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Stephen F. Austin State University has named Dr. Forrest Lane, an educator with nearly 20 years in a variety of academic and administrative positions within higher education, dean of the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

“I am genuinely excited about joining the SFA community,” Lane said. “Stephen F. Austin State University has been a significant resource to our state and region for 100 years. Since its founding as a normal college in 1923, it has become an institution with a deep legacy and rich tradition of supporting Texas. It is a privilege to be selected as dean of research and graduate studies, and it’s important to me that I come into this role willing to listen and represent the needs of our students, faculty, staff, and community partners. I look forward to supporting SFA’s continued success.”

Lane comes to SFA from Sam Houston State University, where he served as a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership as well as associate dean of graduate studies and research in the College of Education. At SHSU, he has been an education faculty member since 2015 and has held various administrative roles there since 2017, including program coordinator, assistant department chair and full-time chair.

Prior to his time at SHSU, Lane worked as assistant director and director for student development services at Texas Christian University beginning in 2006 and then in various academic capacities at the University of North Texas and the University of Southern Mississippi until 2014.

He received a Bachelor of Science in political science from Texas A&M University in 2001, a Master of Education in higher education from UNT in 2007, and a Doctor of Philosophy in educational research from UNT in 2011.

“I feel fortunate to have Dr. Lane join the Lumberjack family,” said Dr. Lorenzo Smith, SFA provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “He will be able to make an immediate, positive impact on students, staff and faculty. With his extensive work in higher education and knowledge of the graduate studies and research support fields, Dr. Lane is the right person to inspire and empower our students and faculty to achieve excellence in advancing learning, innovation, discovery and creative activity at SFA.”

Lane has received nearly a dozen awards and accolades, including Faculty Fellow from the Greater Texas Foundation and two Faculty Excellence Awards from SHSU. He has contributed to three published books, completed 26 peer-reviewed journals, and given 78 academic presentations and workshops. Additionally, he’s been a part of 11 successfully funded grant projects.

SFA’s Office of Research and Graduate Studies is responsible for overseeing all of the university’s more than 40 master’s and four doctoral degrees, as well as supporting research grants and sponsored programs for faculty members. It supports student and faculty academic research of any kind, hosting such events as the Graduate Research Conference and Undergraduate Research Conference.

Lane’s goals for fostering a culture of research excellence and innovation at SFA will begin by recognizing the work already underway by campus and community partners.

“Research and creative scholarly activity are important components of higher education,” Lane said. “They enhance our understanding of critical problems, which then informs and supports high-quality teaching. They also ensure our institution remains relevant in a rapidly changing world.”

Strategies Lane said will be important as SFA builds a culture of research excellence include increasing research visibility, expanding research capacity, fostering interdisciplinary research and leveraging areas of research strength.

Lane also aims to support graduate enrollment growth in ways “that fit within the context of SFA,” he said. “It is my priority to ensure that we are working collaboratively with graduate programs and departments to identify solutions that are most appropriate for them.”

Immediate steps that can help position SFA for success, Lane added, include establishing criteria for program viability, identifying programs with potential for growth, expanding marketing and recruitment efforts, increasing program access, and focusing on graduation student success.

“A top priority is learning more about our graduate student experience,” Lane said. “Institutions have many great resources, but students do not always know what resources exist or how to access them. We need to ensure students can take full advantage of what we already offer. I am also aware our students are navigating increasingly complex lives. We need to ensure our existing resources meet the needs of our graduate students and that we have mechanisms that allow students to easily share those needs so they have a voice at our institution.”

Lane will begin in his position as SFA’s dean of research and graduate studies in January after he and his family, including wife, Sarah, and three children, relocate to Nacogdoches.

To learn more about SFA’s Office of Research and Graduate Studies, visit sfasu.edu/orgs.

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 Christine Broussard, assistant director for strategic communications at Stephen F. Austin State University

Musical theatre provides a unique and invaluable learning experience for students, allowing them to develop skills in acting, singing and dancing while also fostering teamwork and creativity. Stephen F. Austin State University’s presentation of “Once Upon a Mattress” offers an opportunity for SFA’s aspiring artists to put their classroom knowledge into practice and learn the importance of discipline, dedication and collaboration through a magical musical.

The School of Theatre and Dance and the School of Music will combine their talents to present Concord Theatricals’ musical version of “The Princess and the Pea” in a Mainstage Series event Nov. 2 through 5. With music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer, “Once Upon a Mattress” is the first large-scale musical SFA has produced since before the Covid pandemic, and the shows directors have chosen to present the musical in the new Flex Theatre, according to Angela Bacarisse, professor of theatre and the show’s director.

