Three Stephen F. Austin State University faculty members were granted tenure by the Board of Regents at a meeting Monday.

Danny Arnold, dean of the Nelson Rusche College of Business, and Judy Abbott, dean of the James I. Perkins College of Education, received tenure awards, along with Robbie Steward, chair of the Department of Human Services.

The Board of Regents also approved the appointments of new faculty members including: from the College of Business, Natasha McClelland, lecturer of accounting; from the College of Education, Deena Petersen, clinical instructor of human services, and Larry Ponder, assistant professor of elementary education; from the College of Fine Arts, Dawn Stienecker, lecturer of art, and Runcie Tatnall, assistant professor of art; from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Clayton Bailey, assistant professor of agriculture; from the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, Jerry Mathes II, visiting assistant professor of English; and from the College of Sciences and Mathematics, Melinda Shaw-Faulkner, lecturer of geology, and Jeanie Kay McRae and Sally Thompson, both clinical instructors of nursing.

Staff appointments approved by the board Monday include: Kenneth Morton, director of campus recreation; Travis Isbell, admissions counselor; Alexis Majors, academic adviser for the College of Business; Joann Black, coordinator of annual giving for the Office of Development; Brenda Johnson, charter school teacher; Ginny Love, Early Childhood Lab teacher; Stephanie Wilkins, database administrator for the Department of Information Technology Services; and Janet Kamps, distance education coordinator.

Several staff appointments were approved for the Department of Athletics, including Patrick Boone V, assistant men's basketball coach; Patrick Sullivan, head tennis coach; and Brian Wall, assistant track coach. Appointments in the Department of Residence Life include Angela Cain, manager of residence life administration; and Adam Dubose and Andrea Huggenvik, hall directors.

Several changes of status involving the academic leadership of SFA also were approved. Kimberly Childs was appointed interim dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, while William Bruton has been named interim associate dean of the college. Deborah DuFrene and Warren Fisher are now serving as associate deans of the College of Business, and Ronald Anderson has been named interim chair of the Department of Psychology.

The following changes of status were approved for the College of Liberal and Applied Arts: Andrew Brininstool, from visiting assistant professor to assistant professor of English; Stephen McPaul, from adjunct faculty to visiting lecturer of communication and contemporary culture; and Christopher Sams, from adjunct faculty to assistant professor of English.

Additional changes of status include Annemarie Eubanks, from adjunct faculty to lecturer of computer science; Margaret Hilton, from interpreter to staff interpreter and coordinator of deaf and hard of hearing services in the Department of Disability Services; Lani Draper, from online communication specialist in the Office of Public Affairs to instructional design specialist in the library; Laura Osborne, from adjunct faculty in English to faculty support specialist in the Office of Instructional Technology; Bryan Patton, from web developer/designer to online communication specialist in the Office of Public Affairs; Sabrina Delaney, from degree audit coordinator to associate registrar; and Anita Barnes, from clinical instructor to assistant professor of nursing.

Four retirements also were approved by the board on Monday, including Wayne Boring, professor of chemistry and hazardous materials officer; Charles Jones, professor of art; Sandra McCune, professor of elementary education; and Rebecca Yarbrough, director of printing services. The retirees' years of service to SFA total 132 years.