Dedman News

People Paola Buckley, teaching professor of French in Dedman College’s Department of World Languages and Literatures, has been named a Chevalier (Knight) in the Ordre des Palmes académiques, a French honorary order recognizing contributions to education and French culture.

People Ron, a historian of 19th-century U.S. politics and economics, is one of 20 nationwide to receive the $800,000 fellowship.

Events & Engagement 2026 Hiett Prize Laureate Dr. Roosevelt Montás to receive $100,000 prize as the award celebration returns to honor leading thinkers in the humanities for the first time since the Dallas Institute’s move to SMU’s Dedman College.

College News Scholarship support opened the door to an SMU education and a career in finance for mathematics alumna Olga Troitskaya '05. Now, through a new endowed scholarship in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, she hopes to open that door for another talented student.

Student Experience When a suspected gas explosion displaced families from a Dallas apartment complex, SMU senior Bailey Kamau learned first-hand how a nonprofit springs into action to help.

College News Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences welcomes more than 18 new faculty members this fall.

In the Media The rise of “Y’all Street” can look like a publicity stunt: a Texas Stock Exchange in Dallas, a Texas-branded New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq opening a regional headquarters in the city.

In the Media Figuring out when exactly humans first reached South America increasingly depends on how you—read the bones of a giant ground sloth?

People After receiving executive clemency in 2021, Chris Young '26 transformed his life through education, earning a degree in economics and public policy from SMU. His new memoir, The Wound Is Where the Light Enters, recounts his journey from a mandatory life sentence to freedom, resilience and a new career.

People Acclaimed novelist and essayist Dr. Marcela Fuentes will join SMU’s Department of English as the inaugural Sterling R.E. Havens Endowed Professor in Creative Writing Fiction.

College News The Human Rights Program at SMU is celebrating a legacy of transformative learning, global engagement and student leadership rooted in a simple but powerful idea: every person is entitled to dignity and rights.

College News Dedman College recognized its outstanding faculty members during the end-of-year faculty meeting.

College News The new programs reflect Dedman College’s continued investment in innovative, career-connected education that bridges liberal arts, STEM, research, and entrepreneurship.

College News The project earned awards across directing, editing, writing, visual effects and arts and culture categories, placing it among a select group of winners chosen from more than 13,000 entries submitted worldwide.

People The hire advances the university’s strategic investment in subsurface energy and earth hazards

People The annual award supports promising tenure-track faculty members during the first two years of their academic appointments.

Student Experience Chris Young, a Dedman College student graduating with degrees in economics and public policy, has transformed a story of incarceration into one of resilience, determination, and academic achievement.

People Henderson-Morrison Professor of Prehistory in Dedman College's Department of Anthropology, elected to one of the world’s most distinguished scholarly organizations.

Student Experience Selection highlights the college’s strong tradition of academic excellence and global engagement.

Student Experience Mia Jimenez’s Reflection:

Research & Discovery A new SMU Department of Psychology-led study is reshaping how researchers think about treating depression and anxiety.

Student Experience A shared dream years in the making will become reality on May 16 when Melissa Escher and her son, Jordan, graduate together from SMU.

People A Harvard-trained literary critic and bestselling author, his work spans African American literature, hip-hop poetics, song lyric as literary form and the legacy of Ralph Ellison.

College News These awards help launch new lines of inquiry, strengthen the foundation for external funding, and expand the impact of research across disciplines.

Events & Engagement The inaugural Guittard-Labastida Writing Prize for a distinguished work of nonfiction in the areas of biography, creative nonfiction, history, journalism, memoir, narrative nonfiction, personal essay, and true crime.