Everything Nac

East Texas audiences have only two more chances to see ‘Pinkalicious the Musical’ presented by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre in its SummerStage Festival. The children’s show, featuring, from left, theatre students Kaitlyn Kirby, James Burns, E.J. Villanueva, Crayten Clendion, Kiara Hawkins, Shane Reynolds and Miriam Newman, will be presented at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, and 10 a.m. Thursday, July 19, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. “Pinkalicious the Musical” is by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann with music by John Gregor. Call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu for ticketing information.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will close its SummerStage Festival with performances of Beth Henley’s “Crimes of the Heart” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 17 through 19, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus. Pictured are, from left, theatre students North Richland Hills senior Cortney Francisco; New Diana junior Miriam Newman; and Gilmer junior Bethany Trauger. Call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu for ticketing information.

The Nacogdoches Photographic Association will open its 2018 gallery show with a reception at 6 p.m. Friday, July 27, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Theme for the photo show is “Doors, Windows and Gates,” and juror is John Handley, director of art galleries at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Handley earned his undergraduate degree in studio art and art history from Western Washington University. During that time, he worked as a student intern at the Whactom Museum of History and Art and The Western Art Gallery. While earning his master’s degree in museum studies from John F. Kennedy University, Handley worked at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, during which time he worked on the preparation and delivery of 175 Judaica artifacts for the exhibition “Patterns of Jewish Life in the World” at the Martin Gropius Building in Berlin.

For many years, Handley was the collections manager for the Museum of Vision, Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco where he worked with medical history scholars, created history of medicine exhibitions and publications and developed informal science exhibitions and curriculum for school-age children. He also worked with small museums in the Santa Clara Valley developing local history exhibitions.

Handley returned to graduate studies in 2002, first in theology, ultimately completing his doctorate in art history and religion at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He became the director of galleries for the SFA School of Art in 2012.

Awards will include Best of Show, first, second and third places and honorable mention. The 2018 Best of Show recipient will be announced at the opening reception.

The Nacogdoches Photographic Association was organized in 1992. Monthly meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month (except on field-trip nights) in The Cole Art Center. For more information, contact R.G. Dean at dean@sfasu.edu. The NPA website URL is nacogdochesphotoassoc.org, and members’ works can be seen on Facebook.

The NPA show will run through Aug. 26. Gallery hours are 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main Street. For additional information, call (936) 468-1131.

With the click of a button, Stephen F. Austin State University Rusche College of Business students have access to hundreds of professional mentors and contacts through the Lumberjack Professional Network. Through the recent purchase of the Graduway software platform, the network now has a social media home providing valuable new networking opportunities, said Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the Rusche College of Business.

With this software, current students can connect with alumni who are willing to serve as professional mentors. Alumni and friends of the university who choose to join the network can serve as mentors to current business students.

“The Graduway platform provides Rusche College of Business alumni an exclusive social media gathering place to stay abreast of what’s going on here, as well as keep with current and former acquaintances,” said Dr. Robert Crocker, associate dean of the college. “Our main purpose is to use this site to give alumni a way to serve as mentors to our current undergraduate students, which will help us attract and educate future business leaders for East Texas and beyond.”

After two years of a successful mentorship program on campus, the College of Business partnered with the SFA Alumni Association to launch a networking site through Graduway with the financial support of the Rusche College of Business Executive Advisory Board.

This site extends the SFA Alumni Association’s Lumberjack Professional Network by bringing that community online so current students can connect with them. Craig Turnage, executive director of the alumni association, said the association is proud to partner with the college to offer this mentoring and networking opportunity.

“We grow Lumberjack Pride, and the goal of the association is to engage our more than 100,000 alumni,” Turnage said. “Research shows alumni are looking for ways to give back their time, talent and treasure. Mentoring students is a great way to plug in those alumni.”

The site helps enhance mentorship capabilities by offering access to professional networking, internships, career advice and job opportunities in a social media-type experience. The online presence boasts the combination of useful technology that builds mentor/ mentee relationships into the thousands. Graduway features also allow alumni to host social networking groups, post events and pictures, and reconnect with the university.

“The Lumberjack Professional Network presents an amazing opportunity for

Rusche College of Business students and alumni, as it allows those involved to leverage the loyalty and expertise of fellow Lumberjacks in order to enhance career success,” Bisping said. “Whether by working to ensure a successful career launch for new graduates or by assisting Lumberjacks as they develop as leaders, the Lumberjack Professional Network will impact the lives of students and enhance the effectiveness of the college.”

