Stephen F. Austin State University

Students in Stephen F. Austin State University's Rusche College of Business, recently advanced to the second round of Fastenal's National Sales Invitational.

Students at Stephen F. Austin State University studying mathematics completed an array of prestigious internships during the summer of 2024, gaining them real-world experience.

Led by Dr. Rashid Mia, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, three students were selected to represent Stephen F. Austin State University at the Scholars Transforming Through Research advocacy program, presented by the Council on Undergraduate Research. This marks the first time SFA students have participated in the competitive application-based program.

Flying airplane-like drones closely over the blowhole of a dolphin and collecting their breath is a new, innovative way for researchers to monitor the health of whales, dolphins and porpoises. This summer at Dolphin Quest on the Big Island of Hawaii, two Stephen F. Austin State University biology students got to be part of this groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind research. Rachel Moore and Callie Lynn, senior biology majors from Salado and Rusk, respectively, were chosen by Dr. Jason Bruck, associate biology professor at SFA and founder of Bruck Lab, to assist in the project PHASM - Passive Health Assessment in Sea Mammals as well as help conduct a project to understand how noise impacts the transmission of specific dolphin whistles.

Stephen F. Austin State University's chapter of the Bilingual Education Student Organization was given the Texas Association for Bilingual Education's Unity Through Excellence Award during the 2024 BESO Spring Leadership Institute. The award recognizes efforts to foster a supportive community for BESO members while passionately advocating for bilingual education. SFA's chapter of BESO began in spring 2019.

Since 2009, representatives from each of SFA's six colleges have selected outstanding undergraduate student research from the previous calendar year. The best individual or group research project within each college and one from a non-SFA institution is awarded the top scholar title; SFA top scholars receive $500, while the non-SFA top scholar receives a scholarship to SFA. Additional outstanding student research projects are selected per college, and these finalists present during the conference's poster session.

Austin Farmer, a graduate research assistant for Stephen F. Austin State University's Orientation and Transition Programs, was named the 2024 Region IV Outstanding Student Leader at the NODA - Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education's Region IV joint regional conference March 23 in Columbia, Missouri. The Outstanding Student Leadership Award is designed to give special recognition to students for their creativity, energy, enthusiasm and outstanding abilities. This award recognized two undergraduate student leaders and one graduate student leader.

Hospitality students in Stephen F. Austin State University's James I. Perkins College of Education volunteered with the university's Project RAICES, a grant-funded initiative to increase the number of ESL-certified teachers in East Texas and to provide resources to parents of English learners, during its two community events this semester Oct. 7 and Nov. 18. Taught by Dr. Gina Fe Causin, associate professor of hospitality administration, the School of Human Sciences' course "Meetings, Events, Expositions and Technology" had 16 students who participated in the event. The course aims to introduce students to the roles and organizations that work in the meetings, events, expositions and technology industry.

Sophie Clakley of Carthage, a senior banking major in Stephen F. Austin State University's Rusche College of Business, was attending the Independent Bankers Association of Texas annual convention in September 2022 when she struck up a conversation with her future boss. C Welch, a certified fraud examiner and assistant deputy comptroller for midsize and community banks with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in Longview, was impressed with Clakley and offered her a financial internship at the OCC beginning in January 2023.

Alexandria Foy, senior communication studies major at Stephen F. Austin State University, recently presented research at the National Communication Association Conference in Washington, D.C.

Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society, welcomed 348 new initiates from 12 universities during October 2023. Students initiated into the Society must be sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate/professional students in the top 35% of their class, demonstrate leadership experience in at least one of the five pillars, and embrace the ODK ideals. Fewer than five percent of students on a campus are invited to join each year.

Exploring a new culture, 14 students from Stephen F. Austin State University's Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture traveled to the Netherlands this summer to learn about the country's natural resources and horticulture production. Over the course of the two-week trip, students traveled through 4 cities while observing history, art, and scenery.

Stephen F. Austin State University's timbersports team, the Sylvans, won the collegiate contest during the 39th annual Arkansas State Lumberjack Competition held Oct. 8 in Sheridan, Arkansas. In addition to winning the competition, the team, comprising 26 SFA students, won every event in the collegiate division. "We are proud of the Sylvans' fine showing in Arkansas," said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of SFA's Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. "Not only has the team competed well, but they have also represented themselves and SFA exceptionally well."

Stephen F. Austin State University recognized the outstanding academic achievements of a select number of students by naming 832 to the President's Honor Roll for spring 2023. To qualify for the President's Honor Roll at SFA, the student must have earned a 4.0 semester GPA in 12 or more semester hours while a full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate student.

Stephen F. Austin State University celebrated the achievements of more than 900 students during its end-of-fall commencement ceremony held Dec. 10 in Johnson Coliseum. Degrees awarded include 822 bachelor's, 149 master's and two doctoral degrees.

Stephen F. Austin State University recognized the outstanding academic achievements of a select number of students by naming 1,500 to the Dean's List for fall 2022. To qualify for the Dean's List at SFA, the student must have earned a semester GPA over 3.5 in 12 or more semester hours while a full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate student.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Symphony Orchestra at Stephen F. Austin State University will showcase the 2022 SFA Concerto/Aria Competition winners in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus. This year's winning "Stars of Tomorrow" are Oliver Yan, Hong Kong graduate student, conductor; Logan Dooley, Texarkana senior, baritone; Ozge Serceler, Eskisehir, Turkey, graduate student, cello; Quentin Fisher, Roanoke, Virginia, senior, French horn; and Peyton Joffre, Carrollton junior, saxophone. Winners are given an opportunity to perform a solo work with the SFA Symphony Orchestra, according to Dr. Gregory Grabowski, director of orchestral activities at SFA.

Brandon Nance, a Stephen F. Austin State University junior forestry major within the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, recently participated in Honor Flight San Diego, escorting military veterans to Washington, D.C., to tour memorials honoring their service. Honor Flight San Diego is a nonprofit branch of the nationwide Honor Flight Network, which provides veterans who served during World War II through the Vietnam War with an all-expenses-paid trip to tour the nation's war memorials.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.