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National media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor and Reuters, recently have featured expert commentary from SMU faculty about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
On the Discovery Channel’s special June broadcast of “Disaster in the Gulf: A Race Against Time,” SMU Lyle School of Engineering Dean Geoffrey Orsak helped explain the challenge and responsibilities facing engineers as they struggle to harness technology against a deepwater oil and gas blowout. Watch a clip below, and read more about what SMU experts on the petroleum industry, economics and politics have to say about the spill.
The common reading is a treasured SMU tradition that we invite you to share with the Class of 2014.
<!– through thought-provoking and insightful discussion. Over the next several months, check the SMU Facebook page for discussion questions and share your thoughts with other SMU fans by posting comments and engaging in the lively exchanges that follow. –>
This year’s common reading, Dave Eggers’ Zeitoun, comes from a land washed away by one of the fiercest hurricanes in history and the heart of a Syrian-born American whose good deed of rescuing Katrina victims is punished by accusations of his affiliation with Al Qaeda.
It tells the story of a successful painting contractor who stays behind in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina while his family flees. While using a small canoe to rescue victims, Abdulrahman Zeitoun is arrested and later suffers a lengthy detention on suspicion of being a terrorist.
This tragic and true story unfolds in documentary style through the accounts of the Zeitoun family, inviting the reader into their thoughts and experiences, allowing events to speak for themselves, and leading us on a journey of one man’s descent into injustice and chaos against the backdrop of the aftermath of Katrina.
Read reviews of Zeitoun from the New Yorker and the New York Times. You can order the book at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.
Print this coupon and bring it to the SMU Bookstore for 10 percent off the book!
By Caryn Statman, assistant director, and Darin Ford, director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center
There's nothing quite like receiving an official job offer with its sense of accomplishment and excitement. But after a quick celebration, job seekers must turn their focus to the offer: is it right for them, or should they negotiate the salary and compensation package?
Remember, any time you choose to negotiate, you are potentially putting a job offer at risk, so think through your decision carefully. In this economy, in particular, it can be difficult to find the "perfect" offer, and the employer's ability to change or increase the package may be limited.
Meet more than 80 employers from a wide range of industries at SMU’s fall Career and Internship Fair, which is set for noon-4 p.m. September 16 at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center.
If you’d like help with resumes and interview techniques before the fair, attend Prep Day from noon-7 p.m. September 1.
Learn about these and other fall 2010 events at smu.edu/career. We hope to see you there!
That said, if you strongly feel the offer is lacking — and you negotiate correctly — it is possible to make some gains while keeping your offer and relationship with the employer secure.
Negotiating successfully is a bit like a three-act play. There is an introduction, a rise in action and the conclusion. Keep in mind these tips to get the final act you desire:
Act I: Preparation
Just as a job interview starts before you walk into a room, so goes the negotiation process. Use online resources such as salary.com, myplan.com and glassdoor.com to research typical salary ranges for the position and industry.
Based on your research, know what your target or ideal result is, and also determine your minimum offer. Your requests should be reasonable and in line with industry standards. Come to the table with a "win-win" approach for both you and the employer. It's not just about getting everything you want.
Act II: Negotiation
Be prepared to communicate to the employer what is specifically lacking in the initial offer. Let the employer know that you would accept the offer if that particular aspect could be resolved.
Consider the nonmonetary aspects of the compensation package when negotiating — hiring bonus, relocation expenses, time of annual review, etc. There might be more flexibility in these areas for the employer.
Anticipate objections, and fall back on your research and your predetermined "lowest offer."
Act III: Evaluation
Once you know the final offer, re-evaluate the total compensation package and make sure you have all the information you need to make a decision.
Inform the employer of your decision in a timely manner. Remember that if you chose to negotiate, it is expected that you will accept the job offer if there is a positive outcome to the negotiation.
Would you like to learn more about salary negotiations, evaluating job offers or other career issues? Contact us by email at careers@smu.edu, by phone at 214-768-2266 or by appointment at Hughes-Trigg Student Center.
Counselors also are open for questions and comments on their blog at smuhegi.blogspot.com.
Commencement Weekend is May 14-15, and SMU expects to award nearly 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees in the University-wide ceremony.
Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative and former mayor of Dallas, will be the Commencement speaker.
