Everything Nac

Generations of Lumberjack Marching Band musicians and twirlers will take the field Saturday at Homer Bryce Stadium on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus when they perform at 5:30 p.m. prior to the football game between the SFA Lumberjacks and Incarnate Word.

The Lumberjack Marching Band and Twirl-O-Jacks Reunion will feature a fun day of “friendship and fellowship” among alumni band members, according to Paige Pattillo-Brown, former SFA feature twirler and an organizer of the reunion and the newly established Lumberjack Band Alumni Association.

Last year, a reunion was held to celebrate the band’s 90th anniversary and the Twirl-O-Jacks’ 60th anniversary, but an official alumni organization did not exist at that time. Brown, along with Kristen Badders Conklin, assist each year in judging SFA twirling tryouts, and following last year’s tryouts, the two volunteered to help plan another reunion for 2017. They soon found themselves creating a new organization, Brown said.

There had been an SFA alumni band created years earlier by legendary East Texas band director Jim Hagood. Its purpose was to promote the band and provide scholarships, but the organization had become defunct, Brown said.

“I was a member of that organization, joining it in 2000 when I graduated from SFA,” Brown said. “But over the years, it ceased to exist. So we have had to create a new one from scratch. We created bylaws and contracts, so hopefully, we will now have a sustaining Lumberjack Band Alumni Association that will raise funds for the current band.”

Among the goals is to raise money to help feed band members who arrive on campus for three-a-day band practices weeks before SFA cafeterias open. Brown said the band alumni association hopes work with Dr. David Campo, director of The Lumberjack Marching Band, to identify other needs the alumni group can support.

“Dr. Campo has grown the band to 370 members, and that’s a lot of people to feed before the cafeterias open,” Brown said. “Hopefully, over time, we will be able to raise and save money to give out scholarships, perhaps eventually full scholarships. Our numbers are such, that if people come back and participate, this is a true possibility.”

Approximately 115 band alumni have registered as participants in Saturday’s reunion. Of those, 70 will perform in pre-game activities. Among them will be 87-year-old former SFA twirler Mary Jo Morris of New Braunfels, who was on the SFA twirling line in 1948 and 1949.

“So far, the alumni band members who have registered represent a combined 280 years of service to the Lumberjack Band,” Brown said.

Kappa Kappa Psi, SFA’s band service fraternity, will provide a hamburger-hotdog cookout lunch, alumni band association members will have a business meeting, and band alumni will participate in the SFA Alumni Association’s tailgating activities at the alumni tent. The alumni band will also attend The Lumberjack Marching Band’s performance at the Ag Pond prior to the pre-game show.

Reunion registration is open through Friday, Sept. 15. Annual membership is $45; lifetime membership is $250. Online registration is at http://www.sfaalumni.com/event/LMBTOJ17, or call the SFA Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407 for additional information.

People wanting to earn a master’s degree in cybersecurity will soon have the opportunity to do so at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The College of Sciences and Mathematics recently received approval to offer the new degree program, and professors in the Department of Computer Science are busy planning to launch the program’s core courses in spring 2018.

According to Forbes, the cybersecurity market is expected to reach $170 billion by 2020. Additionally, data gathered from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that more than 209,000 U.S. cybersecurity jobs are unfilled.

“There is a widely recognized, very strong need for cybersecurity professionals in government, industry and education,” said Dr. Debbie Dunn, interim chair of the Department of Computer Science at SFA. “This program will provide a fundamental background in cybersecurity.”

Students will be required to complete 30 hours of coursework as well as a thesis. Courses will include general computer security, web security, defensive coding and security, reverse engineering, forensics, attack testing, and attack, defense and penetration testing.

Dr. Christopher Ivancic, graduate program coordinator in SFA’s Department of Computer Science, will teach many of the courses. His background is in software engineering, and he has experience in creating digital and forensics training for law enforcement and military personnel.

“In today’s world, cybersecurity is more than a tech problem. Employers from private businesses to government agencies are looking for people with security knowledge and skills,” Ivancic said.

Courses will be offered face-to-face, and plans are underway to include a cybersecurity lab in SFA’s new Ed and Gwen Cole STEM Building.

“We are excited about the possibility of the lab,” Ivancic said. “This program will offer students hands-on learning opportunities as well as an in-depth look at the specialized field of cybersecurity. For example, professors will be able to create ‘sandboxes’ (test or staging servers) where students can work on cyber issues virtually.”

Possible career paths for those interested in pursuing a master’s degree in cybersecurity include security analyst, security software developer, cryptanalyst, security consultant, cyber forensics consultant, malware analyst and more.

For more information, contact Dunn at ddunn@sfasu.edu or Ivancic at ivanciccp@sfasu.edu.

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

Faculty members of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will be the featured performers during the annual Pi Kappa Lambda Music Faculty Showcase at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The concert showcases the talents of the diverse School of Music performing faculty, according to Nita Hudson, instructor of voice and opera. All concert proceeds benefit the Pi Kappa Lambda scholarship the School of Music gives each year to the sophomore music major with the highest grade point average.

