The first faculty list for SFA, summarized below, was submitted by Birdwell was to the Board of Regents at its meeting on May 26, 1923. The list included the degrees which the nominees held or were completing and was far from compete as the ending note specifies: "Teachers of Home Economics, Manual Training, Spanish and Dean of Women are to be chosen; also, Assistants in Education and English." Other faculty members were hired by Birdwell before the opening of the college in September. Miss Lois Foster, a historian with all her work completed for the Ph.D. except her dissertation, was the first faculty member hired by President Birdwell. When asked later, she said she knew nothing about Nacogdoches; "I came because Dr. Birdwell asked me to come."

Here is the list of the first faculty hired as of May 26, 1923:

Agriculture: J. H. Hinds, Professor

Education: E. E. Davis, Professor

Associate Professor to be named later

Miss Claudia Holmes, Critic Teacher

Miss Leland Watkins, Critic Teacher

English: Thomas E. Ferguson, Professor

Associate to be supplied

Fine Arts: Miss Ida Pritchett, Professor

Professor of drawing to be supplied

Foreign Languages: Miss Dorothy Arnold, Latin

Spanish to be supplied

Mathematics: C.E. Ferguson, Professor

Miss Gladys Hairston, Associate Professor

Natural Sciences: W. L. Ray Professor

N. K. Dupre, Associate Professor

Physical Education: Robert Shelton, Professor for Men

Miss Virginia Bradfoot, Professor for Women

Social Science: W. F. Garner, Professor

Miss Lois Foster, Associate Professor

Librarian: Miss Loulein Harris

Business Administration: J. H. Wisely, Professor