As Reunion Weekend draws nigh, are there classmates you don't want to miss at the party? Leave a comment and let them know you can't wait to see them or you're sorry you'll miss them. Be sure to include the name you were known by at SMU and your class year.

Reunion registration closes on Monday, November 2, so don't forget to register for your reunion now. If you don't see some folks on the list that you're dying to see at the reunion, invite them!

For more information about your reunion, visit smu.edu/reunion.

With less than 18 minutes in which to crystallize and share their ideas for reshaping the world as we know it, presenters at TEDxSMU, held October 9-10 in the Owen Arts Center, offered their answers to the question "What will change everything?"

TED (short for Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a New York-based nonprofit group that hosts annual conferences in California and England and helps sponsor independent, smaller-scale spin-off events like TEDxSMU. The group is devoted to what it calls "ideas worth spreading."

Speakers at TEDxSMU ranged from SMU students to a Malawian hero who learned on his own how to bring fresh water to his village using only salvaged items from a junkyard. The wildly successful event concluded with a performance by the orchestral rock band Polyphonic Spree.

Get full coverage of the event.

After a long, noisy summer, the din of jackhammers and the sight of orange construction cones have disappeared, giving way to an expanded and even more scenic campus. Thanks to generous donors to The Second Century Campaign, several new facilities were dedicated this fall, with more to be completed and dedicated this winter.

Perkins School of Theology dedicated Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall, the 20,000-square-foot centerpiece of a revamped theology quad. Kirby and Selecman Halls also were extensively renovated.

Mustang Plaza and Mall opened on Friday, September 4, providing students, faculty, staff and visitors with a beautiful new vista containing 31,000 new plants, 82 trees and 83,000 square feet of paved stone between Moody Coliseum and Doak Walker Plaza.

More to come...

On June 15, SMU Athletics broke ground on the new SMU Payne Stewart Golf Learning Center, which will include a teaching facility with two indoor hitting bays and state-of-the-art video swing analysis. The center also will house a team clubhouse that includes men's and women's locker rooms, a Hall of Champions, coaches' offices, a study/computer center, a four-hole short game course and two large putting greens.

A new, improved and sustainable Caruth Hall will be dedicated in February, replacing the current facility with a state-of-the-art building that will be the greenest structure on campus. The building features simple reclamation approaches to save water, lab cabinetry fabricated from wheat and fume-free paint, rugs and wall coverings. And all of the building's construction materials were acquired regionally, cutting transportation costs and pollution.

For his unbridled loyalty, the SMU Lettermen's Association presented him with an honorary letter in September preceding the opening game of the season, his 382nd game. Other honorary lettermen include Gerald Ford, Lawrence Herkimer, Bob Hope, and Lamar Hunt.

The former SMU cheerleader attended his first Mustang football game at age 2 and once attended a game dressed in a Halloween costume to disguise his case of adult-onset chicken pox.

"I've had some close calls flying stand-by," says Layne, now a Dallas real estate agent with Ebby Halliday. "But I've always made it in time for the game."

A season ticket holder and Mustang Club member since 1976, Layne attends home games with a group of 34 other Mustang fans.

"On Saturday afternoons in the fall, I can't imagine being anywhere except an SMU football game," he says.

Read the full story.

To say that artist Amanda Dunbar has had a remarkable career is a bit like saying that Texas is "kind of big." If you look at the list of her accomplishments since she graduated, don't blink. Another one is bound to appear while you're not looking.

At age 16, she had her first solo show. All of her works sold for a total of $500,000. In the past few years, she has appeared on Oprah twice, has been featured as ABC News' Person of the Week and has become the youngest woman to be inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. She is also this year's SMU Distinguished Alumni Emerging Leader.

And while she's made a name for herself in the art world, what she's done with the proceeds of her success are as remarkable as her talent. Since that first solo show eight years ago, Amanda estimates that she's raised more than $1 million to support charities close to her heart.

This month, we asked Amanda to talk about her two primary passions — art and children.

You have said that your two greatest passions are art and kids, and you've spent large amounts of your time creating opportunities for kids to learn about art. Why do you think art is such an important part of education?

Historically, many of the world's greatest thinkers and inventors have been artists or have studied the arts. I believe that art is a form of communication. It is a way to illustrate and convey ideas to others. Creativity is critical to problem-solving, yet art has fairly recently been segregated from the math and sciences. This has been tremendously detrimental in my opinion. Why eliminate a language that can only build better understanding?

I cannot imagine someone like Leonardo da Vinci being forced to choose between art and science as he visualized his great inventions.

God is the ultimate artist, and for some reason gave me a creative platform at a young age. While it has been a mixed blessing, I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without art. Creating for me is as necessary as breathing. I believe that children come into this world as creative beings and that it is part of my calling to nurture and help make creative tools available to children wherever I can. They never cease to amaze me with their ideas and their unlimited and uninhibited artistic interpretations. Children are the future and our world's greatest untapped resource. If we expect future generations to come up with creative solutions to world problems, they need the opportunity to create.

Who or what inspires your work and your passion?

There are so many things that inspire me and fuel my passion for art. Sometimes it is my friends and family, and other times it will be a story, a play, a place, music or other artists and their works. I find myself studying artists of the past quite frequently as I strive to understand my own successes and failures as an artist and as a flawed human being. I have many ideas for paintings, sculpture and more, yet I'm often worried that I will not live long enough to execute even a fraction of them all. I am concerned less about the finished project than the actual creative process itself, as I feel spiritually "connected' when I am creating. I am fortunate that my work is appreciated in this current culture and that I am able to act on my various inspirations.

You offer so much time, energy and spirit to the causes you support. How do you determine where to concentrate your efforts?

It is very difficult to determine which of the many deserving and worthy organizations I should support. The reality is that I am just one person. I had to learn early in my career that I needed to narrow my focus and search my soul to choose the causes closest to my heart. Because I began my career accidentally as a child, I feel a special connection to other young artists and, of course, to children. I had no successful young visual artist role models to look up to when I was coming of age, and early success in the visual arts carries big challenges.

After my first visit with Oprah on her show, I knew I would be most successful by forging my own path and not even trying to emulate anyone else. Shortly thereafter, I participated in a Barbie® as Rapunzel DVD whose purpose was to empower creative children, especially little girls. I have inadvertently become a role model to many little girls around the world since. I honor that platform and try to use my life to prove to young people that with hard work, ethics and social conscience, it is possible to live your dreams and be successful as an artist. I hope that they will then become advocates in their own communities afterward.

Of which of your accomplishments are you most proud?

I try to keep my personal accomplishments in perspective and am always humbled when I learn that I have been nominated for special recognitions. My life has always been a quirky balance between academia and business. I am a work in progress and will continue to learn and grow throughout my life. I have known and endured many difficult struggles, yet I enjoy spectacular successes at the same time. I would have to say that, in the end, I am most proud of seeing another young artist I have inspired go on to achieve his or her own artistic achievements or to see monies from my creations improve the lives of others.

What has surprised you most about your experience as an artist?

When I was younger, I thought that I would eventually reach a point in my career where I would finally master the canvas or whatever art form I was trying to master. I naively thought that I would eventually be able to begin a new painting without the nervous trepidation that I always seem to feel. After 15 years, I can comfortably say that I am never comfortable or confident that the finished work will measure up to the standards I place on my art. In my mind, I still have a very long way to go. What I find very surprising and fascinating is that Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand and multiple other successful artists feel the same way. As I researched the greatest masters of the past in my studies in art history, I discovered that the great masters, too, were oblivious to the fact that they were creating masterpieces and felt nervous or insecure with their various processes.

I was also surprised yet grateful to learn that one must have fantastic failures in order to achieve great successes.

What's next in your career and in your causes?

