Three full-time SAES faculty members received recognition at the Honoring Our Professor’s Excellence (HOPE) Banquet. Dr. Brian Fennig (Teaching Professor, University Foundations), Troy Forte (Teaching Assistant Professor, University Foundations), and Dr. Russell McConnell (Teaching Associate Professor, University Honors Program) received nominations for the prestigious HOPE Award. The HOPE Banquet, coordinated by the Office of Residence Life and Student Housing, allows for residential students to recognize faculty who go above and beyond in their role.
In addition to the HOPE nomination, Dr. Fennig received recognition as a Distinguished HOPE Professor – an honor reserved for faculty who have received student nominations for five years or more.
Congratulations to professors Fennig, Forte, and McConnell for this recognition of their teaching excellence. We thank you for your contributions to the student experience, to your departments, and to SAES.
The Big iDeas program empowers students to transform their entrepreneurial ideas into impactful ventures. We recently caught up with Ryland Adzich, a first-year student at SMU who jumped into her co-curricular journey early — not only as a Big iDeas participant but also as an Engaged Learning Fellow. Ryland shared the inspiration behind her philanthropic organization and gave us a glimpse into the meaningful work she is implementing across the DFW metroplex.
In Fall 2024, Ryland was the top winner of the Big iDeas Pitch Competition, earning $1,000 from the Big iDeas Program, along with an additional $1,000 Boost Award from the Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership for having the “Most Inspiring Idea” of the competition. In the upcoming academic year, Ryland will serve as the President of the Women’s Innovative Network – a new student organization and network that empowers women to innovate, connect, and support each other in their entrepreneurial and research endeavors.
Q: You’re wrapping up your first year at SMU! Tell us about what why you chose SMU in the first place.
Being invited as a Dedman Scholar, it was nice to feel wanted by a community and wanted by SMU as much as I wanted them. The research opportunities with faculty as an undergraduate student was another big one. I also love Dallas. I love the community of people and the students here. I really feel like people are trying to work together to uplift students to succeed on a national and international level.
Q: What is the organization you started and what inspired the social impact element of it?
The Creative Destination is a philanthropic organization that works to create literacy spaces in underserved communities and in laundromats. Think books, shelves, and posters — essentially a mini library. The reason why we chose laundromats was because those can be everyday spaces to children. Many times, children are spending significantly more time in those “everyday spaces” than in the classroom. So if we can encourage reading and parent-to-child communications, that will increase success in and outside of the classroom.
While I was in high school, I worked with a professor at the NYU Steinhardt School of Education in one of my tech labs in school. She had introduced this idea about literacy spaces in laundromats on the East Coast, but I wanted to adapt that so it would make sense for The Creative Destination and underserved communities in California. I was already thinking about my idea before the tech lab, but seeing this on a smaller scale on the East Coast gave me inspiration to go through with it.
Q:Tell us about your recent partnership with The Creative Destination and The Hockaday School in Dallas?
The Hockaday School already has an Institute for Social Impact. I was interested in mentoring younger students but also getting feedback for The Creative Destination. I get to work with girls who are already interested in giving back to their community. If I can enhance that and help them hold on to that through having them help me build these literacy spaces in laundromats across the city, then that’s important to me.
Ryland speaking and doing an activity at The Hockaday School in Fall 2024.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part about starting your own philanthropic organization from the ground up?
Getting to work with other data-driven people has been very exciting. Also, getting to see the benefits to people that are frequenting these laundromat spaces. Whether that be customers, or laundromat owners seeing their spaces be improved by encouraging reading, I just go back to how important building community to me. Laundromats can be a great place of building community. You know, you’re sitting there for maybe anhour and a half waiting for your clothes to dry and maybe talking to people. Hopefully just a little bit of time every day to read instead of being on a phone or a tablet can encourage kids to keep reading.
Q: What have you been able to do with the award money you received from The Big iDeas Program?
That funding has been helpful because we have been able to fund 5 new literacy spaces in laundromats across the country. Four will be in Dallas and one will be in California. Some of the girls that I’m mentoring at The Hockaday School are helping me with the Dallas spaces. I’m hopeful for next year as I continue to establish myself more in Dallas to grow my laundromat network.
In the next three months, I hope to give The Creative Destination a fresh new look. I want to use some of the funding to do logo and media updates to prepare for the upcoming year. I highly recommend bringing your ideas to the Big iDeas Pitch Competition.
What advice would you give to a first year student, specifically a student in Dedman, who is wanting to build their business when they come to SMU?
I would say don’t box yourself into one set way to think about a business. Business principles can be applied to organizations, programs, and initiatives that are outside of a traditional business framework. Operating The Creative Destination as a business is something that I want to continue to work on. Also, I would encourage students to just have fun on campus. Time really does fly, so take stock and enjoy all of the resources on campus. It’s all at our fingertips and we can make so many different connections.
Interested in bringing your ideas to life? Learn more about Big iDeas and other opportunities through The Office of Engaged Learning by visiting our website.
"Championship Series Qualifier 2025" - Reads the most recently earned, green trophy in the center.
