SMU honors San Francisco friends and supporters

DALLAS (SMU) – Alumni, parents and friends of SMU from the San Francisco area were acknowledged May 19, 2014, at The City Club Café for their generous combined commitments of more than $5 million toward Southern Methodist University’s Second Century Campaign.

This total is capped by gifts from SMU alumnus and honorary chair of the Campaign Steering Committee for San Francisco Frank Dunlevy ’71 and his wife, Susan, in support of scholarships for graduate and undergraduate students and athletics.

SMU President R. Gerald Turner, Vice President for Development and External Affairs Brad Cheves and members of the Campaign Steering Committee for San Francisco hosted members of the SMU community living in the greater San Francisco area – home to approximately 1,900 alumni and more than 120 current SMU students. The celebration underscored the impact that Second Century Campaign donors in the region are having on SMU students, faculty and the campus.

“Our San Francisco-area support has been tremendous,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “It’s a sign of the growing national stature of SMU and indicative of the kind of momentum we’re seeing across the country.”

In addition to the leadership-level gift from the Dunlevys, the Second Century Campaign momentum in the San Francisco Bay area has generated an additional nine major gifts of $50,000 or more from the SMU community. More than 900 donors have contributed over 2,600 gifts during the Campaign, which began in September 2008, resulting in commitments to support faculty, scholarships and academic and student life programs.

Forty-nine San Francisco-area contributors have been recognized as President’s Associates donors for giving $1,000 or more in the last fiscal year, and more than 200 donors are members of SMU’s Hilltop Society, acknowledging two-to-20 years of consecutive years of giving to SMU.

“Susan and I are excited about the national momentum of the University in its academic reputation, rising prominence in Athletics and the increase in scholarship support, which is attracting terrific students, “said Frank Dunlevy ’71.  ”The campus and its facilities also provide an environment for an outstanding college experience.”

SMU alumnus and Campaign Steering Committee Chair David Cush ’82, ’83 agreed saying, “The impact of the Second Century Campaign is evident when you meet the talented students and faculty and hear their stories about what brought them to SMU.  SMU is a great university that can be even greater, given its location, the business and technological acumen of the area, and the strong foundation it is currently building.”

To date, SMU’s Second Century Campaign has received commitments of more than $874 million toward its goal of $1 billion to support student quality, faculty and academic excellence and the campus experience. The campaign coincides with SMU’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the University’s founding in 1911 and its opening in 1915.

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SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools.