Category: Offices & Programs

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Honors and Scholars Mustang Scholars President’s Scholars Student Academic Engagement & Success

Maria Izaguirre, Program Specialist for Scholars Programs

Maria Izaguirre is a latina woman with black hair past her shoulders. She wwears a black shirt and blue cardigan and is standing in front of a red brick wall with foliage.

Maria Izaguirre joined the Honors and Scholars team as the Program Specialist for Scholars Programs on October 13th.

As a Program Specialist, Maria will be supporting the President’s Scholars Program and the Mustang Scholars Program.

Maria Izaguirre, a Dallas Native, earned bachelor’s degrees in Human Rights, Psychology, and Sociology from SMU. Before joining the team as a Program Specialist for Scholars Programs, Maria was the Postbaccalaureate Fellow for the SMU Human Rights Program. Maria is currently a candidate for a Master of Science in Counseling at SMU.

When not working or studying, Maria enjoys taking long walks at White Rock Lake with her dogs, spending time with her cat, attending concerts, and trying new coffee shops.

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SMU in Four

SMU in Four presented year-two progress and goals for year three

On Thursday, October 12, the SMU in Four team presented their second annual presentation to discuss and showcase SMU’s progress toward completing our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). A total of 141 members of the campus community were in attendance.

This five-year QEP, a key component of SMU’s SACSCOC accreditation process, is constructed to undergird SMU’s goals to increase first-year retention and four- and six-year graduation rates for our undergraduate students.

Sheri Kunovich, Associate Provost for Student Academic Engagement and Success; Paige Ware, Associate Provost for Faculty Success; Dustin Grabsch, Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education and Academic Success; Curt Herridge, Associate Chief Information Officer in the Office of Information Technology (OIT); Molly Ellis, Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Faculty Success; and Josh Beatty, Associate Director for the University Advising Center each spoke about the SMU in Four initiatives currently underway, shared data analyses and reflections on this year’s activities, and previewed plans for next year’s initiatives.

The written SMU in Four Year-Two Progress Report will be made available later this fall, but in the interim, click here for a copy of this week’s presentation.

What can you do to support student success and retention on campus? We invite faculty and staff to support this work by submitting progress reports, Advising Notes, and Retention Alerts.

Learn more about these efforts on the Office of Student Success and Retention website. 

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Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Success & Retention

Undergraduate student marketing campaign to clear enrollment holds begins

Students study before Spring Finals at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center, Tuesday, May 6, 2021 on the SMU Campus.

Student Academic Engagement and Success (SAES) began a multi-modal marketing campaign on October 13 to encourage undergraduate students to clear enrollment holds.

An enrollment hold is an administrative action that prevents a student from enrolling in classes or changing enrollment. Enrollment holds may be related to tuition or miscellaneous account balances, advising holds, missing paperwork or documentation, or incomplete orientation modules, to name a few.

With spring enrollment appointments beginning October 31 for undergraduates, SAES has already started an email, text message, digital signage, and newsletter campaign to raise awareness of holds that may impede enrollment and class selection.

On the first day of the campaign, 2,021 undergraduate students received a tailored email informing them they had one or more enrollment holds. The email contained details as to the type of hold and how to access their my.SMU Student Dashboard to clear or address the hold with the appropriate administrative office.

Over the next two weeks, students can expect reminders in the SMU Connected Wednesday newsletter, on various yard signs and digital signage across the Hilltop, via text message, and more.

Please encourage students to address any enrollment holds as soon as possible so they have a clear path to enrollment and graduation. Questions about the campaign can be directed to academicsuccess@smu.edu.

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Office of Engaged Learning

Save the Date!

Text "Fall Research Symposium Wednesday, November 1, 4-7pm, Hughes-Trigg Student Center" surrounded by magnifying glasses

The Fall Research Symposium 2023 will take place in Hughes-Trigg Student Center on Wednesday, November 1st.

Each fall, students in select research and service programs are invited to give oral presentations in a miniature professional conference. The programs include: Engaged Learning Fellows, Summer Research Fellows, Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellows, Hamilton Scholars, Maguire Public Service Fellows, Mayer Fellows, McNair Scholars, Richter Fellows, and Tower Scholars.

