Friday, September 12, 2025, will go down as a day in SMU history that will not soon be forgotten. Simmons School of Education and Human Development joined in the celebration of the inauguration of the university’s 11thPresident Jay Hartzell in a big way.
The lawn in front of Annette Simmons Hall and Harold Simmons Hall was awash in colorful balloons, games, people and activities like Puppy Yoga that brought more than a hundred people out to join in the fun. Simmons’ inauguration celebration also served as a fun team building event for faculty, staff and students as well as a way to welcome visitors from around the campus.
Students attending the inauguration day event at Simmons said it was a great way to feed into the buzz about the growing Mustang Momentum at the university.
In his inaugural remarks at Moody Coliseum, Hartzell said this is SMU’s moment to reimagine what is possible and “to dramatically accelerate our academic, research and athletic ascent.” Simmons Dean ad interim Michael Harris said, “We at Simmons already lead the way at SMU in research and are anxious to be part of a trajectory that accelerates our work even more.”
Harris added, “President Hartzell has Simmons’ full support as he leads SMU into the next chapter.”