NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Starting this week, Stephen F. Austin State University has a new school president. Dr. Neal Weaver became the 11th president in SFA’s 100-year history.
"Yeah I’m thrilled to be here, excited about the opportunity, really appreciative that Chancellor Milliken and the board of regents has enough confidence in me to give me this opportunity," Weaver said.
Weaver comes to SFA after spending seven years as the president of Georgia Southwestern State University. Weaver is familiar with the Lone Star State having worked at West Texas State University and Nicholls State University.
"I’ve always looked up to this university, thought very highly of the university, so the opportunity to express my interest and eventually work here was something I was really excited about," Weaver said.
Weaver is SFA’s first full-time president since the school became a part of the UT System -- something he said is going to be a positive for the university.
"Obviously I don’t have a whole lot of background on what it was like before, I have worked with systems my whole career. The good news is a system provides a lot of structure and a lot of support, not only financially but operationally," Weaver said.
Regardless of all the good things that come with being a part of the UT System, Weaver emphasized that he still wants the Lumberjacks to standout on their own.
"We have an incredible culture, we have our colors, we have our mascot, we have our alumni, (and) there’s absolutely nothing the system is trying to do to take away any of those things that make us unique or special," Weaver said.
Weaver said his top priority is the students and he wants to cultivate the best possible space for them to live, learn and grow.
"We’re going to focus on students. We’re going to make sure the student experience here is certainly second to none. We’re going to have great academic programs to prepare these students for a profession that they’ll have the rest of their life," Weaver said.