August 25, 2004

FORTY-THREE LEADERS ELECTED TO SMU BOARD OF TRUSTEES

DALLAS (SMU) — Forty-three academic, business, civic and church leaders from across the nation and abroad were elected recently to serve on the Southern Methodist University Board of Trustees.

The board sets policies governing the operation and direction of SMU, a private, comprehensive university with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students and a full-time faculty of more than 500.

The trustees were elected by the South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church during its quadrennial meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas. Ten new trustees were elected to four-year terms. Twenty-eight current trustees were re-elected to additional four-year terms, and five ex officio members of the board were named. The board members, who take office immediately, will hold their next quarterly meeting Sept. 10 at SMU.

New members elected to the SMU Board of Trustees are:

• Bradley W. Brookshire, president, Brookshire Grocery Company, Tyler, Texas;
• Gary T. Crum, president, CFP Foundation, Houston;
• Robert H. Dedman Jr., chair, ClubCorp International, Dallas;
• James R. Gibbs, chair, president and CEO, Frontier Oil Corporation, Houston;
• Frederick B. Hegi Jr., founding partner, Wingate Partners, Dallas;
• Gene C. Jones, civic and philanthropic leader, Dallas;
• Bishop Scott J. Jones (to be confirmed), The United Methodist Church, Kansas Area;
• Bishop Rhymes H. Moncure Jr., The United Methodist Church, Dallas Area;
• Jeanne L. Phillips, chair and CEO, International Strategic Partners, Inc., Dallas; and
• William Joel Rainer, chair and CEO, OneChicago, Chicago.

“These new trustees are distinguished leaders in diverse fields who will bring valuable perspectives to the board,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “Together with our outstanding continuing board members, they will provide strong leadership in our ongoing efforts to enhance academic quality and resources, elevating SMU’s standing among the leading private institutions in the nation.”

Current trustees re-elected to serve an additional four-year term are:

• Ruth Altshuler, civic and philanthropic leader, Dallas;
• Michael M. Boone, partner, Haynes & Boone LLP, Dallas;
• First Lady Laura W. Bush, Washington, D.C.;
• The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, senior pastor, Windsor Village United Methodist Church, Houston;
• Donald Carty, former CEO and president, AMR Corp., Fort Worth/Dallas;
• Jeanne Tower Cox, civic leader, Dallas;
• The Rev. Mark Craig, senior minister, Highland Park United Methodist Church, Dallas;
• Linda Custard, general partner, Custard/Pitts Land and Cattle Co., Dallas;
• Frank M. Dunlevy, vice chair and managing director, SG Cowen Securities, San Francisco;
• Juan Elek, chair, Elek, Moreno Valle y Asociados, Mexico City;
• Tom Engibous, chair of the board, Texas Instruments Inc, Dallas;
• Alan Feld, executive senior partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Dallas;
• Gerald J. Ford, chair and CEO, Diamond A Ford Corporation, Dallas;
• Milledge A. Hart III, chair, Hart Group, Inc., Dallas;
• Ward L. Huey Jr., retired vice chair of the board and president/Broadcast Division, Belo Corp., Dallas;
• Lamar Hunt, chair, Unity Hunt, Inc., Dallas;
• Ray L. Hunt, chair and CEO, Hunt Oil Company, Dallas;
• Robert A. Leach, senior vice president and financial consultant, RBC Dain Rauscher, Dallas;
• Paul B. Loyd Jr., managing director, LSL Partners, Houston;
• Mark A. Nerio, vice president-human resources, Citicorp Data Systems Inc., San Antonio;
• H. Ross Perot Jr., president and CEO, Perot Systems Corporation, Plano;
• Caren Prothro, civic and philanthropic leader, Dallas;
• Carl J. Sewell Jr., chair, Sewell Automotive Companies, Dallas;
• Bishop Ann B. Sherer, The United Methodist Church, Nebraska Area;
• Helmut R. Sohmen, chair, World-Wide Shipping Group, Ltd., Hong Kong;
• John Tolleson, chair and CEO, Tolleson Wealth Management, Dallas;
• Richard Ware, president, Amarillo National Bank, Amarillo; and
• Richard J. Wood, president, United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, New York.

New ex officio members are:

• Christine E. Buchanan, 2004-05 president of the SMU Faculty Senate and professor of biological sciences;
• S. Thomas Kincaid III, SMU Students’ Association representative; and
• Donald H. Snell Jr., 2004-05 SMU Alumni Association president and attorney, Snell Wylie & Tibbals, Dallas.

Continuing ex officio members are:

• Thalia Matherson, executive director, South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church, Dallas; and
• R. Gerald Turner, president, SMU.

“These new and continuing trustees reflect SMU’s strong regional support and its growing national and international connections,” said Board Chair Gerald J. Ford. “ They will play an important role in the university’s continued progress as a premier private university educating leaders for the 21st century.”

The new trustees were nominated to the South Central Jurisdiction by the 2000-2004 SMU Board of Trustees, based upon suggestions from board members; bishops and other members of The United Methodist Church; and faculty, students and alumni of SMU. Members are elected to four-year terms, with the exception of new ex officio members, who serve for one year.

SMU offers undergraduate degree programs in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Cox School of Business, Meadows School of the Arts and the School of Engineering. Graduate and professional programs are offered in these schools and in Dedman School of Law and Perkins School of Theology. SMU alumni number about 98,000 throughout the world.

04014-nr-8/25/04-aa