Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents approved a program that will provide additional employment benefits to SFA faculty and staff members. The Lumberjack Education Assistance Program will increase the benefits available to SFA employees and their family members who enroll in SFA classes.

As a result of a new policy approved during the April regents meeting, LEAP will exempt mandatory tuition and fees for eligible participants, except statutory tuition, which is $50 per semester credit hour for undergraduate classes and $80 per semester credit hour for graduate classes.

Additionally, for SFA employees who enroll in courses, scholarship support will be available to cover the statutory tuition costs. There is no cap on the number of courses an employee, spouse or dependent may take with the LEAP benefit.

According to Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president, the goal of the program is to invest in SFA’s faculty and staff, to continue to support Lumberjack Families, and to attract additional high-quality faculty and staff.

“For those employee who have college-age children, we believe LEAP will be tremendously popular,” Gordon said. “It will increase our enrollment and credit hour production, which is particularly important during this academic year, when the Texas Legislature is calculating formula funding. In addition, we want to create a culture where faculty and staff members’ children choose to attend SFA and continue to build the pride and tradition of the Lumberjack family.”

Previously, employees and their families were eligible for up to $3,000 annually in tuition assistance benefits when enrolling in SFA courses.

During the April meeting, regents also approved:

policy revisions, curriculum changes, and minutes from the January and March meetings
a summer budget of $3.48 million for fiscal year 2019-20
and ratifying $596,703 in additional grant awards allocable to fiscal year 2020, due to faculty research and service.

Regents acknowledged the receipt of the audit services report and heard reports from the Faculty Senate and Student Government Association.

Members of the Nacogdoches/Stephen F. Austin State University Barrio Writers program will launch their online journal with a live reading at 6:30 p.m. this Thursday, April 23, on their Facebook page.

“We are so excited to share the work of these young local writers with the community,” said Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor of secondary education in SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education. “This reading is a culmination of a year’s worth of writing for those participating.”

As a chapter of the national Barrio Writers organization, the Nacogdoches/SFA program is designed for students ranging in age from 13 through 21. The free program has hosted 30 East Texas students for a week every summer since 2015 to help build their skills in reading, grammar, creative writing, critical thinking and freedom of expression through cultural arts.

Five writing advisors lead the students through the summer workshop, organize the live readings and help publish the journal: Olson Beal; Dr. Lauren Burrow, associate professor of secondary education; Dr. Chrissy Cross, associate professor of secondary education; Dr. Amber Wagnon, assistant professor of secondary education; and Alicia De la Rosa-Millard, a graduate student from Nacogdoches who will earn her Master of Arts in professional counseling with a clinical rehabilitation counseling concentration this May.

“We continue to be amazed by the work our local youth produce during the weeklong workshop,” Burrow said. “We hold these workshops because we believe in our local youth and want to support them as they develop their voices and grow into adulthood.”

The Nacogdoches/SFA chapter began building its online journal in 2019 as a way to publish an annual collection of members’ newly written works, which demonstrate the diverse backgrounds of the students.

“In addition to live readings and print-only publications, this online journal offers students a way to reach a wider audience,” Cross said.

The inaugural issue of the journal includes a dozen works from 2018 on topics such as America’s melting pot, stress and anxiety. Each work includes questions for further discussion inside and outside the classroom.

“We hope readers will enjoy these writers’ wise, impassioned and beautiful words in this first issue,” Wagnon said. “We’re aiming to publish the 2019 pieces in late fall or January 2021.”

Print versions of the young writers’ works can be purchased from The Bosslight in downtown Nacogdoches or online at libromobile.com or Amazon.

This summer’s Barrio Writers workshop will look a little different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Olson Beal said.

“We are planning on hosting a virtual Barrio Writers workshop in June. We can’t skip it just because of the quarantine!”

Founded by author Sarah Rafael Garcia in 2009, Barrio Writers is designed to empower the teenage community while establishing a self-sufficient educational program that represents community pride, perseverance and endless possibilities for following generations. Students are participating in chapters in Santa Ana, California, and Austin, Pflugerville, San Marcos and Corpus Christi, Texas, in addition to the Nacogdoches/SFA program.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Leslie Cecil, professor of anthropology, geography and sociology, was named Regents Scholar, the highest honor the university may bestow upon a member of the faculty, during the April meeting of the Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents.

