Following recent approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the School of Social Work will begin offering a Doctorate of Social Work program in spring 2023, officially becoming the university’s fourth doctoral-level degree option.

SFA’s DSW program is structured to enhance the clinical expertise of social workers while also containing a pedagogical track that prepares graduates for teaching in bachelor’s- and master’s-level social work programs. It also will prepare social workers to enter leadership positions in health care management and administration.

Beginning this fall, the Center for Career and Professional Development will operate out of the career liaison model, which dedicates professional staff to particular majors and, consequently, industries. This will help SFA offer more specialized services and a CCPD point of contact for each college.

As liaisons, each staff member will act as the career coach for all majors within their respective colleges. When students schedule a career coaching appointment with the CCPD, they will primarily meet with their college’s assigned liaison, though other team members will be available to help as needed. The liaison also represents a point of contact for the faculty and staff of their assigned colleges.

Career liaisons for each college:

• Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, James I. Perkins College of Education — April Place, april.place@sfasu.edu

• College of Liberal and Applied Arts, Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts — Shannon Morrison, shannon.morrison@sfasu.edu

• College of Sciences and Mathematics, Rusche College of Business — Brent McLemore, brent.mclemore@sfasu.edu

The Rusche College of Business has partnered with Smith Sawmill Service to provide SFA students with a direct path to business careers in wood processing, an industry that’s integral to East Texas’ economy.

Smith Sawmill Service is one of the largest suppliers and service providers of saws, cutting tools, filing room equipment and critical consumable products. With locations in Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina, Smith is owned by BID Group, a private company established in 1924 that is now the leading supplier to the wood-processing industry in North America.

SFA's New Faculty Orientation Committee invites current faculty members to meet and welcome new faculty members at a casual evening social from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16, at the Cole Art Center, located at 329 E. Main St.

Plan year 2023 for active employees and retirees not eligible for Medicare begins Sept. 1 and runs through Aug. 31, 2023. If you are a HealthSelect medical plan participant, make the most of your medical benefits by noting the changes and reminders for the new plan year.

SFA Gardens will host a fruit research field day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 30 featuring kiwifruit, muscadine grapes, blueberries, figs, feijoas and other fruits.

Speakers will include Dr. David Creech, director of SFA Gardens, and Dr. Tim Hartmann and Dr. Justin Scheiner, both of Texas A&M University’s Department of Horticultural Sciences.

Faculty members and professional advisors are invited to the Professional Academic Advising Council meeting from 2 to 3 p.m. tomorrow via Zoom.

To learn more or be included in the PAAC email list, email Raquel Skidmore at skidmorerr@sfasu.edu.

The Staff Council has elected a new slate of officers for the 2022-23 academic year. They are:

• Chair-elect: Grace Romero, Campus Recreation

• Secretary: Meredith Baily, Information Technology Services

• Treasurer: Travis Killen, Information Technology Services

• Parliamentarian: Lissy Turner, Title IX Office

• Assumed duties as chair: 2021-22 chair-elect Alison Reed

A cute pair of barn owls once lived in the Smithsonian Institution Building in the '70s. After hatching and raising three owlets, the pair left the building and never returned.