SFA celebrated another record-setting Giving Day, raising $273,318 from 4,808 donors during its fifth annual event Sept. 18, SFA’s 102nd birthday. This year’s totals exceeded the goal of 3,500 donors and far outpaced 2024’s results of $192,545 from just over 3,400 donors. The increase represents a 42% jump in dollars raised and 41% growth in donor participation year over year.

Acclaimed actor and Texas native Dennis Quaid will bring star power and business policy insight to SFA this spring as the speaker for the fifth installment of the Nelson Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series. Best known for iconic film roles in “The Rookie,” “The Parent Trap” 1998 remake and “A Dog’s Purpose,” Quaid will speak at 7:30 p.m. April 9, 2026, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.

The East Texas Historical Association will hold its annual Georgiana and Max Lale Lecture at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Baker Pattillo Student Center Theater. This year’s speaker is Nacogdoches resident and award-winning author Joe Lansdale, whose work spans horror, crime, westerns and suspense. Lansdale has more than 50 novels and 30 short stories to his name, and his acclaimed “Hap and Leonard” series was adapted into a hit television show.

The lecture, endowed by Max Lale in 1997, brings scholars, journalists, politicians and notable figures to the SFA campus every October in conjunction with the East Texas Historical Association’s Annual Meeting and Conference, which will be held at the Fredonia Hotel Oct. 2-4.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the association’s website.

A limited number of 2025 Stone Fort yearbooks are available for purchase for $67 by SFA departments, as well as faculty and staff members, while supplies last. To request a copy of this special 100th volume, the last to be produced at SFA, email Amy Roquemore, professor in practice in the Department of Media and Communication, at aroquemore@sfasu.edu. If you are purchasing for an SFA department, include the correct FOAP to be charged and the requested on-campus delivery location.

SFA has signed an international academic agreement with Xavier University–Ateneo de Cagayan in the Philippines. The partnership, formalized by SFA President Dr. Neal Weaver and XU President Fr. Mars P. Tan, S.J., in September will expand opportunities for students and faculty at both institutions while strengthening cultural and academic ties across the globe.

If you are passionate about supporting college students and shaping campus life, consider SFA’s student affairs and higher education master’s program, which is accepting applications for spring 2026 admission.

This fully online program incorporates a career-focused curriculum and can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis.

Join us for a live Q&A session from 5 to 6 p.m. Oct. 29 via this Zoom link to meet faculty members, explore the program and get answers to your questions. Learn how to take the next step toward a meaningful career in higher education.

The Health and Wellness Hub invites you to the fall Wellness Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, in its new location: the Baker Pattillo Student Center Atrium and Spirit Lounge.

This free event, open to the entire campus community, will feature resources and services from a variety of SFA departments and Nacogdoches organizations, including health screenings, product samples, refreshments, educational materials and giveaways.

New check-in information: Academic classes participating in the event should visit the check-in table located to the left immediately after entering the student center automatic doors from the plaza.

Faculty members are encouraged to share this opportunity with their students. For more information, contact Jessica Waguespack, program director for student wellness, at ext. 1207.

The Center for Teaching and Learning invites you to its October sessions, which will be livestreamed. Email ctl@sfasu.edu for livestreaming information.

Noon to 1 p.m. tomorrow: Theunis Oliphant hosts part 1 of a two-part “Microsoft Tools for Teaching” training featuring five key Microsoft Suite applications that can enhance instruction in the higher education classroom.

1 to 2 p.m. Oct. 8: Laura Osborne presents “Brightspace Tools for Student Nudges,” including strategic use of news announcements, release conditions and intelligent agents. This session counts toward the Advanced Topics in Brightspace certificate.

2 to 3 p.m. Oct. 22: Cynthia Kilpatrick hosts "Teaching With Intention," which offers strategies for designing lessons that align objectives, activities and assessments in meaningful ways.

1 to 2 p.m. Oct. 29: In “Teaching Tips: Building Community in Online Courses,” Javier Vega presents practical teaching techniques and tips, including quick and effective strategies to encourage student participation and cultivate a community of engaged learning.

SFA Faculty Forum events offer faculty members a chance to discuss important issues and relay timely information. The next two forums will be held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 8 and Nov. 12 in McGee Business Building, Room 133. If you are unable to attend in person, you can attend via this Zoom link.

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and engaged!

Meeting ID: 925 4007 1340

Passcode: FORUM

The horticulture program and the SFA Horticulture Club will host Plants and Pancakes from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 4, at the SFA Plantery, located at 1924 Wilson Drive. Plants available for purchase include a variety of annuals, native perennials, houseplants and succulents. Pancakes will be free with a donation encouraged.

For more information, contact Dr. Jared Barnes, associate professor of horticulture and steward of the Plantery, at barnesj@sfasu.edu.

Ale in Favor is an independent initiative for faculty to meet off campus in an open discussion space to talk about topics impacting faculty welfare, academic affairs and policy.

The next two meetings will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Oct. 8 and Nov. 12 at the Fredonia Brewery. Ale in Favor follows immediately after Faculty Forum. Can’t make it in person? Join us via this Zoom link.

Meeting ID: 925 4007 1340

Passcode: FORUM

The Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship is hosting the Pop-up Pitch Competition Oct. 1 through Nov. 5. Open to all SFA students, this competition is a great way to spark creativity and entrepreneurial thinking across campus.

Students have only 30 seconds to share their best idea, whether it’s a business concept, creative solution or innovation. They can pitch it live during weekly Wednesday pop-up events from noon to 1 p.m. in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Spirit Lounge or they can submit a recorded pitch online.

Each college’s top idea will earn a $1,000 scholarship and entry into the spring Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition. In addition, the overall first, second and third place winners will receive scholarships in the amount of $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000, respectively. Encourage your students to get involved. For more information, visit the Pop-up Pitch Competition webpage.

Carney served as a panelist at “Wasn’t That a Time: The Boston Folk Revival 1958-1965,” the national symposium on Bob Dylan held last weekend in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame and the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music.

Carney, along with historian Douglas Brinkley, writer Elijah Wald and author Jeannie Brand, explored the historical and cultural resonance of Bob Dylan’s groundbreaking 1965 performance at the Newport Folk Festival when he famously “went electric.”

Jackson was recently interviewed on the “Texas Standard”, the daily news show broadcast on radio stations across the state, about the field of orientation and mobility for individuals with blindness and low vision.

SFA is one of only two universities in Texas to have an orientation and mobility program and one of only 19 in the country that offer orientation and mobility certifications.

Folsom, who was recently named president-elect for the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators, and Hudock will present at this year’s TACUSPA conference Oct. 1-3 in Houston.

Their presentation, “Those Who Do Can Teach Too! Practitioner Pathways Toward Faculty Careers,” reflects on how student affairs competencies translate to teaching effectiveness and other topics. This collaboration highlights the opportunities for graduate students in SFA’s student affairs and higher education master’s program and helps with recruitment for the educational leadership doctorate program.

Van Redin - Photographs and Memories

Through Nov. 7

Griffith Fine Arts Building, Jill Adams Gallery

“Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet”

7:30 p.m. Oct. 9-11

2 p.m. Oct. 2-12

Griffith Fine Arts Building, Flex Theatre

Marshall Charloff & The Purple xPeRIeNCE | University Series

7:30 p.m. Oct. 24

Griffith Fine Arts Building, Turner Auditorium

SFA Symphony Orchestra

7:30 p.m. Oct. 28

Griffith Fine Arts Building, Turner Auditorium

To see more October fine arts events, visit the Fine Arts Calendar.