SMU's New Student Programs and Division of Enrollment Services invite the entire University community for ice cream and community bonding at the 3rd annual AARO Kick-Off Celebration in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Commons, 1-2 p.m. June 26.

The event also kicks off the 2008-09 academic year as SMU welcome hundreds of new students through its Academic Advising, Registration and Orientation programs. The festivities will open with brief remarks by members of the SMU administration and AARO staff at 1:15 p.m.

A taste of Taos: The 2008 SMU-in-Taos Cultural Institute offers its annual "education vacations" July 17-20. Learn more about this year's summer weekend courses, taught by SMU faculty at the University's Northern New Mexico campus, at the Cultural Institute website. (Right, a Taos image by Mandy Dake, a student in the Cultural Institute's popular Digital Photography course.)

Faculty Exhibition held over: SMU Libraries' 2008 Faculty Recognition Exhibition has been held over through June 2. See your colleagues' work in Fondren Library Center.

Summer camps and courses: SMU offers a variety of summer programs for students of all ages. Visit their websites to learn more and register online:

• Summer youth programs at SMU-in-Legacy in computer animation, LEGO technology, digital photography and more
• Creative and performing arts classes in Meadows Community Education
• Sports camps run by SMU Athletics head coaches and staff, featuring discounts for SMU faculty and staff members
• SMU Summer Term for college students

SMU Informal Courses has new offerings starting weekly during summer 2008. Take advantage of One-Day Web Sales on the first Friday of each month to receive discounts for online registration for selected courses.

Summer enchantment: The 2008 SMU-in-Taos Cultural Institute takes place July 17-20, and the registration deadline is approaching. Find course information and online registration at the Cultural Institute website.

Popular recognition: SMU Libraries' 2008 Faculty Recognition Exhibition has been held over through June 2. See your colleagues' work in Fondren Library Center.

Celebrating art: SMU's Meadows Museum hosts a faculty/staff wine and cheese reception honoring "Gerardo Rueda: Monumental Sculpture from the Collection of IVAM," three pieces created by the prominent Spanish sculptor on loan from the Modern Art Museum in Valencia, Spain; and Art Professor Barnaby Fitzgerald's "Eve" and "Cartoon of Eve," two works inspired by the current exhibition "Fernando Gallego and His Workshop: The Altarpiece from Ciudad Rodrigo." The festivities take place 5:30-7:30 p.m. May 28, with remarks at 6:30, in Meadows Museum. The event is free; RSVP is required. Contact Museum Events, 8-4771.

Memorial Day weekend will be more than just a work holiday: Texas shoppers will also get a break from state and local sales and use taxes on purchases of some energy-saving products. The 2008 Energy Star sales tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 24, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day).

Qualifying products will display the Energy Star logo (left), which may appear on the appliance, the packaging or the Energy Guide label. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. A product that earns the Energy Star has met strict energy efficiency guidelines set by these two federal agencies.

There is no limit on the number of qualifying items one can purchase during the sales tax holiday, and an exemption certificate is not required, says Michael Vangeli, P.E., SMU's associate director of energy management. Planning new purchases around the tax holiday "will help save people money and energy," he adds.

Find more information at the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts website.

In appreciation: Only a few days left to visit the 2008 Faculty Recognition Exhibition - the show of work continues through May 19. See it now in Fondren Library Center.

Fun and games: Make plans now for the 2008 Staff Appreciation Day and President's Picnic - this year's celebration takes place 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. May 22. Watch the SMU Forum for location and more information.

Commencement Countdown 2008:

• May 16: Baccalaureate
• May 17: Faculty Breakfast and Distinguished University Citizen Awards presentation
• May 17: Commencement
• May 17: School and departmental diploma ceremonies

With temperatures expected to remain in the 70s and low 80s all week, take advantage of the moderate weather and join the 2008 SMU Faculty/Staff Golf Scramble May 16 at Stevens Park Golf Club in Kessler Park, Oak Cliff (right). The $31 entry covers greens fees, cart, after-round beverages and door prizes.

The four-person scramble will have randomly assigned teams; participants must meet at the course by 12:45 p.m. on the day. Golfers of all skill levels are welcome. To participate, e-mail your name and average score by 3 p.m. May 15 to Jack Harper in Recreational Sports or call 8-3367.

SMU observes its 93rd Commencement May 16-17 with events for students, faculty, alumni and the entire community.