The launching of the Lumberjack Professional Network on Graduway is a collaborative effort between the SFA Alumni Association, the Rusche College of Business, the Center for Career and Professional Development, the Office of Development, alumni, the Project Management Office and Information Technology Services.

“It’s amazing what can be accomplished when a group of Lumberjacks pull in the same direction,” Bisping said.

To view the site, visit sfamentorship.com.

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

Through a new pilot program, Stephen F. Austin State University is going back to its roots as a teachers college in an effort to deepen students’ teacher preparation experiences.

The community responsiveness and engaged advocacy in teacher education or C.R.E.A.T.E. program is designed to provide a meaningful connection among SFA students who are teacher candidates, the community, school districts, and students and their families.

SFA students will have the opportunity to participate in community-based mentorships, critical conversations and service-learning work in order to learn how to be more culturally responsive within the racially, culturally and linguistically diverse school settings.

From the James I. Perkins College of Education, Associate Professors Drs. Lauren Burrow in the Department of Elementary Education and Heather Olson Beal in the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership are leading this endeavor. Olson Beal and Burrow will co-teach the program and said many course meetings will take place in the community with community members.

“We will be trying out a variety of new experiences, community partnerships, and curriculum based on extensive research and professional development,” Burrow said. “We look forward to working with our pilot group to refine and develop the program’s experiences to match both community and teacher candidate needs.”

This program is designed to complement and extend existing SFA teacher preparation experiences. C.R.E.A.T.E. experiences include urban-based field trips, small sessions with guest speakers, access to professional development and résumé-building opportunities.

To connect teacher candidates to their students’ lives outside of school, SFA students will partner with family mentors from the Nacogdoches Independent School District.

“We are most excited about developing more authentic relationships with local families of school-aged children,” Olson Beal said. “We feel this connection is an essential component of teacher success that many teacher candidates do not usually get access to before they begin their teaching careers.”

C.R.E.A.T.E. brings early childhood through sixth grade and secondary education teacher candidates together in one course and offers a complete early childhood through 12th grade education knowledge base.

Students interested in C.R.E.A.T.E. should minor or major in early childhood through sixth grade or secondary education or be a certification-seeking student. Also, students need to be admitted into SFA’s educator preparation program and be committed to completing all field-based experiences and student teaching within Nacogdoches ISD.

For more information, contact Olson Beal at olsonbehk@sfasu.edu or Burrow at burrowle@sfasu.edu.

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

Society is aging and, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s population of those who are 65 years old and older will nearly double in the next 20 years. To help prepare for this population shift, Stephen F. Austin State University will offer a certificate in aging studies and become the only university in Northeast Texas to provide this option.

“This increase presents exciting opportunities and urgent challenges to society. This aging population will be the major social and business issue of the 21st century,” said Dr. Hyunsook Kang, associate professor in SFA’s School of Human Sciences. “It is important to prepare health providers and societies to meet the specific needs of older populations.”

The 18-hour certificate will help prepare students for careers in planning, administering, coordinating and delivering services to older adults. Career opportunities include working as a case manager, consultant, older adult educator, legal aid assistant, program activities director or senior community outreach personnel. Nurses and social workers also can specialize in working with geriatric clients.

With this certificate, students also could pursue employment with entities such as the Department of Health Services, Department of Social Services, senior retirement and adult care centers, and area agencies on aging.

The certificate involves courses from human sciences, sociology and health science disciplines. Course topics include heath issues and aging, family relations, nutrition, independent living, and consumer issues.

The certificate is open to those who successfully complete six elective courses and who meet general admission requirements.

For more information, contact Kang at kangh@sfasu.edu, or visit sfasu.edu/hms.

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

The 34th Watercolor East Texas juried exhibition will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 28, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

This year’s juror is Texas artist Bev Boren, who is a signature member of Outdoor Painters Society and Southwestern Watercolor Society. She is also a member of the Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society and American Watercolor Society.

Her work is primarily the result of her “need to paint,” she said.

“Inspiration can come at any time and in any place,” Boren said. Not confined to one subject area, she paints a variety of subject matter and works in various mediums. Her paintings are created with things that capture her eye, whether it’s a still life or landscape or a person’s personality. She explains that painting is her way of connecting with the world and the people around her and sharing those experiences along the way.

In her words, “Trying to describe or explain my efforts at painting or drawing seems like a futile effort. After all, I want my work to express itself without the necessity of words. My best hope is that my work will stand simply on its own and find a connection with viewers where words fail.”

See her work: http://bevboren.com/collections

The exhibition runs through Aug. 26.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, contact WET member Carol Athey at atheycj@sfasu.edu or call the art center at (936) 468-1131.