Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of the Oscar-winning motion picture “Forrest Gump” at 7 p.m. Friday, July 5, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

Celebrating the endearing film’s 30th anniversary, the Friday Films committee plans to have film-related trivia questions and themed prizes before and after the showing.

Based on the novel by Winston Groom and starring Tom Hanks in the title role, “Forrest Gump” tells the history of the United States during the 1950s to the ’70s from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart. Gump, a gentle soul born in a small southern town, happens into one memorable experience after another.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film also stars Sally Field, Robin Wright Penn and Gary Sinise. “Forrest Gump” received six Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects. The film is rated PG-13 for drug content, some sensuality and war violence.

The School of Art’s First Friday Film Series is sponsored in part by retired filmmaking Professor William Arscott. The Cole Art Center, SFA’s historic downtown gallery, is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

Five members of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Model European Union team earned top three individual placements during the 2024 Midwest Model European Union April 10-12 in Bloomington, Indiana.

Emilee Cude of Kyle earned first place in the Justice and Home Affairs Council; and Gavin Willsey of Lakeway and Mia Bradley of Lufkin tied for first place in the European Parliament. Benjamin White of Humble and Briley Smith of Nacogdoches earned third place in the European Commission and European Parliament, respectively.

Hosted by Indiana University, the MMEU competition is the second oldest and largest intercollegiate simulation of the European Union in North America. The purpose of the competition is to increase awareness and knowledge of the EU, its institutions and its processes, according to Dr. Steven Galatas, SFA associate professor of government and Model EU faculty advisor. SFA’s team has been named Best Delegation – the top honor – at the previous two competitions.

“Our students showed a great sense of poise and commitment in this competition, which is regarded as the largest Model EU program in the country,” Galatas said. “The students developed a greater understanding of the EU’s global role and the critical importance of the United States and EU relationship in ensuring peace and stability both in Europe and worldwide.”

The simulation models the legislative bodies and administration of the European Union. Students use bargaining, negotiation, public speaking and diplomacy skills to pass legislation. In most legislative bodies of the EU, a unanimous vote or a weighted majority is needed. Students addressed issues such as climate change, immigration and asylum, the Russian-Ukrainian war, artificial intelligence regulation, and the Israel-Hamas war.

“I’m no stranger to representing SFA, but I seldom get to do so outside of state lines,” Nathan Lyons said. “Being able to represent SFA at Midwest Model EU carried significant responsibility and honor. As SFA won Midwest Model EU the two prior years at this competition, there was certainly pressure on our shoulders, but carrying our SFA values with us allowed for a fun, friendly and competitive experience.”

SFA’s team represented Italy during the competition, which was chosen through a lottery system. Since SFA’s team was named Best Delegation during the 2023 competition, they received the first pick. In preparation, the team met regularly to review EU legislature processes and research the country’s positions on important or critical issues facing the EU today.

SFA students who represented the Italy delegation included Casper Dirkx of Spaarndam, Netherlands, who served as prime minister of Italy in the European Council; Dacoda Burkholder of Rice, foreign minister of Italy in the Foreign Affairs Council; Lyons of Lufkin, economic minister of Italy in the Economic and Finance Council; Jaden Parker of Texarkana, environment minister of Italy in the Environment Council; Cude, justice minister of Italy in the Justice and Home Affairs Council; Hayden Thacker of Lake Jackson, vice chair of the European Commission and commissioner for the Economy in the European Commission; Willsey, president of the European Parliament and member of the European Parliament from Italy representing the Lega Salvini Premier Party; and Bradley, member of the European Parliament from Italy representing the Lega Salvini Premier Party.

Additionally, three SFA students formed a joint team with Texas Woman’s University to represent Portugal. Students included Matthew Bryan of Schertz, who served as economic minister of Portugal in the Economic and Finance Council; White, European commissioner for cohesion and reforms in the European Commission; and Smith, member of the European Parliament from Portugal representing the Socialist Party of Portugal.

“Participation in Midwest Model EU taught me that the European Union is not as complicated as it seems, and how crucial compromise and collaboration are to getting legislation passed efficiently,” Smith said. “Students should consider joining Model EU because it is a fantastic opportunity to gain confidence, practice speaking skills, collaborate with others, to make friends from other schools and build connections and relationships between members on the team.”

The competition also presented opportunities for students to hear from guest speakers, including representatives of the Belgium Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Walter Goetz, head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington, D.C. Goetz spent time with the students who were assigned to the European Parliament, offering significant insight and advice on deliberations.

“Model EU is one of the highlights of my academic year as you bond so much with fellow political science majors over the course of five days, learn a lot about the EU, is a great place to network with other undergraduates, and you learn to defend your ideas and put the material you learned from class into real-life practice,” Dirkx said.