Dr. Allen Weinstein, the noted historian who oversees the nation's presidential libraries, will speak at the all-University ceremony at 9:30 a.m. May 17 in Moody Coliseum. The University expects to award nearly 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees.

Some major events at a glance:

• May 16-17 - Class of 1958 golden reunion
• May 16 - Baccalaureate and Rotunda Recessional
• May 17 - Faculty Breakfast and Distinguished University Citizen Awards presentation
• May 17 - All-University Commencement
• May 17 - School diploma presentations

Find more information at the Registrar's Commencement 2008 website.

• Read more about the 2008 Commencement speaker.

Save the date: Make plans now for the 2008 Staff Appreciation Day and President's Picnic - the annual celebration takes place 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. May 22. Watch the SMU Forum for location and more information.

Dinner with Friends: The Friends of the SMU Libraries will hold their Annual Dinner and Meeting at 6 p.m. May 12 at Popolo's Café. The featured speaker is Will Clarke, author of The Worthy: A Ghost's Story and Lord Vishnu's Love Handles. For more information, contact Amy Carver, 8-3225.

Commencement Countdown 2008:

• May 16: Baccalaureate
• May 17: Faculty Breakfast and Distinguished University Citizen Awards presentation
• May 17: Commencement
• May 17: School and departmental diploma ceremonies

Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian and best-selling editor of The Reagan Diaries, visits the Hilltop May 6. His appearance closes the 2007-08 season of SMU's Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series.

A fellow at Baker Institute and professor of history at Rice University, Brinkley specializes in presidential and 20th century history, with more than 30 books to his credit. The Reagan Diaries, published in 2007, was ranked No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list for nonfiction. He expects to complete the editing of additional volumes of President Ronald Reagan's diaries in 2008.

Brinkley is the official historian for CBS News and a contributing editor for Vanity Fair, The Los Angeles Times Book Review and American Heritage. His 2006 work, The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, received the 2007 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.

The author will answer questions from SMU community members and local high school students in the Turner Construction Student Forum at 4:30 p.m. May 6 in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Ballroom. Learn more at smu.edu/tate.

The Tate Series' 2008-09 season will be announced at Brinkley's lecture. Watch SMU Forum for more information after the announcement.

Celebrating excellence: SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences honors outstanding achievers - including 2008 Distinguished Graduate Robert W. Haley, M.D. at the annual Dedman Celebration 7-9 p.m. May 7 in Dallas Hall.

Libraries' leading lights: The SMU Libraries honor indispensable associates as nominated by the SMU community at the 2008 Outstanding Library Staff Awards ceremony and reception, 1:30 p.m. May 9 in the Texana Room, DeGolyer Library. All SMU community members are invited to attend.

Commencement Countdown 2008:

• May 16: Baccalaureate
• May 17: Faculty Breakfast and Distinguished University Citizen Awards presentation
• May 17: Commencement
• May 17: School and departmental diploma ceremonies

The spirit and heritage of American journalism is captured in a series of five new postage stamps to make their public debut at SMU.

At 10 a.m. April 29 in the Hughes-Trigg Commons, representatives from the U.S. Postal Service will unveil the 2008 American Journalist Series. Depicted on the stamps will be Martha Gellhorn, John Hersey, George Polk, Ruben Salazar and Eric Sevareid.

Local journalists participating in the ceremony will include John McCaa, ABC Channel 8; Tracy Rowlett, CBS Channel 11; Ken Kalthoff, NBC Channel 5; Clarice Tinsley, Fox 4 News; Bob Ray Sanders, assistant editor, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; and Miguel Amante, Telemundo News Channel 39. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Sally Ride, the United States' first woman in space, has partnered with the SMU School of Engineering and ExxonMobil to bring the Sally Ride Science Festival to the Hilltop April 26.

The festival is designed to encourage more young women to pursue higher education and careers in math, science and engineering. Featured events include workshops for students, parents and teachers led by local scientists and engineers; a street fair with booths, activities, food and music; and a keynote speech by Ride herself.

Advance registration is required; the $18 fee includes all the day's activities, plus lunch. Register online at the Sally Ride Science Fair website. For more information, visit the School of Engineering website.

• Hear Ride's interview on KERA's "Think" or download it to your iPod (37 min.).

