Committed to those called to serve so that they might be empowered to lead
Degree Concentrations
In partnership with Cox School of Business and Meadows School of the Arts, two new concentrations — in Church/Nonprofit Management and Social Innovation and Nonprofit Engagement — are now offered to M.Div. and M.A.M. students. Perkins is also in conversation with Simmons School of Education about a joint degree offering.
Technology
A number of Perkins faculty members have now been trained to teach in the hybrid format, even as the Houston-Galveston Program and Course of Study School are shifting increasingly to this pedagogy. “The expectation is that the great majority of classes taught on the Dallas campus will continue to utilize more traditional forms of pedagogy,” said Dean Craig C. Hill, “but that they will be supplemented where helpful by the thoughtful use of technology.”
Undergraduate Partnerships
Memoranda of Understanding have been signed between Perkins and eight United Methodist-related colleges and universities in the South Central Jurisdiction during the 2017-18 academic year. These new agreements provide preferred consideration and early decision for admission to graduates who have completed all the prerequisites for admission to SMU and gives qualified students early consideration for scholarships and other financial aid at Perkins. The agreement, which also includes provisions for annual visits by Perkins admission staff to the partner colleges and universities and reciprocal visits by interested students to SMU, is expected to also include new collaborative academic and enrichment opportunities for faculty and students.
The colleges and universities include Centenary College, Shreveport, La.; Hendrix College, Conway, Ark.; Southwestern University, Georgetown, Tex.; Austin College, Sherman, Tex.; Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, Tex.; McMurry University, Abilene, Tex.; Wylie College, Marshall, Tex.; Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark.
In addition, Perkins is also actively reaching out to Wesley Foundations at various regional universities to build new partnerships.
Perkins Staff Council
With the goal of building community, offering care and support for one another, and enhanced communication across the school, the Perkins Staff Council was formed during the 2016-17 academic year. The council, composed of staff nominated and elected by their peers, coordinates regular all-staff gatherings, organizes outreach to staff in times of personal or family need and works closely with the Perkins representative to the SMU Staff Advocacy Council.