I plan to be a little closer to Dallas in the next few months, but my career demands can change that at a moment's notice. I have upcoming art gallery shows planned for Dallas and New York, plus museum exhibits beginning in Oklahoma in 2010. I am also working on a large two-story installation painting for Children's Medical Center at Legacy in Plano that will welcome every child and family member that comes through the doors. My Precious Rebels™ Swarovski™ Crystal art guitars have successfully entered the European market, and I will continue to work with luxury retailer Neiman Marcus in the USA.

I plan to continue working with Grammy's® Musicares and the Grammy Foundation for artists, and will also continue to be an advocate for artists' and children's causes, including being an ambassador to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

What will you be doing five years from now?

Five years from now, I will be continuing a journey that is fabulously unpredictable. From the very beginning, my life and career have evolved organically, and in ways that I could never have planned or imagined. When I plan things that I think I want, I am often disappointed. Conversely, the universe always seems to put wonderful and creative projects in my path, as well as a few obstacles to keep me focused on what is important in life. I have learned to listen to my instincts, surround myself with ethical people, share with those in need and enjoy the many fruits of hard work. I wouldn't have it any other way.

By Caryn Statman, Assistant Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center

We've all heard about the power of networking. But how do you expand your network once you have tapped into your friends, family, family friends, alumni network, neighbors and strangers at the grocery store? Now is the time to discover the value of professional associations.

If there is an industry out there, there is a corresponding professional association (or two). Professional associations connect job seekers not just to new contacts, but to contacts in a desired field. And there are more reasons to get involved:

Learn the industry "buzz" in your local market. Who's hiring? Who's laying off? Who are the major players? Be armed with your business card (get some made if you are not currently employed), and be ready to tell your story and ask others theirs.

Expand your skills. Most association meetings are focused on speakers or other professional development. They are an excellent source for staying up-to-date on industry trends and adding to your professional toolkit, which ultimately will make you a more competitive job candidate.

Keep on building your network. Even if you are employed, associations are invaluable for making connections — including potential clients and future employers and employees — and gaining visibility in your profession. Consider volunteering to lead or speak at a meeting. Young alumni often receive a discount on their first year of membership.

Not a natural networker? Try to keep in mind that everyone is there for the same reason. Once you meet people, keep those relationships warm and follow up after the meeting or connect on LinkedIn.

Search for jobs. Most professional associations also have industry-specific job postings on their websites. To find associations by industry, visit The American Society of Association Executives and Weddle's and then search for your local chapter.

Contact us by email at careers@smu.edu, by phone at 214-768-2266 or by appointment at Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Join our alumni and student group on LinkedIn. Counselors also are open for questions and comments at smuhegi.blogspot.com.

Was it a glance from your college sweetheart from across campus? A pearl of wisdom from a favorite professor? Your first Homecoming weekend? Pledge Week? Share the very first memory you have of the Hilltop.

And to share memories in person, make plans to join us for Homecoming/Reunion Weekend, November 5-7. Check the Homecoming and Reunion Weekend websites for more details.

In addition to the statistical lessons learned, the survey enabled alumni to provide written feedback on topics ranging from the SMU website to giving habits.

"I think SMU does a great job of communicating to its alumni," one respondent wrote. "I can find the information I want, attend any event I care to and keep informed if I so choose."

Another respondent wrote: "I feel proud to be in a position to contribute monetarily, and I think my SMU education enabled me to do so. Even though I can't give a lot, the giving experience is meaningful because of my education and experience at SMU."

"I understand that any little bit helps," another one respondent said. "Small gifts are just as important as large gifts because if everyone gives something, it all adds up and becomes a lot. Even small acts can bring about great change."

Although the survey is now closed, we welcome your feedback on ways SMU can improve our service and communication to you. Drop us an email, or post a comment on this blog.

The deep challenge of attracting and retaining girls and women in engineering and science has persisted for decades. Only 20 percent of all engineering degrees in the U.S. are awarded to women.

But the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at SMU enrolls about 50 percent more women than the national average. That's no coincidence – and is in part a result of initiatives sponsored by the Caruth Institute for Engineering Education like the annual summer Engineering Camp for Girls.

The successful camp is designed to boost young Dallas area women's awareness of the field of engineering and bolster their interest in becoming engineers.

The camp, a companion program to the Institute's Gender Parity Initiative, is open to girls entering grades 8-12 and is sponsored by Texas Instruments.

"With the camp, we really wanted to grow our own future students," Associate Dean Tammy Richards told The Dallas Morning News. "We've had the camp long enough now that it's been fun to see the girls come back and enroll who have been our campers."

Learn more about this year's Engineering Camp for Girls. You can also listen to KERA 90.1's coverage of the event or watch stories from Fox 4, NBC 5 and CBS 11 news.

"Gung ho." "High standards." "Painstaking attention to detail." Red and blue signs outside the Mustang football locker room remind players of head football coach June Jones' philosophy. "The kids have bought in and understand exactly what we expect of them," he says. "Mentally and physically we don't even look like the same team."

Coach Jones has big plans for the 2009 season, starting with the season opener. Here's what fans can expect.

Do you have any special plans for the first home game September 5 against Stephen F. Austin?

We're going to sell out our first game. We have a plan on how we're going to do it. Some people don't believe it, but I do. We're going to surprise a lot of people at our first game.

What differences in the players are you seeing this year compared to last year?

We made a lot of headway last year, but the real transformation took place this spring. The kids have bought in and understand exactly what we expect of them and what we want for them.

Whenever you come into situations that have been losing, you have to change the mindset and culture more than anything else. The kids have to believe that they can win. That's what we've seen during the off-season.

How do you help players believe they can win?

Wins are produced by playing together as a team, putting the other guy first, camaraderie and chemistry. This is something a lot of kids and teams don't understand. It's more about learning the principal that "we are bigger than me" than the actual game. That's true about life too. What these kids learn in the locker room, they will remember 30 years from now.

What is your goal for this team?

Our goal is to get to a bowl game. Whether we do that this year or next year, we're going to do it. It's going to happen.

Last year the Mustangs were the youngest team in the nation. How will they benefit from last season's experience?

We had a very young team, and we're going to be a young team again. Surviving and playing through the adversity and mistakes we made last year builds and develops who we are this year. Bo Levi Mitchell (last season's true freshman quarterback) hurt his shoulder with about three games to go last year and never really recovered. That really set him back because he couldn't practice. The fact that he was tough enough to mentally fight through that will help him in the future.

How do you expect the new recruits to contribute this season?

We're expecting seven or eight recruits to contribute this season. They are not in key leadership roles, but athletically, they're faster and better. Twenty–three of the 25 guys were on high school teams that were still in the playoffs after the third round. They're all winners. That will permeate from them as they grow up and become Mustangs.

How do you describe the Conference USA competition this year?

This conference is very evenly matched. We had opportunities last year to beat Tulsa and Houston. They both won bowl games. Anybody in this conference can beat anybody on any given day.

After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in finance and minor in political science, Dustin joined Teach For America and was assigned to teach high school math in St. Louis, Missouri. After completing the two-year program, he went on to eventually become the executive director of Teach For America St. Louis until last year. Dustin is currently an account manager for the Financial Services Sector of Maritz, Inc. and also a co-chair for his five-year reunion committee. We asked Dustin to talk about his experience with Teach For America and how it has changed him as a person.

What is Teach For America?

Teach For America is a national corps of outstanding recent college graduates and professionals of all academic majors and career interests who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity. Their mission is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nation's most promising future leaders in the effort.

In the short run, corps members work relentlessly to ensure that more students growing up today in our country's lowest-income communities are given the educational opportunities they deserve. In the long run, Teach For America alumni are a powerful force of leaders working from inside the education field and from every other sector to effect the fundamental changes needed to ensure that all children have an equal chance in life.

What made you decide to become involved with Teach For America?

In America today, educational disparities limit the life prospects of the 13 million children growing up in poverty, impacting their earning potential, voter participation, civic engagement and community involvement. These disparities disproportionately impact African-American, Latino/Hispanic and Native American children, who are three times as likely to live in a low-income area.

