Kouliavtsev was recently featured in WalletHub's “Ask the Experts” online column.

In the article, Kouliavtsev writes about the responsible use of credit cards and the impact they have on the economy's health and credit card interest rates. He also answers questions on finding the best card to suit individual needs.

To read Kouliavtsev’s article, click here.

Conn is presenting at the Women's Theatre Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The presentations include "Alphabet Soup: Explaining the Acronyms of the Theatre Profession," "Portfolio and Websites for Theatre Designers," "Accessible Sound Design Tools" and a sound editing and mixing workshop.

Hampton was recently interviewed for a Slate article on COVID-19 exposure at a Christian summer camp. Kanakuk, a Missouri-based camp, reported 82 cases of COVID-19 at one of its six camp locations. Hampton discussed Kanakuk’s historical role in evangelical culture. He has previously written about the camp’s role in evangelical culture.

To read the article, click here.

The SFA flag is flying at half-staff today in honor of SFA employee Jennifer Stringfield, who passed away yesterday.

Stringfield served SFA for eight years, most recently as a project analyst in the Project Management Office. A true Lumberjack, she received her bachelor's and master's degrees from SFA and periodically taught in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Communication. She is survived by her husband, Brandon, who serves as SFA's chief information security officer in Information Technology Services.

Funeral arrangements are currently unknown. For information, contact the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs at dosa@sfasu.edu.

While COVID-19 and SFA’s response to the pandemic were top concerns during the July quarterly meeting of the Board of Regents, actions taken were geared toward the future of the university.

Regents heard reports regarding the university’s plans to open campus for the fall semester and approved the budget for the upcoming academic year. They also heard reports from SFA President Gordon; Dr. Andrew Lannen, chair of the Faculty Senate; and Christopher Moore, Student Government Association president, among others.

To view recorded meetings of the SFA Board of Regents, visit sfasu.edu/regents.

Despite being in the midst of global change, SFA announced significant enrollment increases in both of its summer semesters.

“SFA’s summer enrollment increases are a testament to a number of exciting things,” said Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president. “First and foremost, it’s an indication that now more than ever, people understand the value and importance of pursuing higher education. It also reaffirms our campus community’s excitement of and investment in our new Lumberjack Education Assistance Program, which was approved by the Board of Regents in April, and that our swift work to expand flexible learning options allowed students to take classes from anywhere, regardless of their situation.”

The appointments of three SFA faculty members to serve in interim leadership roles were approved by the Board of Regents.

Matthew Beauregard, professor of mathematics and statistics, was named interim chair of the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy.

Kevin Langford, associate professor of biology and director of pre-health professions programs, is serving as interim chair of the Department of Biology.

Chay Runnels, associate professor of human sciences, was approved to serve as interim director of the School of Human Sciences.

To see more appointments, click “Read More.”

Dr. Adam Peck, assistant vice president and dean of student affairs, will host an information session about preparing SFA offices for the fall semester at 3 p.m. tomorrow via Zoom.

As SFA prepares for the fall semester, many offices open to the public are thinking about how to do so safely. SFA also is working to meet new demands from distance learners.

Join Dr. Janice Ledet, director of Health Services; Dr. Jeremy Higgins, director of the Office of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management; and Peck as they examine how offices can prepare to operate as safely as possible. They will discuss guidance from public health officials and elements of the Open SFA plan. There also will be time to answer questions.

To join the meeting, click here.

Meeting ID: 977 1599 6298

Password: 724820

Registration is open for the Texas Academic Advising Network East Region Virtual Drive-In conference, “Thriving Through Transition,” planned for Aug. 6.

SFA advisors, faculty and those who work with advising are invited to attend. You do not have to be TEXAAN to attend. The conference is $10 if you register prior to July 31. For those unable to attend live, you may register and access the conference recording at your convenience.

For conference information or to register, click here. For more information, contact Jessica Boone, East Region chair-elect, at boonejl1@sfasu.edu.

SFA alumnus Clayton Wolf was named the chief operating officer of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Wolf, who graduated from SFA with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry with a concentration in forest wildlife management, has a 27-year career with TPWD and previously served as the statewide wildlife division director.

“Any success I have achieved is because of my parents, all the great people around me and SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture,” Wolf said.

The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, SFA’s historic downtown gallery, is open to the public and showing a traveling exhibition of local photographer Richard Orton’s images of the Upshaw family of Nacogdoches County.

The photographs are the focus of Orton’s book, “The Upshaws of County Line: An American Family,” which is a documentation of the County Line community’s history through photographs and oral histories of the families who lived there.

Three brothers, Guss, Felix and Jim Upshaw, and their families established County Line in the 1870s. What stimulated Orton's curiosity about County Line was how quickly emancipated slaves were able to own their own land and, as a result, had the opportunity to live relatively autonomous, self-sufficient lives while raising their families in the time of Jim Crow.

"That is why I wanted to make photographs there and collect their oral history," Orton explained. "I was most fortunate to be allowed to do that."

For information, call the art center at (936) 468-6557.

Meet the mad hatterpillar, an invertebrate that inched its way into the news with its unusual appearance.

The caterpillar of the moth Uraba lugens keeps its old molted heads attached to its body to make a beautifully unique headpiece. Although the look may be something you could spy on a totem pole or at a B-52’s concert, the headpiece is used to bat predators away.

To read more, click here.