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The College of Fine Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University will open the 2016-2017 University Series season with an extraordinary British actor performing the works of a Nobel Prize-winning playwright and poet.

Julian Sands will present “A Celebration of Harold Pinter” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, in William M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. In 2005, Sands was approached by Nobel Prize-winning playwright and poet Pinter to prepare a set of Pinter’s poems for a special presentation in London. Working closely with Pinter, Sands was granted a rare insight into his personality, life and work.

“This extraordinary collaboration evolved into a wonderfully humorous and fascinating solo show,” said Scott Shattuck, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and director of the series. “We think this is a great way to open our new season, which also features a sensational blues concert, a Celtic Christmas celebration, one of America’s top female brass quintets and a dynamic Dutch vocal ensemble.”

Directed by Oscar nominee John Malkovich, “A Celebration of Harold Pinter” has been performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2011 and subsequently at The Irish Repertory Theatre in New York and Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, as well as in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Budapest, London and Paris.

“This will be an evening of heroic theater with an extraordinary actor,” Shattuck said. “‘A Celebration of Harold Pinter’ gets to the soul of the man not only as a poet, playwright and Nobel winner, but also as a husband, political activist and person.”

Sands is frequently seen worldwide in motions pictures, on stage and on television. He trained in London at The Central School of Speech and Drama and has appeared in more than 100 films, including “The Killing Fields,” “A Room With A View,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Arachnophobia,” “Oceans 13” and David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” On television, he is best known for his role on” 24″ but has also been seen on “Smallville,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Dexter” and “Banshee.”

“A Celebration of Harold Pinter” was nominated for a 2013 Drama Desk Award. It is recommended for mature audiences.

This performance is sponsored in part by Commercial Bank of Texas.

Prior to the performance, Slade Billew, assistant professor of theatre, will present an informative talk about Pinter at 7 p.m. in Griffith Gallery. The gallery is located across the hall from Turner Auditorium, which is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive. The audience is invited back to the gallery for a post-performance reception to meet the performer and to honor the event’s corporate sponsor.

Single event ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3.

Other upcoming University Series performances include the Big Head Blues Club featuring Big Head Todd and Monsters with special guests on Oct. 13; Danú Celtic Christmas concert on Dec. 16; Seraph Brass Quintet on Jan. 24; and Olga Vocal Ensemble on Feb. 2. Season tickets are still available.

For tickets or more information on the 2016-2017 University Series, visit finearts.sfasu.edu, stop by the Box Office in Room 211 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. in Turner Auditorium.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Gwen and Ed Cole Audiology Lab recently received the 2016 Best of Nacogdoches Award by The Daily Sentinel, which annually honors the achievements and accomplishments of local service providers and businesses.

Award recipients are recognized for their positive impact in the community and quality service they provide to their clients. Awards are distributed based on service or business category. This is the second year that the Cole Audiology Lab has received the award in the audiologist category.

“I am passionate about hearing health care and the opportunity to improve the quality of life of individuals,” said Dr. Kelly Jobe, director of the lab and clinical instructor. “Receiving this award is meaningful because the community is in a sense saying ‘job well done.’ It feels great to make a positive impact in the lives of our patients and community.”

SFA’s Cole Audiology Lab’s function is twofold. First, the lab serves as a hands-on learning facility for graduate students studying speech pathology. Students are required to complete 30 hours of audiology clinical practicum, which they can obtain at the lab. Additionally, students can apply their classroom instruction in a practical way by testing each other in the lab for course assignments, Jobe said.

Second, the Cole Audiology Lab also is open to the public. The lab provides comprehensive diagnostic hearing evaluations such as electrophysiological testing, which records the electrical activity and pathways of the auditory brainstem; aural rehabilitation such as hearing aid evaluations, fittings and follow-up care; and preventative care such as noise protection awareness.

Lab audiologists can evaluate and treat balance disorders and children with auditory processing disorders. The lab collaborates with Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital and serves Nacogdoches Independent School District, private schools and surrounding communities with school hearing screenings.

