2018

The SMU December 2018 Graduation, held in Moody Coliseum on the SMU campus, included a concert by Imperial Brass, the commencement address by SMU Chair for the Board of Trustees Robert Dedman Jr. '80, '84 and the graduation of 581 students with doctorate, professional and baccalaureate degrees.

“The SMU community joins the nation in grieving the loss of President George H.W. Bush - a servant leader who lived his entire life as a steadfast example of patriotism and the strongest American ideals. Gail and I send our heartfelt condolences to President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush, and the entire Bush family. We treasure memories of time spent with “Bush 41” when he honored us with visits to our campus, such as when he received the Medal of Freedom from the Tower Center for Political Studies, and when he proudly attended as one of five living presidents the 2013 dedication of his son’s George W. Bush Presidential Center. Our University has unique opportunities to share the lessons from a life well-lived. We intend to use them.”

SMU physicist Jodi Cooley has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed by their peers upon the group’s members for scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

The Klarsfelds' made a rare trip to the United States in mid-November to accept the Triumph of the Spirit award from the SMU Embry Human Rights Program. Speaking directly and passionately to SMU students, the couple warned that the current generation of young people is facing a new world of anti-Semitism.

SMU faculty are available to journalists reporting on all 2018 mid-term political races, including the pivotal U.S. Senate race between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke. A full list of available faculty and their areas of expertise is available.

Registered Dallas County voters – including students, faculty, staff and community members – will have the opportunity to vote early on the SMU campus Monday, Oct. 29 through Wednesday, Oct. 31.

SMU math educator Candace Walkington will use a $1 million NSF grant to help expand tool that allows kids to create and solve algebra problems related to their own interests.

Eric Hinton is named director of the Robert B. Rowling Center for Business Law and Leadership

SMU, NBC5 and the Dallas Morning News Host Texas Senate Debate

SMU, Dallas ISD and Toyota are collaborating to develop a STEM-focused school in West Dallas planned for opening in 2021. With a $2 million grant from Toyota Foundation USA, SMU Simmons School will help develop evidence-based STEM curriculum and coordinate social and educational support services from community non-profits.

Research $5 million gift from Rich and Mary Templeton boosts engineering research at SMU

Leaving a trail of shattered glass ceilings behind her, the first woman to lead the National Academy of Sciences – the United States’ most prestigious scientific organization – will speak at SMU Monday, Oct 1.

Melding the power of academic research and big data, SMU has merged its National Center for Arts Research (NCAR) with DataArts, the national resource for data about nonprofit arts, culture and humanities organizations. To be known as SMU DataArts, this new resource signals SMU's commitment to both research and the health of the nation's arts and culture.

SMU is ranked 59 among the nation’s universities in the 2019 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges, released online today. The ranking represents an increase from the 2017 ranking of 61.

The SMU Police Department and first responders from the surrounding community will commemorate the 17th anniversary of 9/11 with a solemn ceremony honoring the police officers and firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty during the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

SMU Physicist Stephen Sekula says observation of the Higgs particle transforming into bottom quarks confirms the 20th-century recipe for everything in the known physical world.

The world’s best-known Nazi hunters, Beate and Serge Klarsfeld, will make a rare visit to Dallas Nov. 15 to accept SMU’s global 2018 Triumph of the Spirit Award, presented by the Embrey Human Rights Program in SMU Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.

Earning rewards is key to student app to prevent distracted driving.

Study shows hunter-gatherers used active burning to improve grazing, drive bison, long before arrival of Columbus.

SMU alumnus and internationally renowned Native American artist John Nieto ’59 passed away on July 12, 2018. Nieto’s distinctive works have been displayed in galleries and public exhibitions throughout the United States and the world, including a solo exhibition in Tokyo.

The Dallas Regional Chamber, in partnership with Accenture, SMU, and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas released the results of the DFW Regional Innovation Study which provides a strategy roadmap to accelerate the growth of North Texas’ innovation economy and bolster its reputation as a hub for innovation excellence.

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A puzzle-solving smartphone game designed to teach struggling adults to read was named one of five finalists in an international competition.

Save Nov. 9, 2018 on your calendar. That's when the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History opens a new exhibit on never-before-seen fossils from Angola. The never-before-seen fossils were discovered, excavated and prepared by SMU faculty and student researchers. They tell the story of how the South Atlantic Ocean formed millions of years ago, and provide clues to understand our planet's present and future.

SMU announces the selection of Holly Jeffcoat as the new Dean of SMU Libraries.

