Month: June 2025

Categories
Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Student Academic Engagement & Success

Leading by Example: ADSA’s Dr. Teiana Jones Selected for Inaugural Women Leaders in Sport Accelerator Summit

In the world of collegiate athletics, the pursuit of excellence extends beyond the field and the classroom it includes the professional staff dedicated to supporting students. Embodying this commitment, Dr. Teiana Jones, Senior Director and leader of the Academic Development for Student-Athletes (ADSA), a unit reporting under the Office of the Provost, was recently selected to participate in the prestigious, inaugural Women Leaders in Sport Accelerator Summit.

Dr. Jones brings a rare and powerful perspective to her role, built upon more than 15 years of professional experience operating uniquely within both Intercollegiate Athletic Administration and Academic Affairs Administration. Her career has been dedicated to bridging these two critical sectors, making her a distinctive leader in the landscape of higher education and athletics. This dual expertise was a key factor in her selection for the Accelerator Summit, an elevated leadership experience designed for senior-level administrators poised to take the next step in their executive careers.

Supported by industry giants such as the Dallas Cowboys, Learfield, and the NCAA, the intensive program selects participants based on their proven leadership and managerial experience. Dr. Jones was selected as a member of the inaugural cohort for this national program, an honor reserved for the most promising executive talent in the sports industry.

“It was a tremendous honor to be selected for the inaugural cohort of the Accelerator Summit and to represent our university among such accomplished peers,” said Dr. Jones. “To be in a room with women leaders from every sector of the sports industry was incredibly powerful. My goal is always to bring the very best strategies back to our team and the student-athletes we serve. This experience provided new tools and perspectives on executive leadership that will directly enhance our mission of fostering student-athlete academic success and holistic development.”

Following her successful participation, Dr. Jones was invited to join the exclusive Women Leaders in Sport Executive Level Circle, ensuring she will remain at the forefront of industry trends. The national recognition continued as Dr. Jones was also recently informed that she is a recipient of the prestigious Women Leaders Brenda Weare Scholarship.

This highly competitive scholarship is awarded to leaders who demonstrate exceptional promise and will support their attendance at the 2025 Women Leaders in Sports National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Through these back-to-back honors, Dr. Jones is committed to leveraging these elite programs and opportunities to continue enhancing her leadership skills, bringing cutting-edge strategies back to benefit the ADSA department and the student-athletes it serves.

 

 

Categories
Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Success & Retention University Testing Center

Undergraduate Education and Academic Success publishes 2024-2025 Annual Report: On the Move!

Undergraduate Education and Academic Success is an area within the Office of the Provost’s Division of Student Academic Engagement and Success, which oversees a wide range of academic support and engagement offices, including:

The annual report showcases how UEAS is “On the Move!” with bold, integrated, and optimistic progress. A copy of the annual report is now available for download. Take a look at how our movement is impacting SMU.

Questions, comments, and feedback can be directed to Dr. Dustin Grabsch (dgrabsch@smu.edu).

Categories
Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Student Academic Engagement & Success

May Mustang Champions

As we conclude the 2024-2025 academic year, ADSA would like to highlight four SMU student-athletes who are excelling academically, athletically, and in the community.  

Kirin Chacchia (Track & Field) 

What a semester it’s been for Kirin, a sophomore from Frisco, Texas, majoring in Psychology. She had a strong Spring semester academically and athletically.  This semester, she broke the SMU School record in the 400M hurdles, not once, but twice. For the second year in a row, she qualified for the NCAA first round in the 400M hurdles!  She is also heavily involved in Life After Ball (LAB) programming. She truly embodies what it means to be a well-rounded student-athlete, excelling in every aspect of her collegiate journey. 

Ava Anderson (Women’s Swimming & Diving) 

Ava Anderson, a junior on the SMU Women’s Swim and Dive team, is making waves in her academic and professional journey. In May alone, Ava dedicated over 18 hours to volunteering at Stewpot and Hope Farm, demonstrating her commitment to serving the Dallas community. This summer, she is gaining invaluable experience in her field of Applied Physiology and Health Management through multiple internships. One at Palm Pediatrics, where she’ll shadow and learn about physical therapy firsthand, and the other at Santiso PT. Ava is also a part of the Turner Scholars Program.

