Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture

HANS M. WILLIAMS
Dean

Forestry Building, Room 103
Phone: (936) 468-3301
Fax: (936) 468-2489
P.O. Box 6109, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962
Email: atcofa@sfasu.edu
Web: atcofa.sfasu.edu

Mission

The mission of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture is to maintain excellence in teaching, research and outreach; enhance the health and vitality of the environment through sustainable management, conservation, and protection of our forests and natural resources; and enhance the production and economic viability of agricultural commodities. The principles supporting this mission include the following:

Students receive classroom and field-based experiences to prepare them for their professional careers. Academic courses provide learning opportunities that encourage and inspire students to approach forest resource, environmental, agricultural and social issues in a critical yet creative manner; to identify and analyze key elements using modern technologies, such as geographic information systems; and to articulate ethical solutions.
The college has a strong commitment to a research program that encourages basic and applied studies in natural resource management, environmental topics, geospatial science applications, agricultural production and social values. Although research projects are centered predominantly in East Texas, the issues addressed and results obtained often have national and international implications.
A service program provides professional expertise, information and training. Practicing professionals, industrial landowners, timber investment management organizations, family forest owners, public agencies, nongovernment organizations, farmers, ranchers, poultry producers and society in general are beneficiaries of these services.

The forestry, environmental science, geospatial science and agriculture facilities contain classrooms, laboratories, student computer rooms, greenhouses, a center for livestock production and geographic information systems laboratories. Excellence within the college is reflected in a variety of other research centers and institutes, including the Center for Applied Studies in Forestry, the Poultry Science Center and the Pineywoods Native Plants Center.

The campus is situated near the U.S.D.A. Forest Service Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s East Texas Plant Materials Center, Texas Parks and Wildlife Alazan Wildlife Management Area, five wilderness areas that are part of four national forests, and several million acres of private commercial forests. The university also is situated in the heart of the nursery/landscape, beef cattle and poultry industries of East Texas. The forestry, environmental science, geospatial science and agriculture programs take advantage of these resources and cooperative efforts with industry and producers for hands-on education and meaningful research opportunities.