Southern Methodist University: A Comprehensive Overview

Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private research university located primarily in University Park, Texas, a municipality within Dallas County. It also has a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. Chartered on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (now part of the United Methodist Church), in partnership with Dallas civic leaders, SMU is now non-sectarian in its teaching, welcoming students of all religious affiliations.

Historical Context and Founding

The establishment of SMU was driven by the Methodist Episcopal Church's desire to create an institution in a metropolitan area. Initial plans involved a merger between Polytechnic College (now Texas Wesleyan University) and Southwestern University in Fort Worth. However, the church's education commission ultimately chose Dallas after lobbying from the Dallas Chamber of Commerce. The General Conference of the Methodist Church, seeking to establish a new connectional institution after a 1914 Tennessee Supreme Court decision impacting their authority at Vanderbilt University, supported the establishment of SMU.

Dallas Hall, the university's first building, was named in gratitude for the support of Dallas leaders and citizens, who pledged $300,000 to secure the university's location. It remains the university's symbol and centerpiece, inspiring the nickname "the Hilltop." While classes were initially planned for 1913, construction delays pushed the start date to 1915.

Academics and Programs

As of fall 2022, SMU had over 12,000 students, including approximately 7,000 undergraduates and 5,000 postgraduates. In the 2020 academic year, the university granted 3,827 degrees, including 315 doctorates, 1,659 master's, and 1,853 bachelor's degrees.

The university offers over 32 doctoral and over 120 master's programs across eight schools:

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Edwin L. Cox School of Business
Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences
Dedman School of Law
Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering
Algur H. Meadows School of the Arts
Simmons School of Education and Human Development
Perkins School of Theology
Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies

Rankings and Recognition

SMU consistently receives high rankings for its various programs. U.S. News & World Report has recognized the Cox School's Executive M.B.A. program. In 2020, The Princeton Review ranked SMU Guildhall as the No. 4 "Graduate Program for Game Design" in the world. SMU Guildhall has consistently ranked in the top 10 since 2010, achieving No. 7 in 2013, No. 3 in 2014 and 2015, No. 2 in 2016 and 2019, and No. 1 in 2017 and 2018.

In 2016, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the Cox School B.B.A. program No. 21 in the nation, a position it held for two consecutive rankings. The same publication ranked the program No. 5 nationally for post-graduation career outcomes. Bloomberg Businessweek also ranked the SMU Cox Professional MBA program No. 7 in the nation, the SMU Cox Full-Time MBA program No. 31, and the SMU Cox Executive MBA program.

Campus and Location

The main campus of Southern Methodist University is located in University Park, Texas, bordered by Hillcrest Avenue on the west, Mockingbird Lane on the south, and Daniel Avenue on the north. A significant portion of the campus is centered around Bishop Boulevard, a tree-lined loop road that serves as the site for "Boulevarding," SMU's version of tailgating.

Condé Nast Traveler ranked the campus as the most beautiful in America in 2016. The campus also houses the George W. Bush Presidential Center on its east side.

Satellite Campus

Since 1973, the university has maintained a 423-acre campus at Fort Burgwin, near Taos, New Mexico. This campus offers classes during intersessions and the summer. In addition to regular academic courses, students attending classes at the Taos campus during the winter can participate in wellness classes focused on winter sports.

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Former Plano Campus

From 1997 to 2020, Southern Methodist University operated a 16-acre campus in Plano, Texas, within the Legacy Business Park. This campus housed SMU's video game design school, SMU Guildhall, and other graduate-level programs. After selling the Plano campus in 2019, SMU Guildhall and other programs relocated to the main Dallas campus in the new Gerald J. Ford Hall for Research and Innovation.

Admissions and Student Life

For the class of 2024 (entering Fall 2020), SMU received 14,010 applications, admitted 7,379 (52.7%), and enrolled 1,531 (20.7%). The enrolled students consisted of 758 women and 773 men, with a one-year retention rate (entering Fall 2019) of 92%.

First-year undergraduate students are automatically considered for admission into the University Honors Program (UHP). Students ranking in the top 10% of their incoming class typically receive an invitation to join the UHP. Students who do not receive an invitation can apply after completing at least one full-time semester on campus with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. The UHP supplements the basic SMU University Curriculum with honors courses and culminates in a senior project or experience.

