Everything Nac

Navigating the college experience can be challenging. But two Stephen F. Austin State University faculty members have made it their mission to help incoming college students plot their educational experience with their recent book, “Thinking with Excellence: Navigating the College Journey and Beyond.”

“We have taken the advice shared, the successes gained and the failures learned from our undergraduate and graduate experiences to write a book that will hopefully enrich the lives of SFA students and beyond,” said Dr. Paul Shockley, lecturer in SFA’s Department of Multidisciplinary Programs.

While at a Center for Teaching and Learning conference last year, Shockley and Dr. Raul Prezas, associate professor in the Department of Human Services, were inspired to write a book addressing the “promises, pleasures and perils” of college.

“We were attending a presentation on first-generation college students and realized there is more we can do,” Shockley said. “Examining our dissimilar backgrounds, different cultural contexts and distinct areas of expertise, we knew we could create a publication that would assist in reaching first-generation students where they are and provide the skills to help them gain transformative educational experiences.”

The book was personal for Shockley and Prezas. Shockley, a first-generation student who graduated from SFA, used his college journey to address questions students in similar situations may face.

“I didn’t know what a GPA was until two months before I graduated from high school,” Shockley said.

On the other hand, Prezas grew up in an environment where higher education was expected.

“Loved ones like my abuela (grandmother) sacrificed so others could receive the highest level of education,” Prezas said. “My dad, mom and sibling all have doctoral degrees.”

Shockley and Prezas put their minds and personal college experiences together to write the book. The pair have collaborated on projects in the past.

“As colleagues from two different colleges, we discovered there is strength in community,” Prezas said.

Shockley’s expertise in philosophy in the College of Liberal and Applied Arts and Prezas background in speech language science in the James I. Perkins College of Education were incorporated into the book.

“We recognize that while this book can be a launching pad for students, whether first-generation or not, we are only scratching the surface. Much more is needed,” Shockley said.

The two professors met weekly and often visited with Dr. Jim Towns, professor of communication studies, regarding the content and form for the book. They worked with first-generation students, mostly minorities, in “an effort to see through the eyes of those who are different from us,” Prezas explained. Shockley shared the in-progress chapters with students in his philosophy and ethics courses and lectured on topics related to critical thinking.

“The chapters shared among the students provided opportunities for feedback to help ensure the material is beneficial on freshmen and sophomore levels,” Shockley said.

The book was peer reviewed, and many undergraduate and graduate students offered input. The manuscript also was sent to a company in the United Kingdom, which specializes in typography and imagery for books, to create the cover and offer insight on how to best present the material to the target audience.

Shockley and Prezas are now working on a Spanish edition with a third author.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

They say the world is a classroom, and for 44 Stephen F. Austin State University students in the Rusche College of Business destinations in Germany, Austria and Italy recently replaced their regular class schedules.

Trading the pineywoods for the sights and sounds of Munich, Germany; Innsbruck, Austria; and Verona and Rome, Italy; students enrolled in a marketing course focused on industry, education and sports experienced business internationally.

Dr. Matthew Lindsey, chair of the Department of Management and Marketing, said this trip helped students witness firsthand the concepts they are learning in the classroom. Before leaving for Europe, students studied management issues across cultures.

“It became clear the business culture in Germany was not the same as in Italy,” Lindsey said. “The views on relationships, communication styles, time orientation and other aspects of business life greatly differ.”

During the study-abroad experience, students visited with business leaders on a global scale. In Munich, visits included the BMW Welt, the Munich Olympic State Park (site of the 1972 Olympics), the Spaten-Löwenbräu Brewery and the Allianz Arena football stadium.

“The visits provided vivid examples of many business concepts discussed in the classroom,” Lindsey said. “We were able to learn about the product decisions at each company, the impact of pricing on the company and gain insight regarding why company leaders chose their locations.”

In Austria, the group attended an Alpine tourism lecture at the Management Center in Innsbruck, the Berchtesgaden salt mine and the Swarovski headquarters. Italy brought students to the Zeni vineyards, Cinecitta Studios and a presentation by Rome Field and Research International. The students also toured the Roman Colosseum and other tourist sites.

“Visiting the Roman Colosseum, the Olympic Stadium and the Allianz Arena provided an interesting contrast involving how large venues have changed through the years and how they have stayed the same. They have more in common than anyone suspected,” Lindsey said. “The way athletes entered the playing field was surprisingly similar between Allianz and the Colosseum. Both used doors that opened and allowed the players to enter from below.”

Along with Lindsey, Dr. Charlotte Allen, professor; Dr. Jason Reese, assistant professor and coordinator of the sports business program; and Dr. Mikhail Kouliavtsev, professor and chair of the Department of Economics and Finance, led the trip.

“Hopefully this opened the students’ eyes to new cultures and different ways of operating businesses,” Allen said. “Many of the businesses we visited are family run and have been in the family for generations.”

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.