Greetings and welcome to the Continuing Studies Instructor Quarterly E-newsletter. This issue marks the second of our new quarterly communiqué – a vehicle for learning about Continuing Studies programs, engaging in discourse with other instructors and receiving support from our team. We invite you to read on, and at the end of the newsletter, to share with us your impressions of this effort!
Note from the Director
It is with great pleasure that I share with you two rather remarkable changes afoot for us in Continuing Studies.
The first change is part of a message of integration. Meadows Community Education will merge with the SMU Informal Courses for Adults program as of June 1, 2008. Offering increased opportunities for public programming and interdisciplinary collaboration, this integration will also serve to lessen duplication of efforts across campus. Housed in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development, this integration is well-positioned to offer expanded noncredit continuing education in the liberal and fine arts to our campus and community.
The second change is part of an initiative based on expansion. As of June 1, tied to the integration of the Meadows program into Informal Courses, SMU Continuing Studies will be renamed “SMU Continuing & Professional Education,” or CAPE. In addition to providing expanded liberal and fine arts programming, CAPE also will be home to several important community outreach initiatives and noncredit professional development programs. Of particular note are expanded programming for educators and certificate programs in financial planning, nonprofit leadership and Spanish for the Workplace. In addition, continuing education efforts of several other campus programs, such as the Center for Counseling & Mediation and the School of Engineering, will be offered through CAPE beginning this fall.
These exciting messages form the crux of the agenda for our next gathering, our summer term kickoff event on May 22. We will celebrate and consider the very weighty assets found in SMU Continuing & Professional Education as we continue this tremendous journey together.
To this end, I invite you to attend the …
Light Your Night
Continuing Studies Instructor Summer Term Kickoff
May 22, 6 p.m.
SMU Faculty Club
3034 Daniel Avenue, Dallas, TX 75275
Parking available on Daniel Avenue
Awards, Accolades, Achievements
SMU Continuing Studies Instructors are SMU faculty and area professionals who are experts in their fields. It’s a pleasure to be able to share tales of instructor success such as these …
- Writing Instructor Cindy Dees was nominated twice (with two different books) for the Romance Writers of America’s 2008 RITA awards.
- Cultured Cup owners and SMU Informal Courses instructors Phil Krampetz and Kyle Stewart are developing a 26-episode food series for the Veria Network, a DISH Network channel devoted to health and wellness.
- Writing Instructor Rex McGee’s screenplay Pure Country will open on Broadway in spring of 2009.
- The work of Clark Randall, Certificate Program in Financial Planning Director, was published in the March issue of National Underwriter Life & Health.
Have you been awarded a recent honor or title? Is there a particular achievement that you’d like to share with the SMU community? Let us help celebrate your light, your unique talents. Click here to share news of your successes!
A Special Welcome
We are pleased to introduce the newest member of our ranks:
- Woody Young, Certificate Program in Financial Planning
A Few Words about Campus Safety
Southern Methodist University is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace and community for its students, faculty, staff and visitors. The University’s approach incorporates the practice of risk management, occupational safety and health, environmental protection, property conservation and regulatory compliance.
With this in mind, please take a moment to learn about SMU Aware, the University’s preparedness plan.
Groundbreaking Success in New York
It just keeps getting better …
As you know, for the first time in the 11-year history of the SMU Writer’s Seminar in New York, a literary agent signed an SMU student on the spot.
But the story doesn’t end there. Shortly after the November 2007 seminar, two other students entertained three additional offers, bringing the total number of offers for representation to an astounding four. In the publishing world, it is estimated that only one in a million manuscripts are ever read by a New York agent or editor. For three SMU students to be extended four offers for representation by a New York literary agency defies even the best odds.
And the magic continues. Please join us on May 29 to laud one of the program’s own, writing instructor and award-winning screenwriter Rex McGee. As host of the spring SMU Writer’s Salon, Rex will share tales about how his screenplay for the movie Pure Country went from West Texas to Broadway (the musical will open in spring 2009). Don’t miss this exciting event – and a chance to support our students and instructors.Certificate Programs See Record-Breaking Growth
March 2008 CPFP Graduation Ceremony
On March 31, the largest SMU Certificate Program in Financial Planning cohort to date celebrated their successful completion of the program. Fifteen students received certificates and now are eligible to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination.
Earlier this fall, 72 students entered the SMU program, making it the largest incoming class in the program’s five-year history. And, not the least of these major accomplishments, the SMU student pass rate for the November CFP® exam was an astounding 83 percent (the national average was 60 percent).
Sincerely,
The Continuing Studies Team
Amy Claire Heitzman, Director
Tracey Dreighton, Assistant Director
Barbara Youngkin, Program Manager
Lindsey Lieberman, Registrar
Marsha Guckenheimer, Administrative
Assistant
Calendar
Thursday,
May 22
All-instructor summer term kickoff event
Click
here to RSVP.
Thursday, May 29
SMU Writer’s Salon featuring Rex McGee
Monday, May 26
Memorial Day
Monday, June 2
Summer Informal Courses begin
Monday, July 7
Summer quarter CPFP courses begin
New Course Idea?
Course development for 2009 is underway. Do you have an idea for a new course? Click here. Spring course proposals are requested by September 1.
Important Links
SMU Continuing Studies “For Instructors” Page
Awards, Accolades, Achievements
Click
here to share news of your successes!
SMU Continuing Studies, PO Box 750275, Dallas TX 75275-0275
SMU will not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status. SMU's commitment
to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
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