Author: Brittaney Wilson

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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 

  

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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  

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Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success

Help Students Explore Pre-Approved Co-Curricular Opportunities to Fulfill Common Curriculum Proficiencies & Experiences

The Office of General Education is excited to share various co-curricular initiatives designed to help undergraduate students complete their Common Curriculum Proficiencies & Experiences outside the classroom. These programs provide unique opportunities for engagement, learning, and skill development. 

All students on the Common Curriculum must complete each of the graduation requirements, known as Proficiencies & Experiences, in addition to the General Education  Foundation and Breadth requirements. However, unlike Foundations and Breadth requirements, you have the option of using either coursework or activities to fulfill Proficiencies & Experiences. 

 Unconscious Bias Training for Human Diversity 

The Franklin Covey Unconscious Bias Training Course, based on The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias, is designed for seniors who have not yet completed their Human Diversity Proficiency & Experience requirement. This online program comprises five asynchronous learning modules, each requiring 3-4 hours of engagement. Interested students can complete the Unconscious Bias Interest Form. 

Engage Dallas for Community Engagement and/or Civic and Individual Ethics 

Engage Dallas is a place-based community engagement initiative, that enables students to serve communities in South and West Dallas. Engage Dallas is housed within SMU’s Residential Commons, but is open to all students. This initiative provides an accessible way for undergraduates to fulfill their Community Engagement Proficiency & Experience and Civics & Individual Ethics Proficiency and Experience requirements, both of which are necessary for graduation.  

Engage Dallas is a free program that welcomes new participants at any time. Students can choose to serve in small groups or independently, depending on their availability. To learn more and get started, visit smu.edu/engagedallas or access the Engage Dallas course via Canvas.  

Common Curriculum Reading for Civic and Individual Ethics 

Open to all undergraduates, this program targets juniors and seniors needing their Civics & Individual Ethics Proficiency. Participants will join eight reading discussions on Artificial Unintelligence by Meredith Broussard, exploring AI’s ethical and social limits. Spring Sign-ups have closed, but will open for Fall 2025 later this semester.  

Additional Opportunities 

Beyond the initiatives mentioned above, the Office of General Education collaborates with various campus offices to market pre-approved activities and organizations that fulfill specific Proficiencies & Experiences. Students can visit the Proficiencies & Experiences page to review graduation requirements, learn more about pre-approved activities, or schedule a meeting with Brittaney Wilson for personalized guidance. 

 

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Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success

The Office of General Education warns select students of unmet university-wide academic requirements

As we approach the end of the Fall 2024 semester, the Office of General Education will proactively warn undergraduate students and their academic advisors about unmet University-Wide Academic requirements, as outlined in the catalog.  

Students who receive the General Education Alert and fail to register for missing Foundations requirements during Spring 2025 registration will be placed on General Education Probation.  

Academic Probation Criteria  

Per SMU’s University-Wide academic requirements, a student will be placed on General Education Probation if they fail to meet the following foundational requirements:  

  • For students entering SMU directly from high school or with fewer than 24 hours of transfer credit:  
    • Students must complete both the Academic Writing (WRTR 1312 or equivalent) and Critical Reasoning (WRTR 1313 or equivalent) Foundation requirements, as well as the Quantitative Reasoning Foundation requirement of the Common Curriculum, by the time they have earned 60 credit hours at SMU.  
  • For transfer students or those entering SMU with 24 or more transfer credit hours:  
    • Students must complete the Academic Writing (WRTR 1312 or equivalent), Critical Reasoning (WRTR 1313 or equivalent), and Quantitative Reasoning requirements within their first 30 credit hours at SMU.  

 Brittaney Wilson, General Education & Academic Appeals Coordinator, began sending General Education Alerts to students on November 13 and will notify their assigned academic advisors on Monday, November 25.   

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

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Student Academic Engagement & Success

Undergraduate Pre-Approved Activities and Student Workshops

The Office of General Education would like to share pre-approved activities that students can use to fulfill their Common Curriculum Proficiency & Experience requirements outside the classroom and the Fall 2024 student workshops schedule.   

All students on the Common Curriculum must complete each of the graduation requirements, Proficiencies & Experiences, in addition to the General Education  Foundation and Breadth requirements. However, unlike Foundations and Breadth requirements, students can use either coursework or activities to fulfill these requirements.  

