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Stephen F. Austin State University

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 13051, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
Phone
(936) 468-2504
Email address
admissions@stasu.edu
School Information
"Stephen F. Austin State University is a comprehensive, regional institution located in Nacogdoches, Texas. The university enrolls approximately 13,000 students and offers 83 undergraduate majors and 120 areas of study within six academic colleges - business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, sciences and mathematics, and liberal and applied arts. SFA offers degree programs both online and on its beautifully wooded campus nestled in the heart of Texas Forest Country. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA is ranked a Tier 1 Regional University by U.S. News and World Report. SFA provides the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. With a student-to-faculty ration of 19:1 and an average class size of 26, professors get to know their students and provide classroom instruction tailored to each student's needs and goals. Smaller classes combined with hands-on study, internships and research opportunities give students valuable experience that translates to their chosen career paths" (Source: https://www.linkedin.com/school/sfasu). SFA was founded in 1923 and features 519 full-time faculty.
General Information
SFASU has created a Diversity and Inclusion Certification Program. In addition, training and workshops are offered through the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Numerous events, such as Diversity Week, have been held. Furthermore, SFASU created a George Floyd Scholarship. See developments below:

Actions Taken

Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • The school's Counseling Services Department released a Diversity and Inclusion Statement and has committed to "increasing our understanding of how racism manifests in our cultures and having open conversations, attending trainings and reading books on a wide range of issues." Furthermore, "each counselor is engaged in the Office of Multicultural Affairs Diversity and Inclusion Certification Program."
  • SFA's Office of Diversity also houses an Office of Multicultural Affairs which offers training and workshops.
  • On February 20, 2023, SFA News announced that the "Office of Multicultural Affairs and the DeWitt School of Nursing have formed a partnership to train all nursing students and faculty in critical issues relating to diversity and multicultural education."
Faculty/Staff Requirements
  • Counseling Services committed to "continuing to recruit Counseling Services staff from marginalized identities with the goal of having better representation within our department."
Program and Research Funding
  • The university has created a George Floyd Scholarship which is meant to "benefit a student who has shown demonstrable action toward racial equality at SFASU."
  • On February 23, 2023, SFA News announced that its RAISE (Research Advancing Identities and Student Experiences) Center would partner with "Convergence Strategies, a nonprofit organization focused on anti-racism and resolving structural inequity as it pertains to religious, secular and spiritual matters." The RAISE Center would "host a Convergence Strategies faculty research fellow and jointly pursue grant and research projects."
Resources
  • The school's Counseling Services Department offers resources on DEI.
  • The university has a Campus Climate Response Team which will "offer assistance and guidance to those who have been affected due to hate/bias" and "support campus initiatives that expand diversity and inclusion on campus."
  • The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers resources, including a Diversity Glossary, a Guide to Pronouns and LGBTQIA+ Terminology, and a Diversity Calendar.
  • The university has a Diversity and Inclusion Certification Program.
  • The school hosted a Diversity Week in 2021 among numerous other events.
  • SFA has eliminated its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in order to be in compliance with Senate Bill 17, which "mandates public Texas higher education institutions cannot maintain a division, office, unit or program that is established for the purpose of diversity, equity and inclusion." The bill was signed into law by Governor Abbot in June 2023 and went into effect as of January 1, 2024.
  • On July 18, 2023, SFA News announced that "Dr. Michara DeLaney-Fields, chief diversity officer at Stephen F. Austin State University, was one of three dozen higher education leaders from across the country chosen to participate in the 2023-24 Executive Leadership Academy."
Symbolic Actions
  • In Fall of 2020, Lumberjack Culture Association and the Office of Multicultural Affairs presented the Tunnel of Oppression, which is an "interactive museum which spotlights different forms of oppression through interactive theatre and multimedia presentations."
  • The Nelson Rusche College of Business has crafted a Commitment to Diversity statement.
Last updated January 16th, 2024
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