We go together: The Student Foundation pays homage to the carnival scene in "Grease" with its theme for Mane Event 2008. The entire SMU community can enjoy the food, midway games and festivities at this annual celebration of the last day of class, 3-7 p.m. April 25 on the Main Quad. Get a sneak preview from a student organizer.

Paintings to pixels: Law Professor Bill Bridge will speak on "From the Cave to the iPod" in the Faculty Club's "Last Lecture" wine and cheese reception at 4 p.m. April 29 in the SMU Faculty Club. RSVP by April 25 to Dee Powell, 8-3012.

Meadows at the Meyerson: SMU's Meadows School of the Arts will present its 15th annual benefit concert at 7:30 p.m. April 29 in the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. Under the direction of conductor Paul Phillips, the Meadows Symphony will perform Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien, Emmanuel Chabrier's Espana and Manuel de Falla's First and Second Suites from The Three-Cornered Hat. Meadows Artist in Residence Chee-Yun will join the orchestra for a performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. This year's honoree is arts patron and philanthropist Nancy Hamon. Tickets range from $6 to $100 and are available from the Meadows Ticket Office, 8-2787 (8-ARTS).

In McFarlin Auditorium:

• April 30: Dashboard Confessional will perform with special guest Five Times August in the Program Council's 2008 Code Red Concert at 8 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 8-4400.
• May 1: TITAS presents the East Village Opera Company (right) at 8 p.m. For ticket information, call 214-528-5576.

Meadows Theatre ends its 2007-08 season with a timely update of a timeless classic. The Meadows production of Molière's satire Tartuffe opens April 23 in the Greer Garson Theatre, Owen Arts Center.

Originally subtitled The Hypocrite and debuting in 1669 - 5 years after Molière completed his first version - Tartuffe tells the story of a con artist who wins the trust of a wealthy man by pretending to be a paragon of religious virtue. The Meadows version has been updated by 300 years, with the title character taking on the persona of a hippie guru.

Tartuffe would become the most popular and profitable of all Molière's plays, but its tweaking of religious hypocrisy and the French upper class led to its suppression by both church and secular authorities. It has since become the most frequently performed play in the French language.

The production is directed by Michael Connolly, associate professor and head of acting in the Meadows Theatre Division. Tickets are $7 each for faculty, staff and students. For more information, contact the Meadows Ticket Office, 8-2787 (8-ARTS). (Right, M.F.A. candidates Matt Tallman and Clay Bunker as Orgon and Tartuffe, with senior Emily Ernst as Elmire.)

SMU celebrates the coming end of the 2007-08 academic year by honoring some of its most distinguished faculty, staff and student citizens. The University's Honors Day Convocation and Awards Extravaganza take place on the afternoon and evening of April 21.

Willard Spiegelman, SMU's Duwain E. Hughes Jr. Distinguished Professor of English, will speak on "Success and Obedience: A List of Suggestions and Advice" at the 11th annual Honors Day Convocation at 5:30 p.m. in McFarlin Auditorium. The ceremony celebrates academic achievement at the University and department levels. A reception follows the Convocation in the Grand Ballroom, Umphrey Lee Center.

The University presents several awards for excellence - including its highest honor, the "M" Award - at the Awards Extravaganza at 7:30 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Theater. Winners will be listed in SMU Forum after they are announced at the ceremony.

Earth Week continues: SMU's Earth Week activities continue April 21-22 in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Pick up a free low-flow showerhead (while supplies last), gather information, and sign up for volunteer opportunities. In addition, you can hear VP for Student Affairs Christine Casey answer questions on SMU's earth-friendly policies and plans at 12:15 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22.

Underground art: The Meadows Underground Project presents a two-part mini-festival bridging classical, jazz and pop music, produced by Alessio Bax and featuring Bax, Dan Tepfer and the Dan Tepfer Trio, Gabriel Kahane, Chee-Yun, Andrés Díaz and others. "The Art of Improvisation" begins at 8 p.m. April 19 in the O'Donnell Recital Hall, featuring Kahane's songs and the Dan Tepfer Trio's improvisations. "Old and New Narratives" takes place at 7 p.m. April 20 in Caruth Auditorium and features Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, as well as Kahane's celebrated Craigslistlieder - a song cycle based on odd personal posts from Craig's List. Both venues are in Owen Arts Center, and both events are free.