“As Commencement speaker, Ambassador Kirk brings the perspective of one whose leadership has been local, national and now international,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “As Dallas mayor he helped to establish the city as a gateway to the global community. Now, as Trade Representative, he is shaping U.S. policy and international relationships to open new world markets and broaden economic opportunities for the United States. Our graduates will be inspired by his words and the example of leadership he has set.”
For more information about Commencement Weekend, visit the Commencement website.
TEDxSMU, the high-octane thinkfest that builds bridges between technology and the human spirit, returns to Dallas on October 15 and 16, 2010. The second annual conferences has moved to the new AT&T Performing Arts Center Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in downtown Dallas.
The inaugural 2009 TEDxSMU event played host to 31 speakers and 475 guests on the SMU campus during a full day conference themed, "What Will Change Everything?" Scientists, photographers, humanitarians and inventors used images, gadgets, words and numbers to shake assumptions about human capabilities. And nobody got more than 18 minutes.
TEDxKids brought many of the same speakers from the adult conference to an audience of 337 students from 37 different public, private, charter and home schools. The students were admitted at no charge in exchange for a pledge to complete four hours of community service.
To learn more about TEDxSMU, visit smu.edu/smunews/tedxsmu/.
The Dallas Morning News business columnist Cheryl Hall wrote about the story behind TEDxSMU in the
February 24, 2010 edition.
By Joe Trahan / WFAA-TV
Creating football success at SMU has been like trying to push the proverbial boulder up the hill, but June Jones has managed to find traction.
And the Mustangs’ Hawaii Bowl trip this past season has had a substantial effect on the University as a whole. “That was the only game,” said Jones, “that every high school player, every college player, every pro player was going to be watching that night.”
That exposure has generated quite a buzz.
The University commissioned a study to examine the impact of the Hawaii Bowl, and the numbers are interesting. The publicity from the bowl trip was valued at more than $30 million, and donations to the athletic program jumped 25 percent.
The Mustangs’ bowl trip will certainly help Jones with recruiting and the future of football, but it’s more than just about the gridiron – good football has a carryover effect on campus.
The study also shows traffic on the school’s website was up 45 percent during the Ponies’ bowl-run, and new student applications were up 35 percent from a year ago.
“Particularly for Texas students,” said Turner, “since that’s where most of the publicity was, it did help increase the number of Texas applicants.”
“We’re an auxiliary here,” says athletics director Steve Orsini. “The core function on this campus is academics. It’s important that we show the results of how we can help them.”
The 2010-11 SMU football schedule includes home games against Washington State and TCU, road games against Texas Tech and Navy and six games on national TV. For the complete schedule and ticket information, visit SMUMustangs.com.
By Darin Ford, director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center
With more than five job seekers for every open position today, your résumé must quickly answer the one question that’s on every employer’s mind: "What can you do for me?"
Employers and recruiters will seek the answer to that question in the objective statement. It serves as an important introduction to you as a candidate.
Let’s consider these three objective statements:
All three applicants avoided the common mistake of objective statements that are too long; one sentence typically is enough. Here’s other advice our career counselors might offer:
Which applicant would you hire? Tell us by posting a comment below.
How does your objective statement measure up? Contact us by email at careers@smu.edu, by phone at 214-768-2266 or by appointment at Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Find a calendar of spring 2010 career events on the Career Center website.
Exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, according to researchers who analyzed numerous studies, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers.
"Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health," says Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be."
The traditional treatments of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy don't reach everyone who needs them, says Smits, an associate professor of psychology. "Exercise can fill the gap for people who can't receive traditional therapies because of cost or lack of access, or who don"t want to because of the perceived social stigma associated with these treatments," he says. "Exercise also can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged."
Smits and Michael Otto, psychology professor at Boston University, presented their findings to researchers and mental health care providers March 6 at the Anxiety Disorder Association of America's annual conference in Baltimore. Their workshop was based on their therapist guide "Exercise for Mood and Anxiety Disorders," with accompanying patient workbook (Oxford University Press, September 2009).
The guide draws on dozens of population-based studies, clinical studies and meta-analytic reviews that demonstrate the efficacy of exercise programs, including the authors' meta-analysis of exercise interventions for mental health and study on reducing anxiety sensitivity with exercise.
