Everything Nac

Members of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Board of Regents met to approve a five-year Cisco wireless licensing renewal, among other actions, during a special called meeting Friday.

The total five-year cost of the renewal will be $1,668,825. Approximately 75% of the campus wireless network is dedicated to student residential facilities, so 75% of the cost for the renewal will be covered by on-campus residential wireless service and upgrade funds approved during the April 11 regents meeting. The nonresidential portion of the license will be paid for through a Higher Education Fund appropriation.

The regents authorized the SFA president to execute all purchase orders and contracts necessary to execute this license renewal.

Additionally, the regents authorized the president to sign amendments to SFA’s contract with Love Advertising Inc., the company SFA works with for media buying and digital services. The additional spending authority allows SFA’s Division of University Marketing Communications to use funds external to the contract to help more SFA departments use Love for their digital advertising needs.

To view recorded meetings of the SFA Board of Regents, visit sfasu.edu/about-sfa/board-of-regents/meeting-information.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 12, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Jennifer Buckner, director of horticulture at Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, will present “Favorite Perennials for Tough Conditions.” Buckner also manages the plant displays in the Epiphyte House, Exhibition Greenhouses and Children’s Garden.

Buckner joined the staff at Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in 2007 and holds a Bachelor of Science in horticulture and entomology and a Master of Agriculture in floriculture from Texas A&M University. Her past experiences include working at an independent garden center retailer and a wholesale nursery.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month. It is preceded by an attendee social at 6:30 p.m., and a rare plant raffle will follow the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

The Austin area has made a name for itself as a hub for up-and-coming sports stars. It also offers opportunities for those mastering the business side of sports, as students from Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business learned on a recent trip to the capital of Texas.

In April, nearly 30 SFA sports business students visited the Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Texas Rangers; the Q2 Stadium, home of the Austin FC soccer club, the first top-division major professional sports franchise in Austin; and the Cedar Park Center, home of the Texas Stars, the American Hockey League affiliate to the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars.

“Working in sports is tied very specifically to place and to sites of sports, such as stadiums, arenas and ballparks,” said Dr. Robert McDermand, senior lecturer of sports business and management. “The events themselves form the core of the business, and the activity in the venues forms much of the business side of sports.”

Students must understand the relationships between facilities, sports, fans, marketing, sponsorships, ticket sales and personal engagement to be successful in this type of business, McDermand said.

“Trips like this expose our students to a level of sports that isn’t available locally, but it is likely the level they’ll be working at in their first job,” he said. “Students have the opportunity to engage with sports in a fun but meaningful way and meet professionals who one day might be key members of their professional networks.”

For Colby Jackson, senior from Houston, president of SFA’s Sports Business Society and a huge Texas Rangers fan, the trip marked his first visit to Austin. He said his favorite parts of the experience were touring the Dell Diamond, seeing Rangers’ minor league prospects play in person, and talking shop with Round Rock Express staff members, including Reid Ryan, chief executive officer of Ryan Sanders Sports & Entertainment and son of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.

“They talked to us about their careers and what it’s like to work in their field,” Jackson said. “They emphasized that making connections is key to survival in the sports industry. The sports world is small, so it’s important to make connections and build positive relationships.”

Kaitlyn Rieke, junior from League City, learned that minor league baseball is a great place to start in the industry; however, as a soccer fan, she was most excited to visit Austin FC. The club began playing in the Western Conference in 2021 in the new Q2 Stadium.

The visit to Q2 Stadium led to a big professional network connection for Rieke.

“I talked to Alison Roscoe, the senior vice president of corporate partnerships for Austin FC, and she emailed human resources my résumé and told them who I was for future jobs,” Rieke said. “So, I now have a connection with someone inside a pro sports organization because of this Austin trip.”

Roman Farias, junior from Humble and president of the Lumberjack Fantasy Football Club, said he’ll be pursuing an operations or marketing coordinator position for a professional sports team when he graduates.

“This trip taught me to be open to innovative ideas and take up new challenges that can help you grow your professional status,” Farias said. “I also learned how crucial sports teams are to a city and how people of all ages and ethnicities can come together and enjoy a sporting event.”

Staying open minded was a lesson China Spring senior Mason Wright also embraced during the trip.

“Any sports organization is a great place to start because it gets your foot in the door to work for another sports organization at a higher level,” he said. “I’ve been passionate about sports my whole life, and it would be a dream come true if I was able to be part of a sports organization in the future.”

For more information on SFA’s sports business program, visit sfasu.edu/mgtmkt/academics/sports-business or email McDermand at mcdermanrd@sfasu.edu.

Story by Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University. Photo by Robert McDermand.