We go together: The Student Foundation pays homage to the carnival scene in "Grease" with its theme for Mane Event 2008. The entire SMU community can enjoy the food, midway games and festivities at this annual celebration of the last day of class, 3-7 p.m. April 25 on the Main Quad. Get a sneak preview from a student organizer.

Greatest hits: The Meadows Dance Ensemble presents its biennial "Best of Meadows Dance" at 8 p.m. April 25-26 and 2 p.m. April 27 in the Bob Hope Theatre, Owen Arts Center. The concert will feature the most outstanding original student choreography from the fall and spring Brown Bag concerts and the senior-level showcase. Tickets are $7 for SMU faculty, staff and students. For more information, contact the Meadows Ticket Office, 8-2787 (8-ARTS).

In McFarlin Auditorium:

• April 18-19: TITAS presents the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at 8 p.m. both nights. For ticket information, call 214-528-5576.

SMU's Division of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs celebrates diversity with three events April 15-17, 2008:

• Johnny C. Taylor, president and CEO of Black Web Enterprises Inc., discusses "Diversity, Leadership and Communication in the 21st Century" 6-7:30 p.m. April 15 in Meadows Museum.
• Martin J. Medhurst, Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Communication at Baylor University, speaks on "George W. Bush at Goree Island: American Slavery and the Rhetoric of Redemption" 6:30-8:30 p.m. April 16 in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Forum.
• SMU's Lori White, vice president for student affairs, and Anthony Tillman, director of retention and strategic planning, present "Not Far Over the Rainbow: The Future of Diversity of SMU" 7:30-9:30 p.m. April 17 in Meadows Museum.

The presentations are part of "Communicating Excellence: Celebrating Diversity in the Communication Arts, Disciplines and Professions," a 3-day series highlighting "SMU's commitment to collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and the power of the word to enlighten, educate and transform people and places." For more information, contact Rebecca Hewitt, 8-1574.

SMU's Central University Libraries celebrate 2008 National Library Week, April 13-19, with an all-campus cookout. Stop by the Fondren Library West Courtyard 11 a.m.-2 p.m. April 16-17 for free food, fun and frisbees.

In addition, Library Enrichment and Development (LEAD) has created a short presentation on the history of SMU's libraries. Watch it on the plasma TV in the Fondren Library Center Information Commons, or see it online.

• Watch the 2008 National Library Week announcement starring Julie Andrews.

Screenwriter and producer James V. Hart ('69) will become the second distinguished SMU alumnus to be honored at the annual Ring Ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. April 13 in McFarlin Auditorium. At the ceremony, SMU Young Alumni Programs and Development will present Hart with an SMU ring. Hart follows last year's inaugural honoree, Dr. Jim Caswell ('63, '66, '70).

Hart has spent more than three decades producing, directing and writing films, including "Hook," "Bram Stoker's Dracula," "Contact," "Sahara," "Muppet Treasure Island," "The Last Mimzy" and "August Rush." He has been a part of the Sundance Film Festival and Austin Film Festival and is a professor in Columbia University's graduate program. He will speak about his accomplishments and his time at SMU during the ceremony.

The SMU ring is a tradition dating back to 1924. At this year's fifth annual Ring Ceremony, more than 400 family members and friends will watch students receive their rings.

Young Alumni Programs and Development is headed by Director Andrew Snow, who created the Ring Ceremony five years ago. The department also holds events for Dallas-area alumni throughout the year.

SMU observes 2008 Earth Week April 14-22 with events and activities ranging from residence hall recycling competitions to student leadership training.

Campus sustainability activist Rachel Barge will offer a training session for student environmental leaders 5-7 p.m. April 16 in 153 Heroy Hall. As an undergraduate at the University of California-Berkeley, Barge co-created The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), a student fee program that raises $200,000 annually for Berkeley campus sustainability projects including clean energy and transportation, energy efficiency, water conservation, and recycling and composting programs.

The University will participate in two public outreach events 8 a.m.-noon April 19. They include a tree planting at Richland College's TXU Urban Tree Farm, 12800 Abrams Rd., and a clean-up excursion on White Rock Lake, 1152 N. Buckner Blvd.

On Earth Day, April 22, Vice President for Student Affairs Christine Casey will speak about SMU's earth-friendly policies and plans, followed by a Q&A session, 12:15-1 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Commons.

The Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, renowned civil rights activist and former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), will receive SMU's Cooper Peace and Justice Fellowship during a lecture at 7 p.m. April 20 in McCord Auditorium, Dallas Hall. A reception will precede the lecture at 6 p.m. on Dallas Hall's third floor.

Called "the dean of the civil rights movement" by the NAACP, Lowery was a cofounder, with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., of the SCLC and served as its president and CEO from 1977 to 1998. His previous awards include the Martin Luther King Jr. Center Peace Award and the National Urban League's Whitney M. Young Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, he has received honorary doctorates from Dillard University, Morehouse College, Alabama State University and the University of Alabama.

The Cooper Peace and Justice Fellowship was established in 1992 to recognize the faithful service on behalf of issues of peace and justice by SMU Associate Chaplain Robert O. Cooper upon his retirement from the University. The Cooper Fellowship is sponsored by SMU's Office of the Chaplain, in collaboration with the University's Human Rights Education and Ethnic Studies programs and the Dallas Peace Center.

The William K. McElvaney Award in Social Justice will be awarded to an SMU student actively involved in human rights and social justice issues, to be announced at the lecture. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Office of the Chaplain, 8-4502.

Art for a cause: SMU will help raise money for refugees of ethnic and political violence as it hosts Art For Darfur 6-9 p.m. April 12 in the Taubman Atrium, Owen Arts Center. The event features a silent art auction with live music and a "Tents of Hope" community art project. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 general admission, $10 to participate in the tent painting. All proceeds benefit the International Rescue Committee's humanitarian work in Darfur and Eastern Chad.

A walk to remember: SMU Panhellenic holds its 2008 Relay For Life April 11-12 on Bishop Boulevard. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. April 11. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

Ready for some football? NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks in the Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum noon-1:30 p.m. April 16 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. Individual tickets are $60 and can be ordered online.

Renaissance musicians: SMU's Brown Bag World Music Series presents Renaissance and Celtic music by Cantiga at noon April 16 in the Bob Hope Lobby, Owen Arts Center. Bring your lunch.

The romance of France: The Faculty Club presents a special dinner featuring Professor Emeritus Maurice Elton speaking on "My Love Affair With France." The event begins at 6 p.m. April 17 in the SMU Faculty Club. Cost is $25 for members; $30 for non-members. RSVP by April 14 to Dee Powell, 8-3012

Greek tragedy: The Meadows Opera Theatre presents Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas - including the rarely performed original Prologue and Epilogue - at 8 p.m. April 18 in the Margo Jones Theatre, Owen Arts Center. Admission is free.

In McFarlin Auditorium:

• April 18-19: TITAS presents the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (bottom right) at 8 p.m. both nights. For ticket information, call 214-528-5576.

SMU's 2008 New Visions, New Voices Festival presents three new plays written and directed by undergraduate theatre students in Meadows School of the Arts. The festival runs April 9-13 in the Margo Jones Theatre, Owen Arts Center.

This year's productions include Darwin's Cousin, a play about eugenics; Panacea, a tragicomedy about a family dealing with their mother's death; and The Smoking Section, which deals with characters finding happiness in spite of painful losses. The festival is produced by Gretchen Smith, associate professor and head of theatre studies.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $7 each for SMU faculty, staff and students. For more information, contact the Meadows Ticket Office, 8-2787 (8-ARTS).

Energy development on Native American lands is the focus of the 2007-08 Annual Public Symposium presented by SMU's Clements Center for Southwest Studies. The event is cosponsored by the School for Advanced Research on the Human Experience, Santa Fe, and takes place 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. April 12 in McCord Auditorium, Dallas Hall.

Native American lands make up a large percentage of the Southwest's total acreage, and on them are found much of the nation's oil, coal, and uranium resources. In addition, regional weather patterns have enabled native people to take advantage of solar and wind power as effective sources of energy. Presentations will document histories of resource extraction and energy development as episodes of exploitation, paternalism, and dependency, as well as show how energy development has enabled many Indians to break from these patterns and empower themselves socially, economically and politically.

Secondary school teachers and community college professors may earn up to seven CEU hours of continuing education credit for attendance. Register online or contact the Center for Southwest Studies, 8-3684.

Judaica Lecture: Serge Frolov, Nate and Anne Levine Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies in SMU's Department of Religious Studies, speaks on "Pillar of Smoke: Religious Responses to the Holocaust" at 2 p.m. April 6 in Bridwell Library. For more information, call 8-3483.

