NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – Fred J. Allen, director of bands at Stephen F. Austin State University, completed a nine-day teaching trip in Tasmania this past summer.

Allen visited Tasmania in 2012 on behalf of SFA to continue developing the partnership between SFA’s School of Music and the Conservatorium of Music in Hobart. The SFA School of Music has had an exchange student agreement with the Conservatorium in Hobart for five years.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Sirens blare in her ears and disorient Stephen F. Austin State University junior interior design major Remy Follmar as she participates in a Dementia Live simulation. Two sets of gloves make it difficult for her to pick up common items such as cards, medicine and silverware as she moves around a dimly lit room. Her task: complete five household chores.

"I did one task of feeding the dog, and then I didn't know what to do. I just sat down in a chair," said Follmar, from Colmesneil, Texas.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Several members of the music faculty at Stephen F. Austin State University will join together for a concert of music written for wind instruments at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The group, conducted by Fred J. Allen, director of bands, will feature Christina Guenther, flute; Chris Ayer, clarinet; and Charles Gavin, horn. Two new faculty members will also make their SFA debuts playing with the group. Kerry Hughes will perform on oboe and Lee Goodhew on bassoon.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - To a passerby, it might look like a typical, white brick storage building - nothing more than a place to house excess furniture and goods. But to Stephen F. Austin State University interior design students and staff members from Love In the Name of Christ, a non-profit Christian organization, the building is a blank canvas and a fresh start.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker will discuss global issues of intolerance and violence during an academic program for Fort Bend ISD students and the public organized by Stephen F. Austin State University's College of Liberal and Applied Arts on Oct. 7, at Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond.

The annual event is hosted by SFA's Office of the Provost.

Road trips, beachside vacations and general relaxation often take precedence when students contemplate summer plans. Backbreaking manual labor, 16-hour workdays and life-threatening situations rarely top a to-do list following completion of an academic year, but Stephen F. Austin State University students Cade Hickman and David Peterson are not typical summer-break revelers.

This summer, Hickman and Peterson, both senior fire management majors in SFA's Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, served three months on the Alaska Fire Service's North Star Fire Crew.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present a guest flute and guitar recital featuring Julee Kim Walker and Alejandro Montiel at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Walker, who is assistant professor of flute at Texas A&M University-Commerce, and Montiel, who leads two full-time guitar studios at both Sam Houston State University and Lone Star College-Montgomery, will present their 2016 fall recital tour program, "Dance, Dance, Revolution."