Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Educational Facilities and Services



Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center

The A-LEC is devoted to helping students become more interdependent, self-confident and efficient learners. In addition, its mission is to help students respond effectively to specific academic challenges, to articulate and attain their own educational goals, and to succeed at any level of the undergraduate curriculum. Each year, about one third of SMU’s undergraduate students participate in A-LEC programs, courses and services, including more than half of first and second year students. All A-LEC services are available to undergraduate students at no cost. Some services are available on a drop-in basis and others are available by appointment. Students may be referred to the A-LEC by their advisers, faculty or a resident assistant, but most students choose to come on their own. More information is available online at www.smu.edu/alec.

Tutoring Services. The A-LEC offers subject-specific tutoring in most first- and second-year courses. Tutorials are offered in individual, small-group and review session formats. The tutoring schedule changes regularly and updates can be found on the A-LEC website.

Writing Center. English department faculty members assist undergraduate students at any stage of the writing process, from planning a draft to learning from previously graded papers.  Faculty assist with all undergraduate writing assignments, from DISC through applications to graduate school.

Workshops. Each fall, the A-LEC offers about 40 study strategy workshops; in spring, approximately 20 are offered. Among the topics covered are note taking, time management, test-taking strategies and textbook study and reading.

HDEV 1110 - Reading and Learning Strategies  Each academic year, hundreds of SMU students take HDEV 1110  to develop their advanced reading and learning skills. Every fall, some sections are reserved for premed students, transfer students and students with documented learning differences. Students can register for HDEV 1110  at the same time they register for their other courses.

HDEV 1211 - Success Strategies  This course helps students develop strategies for creating success in their academic, professional and personal lives. Students engage in ongoing self-assessment and journal writing, learn study skills, and explore campus resources. The course is designed for students on academic probation and for those who are dissatisfied with their grades. Students can register for HDEV 1211  at the same time they register for their other courses.

Academic Counseling. Full-time staff members are available to work individually with students on study strategies. Some specialize in working with students with learning differences or students on academic probation.

Disability Accommodations and Success Strategies. DASS offers any qualifying SMU student with a disability comprehensive support services, including classroom accommodations. DASS assists with physical accessibility issues, referrals, and housing/dining accommodations for many conditions such as physical, visual or hearing disabilities and medical or psychiatric disorders. For undergraduate students with a learning disability and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, academic coaching with DASS learning specialists is available in the areas of transitioning, learning strategies, educational planning and self-advocacy. All services are at no cost to the student. More information on the accommodations process and DASS resources is available online at www.smu.edu/provost/alec/dass. 

SMU Libraries

www.smu.edu/libraries

SMU libraries are one of the greatest assets of the University. The SMU libraries comprise the largest private research library in Texas and rank third in the state with over four million volumes. Service to Southern Methodist University students, faculty and staff is the primary goal of all libraries at SMU. The University’s library system is divided into a number of different units

  1. Central University Libraries
  2. Underwood Law Library
  3. Bridwell Library
  4. Business Library

Central University Libraries

www.smu.edu/cul

The largest of the SMU library units is Central University Libraries (CUL), with holdings of more than three million volumes, including nearly one million e-books. CUL comprises the Fondren Library, the Hamon Arts Library, the DeGolyer Library and the University Archives, the Emily C. Norwick Center for Digital Solutions, and the Fort Burgwin Library at SMU-in-Taos. CUL also supports SMU programs at the SMU-in-Plano campus.

Fondren Library serves students, faculty and staff in the areas of humanities, social sciences, business, education, science, and engineering, with print and online resources. Subject librarians assigned to each discipline offer personal research services to students to support teaching and learning. Subject librarians collaborate with faculty to integrate information literacy concepts into university curriculum to support the academic mission of the university. Within Fondren Library, students have access to 1,000 seats of study space, including bookable study rooms and conference rooms with supportive learning technology. The Caren Prothro Learning Commons and nearby Collaborative Commons provide both individual and collaborative group spaces conducive to creative work, as well as a Starbucks café and the IT Help Desk to provide sustainance  and technical assistance to the University community. For quiet study, the Fondren Foundation Centennial Reading Room is a beautiful setting with vaulted ceilings and handmade wooden tables with reading lamps in a large sunlit space. The bold visual impact of this iconic reading room epitomizes the discovery, inspiration and community for which SMU is known. In addition to physical spaces, CUL also manages the SMU Digital Repository, called SMU Scholar, which houses the scholarly output of the SMU faculty and graduate students. To support the research of the university, Fondren Library also provides document delivery to faculty, staff and students, as well as access to holdings from other libraries via interlibrary loan. Strengths of the Fondren Library collections include, but are not limited to, classical studies, late 18th- and early 19th-century English literature, American history, Texas history, contemporary biography and literature, anthropology, political science, economics and other social sciences.

