The Hunt Leadership Scholars Program began in 1993 from the vision and generosity of Nancy Ann and Ray L. Hunt. When they were students at SMU, the Hunts hoped someday “to give back to the university that had done so much for us.”

They believed that an SMU education fosters, and benefits from, the kind of student with a combination of qualities:

• Demonstrated leadership ability
• Intellectual ability coupled with the desire to apply that ability to leadership and community participation
• A strong work ethic and willingness to accept responsibility
• A desire to grow in one’s leadership skills within the SMU community and eventually beyond

Thus, the Hunts founded a scholarship program that would attract, and make an SMU education available to, students with these qualities.