After an extensive national search, SFA has appointed Dr. Joe Douglas “Doug” Smith as the next dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, effective Jan. 1. Current dean, Dr. Hans M. Williams, will retire Dec. 31.

Smith currently serves as chair of SFA’s Department of Agriculture as well as professor and graduate program coordinator for the department.

The next Faculty Forum meeting will be held 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 Nov. 11 and Dec. 9.

Lumberjack Eats is conducting its "Voice to Vision" survey through Oct. 31. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

Submit your ideas, changes and innovations to help shape campus dining for the next semester. Those who complete the survey can enter to win prizes including a Chick-fil-A super fan bundle by clicking “like” and commenting “Done” underneath the post on the Lumberjack Eats Instagram page about this survey.

Survey answers are anonymous, and Lumberjack Eats does not share individuals' data. For more information, contact Hilario Espinoza Gonzalez, Lumberjack Eats marketing director, at hilario.espinozagonalez@compass-usa.com or (936) 244-7962.

The University Police Department has launched a new webpage featuring SFA's updated and improved University Vehicle Driver Authorization Process to provide clear guidance and ensure drivers have the information they need before operating a university vehicle. Training requirements and applications are now available at this centralized location.

Visit the new webpage, explore resources and become familiar with the updated driver authorization process.

The priority deadline to submit official date requests for academic departments planning summer camps, conferences or youth programs is Jan. 31. Meeting this deadline ensures your department secures necessary housing, dining accommodations and event spaces at the Baker Pattillo Student Center before space opens to external camps Feb. 1.

Early submission guarantees priority scheduling and seamless coordination across campus service partners. Submit your requests ahead of the January deadline to lock in your preferred dates.

For questions or assistance with space reservations and scheduling, contact the student center's Event and Guest Services team.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s SFA Giving Day a success. More than 5,000 donors supported students, programs and needs across the university, demonstrating what is possible when the Lumberjack community comes together.

Congratulations to this year’s Giving Day competition winners:

Colleges

First – Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts: 909 donors

Second – James I. Perkins College of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences: 490 donors

Third – Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture: 460 donors

Student Organizations

First – AXEperience: 131 donors

Second – The Big Event Service Organization: 101 donors

Athletics

First – SFA Cheer Team: 772 donors

Second – SFA Dance Team: 531 donors

Third – Baseball: 224 donors

The Office of Advancement Services launched FundMiner, a new fund management tool that assists users with managing endowment funds. Financial managers and designees have access to FundMiner by invitation only.

FundMiner combines investment information, endowment compliance, recipient information and related documents such as gift agreements into a single platform by integrating data from The University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company, or UTIMCO; Banner; and SFA's current donor database.

For more information, email sfaadvancement@sfasu.edu.

SFA was recently selected to be among the nearly 40 participating institutions in the Texas Leadership Scholars Program.

External scholarships are now available through Scholarship Universe, giving current and admitted SFA students access to even more funding opportunities. Through one platform, students can be matched with both internal and external scholarships based on their personal profile and responses to matching questions.

With new opportunities added regularly and reviewed for legitimacy, Scholarship Universe helps connect Lumberjacks to a growing range of scholarship resources. Students can access Scholarship Universe through mySFA and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships website.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to the Women’s and Gender Studies Research Symposium from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in Steen Library, Wyatt Room.

Students from across campus will present research and performances related to gender. Other highlights include a keynote presentation by Dr. Samantha Kwan, associate professor of sociology at the University of Houston, who will discuss the gendered dimensions of chronic oral health challenges from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Also, a panel discussion featuring East Texas business owners from 2 to 2:50 p.m. will examine the importance of community engagement in Nacogdoches.

Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited to the Office of International Programs’ global gateway presentation on El Salvador at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in Steen Library, Room 103.

Global Gateway presentations are hosted by SFA international students to help faculty, staff and students explore the culture, traditions and people of a country while connecting with members of the SFA community.

