Friday, Sept. 18, will be SFA’s 103rd birthday. Faculty, staff and students are invited to come celebrate.

Cake, cupcakes and more will be available for all from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Spirit Lounge and the first-floor walkway.

SFA Gardens’ monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series will feature a presentation by Brooke McCown, research and development coordinator at J. Berry Nursery, at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

The SFA Faculty Forum will meet from 2:30 to 5 p.m. today in McGee Business Building, Room 133, or via Zoom.

Meeting ID: 925 4007 1340

Passcode: FORUM

The remaining meeting dates for the semester are Oct.14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9.

Research and Graduate Studies will launch Dissemity, an AI-powered academic writing platform designed to help researchers, graduate students and scholars write with clarity and confidence, at the Dissemity Kickoff from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, via Zoom.

All graduate students and faculty members are welcome to join the meeting. Register using the interest form.

Through interactive learning modules, intelligent feedback tools and discipline-specific writing support, Dissemity makes the scientific writing process a more efficient, structured and publishable experience. To learn more, visit the Dissemity webpage.

The University of Texas System will host the webinar series "Assessment, Reimagined: Learning Beyond the AI Answer."

The series focuses on rethinking assessment, evidence of learning and student development in the age of AI. As generative AI changes what students can produce and how they engage with learning, it invites attendees to reconsider what meaningful assessment looks like. This eight-part webinar series explores how AI is challenging long-standing assessment practices while opening new possibilities for making student thinking visible, emphasizing process, cultivating curiosity and creating authentic learning experiences.

Sessions will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month, beginning tomorrow via Zoom. To register, visit the interest form.

The Center for Teaching and Learning will sponsor seats in “AI and Assessment: Designing for Integrity and Learning” offered through the Online Learning Consortium.

Beginning Oct. 5, this workshop guides educators in rethinking assessment with integrity and authenticity. Participants will explore practical strategies for designing AI-resilient assessments that promote trust, foster ethical student use of AI and highlight genuine student thinking and creativity. To register, visit the interest form.

The Center for Teaching and Learning invites you to its September workshops:

2 to 3 p.m. tomorrow, livestreamed: Laura Osborne will present “Turnitin in Brightspace: Setup, Similarity Reports, and Feedback Essentials” to equip attendees with the skills needed to use Turnitin effectively. Participants will learn how to set up Turnitin in a Dropbox assignment folder, access and interpret similarity reports, view and interpret Turnitin's AI writing detection reports and review Turnitin’s GradeMark tools for leaving inline comments on student work.

1 to 2 p.m. Sept. 16, livestreamed: Theunis Oliphant will present “Microsoft 365: M365 Ecosystem and Your Digital Hub” to help faculty members gain a clear operational framework for the "cloud vs. desktop" paradigm, learn to navigate the SFA portal efficiently and establish an organized digital homepage for their teaching, research and administrative responsibilities.

1 to 2 p.m. Sept. 24, livestreamed: Kelsey Wigand will host “Finding and Fixing Accessibility Issues” to help attendees recognize accessibility barriers in Brightspace course shells, apply an accessibility checklist when building or reviewing course content and locate campus resources and tools that support accessible course design.

2 to 3 p.m. Sept. 30, livestreamed: Emily Dodson will host “Generative AI: From Prompts to Partnership.” Attendees will learn practical ways to shape AI around participants’ goals, cognitive style and workflows so it becomes a genuine collaborator.

Ross received the Outstanding Accounting Educator Award – Medium School from the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. The award recognizes Texas accounting educators who demonstrate excellence in teaching and active service to the accounting profession.

This honor reflects Ross’ dedication to student success, innovation in the classroom and commitment to strengthening the profession through education and engagement.

Thornley’s letter to the editor, “More paths to practice law: Ending the American Bar Association’s protectionist hold over attorney-licensing regimes would lower barriers to the legal profession,” was published by The Wall Street Journal.

Additionally, Thornley was quoted in the Bloomberg Law story, “Geotargeting Debate Makes Comeback in Delaware Patent Dispute.”

Cole Student Success Center staff members helped the Generation Jacks student organization welcome incoming first-generation students at the GenJacks Summer Leadership Academy Aug. 17 through 19.

Designed to help first-gen students start their SFA journey with confidence, the academy featured two inspiring speakers: D'Andre Lacy, a fellow first-generation college graduate, who encouraged students to embrace challenges, seek support and believe in themselves as they navigate college life; and Cynthia Diaz, founder of Financial Space, who shared practical strategies for making informed financial decisions and emphasized the importance of developing healthy financial habits early.

Diaz will continue partnering with GenJacks throughout the academic year to offer additional financial literacy programming and resources that help students with their long-term financial well-being.