The ALEC wants to congratulate Lauren Figura, Logan Bell, and Vandit Bhakri for completing the extra 10 hours of both in person and online training to become CRLA certified tutors. SMU became a CRLA certified campus last year and are very proud of these students for putting in the extra time to complete the training.
Another set of training courses has begun with 10 more tutors working toward certification.
In light of the February 14, 2025, Dear Colleague Letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the University has decided to temporarily pause the undergraduate Human Diversity (HD) requirement in the SMU Common Curriculum for students graduating between May 2025 and August 2025. This pause is intended to provide time to thoroughly review the requirement and evaluate whether revisions are necessary.
Undergraduate students whose expected graduation terms were between May 2025 and August 2025 as of Friday, February 28, who had not or were not expected to have the requirement satisfied by the end of May 2025 have been waived.
Students who meet the HD requirement via course or individual will be documented as having satisfied the condition on their Degree Progress Report (DPR). For instance, if a HD individual activity or an HD-tagged course was completed successfully, it will be reflected.
If HD is incomplete by the end of Spring 2025 and the student is expected to graduate during the pause, it will appear waived for graduation. A sample DPR below shows the explanatory text for the waived requirement.
These DPR updates went live on my.SMU on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. Students will be notified via email on Monday, March 10, 2025. If faculty and academic advisors discover errors with an affected student’s DPR, please submit a DPR Issues/Requests to the Office of the Registrar.
It is important to note that this is not a permanent change. No modifications to the Human Diversity requirement will be made without appropriate faculty approval. The pause is being enacted to ensure that faculty have the necessary time and space to deliberate on the matter fully. Therefore, academic advisors are encouraged not to modify advisement practices for students graduating after August 2025 at this time.
Should you have any questions about this guidance or student’s expected graduation has been updated to be within the pause period, please contact the Office of General Education.
This 4-week SMU-in-Taos program, running May 16 – June 17, 2025 offers six credit hours, Common Curriculum (CC) tags, and honors credits for eligible students. With small, discussion-based classes, a research project, and a cultural excursion to Santa Fe, students will engage deeply with the region while advancing academically. Financial aid and funding support are available.
We will be holding one last Open Advising event on Wednesday, March 5 from 11:30am-12:30pm in the Scholars Den for students to ask staff questions about the program.
Students can also reach out to the following contacts with questions:
Encourage students to take advantage of this transformative Taos experience and apply today at smu.edu/taos.
The University Testing Center (UTC) is excited to announce its recognition as a recertified testing center by the National College Testing Association (NCTA), valid through March 2030. The center received original certification in 2020 and is one amongst a growing number in the United States and around the world to have completed the process. The recertification will be in place for five years and can be renewed by demonstrating continued compliance to national standards.
SMU’s UTC is the only certified center in Dallas, and one of three in the greater D/FW area, recognized for dedication to test integrity and adherence to NCTA’s best practices in test administration.
The certification is a rigorous, one-year accreditation process granted to those centers whose test administration policies are compliant with testing industry standards developed by the NCTA. Centers are evaluated using criteria from the NCTA’s Professional Standards and Guidelines that focus on the evaluation of the test facility, test integrity methods, test security, confidentiality practices, staff training, and public relations.
The distinction is not only important for the SMU community, but also to others as UTC expands its service offerings that include professional testing for certification and licensure, proctoring for distance learners attending other universities, credit-by-exam, placement testing, and school admission exams.
The National College Testing Association is a non-profit organization of testing professionals working in post-secondary institutions, in companies with test-related products and services, and in other professional testing venues. NCTA was organized in 2000 and currently has more than 2,200 testing professionals from 650 colleges and universities as well as 50 test companies and organizations offering test-related products and services.
SMU Student Academic Engagement & Success (SAES) is excited to share that we are seeking a new Coordinator to support division-wide functions and the University Foundations department!
SAES Coordinator: The Coordinator of SAES will help create efficiency and productivity in the functioning of the University Foundations (UNIV) department and the Division of Student Academic Engagement and Success (SAES). Reporting to the SAES Business Manager, this role will support standardization and documentation practices across the division, the Committee on Academic Petitions, and several administrative processes for UNIV. Applicants must possess strong problem-solving skills and the ability to identify, analyze, and devise solutions.
Application Deadline: March 9
Hiring Point of Contact: Bailey Price (bcprice@smu.edu)
Know someone who may be interested? Click here to see the full job posting on the SMU HR website. If you have questions, feel free to reach out!
Meet Hayley and Fenix, one of the first mentorship pairs in the Mustang Mentors peer mentoring program.
Fenix, a freshman at SMU, arrived on campus in Fall 2024 excited to explore every opportunity to invest in herself. As an undecided major, she was looking for guidance from someone who had been in her shoes and shared her academic interest and goals. Who better than a peer?
After receiving an invitation to join Mustang Mentors, Fenix was matched with Hayley, a senior majoring in Applied Physiology and Sport Management. Initially, Hayley said, “I was so nervous to be a mentor, and then once I met Fenix and realized how much we had in common, I knew I could actually help her with the things she needed.”
Fenix’s academic and career interests ranged from business to advertising, marketing to communications, and everything in between – very similar to Hayley’s.
“When I would talk to Hayley about her experiences with applications to Advertising and to Cox, then making her shift to sports management, it gave me confidence to say ‘Okay, I’ll end up where I need to be at the end of the day. There is so much I can do at this school,'” said Fenix.
For Hayley, the leadership opportunity to be a mentor during her senior year came at the perfect time. When the program came across her email, she knew “this could be a good opportunity to keep me accountable and to also meet someone I would’ve never met in any other setting.”
