Everything Nac

While Stephen F. Austin State University is reporting a fall enrollment of 12,614 students, a 1-percent decrease from fall 2016, there are bright spots to be found in the enrollment numbers.

The highest first-time undergraduate retention rate for fall 2017 is 71.6 percent, representing a 4.3-percent increase during the past five years.

SFA has recorded a five-year increase in the number of first-time undergraduates of 6.6 percent. In 2013, there were 2,016 SFA students who were first-time undergraduates; in 2017, there are 2,150 first-time undergraduates.

“This upward trend is a reflection of the new initiatives we have implemented to create meaningful and sustained enrollment growth,” said Dr. Steve Bullard, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are setting tuition and fees earlier so that we can offer financial aid packages sooner, and we’ve increased the amount of scholarship dollars that are available. We created new programs, including an online Bachelor of Business Administration and programs in Houston and The Woodlands. All of these will contribute to future growth in enrollment.”

SFA also awarded more degrees in 2017 than in 2016, when 2,703 degrees were distributed. During the 2017 academic year, the university awarded 2,767 degrees, a 2.4-percent increase over the prior year.

The number of students in each of SFA’s six colleges is:

· Rusche College of Business, 1,848, a 3.4-percent increase from 1,787 in fall 2016;

· James I. Perkins College of Education, 3,968, a 2.6-percent decrease from 4,076;

· College of Fine Arts, 920, a .1-percent increase from 919;

· Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, 800, a 4.2-percent increase from 768;

· College of Liberal and Applied Arts, 2,672, a decrease of 1.9 percent from 2,724; and

· College of Sciences and Mathematics, 2,406, down 2.5 percent from 2,468.

While SFA recorded increased graduate enrollment in half of its colleges for fall 2017, overall enrollment in SFA’s Graduate School was down 3.3 percent.

“As market and student demands change, we respond by developing new graduate programs and by offering existing degrees in new ways,” said Dr. Richard Berry, Graduate School dean. “Other such offerings are in the works now and will launch in the coming year. These changes in program delivery are a part of the university’s initiative to ‘meet our students where they are.’”

Among the graduate programs offered by the university are a Master of Social Work in a face-to-face format in The Woodlands and an online Master of Public Administration. This fall, the university also began offering a Master of Science in Nursing with a nurse practitioner focus online. In the coming year, SFA will implement a Master of Science in cybersecurity.

In the College of Sciences and Mathematics, graduate enrollment increased by 13.2 percent with a total of 137 graduate students enrolled. Additionally, graduate enrollment grew in the Rusche College of Business from 128 to 134, a 4.7-percent increase from fall 2016. Also, graduate enrollment in the College of Fine Arts grew from 78 to 82 students, a 5.1-percent increase. Decreases were reported in the College of Education, from 989 to 965; Forestry and Agriculture, from 107 to 91; and Liberal and Applied Arts, from 261 to 220.

Dr. Linda Bobo, professor and director of the athletic training program at Stephen F. Austin State University, served as a volunteer medical staff member during the three-day Pan-American Cadet and Junior Championships in Costa Rica.

During the event, Bobo worked as an athletic trainer alongside three other medical staff members. Together, they were responsible for the care of 42 athletes ranging from ages 12 to 17.

The Pan-American Taekwondo Union hosted the event, which included poomsae, a combination of basic actions and movements exercised with an imaginary opponent; and gyoroogi, where athletes spar opponent to opponent.

Bobo has volunteered with this organization since 2007 and has had the opportunity to work with Olympic-hopeful athletes.

“I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with elite athletes who were qualifying for the Olympics,” Bobo said. “This year I worked with the younger age groups. I enjoy the international travel and working with these athletes, who are very spirited, intelligent, goal oriented and thankful for our services.”

As an athletic trainer at the Pan-American Cadet and Junior Championships, Bobo administered manual therapy, traditional taping and wrapping, soft tissue stretching, injury management, acute care management and more. She said she uses opportunities like this to stay current in her field, as she believes professors should live what they teach in the classroom.

“I’m able to reflect on the opportunities and give my students real-time application of my practical experience,” Bobo said. “In these venues, you have a table and that’s about it. Students see how you have to think outside of the box and how you can use your athletic training skills in a non-pristine setting.”

