SMU Forum

Al Armendariz named to Environmental Protection Agency

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:55:10 -0600

Al Armendariz, SMU associate professor of environmental and civil engineering, is President Barack Obama's choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 6, which includes Texas - the nation's largest producer of industrial air pollution - and four other southwestern states.

"I look forward to working closely with Al Armendariz on the range of urgent environmental issues we face, in region 6 and across the nation," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, who announced the appointment. "At this moment of great challenge and even greater opportunity, I'm thrilled that Al will be part of our leadership team at EPA. He will certainly play an instrumental role in our Agency's mission to protect our health and the environment."

Regional EPA administrators promote state and local environmental protection efforts and serve as a liaison between Jackson and state and local government officials. Armendariz takes the helm at Region 6 at a time when the EPA has made it clear that Texas pollution enforcement standards are not high enough and must meet federal Clean Air Act requirements followed by other states.

"I think it's fair to say that the new administration, the President and Lisa Jackson have put EPA on a new course to better protect the environment and I'm happy to be part of the team," Armendariz said. "I think it's pretty obvious to the regulated industries and the environmental groups and the politicians that what EPA is doing now is a big departure from what EPA has been doing for a number of years. It's an exciting time."

Region 6 includes the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, as well as 66 Indian tribes. While on leave, Armendariz will retain his appointment with SMU's Lyle School of Engineering.

"We are thrilled that Al Armendariz' work in improving our living and working environments has been recognized by the President and EPA Administrator," said Geoffrey Orsak, dean of the Lyle School. "Al is an extraordinarily talented, insightful and balanced engineer who will make a significant contribution to our nation and region."

"I am very excited and I'm looking forward to joining the administration," Armendariz said. "I've greatly enjoyed being at SMU. It's been a fantastic place to work and I've had the support of Dean Orsak and Dr. (R. Gerald) Turner for all my activities. It's been a great place to teach and do research, and I look forward to continuing my association with SMU for years to come."

Armendariz joined SMU in 2002 after receiving his Ph.D in environmental engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. He worked as a research assistant at the MIT Center for Global Change Science at their Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory in Massachusetts, and at the Radian Corporation in North Carolina as a chemical engineer, before joining the SMU faculty. He also spent a summer on special assignment to EPA's Dallas office as an environmental scientist.

• Learn more from SMU News

Cox School scores in BusinessWeek rankings

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:22:37 -0600

SMU's Cox School of Business has been ranked in the top 20 for all its graduate programs by BusinessWeek magazine.

The school's Executive M.B.A. (EMBA) program is No. 9 among the top programs in the world, while the Professional M.B.A. (PMBA) program is ranked No. 15 in the United States. In an earlier ranking, BusinessWeek ranked the Cox full-time M.B.A. program No. 18.

The Cox School is the only one in the Southwest and one of eight in the nation with full-time M.B.A., PMBA and EMBA programs ranked in the top 20. In other rankings, the Cox School's PMBA program is ranked No. 11 by U.S News & World Report, and the EMBA program is ranked No. 15 by The Wall Street Journal.

"The Cox School is consistently recognized for its exceptional educational experience," says Dean Al Niemi. "An outstanding faculty, a strong global network, a strategic location in one of the world's best cities for business, and a number of innovative programs, centers and institutes keep our students on the leading edge of business."

Results of the EMBA ranking were based on a two-part survey in which the opinions of graduates and program directors each accounted for 50 percent of a school's score. The Cox EMBA program was noted for its outstanding teaching and curriculum by its students.

The PMBA rankings were based on a student satisfaction survey (40 percent), academic quality (30 percent) and post-graduation outcomes (30 percent). Students praised the Cox School's myriad of networking opportunities, mentorship program and industry connections in Dallas for setting the school apart.

The complete list of rankings can be found at BusinessWeek online.

