Everything Nac

Members of Stephen F. Austin State University’s American Marketing Association’s student chapter won second place in best communication of chapter events at the recent International AMA Conference in New Orleans.

The conference brought together more than 1,700 students to compete and network. Attendees enhanced their professional development skills and gained inspiration through marketing and sales practices.

Pictured from left are SFA Rusche College of Business students and award winners Brianna Baird, Jared Upham, Clayton Howard, Edward Salinas, Reece Albert and Francia Olivares.

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

For the first time, economics students from Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business presented research at the 13th Economics Scholars Program Conference for Undergraduate Research, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

“The event provided SFA students with the opportunity to experience a real-life academic conference,” said Dr. Mikhail Kouliavtsev, professor and chair of SFA’s Department of Economics and Finance. “Students were taken out of their comfort zones and challenged to present their work in an unfamiliar environment as well as interact with others working on research projects.”

Miguel Silva and Seraiah Scamardo, both senior economics majors, presented their research in a poster session, while junior Madalyn Kirk and senior David Ajiga served as discussants, providing commentary on research presented by others.

Silva’s presentation focused on movie box office revenues. It examined the degree to which receiving an Oscar nomination or winning an Academy Award affects the film’s gross box office revenues. Scamardo’s research discussed whether firearm purchases increase following news of mass shootings.

Kouliavtsev attended the conference with colleagues Dr. Stephen Kosovich, associate professor, and Dr. Rebecca Davis, assistant professor.

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

Undergraduate and graduate students at Stephen F. Austin State University will have a variety of new degree program, concentration and certification options beginning fall 2019 in areas such as construction management, social media, medical humanities, and private security and asset protection, based on action taken in Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Regents.

In the James I. Perkins College of Education, a new Bachelor of Science in construction management is planned, which will provide students with broad-based knowledge of the construction industry. Students will initially take general education courses and advance to in-depth study in planning, design, regulations, theory and methods used in the construction field.

A dance team coaching minor also was added to the college’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Science to prepare students to coach dance and spirit teams in high school and college.

The College of Liberal and Applied Arts received board approval to offer a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in medical humanities. The program will cater to students seeking to enter public heath professions, medical and patent law, health care policy, patient advocacy, pharmaceutical sales and management, and health care counseling.

The college’s Department of Mass Communication was approved to begin offering a new concentration in social media. The program will offer both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science options.

“Social media has become a prevalent communication tool,” said Dr. Steve Bullard, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs. “It incorporates the use of video, photography, writing and marketing skills. It is important that mass communication students effectively understand how to use these applications to successfully generate content that will appeal to a wide range of audiences and help them in their careers.”

In the Department of Psychology, students taking courses in the existing psychology major will be able to do so online this fall via Zoom, a video-conferencing software program.

Three undergraduate certificate programs also were approved within the college: private security and asset protection, applied ethics, and women’s gender studies. Minors in private security and asset protection and legal studies also were added to the curriculum.

In the College of Sciences and Mathematics, the board voted to update the geoscience concentration in geology to incorporate more mentored undergraduate research.

At the graduate level, a new Master of Arts in national security within the Department of Government was approved by regents. This program will help fill an urgent need for more experts in national intelligence and security. This degree will comprise two stackable certificates, one in intelligence studies and the other in homeland security and will be delivered entirely online.

Additionally, four graduate certificate programs also were approved: advanced English pedagogy, nonprofit management, digital humanities and teaching college psychology.

In other business, regents approved a new project in the north end zone of Homer Bryce Stadium that will offer fans an exciting end zone experience. Repurposed shipping containers — complete with indoor and outdoor rooftop seating, a TV and grill — will provide a way for fans to enjoy sporting events in a relaxed, spirited atmosphere.

“We believe in creating a robust fan experience to engage the community and foster a unique culture among fans,” said Ryan Ivey, SFA director of athletics. “We plan to purchase up to five units, and fans and donors will have the opportunity to lease the units by the season.”

As the university prepares to move forward with the construction of a new basketball practice facility, the board approved utility easement agreements with Oncor Electric and Centerpoint Energy to reroute electrical and gas lines near the intersection of University Drive and East College Street.

The construction of two student parking lots on the south side of campus also was approved. Two existing houses will be demolished to accommodate the new lots, and construction will begin this summer.

