Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University economics and finance students received monetary awards and scholarships — many donated by Nacogdoches area financial institutions — during an April 20 ceremony.

Award and scholarship recipients were chosen by faculty members from the SFA Rusche College of Business’s Department of Economics and Finance.

“Students were selected based on their academic achievement in their coursework, engagement in research projects, participation in conferences, and pursuit of their future career goals — whether employment, entrepreneurship or graduate study,” said Dr. Mikhail Kouliavtsev, chair of the Department of Economics and Finance.

Representatives from the donating financial institutions said they are honored to contribute to these students’ college educations and are looking forward to working with them as they start their careers. Many are SFA alumni themselves.

“I am forever grateful for the education I received from SFA,” said Wendy Buchanan, managing director of investments at Buchanan Wealth Management of Trinity Capital Management. “It brings me great joy giving back to the university that made my career possible.”

Buchanan has endowed a finance scholarship, sponsored students each year on international trips, and provided extra scholarships annually to economics and finance students. She also sponsors the Undergraduate Research Mentorship Award for professors and is a member of the Rusche College of Business Executive Advisory Board.

Leah Trascher, finance senior from Tomball, received the Entrepreneurship Award, and Celeste Solis, finance senior from Lufkin, received the Portfolio Management Award — both of which were sponsored by Buchanan Wealth Management.

Other achievement award recipients included Christopher Ranniger, finance senior from Lufkin, who received the Asset Liability Management Award sponsored by Citizens 1st Bank; Linh Le, finance junior from Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam, who received the Financial Institutions Award sponsored by BancorpSouth; and Emily Peipelman, economics senior from Pearland, who received the Finance Club Award sponsored by Commercial Bank of Texas.

The Economics Reading Group presented Rachel Rucker, data analytics senior of Jersey Village, with the Economic Interest Award and Gentian Kojeli, political science sophomore of Tirana, Albania, the Economic Pursuits Award. Both awards were sponsored by the Charles Koch Foundation.

The High-Ranking Economics Major Award went to Preston Pennington-Sahs, Frisco junior; the High-Ranking Finance Junior and High-Ranking Finance Senior awards, both sponsored by Southside Bank, went to Tristen Adams of Lufkin and Will King of Waxahachie, respectively. Brook Jester, McLeod senior, received the High-Ranking Banking Major Award from SFA’s Chadwick Family Banking Program.

Trascher received the Outstanding Economics/Finance Graduate Award and Rucker received the Undergraduate Scholar Award. Both were sponsored by the ECON 3339 Packet Fund.

A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the new Dustin C. Harrison Memorial Scholarship to its first recipient, Richard Frauenberger, finance sophomore from Grapeland. The scholarship benefits finance majors who display upstanding character and maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Harrison graduated summa cum laude from SFA in 2018 with a degree in finance and then worked as an analyst at Ayco Goldman Sachs in Dallas before his death in March 2021. Ronnie and Chloe Canaan-Chapman, both 2018 SFA graduates and friends of Harrison, established the scholarship and presented it to Frauenberger at the ceremony.

Lastly, Dr. Emiliano Giudici, professor of finance, received the Favorite Professor Award from the Finance Club.

For more information on these awards and SFA’s Department of Economics and Finance, visit sfasu.edu/ecofin.

The School of Theatre at Stephen F. Austin State University has learned that its production of Robert O’Hara’s play “Bootycandy” has earned a 2022 Artist Citizen Award from the National Committee of Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. KCACTF is a national organization affiliated with the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The organization celebrates and encourages excellence in college and university theatre.

The Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Awards recognize programs in higher education using theatrical production to promote long-term societal impact through an artistic lens. The award is designed to “encourage empathetic exploration of the complex cultural and physical world, and to advocate for justice on campuses and throughout the world,” according to information at the KCACTF website.

SFA was one of only 22 schools in the nation to receive the award, according to Professor Cleo House Jr., director of the School of Theatre and director of last fall’s presentation of “Bootycandy.”

“This recognition is reaffirming,” House said. “I say reaffirming because the School of Theatre has already been affirmed by the reaction of our students and the audiences that came to see the show and by our colleagues in Region 6 of KCACTF. So, it is icing on the cake to be recognized in this way by the national committee of KCACTF.”

Participation in KCACTF gives SFA’s theatre program visibility and lets students who are looking for a place to train know that “we are a viable option for them when it comes to their theatre training,” House added.

“Even before my time as director, the School of Theatre had an awareness and commitment to diversity,” House said. “We are continuing on that journey to widen the scope of representation. Such a recognition on a national stage is the kind of attention we want to bolster our already great reputation as place where students want to come to study theatre and train for their future.”

The School of Theatre presented “Bootycandy” for its first 2021-22 Mainstage production last October. The play is a satiric portrait of American life told through the lens of Sutter, a gay Black man on an outrageous odyssey through his childhood home, his church, dive bars, motel rooms and even nursing homes. O’Hara weaves together scenes, sermons, sketches and daring meta-theatrics to create an encompassing portrayal of growing up gay and Black.

“Bootycandy” student actors who earned Irene Ryan Acting Award nominations were Daun Whaley of Texarkana, Andre Hankerson of Beaumont and Jaz’Lyn Lewis of Longview. Whaley competed at the regional festival and made it to the semi-final round.

“My takeaway from working on this production is to never be afraid to push the boundaries of my comfort zone when I’m creating art that I believe in,” Whaley said. “‘Bootycandy’ is a story that our entire team was passionate about telling, and it’s a story that needed to be seen and heard.”

“‘Bootycandy’ is a great example of the School of Theatre’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, not only in production but also in curriculum,” House said. “We are committed to a well-rounded offering of plays for our Mainstage.”

With the upcoming fall semester, SFA’s dance program will become part of the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts. The new SFA School of Theatre and Dance will present the following production season for the 2022-23 year: “The Moors” by Jen Silverman, Sept. 29 through Oct. 2; “Lord of the Flies” by Nigel Williams, Nov. 3 through 6; Danceworks (fall) Concert, Nov. 10 through 12; Repertory Dance Company Faculty Concert, Feb. 16 through 18; “Everybody” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Feb. 23 through 26; Danceworks (spring) Concert, April 13 through 15; and “[title of show]” by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, April 20 through 23.

For more information about the School of Theatre and Dance, call (936) 468-4003 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu or theatre.sfasu.edu/dance.