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Lumberjacks Make Great

Become Great at SFA

Have a dream career or a major in mind? Still undecided? With more than 120 areas of interest at SFA,
you can find your path to becoming great.

VISIT ACADEMICS

Fast Facts

#1 Regional Texas
Public School

in the U.S. News &
World Report
Best Colleges
rankings.
July 2025

$2.73 million
portfolio

managed by
Mast Student
Investment
Roundtable
Lumberjacks

September 2025

Approximately
200,000 sq. ft. of
new construction

upgraded dining and
academic facilities
over the next two years
May 2025

Study Abroad
with scholarships

10 faculty-led programs
13 destinations
162 students
July 2025

Explore your passions, meet our faculty

Select an area of interest and discover how we inspire success – one Lumberjack at a time.

SFA Traditions

The Axe Handle

SFA freshmen receive an axe handle to personalize with their own Lumberjack spirit. Students can be seen (and heard) banging axe handles on the bleachers at SFA football games.

 

Ole Cotton

Ole Cotton is an imposing 75mm cannon that fires a celebratory shot every time the SFA Lumberjack football team scores. The SFA ROTC cadets man Ole Cotton just beyond the south end zone at Homer Bryce Stadium. The powerful blast can be heard – and often felt – all over town.

 

The Homecoming Bonfire

SFA's traditional bonfire and pep rally are the centerpieces of homecoming. Usually held in October, homecoming is a series of traditions that bring Lumberjacks together to celebrate SFA. Other events include homecoming elections, downtown parade, football games and much more.

 

Purple Haze

Press play to hear our rowdy Purple Haze student section in action. At SFA’s home football games, fans in the student section loudly bang their axe handles on a metal “Purple Haze” sign to show support for our beloved Lumberjacks (and to rattle the opposing team). Now that’s a home-field advantage!

  • Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship “Shark Tank”-style Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition winners

    Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship hosted its fifth annual “Shark Tank”-style Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition recently. Pictured, front row from left, are Tyler Hubbard, entrepreneurship senior from Austin, and his younger brother, Carter, general business sophomore, who earned the $10,000 first-place prize for Poolboy’s Smart-Floater; Raviyah Anderson, geospatial science senior from Weatherford, and Christopher Marroquin, forestry senior from Plano, who earned the $5,000 second-place prize and the $1,000 Crowd Favorite Award for DendroLogic’s Palm Cruise; and Elizabeth Perales, psychology junior from Frisco, who earned the $2,500 third-place prize for Ama’s Tortilla Dough. Pictured, back row from left, are the two $1,250 honorable mention winners: Spring: The Student Calendar product by Jarae Hadley, cyber security graduate student from Lufkin, and Daniel Antonio, computer science junior from Dallas, and HomeGymBuilder.com by Andy Jacobson, English sophomore from Fulshear, and Jaxen Bond, kinesiology junior from Round Rock.

  • Dr. Jason Reese

    Stephen F. Austin State University has appointed Dr. Jason Reese as the permanent dean of the Nelson Rusche College of Business, effective May 1. Before his appointment, Reese had served as the acting dean since March 2025.

  • Weldon “Buddy” Alders

    Weldon “Buddy” Alders received honors as the 2026 Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture Distinguished Alumnus.