By the time they're in fourth grade, children growing up in low-income communities are already three grade levels behind their peers in high-income communities. About 50 percent of students in low-income communities will not graduate from high school by the time they're 18 years old. Those who do graduate will perform on average at an eighth-grade level. Of the 13 million children growing up in poverty, only one in 10 will graduate from college. The educational inequity that persists along socioeconomic and racial lines is a great injustice in our country.

What was the biggest surprise to you about teaching?

Just how challenging it really is. Every day is exhausting — exciting, but exhausting.

There is nothing better as a teacher than to see a the light bulb come on inside a student's mind, especially when they have put hours and hours into trying to learn a particular concept. One of my favorite moments in teaching was seeing seniors who were taking trigonometry tease each other about mastering more trigonometry objectives than their peers. I can still picture them dancing around the room saying, "I mastered the sine function. I mastered the sine function." It still makes me crack up some three years later.

What was most challenging about the program?

Leading the students to the equivalent academic progress of three or four grade levels in one academic year. Many of the students I taught came to me with the math skills of a middle school child. I not only had to build their basic skills, but also lead them to master geometry and trigonometry objectives. To do this required many sacrifices from both me and my students. [I did this] by challenging them to be the best [and] never letting them make excuses or give anything less than 100 percent. Many of them gave up four hours on Saturday mornings for extra math help. Now that is incredible!

What was most rewarding?

Seeing my students excel academically and, from this success, believe that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to.

Who learned more, you or your students?

We both learned so much from one another. That's the most beautiful part of teaching. Students teach you just as much as you teach them. [Now] they believe they can accomplish anything they put their minds to. Like my students, I truly believe now that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.

Would you do it again?

Without a doubt!

How did you become the executive director of Teach For America St. Louis?

I interviewed with our founder Wendy Kopp and our St. Louis Regional Board Director Maxine Clark (CEO of Build A Bear) when I was 24. I served as ED for two years, stepping down in August of 2008.

I miss teaching very much. Kids bring joy to the world and being around them every day is a constant reminder of how we, as adults, should live our lives — with childlike joy.

Why would you encourage a student to become involved in Teach For America?

I can say without a doubt that it is the best leadership training that anyone can get right out of school. I remember my last day on campus as a senior at SMU. A prominent Dallas businessman put his arm around me and said, "Son, you have been an incredible leader on this campus the past four years and the world is your oyster. You can do almost anything you want right now, and you're choosing to teach? Don't get me wrong, I think it's a respectable profession, but if you want to go into business you are making a huge mistake." Five years and an apology later, I am working for a very successful business in St. Louis and have been blessed with life experiences that have developed me into a stronger leader than I ever thought possible. Teach For America gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, and it is an opportunity that I would challenge every aspiring leader to pursue.

Scientists have struggled to understand the mystery of active supervolcanoes, those giant pockmarks in the Earth's surface caused by rare and massive eruptions. Now a "Rosetta Stone" will unlock the mystery, thanks to a fossil supervolcano discovered by a team led by James E. Quick, geology professor and vice president for research and dean of graduate studies at Southern Methodist University. Read the full story.

Google the words "job search" and you'll get more than 200 million results, ranging from giant job databases to personal blogs to recruiting videos. Where to begin?

Before you slog through that daunting number of search results, the counselors and directors at SMU's Hegi Family Career Development Center recommend you try these sites.

Caryn Statman, assistant director, who works primarily with first- and second-year students as they explore major and career options:

QuintCareers

"On the Quintessential Careers site, students just starting their career development process have access to a variety of articles, assessment tools, checklists and links to additional online resources. Topics include not just major and career exploration, but also financial aid, standardized tests and more.

As the student moves toward internship and job searches, QuintCareers offers resources like résumé and cover letter tips, networking skills and salary negotiation advice — which are all great tools for alums, too.

Just one word of caution when using QuintCareers: there is a lot of information, so try not to get overwhelmed. Take it one article at a time!"

Marva McGrew, associate director of employer relations, who also counsels alumni who have been out of school for at least five years:

O*NET

"The alumni I counsel often are ready for a career change. After they take our career assessments to help them identify areas of interest, O*NET allows them to research occupations. The site gives them specifics: task, knowledge, skills, abilities, work context, work values, work activities, wages and employment.

For step-by-step instructions on using the site, the O*NET Academy offers a helpful tutorial."

Jessica Lewis, assistant director, who serves on the employer relations team, developing recruiting relationships with companies that recruit all majors, and also counsels juniors and seniors in Dedman College:

LinkedIn

""When alumni and students want to learn about industries and embark on a job search, networking is their most effective tool. That's why I recommend LinkedIn, a professional networking site for exchanging career information and building connections.

More than 500 students and alumni are networking in the Hegi Career Development Center's exclusive group on LinkedIn."

Join our group now.

Janet Lewis, assistant director, who primarily works with students who are thinking about summer internships or starting to look for full-time jobs:

Hoovers

"The first question students ask me is: 'What can I do with my major?' The second question is: 'Who will hire me to do what I would like to do with my major?' Hoovers gives good company information, a company summary written by an independent party that gives an unbiased perspective, contact information, employee bios and key financials.

One of the features that I like best is a list of competitors. If you know one company that does what you would like to do, you can get a whole list of companies that do the same thing."

Darin Ford, director and "day-to-day operations manager," who also serves as a career liaison for Dedman College and counselor to juniors and seniors:

Johnny Bunko Blog and Book (by Dan Pink)

"One of my favorite new resources is Johnny Bunko, the story of a beleaguered worker toiling away at the Boggs Corp.

Students often do a wonderful job of exploring their values, interests, personality and skills as they move through four or more years of college. This blog and short book — America's first business book in manga — continue their career development by offering six lessons we all can learn during our '8 to 5' lives:

There is no plan.
Think strengths, not weaknesses
It's not about you.
Persistence trumps talent.
Make excellent mistakes.
Leave an imprint."

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 at their blog: smuhegi.blogspot.com

Note to alumni and students: The Fall Career and Internship Fair is set for noon to 4 p.m. September 16 in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center ballroom. Learn more at smu.edu/career. We hope to see you there!

We set an ambitious goal of 2,000 donors between April 1 and May 31 for the Horsepower Challenge, but we knew you could do it. Thanks to your unbridled commitment to SMU, we reached and surpassed our goal. Because of your generosity, the future of SMU's students and the Hilltop is even brighter at the dawn of our second century.

During the Horsepower Challenge:

• A total of 2,312 alumni made gifts to SMU.
• Almost $1 million was raised. These funds will help support students, faculty and the unique SMU campus experience.
• The Class of 1984 raised the most dollars and gained the most donors of all the classes between 1939 and 1998.
• The Class of 2007 raised the most dollars and gained the most donors of all the classes between 1999 and 2008.
• Alumni from every class between 1939 and 2009 gave to SMU, representing 70 consecutive years of alumni donors.

Gifts from alumni, parents and friends provide critical support for scholarships when students and families need them most. Thanks to your help, SMU can continue recruiting the best and the brightest to the Hilltop. Every gift, every year counts.

As the Class of 2013 prepares to head to the Hilltop later this summer, the University needs your help as we begin to recruit the next faces of SMU for the Class of 2014.

How can you help? High school sophomores and juniors are already thinking about their possible college choices. As an ambassador for SMU, you can spread the word about the changing face of SMU. They may not know that:

• About half of our undergraduates come from Texas and half are from out of state.
• The average SAT score for the entering class has risen 97 points in the past 10 years.
• SMU is increasing research opportunities for undergraduate students.
• Students have resources for academic support as well as for applying for Fulbright, Truman and other national scholarship programs.
• SMU has more than 20 new and renovated facilities to support research and learning.
• Study abroad programs include Buenos Aires, Rabat and Hong Kong.

Just tell your friends and their children to visit smu.edu/faces to check out the Face of SMU. Here, they'll get a broader view of SMU through the eyes of several students and find out about scheduling a campus visit this summer.