Student Demographics

As of the Fall 2020 semester, the university had 12,373 students, including 6,827 undergraduates and 5,546 postgraduates, representing all 50 states and 83 countries. The international student population of 1,117 (9%) comes from 83 countries, including 392 undergraduates and 725 graduate students. The leading countries of origin for undergraduates include China, Mexico, Canada, Vietnam, Korea, United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, India, and Panama. The female-to-male ratio is approximately 1:1, and the student-faculty ratio is 11:1.

Residential Commons

Since 2014, SMU's undergraduate housing system has operated on a residential commons model inspired by the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge universities. Undergraduate students are required to live on campus for their first two years, with the first year spent in one of eleven residential commons: Armstrong, Boaz, Cockrell-McIntosh, Crum, Kathy Crow, Loyd, Mary Hay-Peyton-Shuttles, McElvaney, Morrison-McGinnis, Virginia-Snider, and Ware. Each commons houses a faculty-in-residence and a residential community director who organize events and interact with the residents. Virginia-Snider Commons, built in 1926, is the oldest of the current residence halls.

Student Organizations

Southern Methodist University hosts nearly three hundred student organizations, including academic, professional, fraternal, sporting, ethnic-themed, religious, service, and political diversity groups. Student organizations like Student Foundation and Program Council frequently sponsor all-student events on weekdays and weekends, as well as boulevard tents. The Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life supports religious organizations on campus, including multiple Christian organizations, Hillel, and a Muslim Students Association.

Student Media

The Daily Campus was the independent student newspaper from 1915 to 2018. KSMU, a student-radio station, operated from 1964 to 1989 and later as KPNI from 1995 to 2011.

Greek Life

Starting in 2010, NPC sororities began updating and rebuilding their older sorority houses, a project that received mixed reactions. SMU has a zero-tolerance policy against hazing and has suspended organizations for violations.

Libraries and Collections

SMU boasts a comprehensive library system, including:

Business Information Center (BIC): The business school library.
CUL Digital Collections: Central University Libraries Digital Collections provide access to a variety of texts, videos, and images.
DeGolyer Library: A repository for special collections in the humanities, business history, and the history of science and technology.
Fondren Library Center: The largest collection of resources on campus, housing materials in the humanities, social sciences, business, and government information. It also houses the Science and Engineering Library. Fondren Library is open 24 hours.
Hamon Arts Library: Supports the Meadows School of the Arts with collections in art, arts administration, cinema, dance, music, and theater.
Underwood Law Library: Supports the Dedman School of Law with over 640,000 volumes.

Special Collections

Field & Laboratory: A scientific journal published from 1932 to 1959 by the university's science departments.
George W. Bush Presidential Center: Includes a presidential library, museum, institute, and the offices of the George W. Bush Foundation.
Meadows Museum: Houses a collection of Spanish art from the tenth to the 21st centuries, as well as a sculpture collection.
Pollock Gallery: Features works by faculty and students of the Meadows School of the Arts, as well as outside artists.

Financials

Through its "Second Century Centennial Campaign," which concluded on December 31, 2015, SMU raised $1.15 billion, the largest fundraising campaign in North Texas history and the fourth largest of any university in Texas. Its previous campaign, "A Time to Lead," concluded in April 2002 and raised $542 million. By 1986, SMU's endowment had grown from $60 million in 1976 to nearly $325 million, the 27th largest in the country at the time.

Visiting SMU

Southern Methodist University is located in Dallas, Texas. The main campus address is near the intersection of US Highway 75 (North Central Expressway), Lovers Lane and Mockingbird Lane.

Driving Directions

From the South: Take the Lovers Lane/University Boulevard/SMU Boulevard exit. Turn right (west) onto SMU Boulevard. At Airline Road, turn left.
From the North: Take the Mockingbird Lane/SMU Boulevard exit. Turn left (west) onto SMU Boulevard.
From Highway 75 (North Central Expressway): Exit onto the access road and proceed to the stop light at SMU Boulevard, where you will turn left.
Traveling south on IH-35E: Exit east on IH-635 (LBJ Freeway).
Traveling north on IH-35E: Exit east on the Woodall Rogers Freeway just north of Downtown Dallas.
From DFW Airport: Take the North Exit from the airport to IH-635 (LBJ Freeway).
From Love Field Airport: Exit left (east) from the airport onto Mockingbird Lane. Go east on Mockingbird Lane.

Parking

For visitors without an SMU Parking Permit, SMU provides options to purchase a temporary parking permit or use park and pay machines or Parkmobile meter locations. The first parking center when entering campus on SMU Blvd. is Moody Parking Center.

Buses and Oversized Vans

Buses and oversized vans must contact the Parking and ID Card Services Office to reserve a parking space.

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