Mitchell Holmes (Men’s Basketball) 

Mitchell is a rising sophomore on the Men’s Basketball Team from Fort Worth, Texas. Alana Owens, Senior Academic Counselor, noted, “he is not only a hard worker who consistently gets assignments done ahead of schedule, but also a fantastic teammate. Mitchell excels at both encouraging others and fostering accountability among his peers, both on and off the court.” His dedication to his Applied Sports Management studies and his team make him a valuable asset to the university community.  The ADSA is expecting big things from Mitchell in the future! 

Ben Longeway (Men’s Swimming & Diving) 

Meet Ben Longeway, a rising Sophomore on the SMU Men’s Swimming and Diving team. In the Spring, he accumulated more volunteer hours than any other male student-athlete based on athletic department tracking. He primarily volunteered at Feed My Starving Children in Dallas. He participated in additional service hours with his team. His commitment to giving back to others in the Dallas community is commendable. His Senior Academic Counselor in the ADSA, Katie Evans, states, “Ben demonstrates the qualities of a servant leader; he dedicates his spare time to help others and improve his community.”  Ben’s career aspiration is to become a physical therapist (PT) after his time on the Hilltop. 

These four student-athletes wrapped up their Spring 2025 semester on a high note.

Categories
Office of General Education SMU in Four Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Success & Retention University Advising Center

Forging Ahead: Summer Forge Launches Third Year of Student Success

  

Summer Forge has officially launched its third summer of support with a cohort of 30 undergraduate students. Designed to accelerate students’ paths to on-time graduation, Summer Forge offers financial, academic, and social resources to help participants thrive.   

This summer, invited students received funding for up to 11 semester credit hours across May, Summer I, and/or Summer II terms. To enhance accessibility, room and board were provided for non-local students. Collectively, the Summer 2025 cohort is attempting over 180 credit hours, with most students enrolling in an average of 6 hours that fulfill major, minor, or Common Curriculum requirements.   

Summer Forge is a collaboration between the Office of Student Success and Retention, SMU in Four, Student Financial Services, Student Advising, and Academic Skill Development that reflects the university’s commitment to improving retention and graduation rates. Program Co-Directors Brittaney Wilson, General Education and Academic Appeals Coordinator, and Lisa Miller, Director of the Office of Student Success and Retention, identified eligible students based on key academic criteria and their intent to enroll at SMU in Fall 2025.  

To foster community among participants, Summer Forge hosted a June Social at Another Round, where students connected over mini golf, pickleball, and more.  

Special thanks to Becca Umobong from Academic Skill Development for leading a powerful Academic Skills Workshop to help students build a foundation for summer academic success. In addition to the workshop, students are receiving one-on-one academic counseling sessions provided by Sarah Cartwright, Gracy Herrera, Chris Meyers, Makenzie Moriarty, and Rebecca Umobong. Students are also encouraged to visit the  Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center (A-LEC) for tutoring across a wide range of course topics.  

A heartfelt thank you goes to the advisors who recommended students and supported outreach efforts—your partnership is invaluable to this program’s success. 

For questions or more information, please email summerforge@smu.edu 

  

Categories
Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies Student Academic Engagement & Success University Advising Center University Testing Center

Summer Hours at the University Testing Center

The academic year may be over, but we’re still here, weekdays from 8:00 to 4:00!

Student-athletes and students with DASS-approved accommodations can schedule tests for summer courses in the UTC Portal.  Or, if you’re interested in CLEP testing for select academic courses,  we can help with that, too.  Visit our website for more information or contact us at universitytestingcenter@smu.edu and we’ll be happy to assist.

 

Categories
Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research

OEL Staff presenting about FYRE at ConnectUR

Social media post showing ConnectUR logo and headshots of Jennifer Ebinger and Adam Neal

Dr. Jennifer Ebinger (Executive Director) and Dr. Adam Scott Neal (Program Manager) from the Office of Engaged Learning will be speaking at the ConnectUR conference in Grand Rapids, MI on June 16-18.

ConnectUR, hosted by the national Council for Undergraduate Research, “provides a platform for attendees to engage in professional development, explore innovative practices, and collaborate with peers dedicated to advancing impactful research programs.”

Drs. Ebinger and Neal’s presentation, “Engaging Excellence Early: A First Year Research Experience for High-Achieving Students” explains the rationales and results of the First Year Research Experience (FYRE) program, launched in 2024-25.

Students in FYRE receive paid research assistant positions with a faculty mentor, and take a 1-credit class about the environment, process, and communication of research. The program aims to retain high-achieving students by engaging them in research early.

