A crowd of students surrounded former President George W. Bush outside Fondren Science Building after he sat in on an SMU class Tuesday morning.

He had just spoken in a political science class. Secret Security, SMU President R. Gerald Turner, and Vice President of Development and External Affairs Brad Cheaves stood by Bush’s side. Bush graciously shook students’ hands and posed for pictures.

Students came running from all directions. Approximately 80 individuals were there. Many people tried to snap photos with their cell phones while security guards held students back.

He was wearing a tweed sports jacket and seemed happy to be with all of the students.

Bush recently bought a house in Dallas to be more involved with the Bush Library being built on the SMU campus.

Courtney O’Callaghan, a sophomore journalism and advertising major from Chicago, congratulated Bush on his new library.

“It should be a really cool place,” Bush said.

Professor Carolyn Barta used to cover him when she was a political writer for the Dallas Morning News. She covered his campaign for Texas governor in 1994, his reelection for governor in 1998, and his 2000 presidential campaign. She also covered his visits to Crawford, Texas where his ranch is located.

Bush recognized Barta and called out her name. This was impressive considering he had not seen her in many years, Barta said. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“The kiss was very cordial,” Barta said.

Barta asked him to come give tips to her journalism students.

“I’ll come speak to your class,” Bush said. “Invite me to come speak.”