Continuing The Ascent: 10 Yr Plan to Grow Academic Quality

[deucetz]

PDF w/ more detail: https://www.smu.edu/-/media/Site/Provos ... .pdf?la=en

Thoughts? It's a step, not sure if it is very ambitious. They want to raise about half a billion over 10 years to try and be a top 50 institutional in US News ranking and start to try and work towards gaining AAU membership. It's disturbing because they use USC and Northeastern as examples of institutions that increased their academic quality within 10 years, and the plan falls short of those institutions efforts. In 2007, Northeastern was ranked 98th and by 2015 they rose to 42nd.



Continuing The Ascent: Recommendations for Enhancing the Academic Quality and Stature of Southern Methodist University, a report by SMU President R. Gerald Turner and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven C. Currall, presents a set of 14 bold recommendations for further raising SMU’s standing relative to other universities.

ΓÇ£This is our time to rise even higher,ΓÇ¥ Turner said. ΓÇ£There’s more to do to strengthen our already fine academic quality, and to bolster our local, national and global impact.ΓÇ¥

The recommendations, discussed and vetted for more than a year among the SMU community via task force work, forums and town halls, address four categories:

Enhancing the Quality of Undergraduates and Their Educational Experience
Strengthening Faculty, Research and Creative Impact at SMU
Enhancing the Quality of Graduate Students and Their Educational Experience
Deepening Innovative Community Partnerships and Engagement
Each recommendation briefly compares SMU with its peers and aspirants, and includes estimated costs.

ΓÇ£The SMU Community contributed extensively to, and informed the development of our recommendations," Currall said. "This report represents our collective vision of SMU’s futureand how to further elevate SMU’s excellence in scholarship, creative activity, teaching, and societal impact.ΓÇ¥

https://www.smu.edu/News/2018/continuing-the-ascent

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

I like the idea of gaining AAU membership so we would be more attractive to the Big Ten.

[Mustangs_Maroons]

AAU membership is very important.

Too bad Turner has this now after over 20 years at the university. I don’t know the actual rankings but I would not be surprised if we have not moved up or perhaps even moved down in rankings. Given SMU’s location and strong business program as well as nationally regarded programs in other areas, we should be solidly top 50, and in my opinion, we should be a top 30-35 national university.

[Greenwich Pony]

Agreed. That where we should reasonably be.

[orguy]

If SMU wishes to secure AAU membership the last school it would "bolster" is cox. Think
Dedman College (physical sciences) and Engineering.

As a sideonote: SMU's MBA program is quite weak nationally.