Mark Your Calendars now for Three Wednesdays in November – A Webinar Series for Parents & Families
5 Simple Rules for College Parents
November 6, 8:00PM Central Time
Join New York Times bestselling author Harlan Cohen on Wednesday, November 6 for an EXCLUSIVE live online event for SMU Parents & Families. Harlan will help you get comfortable with the uncomfortable while providing a framework to support you and your student(s) during the college years and beyond.
SOS! Supporting Our Students: “Hawaii Time, To-Go Boxes, and Making SMU Their School”
November 13, 4:00PM Central Time
Dr. Cathey Soutter and Dr. Abel Tomatis from Counseling Services and Griffin Sharp, Assistant Director of Community Health Promotion will explore 1) the changing dynamics students and families may experience during Thanksgiving and Semester Breaks, 2) the importance of students embracing the ups and downs of college life while getting out of their comfort zones, and 3) turning the challenges of change into action and positive “adulting”!
SOS! Supporting Our Students! “Yikes…Where Did the Semester Go and What Do I Do Now?”
November 20, 4:00PM Central Time
You’ll hear from two SMU professionals in the office of Student Academic Success Programs – Christopher Meyers, Academic Counselor, and Becca Umobong, Director of Academic Skill Development. Parents and families are invited to this webinar about supporting your undergraduate students as they navigate the last month of the fall semester, productively use winter break, and start the spring semester strong. Please join us!
We want to share several important reminders as you prepare for the event.
Purses and other bags are not allowed in Moody Coliseum!! Please carefully review the bag policy for detailed information.
SMU has established standard, large venue safety and security requirements for events held in Moody Coliseum (similar to those in place for an athletic event). All guests entering Moody will go through security screening and certain items are prohibited. Be sure to carefully review the list of prohibited items by clicking here.
Beginning on Wednesday, May 8 at 9 AM through Friday, May 17 at 4 PM, your student can request guest admission tickets. All guests, regardless of age, must have a printed entry ticket for the Baccalaureate Service (undergraduate candidates only) on Friday evening, May 17 in McFarlin Auditorium and a printed entry ticket for the all-university Commencement Convocation on Saturday morning, May 18 in Moody Coliseum. Baccalaureate and Commencement guest tickets can be requested only by candidates who have indicated they will attend the ceremonies in my.SMU. Candidates are allotted 2 guest tickets for the Baccalaureate Service (undergraduates only) and 4 guest tickets for the all-university Commencement Convocation. Seating is limited and is first come, first served. A ticket does not guarantee a seat. Saving seats is not permitted; parties should enter together. Once the venue reaches capacity, guests will be directed to a nearby simulcast location. Simulcast locations do not require a ticket. It is a violation of SMU policy for a candidate to sell or barter an academic ceremony guest ticket and may result in the loss of access to guest tickets and/or a referral to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for a policy violation. Each ticket has a unique code and can only be used once. Once a ticket code has been used to gain admittance to the ceremony venue, no other use of the code is permitted. Both ceremonies will be streamed online (smu.edu/live) and simulcast at alternate campus locations. More information about tickets can be found by clicking here. Each school has their own diploma presentation ceremony and tickets may be required. For information on school ceremonies, please click here.
Mobility-impaired seating is also limited on a first-come basis. Guests seated in mobility-impaired seating are allowed one attendant/family member to accompany them.
Please make plans to arrive early and expect heavy traffic delays. Candidates and guests may park in any of the University’s parking facilities.
Join us on Twitter! Go to #SMUgrad and start posting today through graduation!! Share tweets and images. They may appear on the jumbotron in Moody on Commencement day!
Detailed information about guest tickets, security requirements and school diploma presentation ceremonies can be found on the May Commencement website.
If you have questions, please contact Enrollment Services at 214-768-3417 or by email.
We look forward to celebrating with you and extend our congratulations.
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.
As the spring term begins, SMU’s Dr. Bob Smith Health Center is reminding students to take precautions against the flu and help prevent its spread by getting a flu shot as soon as possible, if they have not yet already done so.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of flu are increasing in Texas and across the country. We are closely monitoring flu advisories and reports from Dallas County and the CDC.
A flu shot and additional precautions
At SMU’s Health Center, flu shots are available to students at no cost, while supplies last. The Health Center (214-768-2141) is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Students are asked to bring their SMU IDs to the Health Center.
We are reminding students to take additional precautions, including to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, and to get plenty of rest to keep the immune system working at its best. Students also are reminded to be aware of flu symptoms.
More information about the flu is at smu.edu/flu, including campus resources and guidelines for preventing and treating the flu.
