On December 2, SMU celebrated the groundbreaking of the Garry Weber End Zone Complex, the expansion and renovation project for Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

SMU has named Nader Jalili dean of Lyle School of Engineering. Currently professor and head of mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama, Jalili is an innovative leader and researcher, known for bringing the resources of engineering education and research to undergraduate and graduate students, industry partners and community outreach programs.

SMU professors and students were “frequent flyers” in the news in 2022 for everything from helping hospitals design a more patient-friendly way of doing “compassionate dialysis” to identifying clear evidence of gerrymandering in Texas.

A $5 million gift from SMU alumni Jennifer Gelety Flanagan ’82 and Martin (Marty) L. Flanagan ’82 will strengthen SMU Athletics by supporting the Garry Weber End Zone Complex to expand and improve Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The University is scheduled to break ground on the new complex on December 2, 2022.

Suku Nair, a leader in computer science and engineering who has been teaching and researching at SMU for more than 30 years, has been named inaugural vice provost for research and chief innovation officer at the University. He assumes the position Dec. 1 after serving as associate provost for research ad interim since June.

A $5 million gift from entrepreneurs Elisabeth Martin Armstrong ’82 and William D. Armstrong ’82 will further the academic and research excellence of the SMU Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences by endowing the school’s dean position, renaming it the Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean. Through their gift, the Armstrongs will support Dedman College’s future-focused leadership and strategic vision in perpetuity.