Birthday song: The Meadows Wind Ensemble honors Professor Simon Sargon with a 70th-birthday concert featuring commissioned pieces written by Sargon for the Wind Ensemble - including the world premiere of a new overture. The concert takes place at 3 p.m. April 6 in Caruth Auditorium; tickets are $7 for SMU faculty, staff and students. For more information, contact the Meadows Ticket Office, 8-2787 (8-ARTS).

True colors: Master of Fine Arts candidates show their work in the 2008 M.F.A. Qualifying Exhibition, April 7-19 in Pollock Gallery, Hughes-Trigg Student Center.

Perkins Public Lecture: SMU's Perkins School of Theology presents "Xenophobia and Xenophilia: Toward a Theology of Migration," a public lecture by Luis Rivera-Pagan, Henry White Luce Emeritus Professor of Ecumenics at Princeton Theological Seminary and visiting professor in Perkins, at 7 p.m. April 7 in Perkins Chapel. For more information, contact David Maldonado.

Sellers' market: SMU's vendors will meet the campus community at the 2008 SMU Purchasing Vendor Fair 11 a.m.-2 p.m. April 8 in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom. Festivities include food, games and prizes. For more information, contact SMU Purchasing, 8-3239.

Hesburgh Lecture: John Gaffney, professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame, discusses "Lost in Translation? Bringing American Ideals to the Middle East" at 7 p.m. April 8 in Room 131, Dedman Life Sciences Building. Cosponsored by SMU's Department of Anthropology and Human Rights Education Program, with the Notre Dame Club of Dallas. For more information, contact Van Kemper.

Brand excitement: Veteran ad man and SMU alumnus Hal Curtis will be interviewed by Krys Boyd of KERA's "Think" program discussing "Brand Heroism: Advertising As a Force for Good" in the 2008 ExxonMobil Lecture Series. The April 10 lecture begins at 8 p.m. in Caruth Auditorium, with a coffee and chocolate reception at 9 p.m. in the Owen Arts Center lobby. Sponsored by SMU's Temerlin Advertising Institute and Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility. Admission is free; tickets are required. For more information, contact the Meadows Ticket Office, 8-2787 (8-ARTS).

SMU's Catholic Campus Ministry commemorates 75 years on the Hilltop with a special Mass to be celebrated by Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell at 7 p.m. April 3 in Perkins Chapel - and featuring music written especially for the occasion by an SMU student.

Junior composition major Timothy Roy (right) devoted more than a year to writing Missa SMU for 24 voices, two soloists, a string orchestra, brass, organ and timpani. The President's Scholar earned local fame as composer of the music for Neiman Marcus' 100th anniversary celebration last fall.

• Read more from Texas Catholic.
• Listen to Roy's compositions for Neiman Marcus.

Two national speakers will visit SMU April 2 and 3:

• Jessica Valenti, founder of Feministing.com, will present a vision of feminism that debunks myths and focuses on its larger relationship to human rights in "Full Frontal Feminism" at 7 p.m. April 2 in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom West. The lecture is sponsored by SMU's Women's Interest Network. For more information, contact Maria Walker, 8-4412.

• Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft will speak on his time in the Bush Administration, including the creation of the USA PATRIOT Act, in the 2008 Harold Simmons Lecture at 7 p.m. April 3 in the Hughes-Trigg Theater. Sponsored by Campus Conservatives and the SMU Program Council. For more information, contact Andrew Davis, 205-572-2166, or Katy Rose, 8-4400.

Faculty and staff members can get a closer look at a major new Meadows Museum exhibition at a wine-and-cheese reception celebrating "Fernando Gallego and His Workshop: The Altarpiece From Ciudad Rodrigo," on display through July 27, 2008. Festivities take place 4:30-6:30 p.m. April 1 in the Museum's Gene and Jerry Jones Great Hall.

For the first time in the United States, researchers have undertaken an extensive study of a 15th-century Spanish cathedral altarpiece - and in the process unlocked 500 years of secrets. Their findings, along with the entire group of paintings that comprise the altarpiece, are now on view at the Museum.

Also appearing is "Apocalypse: Images from the Book of Revelation," an exhibition featuring biblical images from SMU's Bridwell Library Special Collections. "Apocalypse" runs through June 22. Read more.

(Right, an excerpt from the altarpiece's St. John the Evangelist panel, as painted and as revealed by infrared reflectography.)

