A Catalyst for Change.
In multiple ways, SMU engages with the wider Dallas-Ft. Worth community. SMU's schools, institutes, faculty, staff, and students are involved in—and changed by—engagement with the vast challenges and opportunities posed by the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States: K-12 urban education, the environment, the arts, physical and mental health, conflict resolution, poverty, access to justice, pluralism, spiritual development, and more.
The Simmons School offers the Center for Family Counseling which offers therapeutic services for individuals, children, and families on a sliding fee scale. The Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution provides mediation, arbitration, facilitation and conflict coaching for members of the community.
Each summer, the SMU Advanced Placement® Summer Institute (APSI) provides College Board courses for new and experienced high school teachers in a wide range of subjects. Expert instructors provide the instruction teachers need to be effective educators. The Budd Center partners with West Dallas through programs like The School Zone (TSZ) to help our community address the complex issue of poverty and education.
The Simmons School is dedicated to alliances and partnerships with community institutions open to collaboration and focused on education and human development fields. To enhance the mission of the school, Simmons encourages active participation by students and faculty to conduct research and help create model programs to positively impact schools, neighborhoods and communities in North Texas. Providing programs to enrich learning experiences in all stages of life is an essential component of the school.