Dallas, TX
R. Gerald Turner’s service to SMU was a gift to Dallas
In an era when university presidents and higher education itself are under evermore intense scrutiny, it was too easy to take for granted the work R. Gerald Turner did for Dallas.
In a deliberate, strategic and almost quiet way, he has been building up a university in the center of our city, quite literally brick by red brick.
Turner’s decision to step down next year as president of Southern Methodist University is a historical mark for our region. His three decades of service have accrued to the benefit of Dallas, even to those who have never set foot on the hilltop.
We would proffer this idea: great cities cannot exist without great universities. The ideas and energy such institutions produce, the minds they attract, the young people they shape — these are each at the foundation of a true city, a true polis, as the ancient Greeks would have called this organization of human lives that becomes a society.
With his wife, Gail Turner, as a partner at his side, Turner led the transformation of SMU into a nationally ranked university with increasing standing in the humanities, the arts and the sciences.
He has been driven in seeing its athletics thrive, with a focus on restoring its football team to national prominence.
He worked to increase the share of underrepresented populations in the student body, a crucial part of any serious university’s success.
And he was the leader most responsible for putting SMU on sound financial footing for generations to come by building up its endowment to an enviable $2.03 billion.
We are unabashed in cheering on SMU’s success, because when a city’s universities are strong and vibrant, so too will that city be.
There is more to be done still. We know how hard Turner and the faculty and staff at SMU have worked to achieve R1 research status. That classification marks a university that, in an average year, spends $50 million on research and development and that produces at least 70 research doctorates. Schools that achieve this ranking demonstrate that they can attract and support top research talent.
SMU would be only the second private university in the state, after Rice University, to achieve R1 status.
Turner has put SMU in a position to do just that even as he has seen it expand need- and merit-based scholarships for deserving students who otherwise couldn’t afford to attend.
If we know Turner, we know his move to president emeritus will be, let’s call it what it is, a well-deserved semi-retirement.
Because Turner will always be a part of SMU, and everyone who knows his love for the school welcomes that with open arms.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
During the first quarter on Sunday afternoon against the Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb set an impressive bit of NFL history.
By recording his fourth reception in the game (CeeDee got a lot of work early if that is not obvious) Lamb recorded four receptions for the 44th consecutive game. That is the longest streak in NFL history, according to the Cowboys’ public relations team.
CeeDee Lamb (@_CeeDeeThree) has recorded four receptions in the first quarter. Lamb has recorded at least four receptions in 44 consecutive games, surpassing Michael Thomas for the longest such streak in NFL history.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) November 24, 2024
Lamb surpassed former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas to set the record all to himself. The impressive thing about a streak like this is that it crosses over multiple seasons and in CeeDee’s case even multiple quarterbacks.
Obviously this season has been a bit tough for the Cowboys, but seeing CeeDee continually perform is a bright spot throughout it all. Kudos and congratulations to him, hopefully there is a lot more history on the way for him and the team in sunnier days.
In August, when the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System filed a lawsuit against City Hall, we winced in concern.
The difference boiled down to which entity, the city or the pension board, had the authority to send a plan to the Texas Legislature to get the badly underfunded system back on track.
Well, the pension system won that fight in district court in Travis County. The plan it has crafted would offer substantially more funding to the pension system, with cost-of-living increases and a reduction in employee contributions in later years.
The city could drag this through an appeal, but as things stand, the pension system’s plan would become the required funding formula.
Most readers know the pension system is underfunded by more than $3 billion. The difference here boils down to how much additional money the city will contribute per year to get us back on track. Under the pension system’s plan, it would be millions more per year.
But this is a wholly negotiable matter. Two sides have different figures in mind. The sides need to hash out those differences in a way that ensures the city is aligned with a 2017 state law that was passed for the express purpose of getting this pension funded.
There are serious people on both sides. What we need now is a leader at City Hall who has the standing to get this done. Normally, that would be the mayor, but our mayor hasn’t been doing the hard work at City Hall for a long time and we don’t expect him to start now. It could be the city manager, but that job is in the hands of an interim manager now.
Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins has been doing the heavy lifting for the city, but whether he can lead the city’s side in negotiations is unclear.
All we know is that there is an opportunity for a solution that gets this thing out of court and a solid plan to the Legislature that, yes, includes sacrifices but that also stops the drumbeat about this important public benefit.
Someone needs to get on the phone, book a conference room, order some takeout and work the spreadsheets. There is time, but the clock is ticking.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
Something I have come to realize is that if you are a Dallas Cowboys fan around the age of 40 (a little room for flexibility at the top) or younger, you have only gotten the bad in this. Your friends, family, co-workers, etc. all tease you and mock you when your team loses and for the majority of your life, for all of your adult life, that has been the case.
You get the treatment that fans of the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Yankees get in terms of meme-ability but without any sort of hardware to make crawling through the mud worth it. Consider that each of those teams are dealing with droughts of their own, the youngest of which was born when Dallas’ was already 14 years old.
It is for this reason that when CeeDee Lamb said following Monday night’s loss that teams are looking to “embarrass” the Cowboys that I found it interesting. I’m not here to act like playing the Cowboys “is so and so’s Super Bowl”, but I do put some stock into the idea that opposing teams smell blood in the water so to speak and know that a domination against America’s Team lives a little bit louder than most. Consider all the fanfare that the New Orleans Saints picked up earlier this season as a recent example.
These are just my two cents though so I was curious how someone who has actually been in those shoes/cleats feels about the whole thing. Thankfully I had an opportunity to talk to former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz earlier this week and asked him about the idea among other things.
You can watch our conversation here:
Cruz’s Giants team won the Super Bowl 13 years ago when Dallas’ drought was already 16 years old (I’d imagine Jerry Jones bought them a brand new Mercedes for the occasion). They famously defeated the Cowboys in an NFC East title game in Week 17 at MetLife Stadium, the first of three in a row that Dallas would lose to each of their division rivals. I lived those three years like every one of you and still cannot believe that they actually happened in that exact way.
The Murphy’s Law of who the Cowboys are speaks for itself in that what can go wrong will and while Cruz didn’t exactly agree with that particular sentiment, he did note that playing the Cowboys comes with a little bit of extra motivation. He added that playing for the Giants brings with it a big stage in and of itself, an objectively true statement, and said the right things about how you want to embarrass anybody you play because it’s the NFL.
Whatever the case you can add Cruz to people who at least partially share the sentiment that CeeDee Lamb offered on Monday night. The whole thing is depressing and it is hard to know when it will end.
Cruz and I discussed a variety of things, including his recent partnership with Captain Morgan and a particularly sweet new crewneck.
Starting November 22, limited quantities of the Captain Morgan Crewneck will drop on KidSuper.com. