Centers & Institutes
The following centers and institutes are located at Southern Methodist University, serving as resources to the University, the community and the world. Many also offer opportunities for scholarly research and writing, conferences, periodic lectures and symposia. Questions about the centers and institutes should be sent to their directors or faculty members.
All University
| Center for Scientific Computation | The center is an interdisciplinary research center devoted to the application of computational techniques to problems in mathematics, engineering, and applied sciences. |
| The Guildhall at SMU | The Guildhall is the premier graduate video game education program in the nation. Many of the school's founders are industry icons, and classes are run by industry veterans. Alumni have worked at more than 80 video game studios in North America. The program offers a Master's degree in Interactive Technology and a graduate Professional Certificate. |
| Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility | The Center supports research, writing and teaching in ethics at the graduate and undergraduate level; organizes local seminars, colloquia, and workshops; and recognizes citizens who exemplify the spirit of moral leadership and public virtue. |
| AT&T Center for Virtualization | In the new AT&T Center for Virtualization Technologies at SMU, researchers from across the University will conduct interdisciplinary research to address the technical, economic and social issues presented by the shift towards virtualized technology. |
Arts
| Temerlin Advertising Institute | The Institute strives to advance the state of advertising communication through partnerships with both industry and government and through programs to blend the research interests of the academy and the profession. While enhancing the effectiveness of advertising domestically and abroad, Institute professors with high levels of advertising expertise and experience provide undergraduate instruction to a select group of students, within an environment that fosters creativity, energy and ethical conduct. |
| Center of Creative Computation | The Center of Creative Computation is an interdisciplinary research and teaching center exploring computation as a universal generative medium–integrating creative development, quantitative analysis and interdisciplinary synthesis. The Center offers both a major and minor in Creative Computing, combining core coursework from the Meadows School of the Arts and the Lyle School of Engineering. |
Business
| Albert W. Niemi Center for American Capitalism | The Albert W. Niemi Center for American Capitalism focuses on creating learning experiences for students and community members. Paid fellowships have been created to provide undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to be involved in impactful research with the Bush Institute and SMU Centers and faculty. The fellowship program was designed to drive positive change and promote growth and freedom in the global economy throughout the world. The Niemi Center also has a certificate program in American Capitalism and offers undergrad and graduate credit courses at SMU. |
| Business Library | The Center provides high-quality information services for Cox Business School students and others in the University community. |
| Business Leadership Center | The Center provides Cox Business School students with the "soft skills" needed to be successful in business. The BLC offers classes and seminars that complement the curriculum at the school. |
| Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship | As one of the oldest entrepreneurship centers in the United States, the Institute has for more than 25 years been committed to encouraging those who can to build a business of their own. |
| Center for Research in Real Estate and Land Use Economics | The Center provides opportunities for students to deepen their exposure to critical issues in the current real estate industry and acts as a conduit for research which it conducts through the Costa Institute of Real Estate Finance and the Folsom Institute for Development and Land Use Policy. |
| Don Jackson Center for Financial Studies | The Don Jackson Center for Financial Studies provides enrichment programs and research opportunities for students and faculty in the Cox School's Finance Department. |
| EnCap Investments & LCM Group Alternative Asset Management Center | The Alternative Asset Management Center provides students with hands-on training in the increasingly important financial markets of non-traditional asset classes, including hedge funds and private equity funds. |
| Kitt Investing and Trading Center | The Kitt Investing and Trading Center is a state-of-the-art instructional and research facility designed to integrate finance curriculum, enhance innovative faculty research, and teach students practical finance and investment applications. |
| JCPenney Center for Retail Excellence | The Center is a leading source of academic expertise on consumer shopping behavior and the effects of retailer activities on shopping behavior. |
| Maguire Energy Institute | The Institute promotes the study of policy, marketing, and management issues related to oil, natural gas and electricity. |
| O'Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom | The O'Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom was established to study the impact of competitive market forces on freedom and prosperity in the global economy. |
| Southwestern Graduate School of Banking | The School offers a comprehensive, state-of-the-industry program designed for those seeking a dynamic approach to graduate-level instruction in banking. |
Engineering
| Caruth Institute for Engineering Education | The Institute is one the nation's leading organizations that develops and delivers engineering curriculum for K-12 students. Today, the Institute is home to nationally recognized and award winning programs such as The Infinity Project and Visioneering which reach millions of students in all fifty states. |
| Hart Center for for Engineering Leadership | By providing corporate leadership tools, customized development plans and leadership coaching, the Center helps engineering students build confidence and gain an understanding of how the process of becoming a leader works once they've completed their degree programs. |
| Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity | The Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity is dedicated to using the power of engineering, collaboration and the free market to develop and implement solutions to the problems of the poor, both here and abroad. |