Students stand out during Family Weekend Nov. 13-15

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:46:19 -0600

After a winning Homecoming 2009 weekend, the SMU community prepares to celebrate another long-standing tradition: Family Weekend, set for Nov. 13-15.

With a theme of "Passport to SMU," the weekend includes activities designed to help families learn more about their students' experiences at the University. Highlights include:

• Nov. 13 - Ford Stadium tour at 10:30 a.m.; Mothers' Club reception and luncheon starting at 11 a.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center; meetings with the faculty at 2 p.m.; and a student talent show at 8 p.m. in McFarlin Auditorium.

• Nov. 14 - Meadows Museum tour starting at 10:30 a.m.; barbecue with the Dads' Club and a tailgate party on the Boulevard starting at 11:30 a.m.; cheer on the Mustangs against the University of Texas-El Paso Miners at 2 p.m. in Ford Stadium.

• Nov. 15 - Mass in Perkins Chapel at 9 a.m.; College Hispanic American Students luncheon at noon in Hughes-Trigg Student Center; and the Asian Council dinner at 6 p.m. in Hughes-Trigg.

• Read the full schedule courtesy of SMU News (PDF format)

Artist Certificate candidate takes top prize at Liszt-Garrison competition

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:12:41 -0600

Liudmila Georgievskaya, an Artist Certificate candidate in piano in SMU's Meadows School of the Arts, won first prize in the 2009 Liszt-Garrison Festival and International Piano Competition held at the College of Notre Dame in Maryland in October.

Georgievskaya won the top prize in the Concerto division with her performances of Liszt's Second Concerto and Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas. The prize includes a performance as soloist with the Concert Artists of Baltimore, conducted by Edward Polochick, during their 2010-11 season.

Nearly 60 contestants from 25 countries competed in the biannual event, sponsored by the American Liszt Society. All contestants are required to play a work by Liszt and a work by an American composer.

Georgievskaya is a student of Joaquín Achúcarro, the Meadows School's Joel Estes Tate Professor of Piano. At SMU, she was named winner of the 2009 Concerto Competition and received the Von Mickwitz Prize in piano. She will present a free recital at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in Caruth Auditorium, Owen Arts Center. For more information, call the Division of Music at 214-768-1951.

• Read more from SMU News

Research Spotlight: Jurassic climate, from treeless to tropical

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:40:15 -0600

The Congo Basin - with its massive, lush tropical rain forest - was far different 150 million to 200 million years ago.

At that time Africa and South America were part of the single continent Gondwana. The Congo Basin was arid, with a small amount of seasonal rainfall, and few bushes or trees populated the landscape, according to a new geochemical analysis of rare ancient soils.

The geochemical analysis provides new data for the Jurassic period, when very little is known about central Africa's paleoclimate, says Timothy Myers, a paleontology doctoral student in SMU's Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Dedman College.

There aren't a whole lot of terrestrial deposits from that time period preserved in Central Africa," Myers says. "Scientists have been looking at Africa's paleoclimate for some time, but data from this time period is unique."

There are several reasons for the scarcity of deposits: Ongoing armed conflict makes it difficult and challenging to retrieve them; and the thick vegetation, a humid climate and continual erosion prevent the preservation of ancient deposits, which would safeguard clues to Africa's paleoclimate.

Myers' research is based on a core sample drilled by a syndicate interested in the oil and mineral deposits in the Congo Basin. Myers accessed the sample - drilled from a depth of more than 2 kilometers - from the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, where it is housed. With the permission of the museum, he analyzed pieces of the core at the SMU Huffington Department of Earth Science's Isotope Laboratory.

"I would love to look at an outcrop in the Congo," Myers says, "but I was happy to be able to do this." (Above, an ancient soil crack, called a clastic dike, produced by alternate wetting and drying cycles from seasonal rainfall.)

