Ainsworth, who also serves as project manager of the Texas Runaway Slave Project, was quoted in the Smithsonian Magazine’s July/August issue.

The article, titled "South to the Promised Land," examines how numerous enslaved people made the treacherous journey through the southbound Underground Railroad to Mexico in a quest for freedom that historians are now unearthing.

Dr. Elizabeth Spradley, assistant professor of communication studies; Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor of education studies; Dr. Lauren Burrow, associate professor of education studies; and Dr. Chrissy Cross, associate professor of education studies, co-authored an article with Dr. Sarah Symonds LeBlanc, assistant professor of communication at Purdue University-Fort Wayne.

The article, titled “Being Dr. Mom and/or Mom, Ph.D.: Autoethnographies of MotherScholaring during COVID-19,” examines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts five women academics, “MotherScholars,” through the use of interactive interviewing, autoethnography and narrative collection.

Each narrative captures how the five MotherScholars negotiated between mother and academics during the pandemic. The article, which will be published in New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, concludes by highlighting the importance of women colleagues and friendships and identifying ways institutions of higher education can better support MotherScholars.

Personalized news releases and achievement stories are now available for students, thanks to a new partnership.

SFA’s Division of University Marketing Communications recently contracted with Merit, a company specializing in the distribution of news and media monitoring.

Dean’s and President’s Award recipients, commencement candidates, scholarship awardees, and students who placed in any range of academic or other competition, among other accomplishments, will now have publishable and shareable content distributed automatically. These news releases are sent through Merit directly to the students being recognized, as well as their educational supporters, hometown news outlets and government representatives. Each personalized announcement also is made easily shareable to social media.

Each student will receive an automatically created webpage the first time they are named in a Merit release, which the student will be notified of via email. All their accomplishments, from enrollment through graduation, will be compiled on the page. Students also may opt out of Merit, if they choose.

If students receive a Merit notification and have questions, they may contact UMC at umc@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-2605.

Megan Weatherly, director of SFA’s Center for Teaching and Learning since 2020, has been named executive director for the university’s new Lumberjack Learning Commons, or LLC, effective Sept. 1.

“I’m honored to be selected for this role, and I’m excited to work with a talented team of professional staff members to support our students, expand experiential learning opportunities, and build a program that will provide lifelong learning for individuals throughout our region,” Weatherly said.

Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor in the James I. Perkins College of Education’s Department of Education Studies, was recently selected by the American Educational Research Association to serve as a congressional fellow.

Olson Beal heads to Washington soon to work alongside staff for either a congressional office or committee, where she’ll serve as an expert in education.

Following a visit from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Aug. 16, SFA’s Office of Emergency Management met all requirements and was officially re-designated as a StormReady University for another three-year cycle. Renewal recognizes SFA’s ongoing preparations for severe weather conditions and weather emergencies.

The StormReady program is voluntary and provides institutions with recommendations and best practices from the local National Weather Service forecast office and state and local emergency managers.

For more information on the designation, visit the Emergency Management webpage.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs is launching the 2022 AXcel Mentoring Program for first-year students to assist with their transition to student life. The program emphasizes the importance of diversity, academic excellence, leadership and personal growth. Students are paired with current student leaders who exhibit a balance between academics and involvement. In addition, each student is also paired with a faculty or staff mentor.

The goal of the program is to increase retention rates among first-year students. A mentor’s only responsibility would be to meet with mentee(s) twice a semester. Mentors will be assigned between one to three students, depending on preference.

The program will begin in fall 2022, with the kickoff meeting scheduled in September. Details will be given at a later date to enrolled participants. Those interested in participating need to fill out the online form. The deadline to sign up for this program is Sept. 2. For more information, visit OMA’s website.

This past summer took SFA art professors Lauren Selden and Shaun Roberts to separate residencies where their adventures were as different as their art. Yet their time spent studying, creating and exploring different countries and regions resulted in transformative experiences that will make them better artists and teachers.

In addition to providing artists with a specific time and location for creating new work, artist residencies are also about making connections with other artists and communities, leading to exhibition opportunities, sales of artwork and improving and diversifying one’s craft.

The Center for Career and Professional Development will host several career fairs this academic year.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to inform students about the events. Career fairs are a great way for students to connect with potential employers hiring for full-time or internship opportunities.

These events are free for students and alumni, and are important professional connections, even for those not currently looking for a position. To learn more about career fairs, visit the CCPD website.

Aug. 31 – Part-time Job, Volunteer and Internship Fair at the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom

Sept. 14 – Accounting Career Fair at the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom

Sept. 22 – Construction Management and Interior Design Career Fair at the Human Sciences South Building

Oct. 12 – All Majors Career and Internship Fair at the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom

Nov. 4 – Teacher Career Fair at the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom

SFA announced its naming of Hays Consolidated Independent School District as a partner chosen for inclusion in the university’s Distinguished High School Program during a recent signing event.

This partnership means that top-ranking graduates from high schools in the district will be automatically eligible for scholarships worth up to $20,000. Inclusion in the program also means all Hays students may waive the $50 application fee, and seniors ranking in the top 30% of their class are guaranteed admission to SFA.

SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

Dr. Mike Arnold, professor of horticulture and director of The Gardens at Texas A&M University, will present "Plants, Built Environments, and Climate Change Challenges – Manifest Destiny in Action!”

Enjoy meeting new people? Want to learn about the world through new perspectives? The Office of International Programs is now accepting applications from faculty, staff, students and community members for the International Friendship Program.

Group with students from all over the world to make friends, explore Nacogdoches and SFA together, and share diverse cultures and perspectives with one another. This is an opportunity to be an ambassador for your culture, and to build skills in intercultural communication, all while making lifelong friends.

To apply, complete this survey. For more information, attend the interest meeting at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Multimedia Room.

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.

Soccer

SFA – 0 vs. Louisiana State University – 5

SFA – 2 vs. University of Louisiana at Lafayette – 2

Volleyball

SFA – 3 vs. Northwestern State University – 0

Progress continues on the much-anticipated renovation and expansion of the Griffith Fine Arts Building with an estimated mid-2023 completion date.

University and construction officials remain optimistic that current deadlines can be met, and that the building will be ready for occupancy prior to the start of the 2023-24 academic year, as planned.

Works of art created during summer residencies will be showcased in the annual School of Art Faculty Exhibition showing Aug. 30 through Sept. 30 at 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.

An opening reception for the faculty shows will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30. Admission to the exhibition and reception is free.

Registration is underway for fall classes in the Music Preparatory Division of the School of Music.

The fall roster for youth includes private lessons in piano, violin, cello, viola, bass, voice, trumpet and guitar. Lessons may be available for other instruments upon request. Group classes will be offered in piano for adults and children, Kindermusik (for students ages 0 to 6), Strings Project, children’s chorus (for students ages 9 to 15), youth orchestras and Raguet Strings for adult students.

Prices range from $20 to $180 per month, depending on frequency, type of lesson and lesson length. Some scholarships may be available to qualifying applicants.

When award-winning photographers Amos Nachoum and Marko Dimitrijevic met in Tonga while looking for humpback whales, they bonded over their shared love of big animals. Now, they’ve combined their photos to bring a look at the world of wildlife with a coffee table book, aptly titled “Big.”

Check out a few of these mesmerizing photos from the book, and check out more articles on My Modern Met.