ANNUAL REPORT 2021-2022 One year into our historic campaign, SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, the future of our University has never looked brighter. By providing more than $200 million in gift revenue this first year, our donors set a new record for giving in a single year to SMU. Now, as we look to the future of SMU and our community, we remain thankful for the contributions of our donors and the dedication that your involvement inspires across the Hilltop.
In the fall of 2021, SMU launched SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, the University’s $1.5 billion campaign to empower outstanding students, enrich teaching and research and enhance our campus and community. Throughout the year, SMU celebrated new gifts to the campaign across campus and around the country.
Photojournalist Stuart Palley ’11 and Dedman College Professor and archaeologist Chris Roos use their expertise to approach the danger of wildfires from vastly different fields of study.
Tower Scholar Nia Kamau ’22 spends her last summer as a Mustang learning from innovative leaders and studying the role of economics and public policy in the fight for human rights.
A $1 million gift from the Hegi family expands SMU’s Hegi Family Career Development Center.
Retired SMU Professor Alessandra Comini gifts $2 million to endow the new Alessandra Comini Endowed Professorship in the Division of Music and the existing Alessandra Comini Endowed Fellowship Fund.
Tower Scholar Nia Kamau ’22 spends her last summer as a Mustang learning from innovative leaders and studying the role of economics and public policy in the fight for human rights.
A $1 million gift from the Hegi family expands SMU’s Hegi Family Career Development Center.
Retired SMU Professor Alessandra Comini gifts $2 million to endow the new Alessandra Comini Endowed Professorship in the Division of Music and the existing Alessandra Comini Endowed Fellowship Fund.
The West Dallas STEM School officially opens, made possible by the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, the Toyota USA Foundation, Dallas ISD and the West Dallas community.
SMU’s Student Senate empowers the future of STEM education in Dallas by funding a new scholarship for West Dallas STEM School graduates.
Linda P. and William A. Custard commit $3 million, matched by an additional $3 million from The Meadows Foundation, to establish the Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture at the Meadows Museum.
Moody Graduate Fellow Iris Yang ’25 is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology and member of SMU’s Study of Health, Aging, and Relationships (SHARE) Lab. Utilizing her knowledge of community and empowered by the Moody Graduate Fellowship, Yang's research focuses on the complex intersections of older adults, caregiving and depression. She is a coauthor of the 2022 student-led study “Caregiving, Loneliness, and Stress: The Role of COVID-19.”
View the video to learn more about how Yang and her Moody School peers conduct innovative research and spark new discoveries.
Edwin L. Cox, Sr. ’42 and Carolyn L. Miller and David B. Miller ’72, ’73 gift $15 million for MBA scholarships in the Cox School of Business, launching a $30 million drive to endow MBA scholarships.
A $1 million pledge from Anna A. McLean ’87 and Scott J. McLean ’78 supports SMU’s President’s Discretionary Fund to meet the University’s most pressing current-use needs.
A $1 million gift from SMU parents John R. Ingram and Stephanie H. Ingram establishes the Ingram Family Endowed Mustang Scholarship Fund.
Edwin L. Cox, Sr. ’42 and Carolyn L. Miller and David B. Miller ’72, ’73 gift $15 million for MBA scholarships in the Cox School of Business, launching a $30 million drive to endow MBA scholarships.
A $1 million pledge from Anna A. McLean ’87 and Scott J. McLean ’78 supports SMU’s President’s Discretionary Fund to meet the University’s most pressing current-use needs.
A $1 million gift from SMU parents John R. Ingram and Stephanie H. Ingram establishes the Ingram Family Endowed Mustang Scholarship Fund.
Through the Moody Fellowship, I can pay forward the welcome and kindness I received from the MesoScience Lab team and contribute to the computational chemistry research that inspired me to attend SMU.
— Jacob Lynd ’25, one of the first recipients of the Moody Graduate Fellowship
Researchers at SMU’s AT&T Center for Virtualization partner with CAE USA, a technology company specializing in flight simulation, to develop an innovative new approach to pilot training and the determination of pilot stress factors.
First-year class entering in fall 2021
— The Dallas Morning News editorial, November 1, 2021
SMU partners with NVIDIA to invest $11.5 million toward strengthening the University’s AI infrastructure and bring world-leading supercomputing capabilities to Dallas.
With a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, SMU math curriculum researcher Candace Walkington helps students see math all around them.
I plan to use my time in the U.K. to link science with effective policy and gain a British perspective for future policymaking.
— Isabelle Galko ’22, the the only student from a Texas university to be named a 2022 Marshall Scholar
The biggest thing I’ve taken away from my time at NASA is to not be afraid of failure. I will no longer hesitate to have ambitious goals.
— Hannah Clark ’23, a transfer scholarship recipient who earned a nationally recognized NASA internship
Made possible by its generous donors, the Moody School breaks ground on Frances Anne Moody Hall, the new home for graduate education on the Hilltop.
The largest gift in the history of SMU Athletics by the Garry Weber Foundation, established by former Mustang football letterman Garry Weber ’58, supports a $100 million drive for the new Garry Weber End Zone Complex at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
SMU researchers partner with Dallas-based BALANCED Media|Technology and the Retina Foundation of the Southwest to develop a new, patent-pending medical imaging technology.