• Read more from the SMU Research blog

Faculty in the News: Nov. 10, 2009

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:53:26 -0600

Brian Bruce, ENCAP Investments & LCM Group Alternative Asset Management Center, Cox School of Business, talked about rebuilding a retirement portfolio in a tumultuous economic climate with The Fort Worth Star-Telegram Nov. 8, 2009.

Cal Jillson, Political Science, Dedman College, discussed the confusing language of Texas' constitutional amendment propositions and its impact on voters with The Wall Street Journal Nov. 4, 2009.

Al Armendariz, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lyle School of Engineering, discussed pollution and health concerns raised by natural gas drilling in Texas' Barnett Shale as part of a segment for National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" Nov. 3, 2009.

Calendar Highlights: Nov. 10, 2009

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:28:34 -0600

Clements Center Brown Bag Lecture: Clements Center Fellow Sarah Cornell examines the clashes between workers and planters in early 20th-century Mississippi and Louisiana in "Planters and Peons: Mexican Workers in the U.S. South" at noon Nov. 11 in the Texana Room, DeGolyer Library. Bring your lunch. For more information, contact the Clements Center for Southwest Studies, 214-768-3684. (Right, African American and Mexican cotton pickers in a plantation store, Mississippi Delta, 1939.)

"Holocaust Legacies" symposium: A panel of Holocaust historians, educators and survivors - as well as gerontologists, social workers and pastoral care clergy - will discuss findings from a study on resilience, forgiveness and survivorship among older Holocaust survivors in "Holocaust Survivors: Stories of Resilience." Presenters include Roberta R. Greene, School of Social Work, University of Texas; and Harriet L. Cohen, Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Department of Social Work, TCU. The symposium takes place 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Great Hall, Perkins Prothro Hall, and is part of the "Holocaust Legacies: Shoah as Turning Point" series presented by SMU's Human Rights Education Program.

A song in their hearts: The Dallas Opera/SMU Emerging Artist Program presents Opera in a Box: Follow Your Dreams, written and directed by Meadows Opera Theatre Director Hank Hammett. Using props and costumes, four aspiring opera singers share their personal passions, experiences and joys while creating some of their favorite characters onstage. The performance is sung in English and begins at 1 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Taubman Atrium, Owen Arts Center. Cosponsored by The Dallas Morning News. Free and open to the public.

Six by Tenn: The Meadows Wind Ensemble (right) leads an evening of music and poetry featuring mezzo-soprano and SMU Professor Virginia Dupuy in a performance of Warren Benson's Shadow Wood: Six Poems of Tennessee Williams, composed on commission for the Meadows Wind Ensemble and featured on the Ensemble's first commercial CD in the late 1990s. The program also features Joseph Schwantner's Music of Amber with Meadows pianist and professor Samuel Holland as guest soloist, Augusta Read Thomas's Magneticfireflies and a set of works by Toru Takemitsu. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Nov. 13 in Caruth Auditorium, Owen Arts Center. Tickets are $7 each for students, faculty and staff members. For more information, contact the Meadows Ticket Office, 214-768-2787 ((214-SMU-ARTS).

"Meadows at the Bath House" Series: The Meadows School of the Arts faculty jazz quintet Jampact will perform with videographers and movement artists using live cameras and improvisation to create a unique performance experience. The show begins at 8 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Bath House Cultural Center on White Rock Lake, 521 E. Lawther Drive. Tickets are $5 each. For more information, contact Kim Corbet at 214-542-5663 or visit the Bath House Cultural Center website.

SMU ranked among Dallas' Top 100 Places to Work 2009

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:45:37 -0600

SMU has been recognized as one of the 100 best places to work in Dallas-Fort Worth by The Dallas Morning News.

The University is ranked No. 67 overall in "Top 100 Places to Work 2009," the News' annual list of the best employers in the DFW area. SMU also ranks 15th highest among large companies - the Top 100 firms with 500 or more DFW-based employees.

The results are based on employee surveys conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, a firm specializing in workplace surveys and metrics. Companies who participated were nominated by their employees.

