Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Greetings, Lumberjacks!
We are back to business as usual, and Lumberjack pride can be seen and felt all around campus. What an exciting time for Lumberjacks! Events are in full swing, and fall classes are back to being held in person.
A lot has happened during the past few months, and so much more is planned to create opportunities for Lumberjacks to connect, get involved and return to campus. We are excited to welcome back football, tailgating at Alumni Corner during home games, Homecoming and Battle of the Piney Woods. This year, Homecoming will include the Alumni Association Annual Membership Meeting, Back in Nac Social, Torchlight Parade, Flap "Jack" Breakfast, Homecoming Parade, Coffee with Bob Sitton and Betty Ford, and the Homecoming Auction.
I'm excited to share that social monitoring platform CrowdTangle has listed the SFA Alumni Association No. 3 in Texas among other Alumni Associations for social media interactions. From February to April, we were No. 1 in growth. Our engagement was up on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Kudos to Travis Turner, Alumni Association coordinator of communications and sponsorships, for keeping us active on these platforms. In addition to social media engagement, we have 81,376 active email contacts. If you are not receiving our emails and want to be added to the list, text LUMBERJACKPRIDE to 22828.
During the summer, your Alumni Association team hit the road to engage with Lumberjacks during SFA Summer "Par-Tees" in conjunction with the SFA Road Show and hosted SFA University Nights at the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros baseball games, along with summer socials in East and Central Texas.
Another exciting announcement — our ambassadors group is growing. Charged with making alumni connections in their respective regions, they are primed to spread the word about upcoming SFA events. We had our first quarterly Zoom meeting in July. Alumni Association staff members Amie Ford and Samantha Mora led the meeting and highlighted the opportunities for Lumberjacks to connect. If you want to know more about becoming an ambassador, contact the Alumni Association office. You also can request an application to join us.
I'm happy to announce we were able to hold our spring Big Dip ceremony in Johnson Coliseum, which allowed for social distancing and parent attendance. It was a fabulous event with 434 soon-to-be graduates participating. Our next Big Dip is scheduled for Dec. 3. If the Big Dip tradition started after you graduated, or if you did not take part in the opportunity, this is your chance to come back to SFA and participate. My husband and I "dipped" in 2018, and it was an awesome experience. Contact the Alumni Association for details.
None of our activities would be possible without the support of our wonderful Alumni Association staff members led by Craig Turnage. He, along with Samantha, Amie, Travis, Derek Snyder, Amber Lindsay and Alicia Chatman, work together to produce the awesome opportunities to connect and elevate your Lumberjack experience. I am fortunate to have SFA Alumni Association officers Bob Francis, past president and Erika Tolar, president-elect, by my side, along with an outstanding, engaged board of directors.
It is a great time to be a Lumberjack.
Axe 'em, Jacks!
Charlotte Ashcraft '80
Nacogdoches
President, SFA Alumni Association