Screen legend Mickey Rooney will visit the Hilltop March 29 for a 70th-anniversary screening of "Boys Town" at 3:15 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Theater. Tickets are $8.50 each and available online at the AFI Dallas website (scroll down to "Boys Town" in the B section of the Film Guide).

In this MGM classic, Rooney plays a tough delinquent named Whitey Marsh who finds a mentor in Father Edward Flanagan, the founder of the Nebraska "town" run for and by troubled teens. "Boys Town" received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture of 1938, and the late Spencer Tracy won his second consecutive Oscar for his performance as Flanagan. More information is available at the movie's official website.

The screening is part of the American Film Institute Dallas International Film Festival, which runs through April 6. Rooney received an AFI Dallas Star Award for his career achievements at the event's opening celebration Thursday. Other 2008 recipients included actresses Helen Hunt and Charlize Theron, film executive Todd Wagner and animation director Chris Wedge. Actor Jack Lemmon received the award posthumously.

Also attending the screening will be Father Steve Boes, the current national executive director of Boys Town. The organization, which celebrated its 90th anniversary in December 2007, serves at-risk boys and girls in 14 locations nationwide. The home campus near Omaha remains one of Nebraska's top tourist attractions. (Right, Tracy and Rooney in a scene from the film.)

Three leaders in science, medicine and technology will discuss how the United States can stay a leader in these disciplines. Ralph J. Cicerone, Harvey V. Fineberg and Charles M. Vest will speak on "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Saving U.S. Science and Technology Leadership" April 1 in SMU's 2007-08 Tate Distinguished Lecture Series.

Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences and chair of the National Research Council. He has received a number of awards for his research in atmospheric chemistry and climate change. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. He has devoted most of his academic career to the fields of health policy and medical decision making. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. He chaired the President's Advisory Committee on the Redesign of the Space Station and serves on the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Cicerone, Fineberg and Vest will answer questions from SMU community members and local high school students in the Turner Construction Student Forum at 4:30 p.m. April 1 in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Ballroom. Learn more at smu.edu/tate.

The Meadows Dance Ensemble at SMU's Meadows School of the Arts will perform works by Martha Graham and Twyla Tharp in its 2008 Spring Dance Concert, April 2-6 in the Bob Hope Theatre, Owen Arts Center.

The featured dances will be Lamentation (left), a solo masterwork by Graham, and Octet, Tharp's critically acclaimed 1991 piece for four men and four women. Lamentation, considered by many to be Graham's most famous solo work, was first performed in New York by Graham herself in 1930. The eight Octet dancers were trained by guest artist Shawn Stevens, a former Twyla Tharp company member who premiered the work in New York. Read more.

SMU's School of Engineering will induct three outstanding alumni into its Hall of Leaders during a celebration beginning at 6:30 p.m. March 28 in the Hamon Atrium, Dallas Museum of Art.

The 2008 honorees are Aart de Geus ('85), chairman, CEO and co-founder of Silicon Valley electronic design automation company Synopsys; Karen Livesay Shuford ('70), Dallas civic leader, volunteer and charitable trust consultant for the Bank of America Private Client Group; and Richard Ru-Gin Chang ('85), founder, president, CEO and executive director of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation in Shanghai.

For more information, contact Alan Bordelon, 8-4136.

As part of a week of events highlighting HIV/AIDS awareness, sections of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt - the 54-ton handmade tapestry that memorializes more than 90,000 individuals lost to AIDS - will be on display March 31-April 4, 2008 in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Commons. Visitors may view the quilt from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt began in 1987 with a single 3 x 6-foot panel created in San Francisco. Today, it is composed of more than 47,000 panels, each one commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS.

"The Quilt is something everyone should experience at least once in their life. It is both beautiful and heartbreaking," says Ali Martin Scoufield, chair of SMU's Diversity Action Team.

HIV/AIDS Awareness Week is sponsored by SMU's Women's Center, SPECTRUM, MAPS, Affirming Religious Communities, Diversity Action Team and Peer Educators, with AIDS Arms Inc. and the Dallas Resource Center. For more information about HIV/AIDS Awareness Week, contact Maria Walker or Jakin Vela. For information about display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, contact Ali Martin Scoufield, 8-2245. (Right, an AIDS Memorial Quilt block that includes a section from Texas Children's Hospital.)