Everything Nac

It’s a simple necklace, nothing too fancy. The triangular shape and blue stone may go unnoticed by most, but for Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey, director of Stephen F. Austin State University’s School Psychology Assessment Center and associate professor, it’s a reminder of what she stands for: strength, confidence and power.

While she admits she doesn’t wear the necklace every day, Ellis-Hervey always tries to include blue in her wardrobe.

“Blue is a color often associated with males, but for me, it’s a symbol of confidence and power,” Ellis-Hervey said.

As an associate professor and center director, Ellis-Hervey has the power to change student lives every day, and she also doubles as a video blogger who inspires millions of viewers worldwide.

Life as an associate professor

Psychology wasn’t always the plan for Ellis-Hervey. As an undergraduate at Truman State University, she entered college as a biology major with hopes of becoming an OB-GYN.

“My uncle was one of the most prominent people in my family, and he was an OB-GYN. I shadowed him and thought, ‘I don’t like this because you don’t really get to talk to people,’” she said. “I wanted to affect people’s lives. A lot of people in my family hadn’t been successful, so of course I was thinking of a career in terms of money.”

In college, Ellis-Hervey enrolled in a behavior modification course with a well-known psychologist who changed her outlook on life and encouraged her to pursue psychology.

Now, she is a licensed psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist, licensed specialist in school psychology in Texas, certified professional life coach and soon-to-be certified personal trainer.

In 2011, she became a certified online instructor for the Department of Human Services at SFA. Since then, she has advanced to associate professor and director of the School Psychology Assessment Center, which she helped establish in 2014. The center is a clinical and research resource for students and serves the SFA and Nacogdoches communities. She teaches psychological assessment courses and adolescent psychopathology while overseeing students working in the center. The allure of a new program drew her to SFA.

“I wanted to be a part of something that was growing. I didn’t want to be in a carved-out place or just a warm body fulfilling someone else’s purpose,” Ellis-Hervey said. “I wanted the experience of starting a center and something that needed guidance.”

SFA was a perfect fit for Ellis-Hervey, and during her time amid the pines, she has impacted hundreds of students.

“My students feel very comfortable with me because I know how to correspond with them. I really care about their agenda and how they will be as real-world practitioners and psychologists,” Ellis-Hervey said.

Ellis-Hervey has worked with many students to further their careers and become certified licensed psychologists. She has traveled with students to conferences and has had her work published with her student’s work in academic journals.

Life as a video blogger

Known as “Dr. Nina” both in the classroom and online, Ellis-Hervey’s rise to internet fame was an accident.

Years ago, Ellis-Hervey lost more than 100 pounds and began learning how to live a holistic, healthy life.

“I had attempted weight loss many times, and I would always laugh and say I’d go on a diet for six hours,” Ellis-Hervey said. “This time, I decided I wanted to go on a journey.”

With a determined attitude, she created her own weight loss program by purchasing two fitness and weight loss books online. After a year, she reached her goal of living a healthier lifestyle, but her journey didn’t end with the weight loss. Her friend encouraged her to share her experience on YouTube.

“I thought nobody wants to see me talk about weight loss; most want to see people lose weight on camera,” she recalled.

Regardless of her initial skepticism, Ellis-Hervey decided to give it a shot and recorded her story with pictures of her transformation and posted it on YouTube. Months later, she checked her video and realized it had thousands of views and comments.

“It was raw and real, which is why I think it got the views it did. I think people thought, ‘She’s just like me. She’s not scared of talking about this,’” Ellis-Hervey said. “I took power in my own story.”

Soon, Ellis-Hervey began posting regular videos on YouTube. Many of her videos are tutorials for health and beauty tips and others focus on her life. She now has 600,000 YouTube subscribers and more than 36 million video views on her channel BeautifulBrwnBabyDol.

“My blog name represents three Bs and one D — a three-dimensional person who is spiritually, physically, and emotionally sound and well,” she said. “Also, dolls are made to tell a story, and I have a story to tell. Dolls are passed down through generations. They might get messed up, but they can always be fixed, and a transformation can occur.”

Buzzfeed named her YouTube channel a top 10 natural hair blog, and she has been featured in magazines and television shows, including People, Essence, Ebony, HLN News Live, the Jeff Probst Show, Inside Edition, Extra, The Grio, Refinery29 and more. Additionally, she has served as a guest speaker at various universities and participated in a TED Talk.

The next step

Since she was a child, Ellis-Hervey has had the “gift of gab,” and she plans to launch her new Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey website to share her story and continue inspiring and educating others on holistic health and self-empowerment.

Through her new site, she will offer video courses and weekly newsletters. Her goals are to self-publish mini eBooks and eventually publish a book.

She splits her time between Houston and Nacogdoches to juggle life as a professor and blogger. For her, time management is key, and she says she makes use of every moment.

“I live life like I could die tomorrow. If I had to look back on my life now, I can say I know I’ve done it. I’ve done everything I want to do,” Ellis-Hervey said, as she held back tears. “Some could say I’m not a mother or a wife yet, but that will come with time, and here’s the thing, look at what I’ve done.”

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

Stephen F. Austin State University has received rankings on the national and state levels for its online education and affordable programs.

Nationally, Best Colleges Online ranked SFA fourth for the most affordable online master’s degree in educational leadership. Best Colleges Online “provides expert insights into the best-accredited online universities across the United States,” according to bestcollegesonline.org.

