Category: Hilltop Scholars

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Hilltop Scholars Honors and Scholars Student Academic Engagement & Success

Logan Swafford joins Honors & Scholars

Logan Swafford (they/them) is pictured with a grey short sleeve shirt, round glasses, and a short haircut. They have a colorful tattoo of a woman's face with tear drops falling from her eyes and surrounding her face in traditional tattoo style. Beside them is a black and white Great Dane dog.
Logan (left) and Thunderstorm (right)

Logan Swafford (They/Them) is the coordinator for both the Hilltop Scholars Program and Honors & Scholars. Originally from San Antonio, Logan moved up to Denton to attend the University of North Texas as a first-generation student where they received a bachelor’s in both Communication Studies and History, with a minor in LGBTQ & Women Studies. While there Logan became a member of the service-focused fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, where they completed over 200 volunteer hours and servant leadership became their guiding philosophy and frame for their personal and professional path. After graduating in 2020, Logan continued to hold a variety of positions within the non-profit and education world, often focusing on their passion of community engagement and leadership development.

Outside of the office, Logan enjoys spending time playing a variety of video games, reading/listening to fiction books, and playing with their 3 dogs (Charles the Corgi, Nirvana the GSD, Thunderstorm the Great Dane) and Wednesday the tortoiseshell cat.

Categories
Hilltop Scholars Honors and Scholars

Hilltop Scholars’ “Service Showcase” creates over 1000 finished products for Community Partners

Students sit around tables in a large ballroom putting together a variety of service projects for various community partners.

 

Students sit around a table making paracord bracelets for Operation Gratitude
Students creating Paracord Bracelets for Project Gratitude

The Hilltop Scholars Program (HSP), an honors community at SMU for students interested in service and leadership, hosted their annual Service Showcase on Monday, August 28th at 6 PM.  This year, 185 Hilltop Scholars made 500 sandwiches for Austin Street Center, 500 coloring books for Dallas Children’s Health, 100 menstrual packs for the SMU Period Project, 100 meal kits for Vogel Alcove, 50 dog toys for Operation Kindness, 50 paracord bracelets for Operation Gratitude, 40 meal bags for Meals on Wheels, 40 book recordings for Readers to Leaders, and 100 self-care kits for Genesis Women’s Shelter.

8 students can be seen standing around a table filled with boxes of food like fruit snacks, goldfish packets, crackers, and water bottles. One students facing the camera is placing goldfish in a brown lunch bag with white dots on it.
Students creating meal kits for Vogel Alcove and Meals on Wheels

While building community, students learned about the HSP culture of service and made a considerable impact on local nonprofit organizations.  Special thanks to HSP Student Workers Lilly Chapman, Gracie Doyle, and Paul Rowe, as well as all the HSP mentors and faculty, for their support in planning and implementing this important event.

Categories
Academic Center for Excellence Academic Devleopment of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies First-Generation Initiative Hilltop Scholars Mustang Scholars National Fellowships Office of Engaged Learning Office of General Education President’s Scholars Rotunda Scholars SMU in Four Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Academic Success Programs Student Success & Retention University Advising Center University Honors Program University Testing Center

SEAS units begin migration to new SMU-branded web pages

In partnership with the Office of Information Technology, Student Academic Engagement and Success (SAES) began migrating unit websites to the new SMU-banded web pages.

As part of the brand migration, the SAES Marketing, Communication, and Digital Technology committee worked with unit webmasters to assist with a site content refresh (e.g., text, pictures, layouts). The committee recommended reorganizing navigation and pages based on Google Analytics data of high-traffic pages. As part of the process, broken links, spelling, SEO optimization, SMU web governance, and site navigation are also being addressed. Finally, professional headshots and employee biographies will be added over the summer.

Beginning with the SAES main navigation in late May, all units will be migrated over the course of the summer and early fall terms.

Last week, the following unit websites were completed:

Scheduled to migrate on or around the dates listed below will be:

  • June 23:
    • University Testing Center
    • University Advising Center
  • July 21:
    • Academic Development of Student-Athletes
    • Office of Student Success and Retention
  • August 11:
    • Student Academic Success Programs
    • Office of Undergraduate National Fellowships
  • September 1:
    • University Honors Program
    • First-Generation Initiative
    • Scholars’ Den
  • September 22:
    • President’s Scholars
    • Rotunda Scholars
    • Mustang Scholars
    • Hilltop Scholars

Please pardon our dust during this transition. If you discover broken links or issues, please direct them to academicsuccess@smu.edu to be routed appropriately. The next communication on the webpage migration will be once all SAES units have been completed.

