Ford Stadium will come alive with the sound of music during Sing Song, the annual student musical competition April 16, just one of the great events planned for our annual spring celebration.See the events schedule.
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Category: April 2021
Toyelle Wilson, SMU’s first Black female head coach, arrives on the Hilltop after two seasons at Michigan with plans to bring “passion, energy and joy” to the program.
Director of Athletics Rick Hart announced Wilson’s appointment April 1.
“Toyelle emerged from a really talented group of candidates,” said Hart. “Her commitment to the academic, athletic and social development of our student-athletes aligns with our vision of shaping champions. She is a respected leader, and her positive energy, strong work ethic and ability to connect with and inspire others are qualities we look for in a head coach. We are happy that Toyelle has accepted our offer to serve as the head women’s basketball coach at SMU and look forward to working with her and her staff in building a championship program.”
Wilson arrives on the Hilltop after two seasons with the Michigan women’s basketball program, where she served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She arrived in Ann Arbor in 2019 after spending six years as an assistant coach at Baylor and three seasons as the head coach at Prairie View A&M.
Read more at SMU Athletics.
No. 1 seed SMU won the inaugural Eastern College Athletic Conference equestrian championship March 26 after defeating University of Tennessee Martin, 11-4. The title is the program’s third consecutive conference championship after the 2020 championship was canceled.
SMU is seeded fourth for the NCEA National Championships in Waco April 15–17.
SMU equestrian earned five conference post-season awards and had six riders named to all-conference teams.
Three Mustangs were named ECAC Riders of the Year: Taylor Madden in flat, Devin Seek in fences and Nya Kearns in horsemanship. SMU had two team members selected as Freshman Riders of the Year: Nya Kearns in horsemanship and Chalyce Head in reining.
The Mustangs had six riders named to All-Conference teams for the 2020-21 season. Taylor Madden was named to the all-flat team. Devin Seek was named to the fences team for the third year in a row. Aubrey Alderman earned her first conference honor as part of the All-Horsemanship team and is joined by Nya Kearns. Dani Latimer and Jill Pfisthner were both named to the reining team, the second consecutive honor for both riders.
Read more about nationals.
We’re always looking ahead on the Hilltop, and our community is already talking about the on-campus opportunities they’re most looking forward to in the fall.
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New gifts champion SMU Human Rights
Gifts totaling $650,000 from two couples with profound personal connections to the SMU Human Rights Program provide crucial resources for the renowned initiative, one of only seven of its kind in the United States. Through hands-on training and research, community internships and life-changing trips, the Program empowers students to become changemakers.
J.D. Dell, managing director and partner at Big Path Capital, a leading investment bank for impact companies and private equity funds, and Ann Marie Dell, who is currently enrolled in an SMU doctorate program, are pleased to announce a $500,000 commitment toward the endowment of the Human Rights Program in SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.
Ann is in her final semester of coursework for the Doctor of Liberal Studies degree in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. Her concentration and research focus is in the area of Human Rights and Holocaust Studies under Human Rights Program Director Rick Halperin.
The Dells’ initial $250,000 gift will establish the Ann and J.D. Dell Endowment Fund for Human Rights. The Dells have set aside another $250,000 to be used as a matching gift to encourage other contributions. For every $2 that others donate to the program, the Dells’ endowment fund will match $1.
“My wife, Ann, was, and continues to be, the driving force in our family’s interest in the study of human rights and the important role SMU’s Human Rights program plays in educating and creating young, servant leaders who are willing to take on and solve some of our society’s and the world’s most important and pressing human issues,” Dell said. “Simply put, we believe in the Human Right’s Program’s mantra: ‘There is no such thing as a lesser person,’ and fully support the Program’s teaching, mentorship, travel and enrichment opportunities which advance its mission.”
The SMU Human Rights Program empowers its students to become change-making leaders who understand, promote and defend human rights. The program is one of only seven college and university human rights programs in the U.S., and the only one in the South. From its inception in 2006, the program has grown to well over 200 students, majoring and minoring in human rights.
“We are grateful for the generosity of Ann and J.D. Dell, who are longtime friends and supporters of SMU,” said SMU Vice President for Development and External Affairs Brad Cheves. “We are thrilled at the prospect of attracting more commitments thanks to the Dells’ matching gift offer.”
The Dells were moved, in part, to make their gift after participating in the Program’s annual Holocaust study tour of memorials and Nazi death camps in Poland.
Trey Velvin ’86, ’91, ’17 and Dee Velvin ’87, ’92 were similarly inspired. Trey graduated from SMU’s Master of Liberal Studies program with a focus on Human Rights in 2017, and participated in Human Rights Program learning experiences in Vietnam, Cambodia and the southern U.S.
The Velvins have committed $150,000 toward the endowment. The gift expands their long-standing advocacy for people and communities in need as well as their previous support for SMU Human Rights.
Both the Dells and the Velvins serve on the host committee for the Triumph of the Spirit Award Celebration, which will be held Thursday, November 18 in Dallas. The biennial event recognizes individuals and organizations for outstanding human rights activism and raises funds for the SMU Program. Find registration details and more information here.
Read more about SMU Human Rights.
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ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
Enjoy these stories and videos about some of the people, projects and events making news on the Hilltop.
- SMU-in-Taos Cultural Institute will return in 2022
- Remembering Ruth Prouse Morgan
- April 20: Meadows at the Meyerson benefits scholarships
- Video: 3 Mustangs, 2 years, 1 global pandemic
- Learning from a presidential expert
- Watch: art as ACTIVISM
- Mustangs’ stories of common connections
- New research explores arts organizations of color