Pres. R. Gerald Turner discusses SMU’s first ever community and economic impact report Tuesday. (Courtesy of SMU News and Communications)
SMU released its first ever community and economic impact report detailing the quantitative return on investment SMU has had since its inception in relation to the city of Dallas.
President R. Gerald Turner, SMU Board Chair Caren Prothro and trustees Carl Sewell, Ray L. Hunt and Michael Boone all commented on the report at a luncheon Tuesday at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
“This is our chance to tell people in a nutshell what the impact of SMU has been on their community,” Prothro said.
The report, titled “Dallas and SMU: The Power of Partnership,” highlights how SMU impacted the city of Dallas in seven specific categories.
The total SMU combined annual spending impact is $7 billion according to the report, which breaks down the figure by local spending by SMU and spending by SMU alumni who live in the DFW region.
SMU also has total assets of $4 billion, including its $1.2 billion endowment, real estate market value, buildings, equipment, art, special collections, cash, receivables and pledges.
The report pinpoints outstanding academic programs, distinguished faculty, and research as some of the integral factors that add value to Dallas.
SMU is also recruiting better students, substantiated by a 129 point average SAT score increase (1140 – 1269) over the last 15 years. Applications have also risen by 60 percent from 8,600 in 2007 to 13,800 in 2012.
More than 2,500 students provided over 200,000 hours of public service in the region.
SMU also offers education initiatives, counselling services and legal aid clinics.
SMU attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually for cultural events, lectures, athletic events and other programs.
On top of that, more than 400 music, dance, and theatre performances are presented each year to the public.
Nine libraries house the largest private collection of research materials in the Southwest, including the archives of Stanley Marcus and Texas Instruments.
SMU has 40,000 alumni living in the Dallas region and 112,000 alumni worldwide. Just to name a few, these individuals include Fortune 500 CEOs, astronauts, government officials, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Olympic gold medallists.
