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Dr. Al Greule, center, associate professor emeritus in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Media and Communication, received the 2025 Broadcast Educator of the Year Award from Texas Association of Broadcasters’ President Oscar Rodriguez, left, and awards show Master of Ceremony Natalie Morales, right, of CBS.

Dr. Al Greule, associate professor emeritus in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Media and Communication, has been named Broadcast Educator of the Year by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

Greule received the award, which recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding leaders in the broadcasting field, during TAB’s annual convention in Round Rock.

According to Greule, the award was initiated by colleagues from colleges and universities across Texas. His work was reviewed by media professionals throughout the state who recognized its quality through feedback and evaluations from hundreds of his former students who went on to become interns and employees.

“It’s always a great achievement to be recognized by one’s profession — in this case the recognition came from both the industry and the academic sectors,” Greule said. “Becoming a media professional requires developing a series of practical skills to become marketable and effective — and the profession is needed to also judge the effectiveness. It is a very high honor to be considered among the best.”

Greule began his 32-year tenure at SFA by revitalizing a broadcasting program that was on the brink of closure. He reinstated key courses, secured equipment for television production and launched a weekly football coaches’ show that aired regionally.

Later, he expanded student opportunities through remote event broadcasts, collaborations with industry professionals and the early adoption of internet streaming for student-produced programming — well before it became common practice.

His greatest impact, however, was seen in his students’ success. Many went on to award-winning careers across all areas of media, a legacy he viewed as the truest measure of educational achievement. Greule cites over a dozen Emmy winners; several successful producers, directors, and on-air and behind-the-scenes talent; and several educators who have learned from his courses.

“Dr. Greule is deserving of this award,” said Dr. John Allen Hendricks, professor and chair of SFA’s Department of Media and Communication. “Throughout his long tenure at SFA, he has mentored and guided countless students who have gone on to achieve remarkable success in the media industry across the nation. His dedication and influence have made a lasting impact on the professional lives of many Lumberjacks who have pursued careers as broadcast journalists.”

Greule began his broadcasting career in the mid-1970s at WDWN-FM, the Cayuga Community College radio station, where he became program director by his second semester while also working at a local AM station as a reporter, board operator and DJ. After transferring to State University of New York at Oswego, he served as a lab assistant in radio and television courses, which led to full teaching responsibilities in radio production and announcing at Ohio University in 1978 while completing his Master of Arts in media management. He later joined Murray State University in Kentucky, where he managed the campus TV station, guided students to regional and national awards, and launched remote telecasts of the university’s football and basketball games.

While a full-time faculty member at SFA, Greule earned his doctorate from Texas A&M University and worked for a number of television productions.

Greule also was a devoted member of the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators and served two consecutive terms as president.

For more information on SFA’s Department of Media and Communication, visit sfasu.edu/media-communication.

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

SFA’s Generation Jacks program received a boost of $1.36 million after being awarded a five-year TRIO Student Support Services grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant will increase the capacity of the program by 150%. Pictured is the 2025-26 GenJacks cohort.

Stephen F. Austin State University has been awarded a five-year, $1.36 million federal TRIO Student Support Services grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand Generation Jacks, SFA’s first-generation student success program housed within the Cole Student Success Center.

Through the TRIO SSS grant, SFA’s GenJacks program capacity will increase from about 130 students to more than 300 annually — an increase of more than 150%.

The grant marks SFA’s first TRIO program and the first TRIO SSS program in the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Region 5, which includes SFA, Lamar University, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State Colleges in Orange and Port Arthur, and Angelina College.

“GenJacks has been helping first-generation Lumberjacks learn, lead, serve and succeed for more than a decade,” said Dr. Marc Guidry, associate provost. “This grant will allow us to scale a proven model of student success so that many more of our first-generation students can benefit from the academic, personal and career support that the program provides. It’s a transformational moment for SFA and our region.”

Founded in 2014 by Guidry and Dr. Michael Walker, professor of psychology, GenJacks provides an extended learning community designed to help first-generation students thrive throughout their first two years at SFA and beyond. The program combines specialized coursework, faculty and staff success coaching, mentoring, and leadership development to help students navigate college life and prepare for professional success.

The TRIO SSS grant was co-authored by Guidry and Megan Weatherly, executive director of the Lumberjack Learning Commons. Contributors to the grant include Raquel Skidmore, director of the Cole Student Success Center; Dr. Forest Lane, dean, Office of Research and Graduate Studies; Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor of education studies; and Amy Camacho, assistant director of analysis and projects with the Office of Strategic Analytics and Institutional Research.

Impact and implementation

This grant will greatly impact SFA’s student body. Roughly 40% of SFA’s graduates each year are first-generation students. Many of these students also qualify as low-income, defined as being eligible for a Pell Grant. The percentage of Pell Grant-eligible undergraduates at SFA exceeds both state and national averages as well as those of peer institutions.

“We know from national and institutional data that low-income, first-generation students face barriers to persistence and graduation,” Weatherly said. “This grant gives us the resources to address those challenges directly and further SFA’s mission as a regional comprehensive university dedicated to access and student success.”

First-year GenJacks students are grouped in cohorts to take student success courses together, participate in a Summer Leadership Academy, receive individualized coaching and mentoring, and engage in a sophomore-level practicum that connects their studies to career or graduate school goals. The program’s impact is evident: GenJacks participants have a 56% six-year graduation rate, compared to 48% for first-generation students overall at SFA.

Under the leadership of Skidmore, the Cole Student Success Center has served as the hub of the GenJacks program. The center will guide the implementation of the grant into its daily operations while fostering collaboration across campus.

The grant funds allow the addition of a program director and two coordinators to the GenJacks team. The program is coordinated by Abby Coker, who will continue to play an integral role in GenJacks.

“The Cole Student Success Center is honored to continue leading the GenJacks program,” Skidmore said. “Our team is deeply committed to supporting first-generation students as they develop the skills, confidence and community connections that lead to long-term success. This grant allows us to broaden that impact and serve even more students across campus.”

The TRIO SSS grant will fund GenJacks’ expansion through 2030.

To learn more about first-generation student support at SFA, visit sfasu.edu/genjacks.

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