SMU alumna Patsy Pinson Hutchison ’54, a devoted University supporter, passed away on May 15, 2018. Along with her husband and fellow alumnus, Bill, the Hutchisons have long been familiar figures at the SMU-in-Taos Cultural Institute at SMU’s campus in Taos, N.M., supporting The Chapel at Fort Burgwin, which was dedicated in 2014.

SMU Guildhall, the top ranked graduate school for video game design in the world, in collaboration with eGency Global, one of North America’s most experienced esports production, marketing and talent management firms, have announced the launch of OP Live Dallas — a premier esports event featuring high-level professional competition, a 16-team collegiate tournament, a hackathon for high-schoolers, and a showcase for the work of SMU Guildhall master’s degree candidates in interactive technology.

2018 Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Young Alumni Awards Presented

Work by SMU Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center leads to Troy Rhodes’ release to transitional reentry housing before retrial

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Continuing The Ascent: Recommendations for Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of 91����, a report by SMU President R. Gerald Turner and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven C. Currall, presents a set of 14 bold recommendations for further raising SMU’s standing relative to other universities.

Three new officers and three new trustees were named to SMU’s Board of Trustees during the board’s spring meeting May 4, 2018. The Board also passed a resolution to honor two former members as trustees emeriti.

Retired SMU finance professor and wife help ensure continued faculty excellence with $2 million gift

The Beloved Dallas Philanthropist Passes at 106

Nobel laureate Barry Clark Barish, a leading expert on cosmic gravitational waves, will receive an honorary doctoral degree during SMU’s 103rd all-University Commencement ceremony.

$400,000 challenge yields more than $834,000 in commitments for 20 new scholarships

SMU celebrated the building of its new SMU Indoor Performance Center Saturday, April 14, during the annual Mustang spring football game.

Coming this summer, SMU’s commitment to innovation and the growth of new businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth region will have a place to call home in the SMU Incubator, where students, faculty and staff will plan, produce and pitch their ideas for businesses and products.

Lee R. Berger, an award-winning researcher who discovered two new species of early human relatives, will discuss one of those species during a lecture titled, “Almost Human, the astonishing tale of the Homo naledi,” from 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, at SMU’s Fondren Science Building, room 123.

In an effort to transcend traditional diversity training, SMU is working to strengthen the cultural intelligence of students, faculty, and staff. The Cultural Intelligence Initiative, known as CIQ@SMU, got underway March 2.

As Amazon's #HQ2 search looms, SMU joins the Dallas Regional Chamber, Accenture and the United Way to take stock of the area's ability to foster innovation.

SMU’s Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility recognizes entrepreneur and civic leader Bobby B. Lyle with the 2018 J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award, honoring a community leader who personifies moral leadership and public virtue.

A message from President Turner on free speech and civil discourse

Political Science Prof. James F. Hollifield, Director of SMU's John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies, recently wrote about the struggles of immigration reform for The Catalyst and was interviewed on the subject by KERA public radio's Think.

SMU Guildhall deputy director Corey Clark, and biology professor John Wise are part of a team hoping to take advantage of the Minecraft's large user base in the search for better cancer-fighting drugs.

Opinions written by SMU professors that have appeared recently in various publications.

Bruce Bullock, director of SMU’s Maguire Energy Institute, addresses questions about whether Atmos Energy can pass along the costs associated with expensive emergency repairs to its system in northern Dallas to its customers.

Bernard Weinstein, associate director of SMU's Maguire Energy Institute, says the last thing U.S. economy needs is restrictions on imports.

SMU alum Kelvin Beachum has honored his former mentor with a gift of $100,000 to the annual Civil Rights Pilgrimage.

For the second year in a row, 91���� and the University of Southern California have been ranked as the best schools in the world to study game design.

Hamon Charitable Foundation to support free SMU camps and scholarships to drive engineering careers.

SMU Meadows 2018 Spring Dance Concert presents retrospective of works by retiring jazz dance faculty artist Danny Buraczeski, April 4-8.

Selected stories for March 6-12, 2018

New SMU study by family psychologist Chrystyna D. Kouros finds couples do poorly at knowing when their partner is sad or feeling down.

Dallas business leaders Linda Wertheimer Hart ’65 and Milledge (Mitch) A. Hart, III have committed a significant gift to the Gerald J. Ford Research and Innovation Building at SMU.

SMU Political Science Professor Matthew Wilson analyzes the upcoming Democratic Party runoff for the nomination for Texas governor.

In a tiny theater at 91����, an old master got together with some new friends.

SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts will present its 25th annual “Meadows at the Meyerson” concert at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, in the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. in Dallas.

Selected stories for February 27 - March 5, 2018

SMU alumnus and New York Jets player Kelvin Beachum makes gift honoring his faculty mentor and SMU's annual Civil Rights Pilgrimage.

A message from President Turner regarding sexual misconduct.

