SMU-Magazine-Fall-2020.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
On August 15, 2020, the Hilltop was a celebratory red and blue in honor Saluting of the Class of 2020, a graduating class that will always have the seal of history. The All-University Commencement Convocation, postponed from May 2020, the Class saluted the hard work and fortitude of the SMU graduates whose last semester was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Jim Lentz, former of 2020 CEO of Toyota Motor North America, delivered the Commencement speech. 02879-IFC.indd 1 9/23/20 4:44 AM Volume Seventy-One 01 2020 Features Departments To Our Readers 02 Features 03 News 16 L E A DING Alumni 30 THROUGH Etc. 48 CHANGE 19 Pg. 03 Expertise And Empathy Mustangs meet the crises facing our community head on, helping front-line health work- ers, working toward racial justice and lending a hand to students in economic straits. YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS A NEW INITIATIVE, THE PRESIDENTIAL FUND FOR IMMEDIATE NEEDS, IS HELPING SMU STUDENTS AFFECTED ECONOMICALLY BY THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC INSIDE THIS ISSUE: A HISTORICAL LOOK BACK The current health crisis and human rights movement are di erent from anything we’ve ever seen before. Campus Responds To COVID-19 Meeting The Moment But Mustangs of every generation have faced At SMU, the challenge created by a In the wake of the murder of George challenges. Take a global pandemic has been answered Floyd and other Black men and look at more than 100 with innovation, creativity and women, Black SMU alumni share years of how SMU resilience. Here are some of the ways their stories and, using many dierent has engaged in times of social upheaval. Mustangs have helped those impacted arenas, call for meaningful action to by COVID-19 and its fallout. address issues of inequality and bias. 12 page 03 page 07 02879-01.indd 1 9/21/20 5:45 PM Mustangs Are Stronger Together As you know, 2020 has been a historic This year also exposed some hard READERS year for SMU in more ways than one. The truths that were necessary for our campus spring brought breakthroughs in faculty to acknowledge. Although much progress research, student achievement and has been achieved to create a more community outreach. It also brought a equitable and inclusive campus, more once-in-a-century global pandemic and work remains to be done. Members of my raised issues of racial inequality and team and I held meetings with SMU’s injustice both nationally and on the Black student organizations, alumni Hilltop. Through it all, our community’s board, sta and faculty. We will continue generosity, resiliency and willingness to to listen while building an action plan act has been inspirational. Even in uncer- that addresses the unique needs of tain times, SMU shapes bold leaders, SMU’s Black community. To that end, equipping them to change the world. we recently announced Dr. Maria Dixon Unlike many other universities, SMU Hall as SMU’s ¨rst Chief Diversity continues to advance because of the Ocer to lead the implementation of strength of our planning and our com- these plans. There will be challenges munity. We dealt with ¨nancial loss due ahead, but SMU will continue to meet President R. Gerald Turner to the pandemic through prudence and them with courage and resourcefulness. sacri¨ce. We reduced expenses, applied With guidance from our surrounding has to oer as safely as possible. SMU is for federal CARES funding to oset community leaders and public health commied to moving forward and losses and delayed hiring until 2021. experts, SMU spent the spring and delivering the excellent education and In addition, our community uniformly summer preparing to welcome our campus experience we have provided for answered the call to help their fellow students back to campus this fall. Most of over a hundred years. We have weath- Mustangs. In these pages, you will read our students will enjoy in-person classes. ered storms before and will continue to about their incredible eorts to support However, we have also implemented remain Mustang Strong as we face front-line workers and those sheltering in SMUFlex, a hybrid teaching model that whatever changes come. SMU, as always, place. Many of our SMU supporters allows students to aend classes virtu- will greet the future boldly. donated to the Presidential Fund for ally. Our virtual courses are immersive Pony Up! Immediate Needs and Pony Power Plus and interactive experiences with the initiatives, enabling students to continue professor and other students, mimicking their educations despite the ¨nancial the classroom environment. R¬ GERALD TURNER hardships posed by COVID-19. We are Although this semester may look a bit President forever grateful for their crucial and dierent than previous semesters, SMU timely support. students