Since cheering on the Mustangs as a boy, Gerry York ‘58 has been hooked on SMU Athletics. After graduating from from SMU with a Bachelor's degree in business administration and serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to Dallas and started a family in a house just a few blocks from the Hilltop. Gerry went on to have a long and successful career in the life insurance business.

In a way, Gerry never really left SMU. He's been one of SMU's most involved alumni and one of the most energetic and committed supporters of SMU Athletics. He currently serves on the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee and on the Mustang Club Board of Directors. Last year, he served as his Golden Reunion's giving co-chair and helped the Class of 1958 achieve a record 40 percent giving participation rate. He has worked tirelessly to develop and fund Heritage Hall, a 3,000-square-foot showcase of the accomplishments and personalities of SMU players and coaches.

As the first in a series of interviews with alumni, we talked to Gerry about why he remains so devoted to SMU.

Q. What made you decide to become so active with SMU as an alumnus?

A. My mom and dad didn't go to college, but I did grow up Methodist. As a kid, I went to a lot of SMU football and basketball games and SMU was on my mind daily. And it still is. I love SMU. Now I'm actively involved on several committees and I've seen everything from A to Z with SMU Athletics. I'm probably on campus a minimum of four to five times a week and sometimes three or four times a day.

Q. What was the best part of being the giving co-chair of your Golden Reunion?

A. The best part, of course, was getting to see and spend time with so many people from the Class of 1958. But one really neat thing is that a large number of alumni from our class are still in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. So after the reunion was over, a former football player decided to reunite 14 athletes from the freshman football team (freshmen didn't play on the varsity team back then) on the Boulevard before one of the football games last fall.

Q. Your class had a giving rate during this reunion year of 40 percent — one of the highest giving rates in SMU history. Why do you think it was so high?

A. We reached 40 percent because we all got on the phone and started calling until we reached the magic number!

Q. With so many other worthy causes to devote your time, energy and resources to, why do you choose to devote them to SMU?

A. I have a real affinity for doing what I'm doing now. I got hooked on SMU football back in the Doak Walker days as a kid and while I was at SMU, I developed a lot of friendships with athletes. Back in 1999, I was asked to participate on a committee to decide how to develop Heritage Hall once the stadium opened. Space was available to develop it, but not funding. The committee had a large number of sports cartoons that were done by the Dallas Morning News' Bill McClanahan along with a huge collection of SMU sports photographs from SMU sports photographers Jim Laughead and Brad Bradley. I raised the money we needed by calling former athletes and soliciting donations. I still get calls from former athletes wanting to know if they can make donations to the museum.

Once we had the collections, we needed cases to display memorabilia. The Dallas Museum of Art offered to let us have our pick of their excess cases to showcase all our memorabilia. We've also gathered a massive collection of game films dating back as far as the 1930s. We're in the process of transferring all that to DVD. You can now order our game films and pictures online at athletichistory.com.

Q. Why would you encourage alumni to support SMU and SMU Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign?

A. Gerald Turner is amazing at what he's done with SMU. The campus is more beautiful than ever and it's a joy to be on campus. Because of the economy, it's more difficult to raise funds right now. We need to stay loyal. If we lead by example, then others will follow.

This year, Mustang momentum was unstoppable. From a successful nationwide capital campaign launch to a flurry of expansion on all the SMU campuses, the Hilltop was alive with unbridled spirit. Students continued their tradition of stewardship, and the University welcomed a host of distinguished speakers and foreign diplomats.

Watch a video of this year's highlights above.

Four new inductees to the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame were honored by more than 400 guests on Friday, May 1, at a ceremony at the Hilton Anatole. The Department of Athletics, in conjunction with the Lettermen's Association, reinstated the Athletics Hall of Fame last year.

Honorees include:

By Caryn Statman, Assistant Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center

Nothing beats networking when it comes to landing the right job. Studies show that 80 percent of jobs are found through people the job seeker knows — or through people the job seeker's family, friends, former classmates or colleagues know.

The Hegi Family Career Development Center offers alumni and students tools to build their networks online. While a face-to-face meeting is still the ultimate in networking, these online tools can provide powerful additional ways to make contacts and explore career resources:

Hegi Center on LinkedIn

More than 400 SMU alumni and students are members of the Career Center's exclusive group on LinkedIn, the professional networking site for exchanging career information and building connections. Join our group now.

If you haven't yet set up a LinkedIn profile, get started by entering your professional and academic information, career accomplishments and awards — think of it as an online résumé.

Employers use LinkedIn to search for potential employees and to post jobs. You'll use LinkedIn to build your network by "connecting" with colleagues and classmates, thereby gaining access to your connections' connections. You'll be surprised how many people you didn't know you knew!

Hegi Center on Twitter

Our newest tool features "tweets" — or short updates of 140 characters or less — about job postings, career development events and job fairs, and links to experts and helpful articles.

When you sign up to "follow" us, you'll quickly discover that more and more companies (and their CEOs) are using this social networking tool to tweet job openings and corporate news. Observe their posts and responses, and if you have something insightful and professional to add, get your name out there with a tweet.

Hegi Center on iTunes

Our podcasts on iTunes U are a great way for our alumni who live around the world to hear our counselors' "Quicktips" on career fairs, interviewing, résumés and more.

We're also beginning to record our career workshops and panel events with industry representatives. And you'll be hearing more interviews with alumni and students about their career and internship experiences. Stay tuned!

The Career Center is open this summer and ready to discuss networking and other career issues. Contact us by email at careers@smu.edu, by phone at 214-768-2266, by tweet or by appointment at Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Counselors also are open for questions and comments at their blog: smuhegi.blogspot.com.

What's that single Hilltop moment that still has you laughing...crying...wondering...even now? Post your comment below to share it with the Class of 2009 now.

This summer, don't just take a vacation. Embark on a spiritual and cultural journey. Sign up for the SMU-in-Taos Cultural Institute by May 31 and receive 10 percent off the price of tuition. Space is limited, so don't wait!

Course offerings this summer include Georgia O'Keefe and the Emergence of American Modernism, which explores how Georgia O'Keefe's work nurtured the modernist artistic movement in America and the sharp contrast between art from Europe and the U.S. during the mid-20th century.

You can also experience the intensely human side of Atomic Age history through the eyes of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the secret team of brilliant minds that gathered in New Mexico during World War II. The Secret City: Los Alamos and the Atomic Age explores the science, humanity and profound legacy of the atomic age.

The Internet has made the world a lot smaller and, along with it, the delivery of news has become faster — from breaking world news down to local events. And as the popularity of print news dwindles — largely due to the volume and instant nature of Internet news sources — social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are becoming ever more critical resources for SMU to maintain relationships with students and alumni.

SMU's official Facebook fan site has almost 4,000 fans who get a steady stream of updates on everything happening on the Hilltop, including events at SMU, links to Daily Campus news articles and video feeds of SMU news and events. It's a great way to find and catch up with classmates, network, get updates on reunion plans and even post your ideas, suggestions, comments and pictures on SMU's wall. The page is monitored and updated daily by SMU staff.

If you'd rather get your SMU news in snack-sized bites, then start following the SMU Twitter page. Also maintained daily (and in many cases, hourly) by SMU staff and students, the Twitter page offers brief updates or "tweets" with links to full articles, video or more information. You can also follow tweets from the Daily Mustang and the Daily Campus and get a daily pearl or two from tweets posted by coaches June Jones and Matt Doherty.

Both Facebook and Twitter allow you to receive updates via mobile device or email, so you'll never miss out on what's going on at SMU.

DALLAS (SMU) — Best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, Yale Divinity School Dean Harold W. Attridge and Dance Theater of Harlem co-founder Arthur Mitchell will receive honorary degrees at SMU's 94th Commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m. May 16 in Moody Coliseum. Former First Lady Laura Bush, an SMU graduate, will deliver the Commencement address.