SMU Meadows School of the Arts will host an Open Studios event on Friday, March 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. showcasing the works of undergraduate and graduate students in the Division of Art.

It’s an extraordinary time to be a filmmaker, says alumnus William Joyce (’81). To create a successful career, hold on to your vision, be open to critique and outlast the naysayers.

The Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education is happy to announce Jim Hart, Interim Chair of Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship at 91����, as the 2017 recipient of the Sharon T. Alpi Award for Innovative Arts Entrepreneurship Pedagogy.

Bernard Weinstein, associate director of SMU's Maguire Energy Institute, writes about the risks of the anti-fossil fuel movement.

SMU Law Professor Mary Spector talks about people being overwhelmed by medical debt. She is Associate Dean for Law Clinics and Director of the Civil/Consumer Clinic. She also teaches Consumer Law.

A commentary by SMU History Professor Edward Countryman and University of Mary Washington Political Science Professor Emile Lester on the Texas Board of Education tampering with the truth in school textbooks.

SMU seismologist Heather DeShon talks about an earthquake study she co-authored that found that earthquakes beneath DFW International Airport continued for seven years after an oil and gas company shut a nearby wastewater injection well.

Selected stories for February 20-26, 2018

Congressman Beto O'Rourke appears to be the frontrunner for the Democratic Party nomination for senator, a victory that would pit him against incumbent Ted Cruz, a Republican, in the fall. SMU Political Science Professor Matthew Wilson offers a look at the race in this interview with Fox 4.

Anthropology Professor Carolyn Smith-Morris, who specializes in how people in different cultural settings experience health and illness, compares today's flu epidemic to the one of 1918 that killed more than 500,000 Americans.

The Buried Alive Project, with the help of SMU students, aims to eliminate life without parole sentences for those convicted of federal non-violent drug offenses.

SMU Tower Scholar Zach Miller’s interest in politics played out like it does for many college students his first couple years at SMU – he volunteered for political campaigns and pursued internships.

The Meadows Museum at SMU has acquired an important preparatory study by Valencian artist Vicente López y Portaña (1772–1850), Charles IV and His Family Honored by the University of Valencia (1802)

SMU is announcing plans to move forward with renovation of Bridwell Library, one of SMU’s most visible libraries and one of the preeminent theological libraries in the country.

SMU Political Science Professor Cal Jillson talks about the Democratic Party race for the nomination for governor.

SMU Law Professor Anthony J. Colangelo writes about who could be prosecuted for war crimes in the event of a nuclear strike and what would constitute an illegal nuclear strike order.

Professor Maria Dixon-Hall, senior adviser to the provost for campus cultural intelligence initiatives, wrote an opinion about traditional diversity and inclusion training.

Economics Professor Elira Kuka co-authored a paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research that argues that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program had a “significant impact” on the educational and life decisions of undocumented immigrant youth,

Legendary inventor and scholar Ronald A. Rohrer, the Cecil & Ida Green Chair and Professor of Engineering in SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering, has been named to The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas (TAMEST).

Selected headlines for February 13-19, 2018

The seasons for SMU men's and women's basketball and equestrian continue with games the weekend of Feb. 23-24..

Blogs by students and faculty about interesting people and places the world over.

SMU study finds earthquakes continue for years after gas field wastewater injection stops.

As part of a large scientific consortium, SMU physicists will help create the largest 3-D map of the universe ever made.

Dallas educational organizations, in collaboration with SMU, tap big data and shared expertise to create expanded learning information system.

Videos that offer a look at what goes on behind some SMU events.

Bridwell Library at Perkins School of Theology, 91���� announces an exhibition highlighting forty-five Bibles from the collection of Thomas J. Harrison (1885-1963).

"Hidden Figures in Civil Rights History: The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South."

The school is a three-day event focusing on the Bible theology, and spirituality.

Perkins School of Theology is honored to announce Dr. Lydia Bean, Dr. Kathryn S. Stream and Dr. Beverly E. White as recipients of the 2018 Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award.

Amelia Bransky has designed a stark, encompassing set for 'Frankenstein' — her "favorite monster story."

A commentary by SMU Senior Business Lecturer Michael Davis.

Selected headlines for February 6-12, 2018

The camps provide skills, experience – and fun!. See the list of contacts for information about the camps for summer 2018.

The lecture will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, at the Gene and Jerry Jones Great Hall in SMU's Meadows Museum

Men’s basketball player Akoy Agau has traveled a challenging journey to success at SMU, rising from a difficult childhood in war-torn Sudan.

Feature story on the G. William Jones Film and Video Collection at SMU, which supports instruction and research in the Meadows School of the Arts and the global moving image preservation and research community.