Southern Methodist University is a research oriented higher learning institution in Texas, with campuses in Dallas, University Park, and Highland Park. Chartered in 1911, the university maintains an affiliation with the United Methodist Church, and carries the motto ‘the truth shall set you free’.
Academics at SMU is divided into seven schools; Business, Humanities & Sciences, Law, Engineering, Arts, Theology, and Education.
SMU is also home to one of the most esteemed Dance programmes in the United States, offering both conservatory dance instruction and liberal arts education. Part of the course is an extensive visiting artists programme, giving students the opportunity to work with leading figures in the field.
Science programmes form an active part of study at SMU, and an example of the pioneering research performed is the investigation by the Department of Biology into membrane proteins that can ‘thwart’ chemotherapy treatment after recurrences of a cancer.
Sports teams at SMU are known as the Mustangs, and compete in the NCAA Division I. Among the sixteen sports programmes is the American football team, which play at the 32,000 seater Ford Stadium. Graduates of SMU have gone on to have successful careers in both the NFL and sports broadcasting, such as Don Meredith and Craig James.
Alumni of SMU also include ten congressman and two US Senators, physicist and Nobel Laureate James Cronin, and Oscar winning actress Kathy Bates. In 2013, the George W. Bush Presidential Library was opened on the Dallas campus.
