SMU basketball has a new MVP: the $13-million, 43,000- square-foot Crum Basketball Center, where players and coaches have their own one-stop shop to practice, strength train, watch films and receive rehabilitation care.

The facility is made possible by a leadership gift from Sylvie P. and Gary T. Crum. Other major donors to the facility are David and Carolyn Miller, Vic and Gladie Jo Salvino, and the Embrey Family Foundation.

"Along with our other varsity athletic programs, men's and women's basketball helps build a sense of community on campus and provides Dallas with exciting collegiate activities. Our players now have a great new resource for developing further their skills and competitiveness," said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. "We are grateful to our generous donors for supporting our commitment to provide our students with the best possible campus experience."

In December 2006, SMU broke ground on the Center, which joins Moody Coliseum as the new home for SMU's men's and women's intercollegiate basketball programs. The facility contains separate full-size practice courts for each program, locker rooms and lounges, and a fully equipped training and rehabilitation room with in-ground hydrotherapy pools.

SMU Director of Athletics Steve Orsini said the new facility is a shining example of the University's support for its student-athletes.

"We have made a commitment at SMU to be Top 25 in all we do," he said. "The Crum Center exceeds that standard and will help our basketball programs train and recruit top-level student-athletes."

SMU's basketball coaches say the Center will allow them to recruit more competitively against other schools with basketball-only practice facilities.

Related links

• Read more about the Crum Basketball Center
• View a video of the dedication ceremony
• View a slideshow of the dedication ceremony
  

The presidential primaries are giving SMU students real-world experience -- hitting the road to cover the races firsthand for Fox News, and measuring the real-time response to presidential debates for CNN.

Student journalists cover Iowa and New Hampshire races
SMU student journalists covered the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries in early January as part of a partnership with Fox TV to give a student perspective on the race for the White House.

KDFW/Fox 4 in Dallas-Fort Worth teamed up with SMU to create "Fox U News," providing instant text messaging updates, reports and video blogs on YouTube. The students were credentialed as Fox journalists and produced both Internet and broadcast content.

Fox 4 news director Maria Barrs said the project was born from a need for news organizations to rethink how they cover politics to reach the next generation of voters.

"What better way to do that than to see these important events through the eyes of that generation?" Barrs said.

SMU project advisor Lucy Scott said, "We're thrilled that Fox 4 has given our students this valuable opportunity to work alongside professional journalists at two of the most exciting events of the 2008 political season."

Scott and Carolyn Barta, both experienced journalists, served as faculty advisors. The project was initiated by Fox 4 reporter Scott Sayres, an SMU alumnus.

• Read their blogs and watch their coverage

Responding word-by-word to debate
If a small real-time response debate focus group sampled at SMU on Feb. 21 is any indicator, the Democratic primary will be a squeaker.

Using palm-sized electronic Perception Analyzer Dials, eight women and two men signaled their take on what the candidates said. They dialed up when they liked what they heard and down when they didn't. Their responses, measured on a scale of 1 to 100, were registered second-by-second in real time.

The group of undecided Democrats voted 5-5 when prompted to choose a candidate in the post-debate wrap-up.

"This was a pretty undecided group throughout the debate, and they're still on the fence," says Dan Schill, assistant professor, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs (CCPA), who monitored the group as part of an ongoing project with CNN. The real-time response chart, or EKG as Schill calls it, runs live on the network's Web site during the debate.

For much of the 90-minute exchange, the EKG flatlined, indicating a neutral response from the group. While Clinton overall scored more "up" moments than Obama, she also registered the lowest point with her "change you can Xerox" jab, Schill says. Her graceful ending grabbed the highest numbers of the evening.

"This gave me a chance to be an active participant in the process," says SMU junior Solomon Odom, one of two students in the focus group. Without any distractions, and with a job to do, "I definitely paid more attention to this debate than usual," he adds.

Senior Steven Chlapecka and junior Patria Jackson assisted with pre-debate preparation and post-debate response measurements. The focus group assembled in the journalism division's TV studio in Umphrey Lee. Broadcast journalism students worked a camera and manned the control room. Footage was recorded for possible use later by CNN.

Real-time response research figures prominently in an upcoming book by Schill and Professor Rita Kirk of CCPA. Kirk describes "Consent of the Governed," slated for publication by early 2009, as an exploration of "how voters are talking back to candidates and the media" and are using technology "to reconnect with the political process and take control."

• Watch a slideshow of the focus group
  

The Office of Alumni Relations is on the road this spring to host events in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta.

• In New York City on March 6, Vice President Lori S. White is presenting "Does Millennial Lingo Speak to You?" Learn more >
  
  
• In Washington, D.C. on April 9, Dedman College interim dean Caroline B. Brettell will present "The Immigration Debate." Learn more and register >
  
  
• In Atlanta on May 1, Cox School of Business dean Albert W. Niemi, Jr. will discuss "Atlanta's Economic Outlook." Learn more and register >
  

The SMU-in-Taos Cultural Institute, set for July 17-20, offers a weekend of courses for adults that reflect the unique geology, archaeology, traditions, cultural richness and scientific contributions of Northern New Mexico.

Each topic is explored over two and a half days, including field trips to relevant sites, with time allowed for sightseeing and recreation on your own. Classes are limited in size to allow for in-depth discussion and individual attention. Through evening receptions and shared mealtimes, you may enjoy an atmosphere of relaxed academic congeniality and exchange, learning at your own pace in a setting that captures the imagination, encourages exploration and renews the spirit.

Related links

• View a list of this year's courses
• View photos from past Cultural Institute weekends
• Register online

The George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation announced that SMU has been chosen as the site of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, consisting of a library, museum and institute.

President Bush said in a letter to SMU President R. Gerald Turner: "I look forward to the day when both the general public and scholars come and explore the important and challenging issues our nation has faced during my presidency--from economic and homeland security to fighting terrorism and promoting freedom and democracy."

Meeting Feb. 22 in Dallas, the SMU Board of Trustees unanimously approved an agreement with the Foundation to locate the Center at SMU.

"It's a great honor for SMU to be chosen as the site of this tremendous resource for historical research, dialogue and public programs," said SMU President Turner. "At SMU, these resources will benefit from proximity to our strong academic programs, a tradition of open dialogue, experience hosting world leaders and a central location in a global American city. We thank President Bush for entrusting this important long-term resource to our community, and for the opportunity for SMU to serve the nation in this special way."

"The Foundation is excited to partner with SMU in the development of this important civic institution. We are delighted that it will be in the international city of Greater Dallas and in a city that has played such an important role in the lives of the President and First Lady," said Don Evans, Chairman of the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation.

The Presidential Center will be located on the east side of the main SMU campus, adjacent to North Central Expressway (U.S. Highway 75) and SMU Boulevard. This location positions the Center within the context of SMU's park-like Collegiate Georgian setting--"a major historic university campus," said Robert A.M. Stern, dean of the Yale University School of Architecture and the selected architect for the Bush Presidential Center. The exact location and dimensions will be determined based on design and landscape specifications.

Related links

• Watch the announcement
• View a slideshow of the announcement
• Read more about the agreement between SMU and the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation

Submit comments
To submit your comments about the George W. Bush Presidential Center, please complete this form, or send an e-mail to info@smu.edu.