Faculty and staff are invited to make changes to their insurance benefits without a qualifying life event. This year’s annual enrollment period is today through July 31. Employees enrolled in UT Flex and/or a dependent daycare spending account must re-enroll contribution amounts for fiscal year 2027 or their account will be closed. Those who do not wish to make changes to benefits require no action and their current elections will remain the same. The new benefits year begins Sept. 1.

To access enrollment through mySFA, follow the steps below:

1. Select the drop-down arrow next to "Employment."

2. Click "Benefits."

3. Select "My UT Benefits."

Enrollment support will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through July 31 in Steen Library, Lumberjack Learning Lab 3.

In addition, note these upcoming retirement and benefits sessions, which will all be held in Steen Library, Wyatt Room.

"New Lifestyle Benefits and Upcoming Plan Changes"

10 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m. July 16

2 to 3:30 p.m. July 28

"5-4-3 to TRS Retirement"

10 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m. July 21

10 to 11:30 a.m. July 28

"5-4-3 to TRS/ORP Retirement"

5:30 to 7 p.m. July 21

"5-4-3 to ORP Retirement"

10 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m. July 23

2 to 3:30 p.m. July 30

For more information, contact Barbara Hunter, benefits manager, at ext. 3978 or Flor Elizondo, benefits coordinator, at ext. 1098, or email benefits@sfasu.edu.

Faculty and staff are invited to the unveiling of the Dr. Bill and Barbara Gandy Makerspace at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow in the Cole STEM Building atrium. This designation honors the Gandy family's generosity and ongoing support of SFA.

Fall 2026 LEAP applications for eligible participants — SFA employees, their spouses and dependents — will be available July 27 in mySFA.

The application form can be accessed in the “Benefits” section of the "Employment" tab. Approved LEAP exemptions will be applied to eBills starting Aug. 14. Financial aid may affect your LEAP benefits. Refer to the LEAP procedures for further explanation.

For more information about LEAP, contact Student Business Services at sbs@sfasu.edu. For more information about financial aid, contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at finaid@sfasu.edu.

Faculty and staff are invited to join the fall Move-In Crew and help welcome new Lumberjacks to campus.

Participants can assist in a variety of roles, including greeting students and families, staffing hydration stations and helping residents unload belongings and move into residence halls.

Faculty and staff interested in participating can submit their availability and preferred areas of involvement by completing the sign-up form by Aug. 10. After submitting the form, Residence Life will contact participants with their assigned shift times, locations and additional move-in details.

For more information, email reslife@sfasu.edu or visit the Residence Life office in Lumberjack Landing, Suite 139.

The Department of Education Studies and SFA Gardens invite teachers, informal educators, youth group leaders and individuals who work in education with children or the public to the Project WILD workshop.

Project WILD is an environmental education program that helps participants build knowledge and skills to make informed, responsible decisions about wildlife and the environment. Participants receive the "Project WILD K-12 Curriculum Guide," which includes more than 50 hands-on activities that teach children about wildlife and the natural world. During this interactive workshop, attendees will participate in five featured activities from the guide. Educators who work with pre-K-12 students can earn six hours of Texas Education Agency-approved continuing professional education and Texas Environmental Education Advisory Committee credit.

Visit the registration page to register. A $35 preregistration fee is required before the Aug. 2 deadline. For more information, contact ext. 1832 or kay.jenkins@sfasu.edu.

SFA has appointed Dr. Dana Solomon as principal and superintendent of SFA Charter School. She will begin her tenure during the summer.

Solomon arrives to this new role following four years as principal of Mike Moses Elementary School in the Nacogdoches Independent School District. She also served as a principal and assistant principal in the Frisco Independent School District for 12 years, and as a teacher for four years.

An asteroid discovered at the SFA Observatory in 1999 has been officially named Carona in honor of late Texas A&M University astronomer Don Carona.

Burrow was a VIP speaker at the 2026 National Arts Integration and STEAM Conference professional development event.

She led over 50 art teachers through a hands-on simulation of her museum trip to teach interdisciplinary learning using artworks as “mentor texts.” The presentation was a mock version of the one she has used to teach her SFA undergraduate teacher candidates every semester in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, since 2021.

Njororai's article, "World Cup history: a timeline of Africa’s greatest moments on the field," was featured in The Conversation. In the article, he argues that for decades, global football governance structures heavily favored European and South American teams, leaving Africa to fight not just for wins on the pitch but for representation itself.

Njororai added that the 2026 World Cup has been a great platform for the 10 African teams to express themselves, and, as the tournament draws to a close, he reflects on how African football transformed itself from a peripheral curiosity into a central force on the global stage.