Stephen F. Austin State University

March 2006 Edition

It is spring. There are many things blossoming here at SFA, and they are not just on the beautiful azalea trail. Each of the seven college deans was asked to provide bragging points about what is going on with their college. Below are some items that you can brag about around the water cooler.

—Stephen F. Austin State University is pleased to welcome Deborah S. Baisden, the new vice president for finance and administration. Baisden has valuable experience with the Legislative Budget Board that will be a great asset to SFA.

—Baseball is BACK at SFA! The first team is working hard to bring home as many wins as possible.

—A new residence hall, Lumberjack Lodge, opened this January, and two new parking garages are complete and in full operation. Expansion and renovation of the University Center and construction of a second student housing-parking garage complex and a student recreation center are under way.

—The College of Applied Arts and Sciences Debate Team is currently ranked first place nationally in the International Public Debate Association Open Division and has three debaters who are ranked in the top 10 individually for the 2005-2006 season.

—The Nelson Rusche College of Business is proud to share that the Department of Accounting is in the process of being named after Gerald Shlief, a 1970 accounting graduate.

—James I. Perkins College of Education students continue to score at the top when it comes to state certification exams, with a 99 percent pass rate for teacher certification and a 98 percent pass rate for overall educator certification exams.

—The College of Fine Arts is still providing valuable opportunities in the arts to its students: international opportunities; opportunities to perform, direct and create alongside their professors; and opportunities to work with world-renowned guest artists and teachers.

—The Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture is extremely proud of its three centers of excellence: the Columbia Geospatial Service Center, the Pharmaceutical Crops Center and the Poultry Science Center. All three fulfill vital needs of citizens of East Texas, including rural economic development, and strengthen the bond between undergraduate education and research.

—The College of Liberal Arts Moot Court Team participated in the National Moot Court Competition and brought back to the SFA campus two All-Americans and three of the top teams in the nation, as well as the Best New University in Competition award.

—The College of Sciences and Mathematics aquatic biology area is internationally recognized. Recent work has emphasized studies of invasive species, rediscovery of species long thought to have been extinct in the region, plant ecology in East Texas wetlands, and the use of invertebrates as markers of ecological change.

There are multiple happenings occurring on the SFA campus—more than we could possibly include in this short newsletter. Watch for more editions of Axe ’em Jacks Newsletter for additional information about SFA. For additional news and information about SFA and your college, you can log on to www.sfasu.edu.

For ways to contribute to the future of SFA, make your donation online using our secure server at www.givetosfa.sfasu.edu.

If you would like to receive this eNewsletter quarterly via email contact April L. Smith.

December 2005 Edition

At the end of the year people tend to look back and reflect on what they have learned, accomplished and experienced during the previous 12 months. Here at SFA we want to share with you, our alumni, what has happened at SFA in the year 2005 and the plans we have for the future. As you have probably heard, SFA is a growing university and it is growing at an amazing rate! Presently, there is $162 million in new construction taking place on the SFA campus.

• The first parking garage, near the University Center, was completed in August of this year. The second parking garage is well on its way to being completed by January 2006.
  
• The first residence hall to be built since Hall 20 in 1984 is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2006. The students have lined up to be the first group of students to live in Lumberjack Lodge.
  
• Clark Apartments have been torn down to make room for another new residence hall, Lumberjack Village, that is scheduled to be completed in Fall 2006.
  
• The Arthur Temple College of Forestry became the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture in January 2005.
  
• The College of Liberal Arts and College of Applied Arts and Sciences plan to join forces and become one college during 2006.
  
• Starr Apartments have been removed and currently are being replaced by new tennis courts. The courts we remember using have been torn down in order to make room for the new Recreational Center that is scheduled to be completed in 2007.
  
• As future students take tours of the campus, they are hearing the rumblings of the University Center renovations. The new University Center will benefit students and visitors with numerous amenities such as a movie theater, bowling alley, many new offices and meeting rooms.
  
• Hurricane Rita was a terrible event that brought out the best in many individuals. There was an overwhelming response from the SFA students, faculty and staff through hundreds of volunteer hours to put the needs of the evacuees first. The SFA community is something to be extremely proud of.

There are multiple happenings occurring at the SFA campus, more than we could possibly include in this short newsletter. Watch for more editions of Axe`em Jacks Newsletter for additional information about SFA. Always know that, for further news and information about SFA, you can log on to www.sfasu.edu.

If you would like to receive this eNewsletter quarterly via email contact April L. Smith.