FROM THE DEAN
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he beginning of each new academic year brings renewed energy and excitement across campus, especially at SMU Cox. Undergraduate interest in pursuing a business degree remains high, with 37 percent of SMU’s first-year students enrolled as pre-business this fall. Meanwhile, the caliber of our Cox BBA Scholars continues to rise, with this year’s average SAT score up to 1439. That’s 132 points higher than it was when SMU Cox welcomed the first class of BBA Scholars in the fall of 2002. The BBA Scholars program is vitally important to the Cox School and to SMU. It’s with great appreciation for one of the program’s biggest supporters that we feature Cox Executive Board member and SMU Board Chair Emeritus Carl Sewell on the cover of this CoxToday.
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We are grateful for the generosity of dedicated alumni and loyal supporters, which creates opportunities yet to be explored and ensures that SMU Cox makes a difference for students today and the world tomorrow.
Simply put, the BBA Scholars program would not have become the thriving program it is today without Carl Sewell. Carl’s passion for education and for increasing the national status of SMU and the Cox School moved him to take the lead in the BBA Scholars program, quickly gaining substantial backing from Ed Cox and other likeminded supporters. Thanks to their efforts, SMU Cox is now one of the most selective undergraduate business schools in the country. In the ever-changing landscape of education, SMU Cox takes pride in offering a range of business programs to prepare tomorrow’s leaders. SMU Cox graduate programs also continue to thrive, with Full-Time MBA applications up again this year. As well, our one-year Master of Science programs are increasingly popular. In addition to MS programs in Accounting, Finance and Management, we now offer an MS in Sport Management, in collaboration with the Simmons School, and will begin taking applications for another new MS program — the Master of Science in Business Analytics. Classes will debut next fall. Another way that Cox is preparing tomorrow’s leaders is through Executive Education’s new Latino Leadership Initiative, highlighted in this issue. With the support of eight corporate sponsors, Cox is helping to fill a need in a demographically evolving marketplace. Research tells us that historically, Latino executives are often the first to be promoted, yet executive leadership roles tend to be more elusive. Our program, in partnership with the National Hispanic Corporate Council, will seek to affect that trend.
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Continuing with the theme of inevitable change, I invite you to read how our alumni touch the world well beyond the boardroom in the story titled “Agents of Change,” which introduces readers to Cox students and graduates who are making a positive and lasting impact on the world around us in a variety of ways. We are grateful for the generosity of dedicated alumni and loyal supporters, which creates opportunities yet to be explored and ensures that SMU Cox makes a difference for students today and the world tomorrow. Thank you for the continued support that makes it all possible.
Albert W. Niemi, Jr. Dean, SMU Cox School of Business
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