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Stephen F. Austin State University’s entrepreneurship academic program and Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship in the Rusche College of Business were collectively named one of the top three emerging entrepreneurship programs in the nation by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

This award recognizes colleges and universities for their efforts developing nascent entrepreneurship programs that demonstrate outstanding progress toward becoming comprehensive, bold and innovative educational programs with early records of student impact.

“We introduced the entrepreneurship major in fall 2020 and opened the center in 2023, and it is amazing to see what ACE has accomplished in just a short amount of time and the impact that it is having not only for SFA students but also for the community,” said Matthew Smilor, ACE director. “This award validates a lot of work Rusche College of Business faculty, staff and students, as well as local community members, have done to build this hub for entrepreneurs in East Texas.”

Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship and the University of Buffalo’s School of Management were the other two finalists in the category.

“From the Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition to the Piney Woods Entrepreneurship Network, ACE plays a central role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of East Texas and trains students to create, explore, invent, pioneer, imagine and innovate,” said Dr. Raymond Jones, director of SFA’s entrepreneurship program. “Our students and community are the wellspring for the startup of new businesses and the growth of existing enterprises.”

Founded in 1981, the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship is an inclusive community of educators, researchers and entrepreneurs advancing entrepreneurship education through bold teaching, scholarship and practice. They are considered the premier entrepreneurship educational organization in the U.S.

ACE and its subunit, the Small Business Resource Hub, are two of four entities launched in recent years by the Rusche College of Business to help bolster local businesses. The others are Business and Community Services and the Center for Business and Economic Research.

For more information on SFA’s entrepreneurial offerings, visit sfasu.edu/ace.

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

The Children’s Performing Arts Series at Stephen F. Austin State University will present two performances of “Oskar’s Bigger Bully Battle” Thursday, March 7, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Oskar is the central character in a series of educational plays by Houston-based Alley Theatre. Oskar is a bright, excitable and extremely creative fifth-grader. In this play, a very thorny incident shocks the schoolyard, and everyone is stumped and confused. But never fear – Oskar to the rescue!

“In this wacky adventure about the bullying cycle, Oskar learns that everyday comments can start a dangerous chain reaction that stops the whole school in its tracks,” explains Diane Peterson, Fine Arts Box Office manager and director of the children’s series. “‘Oskar and the Bigger Bully Battle’ encourages students to stand up for victims, while also teaching them how to express empathy for bullies – helping everybody on the playground to move happily forward together.”

The Children’s Performing Arts Series, presented by the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, features professional touring shows designed to entertain, educate and engage young audiences of all ages, according to Peterson.

“Oskar’s Bigger Bully Battle” targets children in prekindergarten through fifth grades. Performances are at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Turner Auditorium is located in Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

Tickets are $9 for individuals and $7 per person for groups of 20 or more. Call 936.468.6407 or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice for tickets or more information.

In a celebration of scientific curiosity and the contributions of biologists, Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Biology is set to celebrate Darwin Day Feb. 12 with special guest speaker Dr. David Hillis from The University of Texas at Austin.

Embracing the spirit of inquiry that defines Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking contributions to evolutionary theory, Hillis will give his talk on Darwin’s “Tree of Life” hypothesis.

Hillis is the Alfred W. Roark Centennial Professor in Natural Sciences at UT Austin, where he studies molecular evolution and biodiversity in the Department of Integrative Biology. He is the director of UT Austin’s Biodiversity Center and also directs the Dean’s Scholars Program of the College of Natural Sciences.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Hillis on the SFA campus to speak at this special event as we gather together to celebrate, remember and reflect on not only the contributions of Darwin but also the contributions of many scientists in general,” said Dr. Carmen Montaña, assistant professor of biology.

Hillis’ research is focused on the tree of life and how we can use it to understand processes of evolution. He is one of the foremost evolutionary biologists today investigating the evolutionary relationships among living organisms. His work has helped the study of the evolutionary development of a species or a group of organisms throughout most fields of molecular biology in recent years, from studies of the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency viruses to studies of the origin of life.

Hillis’ research appears in over 200 scientific publications, and he has authored numerous books, including his most recent: “Armadillos to Ziziphus: A Naturalist in the Texas Hill Country.” In recognition of his contributions to evolutionary biology, he has received many honors, including being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the National Academy of Sciences. He has served as president of the Society for the Study of Evolution and the Society of Systematic Biologists.

Hillis will give his featured talk, “Applications of the Great Tree of Life,” from noon to 1 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Miller Science Building, Room 139, on the SFA campus.

