NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Kirk Phillips, president and CEO of Wintrust Commercial Bank and Stephen F. Austin State University alumnus, recently spoke to students in the Rusche College of Business about the keys to a successful career.

During his “So you want to be a CEO?” discussion, Phillips recalled the various jobs he held before achieving his current position. Phillips has spent more than 25 years in the commercial finance industry beginning with ITT Commercial Finance. He has experience with credit analysis, underwriting, sales and marketing.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University’s Board of Regents approved several new face-to-face and online degree programs during its quarterly meeting Monday.

As part of the SFA Envisioned Strategic Plan, the university seeks to engage students in experiences that prepare them for the challenges of living in a global community, and SFA administrators are working to develop relevant new programs through a variety of delivery methods and at various locations.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Several new leaders were approved for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business during Monday’s meeting of the Board of Regents.

Robert Crocker, professor and chair of the Department of Management and Marketing, will serve as associate dean of the business college. Matthew Lindsey, associate professor, was approved as chair of the Department of Management and Marketing. Kelly Noe, associate professor of accounting, was appointed chair of the Schlief School of Accountancy.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “DamNation” at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Directed by Travis Rummel and Ben Knight, “DamNation” is a 2014 advocacy documentary about the changing attitudes in the U.S. concerning the nation’s large system of dams.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the SFA Galleries will host the exhibition “Collective Transference: Houston Area Clay” Oct. 31 through Dec. 30 in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

The ceramics exhibition, curated by Jeff Forster and Michelle Matthews, features clay artists who highlight the quality and diversity of artists working in Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Liberty, Galveston, Chambers, Waller and Brazoria counties.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Because of its growth in attendance and popularity, the annual Día de los Muertos Fiesta, or Day of the Dead festival, is moving to a different downtown location this year to accommodate larger crowds.

The 5th annual celebration is slated for 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, behind the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Nacogdcohes Public Library and the Nacogdoches CVB have joined the School of Art and College of Fine Arts in sponsoring and coordinating the event.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Members of the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts Dean’s Circle recently recognized its 2017 award recipients at the annual “Fall Festival of SFA Artists” and Winners’ Circle reception held in The Old Tobacco Warehouse in downtown Nacogdoches.

A highlight of the evening included special recognition and the reading of a city proclamation honoring former Nacogdoches Mayor Dr. Roger Van Horn and his contributions to the City of Nacogdoches, SFA, the College of Fine Arts and the Dean’s Circle. Mayor Shelley Brophy made the presentation.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Dr. Judy Abbott, dean of Stephen F. Austin State University’s James I. Perkins College of Education, read the book “Quakers” by Liz Wong to a group of first grade students at the SFA Charter School during the annual Read for the Record Day on Oct. 19.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — As Alexis Malquist, a Stephen F. Austin State University senior dietetics major from Grapevine, enters the mock hospital room in the DeWitt School of Nursing’s Ed and Gwen Cole Simulation Lab, she begins treating her “patient,” a mannequin named Miss Hernandez.

“How are you feeling, Miss Hernandez?” Malquist asks the high-fidelity mannequin that is serving as a hospital patient for a class project. In this scenario, Malquist must counsel Hernandez on weight management.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University students in the hospitality administration program recently traveled to Las Vegas to participate in IMEX America, a worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events.