| The Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing | This Center conducts cutting edge research and development in new, sophisticated manufacturing technologies. In 2005, the center became part of the highly competitive National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Lasers and Plasmas for Advanced Manufacturing. Each year, over 300 corporate researchers and academicians visit the center. |
Law
| Deason Family Criminal Justice Reform Center | The Deason Family Criminal Justice Reform Center’s independent research and its development of educational opportunities are focused on issues ranging from wrongful convictions to over-incarceration. The overarching goal of the Center is to promote the fair, ethical, and compassionate treatment of people involved in every stage of the criminal justice process. |
| Judge Elmo B. Hunter Legal Center for Victims of Crimes Against Women | Made possible by Ray L. and Nancy Ann Hunter Hunt and named in honor of Mrs. Hunt’s father, this legal center will provide services for the victims of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and other crimes against women. Under the supervision of law faculty, SMU Dedman Law students working in the Hunter Legal Center will provide legal services such as protective orders, divorce, custody and child support agreements; and assistance with credit and housing issues. |
| Tsai Center for Law, Science and Innovation | The Center provides a platform for collaboration among legal, science, engineering, and business students, scholars and professionals. It will focus on the intersection of innovation, intellectual property law, and entrepreneurship by exploring the relationship between innovation policies, scientific research, and the development and commercialization of new technologies. |
| Robert B. Rowling Center for Business Law & Leadership | Dallas - Fort Worth is one of the most vibrant business environments in the United States, attracting corporations, entrepreneurs, investors, and talent from around the globe. SMU Dedman School of Law and the Robert B. Rowling Center for Business Law & Leadership adds to this dynamism by providing our students, faculty, and the greater DFW legal and business community, and beyond, with innovative courses, hands-on experience, and cutting-edge faculty research. |
| W. W. Caruth, Jr. Institute for Children's Rights | The Institute’s current focus is on improving the educational outcomes for children in the child welfare system through advocacy efforts. The Institute has and continues to reach out to organizations that are pursuing this work to facilitate information sharing, increase collaboration, promote coordination of efforts. The Institute also studies national efforts and works to promote successful programs that can be duplicated in other localities, states, and regions. |
Science and Humanities
| Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute |
The Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute (DCII) encompasses all the divisions within Dedman College: humanities, social sciences and sciences, which includes mathematics and statistics. It also reaches out through its programs to the rest of the University and to the local community, creating a culture of interdisciplinary inquiry and bridging the physical sciences and the humanities, the liberal arts and the professional schools, and academia and the broader community. |
| The Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4) |
The Center for Drug Discovery, Design and Delivery (CD4) is a novel multi-disciplinary focus for scientific research targeting medically important problems in human health. Using innovative approaches, CD4’s mission is to potentiate the development of new therapeutics, their delivery methods as well as the translation of these new therapeutics to clinical studies. |
| Center for Global Health Impact | The Center for Global Health Impact at SMU aims to save lives in developing countries and in poor settings through innovation approaches that bring effective and affordable health solutions to those who need them and in ways they will use them. |
| William P. Clements Center For Southwest Studies | The Center sponsors scholarly research and writing, conferences, periodic lectures and symposia on the people, institutions and cultures of the Southwest. |
| Institute for the Study of Earth and Man | The Institute develops and supports interdisciplinary research projects in the geological sciences, archaeology, anthropology, energy and the environment. |
| John Goodwin Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs | The Center supports teaching and research programs in international studies and national security policy. It also sponsors conferences, lectures, seminars, symposia and workshops on contemporary political issues. |
| The Center for Presidential History | The Center for Presidential History (CPH) at SMU is dedicated to exploring and disseminating the history of the American presidency by sponsoring cutting-edge research on the presidency, delivering the fruits of that research in published academic and public forums, and by simultaneously adding to the rich archival record of the presidency through a wide-ranging oral history project. |
Students
| Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center |
The Center provides undergraduate students with academic support and guidance beyond the classroom experience, helping them become more independent, self-confident, and efficient learners. |
| Gifted Students Institute | The Institute is dedicated to the education and development of talented and gifted students by providing services to educators and their schools, as well as students and their families. |
Teaching and Education
| Center for Teacher Education | The Center prepares undergraduate and graduate students to meet the requirements for certification in elementary, secondary, and all levels music education in the state of Texas and in most other states. |
| Center for Teaching Excellence | The Center establishes university-wide programs that promote and encourage teaching excellence; provides individualized support for the development of teaching excellence; and recognizes excellence in teaching and pedagogic innovation. |
| Institute for Evidence-Based Education | The Institute promotes academic excellence in K-12 education by conducting and disseminating cutting edge research on effective instruction, teachers, and schools. |
Theology
| Center for Missional Wisdom | The Center helps Christian denominations recover, develop, and renew their evangelistic heritage and ministry by providing a comprehensive program of research, publication, and continuing education. |
| Center for the Study of Latino/a Christianity and Religions | The Center promotes a deeper understanding of the varieties of religious life and expression within the Latino communities in the USA and Latin America and addresses issues related to the Latino/a religious experience within a broader ecumenical and religious context. |