Harlan and Katherine Raymond Crow of Dallas have committed $5 million toward the construction of the Kathy Crow Commons in SMU’s new Residential Commons complex.
Katherine Crow is a member of the SMU Board of Trustees and an alumna of Cox School of Business.
The Commons, which is scheduled to open in the fall, include five new residential buildings, a dining commons and a parking center designed to accommodate 1,250 students. The complex is part of a larger SMU initiative to enable all first-year students and sophomores to live on campus.
“This gift from Harlan and Kathy Crow will support a campus home and gathering place for generations of students,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner in a press release.
The new residential community is made of 11 commons, created from new and existing residential buildings. Commons will have live-in faculty members will have offices and teach classes in on-site classrooms.
“We have studied numerous institutions with strong residential communities,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Lori White in a press release. “We know the Residential Commons model will strengthen the SMU experience by enhancing student involvement opportunities and creating common bonds and friendships among diverse groups of students.”
The Commons is largest single financial undertaking for the university and draws inspiration from Duke University, Vanderbilt University, University of Chicago, and University of Pennsylvania.
“Research shows that multi-year housing on campus has been linked to higher retention rates and a greater sense of camaraderie among students. Faculty-in-residence will expand opportunities for learning, informal interactions and mentoring,” siad Paul Ludden, SMU provost and vice president for academic affairs.
The Commons are supposed to create a stronger sense of community at SMU.
“I think it’s a wonderful thing that a single facet will make a huge change in SMU culture,”Associate Director of Development for Student Affairs Arlene Manthey said. “It’s elevating campus life to a new level with more faculty involvement and more opportunites to learn for students.”
Harlan Crow serves as chairman and CEO of Crow Family Holdings, serves on the board of directors of the American Enterprise Institute, the Southwestern Medical Foundation, the Supreme Court Historical Society, the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation and the Antiquarian aMerican Society.
Along with Kathy Crow’s position on the SMU Board of Trustees, she has served on the boards of SMU’s Tate Lecture Series and the Women’s Economics and Financial Series at Cox School of Business.
“Harlan and I have been highly impressed by the leadership of R. Gerald Turner and others at SMU, and the positive momentum and aspirations of the University are infectious,” Kathy Crow said. “We were pleased to be able to help complete the drive to construct facilities that will enable the University to implement its vision for an enhanced SMU student experience.”
According to Brad Cheves, vice president for development and external affairs, the Crows’ gift fulfills one of the major goals of the Second Century Campaign, funding for the Residential Commons.
“The gifts of donors like the Crows not only assist our university financially, but also will make a lasting impact in SMU history,” said Arin McGovern, a member of the Residential Commons Leadership Corps. “Gifts from people like the Crows will be remembered as a fundamental part of creating identity in the commons system.”
The Crows’ gift counts toward the $1 billion goal of the Second Century Campaign, which has raised $844 million.
