Southern Methodist University > Academics > Centers & Institutes

Centers & Institutes

The following centers and institutes are located at Southern Methodist University, serving as resources to the University, the community and the world. Many also offer opportunities for scholarly research and writing, conferences, periodic lectures and symposia. Questions about the centers and institutes should be sent to their directors or faculty members.

All University

Center for Scientific Computation	The center is an interdisciplinary research center devoted to the application of computational techniques to problems in mathematics, engineering, and applied sciences.
The Guildhall at SMU	The Guildhall is the premier graduate video game education program in the nation. Many of the school's founders are industry icons, and classes are run by industry veterans. Alumni have worked at more than 80 video game studios in North America. The program offers a Master's degree in Interactive Technology and a graduate Professional Certificate.
Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility	The Center supports research, writing and teaching in ethics at the graduate and undergraduate level; organizes local seminars, colloquia, and workshops; and recognizes citizens who exemplify the spirit of moral leadership and public virtue.

Arts

Temerlin Advertising Institute

The Institute strives to advance the state of advertising communication through partnerships with both industry and government and through programs to blend the research interests of the academy and the profession. While enhancing the effectiveness of advertising domestically and abroad, Institute professors with high levels of advertising expertise and experience provide undergraduate instruction to a select group of students, within an environment that fosters creativity, energy and ethical conduct.

Business

Business Information Center	The Center provides high-quality information services for Cox Business School students and others in the University community.
Business Leadership Center	The Center provides Cox Business School students with the "soft skills" needed to be successful in business. The BLC offers classes and seminars that complement the curriculum at the school.
Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship	As one of the oldest entrepreneurship centers in the United States, the Institute has for more than 25 years been committed to encouraging those who can to build a business of their own.
Center for Research in Real Estate and Land Use Economics	The Center provides opportunities for students to deepen their exposure to critical issues in the current real estate industry and acts as a conduit for research which it conducts through the Costa Institute of Real Estate Finance and the Folsom Institute for Development and Land Use Policy.
Don Jackson Center for Financial Studies	The Don Jackson Center for Financial Studies provides enrichment programs and research opportunities for students and faculty in the Cox School's Finance Department.
EnCap Investments & LCM Group Alternative Asset Management Center	The Alternative Asset Management Center provides students with hands-on training in the increasingly important financial markets of non-traditional asset classes, including hedge funds and private equity funds.
Kitt Investing and Trading Center	The Kitt Investing and Trading Center is a state-of-the-art instructional and research facility designed to integrate finance curriculum, enhance innovative faculty research, and teach students practical finance and investment applications.
JCPenney Center for Retail Excellence	The Center is a leading source of academic expertise on consumer shopping behavior and the effects of retailer activities on shopping behavior.
Maguire Energy Institute	The Institute promotes the study of policy, marketing, and management issues related to oil, natural gas and electricity.
O'Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom	The O'Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom was established to study the impact of competitive market forces on freedom and prosperity in the global economy.
Southwestern Graduate School of Banking	The School offers a comprehensive, state-of-the-industry program designed for those seeking a dynamic approach to graduate-level instruction in banking.

Engineering

Caruth Institute for Engineering Education	The Institute is one the nation's leading organizations that develops and delivers engineering curriculum for K-12 students. Today, the Institute is home to nationally recognized and award winning programs such as The Infinity Project and Visioneering which reach millions of students in all fifty states.
Hart Center for for Engineering Leadership	By providing corporate leadership tools, customized development plans and leadership coaching, the Center helps engineering students build confidence and gain an understanding of how the process of becoming a leader works once they've completed their degree programs.
Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity	The Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity is dedicated to using the power of engineering, collaboration and the free market to develop and implement solutions to the problems of the poor, both here and abroad.
The Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing	This Center conducts cutting edge research and development in new, sophisticated manufacturing technologies. In 2005, the center became part of the highly competitive National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Lasers and Plasmas for Advanced Manufacturing. Each year, over 300 corporate researchers and academicians visit the center.

Science and Humanities

Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute	The Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute (DCII) encompasses all the divisions within Dedman College: humanities, social sciences and sciences, which includes mathematics and statistics. It also reaches out through its programs to the rest of the University and to the local community, creating a culture of interdisciplinary inquiry and bridging the physical sciences and the humanities, the liberal arts and the professional schools, and academia and the broader community.
The Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4)	The Center for Drug Discovery, Design and Delivery (CD4) is a novel multi-disciplinary focus for scientific research targeting medically important problems in human health. Using innovative approaches, CD4’s mission is to potentiate the development of new therapeutics, their delivery methods as well as the translation of these new therapeutics to clinical studies.
William P. Clements Center For Southwest Studies	The Center sponsors scholarly research and writing, conferences, periodic lectures and symposia on the people, institutions and cultures of the Southwest.
Institute for the Study of Earth and Man	The Institute develops and supports interdisciplinary research projects in the geological sciences, archaeology, anthropology, energy and the environment.
John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies	The Center supports teaching and research programs in international studies and national security policy. It also sponsors conferences, lectures, seminars, symposia and workshops on contemporary political issues.
The Center for Presidential History	The Center for Presidential History (CPH) at SMU is dedicated to exploring and disseminating the history of the American presidency by sponsoring cutting-edge research on the presidency, delivering the fruits of that research in published academic and public forums, and by simultaneously adding to the rich archival record of the presidency through a wide-ranging oral history project.

Students

Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center	The Center provides undergraduate students with academic support and guidance beyond the classroom experience, helping them become more independent, self-confident, and efficient learners.
Gifted Students Institute	The Institute is dedicated to the education and development of talented and gifted students by providing services to educators and their schools, as well as students and their families.

Teaching and Education

Center for Teacher Education	The Center prepares undergraduate and graduate students to meet the requirements for certification in elementary, secondary, and all levels music education in the state of Texas and in most other states.
Center for Teaching Excellence	The Center establishes university-wide programs that promote and encourage teaching excellence; provides individualized support for the development of teaching excellence; and recognizes excellence in teaching and pedagogic innovation.
Institute for Reading Research	The Institute promotes reading skills through research in the areas of reading acquisition and progress in young children, adult literacy, reading instruction, and bilingual education.

Theology

Center for Missional Wisdom	The Center helps Christian denominations recover, develop, and renew their evangelistic heritage and ministry by providing a comprehensive program of research, publication, and continuing education.
Center for the Study of Latino/a Christianity and Religions	The Center promotes a deeper understanding of the varieties of religious life and expression within the Latino communities in the USA and Latin America and addresses issues related to the Latino/a religious experience within a broader ecumenical and religious context.