Everything Nac

U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions, who represents Texas’ 17th Congressional District, will deliver the commencement address during Stephen F. Austin State University’s graduation ceremonies Dec. 15 and 16 in Johnson Coliseum.

“I am honored and thrilled to have Congressman Sessions speak during our December commencement ceremonies — the first ceremonies SFA will have as a member of The University of Texas System,” said SFA Interim President Gina Oglesbee. “We hope that our graduates are inspired by his words and walk across the stage with even more motivation to be strong leaders.”

A native of Waco, Sessions attended Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, and later graduated from Southwestern University in Georgetown in 1978. After earning a degree and before his involvement in Congress, Sessions worked for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for 16 years.

During his 24 years in Congress, Sessions has served in various leadership roles and accomplished many successes within the Republican Party, including helping the Republican House of Representatives majority balance the federal budget from 1998 to 2001.

Sessions also was chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2009 through 2012 in which he directed the party to regain the majority in the House of Representatives. In 2010, Sessions received a 63-seat victory and served as chairman of the House Committee on Rules from 2013 through 2019. For his leadership on behalf of Texas, he received an honorary doctorate from Dallas Baptist University.

Sessions notably sponsored and passed the Border Tunnel Task Force Act as a directorate to identify illegal tunneling operations on the southern border, as well as the Family Opportunity Act, which allows families of medically stressed children to receive complete health care. The bill became law in 2006 after Sessions and his son, Alex, worked with President George W. Bush.

Sessions has served in various national and local leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America, disability assistance and local conservation groups. He also served on Southwestern University board of trustees for 12 years.

Sessions lives in Waco and is married to Karen Sessions. He is the father of two sons, Bill and Alex, and three stepsons, Conor, Liam and Nicholas.

SFA’s December commencement will be split into three ceremonies. Candidates from the Nelson Rusche College of Business and James I. Perkins College of Education’s Department of Education Studies will participate at 6 p.m. Dec. 15.

Candidates from the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, and three areas in the Perkins College of Education — School of Human Sciences, Department of Human Services and Educational Leadership, and Department of Kinesiology and Health Science — will participate at 9 a.m. Dec. 16.

Candidates from the College of Liberal and Applied Arts and the College of Sciences and Mathematics will participate at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 16.

The coliseum will open an hour before each ceremony begins. Each graduation candidate will be allotted a limited number of tickets, which are needed for entry into the event.

Degrees to be awarded include 814 bachelor’s degrees, 135 master’s degrees. Over 300 students will graduate with honors, including 83 cum laude, 93 magna cum laude and 156 summa cum laude. Ten students will graduate with the university scholar designation.

For more information, visit sfasu.edu/commencement.

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

Stephen F. Austin State University construction management students in the James I. Perkins College of Education’s School of Human Sciences will host an open house featuring the tiny home they built this fall from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 9 at the Village Nac community at 1188 County Road 823 in Nacogdoches.

Starting in September, 10 students enrolled in the “Building Construction Systems” course worked together to build the 16-by-18-foot home on-site at Village Nac, a faith-based shelter for those experiencing poor mental health and homelessness. Unlike the previous tiny homes, this larger home features a full bathroom, kitchen and den, as well as a bedroom.

Sally Ann Swearingen, SFA professor of interior design and construction management, described the construction as a “team effort.” Students in the “Building Construction Systems” course handled framing, and students in the “Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing” course completed the electrical and plumbing work.

“The community should know these students are using their ability and talent to give back to a worthwhile project instead of building things that don’t make a difference in people’s lives,” Swearingen said. “They are also getting to work with a master electrician and plumber to make sure it is done correctly.”

The project was funded by a second grant from SFA’s Center for Applied Research and Rural Innovation, which funded the construction of four tiny homes last year at Village Nac.

Established in 2019, the Perkins College of Education construction management program offers a multidisciplinary degree by collaborating with SFA’s Nelson Rusche College of Business, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, and College of Sciences and Mathematics. Nearly 100 students are enrolled in the program.

As part of continued efforts to raise money for building more homes, the construction management students also will build a tiny home on a trailer that will be sold. Swearingen said the cost of building a larger tiny home is $22,000. She hopes to be able to build two or three more of these homes next year.

“We hope people come out and see what the students have been doing for the last few months,” Swearingen said. “They are gaining hands-on experience while giving back to the local community.”

For more information on SFA’s construction management program, visit gosfa.com/construction.

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