The Hamon Arts Library, adjoining the south side of the Owen Arts Center of the Meadows School of the Arts, provides resources for the study of art history, communications, dance, film, music, theatre and visual art. With nearly 250,000 volumes of books, sound recordings and video recordings, the library’s collections support the Meadows curriculum and are particularly strong in European and American arts. The library also provides conference room facilities; group audio-visual study and presentation rooms; and public computers for research, study and arts-specific software projects. Two special collections units are administered by Hamon Arts Library:

The Jerry Bywaters Special Collections focus on the cultural history of the American Southwest. Visual arts holdings include archival materials and works of art on paper documenting the careers of artists such as Jerry Bywaters, Otis and Velma Davis Dozier, E.G. Eisenlohr, Octavio Medellin, Olin Travis and Janet Turner as well as correspondence of 19th-century French painter Rosa Bonheur. Performing arts holdings include two Japanese gigaku masks dating from the 7th to the 10th centuries, the papers of Oscar-winning actress Greer Garson, and materials documenting the careers of longtime SMU music faculty members Paul van Katwijk and Lloyd Pfautsch.

The G. William Jones Film and Video Collection, founded in 1970, holds more than 10,000 films and videos on a wide array of subjects, in all types of formats. The Jones Collection is best known for its Tyler, Texas, Black Film Collection and for the Sulphur Springs Collection of pre-nickelodeon films.

DeGolyer Library is a noncirculating special collections branch of CUL that contains more than 160,000 volumes. In addition to rare books, it holds nearly 2,500 separate manuscript collections, nearly 1.5 million photographs and negatives, 2,000 newspaper and periodical titles, 3,000 maps, and an extensive collection of printed ephemera. Subject strengths include the American West, Mexico, railroad history, business history, and the history of science and technology.

The University Archives, part of the DeGolyer Library, are the official repository for SMU administrative and historical records of the University. The archives contain manuscripts, photographs, publications, records, and artifacts documenting the establishment and growth of the University. SMU administrators, faculty, local historians and media representatives are its principal users, but students and visiting scholars often use its materials for a variety of research projects.

The Norwick Center for Digital Solutions (nCDS), located in the staff-access-only area of the Fondren Library, focuses on digitizing CUL’s collections of rare photo-graphs, manuscripts, imprints, art work, film, musical recordings, and other unique items for increased access via the CUL Digital Collections website (digitalcollections.smu.edu/all/cul). The nCDS serves as a teaching lab, with digital collections development and Digital Humanities practicums available to students. The center is also affiliated with the SMU Digital Repository, SMU Scholar (digitalrepository.smu.edu), and other repositories within the library system.

The Fort Burgwin Library, located in SMU-in-Taos, serves students and faculty in the SMU-in-Taos program. It is focused on the history, literature, cultures and environment of New Mexico and the Southwest. The library contains approximately 9,000 books and a small collection of journals and maps, and houses the Fred Wendorf Information Commons, a computer facility and library constructed in 2004.

Underwood Law Library

library.law.smu.edu

Underwood Law Library, one of the 30 largest law libraries in the country and the largest private law library in the Southwest, houses more than 665,000 volumes and primarily serves the faculty and students of the Dedman School of Law. The collection includes state and federal legislative, judicial and administrative materials; law periodicals; law treatises; U.S., international and foreign documents; and U.S. government documents relating to the legal profession. Strengths of the collection are in taxation, securities, corporate law, labor law, air and space law, commercial and banking law, constitutional law, and law and medicine. The library’s collection of antiquarian law books, including the McKnight Antiquarian Book Collection, is one of the leading collections of its kind in the country, with volumes printed as early as 1474. The Kay and Ray Hutchison Legal Resource Learning Center in the Underwood Law Library is a computer-learning lab located on the third floor.

Bridwell Library

www.smu.edu/bridwell

Bridwell Library, primarily serving the faculty and students of the Perkins School of Theology, is the University’s principal research resource for the fields of theology and religious studies. It offers a print collection of nearly 400,000 volumes and 1,350 current periodical titles, and it provides access to a wide array of digital books, journals and databases. Among the library’s special collections are significant holdings in early printing, English and American Methodism, theology, religion, and the book arts. The interpretation of these collections is accomplished through class instruction, lectures, publications and exhibitions. Reference librarians are available to help students discover and use the many resources of Bridwell Library.

Business Library

www.cox.smu.edu/bic

The Business Library of the Cox School of Business is located in room 150 of the Maguire Building. This library is open to all students regardless of major. The mission of the library is to provide the SMU community with authoritative business information, regardless of format; support the integration of information and technology into the curriculum; and act as a center for research and development for state-of-the-art information technology applications in the business education field. In support of this mission, students, faculty and staff have access to course-specific in-class instruction sessions, open enrollment research workshops and reference assistance from dedicated business librarians to enhance their use of current business news and financial, industry and market data from premier providers. The Business Library includes the Kitt Investing and Trading Center, quiet and group study areas, 70 computer workstations in individual and group areas, a multimedia studio, a group presentation practice room, a periodicals area, facility wide wireless access, more than 400 electronic resources, and a variety of print resources, including the Hillcrest Foundation International Resource Library, the Edwin L. Cox Business Leadership Center Resource Collection, the Maguire Energy Institute Resource Collection and the Cox Career Services Collection. Librarians are available all hours that the business library is open, providing research assistance in person and virtually via email and telephone.

