Each semester, SFA's Academic Assistance and Resource Center names one faculty or staff member the recipient of the AARC Bravo Award. The honor identifies someone who demonstrates above and beyond support of the AARC.

Dr. Erin Childress, professor in the Department of Biology, was named the spring 2021 AARC Bravo Award recipient. Childress was recognized for her outstanding support of student learning at the AARC. She has been a tireless student advocate and an impactful mentor to her SI Leaders for her anatomy and physiology courses.

Faragó, along with co-authors Kimberly Davidson and Terry Husband, were recently published in "Keeping up with the Times, Diversity and Inclusion in Early Childhood Teacher Education Programs."

Faragó and her colleagues wrote the chapter "Preparing Early Childhood Teachers for the Importance of Seeing Color in Children."

Scott recently served as the director of the International Trombone Festival’s Composers Workshop, where she organized the selection and performance of new music for the trombone.

She also was featured in the workshop as a soloist, in a duet, in a quartet and with the International Trombone Women’s Choir.

Selden has been awarded the Spatial Archaeometry Research Collaboration Residency, which will augment his recently awarded SPARC Data and Analytics grant. The award will allow him to expand his research efforts into ancestral Caddo ceramics using cutting-edge technologies.

President Scott Gordon and the President’s Cabinet are celebrating the beginning of a new academic year at the Fall Welcome Meeting planned for 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.

A limited number of seats — about 250 to 300 — in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom are available for those who choose to attend in person. Face coverings are encouraged.

For those who choose to attend virtually, a link on the Office of the President webpage will be posted Thursday morning.

The Staff Council is holding an election for its first representative body through Tuesday, Aug. 24.

To provide fair representation, seats on the body are divided by occupational/EEO classification, and one member will be elected for every 30 eligible staff members per group.

Names of elected individuals will be shared via email and SFA Today.

The Center for Career and Professional Development, the Student Success Center and the Rusche College of Business brought two additional student resources to campus this fall — First Generation Go and CareerSpring.

First Generation Go, an organization for students whose parents did not complete a university degree, and CareerSpring, also for first-generation students – known as GenJacks – together offer incoming first-year students an on-campus community as well as access to a national network of mentors and employers.

CareerSpring will be available to incoming 2021 freshmen as a resource within the Center for Career and Professional Development’s online career management platform, Handshake, and will offer exclusive job and internship opportunities to first-generation students.

The 2021 Stone Fort yearbooks have arrived. If you would like to purchase one or more for your department, email Student Publications Coordinator Rachel Clark at clarkr1@sfasu.edu.

Include a FOAP number for an interdepartmental transfer in the email. The yearbooks are $67 each.

While supplies last, past years’ Stone Fort yearbooks are also available for the bargain price of $30 each. If you would like to purchase any past yearbooks, include the desired years in your email.

The yearbooks will be delivered promptly to your department. If you have any questions, call Student Publications at (936) 468-4703.

The Center for Career and Professional Development will host the 2021 Part-time Job, Volunteer and Internship Career Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 1 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.

Faculty and staff members are encouraged to inform students about the event. Click here for a list of participating employers.

Students will need to bring their student ID for check-in, as well as copies of their résumé to distribute to employers. Professional dress is required. Résumé assistance and the center's free Career Closet are available to help students prepare for the event. Information about these resources may be found on the center's website.

This is also a great event for departments to fill vacant student worker or internship positions. To interact with potential candidates, faculty and staff can register to attend the event and have a table set up for free. To register for this event, click here.

For more information, contact the CCPD at (936) 468-3305 or ccpd@sfasu.edu.

The 12 X 12 Scholarship Fundraiser for the Friends of the Visual Arts at SFA is returning this fall.

Silent bidding – starting at a $250 minimum – begins Oct. 2 at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House and will continue up to the day of the art party, which is planned for 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 at the art center. Starting bids drop to $100 the night of the event, and raffle tickets will be sold five for $20. Refreshments will be served at the party.

The School of Art Faculty Exhibition will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 3 in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Each year, the faculty exhibition features a wide variety of artworks in ceramics, sculpture, photography, painting, prints, metals and mixed media, according to Christopher Talbot, director of the SFA School of Art.

“We look forward to another academic year and will start the semester presenting work from our talented faculty,” Talbot said. “I always enjoy seeing their creativity, and this is our opportunity to share it with the community.”

The Music Preparatory Division of the School of Music has announced new classes that will appeal to younger musicians and adult hobbyists alike.

“Musical Moments” piano classes for adults begins Sept. 7. “Musical Moments” was written to create a stress-free, enjoyable learning experience for the beginning adult student, according to Alba Madrid, Music Prep director.

“Students will learn to read music, play by chords and create music with other hobbyists,” she said. “Join the growing number of adults across the country who are learning to play piano using this fun and innovative program.” Morning and evening classes are available.

After a long journey spanning continents, herds of life-size lantana elephant sculptures have made their way to London.

"CoExistence," a collaboration between Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective, aims to draw attention to the creatures' rapid habitat loss and the human-elephant conflict. Hand-crafted by Indigenous communities in the jungles of Tamil Nadu, the sculptures encourage us to change the way we live by coexisting with the nature and wildlife around us.

Learn more about the elephants' journey here.