About Us

The Honors & Scholars Department is housed in Student Academic Engagement and Success

SMU offers an extensive range of Honors and Scholars programs for SMU students. Those contained in the Honors & Scholars department are: the University Honors Program, the Hilltop Scholars Program, the Turner Scholars Program, and the President’s Scholars Program. Our dynamic programs are designed to provide unique academic opportunities, interdisciplinary seminars, and hands-on activities that will immediately challenge and expand your thinking. With a focus on academic enrichment, our programs offer a diverse array of experiences that will engage and inspire you.

For more information, contact AcademicSuccess@smu.edu or one of our staff members.

Faculty & Staff

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Melissa Chessher

Dean, Honors & Scholars Programs

Professor, Division of Journalism

mchessher@smu.edu

214-768-6149

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Dr. Brandon Gray Miller is a white man with straight, medium-length silver and brown hair. He is wearing a dark suit jacket, light blue striped dress shirt, and bright red tie, posed smiling in front of a softly blurred outdoor background with a building and greenery.

Dr. Brandon Gray Miller

Assistant Dean, Honors & Scholars

Director, University Honors Program

Director, Office of National Undergraduate Fellowships

bgmiller@smu.edu

214-768-4543


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Nikole Melgarejo Juarez

Director, Gerald and Gail Turner Scholars Program

214-768-4032

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Dr. Amy Richarson

Director, President's Scholars Program

amyrichardson@smu.edu

214-768-2214

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Vacant

Director, Hilltop Scholars Program

This position has been vacant since October 2026. 

hilltopscholars@smu.edu

Hilltop Scholars
Headshot of Logan Swafford, a nonbinary staff member with light blonde, short hair parted down the middle and slight waves. Logan is wearing octagonal tortoiseshell glasses, small nostril and septum piercings, a silver necklace, and a long sleeve black button-up shirt. They have a gentle smile and a neutral, approachable expression. The blurred background features warm natural light in an outdoor setting.

Logan Swafford

Program Coordinator, Hilltop Scholars Program

Program Coordinator, Honors & Scholars

aswafford@smu.edu

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Tulsi Lohani

Program Coordinator, Honors & Scholars

Honors and Scholars Residential Community

Honors Health Sciences Program

University Honors Program

tlohani@smu.edu

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