In class, Bobo utilizes a case-study approach to educate her students. She explained how she shares her experience in Costa Rica to remind students how to adapt in an environment and how to handle the age variance when working as an athletic trainer in a non-traditional, combative sport.

“What you learn in a textbook is not always protocol for what you need to do on the scene. That’s why it’s important for me to take my experiences back and share them with the class,” Bobo said.

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

The International Arts Series will kick off with a concert from Costa Rican musician Humberto Vargas at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

The series, hosted by the Department of Languages, Cultures and Communications, brings well-known foreign artists to campus each semester. The artists are from areas and cultures that represent the languages taught in the department: Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.

The program allows the SFA and Nacogdoches communities to experience authentic, foreign cultures that are found typically in larger U.S. cities.

Dr. Jeana Paul-Ureña, chair of the department, believes that exposing students and the community to different cultures is important.

“Since we don’t have access to many foreign foods, films or international artistic production like bigger cities do, we bring foreign culture to Nacogdoches,” she said.

Each time the department brings different artists to campus, they stay for one week. The artists perform one night and also visit classes throughout the week to talk with students, which gives students a chance to meet them and discuss their cultures and art.

“The students get to meet someone who is a representative of the cultures we study,” Paul-Ureña said. “It is a unique opportunity for students who may not be able to travel to get exposure to a different part of the world.”

The series will feature three performing artists, two visiting scholars and an International Poetry night, where SFA students and professors will read international poetry this semester.

Vargas is a well-known pop musician from Latin America who has been performing for over 30 years. He has won awards for his songs “Dilo de una vez” and “Piedra, Papel, Tijera,” which translate to “Say it all at once” and “Stone, Paper, Scissors” respectively. Vargas won the top award at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in 2006.

Nicaraguan folk musician Luís Enrique Mejía Godoy will perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 in Liberal Arts North 142. Godoy is known for his protest songs throughout the Spanish speaking world and has inspired revolutions against dictatorships. He has worked with many U.S. icons as well, such as Pete Seeger.

The last performance will be Los Llaneros, a folklore group from Venezuela. Los Llaneros will perform at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in Dugas Liberal Arts North, Room 142. They will perform again at the Day of the Dead Festival on the square in downtown Nacogdoches the evening of Nov. 4.

International Poetry Night will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Cole Arts Center Nov. 8. International scholars include Rogério de Souza Sergio Ferreira from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Clara Ramos from Salvador Bahia, Brazil.

The series is free to the public. For more information, email jpaulurena@sfasu.edu.

By Emily Brown, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

A Stephen F. Austin State University expert on Texas politics and U.S. presidential elections will provide oversight for the academic integrity of SFA’s athletic programs.

Dr. Ken Collier has been named faculty athletic representative by Dr. Baker Pattillo, university president.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association requires each of its member institutions to appoint a faculty athletics representative, who must be on the faculty or administrative staff and may not hold a position in the athletics department, according to Robert Hill, director of SFA athletics.

“Faculty athletics representatives play an important role on college campuses, serving as an advocate for student-athlete well-being, in addition to overseeing academic integrity,” Hill said.

A member of the SFA faculty since 1999, Collier graduated from Longview High School and attended Kilgore College before enrolling at the University of Texas, where he earned both a bachelor’s and doctoral degree in government.

Collier teaches courses on the presidency, elections and Texas politics and is completing a book on presidential speechwriting. He is the author of “Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs” and co-author of “Lone Star Politics,” a textbook on Texas politics currently in its fifth edition. Collier has published articles in journals, including the Journal of Politics, White House Studies, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Public Choice, and Social Science Quarterly.

Prior to joining the SFA faculty, Collier taught at UT and at the University of Kansas, where he also was involved in web design for the athletic department.

Collier is married to Sandy Benavides Collier. Their daughter, Nicole, is a graduate of Austin College and is completing a master’s degree in non-profit management.

Collier replaces Professor Emeritus Dale Perritt, who previously served as the faculty athletics representative. Perritt retired from the SFA Department of Agriculture in August.