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Though they never met, Amy Rose, a senior in the orientation and mobility program at Stephen F. Austin State University, and Christopher J. Snyder, the namesake for the scholarship Rose received, found the program the same way — through an intensive internet search.

As a junior at Tarrant County Community College in Fort Worth last fall, Rose said she was still struggling to find her passion. “I didn’t even know orientation and mobility was a thing.” Then she visited the SFA Department of Human Services website. “It was a sign and a blessing from God,” she said. “The decision to transfer to SFA and all the hard work have felt right the whole time.”

Rose connects to her studies on a personal level because she’s been visually impaired since birth. “I’ve had to deal with this my entire life, so I can relate not only to the material we cover in our lecture courses, but also to the blindfold lessons we do out in the field and the work we do with our peers who are blind or visually impaired,” she said.

Rose’s leadership and stewardship impressed her classmates so much that they soon started calling her “Mama Amy.” These characteristics and her high GPA earned Rose the honor of being the third recipient of the Christopher J. Snyder Memorial Scholarship.

Established in 2017 shortly after Snyder’s death from cancer, the permanently endowed scholarship “means so much to keep Chris’ memory alive,” said Nacogdoches native Kim Luna, who married Snyder in 2001.

Snyder moved from Chicago to Nacogdoches and entered the SFA orientation and mobility program in 1997 after discovering it online. At the time, there were only two orientation and mobility undergraduate programs in the U.S. Today, SFA’s is the only one in the country, and it requires undergraduates to take the same certification exam as students in graduate-level orientation and mobility programs.

Upon graduating in 1999, Snyder returned to Chicago to help students with visual impairments, but he dedicated his summers to SFA. In 2000, he began teaching a six-week course at the university that helped teachers learn orientation and mobility skills to better assist their students with visual impairments. In 2004, he and Luna returned to Nacogdoches.

After earning his Master of Education in special education with an emphasis in emotional disorders and autism from SFA in 2005, Snyder began working for Nacogdoches ISD as the district’s assistive technology manager and orientation and mobility specialist. And every summer, he continued to work with SFA graduate students.

“I just wish I could’ve met him and worked with him because you don’t come across people who have the spirit he did,” Rose said, adding that she quickly heard about Snyder’s contributions to SFA’s orientation and mobility program when she arrived last spring.

Luna said she sees the same passion in Rose that she saw in Snyder.

“Chris loved what he did, and he was good at it. That passion is there in Amy, too. Teaching students with visual impairments is a special profession. Amy will make a difference in others’ lives.”

Luna, who married Snyder in 2001, said she sees the same passion for orientation and mobility in Rose that Snyder, who was a two-time graduate of the program, held. Snyder passed away from cancer in 2017. His family, students and friends established this permanently endowed scholarship in his memory. Rose is the third recipient.

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

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Board of Regents approved promotions and the appointment of new faculty and staff members during its quarterly meeting.

BUSINESS

Faculty appointments for the Rusche College of Business included Oscar Gonzales, lecturer, and Raymond Jones and Beverly Mendoza, assistant professors, management and marketing; Jamie Humphries, assistant professor, and Lucia Sigmar, associate professor, business communication and legal studies; and Janet Jones and Stephanie Ross, assistant professors, accounting.

EDUCATION

Faculty appointments for the James I. Perkins College of Education included Ralf Schuster, visiting assistant professor, and Jamie Flowers and Leigh Kirby, assistant professors, human services; Amanda Moore and John Stewart, assistant professors, Sarah Sanchez, visiting assistant professor, Victoria Wagner-Greene and Kristina White, instructors, kinesiology and health science; and Christian Pigg, visiting lecturer, elementary education.

Ashley McDaniel was appointed as a teacher for the Early Childhood Laboratory, and the following changes were approved: Brittany Fish, from coordinator of student success to visiting assistant professor of human sciences; Stephanie Schwartz, from substitute teacher to teacher at the SFA Charter School; and Nathaniel Walker from adjunct faculty in agriculture to visiting assistant professor of human sciences.

FINE ARTS

Faculty appointments for the College of Fine Arts included Eden Collins, visiting assistant professor, and Margaret Leysath, assistant professor, art; Kristen Blossom, visiting assistant professor, theatre; and Gregory Grabowski, assistant professor/director of orchestra, and Claire Murphy, assistant professor, music education.

Adjunct faculty member Carlos Gaviria was named lecturer of music, and Tyler Cureton was named technical director for theatre.

FORESTRY AND AGRICULTURE

Mike Tiller was appointed visiting lecturer of forestry, and Cobey Hendry was appointed supervisor of the beef farm.