“Our master’s degree program in educational leadership continues to grow and develop, and it is an honor to receive recognition at the national level,” said Dr. Barbara Qualls, assistant professor of secondary education and educational leadership and program coordinator at SFA.

Website editors considered “the most reputable graduate online master’s in educational administration, educational leadership and closely related programs from accredited colleges and universities with a graduate tuition price under $21,000 per year.”

SFA’s nationally accredited program within the James I. Perkins College of Education offers a 30-hour master’s degree in educational leadership and an 18-hour principal certification. The program is administered entirely online through Desire to Learn, the university’s online course-delivery system. The program utilizes a scholar-practitioner approach incorporating theory and practice-based learning that focuses on research-based practices, curriculum and instructional leadership.

At the state level, Affordable Colleges Online ranked SFA as the 14th best online college. Affordable Colleges Online is a website that offers “in-depth resources that address topics, questions and concerns related to higher education with an eye on affordability and accreditation.”

SFA offers more than 20 online degree programs both at the undergraduate and graduate levels that are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Top Management Degrees, an online guide to the best management degree programs, ranked SFA’s Master of Business Administration program among its most affordable programs in the nation.

“The Rusche College of Business works very hard to deliver the highest quality program to our students,” said Dr. Mitch Crocker, director of the M.B.A. program at SFA. “We are pleased to be recognized as one of the more affordable programs.”

The M.B.A. is offered through SFA’s Rusche College of Business, and coursework can be customized to fit the student’s educational background, interests and goals. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accredits the program.

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

Stephen F. Austin State University will honor several prominent donors during the 29th annual SFA Gala Saturday, Dec. 9, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.

Honorees this year include Susan and Sam Calomino and Alfred and Madeline Danheim.

“This year’s Gala honorees have significantly impacted the lives of students and the campus community through their generous contributions,” said Jill Still, SFA vice president for university advancement. “We are pleased to recognize their generosity as well as faculty members whose dedication to teaching and research establishes an accomplished university community.”

The Gala cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a candlelight dinner at 7 p.m. Entertainment will begin at 8:30 p.m. and will be provided by Blind Date, featuring seven of Austin’s most accomplished musicians whose repertoire ranges from dance music to jazz, rock, country and hip hop.

Tickets are $175 for orchestra seating and $125 for ballroom seating. For more information or to purchase tickets, call April Smith, associate director of development at SFA, at (936) 468-5406.

Susan and Sam Calomino

Susan is the daughter of Sara “Jane” and Roy Metcalf. Susan and her husband, Sam, have made donations toward liberal and applied arts areas, but their most enduring gift was the creation of the Jane Metcalf Memorial Scholarship, which supports students from Panola County pursuing a degree at SFA.

The Calominos will be inducted into SFA’s Fredonia Society.

Born in 1922, Jane Metcalf and her husband, Roy, grew up during the Great Depression in Beckville and married during World War II. As the fourth of six daughters born to farmers, Jane understood college was not an option because of costs. Instead, she joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1943, trained at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and she was stationed at Grenier Air Force Base in New Hampshire.

Roy was discharged in 1944 from the U.S. Army Air Corps, and the couple settled in Dallas before returning to Beckville. Afforded new educational opportunities through the financial support of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the G.I. Bill, Jane was one of the first students to enroll at Panola Junior College when it opened in 1947. She was the top student in the first class of 13 graduates in 1948. She continued her studies at East Texas Baptist College and eventually Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College. Jane received a Bachelor of Arts in 1956 and a Master of Arts in 1961 from SFA.

Roy and Jane had five children and the three youngest received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SFA.

The Calominos established the scholarship in Jane’s honor to afford students from her hometown educational opportunities. Preference is given to graduates of Beckville High School and any other high schools located within Panola County.

Alfred and Madeline Danheim

The late Alfred and Madeline Danheim donated many times during their lives to the College of Fine Arts before bequeathing a considerable monetary gift. They were most passionate about the School of Music where both received their Bachelor of Arts in 1960 from SFA. Alfred also received his Master of Arts from SFA in 1961.

The Danheims will be inducted into the Fredonia Society.

Alfred was born in Victoria and raised in Alto where he graduated from high school in the early 1940s. After graduating from SFA, Alfred worked as a principal for a school in El Paso and then for Pasadena Independent School District for 30 years where he taught high school history and English. He later became executive director of secondary curriculum for Pasadena ISD.

Madeline was born in Nacogdoches and graduated from Nacogdoches High School in the mid-1940s. She taught first grade in El Paso before relocating to Pasadena where she also taught first grade.

The Danheims were members of Asbury United Methodist Church where Alfred taught Sunday school. Madeline was the church’s pianist for many years. The couple later moved their membership to A. Frank Smith United Methodist Church in Alto where Alfred taught the Downtown Bible Class for 28 years, and Madeline served as pianist for 24 years.

Faculty Awards

Faculty member awards presented during the Gala recognize innovation and excellence in teaching and research. Deans and chairs from 33 departments across SFA’s six colleges nominated candidates. Lauren Selden, associate professor of art, is the recipient of the 2017 Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching. Candace Hicks, assistant professor in SFA’s School of Art, is the recipient of the 2017 Faculty Achievement Award for Research.

By Christine Broussard, senior marketing communications specialist with Stephen F. Austin State University.