Categories
Academic Center for Excellence Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center First-Generation Initiative Hilltop Scholars Mustang Scholars National Fellowships Office of General Education President’s Scholars Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Academic Success Programs University Advising Center University Honors Program

Writing Center is open Summer 2023

SMU’s Writing Center in the Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center (A-LEC) is open this summer from June 1 – July 31!  Appointment times are:   

  • Mon – Thurs 2:30-5 (in person at the A-LEC)
  • Tues & Thurs 4-6:30 (ZOOM)
  • Fri 2:30-4:30 (in person at the A-LEC);  Sun 5-8 (ZOOM)     

Book an appointment with a Writing Center Faculty Member in Canvas.

 

Categories
Hilltop Scholars Student Academic Engagement & Success University Advising Center

Two SAES team members were recognized with The “M” Award at the 2023 Hilltop Excellence Awards

Two Student Academic Engagement and Success (SAES) team members were honored with The “M” Award at the 2023 Hilltop Excellence Awards on Friday, April 28.

Dr. Caitlin Anderson, Director of the Hilltop Scholars Program and Senior Lecturer of Applied Physiology and Wellness, and Ellen Richmond, Director of the University Advising Center, were recognized with the highest recognition on the Hilltop.

The “M” Award is the highest recognition bestowed upon students, faculty, staff, and administrators on the SMU Campus. The recipients’ efforts have been continuous during their years at the University and are not limited to a narrow vested interest. The “M” Award honorees inspire others, giving unselfishly of their time and talents to make the University, and indeed the world, a better place.

Please join us in congratulating our stellar SEAS and SMU colleagues!

Categories
Hilltop Scholars Rotunda Scholars Student Academic Engagement & Success

Now accepting applications for the Assistant Dean of Academic Transitions (HR Title: Associate Director 2)

Colleagues,

David Doyle and I are excited to share that a new position, titled Assistant Dean of Academic Transitions, which is live on the SMU Staff Career Portal. Please consider, share with your offices, and post within your professional networks.

About the Position: The Assistant Dean of Academic Transitions (HR Title: Associate Director 2) is responsible for establishing the strategy for academic engagement and success of undergraduate students during their first year at SMU.  The position develops and executes unique programming for new students to prepare them for their academic transition to SMU. The person in this role will supervise the Directors of the Hilltop Scholars Program and the Rotunda Scholars Program.  In addition, this person will collaborate closely with faculty and other campus offices that support the transition to SMU; aligns programming and outreach with the stated goals of SMU in Four; plans and implements intentional programming with the university advising center, student academic success programs, office of general education, and the school records offices. The position facilitates university-wide initiatives such as strengthening faculty-to-student mentoring, shared reading experiences, and campus lectures. A key portion of the job is to work with other offices and academic departments to provide high-impact academic engagement and continuous monitoring, tracking, and support to improve academic outcomes at the end of the first year for new and transfer students.

Deadline to Apply: Priority consideration may be given to submissions received by September 30, 2022.  The position is open until filled.

A collaborative search committee comprised of SAES members, student affairs, and admissions, will be formed in the coming weeks to review applications, conduct virtual and in-person campus interviews, and make a recommendation for hire. We are targeting a December 1 start date.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sheri

—

Sheri Kunovich

O: 214-768-1285

Email: kunovich@smu.edu

Categories
First-Generation Initiative Hilltop Scholars Mustang Scholars Rotunda Scholars University Honors Program

AT&T Data Science Scholars lunch and learn on September 21

A flyer with the title "AT&T Data Science Scholars Lunch & Learn". The lunch and learn is on Wednesday, September 21 at noon in Hughes-Trigg Student Center Chambers.

The First-Generation Initiative is excited to spotlight the AT&T Data Science Scholars program at an upcoming Lunch and Learn. The AT&T Data Science Scholars program is an eight-week program followed by an eight-week paid internship!

To learn more about this amazing opportunity, join the First-Generation Initiative for lunch and learn on September 21 at noon in Hughes-Trigg Student Center Chamber (lower level). All scholars and honors programs are welcome to join. RSVP on Connect.SMU to save your seat.

The program is actively recruiting students who are:

  • Current juniors (graduating December 2023 or after)
  • Seniors on accelerated pathways
  • Graduating seniors who will be immediately entering a graduate program
  • Current graduate students

Questions about the AT&T Data Science Scholars program can be directed to Terry Teague (tlteague@mail.smu.edu). Questions concerning the lunch and learn event can be directed to 1stgen@smu.edu.