In addition to celebrating new additions to its facilities, SMU Athletics welcomed the arrival of new head coaches, including Rhett Lashlee, new head football coach, and Rob Lanier, new head men’s basketball coach.
The largest gift in the history of SMU Athletics by the Garry Weber Foundation, established by former Mustang football letterman Garry Weber ’58, supports a $100 million drive for the new Garry Weber End Zone Complex at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
SMU researchers partner with Dallas-based BALANCED Media|Technology and the Retina Foundation of the Southwest to develop a new, patent-pending medical imaging technology.
In addition to celebrating new additions to its facilities, SMU Athletics welcomed the arrival of new head coaches, including Rhett Lashlee, new head football coach, and Rob Lanier, new head men’s basketball coach.
A multiyear research project led by Barbara Minsker, Bobby B. Lyle Professor of Leadership and Global Entrepreneurship, assesses deficiencies in neighborhood infrastructure.
A $2 million gift from the O’Donnell Foundation will name and endow Peter O’Donnell, Jr. Director of the Data Science Institute at SMU, honoring the legacy of renowned humanitarian Peter O’Donnell, Jr. who passed away in October 2021.
Elizabeth G. Loboa, SMU provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Zhong Lu, Shuler-Foscue Chair in SMU’s Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, are recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
A multiyear research project led by Barbara Minsker, Bobby B. Lyle Professor of Leadership and Global Entrepreneurship, assesses deficiencies in neighborhood infrastructure.
Elizabeth G. Loboa, SMU provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Zhong Lu, Shuler-Foscue Chair in SMU’s Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, are recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
A $2 million gift from the O’Donnell Foundation will name and endow Peter O’Donnell, Jr. Director of the Data Science Institute at SMU, honoring the legacy of renowned humanitarian Peter O’Donnell, Jr. who passed away in October 2021.
Seun Suberu ’23 utilizes his business skills and acumen to earn more than $85,000 in funding for his innovative CollegePlus app.
The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation fuels educational excellence in the Baptist House of Studies at SMU Perkins School of Theology through a $2.7 million grant.
The largest gift by a non-alumnus in the history of SMU establishes the William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership within the Cox School of Business.
SMU Athletics reaches a new milestone, welcoming new championship-caliber facilities to the Hilltop with the groundbreaking of the Holt Hickman Outdoor Pool and the dedication of the Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium.
Dedman School of Law launches a new, full-tuition impact scholarship for incoming law students from underserved communities.
The largest gift by a non-alumnus in the history of SMU establishes the William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership within the Cox School of Business.
SMU Athletics reaches a new milestone, welcoming new championship-caliber facilities to the Hilltop with the groundbreaking of the Holt Hickman Outdoor Pool and the dedication of the Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium.
Dedman School of Law launches a new, full-tuition impact scholarship for incoming law students from underserved communities.
Jessica and Kelvin Beachum ’10, ’12 presented art from their collection in the Hamon Arts Library exhibit Narrative as Reality: A World Reimagined, amplifying their advocacy for equity in education and business. Kelvin Beachum said, “We believe their brilliant work and shared insights will start a conversation and bring people together in a new way.”
For recent graduates like Abena Marfo ’22, SMU’s 2022 commencement marked an especially impactful milestone. From first-generation students to innovative career changers, Marfo and her fellow alumni are making history on the Hilltop and beyond.
SMU launched the new Opportunity SMU fund to expand scholarship, financial aid and student support programs. Among the programs supported by the fund is the new Access SMU initiative that in its first year helped make an SMU education possible for more than 250 students.
SMU broke ground on a $140 million renovation and expansion project at the Cox School of Business designed to train students for a collaborative and technologically integrated world. The effort will expand the school’s footprint by more than 30 percent and is made possible by a community of donors.
For recent graduates like Abena Marfo ’22, SMU’s 2022 commencement marked an especially impactful milestone. From first-generation students to innovative career changers, Marfo and her fellow alumni are making history on the Hilltop and beyond.
SMU launched the new Opportunity SMU fund to expand scholarship, financial aid and student support programs. Among the programs supported by the fund is the new Access SMU initiative that in its first year helped make an SMU education possible for more than 250 students.
SMU broke ground on a $140 million renovation and expansion project at the Cox School of Business designed to train students for a collaborative and technologically integrated world. The effort will expand the school’s footprint by more than 30 percent and is made possible by a community of donors.
Since 1911, SMU’s mission has continued to gain momentum, putting it at the forefront of dynamic education and groundbreaking research. Through the generous support of SMU’s donors, FY22 proved to be the best gift revenue year in University history, with incredible gifts to causes, programs and initiatives across the Hilltop. SMU’s dedicated alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, friends and organizations continue to demonstrate the power of the Mustang community and the good that we can do together.
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total gift revenue
We thank the nearly 14,000 people who made a gift in 2021-2022, including our principal and major gift donors and those who are members of President’s Associates and Hilltop Society. We also appreciate the more than 52,000 donors to SMU Ignited, including the campaign’s leading early donors.