LIBERAL AND APPLIED ARTS

Faculty appointments for the College of Liberal and Applied Arts included Christina Collins and Lenola Wyatt, visiting lecturers, social work; Kimberly Fruge, visiting assistant professor, and Rebecca Mcelyea, lecturer, government; Mitchell Klingenberg, lecturer, history; and Joseph Stepniewski, visiting assistant professor, mass communication.

The following changes also were approved: Hunter Hampton, from lecturer to assistant professor of history; Catherine Huh, from lecturer of languages, culture and communication to visiting assistant professor of mass communication; Brittany Middlebrook, from adjunct faculty to lecturer of languages, culture and communication; Mario Morera Jimenez, from adjunct faculty to visiting assistant professor of languages, culture and communication; Jessica Sams, associate professor in English and creative writing to associate professor of languages, culture and communication; and Carolyn White, director of the Academic Assistance and Resource Center to lecturer in history.

SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS

Faculty appointments for the College of Sciences and Mathematics included Jennifer Gaston, clinical instructor, nursing; Carmen Montana-Schalk and Lindsay Porter, assistant professors, biology; Marissa Rotenberry and Anali Segura, lecturers, mathematics and statistics; and Bidisha Sengupta, assistant professor, chemistry. Ashley Wahlberg was appointed lab coordinator for biology.

In the Department of Athletics, Brandi Bryant was approved as associate director of student athlete services and strategic initiatives. Karl Berry was appointed as program director, and Matthew Sheehan was appointed assistant coach of women’s golf operations. Changes of status approved include Brandon Bernard, from coordinator of athletic marketing to director of athletic program (fan experience); Charles Hurley, from director of athletic media relations to director of athletic program (strategic communications); Robert McNulty, from assistant athletic trainer to athletic trainer; Kevin Meyer, from assistant director athletic media relations to assistant director of athletic program (strategic communications); Korbin Pate, coordinator of athletic video production to director of athletic program (marketing and revenue generation); and Kirk Turner, from coordinator of athletic marketing to director of athletic program (digital media).

In Residence Life, staff appointments were approved for hall directors Alisha Blach, Robert Carpenter and Erin Pratico.

Other appointments included Dennis Mosely, coordinator, community standards; Natalie Buuck, coordinator for disability services support, disability services; Erica Nordlund, coordinator, student engagement; Susan Jones, assistant director, financial aid operations; and Carrie Charley, director of auxiliary services, student center administration.

Changes of status include Javier Vega, from preparator in art to director of the AARC; Kimberly Deckard, from counselor to assistant director of admissions; Amy Camacho, from administrative assistant in economics and finance to analyst in institutional research; Amanda Pruit, from clinical instructor in human services to director in the office of community standards; Heather Howell, from executive assistant to executive assistant and interim special assistant to the president; Hillary Parish, from manager of staff services to assistant director of physical plant; Christine Broussard, from senior marketing communications specialist to coordinator of marketing communications; and Lacey Folsom, from director of student engagement to director of student engagement and interim assistant dean of students.

Three longtime faculty members, Patrick Jenlink, Susan Jennings and Ann Wilson, were honored with the title of professor emeritus.

Jenlink joined the SFA faculty in 1997 and served as the doctoral program coordinator and professor for the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership.

Joining the faculty in 2000, Jennings served as a professor in the Department of Business Communication and Legal Studies and as the general business and online Bachelor of Business Administration coordinator.

Wilson joined the faculty in 2003 and served as a professor in the Department of Business Communication and Legal Studies and as the associate dean for Student Services.

Regents approved the retirements of employees with 58 years of combined service: Kay Halstead, librarian III, and Joanna Jones, teacher in the Early Childhood Laboratory.

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The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the play “Pullman, WA” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Dr. Slade Billew, assistant professor of acting and movement for the School of Theatre, directs the one-act play by Young Jean Lee. “Pullman, WA” is about three ordinary people who try (and fail) to give a life-changing self-help seminar.

“It’s a play about the culture of ‘influencers’ who tell others how to live their best life while struggling to not fall apart themselves,” Billew said. The play is recommended for mature audiences.

The cast includes Huffman junior Mike Warren as Mike; Dallas sophomore Emily Edwards as Emily; and Cypress junior Crayten Clendion as Crayten.

The production staff includes Jamie Carroll, Dallas senior, as stage manager and assistant director; Makayla Moreno, Edinburg sophomore, costume designer; and Brooke Philbrick, Nacogdoches sophomore, lighting and sound designer.

Billew teaches acting and movement at SFA. He also choreographs fights and intimacy and directs. He holds post-graduate degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and Bowling Green State University. In his creative work, Billew explores the boundaries of theatre with a particular interest in direct audience engagement and productions that avoid traditional plotlines.

Tickets are $4. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu. The Downstage Theatre is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.