Leadership Nacogdoches class is schooled in higher education

The Leadership Nacogdoches 2006 - 2007 class spent a busy day Thursday, Nov. 16, touring Stephen F. Austin State University.

The session kicked-off with breakfast at the Alumni Association office. Jim Jeter, Associate Vice President for Alumni Affairs, explained the purpose, services and vision of the SFA Alumni Association.

The class then met with Interim President Dr. Baker Pattillo who gave an overview of the university. Dr. Pattillo covered topics ranging from past university presidents to future construction plans. He also described his day-to-day responsibilities as university president and answered what he said is "one of the most asked questions, 'what's it like living in the president's house?'"

A tour of one of the new campus living facilities, Lumberjack Village, grabbed the attention of class members. Hall Director Derrick Scroggins led the class through the indoor recreation rooms with flat-screen tv's, pool tables, card tables and a shuffle board table. Lumberjack Village offers outdoor recreation areas, a convenience store, study lounges, community kitchens and meeting rooms. The tour prompted a lot of "ooh's" and "ah's" from class members.

Riding on an SFA bus, the class went to the downtown SFA Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center for a tour led by P.R. Blackwell and a presentation by Darrel McDonald. The two assistant directors discussed the center's research projects including VOISE and gave the class an opportunity to present their ideas for projects.

Next, assistant Director John Branch gave the class a tour of the athletic facilities. The class took in a nice, high view of the field at Homer Bryce Stadium from the sky box and the press box. They enjoyed lunch in the Champions Room while listening to Athletics Director Robert Hill give specific details plus the future plans of the SFA athletics program.

From there, research associates Barb Stump and Dawn Stover gave tours of the Ruby Mize Azalea Garden and the SFA Arboretum. The class learned that they were doing much more than strolling through beautiful gardens. They were viewing complicated research and planning projects growing right before their eyes.

A tour of SFA's College of Fine Arts led by Director of Arts Information Sylvia Bierschenk was next on the agenda. Not only did the class see the exhibit and performing areas, but they also received a schedule of the tons of events available for the public. "If anyone says there's nothing to do in Nacogdoches, they need to come see me, and I'll sell them a ticket," Bierschenk said. Bierschenk made the point that the fine arts performances available to the public are high-quality and reasonably priced, usually lower than the cost of a movie ticket.

The class visited Dr. Shiyou Li's laboratory. Dr. Li mentioned that most people assume that sources for pharmaceutical compounds are only found in tropical plants. However, he and his team are finding pharmaceutical crop sources in plants that can commonly be found in East Texas, some in our own back yards.

Debbie Baisden, vice president of finance and administration, spent the last of the day with the leadership class. She discussed the main revenue resources for SFA. She also answered questions concerning the costs for students to attend universities like SFA, and why SFA is an attractive choice for higher education.

The class was able to see many interesting activities at SFA, but session leader Dr. Violet Rogers, dean of the College of Business, said SFA has much, much more to offer. She and Dr. Nancy Speck-Mangham organized the session. They managed to fit as many activities as possible in to a busy day to give the class a multi-level look at the university.