Both Fenix and Hayley shared the impact of peer mentorship on their college experience. “Having a peer mentor is motivating — especially knowing you are not alone and that you can ask for help. It gives you a foundation to keep you grounded in yourself and make more friends,” says Fenix.
“Being on the other end of this as a mentor, it’s a good way to see where I’m at with my leadership skills. I’m not one to normally put myself out there for positions like this, so it’s an experience I wouldn’t have ever gotten without this program,” says Hayley.
Peer Mentorship Matters
Hayley and Fenix’s mentorship highlights the important role of peer mentorship at SMU. Click here to watch their brief interview on youtube!
If you know a student who could benefit from Mustang Mentors, encourage them to email us at mustangmentors@smu.edu or visit our website smu.edu/mustangmentors!
The Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) is dedicated to collaborating with faculty to ensure the success of student-athletes. Twice each semester, ADSA solicits feedback from instructors to align with key academic milestones such as Early Progress Reports (EPRs), Mid-Term Progress Reports (MPRs), and the final withdrawal deadline. The software platform utilized by ADSA for this feedback collection is called Teamworks.
What’s New:
Enhanced Security: Faculty members will now receive a secure one-time password when accessing grade check surveys through email prompts.
Authorized Access: This additional security measure ensures that only authorized faculty members can access and submit feedback.
How It Works for Faculty:
Access the Survey: When you receive a grade check email prompt, click the “Complete the Survey” button or copy and paste the provided link into your internet browser.
Request Access Code: You’ll be prompted to enter your faculty email address to receive a secure access code.
Retrieve Access Code: Check your inbox for an email containing your one-time password.
Authenticate: Enter this code on the verification page to securely access your course(s) grade check survey.
Spring 2025 Timeline for Feedback:
Faculty Feedback Request #1 (Smaller Student-Athlete Population):
Faculty Feedback Request #2 (All Student-Athletes):
Please note: This authentication process is a temporary measure for Spring 2025 only. ADSA is working with campus OIT to implement Single Sign-On (SSO) for Teamworks access this summer. We understand this adds an extra step, but it is necessary to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the feedback process while we transition to SSO.
For detailed guidance and visual demonstrations of this update, please consult our faculty member grade check help center guide:
https://help.teamworks.com/academics/s/article/Access-and-Complete-a-Grade-Check
For sport-specific contact information, please visit our website.
![Event flyer featuring headshot of Dr. Wendy Suzuki, with long black hair, black glasses, and wearing a light blue top. Text on flyer: [SMU logo] Unlocking the Power of your Brain: The Science of Exercise, Focus, and Mental Health. Dr. Wendy Suzuki. Tuesday, Feb 25 at 5 p.m. Oren Family Auditorium. For more information on this speaker please visit simonspeakers.com](https://blog.smu.edu/saes/files/2025/02/Suzuki_S25_Email-Banner-w-date-1200x675.png)
We invite you to join us Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 5 p.m. in the Oren Family Auditorium for an engaging talk with Dr. Wendy Suzuki, a world-renowned neuroscientist and expert on brain plasticity, as she shares how movement and mindfulness can enhance focus, learning, and mental well-being.
Dr. Suzuki is the Dean of the College of Arts and Science at NYU and a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology. Her TED Talk on the brain-changing benefits of exercise has over 65 million views, and her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The Washington Post.
Registration is encouraged on SMU360. Please sign up and encourage your students and colleagues to do the same.
This event is open to faculty, staff, and students, and we encourage you to attend and share this opportunity with your students. Dr. Suzuki’s insights on brain health and performance are directly relevant to academic success and well-being.
We appreciate your help in spreading the word and hope to see you there!
February brings many things, and among them is SMU’s Transfer Student Appreciation Week! UAC Transfer Advisor Dee O’Banner is leading the charge this semester with multiple events designed to share some Hilltop appreciation, treats, and info with SMU’s transfer students! Students, staff, and faculty are all welcome to attend!
RSVP now on SMU360!
As we dive into the Spring 2025 term, we’re excited to announce an upcoming event that will help connect current students with accomplished alumni: Pathways to Careers in Management Science Lunch and Learn. This event will take place on Wednesday, February 19th, from 12-1pm, and will feature five SMU alumni who have navigated their way into successful careers in management science: Lily Anderson, Sophie Fernandez, Hayden Hodes, and Elizabeth McPherson. These alumni will share their experiences in the field, providing valuable insights into how their education at SMU helped shape their careers and the variety of roles that exist for management science graduates.
Management Science is a field that offers a unique combination of analytical thinking and practical problem-solving. Sophie Fernando ‘23 shared what drew her to the Management Science major:
“We learned about process mapping and statistical modeling and operational efficiencies among many other things— all of which could be applied to see very tangible results of improvements in whichever organization we chose to join after graduation.”
This focus on hands-on, real-world applications is one of the key features of the program at SMU.
Dr. Eli Olinick, Associate Professor in the Department of Operations Research and Engineering Management, highlights another crucial aspect of majoring in the Lyle School of Engineering:
“The Lyle Accelerated Pathways gives students the opportunity to earn a Bachelors and Master’s Degree in 5 Years. Students are encouraged to start exploring this option during the spring of their sophomore year.”
Whether you are a current student, prospective student, or someone interested in exploring the possibilities within management science, this Lunch and Learn is the perfect opportunity to hear firsthand how these professionals applied their education to make a tangible impact in their organizations.
To learn more about the PBI initiative, feel free to reach out to pbi@smu.edu.