Seven SFA faculty members will be honored this week for their outstanding contributions to the classroom during the Teaching Excellence Awards Convocation, which recognizes one individual from each of SFA’s six colleges and a seventh chosen by the Faculty Senate.

The convocation will be from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Regents’ Suites A and B. The event is free and open to the public.

Honorees include Dr. Jason Reese, assistant professor of marketing; Dr. Mark S. Montgomery, assistant professor of elementary education; Dr. Deb Scott, professor of music; Dr. John Mehaffey, associate professor of agriculture; Dr. John C. Pruit, assistant professor of sociology; Dr. Matthew A. Beauregard, professor of mathematics and statistics; and Jackie Rosenfeld, senior lecturer of theatre.

SFA’s College of Sciences and Mathematics will host the fifth annual Women in STEM Luncheon and Style Show at noon Tuesday, April 9, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.

Doors open at 11 a.m. for a gallery walk poster presentation highlighting science, technology, engineering and mathematics research accomplishments by SFA students and faculty.

The luncheon and style show is a scholarship fundraising event benefiting students committed to the advancement of women pursuing STEM degrees at SFA.

The deadline for reservations is Monday, April 8. Tickets are $40 each or $300 for a table of eight. For more information or to make a reservation, call (936) 486-2805, or email Kim Carmona at kdcarmona@sfasu.edu.

SFA will hold a dedication ceremony for the 1st Lt. Kile G. West Memorial Obstacle Course at 2:30 p.m. April 29 at the Student Recreation Center. The public is invited to attend.

West, who graduated from SFA in 2005, attended the field artillery officer basic course and was assigned to the 1st Calvary Division at Fort Hood. West and four of his men were killed in action May 28, 2007, in Abu Sayda, Iraq, while en route to rescue the crew of a downed U.S. aircraft. West was the first officer commissioned at SFA to be killed in action. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart.

Sponsored by SFA’s Division of Multidisciplinary Studies, the Women’s and Gender Studies Symposium is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Friday, April 5, and will include presentations on a variety of research, projects and creative works centered on the theme of gender.

The symposium will kick off with a presentation by Jordan Johnson, a doctoral candidate at Emory University, titled, “Into the Archive: Feminist Curiosity and Interdisciplinary Research.”

Johnson’s keynote speech will be held in Liberal Arts North, Room 142, at noon. The symposium panels to follow will be held in the Ferguson Building, Room 471.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Linda Levitt at (936) 468-1236 or levittlb@sfasu.edu.

Men's golf:

The team finished sixth at the Huntsville Toyota Bearkat Invitational.

Women's golf:

The team finished seventh at the Lamar Cardinal Challenge.

Softball:

SFA - 4 vs. Baylor University - 1

SFA’s SRT Contemporary Ensemble will present a rhythm and blues concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, in Cole Concert Hall.

Among the selections to be performed are “Celebrate” by Anderson.Paak, “Funky Drummer” by James Brown, “Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees and “Hallelujah! I Love Her So” by Ray Charles.

Other popular tunes on the program are “Oh Honey” by Delegation, “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield, “Valerie” by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, and “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407, or visit finearts.sfasu.edu.

Dr. Deb Scott, professor of music, will present a recital at 7:30 p.m. April 11 in Cole Concert Hall.

Among the varied works to be featured is "Pearls II” by Roland Szentpáli, a Hungarian composer and world-renowned tuba player.

Dr. Ron Petti, director of accompanying at SFA, will perform with Scott and will be featured on “Rhapsody” by Michael Schneider, who is a collaborative pianist and composer in the Dallas area.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407, or visit finearts.sfasu.edu.

Dr. Abby Yeakle Held, adjunct professor of oboe, will present the recital program “Celebrating the Music of American Composers” at 7:30 p.m. April 12 in Cole Concert Hall.

With a goal of presenting a program of only American repertoire, Held selected a "made-in-the-USA" theme featuring the music of William Grant Still, Samuel Barber, George Gershwin, Gian Carlo Menotti, Douglas Moore and Alyssa Morris. Performing with Held will be SFA collaborative pianist Hyun Ji Oh.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407, or visit finearts.sfasu.edu.

Michelle White, senior curator at the Menil Collection in Houston, will serve as juror for the 25th Texas National, SFA’s acclaimed art competition and exhibition, which opens April 13 and runs through June 9 in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Texas National features an assortment of art, including photography, painting, sculpture and mixed media, according to John Handley, director of SFA galleries. This year’s exhibition includes 50 pieces of art from across the nation.

White will give a gallery talk at 5 p.m. April 13 at the Cole Art Center, followed by the announcement of this year’s Texas National winners during the exhibitions’ opening reception, which begins at 6 p.m.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

A funny and entertaining musical tale for the entire family is this year’s opera selection from SFA’s School of Music.

“The Pirates of Penzance” by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan is “good, old-fashioned fun,” said Dr. Debbie Dalton, associate professor of music at SFA and the show’s stage director.

Young Frederic has just finished his obligation as a pirate apprentice, Dalton said in describing the story. After 21 years at sea, he looks forward to new adventures on land. He meets and falls in love with Mabel, one of the many wards of Maj. Gen. Stanley, but, of course, there are many obstacles to overcome before they may marry.

“The Pirates of Penzance” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow through Saturday, April 6, in Turner Auditorium.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $7.50 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407, or visit finearts.sfasu.edu.

Apparently, humans are not the only species participating in the “tidy up” trend.

Stephen McKears of Gloucestershire noticed the tools in his shed were being moved, so he set up a camera to figure out what was happening. He discovered that a mouse was coming in at night to organize.

To watch the video, click here.