SFA announced an intentional enrollment strategy for fall 2026 amid unprecedented demand from prospective students.

As of January, first-time undergraduate applications are up more than 50% compared to this time last year, and SFA has already surpassed last year’s total application count, which set a record.

SFA employees now have access to NEOED Learn, the new official training system. View available courses by visiting the “Training” section on your mySFA homepage and clicking on NEOED Learn.

Also, mark Feb. 2 on your calendar as the kickoff date for annual compliance training.

For more information, contact hrtraining@sfasu.edu or ext. 1361.

The Center for Teaching and Learning invites you to join facilitators Dr. Jane Long, professor of mathematics and statistics, and Dr. Randi Barnes-Cox, associate professor of history, for a reading circle focused on Joan Middendorf and Leah Shopkow’s “Overcoming Student Learning Bottlenecks: Decode the Critical Thinking of Your Discipline.”

Face-to-face meetings will be held at 3:30 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: Feb. 3, Feb. 17, March 3, March 24, April 7 and April 21. To register, fill out this form.

The Center for Teaching and Learning invites you to its January sessions, which you can register for via NEOED Learn under “Training” in mySFA.

1 to 3:30 p.m. today, livestreamed: Laura Osborne presents “Brightspace Express Foundations, Part 1: Content, Communication and Grades.” Deepen your knowledge of the content, classlist, news and grades tools on Brightspace, also known as D2L. This workshop counts toward fulfillment of the Brightspace Foundations certificate as the equivalent of Brightspace Foundations 1 and 2.

1 to 2 p.m. Jan. 23, livestreamed: Theunis Oliphant and Javier Vega will host “Accessibility Tech: Tools and Tips for Meeting Student Needs.” Explore tools such as text-to-speech, accessibility checkers and AI-powered software that support the learning needs of students. Discuss different options for common accessibility scenarios and strategies for integrating these tools effectively into your classes.

2 to 3 p.m. Jan. 28, livestreamed: Join Dr. Marcus Cox from the Nelson Rusche College of Business for his presentation “Teaching with AI.” Learn how to use artificial intelligence to help students test their knowledge, build the basics and push beyond the average. In addition, Cox will discuss AI agents and provide his own example AI teaching assistant. You may bring your laptop and join an optional hands-on “sandbox” immediately following.

Join the Office of Student Engagement for a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Multimedia Room across from Starbucks on the second floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Donating blood is a simple way to make a big impact and help save lives in our community. Stop by, roll up your sleeve and be part of something meaningful.

Preregister for donations on the Gulf Coast Blood website.

SFA Faculty Forum and Ale in Favor? Faculty Discussion Group meetings kick off today and continue on the second and fourth Wednesdays through May 6. The forum will meet from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the McGee Business Building, Room 133, and Ale in Favor? from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Fredonia Brewery. Both also will be available via Zoom.

Meeting ID: 925 4007 1340

Passcode: FORUM

Gutierrez was featured on "Jonathan Bird’s Blue World," an educational, family-oriented, underwater adventure series hosted by Emmy Award-winning underwater cinematographer and producer Jonathan Bird.

Gutierrez and fellow cave biologist Jairo Arroyave joined Bird’s team in a search for new forms of life in Aerolito Cenote on the island of Cozumel, just off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.

The video can be viewed on YouTube.

SFA will welcome nationally recognized stand-up comedian James P. Connolly to Nacogdoches for an evening of live comedy at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in Turner Auditorium, located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building.