NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Nine students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s animation program earned awards in the 2026 ACM SIGGRAPH SpaceTime International Student Competition, including first place, a second-place tie and seven honorable mentions. The students were mentored by Benjamin Anderson, assistant professor of animation.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Dr. Neal Weaver, president of Stephen F. Austin State University, will deliver the commencement address to all bachelor's, master's and doctoral candidates during SFA’s summer commencement ceremony at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, in Johnson Coliseum.

“We are looking forward to celebrating our group of summer graduates,” Weaver said. “We’re excited to see where their hard work and perseverance will take them, and we wish them continued success as they begin the next chapter of their lives.”

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University continues its leadership role in drone-based dolphin health research using the Passive Health Assessment in Sea Mammals, or PHASM, platform in Galveston.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University faculty, staff and students along with members of the Gandy family and the Nacogdoches community celebrated the unveiling of the Dr. Bill and Barbara Gandy Makerspace in SFA’s College of Sciences and Mathematics at the Cole STEM Building July 16.

“One of the reasons I feel so connected to SFA is because I got a really wonderful education here,” Bill Gandy said. “We’re glad to give back.”

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– The Stephen F. Austin State University Baja SAE team recently completed its first-ever national Baja SAE New York competition, marking a historic and exciting milestone for the university’s engineering program.

The annual collegiate design competition sponsored by SAE International, formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers, hosted 102 registered teams from across North America who build and race rugged off-road vehicles.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– An asteroid discovered at the Stephen F. Austin State University Observatory in Nacogdoches in 1999 has been officially named Carona in honor of late Texas A&M University astronomer Don Carona.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University has appointed Dr. Dana Solomon as principal and superintendent of SFA Charter School. Solomon will begin her tenure during the summer.

“It is an honor to be named principal of SFA Charter School,” Solomon said. “I believe that every child can engineer a better future when provided a quality education, and I am looking forward to working with our whole SFA community to continue the stellar work of this legendary campus.”

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University will launch one of Texas’ few university-based, in-house advertising agencies this fall, giving students the opportunity to build their portfolios, develop professional skills and produce work for real clients before they graduate.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Five Stephen F. Austin State University students attended the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Washington Week from May 31 to June 3 to discuss educator preparation topics with congressional staff members and tour the nation’s capital.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University is continuing its strong enrollment momentum, with summer 2026 headcount currently up 6% and semester credit hours increasing 7% compared to summer 2025.

While enrollment remains open and the university's preliminary summer census date is July 9, current trends position SFA for its first summer enrollment increase since 2020 and one of the largest summer enrollment gains in recent university history.