Melinda (Mindy) Sutton Noss ’97 has been named Associate Vice President and Dean of Students in SMU’s Division of Student Affairs. She will join the University May 20, 2019.

Sutton Noss currently serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at the University of Mississippi, a position she has held since June 2014. She is returning to the Hilltop in her new role, having previously served as Associate Dean of Student Life in SMU’s Division of Student Affairs from 2012 to 2014. Sutton Noss also earned her bachelor’s degree in 1997 from SMU, where she was a Hunt Leadership Scholar.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Sutton Noss back to SMU,” said Kenechukwu (K.C.) Mmeje, Vice President for Student Affairs. “As a former associate dean and an alumna of SMU, she has unique insights into the student experience and a deep connection to our campus community. She brings expertise in areas including student leadership, inclusion and cross-cultural engagement, Greek life and conduct. We look forward to the contributions she will make in supporting students and their development as world changers.”

At SMU Sutton Noss will be responsible for overseeing the Dr. Bob Smith Health Center, the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports and the Department of Student Support, Advocacy and Accountability, which includes Student Conduct and Community Standards.

“SMU is a special place to me, and I am delighted to be returning to the Hilltop in this role,” Sutton Noss said. “My experience as an SMU student changed my life in immeasurable ways, and I am excited to be in a position that helps create transformative experiences for current and future generations of SMU students. I look forward to being back on campus and working with students, staff and faculty as the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.”

Prior to her tenure at Ole Miss and SMU, Sutton Noss served in roles at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Tyler, the University of Houston and Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

She is active in several professional organizations, including the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators (NASPA), the Association of Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA) and the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors (AFA). In addition, she currently serves as a vice president on Gamma Phi Beta Sorority’s International Council.

A native Texan, Sutton Noss earned her undergraduate degree in public relations with minors in English and French from SMU; a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University – Bloomington; and a doctoral degree from the University of Texas at Austin in educational administration, focusing on higher education leadership.

Civic and business leader Robert H. Dedman, Jr. ’80, ’84, chair of the SMU Board of Trustees, will be the keynote speaker at SMU’s December Commencement Convocation on Saturday, December 15, at 9:30 a.m. in Moody Coliseum.

“We are honored to welcome Robert H. Dedman, Jr. to December Commencement,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “Mr. Dedman personifies the enterprising spirit that drives and defines SMU.”

• Watch December Commencement live at smu.edu/live at 9:30 a.m. December 15.

Dedman received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1979 before earning an M.B.A. with highest honors and a J.D. cum laude from SMU.

Dedman is president and CEO of DFI Management, Ltd., and the general partner of Putterboy, Ltd., the owner of the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in North Carolina. After working on Wall Street with Salomon Brothers, he went on to a successful career at ClubCorp, a leading operator of golf courses, private clubs and resorts. He was named president in 1989, CEO in 1998 and chairman in 2002. The Dedman family sold the company in 2006.

At SMU, Dedman is continuing the historic leadership and vision of his parents, Nancy Dedman ’50 and the late Robert H. Dedman, Sr. ’53 LLM, who served on the SMU Board of Trustees from 1976 to 2002 and as its chair from 1992 to 1996. Their major gifts to SMU have had a sweeping impact, including in the areas of humanities and sciences, law and lifetime sports.

Robert H. Dedman, Jr. began his term as Board chair in June 2018 after serving as vice-chair and chair-elect. He was elected to the Board in 2004 and since 1990 has served in numerous SMU committee and board leadership roles. He currently is a member of the Board’s Special Committee on Development, the Pony Power Leadership Committee and the Tate Lecture Series Board. He also serves on the Dedman College Executive Board and the Dedman School of Law Executive Board. He previously chaired the Dedman School of Law Executive Board and 21st Century Council, an advisory organization to the SMU president.

A philanthropic and civic leader, Dedman also sits on the Southwestern Medical Foundation Board, the UT Southwestern President’s Advisory Board and the UT Austin Development Board. He is past chair of the Texas Business Hall of Fame.

Dedman wrote and published Our Star Service Journey in 1998 and compiled two anthologies of quotes, Thoughts on a Purposeful Life and A Journey of Life.

More than 550 undergraduate and graduate SMU students will earn their degrees this fall.

Rotunda Recessional

December Rotunda Recessional for undergraduate candidates will take place at 5 p.m. Friday, December 14, on the Main Quad by the Flagpole. Students should gather by 4:45 p.m.

December Commencement Convocation

December Commencement will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, December 15, in Moody Coliseum with a student, faculty and platform party procession.

Doors open at 8 a.m., and guests are encouraged to be seated by 9:15 a.m. The ceremony lasts about two hours.

No guest tickets are required, but seating is limited. Free parking will be available in the University’s parking centers.

No outside food or drink is allowed inside Moody Coliseum. Limited concession service will be available from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

• Click for more information for Commencement candidates, students, faculty and guests
• On social media: Share your happiest graduation moments with us using #SMUGrad!

Continue reading “Robert H. Dedman, Jr. to speak at December Commencement Convocation”

Registered Dallas County voters – including students, faculty, staff and community members – will have the opportunity to vote early on the SMU campus Monday, Oct. 29 through Wednesday, Oct. 31. The polling place at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center, 3140 Dyer St., Suite 205, will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Free visitor parking will be available in the Binkley and Moody parking centers to accommodate early voters.

“We are so pleased that Dallas County chose to locate a polling place at SMU for early voters,” said Dr. Kenechukwu (K.C.) Mmeje, Vice President for Student Affairs. “Hughes-Trigg Student Center is a convenient location for our campus community, and this is an incentive for students to participate in the democratic process.”

The Dallas County Elections Department has information about early voting on its website.

Participants in early voting must be registered in Dallas County and present one of the following forms of identification.

• Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
• Texas handgun license issued by DPS
• United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph
• United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph or
• Passport

With the exception of the U.S. citizenship certificate, the identification brought to the election site must be current or have expired no more than 4 years before being presented for voter qualification.

If the voter does not possess one of the forms of identification listed above, he or she can present one of the supporting forms of ID listed online and sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration document at the polling place.