Interested in participating in Model EU? Contact Galatas for information at galatasse@sfasu.edu. For more information about SFA’s Department of Government, visit sfasu.edu/government.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By University Marketing Communications

Nine students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Education Studies traveled to Washington, D.C., in early June to learn firsthand what it felt like to advocate for their future professions to the U.S. Congress during the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Washington Week.

Students attending the AACTE’s legislative conference engage in advocacy training and learn about the legislative process for public education. Walking the hallowed halls in which our nation’s representatives decide how best to guide our democracy, they also meet with U.S. representatives, senators and their staffers, and tour historical sites across Washington.

“Because of my experiences during Washington Week, I now know that my thoughts and opinions can help positively change the world of education,” said Katie Jones, SFA senior interdisciplinary studies major from Alto. “Students gain knowledge and experiences that will shape them into teachers who can properly advocate for themselves and their future students.”

Conference attendees had the opportunity to discuss education policy with congressional staffers, which was an enriching opportunity that some students did not expect.

“Something that will always stick with me is our meetings with the staffers. I was very surprised when I learned that we scheduled meetings to advocate for different policies and it was not just a simple meet and greet,” said Emma Halliburton, senior deaf education major from League City. “It felt empowering to go to congress and speak on real-life situations. It was great that we got to put what we learned in lectures to work at the end of the trip.”

The students also toured Gallaudet University, the country’s first school for deaf education. While there, they learned about the university’s mission of ensuring the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English.

“One of the things I looked forward to most was touring Gallaudet University,” Halliburton added. “I am majoring in deaf education, and I was excited to finally go to a place that I had learned so much about.”

This is the second time SFA students have attended the conference coordinated by Dr. Jannah Nerren, professor and chair of the Department of Education Studies. This year, Dr. Lindsey Kennon, coordinator for the deaf and hard of hearing teacher preparation program and assistant chair for special education programs, helped facilitate the trip.

Students must go through a rigorous application process to attend the conference, starting with a faculty member nomination. Paired with a letter of recommendation and completion of a personal essay, the application process itself begins developing professional skills students can use while learning from the Washington Week experience.

“This is a fast-paced, busy three days with a variety of experiences,” Nerren said. “Students should be interested in learning more about education-related policy and how educators can impact the future of their profession by learning more about legislative advocacy.”

Hear more about the trip’s lasting impact on the upcoming episode of the Department of Education Studies’ Axe Ed a Question podcast, which will be available for listening June 27 on Spotify and on their webpage, gosfa.com/axe-ed-podcast. In the episode, hosts Alyssa Landreneaux, assessment coordinator and lecturer of education studies, and Dr. Sarah Straub, associate professor of education studies, interview this year’s participants to learn about their conference experiences.

For more information on SFA’s Department of Education Studies, visit sfasu.edu/edstudies.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By Parastoo Nikravesh, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University

Texas artists take spotlight in prestigious 29th annual show

Art lovers still have an opportunity to visit The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches through June 30 to view winning entries in the 29th Texas National Competition and Exhibition, an annual show of the School of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Tomball artist Dave Clark was the first place winner in SFA’s 2024 juried show for “S.S. Kerouac,” a work of wood, resin, plastic, ceramic, gravel, twine and paint. A high school sculpture teacher in the Houston area, Clark is a graduate student in the School of Art at SFA earning a Master of Fine Arts with a major in sculpture and minor in painting. His recent exhibition “Unconventional Contraptions and Other Oddities” showed this past spring semester in the Teresa Jill Adams Art Gallery on the SFA campus.

Second place went to Sara Kollig of Taos, New Mexico, for an oil on canvas piece titled “REDFINGER.”

Emily Legg, artist from College Station, earned third place for a 3D print TPU titled “Cortesia Glomerata.”

Honorable mentions went to San Antonio artist Nancy Wood for “Japanese Tea Garden Blue,” which is a computer-enhanced photo on aluminum panel; to Wichita Falls artist Steve Hilton for “Tea for 43,” a ceramic piece; and to West Des Moines, Iowa, artist Patrick Luber for “Punctum,” a piece created with wood, aluminum beverage cans, brass nails and blood test lances.

The School of Art’s annual juried competition and exhibition attracts entrants from across the United States, providing artists an opportunity to have their work juried by highly acclaimed curators, artists and critics.

This year’s juror was Peter S. Briggs, noted art historian, researcher and curator, who has curated more than 140 art exhibitions and published more than 95 articles, books and exhibition catalogs primarily on 20th and 21st century American art. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, and is writing a book about Terry Allen’s graphic art. Briggs has received more than 30 research and program grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; has been an Organization of American States (OAS) research fellow at the Museo del Hombre Panameño and the Museo Nacional of Costa Rica; and received fellowships and grants from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, American Alliance of Museums, Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund for Folk Culture and Tinker Foundation, among others.

Exhibitions and receptions at The Cole Art Center are free and open to the public. Sponsors are SFA Friends of the Visual Arts and William Arscott.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. Hours of operation are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, call (936) 468-5500.