"Individuals who exercise report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and anger," Smits says. "Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of anxiety and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing."
After patients have passed a health assessment, Smits says, they should work up to the public health dose, which is 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity. At a time when 40 percent of Americans are sedentary, he says, mental health care providers can serve as their patients' exercise guides and motivators.
"Rather than emphasize the long-term health benefits of an exercise program — which can be difficult to sustain — we urge providers to focus with their patients on the immediate benefits," he says. "After just 25 minutes, your mood improves, you are less stressed, you have more energy — and you'll be motivated to exercise again tomorrow. A bad mood is no longer a barrier to exercise; it is the very reason to exercise."
Smits says health care providers who prescribe exercise also must give their patients the tools they need to succeed, such as the daily schedules, problem-solving strategies and goal-setting featured in his guide for therapists.
"Therapists can help their patients take specific, achievable steps," he says. "This isn't about working out five times a week for the next year. It's about exercising for 20 or 30 minutes and feeling better today."
Read more SMU research on our research blog.
Thomas Kincaid '05 knows there's power in numbers. As a volunteer during last year's inaugural Horsepower Challenge, Thomas contacted several hundred of his classmates and friends to encourage them to give to SMU. In doing so, he educated these alumni on the importance of SMU's fiscal year and why a gift to SMU before the end of the fiscal year makes such an impact.
Thomas has served on the development committee of the Young Alumni Board and has helped inspire a culture of giving among graduates of the last decade. We asked him about his experiences reaching out to fellow alumni during the Horsepower Challenge.
What made you decide to get involved with the SMU Development Committee?
I continue to be grateful for the tremendous gift it was to receive an SMU education, and I want to help make that possible for others. Additionally, I think SMU is a great educational institution with a phenomenal undergraduate experience that is worthy of ongoing support. Helping to raise money for SMU by encouraging other folks to join me in giving helps me both give thanks for my experience and enable others to do the same.
Last year, you contacted several hundred of your classmates and peers to encourage them to participate in the Horsepower Challenge. Clearly you feel very strongly about this initiative. What makes it different than other types of campaign funding initiatives?
The undergraduate college experience comprises four of the most formative years — for good or bad — in a person's life. Young Alumni participation in giving is an opportunity for the University's most recent graduates to show our appreciation for the time we spent on campus and our recognition of how it has made us into who we are.
Would you encourage other alumni to get as involved as you are with volunteering for the Horsepower Challenge? Why?
If you like staying connected and reconnecting with friends, and you like SMU, then volunteering for the Horsepower Challenge is for you. If you think SMU is a great experience for undergraduates and a terrific university overall, then the Horsepower Challenge will enable you to meet and work with other like-minded alums.
What do you think is the biggest reason people give during the Horsepower Challenge?
I'm really not sure — I'd assume some sort of combination between competitiveness and appreciation for the University.
How do your classmates typically respond when you contact them about giving to SMU?
Most of the folks I reach out to asking for gifts are people with whom I have ongoing relationships that started at SMU. So it's a natural thing for our friendship to want to give back to the place where we first got to know each other.
You must have had some challenges convincing people to give. Can you describe the most reluctant exchange that wound up being successful?
I had a classmate who had a billing dispute with SMU that almost prevented him from graduating. He swore he'd never give a cent. But then he came to me looking for support for another (non-SMU) initiative, and I gave without strings attached. About a month later, I saw that he was on the giving rolls at SMU.
Your experience with the Horsepower Challenge was a large part of what spurred you and the rest of the Development Committee to develop a powerful strategy to train Class Ambassadors. Can you describe that strategy and how the Horsepower Challenge inspired it?
Class Ambassadors is a program that lets people join in the fun I had in recruiting my classmates to support SMU. It's a great way to stay connected (or have a reason to reconnect) with old friends and to encourage them to support an institution both people care about. After the Horsepower Challenge, we realized there were a number of folks who would be interested in doing this for SMU, so we started the Class Ambassadors.
With respect to alumni giving, why do you think participation, rather than gift size, is important?
Participation is the tangible way for alums to show a commitment to the University. Gift size is definitely important as well — more money enables SMU to do more — but every individual's decision to show support for SMU is important.