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

The School of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University will premiere a film written, directed, and edited by SFA graduate student Armando Silvas Jr. when it presents “The Russian at Christmas” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, in W.M. Turner Auditorium, Griffith Fine Arts Building, on the SFA campus.

The film was selected to be produced as the School of Art filmmaking program’s 2023 SFA summer feature. Silvas’ “The Russian at Christmas” is a feature-length action/comedy holiday film about a Russian hitman who tracks down a mall Santa on Christmas Eve.

A previous Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts Dean’s Circle award winner, Silvas has worked on four feature films and has written and directed more than ten short films of his own. He’s worked as a camera assistant, camera operator, director of photography and media manager on the past four feature films. A love of holiday films was a motivating factor behind the creation of “The Russian at Christmas,” Silvas said.

“I was inspired by my love of holiday Christmas films and the tradition of watching those films annually,” he said. “But more specifically, I enjoy unconventional Christmas films, such as ‘Lethal Weapon’ and ‘Gremlins.’ Those are films that are set around the holiday but incorporate elements not typically associated with it.”

In “The Russian at Christmas,” Frank, a recently fired mall Santa, is trying to survive Christmas Eve with his friend, Todd, a low-self esteemed man stuck in a loveless relationship. Frank, who is dealing with the recent loss of his dad who passed away on Christmas, witnesses a murder committed by a Russian hitman. Trying to emulate his dad, Frank tries being a mall Santa. But Frank isn’t cut out for it and gets fired with a reminder that he’ll never be like his dad. To make matters worse, Frank learns that his ex-girlfriend has found someone new and that there are loan sharks who are trying to collect money that Frank owes. The film includes over-the-top action with absurd humor while keeping the underlying theme throughout that no one should be alone on Christmas.

Although Silvas has directed short films and worked on feature films, “The Russian at Christmas” what his first feature film to direct.

“The film very quickly took over my life, and there wasn’t a moment that went by during production that I wasn’t thinking about it,” he said. “This was also the first time for me directing a large crew. The students that I worked with were very talented, motivated, and hardworking, which made my job a lot easier. In the end, I had a great experience directing the film, and I’ll always remember it fondly. It’s a great and surreal feeling to know that this film only started as an idea and then gradually evolved to what it is now.”

Silvas said he learned the importance of being open-minded to changes and of making those changes while on set or during post-production. He said he welcomed input from faculty and students that would allow him to look at certain scenes from new perspectives and improve on them. Learning how to identify problems while on set was another valuable lesson.

“While making any film, problems can arise when you least expect them to, and you need to be able to work around them quickly to find a solution in order to stay on schedule,” Silvas said. “As a filmmaker, you need to adapt to any issues that appear.”

Silvas said he hopes the film shows audience members “the importance of friends and family, and that life is too short to hold onto any grudges.”

“I also hope audiences can recognize the hard work and dedication that our SFA film students have, and the potential that the SFA filmmaking program can offer,” he added.

Silvas will graduate in May with a Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking. He hopes to teach film production at the university level while also pursuing a career as a director of feature films and documentaries. He plans to submit “The Russian at Christmas” to different film festivals and to make it available to stream on Amazon Prime in the hopes of reaching a wider audience.

Other key crew members included William E. Arscott, executive producer; Derek Wayne Johnson, co-producer; Brad Maule, unit production manager; Tristen Robertson, director of photography; and music graduate student Jimmy Bartley, music composer.

Key cast members were Drake Willis (School of Theatre and Dance alumnus) as Frank; Triston Dodson (School of Theatre and Dance alumnus) as Todd; Bill Small as The Russian; Brad Maule as The Russian’s Dad; and Lloyd Kaufman as Mr. Winters.

A film director, writer, producer and actor, and president of Troma Entertainment, Kaufman was brought in from New York City to act in a supporting character role for the film. He was featured in Derek Wayne Johnson’s documentary film “John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs.” Kaufman’s films include “The Toxic Avenger” (1984), “Class of Nukem High” 1986, “Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead” (2006) and numerous others. He helped to launch the careers of James Gunn, writer/director of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise and the upcoming “Superman: Legacy” film, along with Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of “South Park” and “The Book of Mormon Broadway Musical.” Kaufman’s film, “The Toxic Avenger,” is also getting a remake from Legendary Entertainment which stars Peter Dinklage, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon.

Admission to the premiere of “The Russian at Christmas” is free. A question-and-answer session with the cast and crew will follow. For more information about SFA’s filmmaking program, contact the School of Art at (936) 468-4804.