The Dallas Morning News announced the Top 100 at an awards ceremony Nov. 5 and in a magazine insert that appeared in the Nov. 8 Sunday edition.

"SMU has long been considered a preferred employer in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex," says Jeff Strese, director of human resources. "Our excellent benefits package, commitment to quality work life, and a beautiful campus environment help communicate SMU's expression of excellence toward faculty and staff retention. Now the University will enjoy the formal distinction as one of the top places to work.

"I am very pleased that our faculty and staff have expressed their views so clearly with an overwhelming survey response."

Sports: Cross country ranked No. 1 in South Central Region

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:39:26 -0600

The cross country team earned its second consecutive Conference USA Championship Nov. 1 and has moved up to the No. 1 ranking in the South Central Region, voted on by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Mustangs are also the No. 25 team in the country. The Mustangs return to action Nov. 14 at the 2009 NCAA South Central Regional in Waco. Read more.

New mustangs' roles at SMU football games defined

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:29:03 -0600

SMU's two new mustangs, given to the University earlier this fall by the National Wild Horse Foundation with the support of Madeleine and T. Boone Pickens, will participate in their first official University duties at this weekend's SMU football game against Rice.

In a decision reached this week by members of the Student Senate, staff representatives and members of the Mustangs football team, the new horses will lead the team from the Mustangs statue at the north end of Mustang Plaza, passing through Doak Walker Plaza, and proceeding to Gerald J. Ford Stadium before each of SMU's three remaining home games.

Peruna, the Mustangs' official mascot, will then fulfill his generations-long tradition of leading the team from the locker room and onto the field. He also will continue to run across the field after SMU scores and will always be positioned at the end of the field to which the SMU offense is headed.

While Peruna handles his normal responsibilities, the mustangs will remain at Ford Stadium near the field's southwest corner.

The University wishes to thank Student Senator Matthew Neman, Student Body Vice President Allison Reyes, Student Senator and Peruna Handler Jake Torres, football Captain Chase Kennemer and teammate Pete Fleps for their leadership and unifying efforts to incorporate gracefully our new horses into the color and pageantry of SMU Mustangs football.

(Above, Madeleine Pickens and SMU Athletic Director Steve Orsini stand between SMU's two new mustangs at the "Salute to the Mustangs" halftime event during the SMU-Navy game Oct. 17.)

Former surgeon general to discuss healthcare in 2009 Raggio Lecture

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:18:16 -0600

Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders, who served as the United States' 15th surgeon general during the Clinton Administration, will discuss the state of women's healthcare in America during SMU's 2009 Louise B. Raggio Endowed Lecture in Women's Studies. The event takes place at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Theater.

Dr. Elders became the first African American and the second woman to hold the post of surgeon general when she was sworn in on Sept. 8, 1993. As surgeon general, she initiated programs to combat youth smoking and teen pregnancy and to increase childhood immunizations. She remains an influential advocate for prenatal care, healthcare reform, women's health and treatments for HIV/AIDS.

The lecture series is presented by SMU's Women's and Gender Studies Program. Tickets are $10 each. For more information, contact Erin Sutton, 214-768-4575.

• Visit the Raggio Lecture Series homepage

2009 DAA Awards honor outstanding alumni, emerging leader

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:20:35 -0600

A minister, a businessman and a nonprofit founder will receive SMU's 2009 Distinguished Alumni Awards, the highest honor the university bestows upon its graduates.

This year's 2009 recipients include:

Frederick B. Hegi Jr. ('66), founding partner of the private investment firm Wingate Partners
Joe T. White ('70), founder of Kanakuk Kamps and Kids Across America and president and board chair of Kanakuk Ministries
Cecil Williams ('55), minister and leader of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, one of the nation's most racially and culturally diverse congregations

Artist Amanda Dunbar ('04, right) will receive the Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes an outstanding alumnus or alumna who has graduated within the last 15 years. Dunbar became the youngest woman and the first painter to be inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 2006. With proceeds from her painting sales, she has formed a charitable organization to fund arts programs for young children.

