NEW STAFF
Allison Witucki - University Bursar's Office
Katie Stoudenmire - Admission Office
STAFF LEAVING
Lori Atkinson
Laura Ries - Registrar's Office
Leslie Day - Registrar's Office
Birthdays
Gina Kelbert - Sept. 4
Kathleen Hayden - Sept. 11
Melissa Guerra - Sept. 24
Monica Cordero - Sept. 26
Anniversaries
Barbara Waters
- 26 years
Jackie Wilborn - 21 years
Cruz Lopez - 13 years
Stan Eddy - 11 years
Darrah Rippy - 11 years
Daniel Herrera - 8 years
Bill Chandler - 8 years
Shereetta Robertson - 7 years
Kerry Schneidewind - 4 years
Kelly Wyper - 1 year
Chris Cornell - 1 year
Joseph Knight - 1 year
Luisa del Rosal - 1 year
Christy Tanton - 1 year
SMU Welcomes New Undergraduates
Fall 2011 undergraduate enrollment increases .6% over fall 2010. Head count for 2011 is reported at 5978, thirty-seven more undergraduates than 2010. Students matriculating new from high school totaled 1382 and 265 new transfer students began taking classes at SMU in the fall. Seventy percent of the transfer students came in as pre Majors. Twenty-two students were admitted to Cox, 36 admitted to Dedman College, and 24 admitted to Meadows. Dedman College and Meadows School both increased enrollment of undergraduate students for the new academic year.
Graduate/professional enrollment also increased by 60 students. All graduate and professional programs saw a modest increase except for one school. The Lyle School had the greatest increase in graduate enrollment, adding 40 new students this fall.
More on enrollment http://smu.edu/registrar/reporting/
Opening Convocation
Breaks from Past Tradition
The Opening Convocation each year signals the beginning of the academic year on college and university campuses across the United States. Each is designed to reflect the history and traditions of the institution. SMU's Opening Convocation evolved over our 97 history. The Provost, as the chief academic officer, presides over this ceremony. Provost Ludden traditionally selects the Convocation speaker from the faculty at SMU.
This year President R. Gerald Turner
spoke to welcome the Centennial class to SMU. Many of the new students
present will graduate on the universities 100th anniversary in May 2015.
In keeping with the Centennial theme, President Turner's remarks centered on the
university motto - Veritas Liberabit Vos. He spoke of the origin of
the motto and its relationship to each student's education at SMU. To read
or see Dr. Turner give his remarks go to:
http://www.smu.edu/News/2011/r-gerald-turner-convocation-22aug2011.aspx
VIPs -
Very Important Ponies
Some of our VIPs this month are:
Mary Ann Frye - I just finished setting up my ACH electronic draft payments through ECSI. SMU will receive their first payment tomorrow. Thank you again for your awesome service that you provided me & my family. It was super easy to talk with and set up ACH electronic payments with ECSI, thanks to you. Happy Student Thank you for all your help. I have completed my eSign process so you can verify it. I have been trying to sign it for the past two weeks but I wasn't able to get help; I am glad I was contacted by you. Thank you again for your help. Another Happy Student
Adrienne Montgomery - I would like to express my thanks for the outstanding job Adrienne Montgomery did for giving our first-year students such a warm welcome to SMU! I appreciate the extra work and the many extra hours during the six weeks of AARO.
Damon Wilkins and the DES en Espanol Team - two videos are posted on the DES en Espanol website introducing our Spanish speaking families to the Division of Enrollment Services. The short UTube-like videos show several of our staff who are fluent in Spanish who explain various services "en Espanol." Thank you to Damon Wilkins for producing the videos and to Luisa del Rosal, Mini Chihuahua, Irma Herrera, Cindy Castro, Daniel Herrera, and Angie Flores for appearing in them. Thank you also to Cindy Luetzow and Paley Wu for their assistance. Super! Thanks go out to all for continuing to work on this. Stephanie Dupaul
Federico Munoz - A BIG thank you to Federico for helping me with a Spanish speaker on the phone. Irma and Daniel were not available so I ran to find someone who could get the caller's name and number so someone could call back. Federico instead talked the caller through his issue and even offered his email address to follow up. Federico went above and beyond not only for the caller but for me! Thank you kindly, Fed! A grateful colleague
Darrah Rippy - Thanks to Darrah Rippy for her participation in the AARO process in monitoring seat availability during these past six weeks.
Eartha Walls and Paola Sotomayor - both received flowers in appreciation for their assistance with our students.
From a MBA student.
From a student preparing to
graduate.
Important Dates
Oct. 10-11 - Fall Break
Oct. 21 - mid-term grades
due
Oct. 31 - 60% point for
federal financial aid
Oct. 31 - enrollment begins
for spring 2012
Nov. 4 - last day to drop a
course
Nov. 4-5 - SMU Homecoming
Nov. 22 - last day to
withdraw from the university
Nov. 23 - no classes -
offices open
Nov. 24-25 - Thanksgiving
Holiday
Dec. 5 - last day of
instruction
Dec. 6 - reading day
Dec. 7-14 - examinations
Dec. 15 - residence halls
officially close
Dec. 17 - December
graduation
Dec. 19 - payment due date
for spring
Dec. 26-Jan. 2 - Winter
Break
Quotation of the Month
SMU Trivia
Question
Answer
Wes Wagganer
Named Dean of Admission
In announcing the selection of Wes
Waggoner as the new Dean of Admission, Stephanie Dupaul, Associate Vice
President for Enrollment Management, wrote: "Many of you know Wes, or met
him during his interviews at SMU. Wes brings 20 years of experience to SMU. He
is currently Director of Freshman Admission and Associate Dean of Admission at
TCU, and has also worked at U Tulsa, Tulane, and on the high school side at
Episcopal School of Baton Rouge and Fort Worth Country Day School. His
experience includes developing strategic recruiting plans, financial aid
modeling, strategic use of search, and process improvements. Wes earned a BA in
History and an MBA with a concentration in Non-Profit Management. He chairs the
Professional Development Committee for the National Association for College
Admission Counseling, is on the SAT Advisory Committee for The College Board,
and is a regular speaker and presenter at conferences nationwide. I know he will
be a great addition to the SMU community."
Wes will begin his tenure at SMU on
October 17th. Please welcome him. He will office in 212B Blanton.
Mark your calendar
October 5, 2011
Happy are those
whose purpose has found them.
Author
Unknown
In today's dollars, this is the equivalent of $6,317,878. Dr. Hyer made
the decision that much of these funds would be used to build a great central
building. In 1912, the cornerstone was laid for Dallas Hall, named in
honor of the city that helped SMU find a home.