Politics and child development and family living may not seem like your typical match, but for Sydni Mitchell, the two go hand in hand.
 
As communications director and policy analyst for Texas State Sen. Robert Nichols, Mitchell, a two-time Stephen F. Austin State University graduate, utilizes her unique background and perspective in her daily interactions and to affect policy.
 

The SFA Friends of Music and School of Music will honor Dr. Wesley J. Broadnax at Extravaganza 31, Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music’s annual gala banquet. The event is planned for 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 27, in the Grand Ballroom of SFA’s Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Broadnax, who is assistant professor and director of bands at Drexel University, will be recognized as the 2018 Outstanding Music Alumnus.

The Orchestra of the Pines at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform a program featuring great string repertoire at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Dr. Gene H. Moon, director of orchestras at SFA, said the concert will include “one very staple work in the string orchestra repertoire and another that is rather quite obscure.”

The Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Biology will host the 29th annual J.H. Burr Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Friday, April 27, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Twilight Ballroom.
 
SFA alumna Laura Livingston will present “The World is your Ostreoidea: The Diversity of Opportunities in Health Professions.”
 

The Symphonic Band and University Band at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform works by Henry Fillmore, Karl King, W. Francis McBeth and other great composers when the student ensembles perform at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 22, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Stephen F. Austin State University student’s research regarding social media, fitness and body image has been selected for presentation in the SFA’s upcoming Undergraduate Research Conference.
 
“Fitness v. Physique: Is Body Image Harming our Health?” is the result of months of study by SFA freshman Travis Maclin III, a kinesiology major from North Richland Hills. Maclin’s findings will be displayed as part of a poster presentation on April 17 in SFA’s Baker Pattillo Student Center.
 

The Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Computer Science will host the 43rd annual Computer Science Programming Contest from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21, in the McKibben Education Building, Rooms 316, 322 and 324.
 
Students form teams of three and four and compete to solve 10 problems devised by computer science faculty members. Depending on their experience level, teams can compete in a novice or expert category with the winning team members from both receiving $25 each.
 

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — It was all about family during the Texas Council on Family Relations conference in Frisco where more than a dozen Stephen F. Austin State University students attended to learn about family dynamics.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University alumni and industry professionals from more than a dozen companies recently shared their expertise with current Rusche College of Business students during the fifth annual College to Career Conference at SFA.

This conference serves as the annual capstone highlight for business students in the Career Success Passport Program, formerly the Student Success Passport Program. This program helps students hone their professional skills while competing for scholarships.