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What's News - April 2008 |
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Jeff Davis '02 |
Davis named executive director of alumni affairs 4-22-08Jeff H. Davis was named executive director of alumni affairs at Stephen F. Austin State University by the Board of Regents Tuesday. Davis, a 2002 graduate of SFA, has served as interim director since September. —30— |
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SFA coaches to be featured at five Coaches Night events Stephen F. Austin State University’s J.C. Harper, head football coach, and Danny Kaspar, men’s head basketball coach, will be the featured speakers at the local Coaches Night receptions, sponsored by the SFA Alumni Association’s Chapter program and the SFA Department of Athletics. Five Coaches Night receptions are being hosted across Texas in May to provide SFA alumni the opportunity to visit with Harper and Kaspar as well as other members of the SFA athletic coaching staffs and hear about the upcoming season. Additional invited speakers include: Lee Ann Riley, basketball; Donnie Watson, baseball; Debbie Humphreys, volleyball; Phil Olson, track; George Van Linder, soccer; Gay McNutt, softball; Bret Arrant, tennis; Trey Schroeder, golf; and Leigh Rush, equestrian.
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4-11-08/R. Minton Casey Coffman Shilts of Dallas has been selected to receive the 2008 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award by the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association. Shilts will receive the award during the association’s annual Celebration of Excellence at 7 p.m. April 17 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom on the SFA campus. A 1989 SFA graduate, Shilts is chief operating officer of Hicks-Sports Group, the company that oversees the operations of the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Stars and Liverpool Football Club in England. “During law school and my professional career, I have met several people in positions of power and importance; however, I have never encountered anyone in a role such as Casey’s position who has been as approachable and willing to help young professionals as has been Casey Shilts,” Aaron Bitter, a 2001 SFA graduate who was a legal intern with Shilts’ company, said. “To this day, I know that if I need guidance, advice, or information about the sports industry or area legal community, I can count on Casey to provide me with such information.” Bitter calls Shilts a “great ambassador for SFA.” “She is proud to be a Lumberjack, and it is obvious to anyone around her that her educational roots lie in Nacogdoches at SFA,” he said. In his nomination of Shilts for the young alumnus award, Bitter recalled a time in 2004 when he said SFA’s role in Shilts’ life was evident as she assembled a four-member legal staff of SFA alums. The team included herself, paralegal Brenda Wittenberg, class of 1978, and interns Kurt Martin, class of 1992, and Bitter. “While I am sure Casey did not compose and hire staff solely on the basis of the individuals’ respective ties to SFA, it is hard for me to believe that our Lumberjack and Ladyjack backgrounds were not a factor in Casey putting together an all-SFA legal team,” Bitter said. Shilts, who was named Miss SFA in 1989, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and communication from SFA. After graduating from University of Texas Law School in 1992, she clerked for Sen. John Cornyn before joining the Coca-Cola Company in 1993. She spent five years in Southeast Asia where she served as counsel to Coca-Cola’s divisions in Bangkok, Thailand and its bottling division in Singapore. Before landing in Southeast Asia, Shilts was based in Atlanta and was involved in sports-related transactions with the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the 1996 Olympic Games. From 1999-2000, Shilts served as counsel to the Minute Maid Company and was heavily involved with the company’s marketing relationship with the Houston Astros. In 2000, Shilts joined the Hicks Sports Group as general counsel for Southwest Sports Group. In her current position with Hicks Sports Group, she oversees the day-to-day operations of three sports franchises. She also sits on the board of directors of Center Operating Company that runs the American Airlines Center, and she will oversee the company’s golf course and hotel development in Bariloche, Argentina. Shilts also has led the development of Glorypark, the $600 million development next to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Expected to open in 2009, Glorypark is a 1.8 million square, mixed-use lifestyle development being built between the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the new Dallas Cowboys football stadium. It will include retail and office space as well as a hotel and condominiums. She also is instrumental in the development of Champions Park in Frisco, an office, residential and hotel development adjacent to the Dallas Stars headquarters, Deja Blue Arena and the Dr. Pepper Ballpark. A Life Member of the SFA Alumni Association, Shilts helped the Dallas Chapter organize an “SFA Life Member Day at the Ballpark in Arlington” and has supported fundraisers such as golf tournaments and the annual silent auction at Homecoming to benefit the SFA Alumni Association. Shilts is on the North Texas Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters and is the Dallas chairperson for the organization’s “Children in Crisis” capital campaign. She also is a member of the Real Estate Council Board of Directors and member of the executive committee of board for both the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau. In 2003, Shilts was one of 40 businesswomen honored by the YWCA of Fort Worth and Tarrant County. For more information about the Celebration of Excellence, contact the SFA Alumni Association at (800) 765-1534, (936) 468-3407. —30—
