Amanda Sheriff, a soprano in opera and musical theater, will give the commencement address during fall graduation ceremonies for undergraduates at 2 and 6 p.m. Dec. 12 in Johnson Coliseum. Sheriff will also lead the singing of the SFA school song during each of the ceremonies.

All master’s and doctoral candidates, including the members of SFA’s first Doctor of Social Work cohort, will receive their degrees during the Graduate Studies ceremony at 6 p.m. Dec. 11 in Turner Auditorium, Griffith Fine Arts Building.

As the fall semester draws to a close and the holiday season begins, Dr. Neal and Kristi Weaver invite faculty and staff to a holiday come-and-go reception from 5 to 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Juanita Curry Boynton House.

Attendees are welcome to bring a guest. Those planning on attending will need to RSVP for themselves and their guest prior to the event.

Faculty and staff are invited to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of The Big Dip with students and their families and friends during the three ceremonies listed below Friday, Dec. 5, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.

9 a.m.

• James I. Perkins College of Education

1 p.m.

• Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture

• College of Liberal and Applied Arts

• Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts

4 p.m.

• College of Sciences and Mathematics

• Nelson Rusche College of Business

At the ceremony, participants receive their rings and then dip their right hands into a mix of purple dye and water gathered from the Surfin' Steve fountain. The act symbolizes students' full immersion into the life and traditions of SFA. Anyone who has received the SFA ring can participate in The Big Dip, no matter when they received the ring.

For more information, visit the SFA Alumni Association’s Big Dip webpage.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to meet the famous Budweiser Clydesdales from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, in front of the Austin Building. The Super Bowl ad stars along with the red, white and gold beer wagon will be available for photo ops.

Anheuser Busch and R&K Distributors are bringing the horses to campus ahead of their appearance in the annual Nine Flags Lighted Christmas Parade at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, in downtown Nacogdoches.

Staff Council will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, in McGee Business Building, Room 133.

The meeting will be livestreamed via Zoom, and the meeting agenda is available on the meeting information page.

The Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of International Programs invite faculty and staff to join the December session of "Educating for Impact: Building World-Ready Students," a University of Texas System webinar series, at 1 p.m. Dec. 11 via Zoom. Cofacilitated by SFA and UT Dallas, this session will highlight initiatives for global engagement that both take our students to the world and bring the world to our campuses.

Along with study abroad programs designed for graduate students and staff, presenters will discuss virtual exchange/collaborative online international learning as a key strategy for internationalization at home. OIP representatives will provide an overview of several high-impact opportunities, including support for students participating in the University Scholars Leadership Symposium. The UT Dallas representative will describe the COIL program developed in the CTL and the opportunities it provides for students to collaborate with peers and faculty members across institutions.

Learn more and register for this session through the UT San Antonio website.

Beginning next month, accepted students can register themselves and up to two guests for one of the Lumberjack Orientation sessions listed below through their mySFA accounts. All first-year students must attend an orientation session during the summer and Lumberjack Life, which occurs in August after new student move-in. All orientation sessions are on Fridays.

• Session 1: June 5

• Session 2: June 12

• Session 3: June 26

• Session 4: July 10

• Session 5: July 17

• Session 6: July 24

• Session 7: July 31

For more information, contact Kate Childress, director of New Student Orientation and Family Programs, at Katelyn.Childress@sfasu.edu or ext. 6641.

A few spots are left for SFA Gardens' annual Deck the Halls workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building.

Learn how to create wreaths, garlands and more under the guidance of Dawn Stover, founder and owner of The Nectar Collector, using live materials collected from the gardens. All supplies are provided and participants will take their decorations home with them.

Purchase tickets through the SFA Gardens webpage. The cost is $30 for SFA Gardens members and $40 for nonmembers. Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center or Raguet Elementary School.

Dr. Dave Creech, professor emeritus and director of the SFA Gardens, will present at this month's Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series event from 7 to 8 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building.

SFA Gardens is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and Creech will update attendees on the research and educational activities occurring in the gardens. Expect to hear about the good, the bad and the ugly experiences of 2025.

