Siddhakshi Solanki ’20 is studying languages in Senegal this summer as a Boren Scholarship and Gilman Scholarship recipient, and Tyler Giallanza ’21 received a Goldwater Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford for two semesters. They are among the SMU students who recently earned prestigious Fulbright, Goldwater, Boren and Gilman awards to pursue their studies or conduct research across the globe.
Read more at the Office of the Provost.
Category: July 2019
Ancient children’s teeth and adult remains found in Siberia yielded a huge archaeological discovery for a team of international researchers that includesSMU anthropologist David Meltzer. They uncovered a new Ice Age ethnic group whose DNA reveals a genetic link to Native Americans.
Meltzer, a professor in SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, was a senior author of the paper on the breakthrough research that was published in the June 5 issue of Nature, a leading scientific journal. “We gained important insight into population isolation and admixture that took place during the depths of the Last Glacial Maximum – the coldest and harshest time of the Ice Age – and ultimately the ancestry of the peoples who would emerge from that time as the ancestors of the indigenous people of the Americas,” Meltzer says.
Read more at SMU Research.
Young athletes with the grit, determination and heart of Mustangs made lasting impressions on the SMU football staff when they teamed up with basketball star Ejike Ugboaja’s foundation to teach some gridiron fundamentals to youth in Lagos, Nigeria.
Watch the video at SMU Athletics.
Firms with strong corporate governance are like democracies, according to Nickolay Gantchev, a finance professor in SMU’s Cox School of Business.
Through their proposals and votes, shareholders can determine the broad direction of a company. In new research, Nickolay Gantchev of SMU Cox and Mariassunta Giannetti study the effectiveness of this low-cost form of shareholder activism. As in a democracy, informed shareholders, as voters, can better vet good or bad proposals.
In exploring this form of shareholder governance, Gantchev goes beyond his recognized expertise in hedge fund activism. Hedge fund activism has been found to improve governance and firm performance, but it is costly. Shareholder activism by proposals is a less costly form of external corporate governance but has been shown to have mixed effectiveness. Shareholders can put forward proposals regarding any governance topic, such as demanding more finance experts to serve on a firm’s board.
Read more at SMU Cox.
Ian Derrer ’96 remembers fetching coffee and chauffeuring visiting talent as a vocal performance student with an internship at The Dallas Opera. Now, as general director and chief executive officer, his responsibilities include overseeing the company’s fiscal health and steering its artistic direction.
In his new position, Derrer says he still relies on skills he picked up as a TDO intern and as a vocal performance student at SMU all those years ago.
“Certainly because of the voice teachers I had at SMU, I really have a great appreciation and keenness to be able to listen for technique in singers,” he says. “But in addition to those musical proficiencies and skills, Meadows really gave me a robust picture of the arts. I loved my history classes. I was able to take orchestral conducting. I loved art history classes, too. My education there helped expand my mind. All of that is enormously helpful in this role.”
Read more at SMU Meadows.
Perkins’ Center for the Study of Latino/a Christianity and Religions, in collaboration with Meadows School of the Arts, will present “The Art of Resilience: Latinx Public Witness in Troubled Times,” an experiential event on September 21–22. The event is free and open to the public.
The work of theologians, scholars, artists and community members will come together to address the current social climate and public policies affecting the Latinx community
Participants may attend the entire two-day event, or segments of it, depending on their schedules and interests. The first day will focus on how current events on the U.S. – Mexico border impact women and will be led by Daisy Machado, professor of church history at Union Theological Seminary. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, James B. Duke Professor of Sociology at Duke University, will lead the second day, which will focus on racism and the rising nativism in the U.S. as it’s shaping faith, culture, politics and economics.
As part of the program, the Meadows School of the Arts will host an art exhibit and a performance by New York Latina playwright Jessica Carmona of her original work Elvira: The Immigration Play.
Registration is required.
Read more at SMU Perkins.
Enjoy these great videos and stories about the people and events making news on the Hilltop.
Photos from July 4: Patriotism and Peruna on parade
Watch: Angolans talk about the impact of SMU fossil research
Exploring of-the-moment fashion’s long-lasting impact
Shake Milton ’20 signs four-year deal with Philadelphia 76ers
Redefining art: Sofia Bastidas’ global vision
Swimming and diving programs named Scholar All-America teams
Visit Presidential Retreats: Away from the White House