SMU’s undergraduate Mock Trial Team recently returned from their regional tournament at the University of Oklahoma, where — for the first time in program history — they qualified two teams for the National Qualifying Tournament. Next, they will compete in Memphis with the hope of sending SMU’s first-ever team to the National Championship!
This year, SMU’s Office of Engaged Learning and the Human Trafficking Data Research Project partnered with Engage Together, an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to preventing and ending human trafficking. The collaboration centers on a large-scale community mapping project designed to identify and visualize all programs and services across the state that address human trafficking and support high-risk populations.
Ten SMU students were selected as Engage Together Fellows to support the organization’s efforts. The fellows worked with community organizations to encourage their participation in the project, and helped gather data using the Community Assessment Survey.
This paid internship allowed students to take on a meaningful role in addressing a critical social issue while gaining valuable experience in community-based research. Economics major Ritney Coleman ’25, who served as SMU’s Lead Research Fellow, shared:
“I saw how powerful collaboration can be in creating real impact—and it was rewarding to play a role in gathering the data that helps make that possible.”
SMU’s partnership with Engage Together is built on shared values of research, education, and community impact. Ashleigh S. Chapman, JD, Founder and CEO of Engage Together, highlighted the importance of university partnerships in addressing complex social challenges like human trafficking:
“We launched Engage Together for DFW in 2024, and we were thrilled to welcome both SMU’s Office of Engaged Learning and the Human Trafficking Data Research Project as part of the Steering Committee. Together, we are providing students experiential learning opportunities, engaging faculty in deep-dive research projects, and supporting community and national stakeholders through convenings and strategy sessions. And we’re just getting started!”
With the data collected from SMU student fellows, Engage Together is preparing a comprehensive assessment of anti-trafficking efforts across 17 counties in North Texas with data from 867 organizations. The report highlights the region’s strengths, identifies service gaps and vulnerabilities, and outlines key opportunities for more coordinated, community action.
Looking ahead, SMU will continue its partnership as the initiative enters Phase 2, working with the community to strengthen their strategies to meet needs and fill gaps.
As Chapman notes, “Human trafficking is a complex issue that requires comprehensive solutions. To succeed, communities must collaborate across sectors to bring everyone’s strengths to bear. SMU is a shining example of how a university—its students, faculty, and centers—can change things on behalf of those in need. Thank you! And onward—together.”
On June 9 and 10, the SMU Human Trafficking Data Research (HTDR) Project, led by Dr. Beth Wheaton-Paramo, is hosting the 2025 SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference with the theme “Strategies for Effective Human Trafficking Data.” The conference brings together researchers, practitioners, law enforcement and governmental officials, nonprofit organizations, data scientists, and other stakeholders who value the quality, availability, and efficacy of human trafficking data. For more information and registration link, visit the conference website.
MaryLena Bleile, a former ALEC tutor, has written an article demonstrating why the famous probability puzzle, the Monty Hall problem, is not just a game, but has a practical application when it comes to selecting a medication for conditions like ADHD. She used the paradox of choosing doors in a popular game show with changing medications, giving the reasons why a doctor may want to alter a medication. We at the ALEC are proud of our former tutor!
The article provides a fascinating look at probability and statistics and medications. The article, Not just a game: The Monty Hall paradox and medicine, can be found in Significance, Volume 22, Issue 3, May 2025, Pages 24–25, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrssig/qmaf025.
The first week of April, the Office of Engaged Learning sponsored seven students to present their research at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Pittsburgh. The conference reported about 4,700 people in attendance, including 3,100 undergraduate students from around the country.
Malik Alshaya presented “Wavelength-Dependent Photopolymerization of Ethyl Lipoate: Optimizing Conversion Efficiency and Exploring Photoinitiator Effects.” Malik works with Dr. Nicolay Tsarevsky (Chemistry).
Feaven Fasil presented “Addressing Mental Health Barriers Among Ethiopian-American Youth in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.” Feaven is working with Dr. Elizabeth Berk (Anthropology).
Sahar Khan presented “Exploring the Protein Levels of Astorcytes, Pericytes, and Blood Brain Barrier in WT and C3 Knockout Mice Following Seizure-Induced Brain Injury.” Sahar is working in Dr. Amy Brewster’s lab (Biological Sciences).
Hasun Krisht presented “Identification of Ribosome-associated Quality Control (RQC) genes associated with human diseases via in-silico data analysis and biological validation.” Hasun is working with Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Yuanna Wu in Dr. Zhihou Wu’s lab (Biological Sciences).
Jerry Ma presented “Recommender Systems for University Curriculum Advising.” Jerry, a Mayer Fellow, is working with Dr. Peter Moore (Mathematics) and Dr. Robert Hahsler (Computer Science).
Swarangi Potdar (Engaged Learning Fellow) presented her artwork, “what remains: the cyclicality of the material and the immaterial,” which one First Prize in the visual art division. Swarangi’s faculty mentor is Ian Grieve (Art).
Anish Senthilkumar presented “Bridging Divides: The Impact of EU Immigration Policies on Economic Assimilation and Political Polarization.” Anish’s faculty mentor is Paola Buckley (World Languages and Literatures).
