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The Stephen F. Austin State University Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in special education has been listed among the country’s top 35 best bachelor’s degree programs in special education by College Rank.

SFA is ranked No. 31 on the list. The only other Texas program to make the list is The University of Texas at Austin at No. 8.

“This ranking reflects how hard we work to prepare knowledgeable, caring professional special educators equipped with individualized strategy and intervention tools for serving students with exceptionalities,” said Dr. Kathy Sheriff, associate professor of education studies.

The undergraduate program is designed to prepare students for certification as an early childhood through grade 12 special education teacher and an early childhood through grade 6 generalist teacher.

“We offer both online and in-person classes so traditional and nontraditional preservice teacher candidates can learn how to support appropriate behaviors and academic programming for students with disabilities,” Sheriff said.

College Rank synthesizes data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, PayScale and the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. Colleges are scored based on their commitment to online education, admission rates and student satisfaction, among other characteristics.

To learn more, visit SFA’s Department of Education Studies at sfasu.edu/edstudies.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Standard works for clarinet, cello and piano will be featured in a virtual chamber recital at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, that can be accessed free of charge at the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music website at music.sfasu.edu.

SFA music faculty members Christopher Ayer, professor of clarinet, and Evgeni Raychev, cello adjunct faculty, will perform alongside Kae Hosoda-Ayer, associate professor of piano and director of collaborative piano at Baylor University.

The program includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s Trio, op. 38; Max Bruch’s Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, op. 83; and Johannes Brahms’ Trio, op. 114.

“We chose the program because we are all familiar with these wonderful chamber works, and we have performed them before,” Ayer said. “This allows us to reduce our rehearsal time and possible exposure to the coronavirus.

“While there will be some socially distanced music students in attendance, the recital will not be open to the general public and will be livestreamed instead,” he added. “We simply miss performing chamber music together, and we want to provide our students with an opportunity to attend a live recital featuring standard pieces they should all know.”

The Beethoven piece to be performed is actually an arrangement of his popular Septet, op. 20 from 1800. Possibly modeled after a Mozart divertimento (K. 334), it is in more of a classical style and was a very popular composition immediately after he wrote it, according to Ayer.

“It was so popular that it was arranged for many different instrument combinations, but Beethoven himself did this arrangement for clarinet, cello and piano in 1803 as his op. 38 and dedicated it to the doctor who was attempting to help him with his oncoming deafness,” Ayer said.

For the Bruch work, Raychev will play the viola part on cello.

“The first time I heard the Eight Pieces for clarinet trio by Max Bruch was back in grad school,” Raychev said. “No matter how many times I heard that piece subsequently, whether it was as original, or in arrangements with sax, or cello, or even with a violin, the only memory that keeps predominating was one evening when Frank Kowalsky, Lubomir Georgiev and Carolyn Bridger played it in Opperman Hall at Florida State University. At the time, I thought that it was one of the most beautifully written pieces of chamber music, and that evening I was convinced in the power of the blend between clarinet and cello.”

Concluding the program will be the famous Brahms work, written late in his life (1891) when he thought he was done composing. But after hearing a wonderful clarinetist in an orchestra he was conducting at a festival, Brahms quickly composed the Trio, op. 114; the Clarinet Quintet, op. 115; and two Sonatas for clarinet and piano, op. 120.

“This trio is like a Brahms symphony in miniature with all of the drama, rhythmic vitality and beautiful melodies packed into a 23-minute piece,” Ayer said.

For additional information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Office of Multicultural Affairs’ seventh annual Diversity Conference will examine diversity, equity and inclusion in the years ahead with the theme “Diversity in the New Decade: Defining the New Normal.”

“As our institution and community continue to embrace diversity and create an inclusive environment, it is important for us to focus on what diversity will look like in the new decade,” said Jalon Berry, OMA assistant director.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s conference will be held via Zoom. Through the virtual conference, the OMA aims to spread diversity and inclusion on the SFA campus and within the Nacogdoches community by inviting speakers to present diversity-related information and experiences to conference attendees.

“With recent events, the world as we have known it has changed, and we have to adapt,” Berry said. “As a result, we want to ensure that all conference attendees are able to take away vital information and tips that will assist with their intentionality to embrace diversity, be equitable and promote inclusiveness.”

This year’s luncheon keynote speaker is Dr. Griselda Flores, director for Student Life at Harford Community College. The closing keynote speaker is Nicanor “Nick” Pesina Jr., JD, SFA alumnus and trial attorney with Roberts and Roberts in Tyler.

Throughout the day, presenters will host 15 sessions, including the following, on Zoom:

Why Diversity Matters in College: COVID Edition
New Faculty Spotlight: Equity and Social Justice in SFA’s Department of Education Studies
Learning from HSI Success Stories: Opportunities for Implementation at SFA
A Closer Look at Mental Health Resources for Students at SFA
Effective Solutions for Student Wellness

The seventh annual Diversity Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12. It is free and open to the public. To register to attend via Zoom, visit sfasu.edu/oma.

For more information, contact OMA at oma@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-1073.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.