4-11-08/R. Minton Dr. Michael S. Fountain, Laurence C. Walker Distinguished Professor and associate dean of the Stephen F. Austin State University Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, has been named recipient of the Distinguished Professor Award by the SFA Alumni Association. Fountain will be honored at the association’s annual Celebration of Excellence at 7 p.m. April 17 at the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom. “Dr. Fountain has been a stalwart in Texas forestry outside of academe. His representation of SFA off-campus has always been of the highest caliber, and has helped foster the impression that SFA is indeed a forestry leader and a go-to place for forestry information and assistance in East Texas,” said Michael Messina, professor and associate head of the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. “Dr. Fountain’s contributions to SFA, both within and outside the campus, have been outstanding,” said R. Scott Beasley, dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. “He truly is an asset to this university and community. “His role as faculty advisor for the SFA Sylvans Club has provided him an opportunity to instill professionalism into the students and give them a strong sense of dedication and commitment to their chosen profession,” Beasley said. “His never-ending emphasis on professional ethics has been imprinted on the hearts and minds of generations of foresters.” Fountain earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from SFA in 1970 and added Master of Science in forestry in 1972. He added a Ph.D. in forest resource science from West Virginia University in 1977. Specializing in silviculture, dendrology and forestry ecology, Fountain’s teaching career began as a graduate teaching assistant at SFA. He joined the SFA faculty as an instructor in 1972 while working on his doctorate. After teaching stops at West Virginia University and the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Fountain returned to SFA in 1981 as an assistant professor and was named a full professor in 1993. In 2000, Fountain was named associate dean and the Laurence C. Walker Distinguished Professor. He is a member the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and has been involved with the organization at local, state and national levels. Fountain recently was named a Fellow by the SAF. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Texas Forestry Association and the Texas Forestry Museum. He also is a member of the Forest Landowners Association. In 1997, Fountain was recognized by the U.S. Forest Service for meritorious service to National Forests in Texas by serving as a silviculture expert witness to assist in legal issues. Fountain has served as the advisor to the Sylvans Forestry Club, a member of the Association of Southern Forestry Clubs, at SFA for 27 years. He was named a recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award for the College of Forestry in 1996 and 2004. As a student at SFA, Fountain was a member of the Society of Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi honor fraternity, Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and Xi Sigma Pi National Forestry Honor Fraternity. Fountain’s community service includes serving as a youth baseball and soccer coach in Nacogdoches and a past leader of the Boy Scouts of America, Order of the Arrow, Naconiche District. He has prepared nearly 40 presentations and publications relating to forestry and environmental issues. In recognition of his commitment to and expertise in forestry education, Fountain was invited to present the keynote address at the 2007 National Convention of the Association of Consulting Foresters in Pennsylvania. The SFA Alumni Association established the Distinguished Professor Award in 1966 to honor a current SFA faculty member who has made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments and careers have brought credit to the institution. —30— SFA Alumni Association holds annual Celebration of Excellence 4-11-08/R. Minton This event is held each spring and honors outstanding graduates, recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, recipient of the SFA Alumni Association’s Distinguished Professor Award and the 50th anniversary graduating class of SFA. More than 40 students will be recognized as recipients of outstanding graduate awards from their respective colleges and departments. Casey Coffman Shilts of Dallas will be honored as the recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. A 1989 SFA graduate, Shilts is chief operating officer of Hicks-Sports Group, the company that oversees the operations of the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Stars and Liverpool Football Club in England. Shilts, who was named Miss SFA in 1989, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and communication from SFA. After graduating from University of Texas Law School in 1992, she clerked for Sen. John Cornyn before joining the Coca-Cola Company in 1993. From 1999-2000, Shilts served as counsel to the Minute Maid Company and was heavily involved with the company’s marketing relationship with the Houston Astros. In 2000, Shilts joined the Hicks Sports Group as general counsel for Southwest Sports Group. Dr. Michael Fountain, associate dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture and Laurence C. Walker Distinguished Professor, will be honored as the recipient of the 2008 Distinguished Professor Award. Fountain joined the SFA faculty as an instructor in 1972 while working on his doctorate. After teaching stops at West Virginia University and the University of Arkansas at Monticello, he returned to SFA in 1981 as an assistant professor and was named full professor in 1993. In 2000, Fountain was named associate dean and the Laurence C. Walker Distinguished Professor. Fountain earned a bachelor’s degree in 1970 and master’s degree in 1972 from SFA. He added a doctorate from West Virginia State University in 1977. Members of the 1958 graduating class will celebrate its 50th anniversary, starting with a 6 p.m. reception at the Tracie D. Pearman Alumni Center prior to the Celebration of Excellence. The golden graduates also will be recognized as part of the Celebration of Excellence events. Their reunion continues Friday morning with a 9 a.m. breakfast at the Pearman Alumni Center followed by the presentation of their “golden graduate” certificates. They will conclude their reunion at the steps of the Austin Building for a class photo. For more information about the Celebration of Excellence, contact the SFA Alumni Association at 936-468-3407 or 800-765-1534. —30—
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© 2008 SFA Alumni Association | Legal Notices | alumni@sfasu.edu |
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