Category Archives: to our readers

To say that SMU is in the business of education may seem to be stating the obvious. But today we are more deeply invested in education as an interdisciplinary area of study. We are strengthening programs that educate the educators, and bringing more research to bear on effective teaching methods. Our efforts will accelerate with a $20 million gift from Harold and Annette Simmons of Dallas to endow the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. Education programs have been a part of SMU’s curriculum since its early years, but now we will have resources to magnify our impact. This gift also supports SMU’s goal to increase endowments for academic purposes.
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Mark Hopkins, 19th-century educator and president of Williams College, reportedly said that for education to occur, all that is needed is a student and a teacher sitting at opposite ends of a log. Although that image does not befit today’s educational environment, it does capture the importance of the special relationship between learner and instructor. That is why recruiting and retaining a distinguished faculty is so important to SMU’s progress. Excellent faculty who create stimulating learning environments will best serve the aspirations of our students, and the reputation arising from this quality will help SMU advance among the top private universities in the nation. For these reasons, in preparing for our next major gifts campaign, we have identified faculty resources as a high priority.

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