SFA's BFA in creative writing program in the College of Liberal and Applied Arts was named second in the nation by College Magazine.

The article notes the outstanding senior thesis experience; HUMID, the student-run journal; and SubPlots, the creative writing club, as standout features. It also mentions the beauty of the SFA campus.

U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions, who represents Texas' 17th Congressional District, will deliver the commencement address during SFA’s graduation ceremonies Dec. 15 and 16 in Johnson Coliseum.

December commencement will be split into three ceremonies. Candidates from the Nelson Rusche College of Business and James I. Perkins College of Education’s Department of Education Studies will participate at 6 p.m. Dec. 15.

Candidates from the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, and three areas in the Perkins College of Education — School of Human Sciences, Department of Human Services and Educational Leadership, and Department of Kinesiology and Health Science — will participate at 9 a.m. Dec. 16.

Candidates from the College of Liberal and Applied Arts and the College of Sciences and Mathematics will participate at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 16.

Staff Council will meet at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 11, in McGee Business Building, Room 133.

Robin Johnson, assistant director for publications and design, will present updates on SFA’s branding guide. The meeting will be livestreamed via Zoom, and the meeting agenda is available on the meeting information page.

Construction management students in the James I. Perkins College of Education’s School of Human Sciences will host an open house featuring the tiny home they built this fall from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Village Nac community at 1188 County Road 823.

Starting in September, 10 students enrolled in the “Building Construction Systems” course worked together to build the 16-by-18-foot home on-site at Village Nac, a faith-based shelter for those experiencing poor mental health and homelessness. Unlike the previous tiny homes, this larger home features a full bathroom, kitchen and den, as well as a bedroom.

This holiday season, the Dean of Students Office is hosting a Toys for Tots toy drive. You can bring new, unwrapped toys to the third-floor lobby of the Rusk Building. Toys will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through tomorrow.

Donated items will go to Toys for Tots and will stay within the Nacogdoches community to help local families have a brighter holiday season. For more information, email dos@sfasu.edu.

The Organization for Women’s Leadership and Equity invites all interested staff and faculty to a lunch meet-up from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. tomorrow on the fourth-floor terrace in the Cole STEM Building. Bring a lunch and come visit with some great people!

OWLE is a professional organization of staff and faculty who work together to empower women and support women’s professional advancement while balancing their professional, personal, physical and mental health demands and needs.

For more information, email owle@sfasu.edu.

Join SFA Makerspace staff members for their second annual holiday event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12.

This come-and-go event will showcase 3D printers, laser cutters and other maker technologies in the space and will provide attendees with the opportunity to make their own holiday ornament, while supplies last. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information about the makerspace, visit sfasu.edu/makerspace.

Every student organization offers an opportunity for not only fun but also a meaningful educational experience. With over 250 student organizations on campus, there are many creative opportunities to help students get involved, develop leadership skills, meet new people and enhance their co-curricular education.

Each organization must have a faculty or staff member serve as an advisor to be recognized as an active organization. The role can vary depending on how much the advisor wants to be involved. Advisors provide guidance and assist Student Engagement with communicating university policy and procedures to the student leaders.

If you are interested in becoming an advisor, contact Student Engagement at studentengagement@sfasu.edu to be added to the listserv for student leaders to reach out when they need a faculty/staff advisor.

Men's Basketball

SFA – 49 vs. Louisiana Tech University – 56

To view SFA Athletics news and a schedule of upcoming events, visit sfajacks.com.

Refined, a biennial exhibition of contemporary jewelry and metalwork hosted by the jewelry and metalworking program in the School of Art, runs through Jan. 5 in Reavley Gallery at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

School of Art Professor Lauren McAdams Selden describes the individual works of art in a video that can be viewed on YouTube or Facebook.

The Electric Guitar Ensemble will perform a varied program ranging from jazz standards to Christmas favorites when the student group performs at 6 p.m. today in the Music Recital Hall located inside the Wright Music Building.

Directed by School of Music faculty member Larry Greer, the ensemble will perform works by Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Antônio Carlos Jobim and others, along with a Peruvian folk song and popular selections by Henry Mancini and Roy Orbison.

Advanced and graduate sculpture installation students, along with their professor, Eden Collins, will host “Jacks of All Trades,” a pop-up exhibition, from 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at Turner Fabrication, 718 S. University Drive.

The exhibition will include installation sculptures, interactive artworks and performance pieces. Artists include graduate students Dave Clark, Melonie Kotschwar and Gavin Gilmore; undergraduate students Leah Baters, Brandon Cano De Leon, Emily Gilbert, Bryce Hopkins, Nate Morris and Grimm Thompson; and Collins, assistant professor in the School of Art.

The combined choirs will present the annual Seasonal Celebration concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, in Turner Auditorium in the Griffith Fine Arts Building.

The annual holiday event features the Singin’ Axes and Kantorei choirs with Dr. Tod Fish, conductor, and the A Cappella Choir with Dr. Michael Murphy, conductor. Graduate student conductors are Tate Ashby of Lufkin and Ryan Herriage of Sulphur Springs.

This position is responsible for providing one-on-one instructional support to faculty-led orientation and mobility training programs. The program specialist is responsible for ensuring the safety of program participants during instructional activities.

Responsible for the operation and general maintenance of assigned buildings and equipment, the building operator II performs all electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting and mechanical repairs as required to keep buildings and equipment in good operating condition, among other responsibilities.

This is a full-time, nine-month, tenure-track faculty position responsible for contributing significantly to SFA’s undergraduate and/or graduate programs through teaching, scholarship/creative accomplishment and service.

For more career opportunities, visit SFA's career website.

After visiting the construction management program’s new tiny home Saturday, Dec. 9, continue the fun with the 32nd annual Christmas Tour of Homes from 1 to 5 p.m.

The tour features SFA’s own Juanita Curry Boynton Home (the president’s house), the newly renovated Old University Building, the Jacqueline Hilton Robberson home at 313 N. Lanana St., the Still home at 3803 Buckingham Drive, and the Branch McKinney Weigel Home at 704 Virginia Ave.

Tickets are $25. For more information, visit the event’s webpage.