Categories
2019 April 2019 News

Forget the prom. This 16-year-old is headed to law school.

Haley Taylor Schlitz was accepted to multiple law schools but opted to enroll at SMU Dedman School of Law. In an interview on Good Morning America, she says a “nice scholarship” and proximity to her family’s home made the choice easy.
 
The future Mustang has already attended a few law school events and can’t wait to explore her interests in educational policy and intellectual property, according to an interview with her in Texas Lawyer magazine, published on March 14.
EXCERPT:

Most 16-year-olds spend the summer break working, going to camp, or hanging out with their friends. Not so for Haley Taylor Schlitz, who’s on track to graduate with both an associate’s and bachelor’s degree in May. She’ll spend the upcoming summer preparing to start law school and attending a six-day program with the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington for incoming law students.

SMU could not say whether she’s the youngest ever to enroll at the Dallas campus, though admissions officials said she’s the youngest they know of. We caught up with Schlitz this week to discuss her law school plans, what inspired her to seek a J.D., and what she thinks her new classmates will make of a teenager in their midst. Her answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Read more at Texas Lawyer.

Categories
2019 Alumni April 2019

Parents appreciate a strong community and abundant opportunities

Meet Chris ’75 and Connie ’77 O’Neill, co-chairs of the SMU Parent Leadership Council. They met as B.B.A. students and have maintained close ties to their alma mater. Connie serves as an SMU Trustee and is a past chair of the SMU Alumni Board. Their son, Jack ’19, is a double major in engineering and mathematics. As they prepare for his graduation in May, the O’Neills reflect on the past four years and look forward to the future in this Q-and-A with SMU.
Why have you remained involved with SMU?
There is an energy on the campus you don’t want to miss. Interacting with current students is inspirational and makes you feel young. We have thoroughly enjoyed the wide variety of opportunities to become involved through the impressive programming on campus for alumni and the community. As parents, it is exciting to be able to see our son have the same phenomenal college experience that we had.
What are some of the traditions you enjoyed as students that you are pleased to see continue today?
SMU is rich in traditions that bring the Mustang family together across generations. Every year we look forward to Homecoming festivities, including Pigskin Revue and the parade, and the Celebration of Lights, where SMU lights the trees and welcomes the community to enjoy the holiday season. It’s magical! We honestly believe SMU’s Commencement ceremonies are among the most special in the country. They are rich is tradition and represent the pride we all feel in our students’ accomplishment.
What are some of the aspects of today’s SMU that you have appreciated most as parents?
SMU strikes a healthy balance between maintaining important traditions while adapting to meet the needs of current students. We’re very excited about the Residential Commons. Having students living on campus their first two years builds a strong community that energizes the entire Hilltop. Attracting high-achieving students continues to be one of SMU’s top goals, and we’re incredibly impressed by today’s students. Their talents, their leadership skills, their intellect and their expectations for a unique and quality education push SMU to reach new heights.
What are some of the opportunities your son has enjoyed that you have most appreciated as parents?
Jack attended SMU-in-Taos for J-Term in 2018. He took an engineering course and was able to take a skiing course that satisfied an academic requirement. He enjoyed it so much that he went back in August 2018. Being there in the summer was an entirely different, but equally fulfilling, experience. He has given tours to prospective engineering students and likes sharing his experiences and insights about the things that make SMU so special. He also had an amazing internship last summer through an SMU connection. What makes SMU unique are the personal relationships Jack has been able to forge with his professors and the close friendships he has formed with students from all over the country.
Why did you choose to become active in the Parent Leadership Council?
We both feel so strongly that SMU is THE perfect place to attend college. It is one of a kind in so many ways, and it is an honor to be able to share and explain why to other parents. We also want to encourage parents to get involved on campus. There is really nothing better than connecting with your student’s university. It gives parents a rare glimpse inside the student experience. And we have loved meeting people and making friends from all over the country.
Why is current-use giving by parents so important?
This flexible support immediately impacts all of our students by funding programs and initiatives that are not covered by tuition. It also enables the University to support strategic priorities and new opportunities as they emerge. This not only contributes to great experiences for our students, but also improves the value of their degrees.
What are some of the things that are most exciting about SMU’s future?
Everything excites us about SMU’s future! We’re proud of the quality and diversity of our students, and there’s such vision among leadership to ensure the University stays ahead of the curve on meeting the needs of all students. Decisions are made thoughtfully, and the long-range planning for all aspects of the University, from faculty to facilities, means SMU will be educating bright students to be world changers for generations to come.
This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue of the Shaping SMU newsletter.
 

Categories
2019 April 2019 News

Honoring excellence, achievement and Mustang tradition

The Lettermen’s Association will honor four new members of the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame at the induction ceremony and dinner on Friday, May 3. The celebration of excellence and achievement also will honor photographer Brad Bradley, 2019 Legends Award recipient.
The 2019 Hall of Fame inductees are Colt Knost ’07, men’s golf; Bryan Robbins ’68, men’s diving; John Simmons ’81, football; and Teri Steer ’98, women’s track and field.
Legends recipient Bradley has been photographing sports at SMU since 1947. He is also a photographer for the SMU Tate Lecture Series and SMU Athletic Forum.
Buy tickets here.
The SMU Athletics Hall of Fame celebrates the many extraordinary individuals in all sports who have played a role in developing the tradition and prestige of SMU Athletics, and seeks to provide future generations with a greater appreciation for the rich heritage of the Mustangs.
Read more at SMU Athletics.
 
 
 

Categories
2019 April 2019

See how our research and teaching make an impact

SMU’s data-empowered faculty and students deploy research as a force for good in a relentless quest for solutions with lasting impact. They aren’t waiting for the future; they’re making it.

Categories
2019 April 2019 News

How to navigate today’s multi-teaming organization

According to SMU Cox Management Professor Sal Mistry, most companies engage in some form of multi-teaming, where employees are on multiple teams at the same time. In new research, Mistry and his co-authors unpack the challenges for those employees and offer ideas for creating better multi-teaming environments.
In today’s workplace, employees often wear many hats, whether in an academic, corporate or non-profit environment. Through multi-teaming, organizations are attempting to extract and share knowledge, says Mistry, bringing expertise to the benefit of the whole organization. Mistry references a Dallas-based tech company with 30 employees that are on multiple teams simultaneously: “In high tech, rapidly changing circumstances and a fluid environment have different requirements than say, a credit union, which has a more stable operating environment.” In a senior management team, one could be a member of an executive team and lead the marketing team, which is considered multi-team membership (MTM).
In their research, Mistry and his colleagues examine the effect of identification with one’s primary team as it relates to identity strain. “We show that the number of teams impacts employees’ identification,” says Mistry. “Many times people gain identity from being on a team, but the more teams you stack onto a person, they may not recognize who they are.”
Read more at SMU Cox.

Categories
2019 April 2019

ICYMI: In Case You Missed It

Enjoy these great stories and videos highlighting the people and events making news on the Hilltop.