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School year starts

See videos of Provost Paul W. Ludden's speech (8 min.) at Convocation and the complete Convocation (42 min.), as well as slide shows of Moving-in Day and Convocation. The first day of classes was Thursday. (Photos by Hillsman Jackson of SMU Public Affairs)

Excerpt:
The following excerpt is from the Aug. 23, 2007, edition of The Daily Campus.

New provost welcomes students at convocation

Russ Aaron
Chief Copy Editor
The Daily Campus


Convocation 2007

Joined by alumni, faculty and Mustang football players, the class of 2011 gathered in McFarlin Auditorium yesterday for the 93rd annual opening convocation.

The university's centennial class received remarks from Board of Trustees Vice Chair Richard Ware, President of the Faculty Senate Gary Evans and President of the Students' Association Katherine M. Tullos. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul W. Ludden, provided the keynote speech.

Provost Ludden's address, "I Am a Stranger Here Myself," came from the Bill Bryson autobiography of the same name, and emphasized that it was not only the incoming class that was new to the university.

Ludden has been at SMU for only a few weeks. He moved to Dallas from California, where was the dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of California at Berkeley. There, Ludden focused his work on microbial biology, earning numerous awards including a 10-year Merit Award by the National Institutes of Health.

"I hope all of you will now think of SMU as your home," said Ludden.

The new provost's address requested that students fulfill a list of assignments along the course of their time at the university. Some of the tasks included meeting with faculty members outside students' field of study, as well as students from outside the borders of not only Texas, but also the United States.
 

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Slide Shows
  • Moving-in day
  • Convocation Ceremony

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