A plant raffle will follow the presentation. Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series events are held on the second Thursday of every month and attendance is free. Donations to support the lecture series are gratefully accepted. Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center or Raguet Elementary School.

Faculty and staff are invited to the SFA Makerspace’s Great Gingerbread Build-Off from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, followed by the makerspace’s annual holiday party from 3 to 5 p.m.

During the build-off, six teams will design a festive gingerbread masterpiece. The makerspace will provide each team with a gingerbread house kit and basic decorating supplies. Contestants are welcome to bring any special decorations or unique edible embellishments.

To participate, complete the sign-up form no later than Monday, Dec. 8.

Join the SFA Dance Team for its holiday Kid's Clinic from 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 20 with a performance to follow during halftime at the SFA men’s basketball game at 1 p.m. Dec. 21. All attendees will receive a T-shirt, Santa hat, photo opportunities and snacks.

For more information, email T.J. Maple at maplejv@sfasu.edu or Lesa Dencklau at lesa.dencklau@sfasu.edu.

SFA's Division of Enrollment and Student Engagement has announced the following promotions:

• Janna Chancey, associate vice president for enrollment management

• Heather Howell, executive director for Residence Life

Congratulations to Chancey and Howell on their new roles!

Citori Helveston, program director at the Academic Assistance and Resource Center, and Alyssa Landreneaux, lecturer and assessment coordinator in the Department of Education Studies, presented "It Takes Two to Tutor: Cross-Campus Collaboration for Exam Preparation" at the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education Conference.

The session detailed how AARC and the Department of Education Studies worked together to develop a tutoring service specifically for preparing teacher candidates at SFA to take their certification exam. The tutoring service, which uses innovative, proven strategies to meet teacher candidates where they are, has helped SFA reach its goal of increasing the number of teacher candidates who pass the exam.

Faragó co-authored an article and a book. The article, "Early Childhood Educators’ Gender Restrictive and Gender Expansive Classroom Practices and Responses to Children’s Gender Prejudice and Discrimination," was published in the Journal of Research in Childhood Education. The authors surveyed 341 early childhood educators in the United States regarding their practices around gender diversity in the classroom.

The book, "Anti-Racism in Early Childhood Education," was published in Teachers College Press. It provides a practical, actionable guide to anti-racist teaching for children from birth to age 8. The book equips early childhood educators with concrete strategies for creating inclusive, equitable learning environments.

Ajero, along with Dr. Christopher Fisher of Ohio University and Dr. Young Kim of Skidmore College, served as a judge for the final round of the 2025 Piano Star International Competition.

Pianists age 18 and younger from various geographic locations performed remotely for the judges to earn cash prizes and scholarships as well as solo recital and concerto performance opportunities.

McWilliams presented for the 16th time at the International College Learning Center Association Conference.

During her session, she called for more rigorous assessment of initiatives with a high return on investment and for advising other learning center directors on appropriate workloads. McWilliams suggested using the book "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown as a benchmark for guiding choices on the most valued outcomes.

Drs. Heather Olson Beal, professor of education studies; Lauren Brewer, associate professor of psychology; and Flóra Faragó, associate professor of human development and family studies, were recently awarded a grant through the American Psychological Association’s Division 15 Policy Grant Program to continue the research they are conducting on whether and how DEI-limiting policies impact workplace engagement, burnout and racial socialization among K-12 teachers.

The grant program seeks to bridge educational psychology with policy to improve the lives and learning experiences of students and educators.

The Lumberjacks' Football Championship Subdivision playoff game against Abilene Christian University has been pushed back to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at Homer Bryce Stadium.

Per NCAA postseason policy, SFA cannot offer complimentary tickets for this game. All faculty and staff must purchase tickets, which range from $10 to $25, to attend.

You’ve supported them in the classroom. Now help power them on their home field. To purchase tickets, visit the SFA Athletics website.

SFA's Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts will welcome Grammy-winning fiddler Eileen Ivers back to campus for her holiday performance, “Joyful Christmas,” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 in Turner Auditorium in the Griffith Fine Arts Building.