Stephen F. Austin State University

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Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University Logo
Established: 1921 (classes began in 1923)
Type: State university, public
President: Dr. Baker Pattillo
Staff: 528 full-time faculty members
Students: 10,822 (as of spring 2007)
Location: Nacogdoches, Texas, USA
Campus: Urban, 360 acres (Main Campus)
Colors: Purple, White, and Red
Nickname: Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks
Affiliations: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southland Conference
Website: www.sfasu.edu

Stephen F. Austin State University (commonly SFA) is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding father, Thomas Jefferson Rusk.

Stephen F. Austin is one of four public universities in Texas not affiliated with a university system.


Contents

[edit] Academics

Stephen F. Austin offers more than 120 areas of study, including more than 80 undergraduate majors, nearly 60 graduate degrees, and two doctoral programs. Stephen F. Austin offers classes through six colleges and houses one of only two schools of forestry in the State of Texas. It is the only forestry college in the timber-producing East Texas region.

In addition to the main campus, the university maintains a 642-acre agricultural research center for beef, poultry and swine production and an equine center; an 18.7-acre experimental forest in southwestern Nacogdoches County and a 25.3-acre forestry field station on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

[edit] Presidents

The main entrance to Stephen F. Austin State University
The main entrance to Stephen F. Austin State University

[edit] Athletics

Stephen F. Austin's colors are purple and white. In tribute to the forest industry which is a major component of the area's economy, the men's athletic teams are called Lumberjacks, and women's teams are known as Ladyjacks. Stephen F. Austin sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision--formerly I-AA--for football) in the Southland Conference. SFA's primary rivals are Sam Houston State University and Northwestern State University.

Men's NCAA Sports:

Women's NCAA Sports


  • The Stephen F. Austin LARGE COED CHEERLEADING SQUAD are nine-time National Cheerleading Association Collegiate National Champions. The Large Coed team has won 5 straight National Titles. The 2007-2008 Large Coed team is made up of males and females all over the United States including Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Colorado, North Carolina, California, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The Large Coed team competes in the NCA Collegiate National Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida every April.
  • The Stephen F. Austin SMALL COED CHEERLEADING SQUAD is in its 2nd year of cheering. In July of 2007, SFA Small Coed won a partial paid bid to the NCA Collegiate National Championships. In their first year, SFA Small placed 9th among other D1 Small Coed teams including University of Louisville, Oklahoma State University, Southern Methodist University and Florida International University. The 2007-2008 Small Coed team is made up of 6 males and 18 females from Texas, Illinois, Colorado and New York. Small Coed will compete in the 2008 NCA Collegiate National Championship in Florida.

[edit] Traditions

  • At home football games, large signs and banners representing campus fraternities, sororities, and student organizations adorn the grassy hills that surround Homer Bryce Stadium.
  • The annual Parents Day is now in its 32nd year. This is one of the largest student run programs on the campus of SFA. Parents, friends and family members of students visit the campus every fall for a day of activities and school spirit. Parents Day is sponsored by the Residence Hall Association in conjunction with the Housing and Residence Life Departments.
  • The University's main rivals are Sam Houston State University and Northwestern State University.
  • Since 1960, a seven-foot, six-inch statue of an Indian named "Chief Caddo" was carved as a trophy between SFA and Northwestern State University (both schools are located in towns named for a branch of the Caddo tribe). The winner of the football game between these two schools maintains possession of the statue. Chief Caddo is the largest trophy in college football. Northwestern State is currently in possession of Chief Caddo, after defeating SFA in November 2007.
  • Every year at Homecoming a bonfire is lit. The bonfire is built and lit by members of Alpha Phi Omega. Preceding the lighting of the bonfire, a "Torchlight Parade" is held where students walk through campus with flashlights to the Homecoming Pep Rally.
  • In addition to the Bonfire - The Student Activities Association hosts a Burn Shirt where other University gear can be traded in for an SFA Shirt and the other universities' shirts are burned on the Bonfire.
  • Purple Haze: The student fan section. Each member wears a Purple Haze t-shirt with the school song written on the back. The Purple Haze Section is 1 of 2 university clubs that has a section reserved (The Delta Sig Sawyers are the other). The bleachers are were painted and stenciled for the group by the athletics dept.
  • Also at home baseball games the students in the outfield throw back opposing teams home runs

[edit] Notable alumni

Notable individuals who either attended or graduated from SFASU:


[edit] General Facts

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
The statue of Stephen F. Austin in the middle of campus.
The statue of Stephen F. Austin in the middle of campus.
  • The oldest hall on campus is Wisely Hall. Students must maintain a 3.25 to live there, thus, common complaints about Wisely is that the residents believe they are the most intellectual beings on the planet.
  • In 2004, minor planet 1999 TJ17 was renamed "SFASU" after Stephen F. Austin State University.
  • Some say that there is a ghost named "Susan" in the library. Rumor has it that Susan choked on a piece of gum while studying for a final on November 14, 1955. At approximately 8:46pm, Susan began gasping for air but nobody seemed to care. She busted through the stairwell and fell down 3 flights of stairs and died. It was often called "the most painful death in the history of deaths". Susan is not happy so she haunts everybody who visits the library. Believe me.
  • On July 12, 2004, "Jack," a titan arum plant, bloomed at the Mast Arboretum, releasing its putrid stench to a large crowd of watchers. It is quite rare for this "corpse flower" to bloom; when one takes place it is often a highly publicised event.[1]
  • The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stephen F. Austin State University operates the second largest Observatory in Texas and the Central Time Zone. The observatory served as a background in a 2002 Honda magazine ad.
  • The Art Center, one of SFA's art galleries, is located in the Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches. This is the location where the Marx Brothers first incorporated comedy into their singing act after the audience became disinterested in their singing.
  • A ghost named "Chester" is said to be haunting the Turner Fine Arts Auditorium on campus. Legend has it that he is the spirit of the architect who died before the building's completion. Other stories point to Chester as the ghost of a former drama student who committed suicide.[2]
  • The Ladyjacks became the sixth member of an elusive club on January 28, 2008. With the Ladyjacks' 73-40 victory over Sam Houston State, the Ladyjacks became only the sixth women's program in NCAA Division I history to record 800 wins. The Ladyjacks now join Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, Texas and James Madison as the only schools to ever accomplish the feat. Making the victory more special was the fact that it was Sue Gunter Day on the SFA campus.

[edit] Points of interest

[edit] External links

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