For more information about pre-approved activities and organizations visit the individual  Proficiency & Experience pages to review graduation requirements, come by the Office of General Education in LL Blanton Suite 338, or schedule a meeting with Brittaney Wilson.  

 

The Office of General Education is offering three Fall 2024 Student Workshops. The workshops will be tailored to the needs of attendees and will cover topics including academic petitions, advising, degree planners, and more! 

Identical workshops are offered: 

Visit SMU360 to RSVP 

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Academic Skill Development Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Academic Success Programs Student Success & Retention

Summer Forge successfully ends their second year

Summer Forge, an academic support program at SMU, provides invited undergraduate students with financial, academic, and social support to accelerate their path to on-time graduation. This year’s cohort included 29 students, who completed courses during May Term and Summer Term to fulfill a major, minor or Common Curriculum requirement. This year’s cohort attempted over 167 credit hours during the summer, with 97% of the coursework being completed successfully. 

Summer Forge participants completed check-ins throughout the summer with Jay Guillory, Student Success & Retention, and Brittaney Wilson, Office of General Education.  Additionally, students received academic coaching in partnership with the Academic Skill Development team. Of the 29 students in the Summer 2024 cohort: 76% of students reported using the ALEC for tutoring, and 17% reported receiving support from the Writing Center. 

Here is what some students had to say about their time in the Summer Forge: 

“The Summer Forge Program allowed me to catch up on my courses without the financial worry. The program provided support to help students succeed in the accelerated course of their choice. “– Grace B. 

 

“Summer Forge is beneficial, as it provides students with an Academic Advisor/Counselor, access to various resources, and free treats along the way as they catch up with students.” – Muskaan B. 

 

“I was able to catch up on credits I lost over the past few semesters, which helped me deal with the stress of not graduating on time.” -Iyanna C. 

Summer Forge is a collaboration between the Office of Student Success and Retention, Office of Academic Skill Development, SMU in Four, Office of Student Financial Services, and Student Academic Success Programs. 

For more information, visit www.smu.edu/summerforge. 

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Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success

Non-course opportunities for Common Curriculum Proficiency & Experience credit

The Office of General Education is excited to share some co-curricular initiatives and opportunities available to assist students in obtaining their Common Curriculum Proficiencies and Experiences outside the classroom.   

Common Curriculum Reading:  

The Common Curriculum Reading is open to all SMU undergraduate students but will target juniors and seniors who have not completed their Civics & Individual Ethics Proficiency and Experience requirement. Students who opt-in to the program will engage in eight reading group meetings and discussions with peers and program facilitators from areas across campus.  

The book selection for Fall 2024 is “Artificial Unintelligence” by Meredith Broussard. Broussard discusses the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern society and the public’s belief that AI can solve all the world’s problems. However, Broussard argues that there are social and ethical issues that AI can’t resolve. Students can sign up through Qualtrics, and staff/faculty can learn more about the program on the Common Curriculum Reading blog post. 

 Unconscious Bias Training Course:  

 The Franklin Covey Unconscious Bias Training Course is based on The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias. This initiative is focused on seniors who have not completed their Human Diversity Proficiency & Experience. The Unconscious Bias online course consists of five asynchronous learning modules. Each learning module requires 3-4 hours of work. However, participants will also have access to impact coaching to help them learn and apply the key concepts. For more information, please complete the Unconscious Bias Interest Form. 

 Engage Dallas:  

 Engage Dallas is a place-based community engagement initiative via SMU’s Residential Commons, open to all SMU students, to address community needs focusing on South and West Dallas. Engage Dallas is one of the easiest ways for undergraduate students to earn their  Community Engagement Proficiency & Experience as well as their Civics & Individual Ethics Proficiency and Experience, both required for graduation. Engage Dallas is a free program that accepts new members at any time. Students can serve the community in small groups or independently, based on their availability. Students can learn more and get started by visiting smu.edu/engagedallas or selecting the Engage Dallas course on their  Canvas dashboard. 

 In addition to the initiatives listed above, the Office of General Education partners with various offices across campus to market pre-approved activities and  organizations that can fulfill individual Proficiencies & Experiences. For more information about pre-approved activities and organizations visit the  Proficiencies & Experiences page to review individual graduation requirements or schedule a meeting with Brittaney Wilson. 

