NACOGDOCHES, Texas ¬— According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, glaciers around the world have lost significant mass since the 1970s, due in part to warming trends in global temperatures. While the concept of massive sheets of ice may seem foreign to Texans, their importance can’t be overstated.

In early March, SFA students' slight concerns about COVID-19 were drowned out by excited buzz surrounding the impending spring break. With midterms finished and bags packed for visits home or road trips with friends, they departed campus and Nacogdoches in the usual droves, anticipating a respite from day-to-day college life and a return to their routines in a matter of days.

But it was not to be.

When Fred Poston was a senior at Klein Forest High School in the Houston area, attending Stephen F. Austin State University was a good business decision.

“I had interest in attending a private university, but when I compared the costs, SFA just made sense,” he said.

Poston’s early business acumen paid off – he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1992 and soon departed the state to begin his career in the entertainment industry.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University has named Dr. Michara DeLaney-Fields, currently the university’s assistant dean for student affairs in the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, as its first chief diversity officer.

Established as an executive position housed within the Office of the President, the CDO role was created to provide collaborative, strategic and results-oriented leadership for institution-wide diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Registration is underway for fall classes in the Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music.

The fall roster for youth includes lessons in piano, violin, cello, viola, voice, Music Theory Adventures and Piney Woods Youth Orchestra, among many others. Lessons may be available for other instruments upon request. Lessons begin Aug. 17. Music Prep also offers programs for adults in piano and strings.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The global COVID-19 pandemic continues to greatly impact the hospitality industry, from shuttering restaurants and entertainment venues to limiting travel abroad and canceling internships for college students pursuing hospitality degrees.

But with the help of a country club in Arkansas and an event planning business in South Carolina, four seniors in Stephen F. Austin State University’s hospitality administration program completed their internships. They also had a lot of fun this summer serving others and building their confidence for their future careers.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Two separate virtual programs will allow Stephen F. Austin State University students and their parents to experience firsthand the academic rigors and student engagement that make the Lumberjack experience unique among institutions of higher education.

The two programs, Virtual Saturday and the Lumberjack Family Experience, will provide parents the opportunity to engage in informative livestream sessions with campus faculty and staff and have their questions answered about SFA’s programs and instruction.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Keeping the safety of their fellow students in mind when the campus opens this fall, five interior design seniors at Stephen F. Austin State University spent the summer working as interns for SFA’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness to collect data on classrooms and design safe learning environments for their classmates.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — A station completely free of seven major food allergens is one of several new features in an extensive, ongoing renovation to Stephen F. Austin State University’s Baker Pattillo Student Center dining hall.

Other major features include a dedicated “plant-forward” produce station to replace the former salad bar, a redesigned bakery allowing for confectionary pickup orders, a meat carvery station that will focus on lean meats, and the implementation of various physical distancing and health safety measures.

The appointments of three Stephen F. Austin State University faculty members to serve in interim leadership roles were approved by the Board of Regents during a regularly scheduled meeting today.

Matthew Beauregard, professor of mathematics and statistics, was named interim chair of the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy. Beauregard holds a degree from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Arizona at Tucson. He joined the SFA faculty in 2014.