Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business has successfully achieved the extension of its business program accreditation by the prestigious AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.

Globally, fewer than 5% of business colleges have achieved accreditation by AACSB, which places SFA’s Rusche College of Business in an elite category of business colleges worldwide.

“Maintaining AACSB accreditation affirms what we already know, which is our college of business is among the very best, and our students can successfully compete anywhere, with anyone,” said Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the college.

SFA’s Rusche College of Business offers 12 majors, housed in four departments, in areas such as accounting, business communication and corporate education, management, marketing, sports business, banking, economics and finance.

Faculty members strive to advance the college’s learn, launch, lead mission by providing students with real-world experiences. In the Department of Economics and Finance, for example, students manage an investment portfolio of $600,000. Management and marketing students compete and place in the American Advertising Federation-Houston Student Conference and Competition, where they create an advertising campaign for a real client. Industry professionals routinely serve as guest speakers in classes to provide insight for students.

“I am so proud of the excellent education our faculty and staff provide our students,” Bisping said. “This extension of our accreditation is evidence that their efforts have been a wonderful success and that we are poised to continue to do great things.”

The college also offers the Career Success Passport scholarship program, where students attend workshops to sharpen their skills designed to help them launch successful careers, all while earning points for scholarships. Annually, the college awards approximately $375,000 in scholarship funds.

According to the AACSB guidelines, impact, engagement and innovation are essential to achieving and maintaining accreditation. To receive accreditation, a college of business must have a positive impact on both students and industry, its faculty and students must be engaged with industry, and it must successfully innovate in a continuous improvement process.

“We are successfully meeting these requirements as we work to help our students learn exceptionally well, launch successful careers and ultimately become leaders in their chosen career fields,” Bisping said. “We have the honor and privilege to work to help students have great lives, and it is wonderful to know that we are having such success in advancing this mission.”

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

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. April 11 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Daniel Cunningham, a horticulturist for Texas A&M AgriLife Research Extension’s Water University program, will present “Eat the Yard: A Guide to Edible Landscape Plants.”

Cunningham currently provides professionals and the public with the most current research-based information on resource-efficient and water-conserving landscape management practices. Focused on a holistic approach, he specializes in native plants, edible landscaping, rainwater harvesting and utilizing landscapes as habitat for beneficial wildlife.

Cunningham provides tips on lawn, landscape and vegetable garden maintenance through his @TXPlantGuy social media pages, articles in the Dallas Morning News, segments on NBC Channel 5 and online at 95.3 the Range.

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.

Sitting on the sidelines has never been an option for Dr. Jason Reese, sports business program coordinator and assistant professor at Stephen F. Austin State University.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Reese worked with baseball marketing and sales for the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A Affiliate of the Houston Astros. While working toward his master’s degree, Reese taught a few game-changing classes.

“It hit me, teaching a younger generation is what I am called to do,” Reese said. “I decided I wanted to pursue my doctoral degree and become a sports marketing instructor to prepare future industry marketers.”

Since joining the faculty in SFA’s Rusche College of Business in 2014, Reese has been committed to changing lives, one Lumberjack at a time, through his interactive classes and the creation of the sports business program.

In his sports promotion course, Reese has provided students with the opportunity to work with the Houston Texans to sell individual and group tickets to the Battle of Piney Woods game each fall, which pits SFA against Sam Houston State University and is held at NRG Stadium, home of the Texans. In addition, students work with SFA Athletics to sell season, group and individual tickets to SFA football, basketball and baseball/softball games.

“This experiential learning opportunity allows students to gain marketable sales skills, such as client prospecting, cold calling, sales presentation development and closing strategies,” Reese said.

Likewise, students also work with an online sports industry leader in sales and workforce training, 1Huddle, where students compete with other universities and professional sports teams in trivia-style games related to sales knowledge and skills development.

“Our students are using the same training software as more than 60 professional teams and college athletic programs,” Reese said. “This competition has led to numerous top 10 monthly finishes during the past couple of years. In fact, one month our students earned second place, just behind the Golden State Warriors.”

Reese has been an active member of the SFA community, serving as the 2018-19 chair of the Faculty Senate. Committees on which he has been a member include the presidential screening, athletic director search, chief of police search, Mr. and Miss SFA selection, and Texas common course numbering system. He also is the faculty advisor of the Sports Business Society and co-advisor of the American Marketing Association.

An award-winning faculty member, Reese has been recognized with the Distinguished Faculty Member Award, Distinguished Service Award, Rusche Faculty Scholar Award and the Junior Faculty Research Grant Award from the Global Sports Business Association. Most recently, he was recognized with an SFA Teaching Excellence Award for being an outstanding faculty member for the Rusche College of Business.

“I feel blessed because of the support I’ve received throughout my career from my colleagues and mentors,” Reese said. “That is what is really being recognized.”

The Teaching Excellence Award is based on knowledge of subject matter, quality of lectures and assignments, enthusiasm for teaching, interest in and availability to students, commitment to continuous improvement, and contribution to the quality of teaching at SFA by assisting and encouraging other faculty members.

“It means a lot to me because there are so many other faculty members in my college who are great teachers,” Reese said. “They are passionate about what they do and create great learning environments for their students. To be recognized by my college is humbling.”

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