A member of the faculty since 2007, Cecil was reached the rank of professor in 2019 and directs SFA’s Archaeological Field School. She has served as department chair and on the Faculty Senate.

Cecil earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a master’s degree from the University of Montana and a doctoral degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Regents also approved additional promotions and appointments:

BUSINESS

Faculty appointments for the Rusche College of Business included Doug Milbauer, lecturer, and Brian Nagy, assistant professor, management and marketing.

The promotions of Emiliano Giudici to professor of economics and finance and Rajat Mishra to associate professor of management and marketing were approved. Mishra also was awarded tenure.

EDUCATION

Faculty appointments for the James I. Perkins College of Education included Rohelle Cade, associate professor, and Sarah Irvin, assistant professor, human services and educational leadership; and Summer Pannell, associate professor, educational leadership; Marisol Diaz, assistant professor, elementary education; Nathanial Walker, assistant professor, human sciences; Robyn Whitehead, assistant professor, kinesiology and health science; and Eric Torres, associate professor/associate chair, educational studies.

The following promotions were approved: Kristina White, assistant professor of kinesiology and health science; Jim Ewing and Mark Montgomery, associate professors of elementary education; Flora Farago, associate professor of human sciences; Daniel McCleary, associate professor of human services; and Chrissy Cross and Barbara Qualls, associate professors of secondary education. Tenure was awarded to Cross, McCleary, Qualls and Lydia Richardson, human services.

FINE ARTS

Eden Collins was appointed assistant professor of art.

In the School of Music, Tamey Anglley, Tod Fish and Bradley Meyer were awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor. Promotions were approved for Neal Cox, professor of art, and CC Conn, professor of theatre.

FORESTRY AND AGRICULTURE

Promotions were approved for Joey Bray, professor of agriculture; Sheryll Jerez, professor of environmental science; Yanli Zhang, professor of forestry; and Jared Barnes, associate professor of agriculture. Barnes also was awarded tenure.

LIBERAL ARTS

Janice Cho and Stephanie Williams-Turkowski were appointed as assistant professors of mass communication.

Promotions to professor were approved for Elizabeth Tasker-Davis, English and creative writing; Gabriela Miranda-Recinos and Jessica Sams, languages, cultures and communications; and Scott Sosebee, history. Regents approved the promotions of and awarded tenure to Scott Gregory, associate professor of government; Aryendra Chakravarty, associate professor, history; and Lauren Brewer, Kyle Conlon, Sylvia Middlebrook and Nathan Sparkman, associate professors of psychology. Tenure was awarded to Gregory Drury, psychology, and Kristin Bailey-Wallace and James Morris, social work.

SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS

Faculty appointments included Jeremy Becnel, professor, and Jianjun Zheng, assistant professor, computer science; Jason Bruck and Zeljko Radulovic, assistant professors of biology; and Carl Ziegler, assistant professor and director of the SFA Observatory.

Other appointments include Dari Amos, nursing clinical placement coordinator, and Martha Lee, STEM Center outreach coordinator.

The following promotions were approved: Matibur Zamadar, associate professor, Odutayo Odunuga, professor, chemistry and biochemistry; Kevin Stafford, professor of geology; Christopher Ryan, associate professor of nursing; Dennis Gravatt, professor of biology; Nicholas Long, professor of mathematics and statistics. Zamadar and Ryan also were awarded tenure.

Philip Reynolds was promoted to librarian IV, and appointments were approved for Jescelyn Villarreal, assistant director, Campus Recreation; Tammie Jackson, teacher, Early Childhood Lab; and Omar Narvaez, security specialist II, Information Technology Services.

In athletics, Michael Bell was approved as creative video producer, and two former quality control coaches, Myles Carelock and Cameron Rogers, were approved as assistant football coaches.

Other changes include Sarah Sargent, from development assistant to director-advancement services; Shelby Childress, from accounting clerk III to project coordinator, physical plant; and Rhylie Gachot, from assistant director-orientation programs to interim director-orientation programs, student affairs programs.

