June 2020
Connecting the SMU community
#StampedeinPlace hosted by Black Alumni of SMU on June 24 was an evening of listening, learning and growing together by Mustangs for Mustangs.
‘It’s time to look to the future’
In a letter to the SMU community on April 30, President R. Gerald Turner announced plans to “safely open our University for on-campus teaching, learning and student living for the fall semester.”
A graduation celebration reaches new heights
Commencement has been postponed, but degrees were conferred on May 16. Our friends at Reunion Tower opened their doors for hundreds of graduates and their families to safely celebrate the day together.
Find out what’s next for our world changers
The COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t stop our 2020 grads. They shifted to remote classes and continued to learn, create and achieve. Now, they’re ready for new challenges, and we can’t wait to see how they change our world.
Responding to pandemic-related hardship
How do we help ensure the pandemic doesn’t prevent students from becoming SMU alumni? Support for the new Presidential Fund for Immediate Needs will provide scholarships to students in need.
Black at SMU: Important conversations and actions
Recent conversations between President Turner and Black student organizations, alumni board, staff and faculty are shaping a blueprint to address systemic racial issues and create a welcoming environment.
Career advice to help alumni get noticed and keep growing
Alumni offered tips and advice during a recent career panel, part of #StampedeInPlace, a series of live virtual events to help Mustangs make the most of their time at home.
Hacking the health crisis
Hubert Zajicek, M.B.A. ’06, a physician and founder and CEO of the Health Wildcatters incubator in Dallas, helped create the Health Hacking Crisis Network to find quick solutions to problems like the face-mask shortage among healthcare workers.
Changing course to fight COVID-19
In just 48 hours, Lucy and Andy Rieger ’09 pivoted J. Rieger & Co. – their family distillery in Kansas City, Missouri – from producing whiskey to making hand sanitizer for hospitals, nursing homes and the community.
Necessity is the mother of reinvention
For the Odee Company, co-owned by Steve and Sarah Lodwick Holland ’80, the ability to adapt to shifting demands has kept the business going since 1923. Now the printer is churning out hospital gowns for frontline health workers.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
Enjoy these quick links to stories, videos and more about the people, programs and events making an impact on the Hilltop.