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• Monday, September 12, 2011
News
The Daily Campus
curriculum
centennial
Human Rights major approved
Quad, fountain dedication ushers in next century
By MEREDITH CARLTON News Editor mcarlton@smu.edu
The Board of Trustees officially approved the Human Rights major Friday morning. This makes SMU the first college in the South to offer the major and the fifth in the country. The major will go into effect in the fall of 2012. Dr. Rick Halperin, the director of the Embrey Human Rights Program, received an email with the news. “This step today is a great recognition of student interest in this program. We wouldn’t have this major without the students who are interested in pursuing these courses and their passion to make the world better,” Halperin said. “So it’s really a tribute to student interest.” Halperin started teaching human rights through the history
department at SMU in the spring of 1990. The program officially began on July 1, 2006 after receiving a one million dollar donation. The minor, which started in Fall 2007, gives students the opportunity to learn about all forms of human rights ranging from civil to cultural. The major will allow students to delve deeper. “We are absolutely moving in the right direction,” said Adriana Martinez, who served on SMU’s Human Rights board last year and is a student representative for the Board of Trustees this year. Students will be able to choose between two tracks, one focusing on gender and human rights and the other on public policy and human rights. “It’s a really transformative event,” Halperin said. “To recognize that we have attracted
and we are obviously going to continue to attract students here from all over the country who want, in some capacity to work for a better society and a better world.” Martinez agrees. “Clearly the program has a lot of student interesting,” she said, adding that the major fits into Dedman College’s strategic plan that incorporates more multidisciplinary programs that provides problem solving and multilateral skills. Although student and faculty supporters were the big contenders in the approval of the major, Halperin believes everyone will benefit. “It’s really a team triumph,” he said. “And I mean the entire SMU family.” Sarah Kramer, managing editor, contributed to this report.
By RAHFIN FARUK Contributing Writer rfaruk@smu.edu
The R. Gerald Turner Centennial Quadrangle, Gail O. and R. Gerald Turner Centennial Pavilion and the Cooper Centennial Foundation dedication ceremony was full of optimism regarding SMU’s next century. “SMU has succeeded for two reasons,” Caron H. Prothro, chair of the Board of Trustees, said, “Our donor generosity and our institutional leadership.” The quadrangle, a 1.5 acre site that includes live oak trees, ornamental shrub gardens and colored pavers, serves as a tribute to the progress SMU has made under the leadership of President Turner for the last 15 years. SMU has become a Tier 1 school that now ranks as the 56th best in the nation, according to U.S. News’ annual ranking. The aesthetic of the school has also improved to one of the top neoclassical college campuses. “Fifteen years ago, parts of SMU were unattractive,” Turner, said. “This quadrangle and fountain are a culmination of a number of projects.” While the Turner family graciously accepted the monument from the Board of Trustees, Turner was quick to give credit to the Cooper family. “Today, we add a credit to the Cooper family for their contributions.” In character with his charm, Turner warned the crowd that he was not retiring just because he has a tribute in his name. After making a few wiles about SMU’s obsession with pristine buildings, he spoke about the symbolism of the event. “It’s been a great 16 years with the school. Maybe it won’t be 16 more, but it will be a great time and even better time.”
SPENCER J EGGERS/The Daily Campus
President R. Gerald Turner and his wife deliver a speech of gratitude at the dedication of the Gail O. and R. Gerald Turner Centennial Quadrangle at the Collins Executive Education Center on Friday afternoon. Earlier this year, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the quadrangle after the President and his wife for their contribution to SMU’s success since President Turner assumed his position in 1995.
Carl Sewell, a class of 1966 Board of Trustee member, closed the ceremony by raving about SMU’s bright future. “What SMU wants to be, it can be. We can be equal to any university in the nation,” she said. For students attending the event, the moment was an inspirational one. “SMU is becoming an even more amazing school. Everything is going up from our rankings to our athletics,” first-year Daisuke
Takeda said. For those that missed the enlightening moment, Turner had a piece of advice. “I urge all of you to come out and see the fountain one night,” he said. “It is just fantastic.”
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