Theologian and academic leader Harold W. Attridge will receive the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. Law professor and best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith will receive the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Dancer, choreographer and educator Arthur Mitchell will receive the honorary Doctor of Arts degree.

"The conferring of honorary degrees is an important part of the Commencement tradition, and we are pleased to recognize three distinguished individuals who have made unique contributions to varied fields of endeavor," said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. "Their achievements help our young graduates to appreciate the breadth of opportunity possible for their own futures as a result of their education."

Harold W. Attridge, an internationally respected scholar of early Christianity, currently serves at Yale Divinity School as dean and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament. After receiving his A.B. degree from Boston College, he earned two degrees at Cambridge University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He served on the faculty of SMU's Perkins School of Theology from 1977 to 1985. He then joined the University of Notre Dame, where he was professor of New Testament and later dean of the College of Arts and Letters. He joined the Yale faculty in 1997 and became dean of the Divinity School in 2002. His research has contributed significantly to understanding of the intellectual and religious environment in which Christianity arose. His books include a landmark commentary on the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews.

Alexander McCall Smith has excelled in two diverse careers, as legal scholar and fiction writer. He earned a law degree and Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, where he has led a distinguished career as professor of medical law. He has been a visiting professor at law schools in Europe and the United States, including twice at SMU's Dedman School of Law, in the late 1980s and in fall 1998. An international authority on biomedical ethics, he has served on the International Bioethics Commission of UNESCO. Professor McCall Smith is most widely known, however, as a best-selling author. His mystery series on The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 40 languages. The series has been adapted for radio, television and feature film.

Professor McCall Smith has strong connections with faculty in SMU's Dedman School of Law. He co-authored a professional book with Professor Daniel W. Shuman and dedicated a book in the Isabel Dalhousie Sunday Philosophy Club series to Professor Shuman. Professor McCall Smith dedicated the first book in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series to Professor Joseph W. McKnight and his wife, Mimi, and featured the McKnights as characters in one of the Dalhousie books.

Arthur Mitchell is a pivotal figure in the world of dance, as well as an agent for social change. He is co-founder and artistic director of the Dance Theater of Harlem, a multicultural ballet company of international renown that has broken barriers around the world. After studying at the School of American Ballet, Mitchell became the first African-American male to be a permanent member and principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, he resolved to provide opportunities for the children of Harlem and co-founded the Dance Theater of Harlem. Over the years, Mitchell and his dancers have served as cultural ambassadors and received worldwide acclaim. He also helped develop Dancing Through Barriers®, a national and international education and community outreach program that introduces young people to dance.

SMU expects to award nearly 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees to students at the University-wide Commencement ceremony. The University's schools and departments will hold individual diploma ceremonies throughout the day.

A new production system developed by SMU's Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) is an innovative alternative to traditional dental implants. Using an Electron Beam Melting (EBM) machine produced by Arcam AB^®of Sweden, students and faculty members have created one-component implants that mimic the shapes of the teeth they replace.

The RCAM, located in SMU's Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering, refined the techniques as part of a collaboration with Dallas' Baylor College of Dentistry, says Radovan Kovacevic, Herman Brown Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of RCAM and the Center for Laser-aided Manufacturing (CLAM). Working with Baylor researchers, RCAM developed the process to manufacture the single-piece dental implants from thin layers of titanium-alloy powder shaped by the controlled melting of an electron beam. Typically, such implants are assembled from three separate pieces. The new, unitary construction results in devices with fewer weak points at which breaks can occur.

The use of digitization to create the implant designs and the versatility of the EBM machine in creating highly complex parts allows for a wide range of applications in industries ranging from medicine to automation to aviation, Kovacevic says.

Related links:

Center for Laser-aided Manufacturing
Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing
Baylor College of Dentistry
Radovan Kovacevic
SMU Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering

By Darin Ford, director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center

Research tells us that personality can influence job performance. People who work in careers that support their strengths and interests tend to be happier, more successful and more fulfilled. In a challenging job market, knowing yourself is an important part of any strategy.

So, how can you gain knowledge about your strengths and interests? Take a career assessment. While these tools can't answer every career question, they do offer invaluable information. The counseling team at the Hegi Family Career Development Center uses a variety of assessments to help alumni and students explore interests, values, abilities and experiences. These assessments can clarify career goals — whether you're just beginning a job search or wanting to deepen your value to your company.

Assessments also present your strengths and interests in language that can help you communicate better with the Big 3:

1. Your current employer: By confirming your strengths and fully exploring your interests, you can leverage your talents and passion at work. That can translate into higher job satisfaction for you and increase your value as an employee.
2. Your next boss: How do you get the next job offer? Communicate. The next employer needs you to quickly sum up your skills and interests in your cover letter and résumé and, during the interview, should be enthralled by your story. Assessments can provide the language to use when discussing your strengths, creating the hire-me buzz needed in a competitive employment environment.
3. Your network: Same as above, but knowing yourself has a multiplying effect if done with focus. In the elevator, in line or while tweeting, texting or Facebooking, knowing your most valuable skills and how to connect them to a passion will generate important connections.

The Hegi Career Center offers assessments including the Strong Interest Inventory, which identifies interests and how they relate to careers, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which identifies personality type and how it relates to occupational compatibility.

Counselors administer the appropriate assessment and then meet to review results.
Call 214-768-2266 to schedule your assessment appointment — and get to know yourself a little better.

Send your career questions to dford@smu.edu. Hegi Career Center counselors also are open for questions and comments at their blog: smuhegi.blogspot.com

DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU football team wrapped up spring practice with the Red & Blue Scrimmage on Saturday, April 25, before a crowd of 1,500 Mustang fans. Lasting 40 plays, the scrimmage featured highlights for both the offense and defense.

SMU quarterbacks Bo Levi Mitchell and Braden Smith led the offense and combined to go 19-of-27 for 170 yards, while Bradley Haynes led all receivers with 52 yards on three catches.

"We got better this spring and that was the goal," said Head Coach June Jones. "We didn't throw any interceptions today and if we don't throw interceptions, we're going to win a lot of games. All in all, I was pleased with the first team on both sides of the ball."

No doubt Coach Jones was also pleased with punter Thomas Morstead. Morstead was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft on Sunday, April 26. Morstead becomes SMU's first NFL Draft pick since 2007, when Justin Rogers, now with the Dallas Cowboys, was chosen by the New England Patriots. Taken with the 164th overall selection, Morstead is SMU's highest draft pick since the Saints took SMU linebacker Chris Bordano 161st overall in 1998.

Mustang football kicks off its 2009 season with a home game against Stephen F. Austin on September 5. Two games have already been slated for national television broadcasts. The annual Battle for the Iron Skillet game against TCU will air on Mountain West Sports Network (MTN) on October 3 at 7 p.m. The Conference-USA game against Houston will air on CBS College Sports on October 24 at 6:30 p.m.

For season and individual ticket information visit www.smumustangs.com or
call 214-SMU-GAME. Season tickets go on sale May 1 and individual tickets will be available August 1.

2009 SMU Football Schedule
Sept. 5 - Stephen F. Austin
Sept. 12 - at UAB
Sept. 19 - at Washington State
Oct. 3 - at TCU
Oct. 10 - East Carolina
Oct. 17 - Navy
Oct. 24 - at Houston
Oct. 31 - at Tulsa
Nov. 7 - Rice
Nov. 14 - UTEP
Nov. 21 - at Marshall
Nov. 28 - Tulane

DALLAS (SMU) — Former First Lady Laura Bush will return to her alma mater May 16 to deliver the address at SMU's 94th Commencement ceremony. SMU expects to award nearly 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees in the University-wide ceremony, starting at 9:30 a.m. in Moody Coliseum on campus. Mrs. Bush earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from SMU in 1968.

