Boaz Commons
Community | Compassion | Integrity | Mentorship | Zeal
Welcome to Boaz Commons
Community | Compassion | Integrity | Mentorship | Zeal
“I want you to know that we aren’t exaggerating how much of a family Boaz really is, and the fact that you will immediately feel the community as a Boazie.”
At Boaz Commons, we believe in family. We believe in sharing life together. We believe in celebrating each other's A+ papers and game-winning shots. We believe in supporting each other through the hard times and growing with each other through the tough moments. We believe in the importance of sharing lemonade on the front porch and gathering around the dinner table for a meal. We believe in neighbors becoming friends and friends becoming family.
Wake Up Wednesday is a weekly event hosted in the Boaz Lobby. Students are welcome to chat and relax with each other every Wednesday morning while enjoying a variety of breakfast treats. Not able to chat? Feel free to grab & go but say hello. The Boaz Beehive likes to stay connected.
Engage Dallas is a place-based community engagement initiative via SMU’s Residential Commons to address community needs focusing on South and West Dallas. The initiative is a long-term, university-wide commitment led by students to partner with local residents, organizations, and other leaders to positively impact the community. There is equal emphasis on campus and community impact stemming from the initiative.
In Boaz Commons, we focus on Food Insecurity as a community need in Dallas. Boaz students address this by collaborating on service events and activities with local partners, North Texas Food Bank, CitySquare, and Mission Oak Cliff, to directly help those most in need. Our students who serve gain a broader understanding of current social problems, build community with both the city and their peers, and can earn their Community Engagement and Civics & Individual Ethics proficiencies required for graduation. Engage Dallas cultivates unique and enriching experiences for SMU students to explore and serve Dallas!
Questions? Email your Boaz Engage Dallas Student Director, Reese Mellor at rmellor@smu.edu.
Get a feel for all that Boaz Commons has to offer by scrolling through the photo gallery or viewing the video. If you prefer, check it out for yourself by visiting campus, or take an online 360°room tour.
Community bath double room
Furniture and room dimensions
Dresser | 30” tall, 29.5” wide, 2’ deep
Desk | 30” tall, 48” wide, 28" deep
Closet | 55” tall, 83” wide, 28” deep (this varies greatly)
Closet Rod | 66” from the rod to the floor
Window | 42.5" wide, 53.5" tall, 29.5" from the ground
Bed | 80" long (XL Twin)
Single Room | 82” wide, 196” long (this varies greatly)
Double Room | 138” wide, 135” long excluding closet area
Room Height | 95” floor-to-ceiling (varies by floor)
Hiram Abiff Boaz was the first vice president and second president of SMU. He was born in Murray, Kentucky on December 18, 1866. Hiram Boaz graduated from Southwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in 1893 and a master’s degree in 1894 and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order. Hiram Boaz served as SMU’s president until 1922 and later retired in 1938.
Caroline Browne Boaz was married to Hiram Abiff Boaz and considered one of the "first ladies" of SMU after her husband became the second president. Dr. William S. Tate is quoted as saying that Caroline and her husband had lives that were an example and an inspiration to the students of SMU. Hiram Boaz was quoted at the dedication for Boaz Hall as giving credit to Caroline Boaz for his inspiration and success. They were married for 68 years.
Community abbreviations | BZ |
Building capacity | 179 |
Year built | 1956 |
Residential area | Central |
Physical address | 3200 Binkley Ave. |
Room types | Singles and doubles |
Gender | Co-ed by gender by room |
Get to know the faculty, staff, and student leaders of Boaz.
Faculty-in-Residence
Jack Levison is a long way from his native Long Island, so he pretends, when he rides his bike, that White Rock Lake is the Atlantic Ocean. He doesn’t have to pretend that he takes enormous pleasure in the company of his wife, Priscilla, or that living tooth to jowl with students is an exciting venture he never could have imagined when he was a college freshman himself. Jack has taught at colleges from coast to coast—from Durham, North Carolina, to Seattle, Washington—and he currently holds the W.J.A. Power Chair in Perkins School of Theology at SMU. Learn more about Dr. Levison and his family.
Residential Community Director
Lauren Eisenschenk has been the RCD for Boaz since June 2023. Lauren received both her BA in Political Science and Masters of Public Administration from the University of Alabama. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, attending art exhibits, traveling, and watching SEC football in the fall.