Recent SMU Advancements

In September 2008 SMU launched "SMU Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign," the largest fund-raising campaign in the University's history, with a goal of $750 million. Gifts to date have exceeded $452 million. The campaign has provided funds for 211 new scholarships; 17 new endowed academic positions; 12 new institutes, centers and other academic initiatives; support for two schools and one academic department; and 13 new or renovated facilities.
SMU has achieved its highest ranking ever among national universities in the guide America’s Best Colleges, published by U.S. News & World Report. SMU’s ranking increased from 73 in 2004 to 56 among 191 institutions in the “Best National Universities” category ranked in 2010.
In 2009-10, SMU received $25.6 million in external funding for research, up from $16.5 million the previous year. Among research under way:

SMU physicists are members of the high-profile CERN global consortium monitoring particle collisions to study the Big Bang.
SMU chemists are developing organic compounds to fight Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s.
The SMU Geothermal Laboratory identifies and maps U.S. geothermal resources for supporting clean commercial power generation.

Total minority enrollment at SMU has increased to 22.58 percent in 2010. Minority students make up 26.2 percent of the 2010 first-year class, an all-time high.
SMU students were awarded prestigious national fellowships in 2010, including Fulbright, Goldwater and Gilman Scholarships.
As of 2010, SMU’s campus in Dallas has grown to 90 buildings and 230 acres. This includes facilities added east of North Central Expressway and south of Mockingbird Lane. SMU also has a campus north of Dallas at SMU-in-Plano, with four buildings on 25 acres, and has renovated and added to the facilities at SMU-in-Taos, its Northern New Mexico campus, with 26 buildings on 295 acres.