SFA began a pilot printing program in fall 2018 by offering Wēpa printing kiosks in select locations on campus to provide convenient printing options for students. Regents voted Tuesday to extend the program across campus by adding 15 kiosks to the 10 already in use. The board also approved the purchase of a new climate-controlled transportation truck for marching band equipment.

A contract with Watermark Insight, a LiveText hosting service, was approved for three years. Thousands of students use LiveText to complete assignments, and the James I. Perkins College of Education’s Office of Assessment and Accountability extensively utilizes this service for data collection, creating reports and program assessments to maintain 67 program accreditations.

During the Tuesday meeting, the board also approved:

· renewal of its contract with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers for five years

· the 2019-20 marketing campaign contract

· a summer budget of about $3.4 million for fiscal year 2018-19

· policy revisions, curriculum changes, and minutes from the January, February and April meetings

· changes in course fees that resulted in the deletion of $110 of summer course fees in secondary education and educational leadership, and business communication and legal studies

· and ratifying $366,604 in additional grant awards allocable to fiscal year 2019.

Regents acknowledged the receipt of the audit services report and heard reports from the Nacogdoches-SFA Joint Economic Development Committee and from Erma Brecht-Nieto, SFA’s executive director of enrollment management.

The board also heard updates from Interim President Dr. Steve Westbrook, the Faculty Senate and Student Government Association.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. May 9 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Marc Pastorek, prairie activist and horticulturist from Covington, Louisiana, will present “The Prairie Inspired Garden: Fun with Seed!”

Pastorek is an environmentalist with a deep interest in natural systems and their restoration and management. He is a co-founder of Pastorek Habitats, a landscape design and consulting firm that specializes in restoring native grassland habitats. He and his wife, Candi, operate the business as partners and live and garden in Covington, Louisiana.

Additionally, Pastorek had an article published in the book, “Southeastern Grasslands: Biodiversity, Ecology and Management,” which was released last year.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

The Steel Band at Stephen F. Austin State University will present its annual spring concert when the student ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The Steel Band, directed by Dr. Ben Tomlinson, percussion adjunct faculty, will perform traditional calypso selections from Trinidad and Tobago as well as additional tunes from around the world.

Among the selections will be “Morning Dance” by Spyro Gyra. The piece takes the band outside of its traditional soca and calypso roots, according to Tomlinson.

“The tune ‘Morning Dance’ was one of the breakout hits of the jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra in 1979,” Tomlinson said. “This is one of the more technically challenging pieces for the band as there are many complicated melodies and interesting harmonies.”

The band will also perform the crowd-pleaser “Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing” by Stevie Wonder from his 1973 hit album “Innervisions.”

Another program favorite will be “Mambo Mindoro” by Cal Tjader.

“Fast and upbeat, ‘Mambo Mindoro’ is a Latin chart that features our ‘Engine Room’ section,” Tomlinson said. “The ‘Engine Room’ includes drumset and a percussionist playing ‘irons,’ and it is the rhythmic force that propels the band forward.”

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Receiving their framed certificates and other gifts as the 2019 College of Fine Arts Dean’s Circle award recipients are, from left, Travis Wattigney, music major from Fort Worth, receiving the Naioma Shannon Dean’s Award in Music; Sarah Bone, art major from Richmond, receiving the Ed and Gwen Cole Dean’s Award in Art; Piero Fenci, professor of art, receiving the Dean’s Circle Endowed Professor award for 2019-2022; Aubrey Moore, theatre major from Frisco, receiving the George and Peggy Schmidbauer Dean’s Award in Theatre; and Matthew Mitchell, music education major from Huffman, receiving the Dr. Robert G. Sidnell Memorial Dean’s Award in Music Education. The ceremony was held at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, Stephen F. Austin State University’s historic downtown art center.

Tickets are still available to the May 9 concert of the Villalobos Brothers at Stephen F. Austin State University. The final show of the 2018-19 College of Fine Arts’ University Series, this concert features today’s leading contemporary Mexican group performing music that blends intricate jazz and classical harmonies and rock-and-roll energy with the traditional sounds of the brothers’ native country. Single event ticket prices for the University Series are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit finearts.sfasu.edu, stop by the Fine Arts Box Office in Room 211 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. This 7:30 p.m. performance is sponsored in part by BancorpSouth.