"With her life-long dedication to education and the global insights she has gained from her years as First Lady, Mrs. Bush will offer a unique perspective to our graduates. At the same time, she brings a shared memory of her own graduation from the University," said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. "We are pleased to welcome her back to campus for this important academic tradition."

Mrs. Bush is actively involved in national and global issues, with an emphasis on education, health care and human rights. As First Lady, she made a historic trip to Afghanistan in 2005 to witness the progress achieved by the Afghan people after the fall of the Taliban regime. She visited the Women's Teacher Training Institute in Kabul, which is preparing women to lead classrooms that girls were once forbidden to enter. Mrs. Bush's involvement in Afghanistan began in 2001, when she delivered a weekly radio address to call attention to the plight of women and children suffering under the Taliban.

A former teacher and librarian, Mrs. Bush in 2001 convened a Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development, a forum for scholars and educators to share research on preparing children for lifelong learning. She led former President George W. Bush's Helping America's Youth initiative and remains an enthusiastic proponent of teacher recruitment programs such as Teach for America, The New Teacher Project and Troops to Teachers.

A long-time proponent of literacy programs, Mrs. Bush joined with the Library of Congress in September 2001 to launch the first National Book Festival. As First Lady of Texas in 1995, Mrs. Bush established the Texas Book Festival, which continues to thrive. In 2006 Mrs. Bush hosted leaders from around the world for the White House Conference on Advancing Global Literacy, showcasing literacy programs from diverse countries. Her leadership of this effort led to her current role as Honorary Ambassador for the United Nations Literacy Decade.

As an advocate for women's health, Mrs. Bush has been an active participant in campaigns to raise awareness of breast cancer and heart disease, both in the United States and globally in such countries as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Panama.

At SMU, the achievements of Mrs. Bush are recognized through the Laura Bush Promenade, a garden and seating area outside Fondren Library Center. The promenade was contributed in 1999 by then Governor George W. Bush to honor his wife's contributions to libraries and literature. In 1999 Mrs. Bush received SMU's Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition to numerous national awards, in 2008 she was honored in Dallas with the Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award of the Methodist Health System Foundation.

A native of Midland, Texas, Laura Bush grew up loving books and wanting to share her passion for literature with others. She taught in public schools in Dallas, Houston and Austin and worked as a public school librarian. In 1977, she met and married George Walker Bush. They are the parents of twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna.

"As a graduating senior, I cannot think of anyone I would rather have speak at my commencement ceremony," said Lamar Dowling, student member of the SMU Board of Trustees. "Over the past eight years of serving our country, Mrs. Bush has gained experiences around the nation and globe that have provided her much wisdom to share. As an SMU alumna, she has a variety of accomplishments to show the infinite possibilities that an SMU education can provide."

After the University-wide Commencement, SMU's schools and departments will hold individual ceremonies throughout the day to honor graduates. SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students in seven degree-granting colleges.

You can spot SMU students in any crowd by their drive to be the best, give the most, move the earth beneath them in whatever it is they do. Each of them has a unique gift. And all of them capture the face of SMU.

Warren Seay

When Warren Seay was asked, “So what did you do this summer?” his answer was truly inspiring. A junior political science major, Seay was one of just 24 students chosen to participate in the Institute for Responsible Citizenship leadership program. Through this program, he spent his summer as an intern at the U.S. Department of Labor. Working alongside some of the nation's most prominent figures, he gained a new perspective on today's complex social problems and learned how to become the kind of leader needed to solve them. Seay, who is also president of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, will return to Washington next summer to complete the second part of the program.

Lindsey Perkins

Have the dismal conditions of Romanian orphanages changed since the fall of communism? With her trained eye, Lindsey Perkins will shed light new light on a crisis that fueled global outrage 20 years ago. This month, Perkins, a senior marketing major and talented photojournalist, will join recent SMU journalism graduate Sommer Saadi in Romania to document daily life for children in today's Romanian orphanages.

Allison Griffin

For senior Allison Griffin, her education isn't just a professional skill, it's a gift to the less fortunate. As a volunteer Spanish translator for Engineers Without Borders, Griffin combined the knowledge of both her majors, engineering management science and Spanish, to help a small fishing village in Mexico find a sustainable water source. At a Hispanic mission in one of Dallas' most disadvantaged areas, she helped children achieve academically and taught adults how to improve their English speaking skills. With a tireless passion for community service both on and off campus, Griffin has also participated in several alternative spring breaks and served as the philanthropy and community service chair of her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta.

Check out SMU Student Adventures blogs for more stories from SMU students who spend their free time changing the world.

Know a must-see face of SMU? Post a comment and tell us about it.

• Women in Motion, created by SMU Cox Executive Education, is an intensive multi-module training program devoted exclusively to developing women leaders.
• SMU's acclaimed Temerlin Advertising Institute will launch a unique graduate program in advertising that combines the business and creative aspects of advertising in August 2009.
• And as early as Fall 2009, undergraduate students working in the one-of-a-kind Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® Lab at the SMU Lyle School of Engineering will tackle real-world engineering problems. The lab is a new partnership between SMU and giant defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The plan is to have students follow the legendary Lockheed Martin Skunk Works methodology as a way to encourage innovation and making a difference. This is the first time Lockheed Martin has joined hands with a university to share its innovative Skunk Works process, which originated in the late 1930s.

Explore the unique history, landscape, culinary delights and diverse culture of Northern New Mexico this summer at the SMU-in-Taos Cultural Institute. You'll spend July 23-26 enjoying the sights, sounds, tastes and spirit of one of the most unique and beloved cultural enclaves in North America.

Each topic is explored over two and a half days of field trips, sightseeing, recreation and in-depth discussion. Taught by distinguished SMU faculty, classes are limited in size to give you individual instruction with an opportunity to learn at your own pace in a perfect setting for lively, rich exchange. Evening receptions and shared mealtimes let you continue your discussions and discoveries outside the class setting.

No other experience captures the imagination, encourages exploration and renews the spirit like SMU-in-Taos Cultural Institute. Space is limited, so register online now.

The spring semester began with an entourage of more than 65 foreign diplomats visiting the campus and a surprise visit from the 43rd president of the United States.

On February 24, Harold W. Stanley, Geurin-Pettus Professor of American politics and political economy in SMU's Dedman College, took advantage of the fact that former President George W. Bush is back in Dallas to arrange a surprise visit for his class on the American Political System.

The former president fielded questions from students about the presidential library, the current economic crisis, the stimulus package, foreign relations and a wide range of other topics. Read the full story.

A new foreign relations initiative brought more than 65 foreign diplomats to the Hilltop in January. In response to their overwhelming desire to learn more about the American way of life beyond the nation's capital, the U.S. Department of State created the “Experience America” project, a designed to give overseas envoys a glimpse of the United States beyond Washington, D.C.Watch video coverage of the event.

By Darin Ford, director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center

With the nation's unemployment rate hitting 7.6 percent, and nearly 600,000 jobs lost in January alone, long lines are forming at career fairs across the country. The city of Dallas recently organized a job fair expecting fewer than 500 applicants. Nearly 2,300 showed up.

If you plan to attend a career fair, here are a few tips to help you stand out and connect with employers:

Know yourself and your potential employer.In addition to researching salary information, re-evaluating your skills and touching up your résumé, you should know something relevant about each of the companies that are most attractive to you. Employers are often appalled by the lack of knowledge about the positions they are offering. “So what does your company do?”will not cut it at the career fair and often puts your résumé into the “no” pile.

Increase your Bacon.You've probably heard that the actor Kevin Bacon reportedly commented that he had worked with everybody in Hollywood or someone who's worked with them. See where this is headed? Connections and networking are powerful and often the most important variables in getting the interview after the job fair. Whether you're outgoing or reserved, you can be successful at networking. Ask for business cards at career fairs, write thank-you notes, seek out people you know at these companies and build relationships.

