Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s timbersports team, the Sylvans, won the collegiate contest during the 39th annual Arkansas State Lumberjack Competition held Oct. 8 in Sheridan, Arkansas.

In addition to winning the competition, the team, comprising 26 SFA students, won every event in the collegiate division.

“We are proud of the Sylvans’ fine showing in Arkansas,” said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. “Not only has the team competed well, but they have also represented themselves and SFA exceptionally well.”

The team is led by Dr. Jeremy Stovall, SFA professor of silviculture, and achieved a perfect score of 35 points. Competing against the Sylvans, the University of Arkansas at Monticello placed second with 26 points while Louisiana Tech University placed third with 17 points.

Collegiate division winners representing the Sylvans included Luke Bludworth, Sawyer Singer, Jacob Sanders, Holly Parkin and Becky Rhoden. Collectively, they secured the first-place finish in Axe Throwing, Underhand Chop, Double Buck Crosscut, Jack and Jill Crosscut, Single Buck Crosscut, Women’s Bowsaw and Men’s Bowsaw.

Accompanying the team, four recent SFA alumni also competed in eight different events in the professional division. Similar to the students, they achieved success and earned nearly $500 in prizes.

The competition was officiated by Ken Bragg, a 1972 graduate of SFA and a member of the Arkansas State House of Representatives. It was organized in part by Karl Hansen, a current employee with Resource Management Service who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry from SFA in 1977 and 1980, respectively.

By Amy Neal, external communications specialist for the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University

Dr. Christina Guenther, professor of flute at Stephen F. Austin State University, will join music faculty colleagues in presenting the concert “Controversy and Hope: Music for Flute and …” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Performing with Guenther will be Dr. Brad Meyer, percussion; Dr. Deb Scott, trombone; Dr. Samantha Inman, flute; and Davidson Reyes, piano.

Works by Gareth Farr, Zachery S. Meier, Angela Oh, Gary Schocker and Valerie Coleman will be performed.

Farr’s “Kembang Suling: Three musical snapshots of Asia” for flute and marimba is in three movements. The first features flowing gamelan melodies intertwined with the sound of the Balinese bamboo flute, suling; the second emulates the Japanese shakuhachi flute floating over the warm echoes of the rolling landscape; and the third features complex rhythms in mixed meter and South Indian scales, setting the two instruments off in a race to see who can outplay the other.

Meier’s “Hush” for flute and trombone was inspired by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade and what the composer describes as the “nine individuals (who) stole the voices of millions of Americans and their right to healthcare.”

“Personalité Dédoublée” was Oh’s first delve into composing with electronics. She created all the sounds, including the human voice sounds (which are her voice). The work, which literally translates to “split personalities,” explores dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder).

Schocker’s “Two Flutes (on the loose) in Fujian” was inspired by the traditional music of the Fujian province in China, incorporating elements of Chinese folk melodies and rhythms. The piece features two flutes playing together in harmony, with intricate interweaving lines and rhythmic syncopations.

Coleman is regarded by the music world as an iconic artist who continues to pave her own unique path as a composer, Grammy-nominated flutist and entrepreneur. The title “FANMI IMÈN” is Haitian Creole for Maya Angelou’s famous work, “Human Family.” “Both the musical and literary poems acknowledge differences within mankind, either due to ethnicity, background or geography, but Angelou’s poetic refrain ‘we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike,” reaffirms our humanity as a reminder of unity,” according to Coleman.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Center for Applied Research and Rural Innovation has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration that will support the center’s mission of boosting regional industries and communities.

The grant is part of the 2023 University Center Economic Development Program Competition, which will provide a total of $16.5 million in grants to 23 colleges and universities in 14 states to administer programs that leverage their assets, promote innovation and strengthen regional economies. SFA will receive $130,000 annually for five years beginning in the 2023 fiscal year.

“This grant is particularly significant because it contributes to CARRI’s capacity to serve the region with excellence as a financially strong, relevant and vibrant center,” said Dr. Lorenzo Smith, SFA provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “This award will further raise SFA’s national visibility as a leader among regional, public universities seeking to strengthen the economic fabric of the surrounding rural community.”

SFA established CARRI in fall 2021 to engage faculty, staff and students in research projects that support academic programs and boost regional economic development. Since its establishment, the university has awarded numerous scholarships to rural SFA students and stipends to faculty members for innovative research projects. It also was rated the top rural-serving higher education institution in Texas by The Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges in 2022.

According to MaryAnn Rojas, CARRI executive director, the EDA grant funds will provide enhanced student engagement and better collaboration with SFA’s regional industry, education, community and economic development partners when creating approaches to regional economic challenges.

“There has been aggressive outreach to rural counties that has bolstered confidence in our region,” Rojas said. “This award will fortify SFA’s capacity to build upon and support our rural counties by continuing to leverage assets for the benefit of our entire deep East Texas region.”

According to EDA, the administration prioritizes economic development planning or implementation projects that advance equity across America through investments that directly benefit traditionally underserved populations. The 23 university centers to receive grants include a historically black college and university, Native American-serving nontribal institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions and minority-serving institutions.

First housed in an on-campus office upon its inception, CARRI staff members will move into the center’s new facility on Northwest Stallings Drive after ongoing renovations of the structure are complete.

For more information about CARRI, visit sfasu.edu/carri.

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 36 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 Nathan Wicker, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.