When Dr. Gail Hartin and Dr. Barbara Morganfield, both lecturers in the Department of Literacy, Language and Learning, received their Save the Date memos regarding a surprise announcement on Nov. 9, they had no idea it would be an announcement of such magnitude.
They did, however, hope the announcement would lead to a permanent building for SMU’s School of Education and Human Development.
“Currently, our programs are spread out among at least five different buildings,” said Dr. Hartin, who is also the director of undergraduate programs. “Sometimes that limits the accessibility to students, and it takes careful planning and lots of creativity when we need to bring the faculty together for meetings or collaborations.”
Thanks to a $20 million gift by Dallas philanthropists Harold C. and Annette C. Simmons, both Dr. Hartin and Dr. Morganfield received their new building as did other faculty and staff. The School of Education and Human Development also received much more that day.
“This is a tremendous gift that will benefit SMU in so many ways,” Dr. Morganfield said. “The generous financial support will enable us to take our already successful programs to the next level…SMU has the opportunity to become one of the leading institutions in the field of education and human development.”
SMU President R. Gerald Turner made the official announcement at 11:30 a.m. inside the James M. Collins Executive Center. Accompanying him was SMU Board of Trustees Chair Carl Sewell, Vice President of Development and External Affairs Brad Cheves, Dean David Chard from the School of Education and Human Development along with Harold C. and Annette C. Simmons themselves.
“There are only a handful of times in the history of the university where the SMU President has been able to make an announcement like this,” Turner said. “Harold and Annette truly understand the importance of education both from their own background and from their generous support of the greater Dallas area…I am delighted to tell you that Harold and Annette saw the opportunity to help SMU extend its leadership role in addressing the important educational issues of our schools both locally and far away.”
The new building will be named the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, which is expected to open in late 2009 or early 2010. Half of the Simmons’ gift will pay for the new building, but an additional $5 million will be needed to cover construction expenses.
As Trustee Sewell explained during the announcement, there is more.
The remaining $10 million will be divided equally among graduate fellowships, faculty recruitment and an endowed deanship. Five million will go toward the funding of 10 graduate fellowships for students in the Master’s and Ph.D. programs. It will be named the Fairess Simmons Graduate Fellowship Fund, after Harold’s mother. The remaining five million will be for faculty recruitment and the endowed deanship. It will be named the Leon Simmons Endowed Deanship and Faculty Recruitment Fund, after Harold’s father.
This is not the Simmons’ first donation to SMU. In the past, they have donated $1.2 million for the President Scholar’s program and $1.8 million to establish the Simmons Distinguished Professorship in Marketing for the Cox School of Business.
Annette Simmons herself is an SMU alumna. She graduated in 1957 with a degree in elementary education where she went on to teach 2nd and 3rd grade at Maple Lawn Elementary School in Dallas. She also taught on an airline base in the Philippines.
Mrs. Simmons told the audience she felt fortunate to have attended SMU.
“This is a very special occasion for me,” she said. “Growing up in Tyler, I heard a lot about this university and felt privileged to come here. My parents did not have the opportunity to attend college, so I was forever grateful that they sacrificed so I could come to the very best…And I am so honored to have my name on the SMU School of Education and Human Development.”
Harold Simmons also has ties to SMU. Though he is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s in economics, he opened the University Pharmacy on Hillcrest Avenue in 1967. Its lunch counter proved to be popular among SMU students. He later opened a chain of drug stores that he sold Jack Eckerd. The stores are now known as Eckerd’s Drugs. Simmons is currently the CEO of Contran Corporation, which has operations in chemicals, waste management, metals and computers.
Toward the end of the announcement, Dean Chard described how the School of Education and Human Development came to be, but not without mentioning first that he had chills.
“I am not afraid to tell you that I have chills standing before you,” he said. “I am sure that the faculty and staff here share the same feeling…When I joined as the Dean in Aug. 2007, it was a distant dream that we would someday be able to name our school and plan for a permanent new facility…This gift is an opportunity for us to build on a solid foundation and flourish to ensure high-quality teaching and scholarship to positively affect our society.”
The School of Education and Human Development was created in 2005, offering a variety of graduate-level and specialized courses. Educators can develop skills and research programs on how students learn and develop language skills. Teacher certification degrees are also offered.
As a part of Human Development, students can work toward Master’s degrees in dispute resolution and counseling. Liberal Studies and Wellness courses are also offered.
According to Trustee Sewell, SMU has made history.
“Harold and Annette, what you have done today is truly historic,” he said. “You have provided true leadership with this gift. You have provided permanent resources to the school’s future development.”