Q & A with Robert H. Dedman, Jr.
Robert H. Dedman, Jr. ’80, ’84 recently concluded four years of service as the chair of the SMU Board of Trustees. He has dedicated much of his life and resources to the growth and success of SMU and its students, serving the University on various boards and committees. Earlier this year, The Dedman Foundation, helmed by Dedman, gifted $3 million for need-based scholarships. Supporting the SMU Ignited campaign goal to empower outstanding students, these scholarships will fuel new avenues to access an SMU education.
What do you view as the greatest accomplishments of the SMU Board of Trustees during your time as chair?
It’s incredible to think back on how much the University has grown and expanded its impact in the last four years – despite the unforeseen challenges of a global pandemic. We increased educational access to students from all backgrounds. We have continued to move up in the Carnegie Classification of universities, bringing us close to the coveted R-1 research status. We welcomed incredible new and renovated academic and athletic facilities to support our students and our faculty in their personal and professional pursuits. Launching the SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow campaign will support of all these areas of impact. It’s been greatly rewarding to see us come together as a community to advance the University’s mission and to see how that support creates real-world impact across the country.
Speaking of educational access, you’ve contributed greatly to initiatives at SMU over the years, most recently earmarking a generous donation from The Dedman Foundation for need-based scholarships. Why have scholarships been such a focus of your family and the foundation over the years?
Student scholarships make a lasting difference not only in the lives of the University’s students, but also in the lives they will go on to impact in their personal and professional lives, and I am honored to be a part of their journey to success. Through scholarships, we encourage excellence in our student body, attracting and welcoming the best and brightest students to the Hilltop regardless of their financial background.
The scholarships to which you have contributed highlight some of the crucial areas that will be supported by donors to the new Opportunity SMU fund. What kind of impact do you feel Opportunity SMU gifts will have on our campus and in the wider community?
What makes this fund unique is that it will allow the University to strategically fund programs that will make the most impact when it comes to recruiting, retaining and ultimately graduating students. This fund has the potential to attract top-tier undergraduate students we might not otherwise draw to SMU, empower them to succeed during their time on the Hilltop and further expand the diversity of our undergraduate student body. The long-term result will have ripple effects that expand the University’s positive impact far beyond our campus.
Speaking of impacting lives, your family has a long legacy of impact on the Hilltop, including the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences and the Dedman School of Law being named in honor of your family. What do you see for the future of SMU in the coming years?
SMU isn’t just an institution, it’s a family – particularly for the Dedmans. My father was an avid supporter of the University, and my mother, my family and I have been proud to continue that legacy. SMU is in the midst of incredible growth and change, with historic gifts to initiatives and developments across campus, world-renowned faculty making groundbreaking discoveries and new generations of students joining our community of world changers. SMU truly is forging a brighter tomorrow, and my family feels lucky to be part of that future.