Counseling Services will lead an introductory training on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide, understand varying levels of crisis, strengthen supportive communication skills and gain awareness of mental health resources from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in Steen Library, Wyatt Room.

To reserve your spot and lunch, complete the online form.

This is Part 1 of a four-part series on research conducted by faculty members who received a faculty research enhancement grant from the College of Sciences and Mathematics. FREGs support original research in mathematics, science and STEM education. The grant awards provide summer salary stipends for tenured or tenure-track faculty members to conduct a research project by Aug. 31.

FREG research by Harris and Samuel Ofori-Addo, graduate teaching assistant in computer science, resulted in the presentation “3 Tape Turing Machine Simulator” at the 57th Association for Computing Machinery Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education Feb. 18-21 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Harris and Ofori-Addo developed a web-based, open-source Turing machine simulator at 3tapeturing.net that supports both one- and three-tape configurations. The simulator features a text editor for programming, a graphical state-based visualization of machine logic and a dynamic depiction of the bidirectional tape. It also has a complete implementation of a universal Turing machine.

Whitehead was appointed chair of SFA’s Institutional Review Board. In this role, he will guide IRB in its mission to protect human research participants while fostering innovative, ethical research across SFA. An integral part of the university’s research community, Whitehead brings years of valuable experience to the committee.

IRB extends its appreciation to Dr. Emmerentie Oliphant, assistant provost for academic administration for the Division of Academic Affairs, for her service as chair over the last seven years.

Dr. Derek Walton, assistant professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Applied Business and director of Business and Community Services, and Dr. Justin Blount, associate dean who holds the Sanner-Berry Business Professorship, participated in the Governor's Small Business Summit recently in Nacogdoches. The event provided local entrepreneurs with the insight and resources needed to start, strengthen and scale their businesses.

Walton spoke on long-term regional development in "Rooted and Resilient: Cultivating Long-Term Growth in Deep East Texas," and Blount explored emerging technology solutions in "The AI Advantage: Practical AI Strategies for Small Business Owners."

Henty was named recipient of the AARC Bravo Award. The honor reflects her support of embedded tutoring for the English 1301 corequisite lab.

Henty worked with Sarah Hamm, AARC writing program director, to determine how AARC could best serve students in those labs. As a result, hundreds of students improved their writing skills.

Menefee, College of Sciences and Mathematics, and Harris, James I. Perkins College of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences, served on the planning committee for 2026 NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising Conference Oct. 4-7 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Each year, the leading academic advising conference for higher education hosts advisors, faculty members, administrators and student success leaders to exchange ideas, explore research and strengthen the advising profession. More than 2,000 attendees from across the country participated in this year’s conference, which featured the theme "Meeting in the Middle: Connecting People, Purpose and Possibility."

Dr. Joyce Johnston, associate dean of the Perkins College of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences, attended the conference along with SFA academic advisors Crystal Deckard, College of Health Professions; Kelly Morgan, Laura Turner and Teagan Wertman, College of Sciences and Mathematics; and Shana Goeyns and Marianne Payne, Perkins College of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Student Involvement will host the Homecoming Blood Drive from 10:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Oct. 21 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Twilight Ballroom.

Every donation has the potential to save lives and make a meaningful difference. Show your Lumberjack spirit by supporting this important cause and helping make a lifesaving difference.

To preregister, complete the online form.

Faculty and staff, along with their family and friends, are invited to celebrate Homecoming with the SFA Homecoming 5K at 6 p.m. Oct. 22 in the southern roundabout near the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Whether you’re ready to race the 5K or prefer a more casual 1-mile route, there’s an option for everyone. Funds raised through the event will go toward student scholarships, making every step count.

To register, complete the online form.

The Axes and Embers barbecue competition team will serve attendees at Student Involvement’s Homecoming game tailgate from 2 p.m. until supplies run out Oct. 24 in front of Pineywoods Dining Hall.