“This is always a fun and exciting night for our music faculty,” Hudson said. “Not only do we get to perform for the Nacogdoches community, but we also raise funds for music scholarships.

“Twenty-four music faculty members will perform a wide variety of concert repertoire, ranging from a traditional vocal spiritual to a Mozart operatic duet,” Hudson added.

The program also features a barbershop quartet, a mellow brass quintet, a string quartet and saxophone and percussion performances. Traditional folk songs will be played on an Irish harp. An audience favorite, SFA piano professor Mario Ajero will perform a piano piece for six hands with his children, Antonio and Olivia.

Other faculty performers include Debbie Berry, soprano; Jennifer Dalmas, violin; Charlotte Davis, soprano; Tod Fish, tenor; Charles Gavin, horn; Christina Guenther, flute; Nita Hudson, mezzo-soprano; Scott LaGraff, baritone; Brad Meyer, percussion; Emily Milius, soprano; Emily Mitchell, harp; Melissa Nabb, viola; Nathan Nabb, saxophone; Hyun Ji Oh, Andrew Parr, Ron Petti and James Pitts, piano; Evgeni Raychev, cello; J. D. Salas, tuba; Deb Scott, trombone; Chris Turner, baritone; Jacob Walburn, trumpet; and Gary Wurtz, trumpet.

The recital is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is a feature of the 2017-18 Calliope Concert Series. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building at 2210 Alumni Drive.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Two Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music alumni were recognized this past summer at the Texas Bandmasters Association convention in San Antonio.

It was announced at the convention that Corey Graves, a 2007 summa cum laude graduate, was named “Young Bandmaster of the Year” by Phi Beta Mu Honorary Band Fraternity, and George Little, a 2002 graduate, was elected to serve on the TBA board of directors.

“These two alumni are excellent representatives of SFA in everything they do,” said Fred J. Allen, director of bands at SFA. “They are shining examples in our profession and even to our current students.”

Phi Beta Mu is a service organization whose goals are the promotion of school bands, school musicians and the furtherance of school bands in the eyes of the public. Graves, who currently teaches in Roma ISD, said he was “humbled” by the recognition.

“Considering the incredible list of previous recipients, and the numerous music educators across the state of Texas who are making such an impact on the lives of their students and communities, it is quite humbling to be even put in the same category,” he said. “I am grateful for the recognition of what the students and faculty of Roma ISD do daily.”

Graves earned a Master of Music in Euphonium Performance from The Ohio State University as a graduate fellow in 2008. He is in his 10th year of teaching and has been with the Roma ISD since 2010. Prior to moving to Roma Middle School, he taught two years with La Joya ISD.

Graves is a Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholar and the Region XV Middle School Coordinator. Bands under his direction have consistently received superior sweepstakes ratings at UIL Concert and Sight-reading Contest and have also earned high levels of recognition on state, national and international stages.

Mike Brashear, TBA executive director, welcomed Little to the organization’s board, stating, “We look forward to his leadership and expertise as he represents the fine band programs from East Texas.”

“Being elected to the TBA board of directors is a very humbling and exciting experience,” Little said. “I am thrilled to have the chance to serve with such an outstanding group of fellow directors. Professionally, I know that I will learn a lot during my years on the board, and I hope to be able to contribute to best of my ability.”

TBA board members start as sergeant-at-arms, then move up through the offices of secretary, treasurer, vice president, president-elect, president and past president. Board members serve on the board for seven years and oversee all activities of the TBA, including the annual TBA Convention/Clinic held in San Antonio at the end of July.

Little is director of bands at Lufkin ISD. He is entering his 16th year of teaching and his second year at Lufkin. He taught for eight years at New Diana High School and six years at Henderson Middle School. His bands consistently earn top rankings in UIL and invitational competitions.

Both Graves and Little credited SFA with preparing them to be successful as band directors and music educators.

“SFA provided so many great opportunities for learning,” Graves said. “I have always felt that the staff was giving of their time, even after graduation, to help propel their students to success. It is a great student-centered environment that I am proud to call my alma mater.”

“SFA is, in my opinion, one of the top music schools in the state,” Little said. “There are many successful band directors that graduated from SFA. The faculty is very purposeful in what students learn as they progress through their degree plan. One thing about SFA that aids in the success of their future band directors is that professors are available for mentorship, even after you have graduated. The professional help network that Lumberjack Band alumni enjoy is second to none.”

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music recently sponsored a hurricane relief project to benefit students at C.E. King High School.

“The band directors, who are SFA alums, requested help, and we jumped right in,” said Fred Allen, SFA director of bands. “It was a way for us to help a specific high school that we knew needed help.”

The two alums, Michael Murdock and Ronnie Ross, said flooding at the school had damaged equipment and requested color guard equipment, percussion equipment and reeds used with woodwind instruments.

“We posted the list, and many of our students and faculty members responded with items that we could send them right away,” Allen said.

For more information about the SFA School of Music, visit sfasu.edu/music.