Academic Quality at SMU

Strategic Planning for Academic Quality at SMU

With steady climbing during its first century, SMU has reached considerable heights within the higher education landscape.  From this elevated position, we enter our second century at basecamp, ready to ascend toward the mountaintop of higher education as a premier research and teaching university with global impact.

During the past 18 months, task forces formed by the Provost’s Office have played a vital advisory role in thinking about academic excellence by developing reports on key features of the University’s academic mission.  Additionally, in consultation with the President, the President’s Executive Committee, the deans, and members of the Board of Trustees, the white paper entitled “Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of SMU: Analyses and Opportunities” has been distributed to the campus community.

SMU’s current momentum affords an extraordinary opportunity, indeed an obligation, to further leverage our potential to ensure that the University’s progression continues upward. Beginning in autumn 2017, the SMU community conducted a campus dialogue regarding how to advance SMU’s overall academic quality to the level of a premier research and teaching university with global impact. These conversations helped us build consensus about SMU’s key differentiators and informed our plans and priorities for this bold journey. It is vital that SMU’s strategic investments align with a refined vision for academic excellence. 

The document entitled, "Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of SMU: Analyses and Opportunities" and the task force reports are complementary and have been disseminated simultaneously to the SMU community.  Thus, the campus dialogue on the future of academic quality was based on both the draft “Academic Quality” document and the finalized task force reports.  In addition to in-person town hall forums, this website has been established as a mechanism to promote broad participation and to solicit feedback as we seek to refine the academic components of SMU’s strategic plan.  Additional information on the campus dialogue may be accessed by clicking here. 

To prepare for eventual submission to the President of SMU, the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs has received input from University stakeholders. The feedback process has now concluded as of 15 January 2018 and the final version of the vision for academic quality will be completed in spring 2018. 

Continuing the Ascent:  Recommendations for Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of Southern Methodist University

Having now completed a campus-wide dialogue during 2017-2018 regarding how to advance Southern Methodist University’s (SMU’s) overall academic quality to the level of a premier research and teaching university with global impact, we are pleased to release: "Continuing the Ascent: Recommendations for Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of Southern Methodist University." 

Informed by "Launching SMU’s Second Century, Shaping Leaders for a Changing World, 2016-2025 Strategic Plan", and through a series of task force reports and an extensive campus-wide dialogue about academic quality, the University is coalescing around a shared understanding of the academic priorities that will enable us to fulfill the strategic plan. 

This document focuses on 14 University-wide recommendations that SMU should implement over a reasonable timespan, such as 10 years, to enhance the University’s overall academic quality and stature.  "Continuing the Ascent: Recommendations for Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of Southern Methodist University" may be accessed by clicking here.

To assist in monitoring our progress toward accomplishing Continuing the Ascent’s recommendations, the Office of the Provost has been planning and collaborating extensively throughout the 2018-2019 academic year.  We have developed a comprehensive roadmap that interlays the start dates, end dates, and key milestones for the office’s highest priority operational and strategic projects.  The roadmap is available for review by clicking here.

Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of SMU: Analyses and Opportunities

In 2015, the University issued a strategic plan entitled, “Launching SMU’s Second Century, Shaping Leaders for a Changing World, 2016-2025 Strategic Plan.”  The document entitled, "Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of SMU: Analyses and Opportunities," builds on Launching SMU’s Second Century, by focusing on Goal Number One: “To enhance the academic quality and stature of the University.” The "Academic Quality" document also draws on Goal Number Two, “To Improve Teaching and Learning,” and Goal Number Three, “To Strengthen Scholarly Research, Creative Achievement, and Opportunities for Innovation.”  In the quest for an aspirational and flexible vision for elevating SMU’s academic excellence, “Academic Quality” provides analyses and a range of possible opportunities for discussion.  The document includes evidence-based analyses, using both quantitative data and case studies of other successful universities, and opportunities for how SMU can promote academic excellence.  The document also has an educational purpose by informing the SMU community about how to define both academic “quality” and academic “stature.”  The document further informs by benchmarking SMU to aspirational universities.  Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of SMU: Analyses and Opportunities may be accessed by clicking here.