Category: Student Academic Engagement & Success

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Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success

Reminder to join us at the 2nd Annual Place-Based Community Engagement Symposium

Once again, we are excited to extend you an invitation to the 2nd Annual Place-Based Community Engagement Symposium hosted by Engage Dallas, in collaboration with Residence Life & Student Housing, The Budd Center, Office of General Education, the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility, and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

This two-day event will occur on November 2nd, 4:30pm – 7:00pm at the SMU Indoor Performance Center and November 3rd, 9:00am – 1:00pm at the Dallas College West Dallas Center. 

The theme for this year’s symposium is Listening, Learning and Leading Locally: A Place-Based Approach to Promoting Public Responsibility & Community Engagement in a Covid-Impacted World.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

 

LATOSHA HERRON BRUFF

Latosha Herron Bruff is the Senior Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement at the Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC), which in 2023 was recognized as the National Chamber of the Year.

 

BYRON SANDERS

Byron Sanders is a committed advocate for education, economic development and creating equitable communities. As the President and CEO of Big Thought, he explores innovative ways to narrow the opportunity gap and believes it’s our charge to shape society so young people have the chance to live the innate greatness that’s inside of them.

About the Place-Based Community Engagement Symposium

The Place-Based Community Engagement Symposium is a gathering of thought leaders, academics, community leaders, and nonprofit professionals from SMU and the DFW area. This event is designed to explore the transformative potential of community engagement within specific geographic contexts. Our goal is to delve into the strategies and innovations that have the power to catalyze positive change within communities, with emphasis on campus and community collaboration and sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships.

The SMU Engage Dallas Program

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. This symposium allows us to share, expand and further develop the work of Engage Dallas, as well as invite other SMU faculty and staff to consider new and innovative ways to support community engagement efforts in Dallas.

RSVP

This event is free and seats are limited, so please register by October 27, 2023. You will be able to opt to register for one or both days.

Register now.

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Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success

SAES shows up to support Engage Dallas’ #1Day4Dallas Residential Commons Fall Day of Service event

On Saturday, October 21st, Engage Dallas hosted its third annual #1Day4Dallas event. Student Academic Engagement and Success members showed up to serve with students over the weekend.

The Residential Commons fall service day, known as #1Day4Dallas, serves as an annual tradition where every Residential Commons participates in service around their community-identified need on the same day. This annual event is a student-led initiative supported by the Engage Dallas Student Directors and SMU Service House (SMUSH) liaisons.

Preliminary numbers revealed 151 volunteers attended, including 25 student leaders from Engage Dallas and SMUSH, who helped facilitate the service opportunities. Volunteers were sent to one of 13 service sites with West and South Dallas community partners. Sites included:

  • Greenspace
  • Our Saviour Community Garden
  • Sunny South Community Garden
  • Brother Bill’s Helping Hand
  • Genesis Women’s Shelter
  • Austin Street Center
  • The Bridge
  • Jubilee Park
  • Dallas Furniture Bank
  • After8toEducate
  • Voice of Hope
  • Empowering the Masses
  • Legacy Cares

Why is SAES all in with Engage Dallas? Engage Dallas is the most accessible co-curricular way for Common Curriculum students to receive their Community Engagement (CE) and/or Civics and Individual Ethics (CIE) Proficiency and Experience required for graduation. Students can learn more and get started with the service by following the instructions on the Engage Dallas website.

Special thanks to the University Advising Center (Vivian Fowler, Michelle Gaunt, Jacob Trevino), Student Academic Success Programs (Gracy Herrera, Makenzie Moriarty), and the Office of General Education (Dustin Grabsch) for joining in this annual service offering.

Engage Dallas is a partnership between Residence Life & Student Housing, the Office of General Education, the Office of Social Change & Intercultural Engagement, the Office of Engaged Learning, and the Hegi Family Career Development Center.

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Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research Student Academic Engagement & Success

Interview with Summer Research Fellow Kevin Nguyen

One of the greatest issues our world is facing today is the human relationship and impact on the environment. Kevin Nguyen is a senior majoring in chemistry with a minor in art and he is attacking an aspect of this issue through his project: Synthesis of HEMI and Biodegradable Polymers. 

Kevin is one of Engaged Learning’s Summer Research Fellows and he is working with Dr. David Son as well as other undergraduates, and graduate students in their lab. Alongside his research, Kevin also has trained incoming lab students on everything from cleaning glassware to synthesizing HEMI.  

In this project, Kevin is working to create biodegradable polymers, or plastics, to find a way to “synthesize plastics that are both environmentally safe and are cheap on the market.” The current compound his is working is called HEMI and is the key component to his project. Unfortunately, many companies currently shy away from the compound since “five grams of it, which is about the mass of a penny, sells for about nine hundred fifty-five dollars.”   

The process of created different HEMI reactions has required a lot of trial and error. Kevins biggest lesson throughout this process last summer is that “you will probably always fail.” It took many reactions to try get a pure “white and powdery” reactions that he wanted which was discouraging for him at times. But when times were tough, he would remind himself of his goals and how his work is for “the betterment of the world.” 

Kevin is continuing his research as he was recently awarded the Engaged Learning Fellowship. The opportunity has also helped Kevin with his grad school and PhD plans. He wants to use this polymer chemistry experience to help him get more experience with others polymer scientists. Most importantly, Kevin wants everyone to know that while this issue of improving the synthesis of plastics is a significant problem, it is being worked on!  

Read more about Kevin’s summer research experience

 

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

The Office of General Education launches new Peer Academic Leaders website

The Office of General Education is happy to announce the launch of the new Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) website.

The website has exciting new updates, including an SMU 360 calendar of PALs events, details on the services provided by the PALs, and information on recruitment and selection.

The website also offers the option to book a PAL workshop for student groups or organizations that would like the PALs to come to them.

As the end of the Fall semester quickly approaches, students are encouraged to book a one-on-one appointment with a PAL should they need additional academic support, help understanding Common Curriculum requirements, tutorials on properly enrolling for classes, or assistance with filling out their Degree Planner.

 

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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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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 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 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