Everything Nac

Members of the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts Dean’s Circle recently recognized its 2013 award recipients at the annual Winners’ Circle reception held in the home of Jack and Naioma Ledbetter.

This year’s award recipients, who were announced and honored in April, were re-introduced at the reception. Winners were Katherine Holmes, who received the Cole Dean’s Award in Art; Emily Milius, who received the Ledbetter Dean’s Award in Music; Taylor Goodwin, who received the Sidnell Memorial Dean’s Award in Music Education; and Sarah Wisterman, who received the Schmidbauer Dean’s Award in Theatre.

Nacogdoches Mayor Roger Van Horn recognized the program sponsors, including Cal-Tex Lumber Company, Nacogdoches Medical Center, First Bank & Trust of East Texas, Regions Bank and Walmart. The Ledbetters were presented with a gift of artwork from Piero Fenci, professor of ceramics in the SFA School of Art, for opening up their home for the event.

The annual fall event serves as a membership drive and fundraiser for the Dean’s Circle with current and former students, faculty, businesses and supporters of the College of Fine Arts donating items for a silent auction.

The Dean’s Circle is an auxiliary group of community members founded in 2008 and dedicated, in part, to nurturing potential young artists within the College of Fine Arts, according to Dr. A.C. “Buddy” Himes, dean.

“External support organizations, like the Dean’s Circle, demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between the community and SFA,” Himes said. “Supporters realize that, by making an investment in the future of the College of Fine Arts and in the strength of the university, they are also investing in the community.”

In addition to recognizing the accomplishments of and the potential within students, the Dean’s Circle is also focused on enhancing instructional opportunities for fine arts faculty.

“From nothing more than a cause that I believed to be worthy and noble has grown dozens of outstanding role models among students in each of the college’s disciplines,” Himes said, “and the goal of completing our first endowed professorship is now in sight.”

TEDxSFA is now accepting proposals for its second annual conference to be held Feb. 8, 2014, at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The event’s organizers are seeking dynamic and engaging speakers to tell original stories relating to this year’s conference theme of “Curiosity”. The deadline for proposals is Thursday, Oct. 10. Each participant selected will speak from five to 18 minutes on the topic of their choice related to the theme. The conference is open to anyone.

“Last year, we enjoyed a group of very dynamic speakers from all over the country, and we are hoping to build on that success with our second conference,” said Dr. Mark Turner, SFA associate professor of music, who is coordinating the 2014 event. “Presenters may want to talk about how their curiosity led to an important idea or even a discovery that makes a difference in the world around them.”

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. Created in the spirit of TED’s slogan, “Ideas Worth Spreading,” the TEDx program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.

“We know there are a lot of diamonds in the rough at SFA and in the East Texas community and beyond whose curiosity has led to amazing ideas and who are accomplishing great things, but possibly nobody is really aware of what they are doing,” said event coordinator, Dr. Wynter Chauvin, the SFA Montgomery Professor of Humane and Environmental Education. “TEDxSFA provides an excellent venue for showcasing the unique perspectives, creativity and curiosity that they have to offer our community, Texas and the world.”

The event will be all day, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center theater on the SFA campus. For more information about the conference, email tedxsfa@gmail.com or visit Facebook: TEDxSFA. Online proposals may be submitted at sfasu.edu/tedxsfa-speakers.

The Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University is working with Älvdalen’s Educational Center, a forestry and hospitality post-secondary technical college in Älvdalen, Sweden, to create a study abroad program.

According to Dr. Hans Williams, associate dean of the college of forestry and agriculture, Ing-Marie Bergman emailed him to see if the college of forestry would be interested in collaborating. Bergman is in charge of international programs at Älvdalen’s Educational Center. The institution encourages its students to complete internships abroad, but the faculty was having a difficult time setting up a program in the United States. Williams, along with Drs. Theresa Coble and Brian Oswald from forestry and Dr. Chay Runnels, assistant professor of human sciences, have been working with Älvdalen to get a program started.

In May 2012, faculty members from Älvdalen visited the Temple College and School of Human Sciences. In turn, SFA faculty members traveled Sweden in April of 2013 to learn more about Älvdalen’s programs. Williams said everyone was extremely impressed.

“They use highly advanced technology, and their program is very hands-on, very applied,” Williams said.

For example, when harvesting timber, Älvdalen’s students are involved in each step of the process from planning the cut to hauling it to the mill to replanting. The institution also has 14 simulators used for timber harvesting, crane driving, heavy vehicle driving and hunting.

Williams said exposure to this technology, along with the ecology and culture of Sweden, will greatly benefit SFA students. The study abroad trip remains in the planning stages, but Williams has submitted a proposal for a cross-listed, forestry and hospitality trip to Älvdalen’s Educational Center.

The class will be open to all students, and Williams said he envisions it being offered during a May-mester or spring break. The itinerary details have not been cemented yet, but Williams said he would like students to have a mix of forestry, hospitality and recreation instruction in the curriculum. The trip also would likely include fly-fishing, a trip to a nearby national park and sightseeing in Stockholm, as well as tours of logging sites and time spent at Älvdalen and other educational destinations.

Erik Björklöf, the chief executive officer of Älvdalen, is part-owner of a fly-fishing camp in the Lapland region of Sweden and was open to hosting an SFA student this year. During the summer, SFA urban forestry major Chris Dempsey spent a few weeks in Sweden exploring, learning to fish and working around the camp.

The Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture hosted Per Andersson, an advanced technical forestry student from Älvdalen’s Educational Center, for two weeks in early September. Andersson is set to graduate Oct. 25 and visited SFA to complete his internship.

His schedule was designed to expose him to the forestry industry in the United States, as well as the ecology and culture of Texas. Andersson’s agenda included a tour of the college of forestry and agriculture’s facilities, tours of local mills and tracts with students and alumni, participation in labs, and activities like tailgating before the Lumberjack football game, fishing on Lake Nacogdoches, and visiting Caddo Lake State Park.

For more information about the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, visit www.atcofa.sfasu.edu.