use of teamwork – such as students working together in science labs – but many faculty members may not be accustomed to measuring how well students’ teamwork skills improve throughout the semester,” Berry said.

Because of the magnitude of the changes required to comply with the new rules, universities across the state have been working for months to make sure that core courses meet the required educational objectives.

“The core requirements allow students to put their major coursework into a broader intellectual context and understand how other disciplines investigate and answer important questions,” Berry said. “The core facilitates students’ exploration of prospective majors and, in some cases, serves as a foundation for more advanced coursework within the major.”

The new core curriculum outcomes are based on the Liberal Education and America’s Promise initiative of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. For more information about SFA’s core curriculum, visit www. sfasu.edu/acadaffairs.

Dr. Andrew Parr, professor of piano in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music, has performed in countries across the globe.

But he recently had the opportunity to perform and conduct a master class in piano for the first time before audiences in China, and some of those audience members have expressed an interest in coming to the United States, specifically SFA, to study with Parr.

Parr was among a group of SFA music educators who traveled to Hong Kong and Macau earlier this spring for the purpose of building relationships with colleagues there and opening the doors for recruiting music students to come to SFA for their graduate studies.

“This could be very beneficial for SFA in terms of attracting high-level students to study here,” Parr said. “We can no longer think regionally when it comes to recruiting students.”

Parr performed for piano students and teachers at Hong Kong Baptist University and conducted a master class before an advanced piano class of about 60 students where he listened to four students play and critiqued their performances.

“In Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University is where high-level students go for undergraduate music study,” Parr explained. “They are regularly visited by faculty from the U.S. and other countries, and the students are often looking for opportunities to study abroad. SFA would like to be among their choices.”

SFA faculty auditioned six students while in Hong Kong, and most of them have pursued discussions about applying to SFA to study and for graduate assistantships and scholarships.

“The hope is to open a conduit that will continue to produce graduate students in the future,” Parr said.

Dr. Andrew Parr, professor of piano in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music, instructs a student while conducting a master class in piano at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Registration has begun for the annual Summer Art Academy offered by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art for the two-week camp that will meet June 9 through 20 on the SFA campus.

Students in kindergarten through sixth grade may enroll in classes that include drawing, painting and sculpture.

“The academy offers an exciting introduction to the visual arts and an immersion into specific media,” said Gary Parker, SFA art instructor and director of the academy.

Classes will meet from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Art Building on Wilson Drive. The students’ work will be exhibited at 5 p.m. Friday, June 20, in the Art Building. Afterward, the students may take their work home.

The registration fee, which is $160 if received by Monday, May 26, includes all art supplies, refreshments and exhibition expenses. After May 26, late registration cost is $175. Registration information is available at www.art.sfasu.edu or by calling the School of Art at (936) 468-4804.

For additional information, contact the School of Art or email parker at gparker@sfasu.edu.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Stephen F. Austin State University’s Faculty Senate chair, Dr. Dana Cooper, are scheduled to offer the commencement addresses during spring graduation ceremonies Saturday, May 10, in William R. Johnson Coliseum.

Cruz was elected in 2012 as the 34th U.S. senator from Texas. The son of a Cuban immigrant, Cruz’s first-hand observation of the pursuit of freedom and opportunity in America inspired him to become a passionate fighter for limited government, economic growth and the Constitution. He graduated with honors from both Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

Cruz was the first Hispanic law clerk to serve a chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, aiding William Rehnquist. He also was the nation’s youngest, longest-serving and first Hispanic solicitor general of Texas. He has authored more than 80 U.S. Supreme Court briefs and made more than 40 oral arguments, including nine before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cooper, an associate professor of history, earned her bachelor’s degree from Angelo State University, master’s degree from Texas Tech University, and doctorate and graduate certificate in women’s studies from Texas Christian University. She is a past recipient of an SFA Teaching Excellence Award and recently was elected president of the Texas Council of Faculty Senates.

Cooper’s publications include several articles and a co-edited book, “Transatlantic Relations and Modern Diplomacy.” Forthcoming works include a second co-edited work, “Motherhood and War: International Perspectives,” and “Informal Ambassadors: American Women, Transatlantic Marriages and Anglo-American Relations 1865-1945.” Cooper has presented more than a dozen papers at national and international conferences, including venues in Canada, The Netherlands, England, Germany and Austria.

Commencement exercises will be split into two ceremonies. Cooper will provide the commencement address at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony, and Cruz will speak at the 2 p.m. ceremony.

Graduates from SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education and College of Fine Arts will participate in the 9:30 a.m. ceremony. Candidates from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, the Nelson Rusche College of Business, the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, and the College of Sciences and Mathematics will participate in the 2 p.m. ceremony. Master’s and doctoral candidates will graduate with their respective colleges.

An estimated record-breaking 1,376 degrees will be awarded, with two being presented posthumously. Approximately, 1,062 bachelor’s degrees, 305 master’s degrees and nine doctoral degrees will be bestowed. More than 260 students will graduate with honors, including 124 cum laude, 63 magna cum laude and 77 summa cum laude.