will experience all the Hilltop VOL , NO FALL Designers Brooke Carlock, The Matchbox Copyright © Southern Methodist University 2020 Studio, Becky Wade SMU MAGAZINE is published by the Oce of Marketing and Communications, Development and External Aairs, in Vice President for Development and Photography Sean Berry, Hillsman S. Jackson, fall and spring for alumni and other friends of SMU. The External A airs Brad E. Cheves Jason Janik, Kailani Koenig-Muenster, Oce of Marketing and Communications retains the right to determine editorial and advertising content and manner of Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Kendal Lanier, Elizabeth Lavin, Kim Leeson, presentation. The opinions expressed in the magazine do Communications Regina Moldovan Jeffrey McWhorter, Guy Rogers, III, Allison not necessarily reect ocial University policy. Leers to the Slomowitz editor and contributions to the Class Notes section are welcomed. Send correspondence to: Editor, SMU Magazine, Executive Director, Creative Marketing Oce of Marketing and Communications, PO Box 750174, Emily Hughes Armour ’98, ’02 Printer ColorDynamics Dallas TX 75275-0174; email: [email protected]. Senior Editor Patricia Ward Lisa Barnes, Emily Bywaters, Southern Methodist University (SMU) will not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, education activity, or Contributors admissions on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. SMU’s commitment Cherri Gann ’15, Jessica Good, Joan Gosnell, to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. The Executive Laura Graham ’17, Andrea Luttrell ’12, Director for Access and Equity/Title IX1 Coordinator is designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies, including the prohibition of sex discrimination under Title IX. The Executive Director/Title IX Coordinator may be reached at the Perkins [ PAG E ] Vicki Olvera, Neil Robinson, David Thomas, Administration Building, Room 204, 6425 Boaz Lane, Dallas, TX 75205, 214-768-3601, [email protected]. Inquiries regarding the 2 Amanda Upton, Bindu Varghese, application of Title IX may also be directed to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education. Susan White ’05, Catherine Womack ’08 1 Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681-1688. Rising To FEATURES The Challenge By David Thomas Mustangs meet the pandemic head on Unprecedented and uncertain: these are the well-worn descriptors of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet, it has also given us opportunities to be our best selves. SMU has met the challenges introduced by COVID-19 with innovation, creativity and resilience. In the midst of the pandemic, here are some of the ways that SMU has continued to be Mustang Strong. An Interview With Leigh Ann Mo ett, Director Of Emergency Management Even for someone as experienced as Leigh At what point did you realize COVID-19 This seems like a stressful role. Ann Moett, the challenges COVID-19 brings was going to be consequential? What keeps you going? to her role as SMU’s director of emergency When cases first started to appear in the This is a good team and these are really good management are unique. U.S. in January, that’s when we immedi - people in the EOC. Everyone is working just ately pulled together our team. We started as hard and putting in as many long hours as For over a decade she’s been preparing for reviewing our pandemic plan to ensure we I am. We all do it for the greater good of our – and managing – complex emergencies like had the capability and capacity to execute students and the SMU community. fires and active shooter situations on college it. SMU’s decision not to resume on-campus campuses. COVID-19, however, has proven instruction in the spring was significant. We to be as demanding as it is far-reaching. had to further evaluate what resources we’d Luckily, Moett is up to the task, with a little need and where to pull them from. That’s why help. it was critical for the EOC to meet regularly and form a united response. She leads SMU’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), a cross section of campus How is this emergency di erent from departments that coordinates the University’s anything else you’ve managed? comprehensive response to the virus. It’s challenging to target an end date. With any incident, there will always be unknowns. Moett discussed how this group handled Not only is the timeline uncertain, but a pan- myriad issues created by the pandemic with demic is not a scenario where the threat can SMU Magazine. be immediately neutralized. Because of that, starting the recovery process is uncertain. [ PAG E ] It’s quite dierent from a fire or an active 3 shooter in that sense. 02879-03-06.indd 3 9/21/20 5:58 PM Help Is Just A Phone Call Away When times get tough, SMU’s Center for FEATURES Family Counseling is there to help.