Categories
Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Student Academic Engagement & Success

ADSA Faculty Feedback Request Updates – Summer 2025 

Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) sincerely appreciates your ongoing partnership in supporting our Faculty Feedback Request process. Your feedback plays a vital role in helping student-athletes stay on track academically. We are grateful for your continued cooperation!

Summer 2025 Faculty Feedback Request Timeline 

Below is a timeline of  the Faculty Feedback Requests for student-athletes enrolled in summer courses: 

  • June 16: Feedback Request 1 opens 
  • June 20: Feedback Request 1 closes 
  • July 21: Feedback Request 2 opens 
  • August 1: Feedback Request 2 closes 

New! Single Sign-On (SSO) Enabled for Teamworks 

Teamworks now supports Single Sign-On (SSO), making it easier for faculty to access and complete grade checks. Please follow the steps below to complete your submission: 

How to Complete a Grade Check Using SSO 

  1. Open the Grade Check Email
    – Click “Complete Survey” or copy the provided link into your browser. 
  2. Sign in with Your SMU Account
    – Select “Sign in with Teamworks”
    – Then click “Sign in with organizational account”
    – Enter your institution’s subdomain: smu 
  3. Authenticate with SMU Credentials
    – Enter your SMU email and password
    – Complete any two-factor authentication if prompted 
  4. Complete the Grade Check
    – You will be redirected to your assigned grade check form
    – Provide grades or relevant academic feedback for each student
    – Review and click Submit Progress Report 

Teamworks Help Guide – How to Access and Complete a Grade Check 

Your input has a direct and meaningful impact on our student-athletes’ academic success. Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Through this collaborative process, ADSA is committed to helping every student-athlete finish the semester strong. 

Faculty with current student-athletes enrolled in their courses will receive these feedback requests directly from ADSA@smu.edu. A sample of the email can be found below. 

Faculty Feedback

 

ADSA is grateful for the support and collaboration with OIT during this transition!

Categories
Office of General Education

The Office of General Education issues Warnings, Probation, and Suspension Notifications for the Fall 2025 Semester

 

The Office of General Education (OGE) has completed their Fall 2025 review and notification process for students who have not met University-wide requirements, as outlined in the undergraduate catalog.  

This semester OGE sent out 5 suspension notifications, 38 probation notifications and 42 alerts to student who had not satisfied their University-Wide Common Curriculum Foundations requirements within the specified units based on their catalog earned as SMU credit. Of the students initially flagged for suspension, 4 students successfully appealed their suspension and received extended probation. One student was able to petition prior credit to fulfill Quantitative Reasoning. Notifications were sent to students, academic advisors, and Records Offices via DocuSign. These documents have also been imaged to the student’s record. 

General Education Alerts
Students who received a General Education Alert have not yet met the credit-hour threshold for probation but are at risk of probation. These students are strongly encouraged to complete their outstanding Foundations requirement(s) in the next semester to avoid placement on General Education Probation. 

Academic Probation Criteria
In accordance with SMU’s General Education policy, students are required to complete their Academic Writing (WRTR 1312 or equivalent), Critical Reasoning (WRTR 1313 or equivalent), and/or Quantitative Reasoning requirement before obtaining: 

  • 60 credit hours at SMU for students entering SMU directly from high school or with fewer than 24 transfer credit hours. 
  • 30 credit hours at SMU for transfer students or those entering with 24 or more transfer credit hours. 

Suspension Criteria
Students who received a probation notification and do not satisfy the missing Foundation requirement(s) by December 2025 will be subject to General Education Suspension.  

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor or degree counselor to develop a plan for timely completion. General Education Alerts were first issued during the Fall 2024 semester by the Office of General Education. This policy can be found online in the SMU catalog as far back as 2017-2018 academic year.  

If you have any questions regarding General Education Probation or the specific requirements, please contact Brittaney Wilson, brittaneyw@smu.edu  

Categories
Student Academic Engagement & Success University Advising Center

Welcoming Brandi Primm as Our New SAES Degree Counselor

We are excited to announce that Brandi Primm transitioned to the Division of Student Academic Engagement and Success (SAES) as our new Degree Counselor on June 2.

Brandi brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to student support. Most recently, Brandi has been serving as an Academic Advisor at SMU, and she brings more than two decades of experience as a counselor and educator in both K–12 and higher education settings. Her background includes extensive work with early college high school programs, student support services, and academic advising. Brandi holds a Master of Science in School Counseling from Texas A&M Commerce and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Stephen F. Austin State University.

