Austin, Texas – Senator Robert Nichols and Representative Travis Clardy congratulate Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) on receiving a $46.4 million tuition-backed revenue bond (TRB) to fund a much needed Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) building on the SFA campus.

"This new STEM building will provide an up to date facility for faculty and students to ensure they are successful and have the best advantage in their education," said Senator Nichols. "It will help SFA to recruit more students into the field and continue its excellence as an higher education institution."

The new STEM building will provide space to support the overall research and outreach mission of the College of Sciences and Mathematics and will include a STEM Research and Learning Center, the Department of Physics, the Department of Computer Science, as well a large auditorium to host public STEM lecture series, STEM summits and additional opportunities for students.

"We are gratified to have been able to work with Senator Nichols this session and deliver the long awaited TRB to build the STEM Center at SFA," said Clardy. "This is a big accomplishment not only for SFA and East Texas, but also for all of our higher education institutions around the State. This is great for the future of Texas."

By expanding the current laboratory space available for faculty research, the College will have an enhanced capacity for securing competitive external grant funding, as well as providing research labs for K-12 outreach programs.

The Texas Legislature has not passed a TRB bill in nearly nine years and normally one is passed every other year. This specific TRB bill was supported by the SFA Board of Regents as well as many business leaders in the region due to the job growth it would provide.

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