Tell your 30-second story.To quote Alan Kay, former vice president at Walt Disney, “Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we're all just … hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.” If the boardroom is hungry, the recruiters who work for these VIPs are ravenous for top-quality candidates with good “stories.”The art here is to practice and deliver an authentic and concise story about you that is so enticing the employer will want more. Remember the three Rs:

• Research the company
  
• Relate your qualifications to the company's hiring needs
  
• Respect the recruiter's time

• Job search resources, including employer research, résumé advice and salary information online.
  
• Linked-In SMU Alumni Professional Networking: Linked-In is the professionally recognized online networking community with more than 400 SMU members. Contact Latrice White, our employer relations coordinator, for more information at whitel@smu.edu.
  
• Practice interviewing with a virtual online interview that presents realistic, challenging questions.

SMU Athletics has had many reasons to celebrate in recent seasons, including the opening of Crum Basketball Center and the arrival of head football coach June Jones and men's head basketball coach Matt Doherty. Now efforts are dedicated to building new facilities for men's and women's swimming and diving and golf.

More space for swimmers and divers

Perkins Natatorium, the home of SMU swimming and diving since 1956, has run out of wall space. National and conference championship trophies are stacked two deep, and the walls are crammed with photographs of champions.

“We need to bring the spirit and tradition of Perkins Natatorium to a new facility with modern amenities and size,” says women's swim coach Steve Collins.

An $18 million aquatic center planned for the site of the natatorium on Bishop Boulevard will include a 50-meter pool with 22 training lanes, a 10-meter diving platform and underwater video and camera installations for competition and training. Currently, men's and women's swimming share the six-lane natatorium for three practices each day. Divers practice at the outdoor Barr Pool during warm weather and at a rented high school facility during cool weather. A larger pool will give student-athletes more flexibility to balance practices and academic schedules, and also will enable the Mustangs to host top-tier competitions.

“Bringing top-level competitions to SMU increases our visibility to recruits and showcases the achievements of our program,” says Eddie Sinnott, men's swimming coach.

Keeping golfers in the swing

A new $4 million golf practice facility at the Dallas Athletic Club will put SMU at the forefront of men's and women's collegiate golf, says Jay Loar, men's golf coach.

With a practice course, workout facility, locker rooms, study rooms and clubhouse in one location, busy college athletes can make better use of their time, leading to better golf scores and higher grade point averages, he says. Current SMU golfers wake up for 5:30 a.m. workouts on campus and practice their swings 10 miles away at the Dallas Athletic Club.

“This will give them a permanent home,” Loar says.

The facility also will help them prepare for national tournaments, with indoor hitting bays equipped with swing-analysis capabilities and a five-acre practice course. Golfers will use the facility to build on SMU's strong golf legacy. The program has produced such golfing greats as Kyle O'Brien ‘80 and the late Payne Stewart ‘79. Part of the facility will be named in Stewart's honor. In addition, the May 4 11th annual Payne Stewart Cup golf tournament will benefit men's and women's golf.

The insurance commercial apparently got it right — Neanderthals were not stupid, simply misunderstood.

A study published in The Journal of Human Evolution shows that Neanderthals were every bit as good at making tools as Homo sapiens, the species we see every day in the mirror, says Metin Eren, a graduate experimental archaeology student in the Department of Anthropology in Dedman College at Southern Methodist University.

The findings by Eren's team should be the final blow to the 60-year-old notion that our Homo sapiens ancestors survived and advanced because they were smarter than Neanderthals, who disappeared about 28,000 years ago. It's also the reason that Discover magazine ranked these findings at No. 8 on its Top 100 Science Discoveries of 2008.

• The Fall/Winter SMU Magazine is now online
• Get involved in your 2009 reunion committee to make your reunion the best ever
• Remember SMU in your holiday giving – give online today

Put Mustang spirit on your holiday list with rare game footage and photos, a keepsake calendar, the latest in spirit wear or new books from the faculty.

New faculty books

"The essays are a good cross section and make a nice balance," says Terry ('53, '54), E.A. Lilly Professor Emeritus of English in Dedman College and a recipient of SMU's 2003 Distinguished Alumni Award. "All the writers have SMU experience from which to draw."

The new edition of the book is published as SMU prepares to celebrate the centennial of its founding in 2011 and opening in 2015.

Higher Realism: A New Foreign Policy For The United States by Seyom Brown, John Goodwin Tower Distinguished Chair in International Politics and National Security in the Department of Political Science, Dedman College at SMU.

Brown, whose five-decade career in national security has taken him from the Departments of Defense and State to policy think tanks and academia, asserts that Higher Realism is not insisting on a Utopian society, but a society where the global good takes priority over the national good to ensure the survival of the human species. He has held senior policy positions at the RAND Corporation and the Brookings Institution, and served as special assistant to the Director of the Policy Planning Council of the U.S. Department of State. Read more about the book ’

DVDs, Photos and Gifts

They've also created a 2009 calendar with vintage reproductions of classic game programs.

SMU spirit wear

By Troy Behrens, Executive Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center at SMU

In this era of economic uncertainty, employees need a strong network, fluid strategies and resources that keep them competitive for a lifetime. The Hegi Family Career Development Center provides alumni with all of these tools.

In fact, more alumni than ever are visiting the Hegi Center in person and online for career planning, job searches, career fairs and self-improvement strategies. Recently our counselors have been asked questions such as: How do I get ahead in these tough times? How do I ask for a raise or promotion when layoffs seem to be in the headlines daily? Or, during my performance review, how do I make sure my boss knows how valuable I am?

Many outstanding employees become jittery at the thought of performance reviews and negotiations. I have learned that negotiation anxiety is to the employed person as interviewing anxiety is to the job seeker. Interestingly enough, one major remedy helps cure the anxiety in both situations: Prepare for your performance review or negotiation meeting as you would for an important job interview.

For a job interview, you conduct research and prepare a presentation to promote your skills. You practice your interviewing skills, and you might sharpen your resume for the big interview. After all, we all know how important it is to have a concise, professional representation of your skills when promoting your employability.

Now, what about when asking for a raise or promotion? Should you conduct research on market values of people with your skills? Absolutely. Should you practice answers to anticipated questions from your supervisor? Yes! Should you use your resume to help obtain a raise or promotion? Chances are you haven't, but now is the time to start!

I don't mean that you should dust off the old resume and hand it to your boss again. I recommend that you develop a new "WIDAR" resume - a Why I Deserve A Raise (or A Promotion, or This Job) Resume. The "WIDAR" is a tool that helps highlight your successful accomplishments with your current employer and will build your self-confidence. It's not a cosmetic cover-up for slackers.

Components of a Why I Deserve A Raise (or A Promotion, or My Job) Resume:

1. The heading
Your resume should begin with your name, job title, company name and the dates that represent the time frame since your last raise. This might range from a few months to many years, depending on your last review.

2. Objective
Your objective statement should coincide with your company's or department's mission statement. It also should have a brief sentence about your personal objectives for improving the company's bottom line. The rest of your resume will support that those objectives were indeed met, which will have a strong impact on supervisors.

3. Achievements
Think about projects, lengthy reports or group presentations you developed or successfully completed. Remember your company honors for top salesperson and employee of the month? This is where you present them. This is also an effective place to mention how your career goals were achieved. If you already have received a promotion from this company, for example, you could write the following: "Promoted to production manager from line supervisor in only six months." Be proud of your accomplishments!

4. Experience
Describe your everyday duties and responsibilities - but spice it up. If, according to your job description, you "supervise six junior staff accountants," this resume should state that you "supervised six junior staff accountants, taught them to master XYZ's accounting computer program, and increased their productivity by over 45 percent." See the difference?

5. Public relations
Every employer loves an employee who promotes the corporation through outstanding work and community achievements. These activities might include publishing articles in trade publications or providing seminars to colleagues at national or regional conventions.

6. Education or training
Have you recently completed an advanced degree, training or certification related to your field? Let them know! I haven't met anyone who wasn't compensated for their educational achievement; except of course, those who haven't informed their employer.