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Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success

Approved meeting minutes from the Council on General Education on September 29, 2023

The Council on General Education met on September 29, 2023. The meeting minutes for September 01, 2023 were approved at this meeting. Below is the agenda, and the meeting minutes have now been posted on the General Education website.

  1. Approval of Agenda for the September 29, 2023, Council on General Education meeting.
  2. Approval of Minutes for the September 1, 2023, Council on General Education meeting.
  3. Critical Reasoning Update
    1. Meadows, Lyle, and Dedman
    2. Phase Update
      1. Phase 4
      2. Phase 5
    3. December 1 Proposal Deadline
  4. CoGE Secretary Election
    1. Duties and Responsibilities
      1. Assists with counting and recording votes.
      2. Reviews CoGE minutes for accuracy and details.
  5. Course/Experience Proposals Administrative Review Process
  6. Course Proposal
    1. JOUR 1313 (Writing and Critical Reasoning) – CR
    2. CCPA 1313 (Writing and Critical Reasoning) – CR
    3. ASIM 1300 (Introduction to Digital/Hybrid Media) – TAS
    4. ASCE 1310 (Ceramic Technology) – TAS
    5. RELI 3331 (Renewal: Roman Catholicism) – PREI
    6. ARHS 3355 (Exhibiting Cultures Curating and Interpreting the Arts of the Global South) – CA
    7. WL 3388 (Future Worlds: French Science Fiction from the Enlightenment to the present) – LAI
    8. ENGL 1363 (The Myth of the West) – LAI/PREX-HD
    9. APSM 3360 (Nutrition and Population Health) – PREX-CIE
    10. UHP 3301 (STEM Communications) – PREX-OC/PREX-W
    11. BLI 1210 (Business Communications) – PREX/OC
  7. General Education Office Updates (Dustin)
    1. ARHS 3315 (Classical Sculpture) – CA
      1. During rollover course was approved for both CA and HC. They want this to count for CA. Gen Ed submitted catalog update effective Jan 2024.
    2. Student Outreach Schedule
      1. Workshops
      2. Zoom Hours
      3. Pop-Up Tabling
    3. Admin Imaging Update
    4. Breadth Swap Petition (students matriculated Fall 2023 or later)
    5. November 2/3 Engage Dallas Place-based Community Engagement Symposium RSVP by October 20, 2023
      1. November 2nd 4:30-7:00pm at SMU Indoor Performance Center
      2. November 3rd 9:00-1:00pm at Dallas College- West Dallas Campus
    6. Recently removed CC tags from courses
      1. Process Reminder
        1. ARHS 3338-W
        2. ECO 1311-SBS
        3. ENGL 2315-CA
        4. FILM 1304-CA
        5. HIST 1321-OC
        6. HIST 3309-W
        7. SOCI 3312-W
        8. WL 3383-OC

Please contact the Office of General Education for questions or proposal development support.

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Office of General Education

Approved meeting minutes from the Council on General Education on September 01, 2023

Students attend a lecture by Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Physics professor, Randy Scalise, Friday, March 13, 2020 in the Fondren Science Building on the SMU Campus.

The Council on General Education met on September 01, 2023. The meeting minutes for April 21, 2023 were approved at this meeting. Below is the agenda, and the meeting minutes have now been posted on the General Education website.

  1. Welcome & Introductions
  2. Approval of Agenda for the September 1, 2023, Council on General Education meeting.
  3. Approval of Minutes for the April 21, 2023, Council on General Education meeting.
  4. Critical Reasoning Revision Background
  5. Critical Reasoning Rubric Review
  6. Critical Reasoning Spring Course Pilots
  7. New Course Proposal Forms
  8. Council on General Education Meeting Schedule
  9. General Education Office Updates

Please contact the Office of General Education for questions or proposal development support.

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success

PALs wrap up September programming and look toward October

The Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) are happy to announce that they have completed their first whole month of programming this academic year.

