Brad Cheves, vice president of development and external affairs, led a presentation outlining SMU’s response to Hurricane Katrina, the campus master plan and the information about the Bush library to faculty and staff members at the Faculty Club Distinguished Luncheon Series.
He began by thanking faculty for their tremendous efforts in responding to the educational needs of students from Tulane, as well as the few from Xavier, Dillard, Loyola and New Orleans.
“It brings out the best and shows the best of this university,” he said.
All students enrolled at SMU will receive transferable course credit.
During Q&A, journalism school head Tony Pederson asked if SMU was considering enrolling visiting students who wanted to stay past the fall semester as SMU students.
He pointed out that many visiting students are experiencing their first semester in college at SMU because of the damaging results of Hurricane Katrina. So, for some, SMU is the university they will associate with college, though it is not the university they had originally chosen to attend.
Cheves said the university has always been up front with the home schools before making any decisions regarding the enrollment of their students as visiting students.
“SMU is not trying to take away other universities’ students,” Cheves said, adding that there has been discussion concerning the ethics of this issue.
Next on the agenda, Cheves discussed the national attention a presidential library would bring to SMU.
“It is a real collecting point for researchers and historians from around the world,” he said. “And they would literally come to this campus and analyze the good, the bad and the ugly of this particular period in history.”
If the George W. Bush Presidential Library were to come to SMU, it would be separate from SMU’s development and activity.
He said that although some people may not like what Bush has done, they must recognize the long-term benefits of having a presidential library on campus. Though it may seem like a form of politics, having so many records at your fingertips makes the library an asset, he said.
Cheves addressed the third point of his presentation: the centennial campaign.The No. 1 strategy of the master plan is to become an institution with an overall, comprehensive ranking that stands out nationally.
But to do this, he said, we need to spread the word.
“You have to tell them what’s about to hit them, and then you hit them,” he said, making a reference to the Battle of Normandy.
In the last three months, SMU has had more than 800 television and print articles in addition to those related to athletics. The university has allocated more resources to SMU public affairs to help increase exposure even more, Cheves said.Capital projects will also be a major part in the next campaign, though educational endowments were heavier last campaign.
In closure, Cheves said he’s excited about upgrading the common areas of the Faculty Club to accommodate larger groups for social events.
The Alumni Association has expressed that someday it would like to have its own house, but until then, space prevents them from using a facility that is easily accessible, Cheves said. Currently, it is using the space on the third floor of the Lloyd Center attached to Ford Stadium. Cheves said the Alumni Association would like to use the Faculty Club house for social events.
“A nice inviting environment, like this, would be the kind of thing that would allow for alumni and faculty greetings and symposiums that could take place right here,” he said. He also said that one of the purposes of the association was to reconnect students to SMU after graduation.
“The best relationships for students are not only with what they have, but with their former backgrounds,” he said. “And I think bringing alumni into this house is a good thing, although it won’t be permanent.”