7. Closing
"Project Portfolio Provided Upon Request" -That's it; that's your closing. Remember that you need to offer your supervisors an opportunity to closely review your work and achievements. So keep a portfolio, and support your point of view with cold, hard factual data.

If your boss is like most, he or she doesn't have time to recognize your efforts on a daily basis. That's why your WIDAR is such a valuable memory refresher - especially in tough times!

Send your career questions to tbehrens@smu.edu, or contact him to see a sample "WIDAR." Hegi Career Center counselors also are open for questions and comments at their new blog: smuhegi.blogspot.com

In 2008, there have been many examples of progress and growing momentum at SMU, including the endowment of academic centers, the growing quality of the student body and faculty, and the construction of important new facilities.

Here are some of the stories that shaped the year on the Hilltop. Click the photos to read more on each story.

SMU is launching the largest fund-raising campaign in its history, aimed at achieving a dramatic increase in academic quality and impact.

At a campus rally September 12, the University kicked off the public phase of the campaign and announced the goal of $750 million for “SMU Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign.” This fall, University officials are headed around the country and across the globe to share the kickoff’s excitement with alumni, parents and friends.

The campaign already is off to a running start, with 29,488 donors providing $317 million in commitments during the two-year quiet phase of the campaign. This includes 49 donors who have made commitments of $1 million and above. The five-year public phase will coincide with the centennial of the University’s founding in 1911; the University opened in 1915.

To learn more about The Second Century Campaign, visit smu.edu/unbridled.

Great moments in SMU athletic history include the 1936 Rose Bowl game against Stanford and football legend Doak Walker (’50) winning the Heisman Trophy.

Fans can relive the memories by visiting athletichistory.com to purchase photographs and DVDs of classic games and events.

The photographs date to 1915 and are available in different sizes. Football games dating to the 1930s and basketball games from the 1950s are available on DVD, which start at $25.

John Stollenwerck recently purchased a DVD of the 1954 SMU vs. Arkansas game for his father, Sam Stollenwerck (’55), who served as quarterback for the game.

“We gave the DVD to him on his birthday,” the younger Stollenwerck says. “My father was very surprised, and the entire family sat down to watch the game. So often, we forget our cameras for moments that will mean a great deal later.”

Nancy Foran, sister of former defensive tackle Richard Neely (’82), agrees. She recently purchased DVDs of the games Neely had played in along with a photograph.

“We have no keepsakes from earlier years because technology was not as advanced at that time,” she says. “This Web site offers an opportunity to preserve special memories.”

The site was launched two months ago as a supplement to Heritage Hall, a museum that opened in 2000 inside the Paul B. Loyd All-Sports Center. It highlights the accomplishments of coaches and players through photographs, uniforms, newspaper clippings and trophies.

“SMU has such a rich tradition of athletics,” says Gerry York (’58), who is co-chair of Heritage Hall and was instrumental to the museum’s creation. “I am very proud of what we have exhibited at Heritage Hall and on the Web site. We hope to keep adding to it.”

– Nima Kapadia

By Troy Behrens, Executive Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center

Some people can handle anything. No matter how rough life gets, they keep on keepin’ on. Call it a high tolerance for pain, intense faith or strong will – whatever it is, it sets apart the winners from the losers.

In today’s uncertain economic times, it’s helpful to remember that what we consider stressful is relative to what we are used to. In other words, how we interpret a situation is the key indicator as to whether it will be a stressor.

Here’s a real-life example:

Tammy is an employee for a major retail chain who is melting down because her supervisor is about to change her shift start time from noon to 9 p.m. Tammy is screaming, “I’ve worked my current shift for five years! I’m a morning person! I’ll have to change my entire lifestyle!”

She complains every day for three weeks, during which time she catches cold and misses five days of work. Her shift change adversely affects her even before it occurs.

Enter Charlie, who works for the same retail chain. During the same three weeks, Charlie gets married after a two-year engagement; is let go from his job due to budget cuts; and relocates 2,000 miles away in Seattle, where he has unsuccessful job interviews and has to move into his high school buddy’s house with his new wife.

Yet, Charlie does just fine. Sure, he lives out of a suitcase and doesn’t find a decent job for four months, but he perseveres. What’s his secret?

1. No matter how busy he is, he finds time to exercise. He exercises so much that he is “too tired to worry about his problems.”
2. He takes problems as they come, one at a time. He never looks at his life in its entirety – if he had, he would have seen a huge problem that would be tough to overcome.
3. He stays grateful for what is working well in his life. He knows that problems come and go, and that the problems he has are not life-and-death.
4. He keeps an image of success in his mind. He knows that failure is not an option.
5. His practice with stress and difficult situations helps him most. Like a tree that grows in strong winds, he had grown solid roots and flexible limbs from the adversity he had faced throughout his life.

Send your career questions to tbehrens@smu.edu. Hegi Career Center counselors are open for questions and comments at their new blog: smuhegi.blogspot.com

In the months leading up to November’s presidential election, SMU faculty members have provided analysis and insight in the national media, including:

• Cal Jillson, Political Science, discussed how Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is galvanizing base voters from both major political parties with Reuters. Read more.
• Dennis Simon, Political Science, discussed why older voters will be pivotal in the 2008 election with The Dallas Morning News. Read more.
• Rita Kirk and Dan Schill, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, talked about the potential for “bandwagon effect” resulting from political polls and live audience feedback with The Wall Street Journal. Read more.

Keep up with SMU experts’ views, along with election issues and answers, at smu.edu/election2008.

After Homecoming on November 8, alumni can catch a masterpiece in the making – downtown’s growing Arts District. The area surrounding Flora Street is home to multiple world-renowned performing and visual arts organizations and cultural landmarks, including:

Crow Collection of Asian Art: Dedicated to the arts and cultures of China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia, the galleries this season feature exhibits on Chinese tomb art and large-scale Himalayan art. Visit site »

Dallas Black Dance Theatre: The contemporary modern dance company is celebrating its 32nd season with performances across the country and in Dallas, including at the Majestic Theatre and the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. The company’s 12 dancers perform a mixed repertory of modern, jazz, ethnic and spiritual works. Visit site »

Dallas Museum of Art: Home to collections in African, Asian, European and American art, the museum this season is hosting rare treasures from ancient Egypt in the blockbuster King Tut exhibit “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs.” Many of the artifacts are being presented outside Egypt for the first time. Visit site »

Dallas Symphony Orchestra: The orchestra’s musicians and the North Texas community have given a warm welcome this season to new music director Jaap van Zweden. The weekend of November 7–9, he will be conducting Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 at the symphony’s home – the landmark Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center designed by I.M. Pei. Visit site »

Faith and fellowship: The District is home to three churches that date back to the 1800s: Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, First United Methodist Church and St. Paul United Methodist Church. A fourth, Fellowship Church, is new to The District. All offer artistic programs ranging from concerts to theater performances to art exhibitions.

Nasher Sculpture Center: This garden and museum, designed by Renzo Piano, feature Raymond and Patsy Nasher’s extensive collection of modern sculpture, including works by Calder, Matisse and Picasso. Current exhibitions include “In Pursuit of the Masters,” which celebrates the museum’s fifth anniversary by telling the stories behind the art, such as the Nashers’ partnership and friendship with artists, art dealers and curators. Visit site »

Stay tuned: The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts will debut Oct. 12, 2009, with a full week of grand-opening festivities. Funding is nearly complete for the $338 million arts complex, which includes the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Annette Strauss Artist Square and the Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park. A fifth venue, City Performance Hall, will open later. Visit site »

To get there from SMU

• Take the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light-rail Blue or Red line south, from Mockingbird Station to St. Paul Station or Pearl Station. Visit site »
• Or, pick up the free M-line Streetcar at DART’s Cityplace Station and explore Uptown along the way. Visit site »
• By car, take Central Expressway (US 75 South). Exit Woodall Rodgers Freeway west. Exit South on Pearl Street.