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Tim L. Wood, pictured fourth from left, has been named entrepreneur in residence for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship. Wood attended the ACE building groundbreaking June 22 with, from left, Monica Loa, ACE associate director; Dr. Amy Mehaffey, associate professor of practice in entrepreneurship in SFA’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Applied Business; Dr. Raymond Jones, director of SFA’s entrepreneurship academic program; Dr. Todd Brown, SFA associate vice president for academic affairs; Dr. Hollie Smith, ACE executive director of community partnerships; and John Chambers, ACE recruiting and marketing specialist.

Stephen F. Austin State University will launch one of Texas’ few university-based, in-house advertising agencies this fall, giving students the opportunity to build their portfolios, develop professional skills and produce work for real clients before they graduate.

Housed in the Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship, the student-powered agency will bring together students from across academic disciplines to offer advertising, branding and marketing support for athletics, fine arts and other campus events, as well as ACE partner businesses and name, image and likeness campaigns.

In addition, Tim L. Wood has joined ACE as its latest entrepreneur in residence following decades of agency experience in marketing and creative direction as well as six years of managing his own freelance marketing services with WoodThink Creative. Throughout his career, he has worked with major brands including The Home Depot, Chick-fil-A and DieHard Batteries. Wood is a graduate of the University of Kentucky’s communication program and Miami Ad School’s Portfolio Center.

“This startup agency is so completely exciting,” Wood said. “The stories we can tell about SFA are amazing, and the students’ ability to learn their craft in a real agency environment will give every day an incredible energy. We’re going to do great work, learn a lot — me included — and have fun along the way. I can’t wait to get started.”

Students will develop integrated marketing campaigns for athletics, fine arts, student engagement and other campus partners, working closely with SFA’s University Marketing Communications department to ensure brand consistency and maximize each campaign’s reach. ACE staff members will guide students as they manage client relationships and projects for businesses that partner with the center.

“This ad agency will foster collaboration, innovation and experiential learning, presenting students with work they can turn into industry-ready portfolios based on actual NIL campaigns and partnerships established through ACE,” said Dr. Todd Brown, SFA associate vice president for academic affairs. “We are also excited about the addition of Tim Wood, who will bring professional agency experience to help lead students through authentic advertising campaigns.”

The agency will be open to students of all majors. Programs that may be particularly applicable include entrepreneurship, journalism, public relations, advertising, creative writing, graphic design, film, studio art, communication studies, marketing and commercial photography.

The launch of the agency follows several recent ACE initiatives, including a new alumni business directory; the SFA One Hundred, which recognizes the fastest-growing businesses led by SFA alumni; and the Purple Spikes business succession program. It also comes on the heels of the June 22 groundbreaking for the future Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship building, which brought together state and local officials; representatives from The University of Texas System; SFA students, faculty and staff; and Greg Arnold ’87, CEO of TAC – The Arnold Companies and the center’s namesake.

For more information on ACE, visit sfasu.edu/ace.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, 11 residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering over 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By University Marketing Communications

Five Stephen F. Austin State University students were selected to attend the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Washington Week from May 31 to June 3. Pictured, front row from left, are Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor in SFA’s Department of Education Studies; Harper Hyde, junior education studies major from Huntsville; Emily Awtrey, junior deaf and hard of hearing major from Zavalla; Caitlin Calhoun, senior English major from Carthage. Pictured, back row from left, are Madeline Turner, a recent education studies graduate from League City; Karina Bandaru, a recent English graduate from Pennington, New Jersey; and Erica Dillard, lecturer in the Department of Education Studies.

Five Stephen F. Austin State University students attended the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Washington Week from May 31 to June 3 to discuss educator preparation topics with congressional staff members and tour the nation’s capital.

Students included Harper Hyde, junior education studies major from Huntsville; Emily Awtrey, junior deaf and hard of hearing major from Zavalla; Caitlin Calhoun, senior English major from Carthage; Madeline Turner, a recent education studies graduate from League City; and Karina Bandaru, a recent English graduate from Pennington, New Jersey. Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor in SFA’s Department of Education Studies, is co-sponsor for Washington Week alongside Erica Dillard, lecturer in the Department of Education Studies.

Washington Week is a high-impact educational experience that connects classroom learning with public policy, advocacy and professional engagement. Students selected to attend learn how educational decisions are made and are empowered to become informed leaders within the profession.

“As future educators from East Texas, our students brought perspectives often underrepresented in national policy conversations,” Olson Beal said. “They were able to share firsthand experiences and discuss the realities facing rural communities, public schools, educator preparation programs and the students they will one day serve.”

Representing SFA at the national conference for the third time, students participated in professional development training and spoke with staffers for members of legislature, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul, Monica De La Cruz, Keith Self and Lloyd Doggett.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of the trip was watching students find their voices as advocates,” Olson Beal said. “Some were understandably nervous before our first congressional visit, but by the end of the day on Capitol Hill, they were eager to share their experiences and perspectives with legislative staff. They quickly realized that policymakers benefit from hearing directly from future educators about how legislation and funding decisions affect real classrooms, schools and communities.”

Bandaru, who also participated in the education advocacy event Raise Your Hand Texas in 2025, said the most exciting part of the trip was networking with people passionate about equitable education.

“Through this trip, I learned how to have diplomatic conversations with politicians that don’t always have the same values as me,” Bandaru said. “I became a better communicator and improved my public speaking skills. It was a valuable experience for me, especially as a teacher that plans to further my advocacy for public education by attending law school.”

In addition to the Washington Week programming, students explored many historic and cultural memorials and museums, ate in the House of Representatives cafeteria where congressional staffers and legislators regularly eat, and visited the Stephen F. Austin statue in the National Statuary Hall.

According to Olson Beal, SFA was one of the few universities to bring undergraduate students to Washington Week.

“Throughout the conference and congressional visits, our students consistently impressed AACTE staff, congressional staff members and attendees from institutions across the nation with their professionalism, poise, knowledge and communication skills,” she said. “We received numerous compliments about how prepared and engaged our students were. They represented SFA exceptionally well, and I could not have been prouder of them.”

For more information on SFA’s Department of Education Studies, visit sfasu.edu/edstudies.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, 11 residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering over 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By University Marketing Communications