Scholars’ Den

The Scholars’ Den is a gathering space for members of the various scholar groups at SMU. Its mission is to foster scholarship and community among its member groups by providing a hospitable place to study and hold scholarly events. Located in Clements Hall, the Scholars’ Den features group-meeting space, study areas, a kitchen/dining area and an informal lounge where students can gather to collaborate on academic and extracurricular projects.

Laboratories and Research Facilities

The University provides laboratories and equipment for courses in accounting, advertising, anthropology, art, biology, chemistry, communication studies, creative computation, languages, Earth sciences, film and media studies, journalism, psychology, physics, health and physical education, dance, music, theatre, and statistics, as well as civil, computer, electrical, environmental and mechanical engineering. The University is also home to a number of centers and institutes that are detailed in each of the school sections of this catalog. University facilities not listed below are described in sections for the individual schools.

ManeFrame II. SMU has one of the top supercomputers in the nation, ManeFrame II, which is capable of more than 625 trillion mathematical operations per second. Housed in the data center, ManeFrame II is available for faculty and student research in subjects ranging from particle physics to human behavior, water quality and drug discovery.

SMU-in-Taos. SMU-in-Taos, Fort Burgwin, is located 10 miles south of Taos, New Mexico. The facility includes classrooms, laboratories, offices, a computer center and a library, as well as living accommodations for students and faculty. The Fort Burgwin archaeology curation facility houses more than 1 million archaeological specimens from research projects conducted by SMU faculty and students. Northern New Mexico offers a multiplicity of research opportunities for both natural and social scientists. Pot Creek Pueblo, located on the fort’s property, is one of the largest prehistoric archaeological sites in the Taos region.

Museum

The Meadows Museum, founded by the late philanthropist Algur H. Meadows and located at 5900 Bishop Boulevard, houses one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art in the world, as well as selected masterpieces of modern European sculpture, from Rodin and Maillol to David Smith and Claes Oldenburg. The holdings of the museum number more than 3,500 objects including paintings, sculpture, decorative arts and works on paper from the Middle Ages to the present. Artists represented include El Greco, Velázquez, Ribera, Zurbarán, Murillo, Goya, Picasso, Dalí, and Miró. The Meadows Museum hosts a regular program of loan exhibitions each year in its temporary exhibition galleries and sponsors an active program of public lectures, tours, films, concerts and symposia, as well as children’s art programs and family days throughout the year. Museum collections are often used by SMU faculty in their courses. The museum membership program includes exhibition previews, tours of private collections and opportunities for travel. Docent tours of the collection are available to school, University and adult groups. The Meadows Museum, in addition to its collection, houses a museum shop and special event rooms. Additional information is available at www.meadowsmuseumdallas.org.

Office of Information Technology

The Office of Information Technology provides computing, information processing, and communications resources to satisfy the needs of faculty, students, and staff. These services include an SMU email account, access to enrollment and financial data online, Internet access, telephone services, Web-based services, technical support, and a variety of software and hardware discounts.

SMU offers high-speed network connections throughout campus. Students can take advantage of both wired and wireless connections throughout all areas of the residence halls. Wireless coverage also extends throughout the campus in most classrooms, libraries, common areas, and several outdoor locations. In addition to on-campus Internet connections, OIT provides off-campus access to resources via a virtual private network connection and access to other research institutions Wi-Fi networks through eduroam.

All students receive an SMU email account, which will remain active after graduation. The email account may be accessed online via Office 365 (office365.smu.edu). Students also have access to a variety of Web-based services such as my.SMU, personal blog space (people.smu.edu), unlimited cloud storage space (smu.edu/box), and the Canvas Learning Management System (smu.edu/canvas). Academic information, including grade history, financial information, and class registration, is available through the my.SMU system.

OIT also provides complimentary on-campus IT support. Located in Fondren Library West, the IT Help Desk provides technical assistance for most computing issues Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the regular semester. Times will vary for breaks and summer. Phone or in-house support is available for on- and off-campus connectivity issues. The IT Help Desk also offers phone support for the Microsoft Office Suite and other common applications. The OIT website (smu.edu/oit) provides information, step-by-step instructions, and answers to many frequently asked questions. Training On-Demand is also available through lyndaCampus (smu.edu/lynda) for additional software.

Although most students have a personal laptop, SMU provides a number of public computer labs. Typically, the labs contain both Mac and PC workstations and support a variety of applications. Printing is also available through our PaperCut Pay-for-Print System (smu.edu/printing). If needing to purchase a personal copy of the software, discounts on software and computer hardware purchases are available throughout the year. More information can be found on the OIT website at smu.edu/oit.

For additional information on services provided by IT, students should visit www.smu.edu/oit or call the Help Desk (214-768-HELP or 214-768-4357). SMU related technology news and updates are available on Twitter (@smuoit) and the IT Connect blog (blog.smu.edu/itconnect).