Pamela D. Anthony, SMU vice president for student affairs, died Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, surrounded by family members, friends and colleagues in Dallas after a battle with cancer.

Arrangements for funeral and campus memorial services are pending with the family.

“Dr. Anthony was a leader in the field of student affairs who devoted her career to students’ well-being and academic and personal growth,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “At SMU, she served as a mentor to many while focusing on students’ campus life and educational experiences, including in the areas of health and wellness, multicultural affairs and residential life. We grieve this profound loss of a friend and colleague, and we offer our condolences and prayers to Dr. Anthony’s family and loved ones.”

Dr. Anthony became vice president for student affairs at SMU on February 1, 2016. She oversaw areas including the Office of the Dean of Student Life; Residence Life; women’s, LGBT, multicultural, volunteer and leadership programs; student activities; student conduct; campus ministries; health and wellness programs; career services; the Hughes-Trigg Student Center and the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. In fall 2016 she led the dedication and opening of the Dr. Bob Smith Health Center.

In a May interview, Dr. Anthony said, “When I think about this work, I feel very called to work with students, to develop students and to make sure that they’re having a good experience in college.”

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When Donald Trump is sworn in as 45th President of the United States on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C., 21 SMU students will be in the crowd to witness the first chapter of what comes next as part of an SMU course on presidential inaugural addresses.

“You think about some of the great speeches in American history, and so many of them come from presidents on that inaugural stage,” said William Hagens, a junior political communications and political science double major who aspires to one day work as a political campaign manager.

“This is in line with a lot of the other opportunities I’ve had through the communications program here at SMU,” Hagens added. “I wasn’t surprised this opportunity existed. I’m looking forward to seeing something historic.”

Every four years, SMU faculty organize a class around the inauguration of the president. This year’s course is being organized and taught by Christopher Salinas, director of public discourse in the Division of Communication Studies.

“This is one of those unique experiences you want from college,” Salinas said. “Years from now, students won’t remember everything that happened in the classroom, but they will remember this. For the rest of their lives, they will remember they were at a presidential inaugural address.”

Students were encouraged to contact their congressional representatives to request the highly sought-after tickets they share with constituents. They students will also be able to watch a live-stream of the event from the public area in the National Mall, further from the stage.

In addition to attending the inaugural address, students will also attend an SMU alumni event and the Texas Society’s inaugural ball on the 19^th, where they’ll get a taste of Washington, D.C.’s famous ballroom society.

Participants signed up for the course in early fall, well before the election’s outcome was decided. That means that not every student participating in the course supported the winning candidate, but none of them turned down the opportunity to attend the historic event.

“I was not a Trump supporter, but this is an event that’s too big and too special to pass up,” said Spencer Gutierrez, a philosophy and political communications double major with law school aspirations.

“Trump’s presidency … we don’t know what will happen, so everyone wants to say, ‘I was there when it all started,’” Gutierrez added. “Not many people get to see an inauguration in their lifetime.”

David O. Brown

Retired Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown will present the address at SMU’s December Commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, in Moody Coliseum. A Dallas native and a 33-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, he gained national attention for his handling of a gunman’s July ambush of five police officers who died working to protect participants in a downtown Dallas protest march.

• Watch Chief Brown’s Commencement address and read more about December Commencement.

Brown, who retired Oct. 4, was sworn in as Dallas’ 28th police chief in May 2010, commanding a department with more than 4,000 employees and an annual operating budget of $426 million dollars.

Building and maintaining strong, transparent relationships with the community was Brown’s focus since becoming chief. During his tenure, Brown transitioned the department to a community policing-focused organization and implemented policies and training to ensure citizen and officer safety. He also expanded several community outreach programs and youth centered programs.

Brown implemented policies and training to ensure citizen and officer safety during interactions, and emphasized the importance of de-escalation training for his officers. Under Brown’s leadership, the Dallas Police Department reduced the use of deadly force by more than 40 percent and reduced excessive force complaints by more than 80 percent.

Read more from SMU News.

SMU will brighten the holiday season at its annual lighting ceremony, Celebration of Lights, at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28, on the Main Quad. The ceremony will feature student musicians performing songs of the season, SMU President R. Gerald Turner reading the Christmas story from the New Testament and the lighting of the SMU Christmas tree. The celebration ends with participants bathed in the light of the candles they hold as they sing “Silent Night.” The public is invited to attend and enjoy hot cider and cookies before the ceremony begins.

The annual event is sponsored by SMU’s Student Foundation and supported by the Michael F. Miller Endowment for the Celebration of Lights.

Rahfin Faruk

SMU graduate Rahfin Faruk has received a prestigious Marshall Scholarship. The highly selective scholarship is awarded each year to up to 40 intellectually distinguished Americans to advance knowledge in the scholars’ chosen fields and to promote understanding of Britain.

Faruk earned Bachelor’s degrees from SMU in economics, political science, public policy and religious studies in 2015, graduating summa cum laude. A President’s Scholar, he was selected to serve as the voting student member of the SMU Board of Trustees. He led the University’s student newspaper, The Daily Campus, and the Tower Center Student Forum, where students examine politics and public policy. In 2014 he was one of only 59 U.S. college students awarded a Truman Scholarship, which recognizes “change agents” who are committed to public service.

As a Marshall Scholar, Faruk will pursue Master’s degrees in development finance at the University of Reading and in comparative social policy at the University of Oxford. He intends to focus on financial inclusion, ensuring that individuals, particularly the most vulnerable, and businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs in an ethical and sustainable way.

“I am incredibly humbled to receive this opportunity to study in the United Kingdom and thank the British people for this scholarship,” Faruk said. “My life’s goal is to create an economically and financially inclusive world, which I believe can beget socioeconomic progress in critical areas like education, health and housing. With the support of the Marshall Scholarship, I will explore how different technologies, models and approaches can transform painful paradoxes – like the poorer you are, the more you pay – for billions of people.”

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On Saturday, November 12, SMU community members will serve at nonprofit organizations across North Texas as part of Stampede of Service, a campus-wide community service day.

Stampede of Service is organized by SMU’s Community Engagement and Leadership Center (CEL), in partnership with SMU Fraternity and Sorority Life, and eight Dallas nonprofit organizations: Dallas Afterschool, Dallas-Area Habitat for Humanity, Dolphin Heights Community Garden, The Family Place, Heart House, LIFT, Mount Auburn Elementary and We Over Me Farm.

“Through Stampede of Service, students will gain experience through hands-on, educational service work,” says Rashad Givhan, assistant director of the Community Engagement and Leadership Center. “Volunteers also have the opportunity to make a positive, sustainable impact in Dallas by responding to community-identified needs through our partner nonprofit organizations.”

More than 150 students, staff and faculty members are expected to participate. Follow the hashtag #SMUserves on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/smudallas/ and on Twitter – https://twitter.com/smu/

– Camden Moore