The lab is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with appointments available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located on the SFA campus in the Human Services Building, Room 205, 2100 North Raguet St. For more information, call (936) 468-7109.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “Tracks” at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

The film, directed by John Curran, tells the true story of Robyn Davidson, a young woman who in 1977 undertook a solo trek across 1,700 miles of Australian outback. A chance meeting with National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan provides her with the necessary financing for her expedition under the condition that he be allowed to photograph parts of her journey for the magazine. With only her dog and four unpredictable camels for company, she embarks on an inspiring and life-changing journey of self-discovery, according to information at tracks-movie.com.

Nominated for numerous awards, “Tracks” won a Film Critics Circle of Australia award for best cinematography in 2015 and an Australian Cinematographers Society award for features in 2014.

“Tracks” runs one hour, 52 minutes. The suggested rating is PG-13 for some partial nudity, disturbing images and brief strong language, according to information at imdb.com.

This screening is part of the School of Art’s monthly Friday Film Series and is sponsored in part by the Nacogdoches Film Festival, William Arscott, Nacogdoches Junior Forum, Karon Gillespie, Mike Mollot, Main Street Nacogdoches, David Kulhavy, John and Kristen Heath, Brad Maule, Galleria Z, Jill Carrington, Jean Stephens and Jim and Mary Neal.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

Dr. Jennifer Newquist, assistant professor in Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Human Sciences, has been elected to the Texas Council on Family Relations Board.

TxCFR promotes healthy families through a variety of resources and activities and is an affiliate of the National Council on Family Relations, which is a nonprofit multidisciplinary professional association focused on family research, practice and education, according to the council’s website.

In her role as board member, Newquist will attend monthly board meetings, providing feedback and voting on issues put before the board. She will serve as a member-at-large for a two-year term. Additionally, she also will serve as the public policy committee co-chair.

“I am honored the TxCFR membership has entrusted me to represent them on the board,” Newquist said. “I am very excited to work with my committee and the board to develop a plan to educate the Texas government on the importance of family life education and certified family life educators.”

Hundreds of students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business are taking part in a unique program designed to help them sharpen their professional skills while competing for scholarships.

Since its launch in October 2015, the Student Success Passport Program has hosted events ranging from career fairs to etiquette workshops aimed at introducing students to varying aspects of the professional business world.

“The program was little more than an idea last summer, and in just one year, it has become an integral part of the college and an important means by which we can advance our mission,” said Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the Rusche College of Business.

The Student Success Passport Program provides a formalized strategy for student leadership development and career launch. The program also provides students with opportunities to enhance their skills and develop personal and professional branding, experiential learning, leadership development, and engage in college activities and events.

This fall, program representatives will be working closely with staff members in SFA’s Center for Career and Professional Development to engage students with Jobs4Jacks, an online career-management platform that helps students prepare for their careers. This collaboration will help motivate students to participate in career-readying activities such as mock interviews, résumé critiques, internship searches and more.

“This collaboration is just one way the program is maximizing the services already available on campus,” said Dr. Ann Wilson, associate dean of the Rusche College of Business.

Students who have declared majors within the Rusche College of Business are automatically enrolled in the program, however, participation is voluntary. The program works on a point system, where students create portfolios of activities in Desire2Learn, the university’s online course-delivery system, and accumulate points for participation in projects and event attendance.

Additionally, the program is implementing a mentoring program where upperclassmen can help underclassmen transition into the Student Success Passport Program.

Students enrolled in the program will be completing assignments on their own time, but Megan Sellers, coordinator for student success and corporate engagement in the College of Business, and Wilson will be offering students weekly one-on-one help in the computer lab located in the McGee Business Building, Room 377.

“Many of these assignments are real-world tasks such as résumé writing, and some students don’t have experience with this,” Sellers said. “We want to offer this lab time to help bridge the learning gap and give students access to computers and guidance.”

At the end of each semester, scholarships are awarded to students with the most points. During the 2015-16 academic year, the Student Success Passport Program awarded $50,000 to top program participants.

“The generous scholarship gift has allowed deserving, hardworking students the opportunity to earn tuition money,” Wilson said. “The program allows students to participate in experiential learning activities in the classroom that help them apply theory to practice. The scholarship funds also provide students the opportunity to compete in business subjects against other business students in state and national conferences.”