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Stephen F. Austin State University announced Friday that athletics director Ryan Ivey has been named Louisiana Tech’s vice president and director of athletics. He joins the Ruston, Louisiana, university with more than 18 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics.

“I am so grateful for my time here at Stephen F. Austin,” Ivey said. “The people here are astounding and have a deep passion for SFA. I am proud of the work and successes that we have achieved over the last six years, and I look forward to watching SFA continue to grow and have success. Great things are coming!”

Ivey has served as SFA athletics director since July 2018.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to Ryan for his commitment and contributions to SFA athletics,” Interim President Gina Oglesbee said in an announcement to campus Friday. “Please join me in wishing him all the best in his new role.”

During his tenure, he led the department through a conference transition, raised private support, including securing the four largest single gifts in the department’s history, increased ticket sales by 18%, and completed more than $30 million in facility improvements.

“Ryan brings the experience, leadership, and understanding of intercollegiate athletics that we were looking for,” LA Tech President Jim Henderson said. “As an athletics director for more than a decade, he is fully aware of the expectations this role carries. We could not be more excited to welcome him and his family to Ruston to lead our Bulldogs and Lady Techsters into a new era of competitive excellence.”

Ivey, a graduate of The University of Memphis, has also served as athletics director at Austin Peay State University and Texas A&M University-Commerce. No stranger to Louisiana, prior to his most recent roles, he spent nearly six years at McNeese State University. Ivey will officially take the helm at Tech next month.

Ivey was selected following a national search that attracted dozens of well-qualified applicants.

“The ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics demands a nimble leader committed to not only reacting to the whims of business and policy but one committed to proactively positioning the department for success,” Henderson continued. “Ryan is fully prepared for the task of advancing Louisiana Tech athletics along with our coaches, support staff, and most importantly, our more than 350 student athletes.”

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 37 academic facilities, nine 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 more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

“Longleaf,” a multimedia work that tells the story of the now-endangered native longleaf pine forest of East Texas, will premiere at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, in Cole Concert Hall, Wright Music Building, on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

Commissioned by Houston-based new music ensemble Loop38 and created by Dr. Ben Morris, assistant professor of composition at SFA, “Longleaf” traces the history of the longleaf tree and the timber industry in East Texas with video projections, historical photographs, natural soundscapes and music, raising awareness about the ecological importance of native forests and their reliance on prescribed fire, according to Morris.

“When you look deeper into the history of the pine forests of East Texas, there’s a rich tapestry of different people engaging with the landscape,” he said. “The original pine forest habitat of the area, the longleaf pine, is a fascinating fire-adapted tree that relies on frequent burns, both natural and manmade, to keep the landscape open. In this piece, I wanted to capture that unique pine savannah landscape through sound and visuals, recording immersive multi-channel audio of the fauna, flora and weather events you might hear there. The musicians in the ensemble interact with this soundscape throughout the work.”

The project was funded in part by an SFA Fine Arts Faculty Excellence Grant and includes collaborations with the Nature Conservancy, the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture and SFA students. The project also received support from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Loop38 will conduct a residency at SFA working with student musicians. Their premiere performance of “Longleaf” will be accompanied by a recording session, several outreach events such as masterclasses, a panel discussion featuring a question-and-answer session with longleaf expert Shawn Benedict, and a walking tour of Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, a remaining stand of longleaf pine near Kountze.

“I want to engage the local community through this piece,” Morris said. “Shawn Benedict, who works at the Nature Conservancy, will be present for a Q-and-A session after the premiere of the work. As a manager of Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, he provides insight into how prescribed fires work to rejuvenate the landscape.

“Having a professional ensemble, Loop38, present on campus will be a great opportunity for the students to engage with working musicians,” he added. “The group will read through student compositions and give a composition studio class about running an ensemble and working with composers. I hope to inspire students with interdisciplinary projects that bring in experts from many areas and encourage them to collaborate with individuals outside their field.”

Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

For more information about the Nature Conservancy/Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, visit https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/roy-e-larsen-sandyland-sanctuary/. For more information about Loop38, visit https://www.loop38.org/.

An upcoming performance of Duo Karudan on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus will feature a unique recreation of the “Brahms/Schumann Soiree” that occurred in 1894 at the Vienna home of pianist Clara Schumann.

This recreation will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in Cole Concert Hall, Wright Music Building, on the SFA campus. Duo Karudan features the husband-and-wife team of SFA clarinetist Dr. Christopher Ayer, School of Music professor, and Baylor University pianist Dr. Kae Hosoda-Ayer, associate professor of piano and director of collaborative piano.

The Ayers have performed the pieces many times over the years, but never on the same program.

“Since it has been 130 years since the original event, we thought it would be a good time to recreate the recital,” Ayer said. “We’re especially happy that Dr. Jamie Weaver, associate professor of musicology, will be delivering some opening remarks about the historical significance of the original soiree, and she will speak prior to the performance of all three pieces.”

In the fall of 1894, people gathered to hear Robert Schumann’s “Fantasy Pieces” for clarinet and piano, op. 73 and Johannes Brahms’ two sonatas for clarinet and piano, op. 120. The clarinetist was Richard Mühlfeld, and he performed the “Fantasy Pieces” with Clara Schumann at the piano and the two sonatas with Brahms at the piano. Mühlfeld was the clarinetist for whom Brahms wrote his four major works for the instrument: the Trio, op. 114; the Quintet, op. 115; and these Sonatas, op. 120, Ayer explains.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.