Everything Nac

Future college students will have the opportunity to experience a taste of campus life during a free, action-packed open-house Saturday, Feb. 24, at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.

Prospective students can visit with university faculty and staff members, tour the campus and residence halls, and preview academic programs during the SFA Showcase Saturday event.

“There is no better time than Showcase Saturday to visit the beautiful SFA campus and witness firsthand what it’s like to be a Lumberjack,” said Jessica Maynard, assistant director of SFA’s Office of Admissions.

“Guests are encouraged to visit one-on-one with our faculty members to learn more about our quality, personalized academic programs, and our staff members will be available to answer questions about everything from admission requirements to financial aid to residence life,” Maynard added.

SFA is a comprehensive, residential university located in the heart of Texas Forest Country. Approximately 13,000 students attend SFA, which is within a few hours drive of Texas’ major metropolitan areas.

Showcase Saturday event registration will begin at 11 a.m. on the first floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center. Each person who registers will receive an information packet. The opening program begins at 1 p.m. and will provide an overview of the day’s events.

Guests will then be able to visit with representatives from academic departments until 4 p.m. during the Academic Fair in the Student Recreation Center. A Student Services Fair will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the first floor of the student center.

Campus and residence hall tours will begin at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Campus tours will take students on a guided walk of the SFA campus while the self-guided residence hall tours will showcase several halls on both the north and south ends of campus.

Admissions counselors will be available to discuss admission procedures and requirements from 1:30 to 5 p.m. in the Rusk Building, Room 206, and during several freshman and transfer admissions sessions held throughout the day.

Several informational breakout sessions will take place simultaneously at 2, 3, and 4 p.m., including Residence Life sessions in the student center theater on the second floor; financial aid sessions in the student center Twilight Ballroom; and freshman admissions sessions in the student center Tiered Meeting Room on the second floor.

Transfer admissions sessions will be held at 3 and 4 p.m. in the student center Multimedia Room; orientation sessions at 3 and 4 p.m. in the student center Regents’ Suite A on the second floor; and a VA/Hazlewood Act session at 3 p.m. in the student center Regents’ Suite B also on the second floor.

Participating prospective students will receive a free SFA T-shirt after completing an evaluation form in the tent located in the courtyard area of the Rusk Building.

For more information about SFA’s Showcase Saturday, contact the SFA Office of Admissions at (936) 468-2504, or email admissions@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University is partnering with Lone Star College to offer students in the Houston area an opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration in sports business from SFA without having to relocate. The two institutions also will sign an articulation agreement to ensure a smooth transition for Lone Star College students to attend SFA.

A signing ceremony commemorating this collaboration is scheduled for 2 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Lone Star College University Center in The Woodlands. The ceremony is open to the public.

Students at Lone Star College will be able to enroll in SFA’s sports business program beginning in fall 2018. Classes will be offered face-to-face at the Lone Star College University Center in The Woodlands and will be taught by SFA faculty members. Students must complete the required core curriculum before entering the program. Business foundation courses will primarily be offered online through SFA’s Rusche College of Business.

Dr. Jason Reese, sports business program director and assistant professor at SFA, has been instrumental in establishing this program and is looking forward to the opportunities it will provide to SFA and Houston students.

“Some Houston-area students have a desire to attend SFA, but for various reasons are unable to move to Nacogdoches,” Reese said. “This program will allow them the opportunity to complete the program and earn a bachelor’s degree without relocating.”

Reese added that through this partnership, Houston students will be able to take classes while benefiting from already-established relationships that SFA has with area sports organizations, including professional sport teams like the Houston Astros, Houston Texans, Houston Rockets and Houston Dynamo.

To apply for the program, visit lonestar.edu/university-center/SFA.htm.

For more information, contact Reese at (936) 468-1465 or reesejd1@sfasu.edu.

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

Stephen F. Austin State University urban forestry students worked alongside representatives from the Texas A&M Forest Service on Jan. 27 to assist volunteers with planting more than 100 trees representing 46 different species in Tyler.

The event was part of the City of Tyler’s Arbor Day Celebration and drew close to 1,000 volunteers from throughout the community.

“I was really impressed with the community involvement at this Arbor Day event,” said Tara Nathanson, urban forestry junior and president of the Student Society of Arboriculture at SFA. “I was glad to be able to teach adults and children how to properly plant trees so they can have that knowledge for the future.”

Cody Goldman, arborist for the City of Tyler, said that the participation and guidance provided by team leaders resulted in a 95-percent survival rate of trees planted during last year’s event.

While the official date for National Arbor Day falls on the last Friday of April, the best time to plant trees in Texas ranges from fall into winter when trees enter a state of dormancy.

Submitted by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator, SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.