Smiles lit up the room and excitement was in the air April 28 at the announcement of the new William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the SMU Cox School of Business to encourage business creation, leadership development and economic growth.
A commitment from celebrated energy expert and philanthropist William S. Spears, the largest gift by a non-alumnus in the history of SMU, will establish the William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the SMU Cox School of Business. This new addition to SMU’s $1.5 billion campaign for impact, SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, will empower students, bolster faculty pursuits and ignite our community for future generations.
Read more.
Category: May 2022
“What SMU allows you to do is feel very empowered to create new experiences,” says Sameer Paroo ’01. The former Homecoming king candidate finds new ways to engage and connect with fellow Mustangs as chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Alumni of SMU.
Paroo is an “M” Award-winning, Toronto-born Mustang who grew up in Orlando and completed high school in Plano, Texas. The avid basketball fan has visited approximately 33 countries since finishing graduate school and has worked in both Nairobi, Kenya, and Vancouver, Canada. In fall 2000, as an SMU senior, he represented the Program Council as a Homecoming king candidate in the annual parade. Twenty-one years later, he had the opportunity to ride in the parade again, but this time as chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Alumni of SMU.
Read more.
Meet two outstanding Mustangs: At 19, Haley Taylor Schlitz is the youngest law school graduate in SMU history. At 85, Marillyn Burton Seeberger is making history of her own by receiving a bachelor’s degree and aiming for a new career as a screenwriter.
Seun Suberu ’23 created the CollegePlus app to help students take control of their future. Now it’s shaping his path, too. Over the past three years, Suberu has earned more than $85,000 in funding through multiple SMU competitions to fuel his startup.
Suberu – his first name is pronounced like “Sean” – continues to expand and refine his app while pursuing a degree in computer science and a minor in statistical science. His own experiences inspired CollegePlus. It guides prospective students through a series of questions to help them land on schools that are good matches for their interests and needs.
A strong computer science program, proximity to his family, scholarships and a thriving entrepreneurial community made SMU a clear choice for Suberu. Like many of his peers, however, he struggled during his college search before finding the right fit.
“I didn’t know what was feasible, given my credentials, what was affordable, if I could get a scholarship and so on,” says Suberu, who graduated from Mesquite High School. “I had more questions than answers.”
Read more.
SMU is launching Access SMU – additional merit scholarships – beginning with Texas students to meet full need for high-achieving scholars who receive federal Pell Grants and SMU merit scholarships.
Access SMU will break financial barriers to college entry and graduation – first for academically talented Texas students, with the goal to later expand the investment in more students who need help paying for college. The program will help high-achieving Texas students who receive federal Pell Grants to attend SMU regardless of financial means. Access SMU is expected to increase the number of first-generation students and students from underrepresented groups who earn their undergraduate degrees at SMU.
Read more.
After capturing the American Athletic Conference championship, the SMU men’s golf team was selected to the NCAA Bryan Regional. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be played at Texas A&M’s Traditions Club May 16-18.
SMU’s regional berth marks the Mustangs’ 26th appearance in the NCAA Regionals since the format began in 1989 and the program’s 37th overall appearance in the NCAA postseason.
The Mustangs received an automatic bid as a result of winning the AAC Championship April 24. The conference named SMU senior Noah Goodwin ’22 and sophomore Nathan Petronzio ’24 to its 2022 All-Conference Team. Jerry Pittman Head Men’s Golf Coach Chris Parra was named AAC Coach of the Year. Parra is in his third season as head coach and eighth as a member of the SMU coaching staff.
Read more.
Enjoy these quick links to videos, photos and stories about the people, programs, events and more making news on the Hilltop.
- Photos: Founders’ Day Weekend highlights
- Men’s tennis earns conference title; coach, students win accolades
- Watch: Kelvin Beachum ’10, ’12 ignites conversations with art
- Two Mustangs tapped in NFL draft; others signed as undrafted free agents
- Law school launches Impact Scholarships for underserved communities
- SMU senior wins prestigious Caraballo Scholarship
- Simmons School moves up in national rankings for third consecutive year
- Origami creations inspired by paleontology
- Writer-director Thane Economou ’10 talks about his SMU journey
- Where rivals become friends
- Robert Hasley ’77, ’78: ‘Everything is gonna be all right’