April 28, 2005 – Shirley Luna

Regents approve geospatial service center

A $4.1 million appropriation from the federal government for a geospatial service center headquartered at Stephen F. Austin State University is causing geographic changes for two laboratories at the university. Regents voted during their April meeting to merge the two existing labs.

"It is in the best interest of the university to combine the teaching, research and service components of geographic information systems (GIS) into one college," said Dr. Mary Cullinan, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "Such a union will greatly improve the coordination, funding, collaboration and effectiveness of GIS programs. It will eliminate the unnecessary costs associated with duplication of equipment and personnel and will concentrate the university's extraordinary GIS talent into a fully functional team."

Dr. Darrel McDonald will transfer from the Department of Political Science, Geography and Public Administration to the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.  The newly created Columbia Geospatial Service Center will be located on South Pecan Street, across the street from the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau.

According to Dr. James Kroll, director of the lab at the Forest Resources Institute, the downtown location will be convenient for coordinating work with city and county officials.

"We will be within a block of the county and city government headquarters," Kroll said. "Dr. McDonald is a pioneer in the GIS field and has developed a close working relationship with the city. The Forest Resources Institute has developed a similar relationship with the county. As a result, Nacogdoches is much more technologically advanced than other cities our size and is one of only a few counties in the state with an approved hazard mitigation plan."

Other changes on the campus include new names for four areas of study. Regents changed the names from "department" to "school" in accordance with a university policy that bestows "school" status on subdivisions of colleges that provide education in specialized or professional fields that lead to a degree, certificate or licensure. Pending approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, areas with new names will be the School of Art, School of Music, School of Theatre and School of Nursing.

Regents endorsed the creation of a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in creative writing, a degree that serves as an appropriate undergraduate preparation for a variety of fields of graduate study, some professional schools, or employment in communications, education and entertainment fields.

"The study of creative writing as an academic discipline has become increasingly popular in colleges and universities across the United States," Cullinan said. "The bachelor's degree in creative writing will particularly appeal to students who wish to pursue further focused study of creative writing or journalism on the graduate level and will encourage students to produce a body of carefully crafted prose or poetry over the course of their undergraduate years."

Beginning in the fall, biotechnology and environmental science students at the University of Houston Downtown will be able to enroll in online classes offered by SFA's biotechnology graduate program.

"An overwhelming number of students from biotechnology and environmental science are interested in pursuing graduate studies at SFA; however, many of them are tied to the Houston area due to family and jobs," Cullinan said. "This would be a natural extension since both programs already are taught through interactive video, and the University of Houston Downtown has the capability to receive courses by video."

The university will seek coordinating board approval for the online offerings, as well as the bachelor's degree program in creative writing.

A pilot program was approved by regents to increase the Academic Excellence Scholarship to $3,000 per year with the start of summer 2006. Currently, the scholarship is $2,000 per year and is renewable for four years. In fall 2004, only 40 percent of students offered scholarships enrolled at SFA.

"By increasing the award from $2,000 per year to $3,000 per year, we would almost certainly increase the yield rate and attract more qualified students," Cullinan said.

After fall 2006, the acceptance rate of the scholarships will be reviewed to decide whether to continue to offer the scholarship at $3,000.

Regents authorized a 3 percent increase in rates Aramark can charge for food and beverages sold on campus during 2005-2006. Under terms of the food service contract with Aramark, the company was entitled to a 2.2 percent increase based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index’s food and beverage index for the past year. An additional 0.8 percent increase was requested to offset Aramark's decreased income after the University Center snack bar closed and Starbucks in the university bookstore opened.

Dr. Jack Nelson, director of auxiliary services, said the total contract is about $5 million, with slightly more than $4 million of that coming from meal plans purchased by students. Dr. Roland Smith, vice president for business affairs, said the 3 percent increase was included in meal plan rates previously approved by the board.

Students moving into Steen Hall and Hall 20 in the fall will find energy-efficient microwave-refrigerator combinations and carpeted rooms. Regents approved spending $610,000 for the items. Smith said the university has funds to pay for the upgrades. Room and board rates the board recently adopted factored in these anticipated improvements, said Dr. Baker Pattillo, vice president for university affairs.

Regents also authorized the university to apply for a grant of up to $10,000 from WorkForce Solutions Deep East Texas. The grant would help offset an estimated $22,182 in training and consulting costs to help reduce and control illegal drug and alcohol use in the workplace.

Regents voted to extend the contract of President Tito Guerrero through June 30, 2008. Guerrero began serving as president July 1, 2001. They heard reports from Guerrero; Monique Cossich, executive director of enrollment management; and Gina Oglesbee, auditor.

Regents recognized Amanda Williams, outgoing president of the Student Government Association, and were introduced to Amber Lara, recently elected president of the group.

Dr. Gary Wurtz, chair of the Faculty Senate, presented information regarding faculty salaries and administrative costs, and introduced Dr. Brian Oswald, incoming Faculty Senate chair and associate professor of forestry.