In September, the PALs hosted:

  • 4 Degree Planner Workshops
  • 2 Peer Panels
  • 2 Advice Booths
  • 2 Enhancement Workshops highlighting the A-LEC and SMU 360.

The PALs consistently marketed all their events via Instagram, physical flyers, and digital boards across campus. These efforts proved successful, as the PALs averaged 10-30 attendees per event.

The PALs have also succeeded with their one-on-one advising appointments at Laura Lee Blanton in Suite 102. Undergraduate students scheduled appointments in Booking.SMU with the PALs to cover topics such as Degree Planner, and how to get involved on campus as a Freshman.

With a month of programming under their belt, the PALs are eager to get a start on their October events.

They will host workshops throughout the month highlighting Spring Enrollment, with their first one being held on October 20th. Students can find their PALs before then; however, during their October Peer Panel that will highlight TAOS, Intersessions, and Study Abroad experiences.

The Office of General Education also encourages SMU students to take advantage of the PALs office hours should they prefer a one-on-one appointment with a PAL.

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Academic Devleopment of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies Honors and Scholars Student Academic Engagement & Success University Testing Center

University Testing Center closed for Fall Break

The University Testing Center will be closed on Monday, October 9th, and Tuesday, October 10th for Fall Break.

Testing will resume on Thursday, October 12th.   

Good luck on midterms, and enjoy the break!

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Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning - Entrepreneurship Student Academic Engagement & Success

Congratulations to the 2023 Big iDeas Pitch Contest winners!

Photograph of Big iDeas winners (fall 2023), holding large checks

 On Friday, September 29th during SMU Family Weekend, the Office of Engaged Learning hosted the annual Big iDeas Pitch Contest in the Hughes-Trigg Chamber. A panel of Judges watched 22 SMU students give 90-second pitches for their businesses.  

Big iDeas provides funding, training and coaching for entrepreneurial projects to undergraduates of any major. 13 student teams were awarded funding at the Pitch Contest. 

Among the winners were senior Tiffany Jones, who proposed the Next Chapter, a collection of resources for adolescents aging out of foster care. Junior Jude Lugo proposed LectureLogger, an attendance tracking solution that uses secure QR codes to enhance classroom efficiency and learning outcomes. Junior Nrithi Subramanian proposed Mantra and Co., a service-based apparel and accessories brand seeking to create unity within the South Asian community. 

Special thanks to our judges Michael Kelly (Co-Founder of Resolute Future), Mona El-Gharby (Founder & CEO of CURLē), Tia Nayar (Founder & CEO of Wildflower Insight), Dr. Seth Orsborn (Director of the Deason Innovation Gym), Kat Weaver (Founder of Power to Pitch).

 Congratulations to the following winners:

A’Style Productions
Atrion Sorrells ‘24

Cubed
Rohit Patnala ‘23

Headstart
Speed Gregory ‘23

LectureLogger
Jude Lugo ‘25

Mantra and Co.
Nrithi Subramanian ‘25

PerunaBoT
Yaw Boateng ‘23

PREVO Streaming
Ryder McNeal ‘24

Quizlog
Eric Vu ‘25

Reflectly AI Inc.
Trevor Gicheru ‘25

Sana.xyz
Bernadette Cruz ‘27

Spotter
Nick Ludwig ‘24

Sallie’s Halo
Kennedy Honors ‘25

The Next Chapter
Tiffany Jones ‘23

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success

The Office of General Education celebrates their September PAL of the month

As the Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) wrap up their September programming, the Office of General Education wants to recognize their September PAL of the month, Hannah Ashby.

Hannah is currently a Junior at SMU who is working towards a degree in Psychology. Since her first day of training, Hannah has impressed us with her work ethic and creativity.

When Hannah is not planning or facilitating her own programs, she can be found at her fellow PALs’ events, cheering them on. Hannah has quickly developed into a leader during her time as a PAL, and she continuously leads by example.

The Office of General Education is proud of Hannah’s hard work, and we look forward to seeing her continued efforts to inspire her fellow Mustangs.