December 2020

Office of Enrollment Management: 2020-2021 Academic Year Plan

By Rev. Margot Perez-Greene, Ph.D. Associate Dean of Enrollment Management The Rev. Dr. Margot Perez-Greene, Ph.D. Associate Dean of Enrollment Management214-768-3332margot@smu.edu Every year, the Office of Enrollment Management staff reviews and modifies its Enrollment Management Plan (EMP) based on these data: number of applications, yield, geo market analysis, rate of inquiries, incoming class statistics, new academic programs and initiatives, and cultural contexts dictating a change in courses of action (such as the pandemic). The time and energy [...]

2020-12-01T15:34:24+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Office of Development: The End of a Turbulent Year

I have never been more conscious than I am now that none of us knows what will happen in the future.  Last year at this time, I certainly did not expect 2020 to turn out as it has.  After noting that a common destiny of death awaits us all, the erudite Sage wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 9: “Go, eat your food with gladness, drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you [...]

2020-12-01T15:36:48+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Virtual Advent Service: “For the Time Being…”

Tune into smu.edu/live on Thursday, December 3 at 6 p.m. to join the annual Perkins Advent Worship service, which will be held virtually this year. View and download the service bulletin here. Students and faculty in the Master of Sacred Music (MSM) program have worked hard to make the annual service as meaningful as possible and take advantage of the possibilities that the online format offers, with contributions from alumni. “We’ve taken what is good about online worship and [...]

2020-12-01T21:00:37+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Distinguished Alumni/ae Award

Perkins announced the selection of the Rev. Donald W. Underwood and the Rev. Dr. Sidney G. Hall, III as recipients of the 2020 Perkins Distinguished Alumnus/a Award. The Award recognizes Perkins graduates who have demonstrated effectiveness and integrity in service to the church, continuing support for the goals of Perkins and Southern Methodist University, outstanding service to the community, and exemplary character. Read the press release here.

2020-12-01T16:02:23+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Meet the Nones

Many students come to Perkins to prepare to minister to the faithful. But for an hour in November, Perkins graduate Rachel Roberts (Th.M. ’15) invited them to consider those who espouse no particular faith, in a November 10 Community Hour at Perkins (CHAP) program on “Everything Nones Wish You Knew About Them.” “Some 90 million Americans identify as ‘Nones,’ and they are redefining what it means to live meaningfully without religion,” she said. “They don’t practice a religion, but [...]

2020-12-01T16:16:25+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Doctor of Ministry in Houston

Beginning June 2021, Perkins School of Theology will add a Doctor of Ministry (D. Min.) program in Houston, in addition to the existing D. Min. program in Dallas. The doctoral level program integrates scholarly research with the practice of ministry. Courses will be taught at Houston Methodist Hospital. “This is a great opportunity for people who live in Houston and neighboring areas,” said Dr. James K. Lee, Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. “Because most D. Min. students [...]

2020-12-01T15:38:45+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Perkins School of Youth Ministry

“Uncommon Wisdom for Uncommon Times” is the prescient theme for the 2021 Perkins School of Youth Ministry (PSYM) which takes place virtually January 11-14, 2021.  For a preview, read here or see the original press release below.   Registration is open through Dec. 4 for the 2021 Perkins School of Youth Ministry (PSYM), January 11-14, 2021, a four-day educational gathering for youth ministers. In past years, the event was held on the campus of SMU and at Highland Park [...]

2020-12-01T16:18:32+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Must Reads

Looking for some inspiring and informative reading for the holiday season? Check out the Center for Preaching Excellence’s new video series, “Must Reads,” featuring interviews of authors of books of interest to preachers. “The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence is committed to helping pastors as they strive continually to be effective and faithful proclaimers of God’s good news,” said Dr. O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics. “We’re convinced that one element of that process entails [...]

2020-12-01T16:04:07+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Student Spotlight: Allison Shutt

When she graduates from Perkins in May with her Master of Sacred Music (MSM) degree, Allison Shutt hopes to find a job as a director of Music Ministry Outreach. Never mind that the job title hasn’t been invented yet. Shutt believes music can bring the community into churches, and help churches reach people in the community. She’s tried it herself, with some success. She grew up attending Davidson United Methodist in Davidson, N.C. Faith was important in her household, [...]

2020-12-01T22:35:37+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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Faculty Profile: Charles Curran

Charles “Charlie” Curran jokes that there’s “much more past than there is future” in the story of his career. Now in 80s, he’s been at SMU for 30 years. But he continues to teach and to write, with one book just published and another forthcoming. Curran’s career began as a Catholic priest teaching theology at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.  His dissenting position on church teachings eventually led to his ousting. “In 1968, when Pope Paul VI reiterated the [...]

2020-12-01T15:51:10+00:00 December 1, 2020|
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