NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Dr. Chay Runnels, associate professor, hospitality administration program coordinator and graduate program co-coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University, is the latest recipient of an endowed professorship established to reward faculty members who serve as excellent mentors and teachers.

The Jim Towns Mentoring Professorship recognizes professors who instill, foster and promote a mentoring culture at SFA. The award is named for Dr. Jim Towns, a longtime SFA professor of communication studies.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Designer of the award-winning Stephen F. Austin State University radio station KSAU-FM and more than 30-year faculty member Dr. William "Joe" Oliver was selected to receive the 2016 Texas Association of Broadcasters' Educator of the Year Award.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - This fall, Stephen F. Austin State University students will again partner with Cotton Incorporated to collect denim for the Blue Jeans Go Green project.

This recycle program encourages people to donate denim to be "upcycled" into UltraTouch denim insulation. Jamie Cupit, fashion merchandising instructor in SFA's School of Human Sciences, is helping coordinate the project on campus.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens will host a soap-making workshop from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 10, in Room 101 of the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St.

The Gifts from the Garden workshop will be led by Elyce Rodewald, SFA Gardens education coordinator. Participants will use the cold-press method of soap making and will take home samples of luxurious soap they create.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association will honor eight alumni during its annual awards banquet beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.

The Alumni Association awards its highest honors to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and the community, and who advance the goals and values of SFA.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - An informal, intimate evening with two of the most beloved performers in East Texas is a must-see event when the Friends of Theatre at Stephen F. Austin State University host a reading of A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Brad Maule and Rhonda Plymate Simmons will perform close to the audience and conclude the reading with a casual conversation with everyone in attendance. Proceeds from the event will provide scholarship opportunities for students in the SFA School of Theatre.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Hundreds of Stephen F. Austin State University education students who will soon graduate and begin teaching attended SFA's Student-Teacher Orientation Thursday, Aug. 18.

Throughout the day, James I. Perkins College of Education faculty members discussed student-teaching guidelines, handbook policies and student-teaching tips, as well as answered questions about this next step in preparing students to become educators.

Dr. Janet Tareilo, associate dean of the college, explained the students' focus should now be concentrated on student teaching.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art will present as its first exhibition of the 2016-17 academic year, "Christopher Troutman: Drawing and Narrative," which runs Aug. 31 through Oct. 14 in Griffith Gallery in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.

Troutman's beautifully rendered drawings portray scenes from urban daily life, defining the form and space of figures within their environments, according to John Handley, director of galleries at SFA.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present the Heterodyne Duo in concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29, in Cole Concert Hall in the first recital of the 2016-17 Cole Performing Arts Series.

The Heterodyne Duo features music faculty members Dr. Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies, and Dr. Nathan Nabb, professor of saxophone. They will perform a recital featuring contemporary and ethnic, dance-style music.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - A soda craving, an eye for creativity and a heart ready to give back started the design process for Stephen F. Austin State University senior interior design major Jennifer Gregory. During the summer, Gregory, a Willis native, and her classmate, Cody Johnson, a senior interior design major from Hallsville, created a room with repurposed furniture for the seventh annual Nest Fest fundraiser, an event benefiting the Renesting Project in Bossier City, Louisiana.