NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University recognized faculty and staff for their years of service to the university during two installments of the 2023 Faculty and Staff Service Award ceremonies April 19 and 20, respectively. 

“The tireless work our faculty and staff put in every day for our university and its students is one of the things that makes this university great,” said Dr. Steve Westbrook, SFA president. “Their devotion and commitment to challenging the minds and changing the lives of our students is remarkable.”

Faculty

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – “An Evening of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar with Sean McGowan” takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in Cole Concert Hall on the campus of Stephen  F. Austin State University.
 
McGowan will perform a selection of original compositions and classic jazz standards from his critically acclaimed solo guitar recordings. Songs by great American composers Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Alan Jay Lerner and  Frederick Loewe and many others will be featured.
 

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Electric Guitar Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present the concert “Baroque and Blue” at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, in the Music Recital Hall on the SFA campus.
 
Directed by Larry Greer, adjunct faculty guitar instructor, the student ensemble will perform works by Johann Pachelbel, Johan Roman, Duke Ellington, Kenny Dorham, Antonio Carlos Jobim and others. The concert will be live streamed.
 

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The Stephen F. Austin State University Division of Student Affairs announced Michalla Byrd of Joaquin, Heath Sharr of Jacksonville, Jay Teamer of Lewisville, and Curtis Tran of Nacogdoches as recipients of this year’s Best of SFA Awards.

“The committee was overwhelmed with the amazing pool of candidates for the awards this year, yet it was clear these students exemplify the SFA spirit and genuine passion for the institution,” said Lacey Folsom, director of Student Engagement. “We were honored to celebrate these individuals and their achievements.”

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Business owners, travel and tourism professionals, and local economic development leaders are invited to attend the Deep East Texas Travel and Tourism Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Twilight Ballroom on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

A collaboration between faculty members at SFA and Tarleton State University, this conference is the first in a series of education and engagement sessions that are part of the larger Texas Forest Country Travel and Tourism Collective.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The musical/comedy "[title of show]" is set to take the stage April 20 through 23 in Kennedy Auditorium on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University. With music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and book by Hunter Bell, the production provides great growth opportunities for college students who are learning the intricacies of acting, singing and dancing at the same time, according to Kristen Blossom, assistant professor who teaches acting, voice and musical theatre at SFA and the musical’s director.
 

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Ceramic works of art created by Piero Fenci, Stephen F. Austin State University professor of art, are currently on exhibit in the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas through September.
 
A reception honoring the artist and his show, “Grand Voyage: The Art of Piero Fenci,” is planned for 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at the museum.
 

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – A film by Armando Silvas Jr., graduate student in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art’s filmmaking program, has been selected to be produced as the 2023 SFA summer feature.
 
Silvas’ “The Russian at Christmas” is a feature-length action/comedy holiday film about a Russian hitman who tracks down a mall Santa on Christmas Eve. The film is set to be shot throughout the month of June in Nacogdoches in conjunction with SFA’s filmmaking program. Silvas wrote and will direct and edit the film.
 

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University has announced the 2023 recipients of grants issued through its Center for Applied Research and Rural Innovation.

The center’s steering committee selected nine proposals with awards totaling more than $280,000. Now in its second year, the CARRI grant program is part of SFA’s effort to support innovation and entrepreneurship in the university’s 12-county coverage region. 

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s chapter of the Society for Advancement of Management received several awards in March at the first in-person SAM International Business Conference since the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the conference in Nashville, Tennessee, students from around the world competed in categories ranging from business pitch and extemporaneous speech to a case competition.