It’s fitting that the musical is “testing” the capabilities of the new Flex Theatre in the renovated and expanded Griffith Fine Arts Building. Senior theatre major Connor Molen, who began his studies at SFA in the fall of 2020, a challenging period when the world was grappling with the pandemic’s impact, considers it a “gift” to be attending class and performing in the state-of-the-art facility.

“It truly feels like a gift to be able to conclude my studies at SFA in a grand finale at the Griffith building, and believe me, it’s grand,” Molen said.

“Once Upon a Mattress” takes place “many moons ago” in a far-off place when Queen Aggravain decreed no couples could marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, found a bride. Princesses came from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none could pass the impossible tests given to them by the queen. That is, until the “shy” swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, showed up. Would she be able to pass the Sensitivity Test, marry her prince and help Lady Larkin and Sir Harry to the altar? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the classic tale “The Princess and the Pea” provides some side-splitting shenanigans.

Molen takes on the role of the Wizard, the proud and loyal servant of Queen Aggravain. Wizard quietly longs for the glory days of years passed. “I like to encounter the Wizard as an eccentric academic who, in his youth, pushed the boundaries of what magical performance could be,” Molen explains. “You can see his stardom in his gate, his gesture and even his cape. However, due to the Queen’s dominance, all that is left on the surface is a magic man who entertains in order to appease those in charge.”

“Once Upon a Mattress” marks four years of Molen working with Bacarisse on MainStage and other productions, including her direction of “Rideshare/Overshare,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” and now “Once Upon a Mattress.” He also had the opportunity to perform on the Mainstage in “The Maids,” “Ajax in Iraq” and “Everybody,” as well as assistant direct on the Mainstage production “The Moors” and direct the Centerstage productions “30 Neo-Futurist Plays from Too Much light Makes the Baby Go Blind” and “Sagittarius Ponderosa.” All of these productions took place in alternative theater venues while Griffith Fine Arts Building was under renovation.

“Working outside of a traditional theatre facility encouraged me as an artist and student to confront my beliefs about what theatre could or should be,” he said. “The ambition of the faculty never allowed us to feel defeated by the circumstance of being removed from a traditional theatre space in the midst of a global health crisis. Instead, they pushed us to innovate and expand our abilities and perceptions of our art through digital production, found space staging, and intentional show selections utilized on productions like ‘Reality’s TV: The Perception Project,’ ‘Ajax in Iraq’ and ‘Rideshare/Overshare.’

“This semester, I have the opportunity to attend class and host creative ideas in the fabulous Griffith Fine Arts Building,” he added. “The space is beautiful and already so full of life. I am excited to share the hard work with the community in a space that can fully embody the talents of the school. I could not help but feel a sense of pride giving my Dad a tour of the building when he came to visit me this semester. I am thankful for my experiences leading up to this point.”

A similar excitement is shared by Keelan Bourne, a senior Rose Bruford American Theatre Arts student from Nuneaton, United Kingdom, who’s in the role of the Minstrel, an omniscient otherworldly storyteller, with a “lovely British accent.” He’s also a loyal servant/confidant to the King, and along with the help of the Jester, aids the fairytale along to its happily ever after.

“I started my journey at Rose Bruford in 2021,” Bourne said. “For the past three years I’ve been learning about American history/politics there, but most importantly American theatre. I’ve really enjoyed spending the penultimate semester of my degree here at SFA. The way community is so vital to the overall production of theatre here has been very inspiring.”

Bacarisse fondly recalls the many Rose Bruford students she’s worked with over the years, their talents and the excitement each has brought to the biennial musicals and other productions.

“I have cast Rose Bruford College students as King Arthur in ‘Spamalot,’ Andrew Jackson in ‘Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson’ and Curly in ‘Oklahoma,'” she said. “And just like students who are at SFA for their whole career, we keep in touch and I follow their careers and life events over in the U.K. Just this past summer, I saw performances by two Rose Bruford alumni who I had in class back in 2009 at the Edinburgh Fringe and visited with one Rose Bruford stage management student who happens to now live and work in Edinburgh.”

Bourne said he’s excited for audiences to just relish in “joyous whimsical theatre” with “Once Upon a Mattress.”

“There is such a need for spreading happiness right now with all that’s going on in the world, and I think ‘Once upon a Mattress’ really provides that,” he said. “Who doesn’t enjoy a musical? Everyone in the cast and crew, from our spectacular production crew, to musicians, to performers, have worked so hard on this show, and I think audiences are going to love it.”

“Once Upon a Mattress” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 2 through 4, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 4 and 5. General admission ticket prices are: adult, $15; senior (62+), $10; youth (high school and younger), $8; SFA faculty/staff, $8; non-SFA student, $8; and SFA student, $5. For ticketing information or to purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS, or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice. For information about the play, call (936) 468-4003 or visit sfasu.edu/theatre-dance.