BOLD IDEAS FOR A BETTER WORLD

Empathy and self-confidence. That combination is not rare at SMU, where our students boldly step out with a passion for public service and touch innumerable lives.

Develop your leadership skills through community service and engagement. Harness your passion to serve through academic courses with a service-learning component, student volunteer projects and internships. Be part of a community of like-minded students who want to make a difference. Take bold steps for a better tomorrow. Be a change agent and make the world a better place.

PUBLIC SERVANTS

SMU undergraduate students work locally and across continents and countries in diverse public service internship placements. Recently their efforts, through the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility, have run the gamut of establishing a self-sustaining summer music enrichment program in a disadvantaged West Dallas community to designing a wastewater treatment system for an orphanage in Luanda, Angola. smu.edu/ethics

BIG IDEAS

Have a great idea for a big solution that will improve the quality of life in Dallas? Check out SMU's new Big iDeas Program, which awards grants to interdisciplinary teams of students to research and address real-world problems in the Dallas area. smu.edu/bigideas

MEANINGFUL BREAKS

SMU students volunteer in a wide range of community service programs, including Alternative Break, the second oldest program of its kind in the U.S. During academic breaks, groups of students, student leaders and faculty and staff travel to communities in need across the country to provide vital service. smu.edu/ab.

ENGAGED LEARNING

Students participating in SMU's Engaged Learning initiative undertake meaningful undergraduate research and service projects. They identify challenges in communities and come up with solutions. SMU students take on special projects in research, civic engagement, creative work and internships. smu.edu/engagedlearning

Consider recent projects awarded grants and their impact

• Kimberly Mendoza, an aspiring physician double majoring in biological sciences and chemistry, will research health-related traditions in the indigenous Mayan community in Guatemala. Her research also could help in providing better care for Guatemalan and other immigrants here in Dallas.
• Chemistry and mechanical engineering major Eric Alt will design a compound to remove heavy metals from polluted environments.
• Political science and communication studies major Roza Essaw will assess the human rights situation in post-genocide Rwanda through on-site interviews and research.

DALLAS PARTNERS

SMU community service ranges from student volunteerism and programs advancing K-12 education to pro bono legal services and partnerships with area churches and arts organizations. Each year, more than 2,500 students contribute 200,000-plus hours of community service.

FIVE WAYS TO SERVE IN DALLAS

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