Stephen F. Austin State University

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – Allen Oster, a Stephen F. Austin State University theatre professor, has been named a Piper Professor of 2006.

The Piper Professor Program, first established by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation in 1958, honors 15 professors annually in recognition of their outstanding achievements in Texas higher education. To be selected, a professor must be outgoing, devoted to his profession and must have impacted the lives of his students and the community. According to Dr. Clarence Bahs, director of the SFA School of Theatre, Oster meets and exceeds all the qualifications.

"Professor Oster is both an exceptional artist and teacher,” Bahs said. “Teaching is his life and his passion. Students who have long left the program consider him a friend and mentor and seek his advise throughout their careers. He is the teacher we all wish we could be. He is held in the highest respect by both students and colleagues."

A native of North Dakota, Oster received his bachelor’s degree at Dickenson State University and his master’s degree at North Dakota State University. After receiving his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Utah, Oster joined the SFA faculty in 1983.

In addition to teaching performance courses and directing, Oster is administrator of SFA’s student-directed production program and its high school summer theatre workshop. He has directed more than 50 productions including “Macbeth,” “Medea,” “Chicago,” “Hair” and “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.”

Oster is a past recipient of the SFA University Teaching Excellence Award. He is a member of the Texas Educational Theatre Association and the Theatre Communications Group. He serves as a University Interscholastic League one-act play adjudicator for the Texas Educational Theatre Association.

“Allen Oster is one of the great assets of the College of Fine Arts,” said Dr. Ric Berry, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “He is a master teacher and we are proud of his achievements. I am pleased that he has been recognized in this way.”

Oster will receive a $5,000 honorarium and a gold pin from the foundation to commemorate his award.

Previous Piper Professor Award recipients have included SFA faculty members Dr. Lucille Norton (1964), Dr. Jesse H. Burr (1978) and Dr. David Kulhavy (1995).