Three longtime faculty members, Gloria Gresham, Gary Mayer and Shiyou Li, were honored with the title of professor emeritus. J.B. Watson was honored as associate professor emeritus.

Faculty development leave was granted for Odutayo Odunuga, chemistry and biochemistry, and Shaun Roberts, art, for fall 2020. Heather Olson Beal, secondary education and educational leadership, and Jane Long, mathematics and statistics, will participate in faculty development leave during spring 2021.

Regents approved the retirements of employees with 156 years of combined service: D’Nese Haddox, associate director, residence life; Bruce Lanham, construction manager, physical plant; Norman Markworth, professor of physics, engineering and astronomy; David McFarland, assistant director, audit services; and Elyce Rodewald, arboretum education program coordinator, agriculture.

Graduating senior Annemarie Price is at home in Katy with her parents. She’s safe and sound. The coffee is good. And when she’s on the couch studying or taking online classes, she enjoys the company of her two dogs, a Great Pyrenees named Astro and a Golden Retriever named Travis.

Price, a Stephen F. Austin State University Rusche College of Business senior majoring in marketing and minoring in graphic design with a 3.8 GPA, is in the running for a national scholarship through the Washington Media Scholars Foundation. Having made it through two qualifying rounds to the finals, Price and her teammate, Wichita State University-based Tyler Heizelman, are vying for a share of the $18,500 award. Winners will be announced in June. Landing the scholarship would be momentous, but even if Price doesn’t take the top prize, she’ll consider it a win. Making the invite to Washington, D.C., was the original goal, and that’s already been accomplished.

All should be good in Price’s world. But it’s not.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated disruptions, Price is uncertain of the future, even if plenty is already known. Employers are taking a wait-and-see approach to hiring. Her walk across the commencement stage at Johnson Coliseum will have to wait until a date that’s yet to be determined. She may not get to say a proper goodbye to her classmates and professors. The virus dashed all that.

With her coursework all but done, she’s looking forward to SFA’s virtual graduation ceremony on May 30, which for her will include commencement-style robes for her pets. Not quite what she had in mind at the beginning of the year, but it’ll be fun.

And then there’s her family. Both of Price’s parents have underlying health issues, making them susceptible to the virus. And her sister, a ’17 graduate from SFA’s DeWitt School of Nursing, is in hazard’s way working at Memorial Hermann in Houston.

Indeed, COVID-19 has arrived at Price’s front door, and it’s knocking quite loudly.

Price hasn’t been on campus since March, when she posed for her senior photos and collected a few personal belongings from her residence hall. She didn’t want to leave. But during spring break, as SFA and universities across the country shifted to online and remote learning, she knew she had no choice.

“I respect the decision, and I support doing what we can to make people safe,” she said. “I get it.”

While the transition to full-blown distance learning has been successful for Price, it’s not all together satisfying. Price is a people person. She’s an intern for the College of Business’ social media team, an officer with the Community Assistant Honors Council with Residence Life and an officer with SFA’s interdepartmental Advertising Club. As a senior, she was accustomed to seeing a lot of familiar faces in class and in the halls. The unceremonious separation has been acute.

“For me, one of the reasons I love SFA is that you can make close connections with professors and the people in your classes,” she said. “The years I have spent on campus were the best years of my life. I am deeply saddened that I won’t be returning to classes and spending my final days as a student in Nacogdoches.”

Even though the virus has upended the culmination of her college career, and even though her family remains under threat from the virus, she’s been able to keep everything in perspective. She’s adaptable and resilient. And though the job market could be tight, at some point an employer will recognize her passion and give her a chance.

For the broader public, a valuable lesson ­– one that could make the world a better place – can be learned.

“People are going to hug friends a little harder, spend time with the people they care for more often, and be thankful for the things we took for granted ­– like walking through a grocery store with fully stocked shelves,” Price said. “The coronavirus has made it difficult to predict what the future will look like, or determine how to prepare for it; even so, we have to keep moving forward and face things as they come, and do it to the best of our ability.”

By Richard Massey, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.