 

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Office of General Education SMU in Four Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Academic Success Programs Student Success & Retention

Summer Forge returns for Summer 2024 with a 29-student cohort 

Following the successful completion of the inaugural Summer 2023 cohort, Summer Forge is back with a cohort of 29 students. Summer Forge provides invited undergraduate students with financial, academic, and social support to accelerate their path to on-time graduation.    

Invited students receive up to 8 paid semester credit hours over May, Summer, and/or August terms. To make the program more accessible, housing costs were included for non-local students. The Summer 2024 cohort consists of 29 students attempting over 167 credit hours during the summer terms. The average participant takes 6 hours to fulfill major, minor, or Common Curriculum requirements.  

Summer Forge is a collaboration between the Office of Student Success and Retention, SMU in Four, Office of Financial Aid, and Student Academic Success Programs. It reflects the university’s commitment to improving retention and graduation rates. Program Co-Directors Brittaney Wilson, General Education and Academic Appeals Coordinator, and Jay Guillory, Success Counselor in the Office of Student Success and Retention, initially identified the students based on various criteria, in addition to their commitment to complete classes in the Fall 2024 semester at SMU. They would like to thank the many advisors who recommended students and assisted with student outreach for their support.   

To kick off a successful Summer Term, Becca Umobong and Chris Meyers from Academic Skill Development led a Learning Strategies Workshop focused on: Time Management Resources and Improving Academic Success. In addition to the workshop, all students have individual academic counseling sessions. Students are also encouraged to visit the A-LEC for tutoring services across course content areas.  

Please contact Brittaney Wilson or Jay Guillory with any questions about the program.  

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Office of General Education SMU in Four Student Academic Engagement & Success

Degree Planner updated to plan co-curricular options

The Office of General Education partnered with the Office of Information Technology and the Registrar’s Office to permit undergraduate student’s the ability to plan co-curricular obtainment of Common Curriculum (CC) Proficiencies and Experience in Degree Planner. 

The purpose of this change is to simplify and ultimately make planning easier for our students.  With the Degree Planner update, students can select an SMU course, a pre–approved activity, or inform us of their desire to petition an individual activity to fulfill a Proficiency or Experience.  

Watch this new video on how to plan a pre-approved or individual activity in Degree Planner:  

The following pre-approved clubs and organizations fulfill CC graduation requirements, also known as Proficiencies & Experiences (PREX), and have already been added as options in Degree Planner: 

Activity Name  CC Requirement 
Alternative Breaks  Community Engagement 
Engage Dallas  Community Engagement, Civics and Individual Ethics 
Vice President for Student Affairs Advisory Board  Civics and Individual Ethics 
Mustang PEP Talks  Civics and Individual Ethics, Oral Communication 
Peer Academic Leaders (PAL)  Community Engagement, Oral Communication 
Student Wellness Program  Community Engagement 
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)  Community Engagement 
Board Fellows Program  Community Engagement 
Spiritual Life Mentors  Community Engagement 
SMU Abroad Programs  Global Perspectives 

 

Search for these pre-approved activities under the PREX course attribute in Degree Planner. 

Following the Council on General Education‘s approval, look for more pre-approved clubs and organizations that will be added to Degree Planner. Updates can also be found on each Proficiency &  Experience webpage.  

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Office of General Education

Audit conducted to identify UC students who are missing general education or graduation requirements

To assist students on the University Curriculum (UC) graduate, the Office of General Education conducted an audit of all UC students who are missing general education or graduation requirements. 

 This audit identified 51 students’ missing requirements.  

 The Office of General Education staff reviewed Degree Progress Reports (DPR) and Transfer Evaluation Reports (TER), if applicable, to see what action was needed to support individual students. 

Melina Padron and Brittaney Wilson sent initial outreach by email in December 2023. They then followed up with text and phone calls to share personalized support on assisting UC students with degree completion.  

The support offered included: guiding students through the petition process, advising on course enrollment, and sharing alternative credit pathways. Additionally, four course overrides for credit were performed on behalf of the students. 

The UC requirements apply to students who matriculated into SMU between Fall 2016 and Spring 2020. The UC’s main coursework components are Foundations, Breadths, and Depths. In addition to seven Proficiencies and Experiences.