The DAA Award banquet and ceremony takes place at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Freeway. For more information, visit smu.edu/homecoming.

Digital Threads 2009 promotes networking on and offline

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:52:42 -0600

Social media and their impact on career growth will be the hot topics of the 3rd annual Digital Threads networking symposium, to be held Nov. 5-6 in SMU's Meadows School of the Arts.

SMU faculty and students will have the opportunity to meet with leaders in social media while discussing innovative uses of social networking tools.

This year's keynote session is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Nov. 5 in O'Donnell Recital Hall, 2130 Owen Arts Center. "Advertising, Music, Television - Social Media Changes Everything" will be moderated by Terry Mackin, president of the global media consulting practice Foresight Lab. Participants include:

Larry Weintraub, CEO of the digital word-of-mouth marketing company Fanscape
Jimmy Dunne, president of the music and entertainment promotions firm Inspire
Tyson Wheatley, producer and news manager of CNN.com

The sessions will be followed by a 4 p.m. reception in Taubman Atrium. Students, faculty and industry professionals are welcome.

Concurrent sessions on the uses of social media will take place throughout the day Nov. 6, with topics ranging from building a brand, to breaking into the music industry, to news gathering and dissemination.

• Find a complete schedule at the SMU News website

Game on: SMU celebrates Homecoming 2009

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:10:10 -0600

The SMU community celebrates Homecoming 2009 through Nov. 8. This year's theme is "Let the Games Begin," and the event is coordinated by the Student Foundation.

Activities kicked off Oct. 31 with campus-wide community service projects and will conclude with the Homecoming worship service at 11 a.m. Nov. 8 in Perkins Chapel. Highlights include:

• The Distinguished Alumni Awards Nov. 5 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel.

• Reunion gatherings, planned for the classes of '64, '69, '74, '79, '84, '89, '94, '99 and '04. For more information, call SMU Reunion Programs at 800-766-4371 or visit smu.edu/homecoming.

• The Homecoming parade, beginning at 11 a.m. Nov. 7 and featuring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison as 2009 Parade Marshal. After the parade, head to Bishop Boulevard for tailgating.

• The Homecoming game, where the Mustangs take on the Rice Owls at 2 p.m. Nov. 7 in Ford Stadium. Call 214-SMU-GAME or visit smumustangs.com for tickets.

Find a full schedule at the Student Foundation website.

SMU receives Hispanic College Fund's Legacy Award

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:51:44 -0600

SMU received the Hispanic College Fund's 2009 Legacy Award for leadership and investment in a diverse student population during the 16th Annual Portraits of Success gala Oct. 30 in Washington, D.C. This year marks the first time that an educational institution has received the honor, which is typically given to federal agencies.

SMU was chosen for its exceptional commitment to the recruitment of Hispanic students, the level of support provided to the Hispanic Youth Symposium, its community leadership and the ability to create a genuine community-led event.

This summer, SMU hosted Texas' first Hispanic Youth Symposium, a program to promote higher education to at-risk Hispanic youth in partnership with the Dallas Independent School District, Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District and the Social Security Administration. In addition to the Legacy Award, the gala honors 477 scholarship recipients and corporate supporters of the organization.

SMU representatives accepting the award on behalf of the University included Associate Provost Tom Tunks, Meadows School of the Arts Dean José Bowen and Associate Director of Diversity and Community Outreach Raul Magdaleno.

SMU President R. Gerald Turner said the Legacy Award coincides with SMU's goal to attract more Hispanic students.

"We are committed to broadening our outreach efforts to Hispanic students," Turner said. "At SMU, they bring important perspectives and enrich the campus experience for all students. These are the men and women who will be leading our region and nation in all areas of achievement."