The following message was sent to all faculty and staff on April 22, 2025 regarding SMU’s transition to professional advising.
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Dear Faculty and Staff,
As part of our ongoing commitment to student success, SMU is transitioning to a professional academic advising model for all undergraduate students. This shift, recommended in SMU in Four, our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), was outlined in the Year-Three Progress Report (2023–2024) as a key strategy to enhance retention and timely degree completion.
The professional advising experience will be phased in based on a student’s major declaration date or term of matriculation to SMU:
Continuing undergraduate students who declared their major before June 1, 2025 will experience no changes in their academic advising through graduation.
Undergraduate students declaring a major after June 1, 2025, and all students admitted for Fall 2025 and beyond will transition to the new professional advising structure. Both pre- and declared majors will be advised by:
More school-specific details on this transition will be shared with school faculty and staff in late April. We will also launch a new landing page at smu.edu/advising to direct students, faculty, and staff to the correct professional advising unit. Remember, undergraduate students can look up their assigned advisor on their my.SMU Student Dashboard. We appreciate your partnership in ensuring a smooth implementation that benefits both students and the SMU community.
Thank you for your continued dedication to student success.
Best,
Dustin K. Grabsch, Ph.D.
Co-Director, SMU in Four
Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education & Academic Success
As we look ahead to FY26, we’d like to share a few upcoming staffing changes within the Division of Student Academic Engagement and Success. First, the search for our new SAES Coordinator is well underway. We’re grateful for the strong pool of applicants and the thoughtful participation of our search committee. We anticipate having someone in place by the second week of May and look forward to welcoming this new team member to the division soon.
We also want to share that Bailey Price, our SAES Business Manager, will be leaving the University this summer. Bailey takes great pride in the care, clarity, and strategic insight she’s been able to contribute to budget planning and process improvements across the Division. While she is excited for what’s ahead, she will miss being part of such a thoughtful and dedicated team. Her last day will be June 17.
Bailey’s departure comes as she completes her MBA from SMU’s Cox School of Business and prepares for an exciting new chapter in Buffalo, NY, where she will begin a new role that builds on the skills and experience she’s developed here. While we will certainly miss her, we are excited for what lies ahead and appreciative of the impact she’s made across SAES.
If you need training, documentation, budget analyses, or assistance with any current projects or financial processes, please reach out to Bailey as soon as possible to schedule time before her departure. She is eager to ensure a smooth handoff and help set everyone up for continued success.
In the coming days, we will launch a search for a new SAES Business Manager. The position is expected to post this week, and we hope to welcome someone into the role by early June. We look forward to identifying a strong candidate to carry this important work forward.
Any questions can be directed to SAESBusinessManager@smu.edu or to Lynne Siegel(lsiegel@smu.edu). Thank you!
We are excited to announce that Josh Beaty has been appointed as the new Director of the University Advising Center, effective April 4, 2025. In this role, Josh will oversee advising for both pre-major and declared students in select majors within Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Simmons School of Education and Human Development, and Meadows School of the Arts.
Josh brings over a decade of advising experience to this position. He began his career at SMU in 2014 as an academic advisor and was later promoted to Assistant Director.
While many of us know Josh as a dedicated and collaborative colleague, he also has a rather unique extracurricular portfolio. He owns the fourth-largest pog collection in the lower Midwest, once attempted to traverse the Texas Panhandle on a Segway (until the battery gave out), and was originally cast in the role of Sebastian in La La Land—until producers decided they wanted someone who could “sing,” “dance,” and “look more like Ryan Gosling.”
If you haven’t already, please join us in congratulating Josh on his new role. We look forward to working with him in this exciting new chapter.
The Office of Engaged Learning held its first Spring Big iDeas Pitch Competition on Friday, April 11, where 10 student teams pitched their new idea to a panel of judges in 90 seconds.
Congratulations to the four winners of the Spring 2025 Pitch Competition:
You might be wondering why the Office of Engaged Learning is hosting a Big iDeas Pitch Contest in the spring semester instead of the fall. We are excited to share what is changing and why!
As Big iDeas program continues to evolve, we’re expanding our collaboration across the SMU entrepreneurship ecosystem— including The SMU Impact Lab, The Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and others. These strategic partnerships are helping us refine our focus: supporting students at the earliest stages of ideation and positioning them to move forward with confidence. Our goal is to guide students in shaping bold new ideas and prepare them to pursue advanced funding and specialized coaching through these next-level programs.
We are also embracing a new model for our pitch competition cycle. Instead of offering only one opportunity per academic year to pitch an idea, students will now have the opportunity to pitch an idea once in the fall and once in the spring semester.
Additionally, we are moving the Big iDeas Business Plan Competition to SMU Family Weekend! This exciting new timing gives us a chance to showcase our most advanced student ventures to a wider audience — including families, alumni, and the full SMU community.
A special thanks to our judges for this competition: Jake Batsell, Justin Childress, Jennifer Ebinger, and Marissa Heyl and the SMU Impact Lab for sponsoring an additional $500 award to Focus Path for having a creative social impact edge on their idea.
To learn more about the Big iDeas Program, visit us at smu.edu/bigideas.