In her new role, Brandi will serve as a key academic resource for both pre-major students and declared majors in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development. She will be responsible for maintaining student academic records, assisting with degree certification, evaluating transfer work, and supporting students and advisors through the completion of general education requirements and timely graduation. The SAES Degree Counselor plays a critical role in ensuring a smooth and successful academic journey for our students, and we are thrilled to welcome Brandi into this important position.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Brandi Primm to her new role!

Categories
Student Academic Engagement & Success

Office of General Education seeks faculty grader for Engage Dallas

Engage Dallas is seeking to hire one faculty grader to assume responsibility for managing weekly grading of the Engage Dallas Canvas Courses. Grading is estimated to take 2-3 hours weekly.

About Engage Dallas

Engage Dallas is a place-based community engagement initiative via SMU’s Residential Commons to address community needs focusing on South and West Dallas. The initiative is a long-term, university-wide commitment led by students to partner with local residents, organizations, and other leaders to positively impact the community. There is equal emphasis on campus and community impact stemming from the initiative.

Engage Dallas learning modules are facilitated via Canvas Learning Management System. All students are automatically enrolled in the Engage Dallas Canvas Course in order to complete the required modules for participating in service events. Students who intend to use Engage Dallas to earn the Community Engagement and/or the Civic and Individual Ethics Proficiency & Experience for the Common Curriculum will be enrolled in a 2nd Canvas Course to track their progress. Grading occurs in both courses.

The following strategic goals guide the work of the Engage Dallas initiative:

  1. Build capacity for social change in our local community
  2. Engage SMU students, staff, and faculty to serve, learn, and lead through the Residential Commons
  3. Advance the field of community engagement in higher education

Position Description

Engage Dallas grading centers the “4 Cs” learning outcomes originally developed by Mesa Community College. The four Cs include (1) communication, (2) civic engagement, (3) critical thinking, and (4) cultural and global engagement. Engage Dallas student reflections should address one of the four Cs.

  • Communication: Purposeful development, expression, or reception of a message through oral, written, or non-verbal means.
  • Civic Engagement: Encompasses actions to promote the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.
  • Critical Thinking: The mental process of effectively identifying, determining, gathering, evaluating, and utilizing resources to innovate and/or to accomplish a specific task.
  • Cultural and Global Engagement: Encompasses the awareness of cultural systems, events, and creations and an ability to apply this cultural and global awareness to human interaction and expression.

Modules that prompt student reflection include, but are not limited to:

  • Engage Dallas Groundworks pre-reflection
  • Engage Dallas post reflection
  • Systems of Oppression
  • Community Building & Community Impact
  • Active Listening & Active Citizenship

Note, some reflections are submitted in essay style, while others may be submitted in a creative format such as art reflections, interviews, or letters.

Major Position Responsibilities

  • Evaluate student learning by creating and applying course competencies and accurately evaluating student progress
  • Maintain accurate records of students’ academic standing; promptly input grades, attendance, and other information as required by administration
  • Respect the confidentiality of student information; refrain from discussing or releasing such information except within recognized limits
  • Evaluate students based solely on their academic performance and to respond promptly to student grade questions and/or appeals
  • Review and approve students CEPE requirements including but not limited to individual tracking forms and final reflection submissions
  • Suggest feedback periodically to co-initiative managers on opportunities to improve student learning
  • Highlight substantial student reflection to co-initiative managers
  • Send communication to students of final reflection submission dates for grading prior to end of the semester

Grading Schedule

  • 2-3 hours/weekly
  • A consistent day for grading should be selected—open to grader’s discretion

Position Requirements

  • Experience with student learning in the co-curricular (study abroad, internships, etc.)
  • Ability to grade online coursework 2-3 hours/week
  • Serve as the faculty grader from August 2025 – July 2026

Compensation Structure

Graders for Engage Dallas are paid a stipend of $3,500 divided into installments. The Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education and Academic Success will not request or require a time sheet to document actual hours worked, but instead will take the weekly gradebook export as an indication of the work agreement.

It is the responsibility of the grader to notify the Co-Initiative Manager and Assistant Provost if the job responsibilities cannot be completed.

To apply, please send a letter of interest and your CV to Dr. Dustin Grabsch (dgrabsch@smu.edu) by 5pm on Monday, June 30, 2025. Interviews and selection will be completed by July 31, 2025, with a start date of August 1.