Stephen F. Austin State University

The newest building project at Stephen F. Austin State University got underway during the January meeting of the Board of Regents. Regents approved the request for proposals from potential architects and construction managers at risk for a new Education Research Center, a project endorsed for funding by the Texas Legislature through the issuance of $30 million in Tuition Revenue Bonds.

Proposals submitted will be reviewed and recommendations will be made to the Regents' Building and Grounds Committee of the top candidates for consideration. Tentative plans are for the center to bring under one roof the university's Early Childhood Laboratory, the Nacogdoches Independent School District-SFA Charter School and the Department of Elementary Education.

While the SFA regents have become known for erecting new buildings on campus, the demolition of an old building also was on their list of projects to be approved. The Birdwell Building is scheduled for demolition when the Student Center is complete and offices that have been temporarily housed there are moved to their new locations.

"The demolition was previously stipulated by the state as a condition of the approval for building the Human Services building," said Dr. Baker Pattillo, newly elected SFA president. "We made a commitment to the Coordinating Board when we asked for permission to build the Human Services facility, and we need to keep our word and maintain our credibility."

The administration will solicit bids for the demolition of the building with funds from the residual balance in the fiscal year 2002 Tuition Revenue Bonds project account.

Regents also voted to increase the scholarships that are designed to attract top students to SFA. University Scholars Awards are valued at $2,000 per year and are renewable up to four years. The scholarships have been awarded at SFA since 1981, when they were valued at $1,000 per year. In 2000, the award amounts were increased to $2,000.

"These scholarships are awarded to academically-gifted undergraduate students and eligibility is based on minimum SAT or ACT scores," said Dr. Marlin Young, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs. "Students must also maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 and carry an academic load of 12 credit hours."

In order to increase the number of recipients who accept the awards, regents voted to increase the amount to $4,000.

"We believe that raising the value of the scholarship will greatly increase the retention of these fine students," Young said.

The change would be a $44,000 increase per year over the currently budgeted amount of $88,000, for a total of $176,000, which would be included in SFA's 2008 budget.

Regents also increased the annual scholarship allocation for the Office of International Programs from $35,000 to $60,000. The scholarship initiative began in August 2004, when SFA had 97 international students. International student numbers have increased by 70 percent to 165 students.

"International students do not have access to other funds that are available to domestic students, like Pell Grants, Texas Grants, and Stafford Loans, so these scholarships are extremely important for recruiting and retaining international students," said Dr. Daniel Norton, director of the international programs office.

Regents also approved a proposal to name the entomology collection house in the Department of Biology after a long-time faculty member. The William W. Gibson Entomarium will honor the faculty member who transformed it from a small, one-cabinet collection to the third largest collection in the state.

"Dr. Gibson has used this facility to build a record of the invertebrate life of our region, said Dr. William Godwin, biology faculty member. "It
has served the university and inspired many students to pursue careers in entomology, and thousands of students have received valuable instruction and knowledge. It also has magnified the status of SFA by attracting scientists from all over the world to use the collection for research by visiting and borrowing specimens. There is no other similar facility in East Texas."

Gibson is in his 45th year of teaching, with specialties in entomology and invertebrate zoology. According to Godwin, naming the collection in his honor will increase the academic profile of the department and strengthen its position as a regional center for biodiversity studies.

There are presently five named collections in the United States, Godwin said.

Regents approved adding funds to the housing maintenance operation accounts to fund replacement of the heating system boiler and repair of a chiller and cooling tower for two residence halls.

Regents authorized a contract with Commercial Bank of Texas to supply banking services in the new Student Center, scheduled to open in April. The bank was the only bidder on the service, and the annual lease was approved for five years for $40,800 annually.

Regents approved contracts for collection services with Williams and Fudge, and with Windham Professions for a five-year period with the option to renew for an additional five-year period.

Regents approved a resolution naming financial institutions and brokers qualified for investment transactions and acknowledged the review of the investment policy, as required by the Texas Public Funds Investment Act. They reviewed budget changes in amounts of $100,000 or less, and approved policy revisions necessary to incorporate organizational, job title, and regulatory changes and to improve the flow of information.