The following message was sent to SMU students, faculty and staff on January 18:
Dear SMU community,
As the semester begins, SMU Police want to inform you about an incident on campus and also remind you to be aware of your surroundings. As always, if you see or hear suspicious activity, please call SMU Police at 214-768-3333.
At 11 p.m. Thursday, January 17, 2019, a student reported that a man forcibly took her cellphone outside Loyd Residential Commons, on the building’s east side. The suspect is described as a black male in his early 20s and approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He was wearing black pants and a black Texas Tech hooded sweatshirt with red sleeves.
After taking the cellphone, the suspect ran to the Mustang Parking Center and entered the passenger side of a black four-door Nissan Altima, which drove north on Bush Avenue.
The suspect may have been involved in an earlier attempt Thursday night to take a cellphone from a group of students outside Arnold Dining Hall.
SMU Police ask anyone who may have information about this incident to call 214-768-3333. Information may be reported anonymously through the SMU Police Department’s Silent Witness Program by calling 214-SMU-2TIP or online at www.smu.edu/2tip.
The Police Department’s highest priority is the security of our campus community. In response to this incident, SMU Police are increasing patrols at night, in addition to their normal 24/7 patrols.
Please remember:
Program 214-768-3333 into your cellphone to reach SMU Police. Be aware that because the campus is at the intersection of several police jurisdictions, 911 calls made from a cellphone can reach any one of them, depending on your location.
Take note of blue-light phones across campus and in parking centers. They connect directly to SMU Police.
Use a security escort at night. SMU Safety Escort by Tapride offers free rides on campus from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. SMU Police can provide campus rides when the safety escort is not available.
SMU Police are available to provide crime prevention education and self-defense training to student groups. Other resources include the Office of Violence Prevention & Support Services (214-768-4512) and SMU Counseling Services (214-768-2277).
Our Police Department thanks you for your safety awareness, which plays an important role in campus security.
Melinda Pullen Carlson, a student affairs professional with expertise in residence life and student learning, has been named assistant vice president and dean of Residence Life and Student Housing at SMU. She will begin her duties January 22, 2019.
“Melinda is a dynamic leader who strongly believes in creating vibrant residential communities that promote academic engagement and student development,” said K.C. Mmeje, SMU vice president for student affairs. “Her compelling vision for SMU’s Residential Commons, her student-centered approach and her depth and range of experiences made her the clear choice for this position. I look forward to the continued growth of our Residential Commons under her leadership.”
Carlson was selected after a competitive national search, which was coordinated by a campus committee chaired by Adam Cebulski, assistant vice president and chief of staff in Student Affairs.
Carlson has 25 years of experience in higher education, most recently at Saint Louis University, where she served as director of housing, residence life and student involvement, and provided oversight for campus dining.
She previously served as associate dean of students and chief judicial officer at the University of Mississippi, where she advised student government, supervised fraternity and sorority life staff and coordinated campus crisis response.
Her other positions have included associate director for residence life at the University of Mississippi, associate dean of students and director of student housing and residence life at Arkansas Tech University, assistant director of residence life at the University of Northern Colorado and coordinator of academic enhancement services at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Carlson attended Eastern Illinois University and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, with a focus on guidance and counseling/college student personnel. She is involved in the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International and the American College Personnel Association, and has served as faculty for the National Housing Training Institute.
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.
Robert H. Dedman, Jr. ’80, ’84
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.
Please allow ample time for screening at Commencement. All candidates/guests are screened with a hand wand or metal detector; all bags are checked. Commencement participants and guests should not bring the following prohibited items to Moody Coliseum, including but not limited to, animals (except service animals), backpacks, banners, binocular cases, briefcases, camera bags, cans, cinch bags, computer bags, coolers, diaper bags, fanny packs, firearms, flags, glass items, guns, inflated balloons, knives of any size and type, laser pointers, luggage, noisemakers, purses larger than a small clutch, radios, seat cushions with zippers, pockets or compartments, selfie sticks, signs, stun guns, throwing objects, umbrellas (unless threat of rain or raining) and weapons. No outside food or drink is permitted in Moody Coliseum.
For guests, all bags must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and may not exceed 12 X 6 X 12 inches. Bags may be one-gallon clear plastic resealable storage bags. Small clutch purses with or without straps, no larger than 8.5 X 5.5 inches, are permitted. The clutch does not have to be clear and may be carried separately or within an approved plastic bag. Items that are medically necessary are evaluated individually. Candidates are not allowed to bring clear bags but the small clutch is permissible.
