Dear SMU Faculty, Staff and Students,
Congratulations to the 2,634 graduating students who will receive their SMU degrees on Saturday, May 16. Here we go Mustangs is just one small way we honor our graduating students’ accomplishments. Also, keep your eyes on the Dallas skyline this Saturday night when Reunion Tower will light up with a special message in support of our graduates. We plan to recognize their achievements more fully at Commencement on August 15. Until then, please know the Class of 2020 will always be known for its strength and perseverance, despite the anxiety and hardships of these trying times. I am also grateful to the faculty and staff who have, with determination, met the challenge to mentor and guide the Class of 2020 to the completion of the spring term.
Here are creative ways students and faculty have showcased their talents, expressed their thoughts and shared their expertise as we wrap up this most challenging semester.
- Teaching classes online created a unique challenge for theatre and dance faculty. How do you teach movement on Zoom? They met the challenge with coaching, creativity and compassion.
- In his Austin American-Statesman op-ed, Cox operations management faculty member Visha Ahuja finds that COVID-19 is forcing health care providers and patients to adopt telemedicine, which he thinks will help us weather the next crisis.
- As the daughter of a physician, SMU law student Haley Taylor Schlitz asks others to put the health and safety of their communities first in Teen Vogue.
- In a CBS News report, Simmons epidemiologist Eric Bing warns of the fine line between reopening businesses and the health and safety of the community.
- Perkins faculty member Ruben Habito offers thoughts on living with dignity and grace amidst COVID-19 in this video featured in a D Magazine story.
- From volunteering via Zoom, to loneliness, to classes, SMU students share their thoughts about navigating the coronavirus pandemic in Coronavirus Chronicles, a partnership with The Daily Campus.
I miss the proud families and smiling seniors we usually see on our beautiful campus at this time, but we haven’t forgotten the Class of 2020 and you can find here a few videos and photos of their first days on our campus. I look forward to the day soon when the entire SMU community will celebrate their success. Please continue to send your stories to news@smu.edu. You may find more SMU stories at smu.edu/MustangsKeepGoing.
Sincerely,
R. Gerald Turner
SMU President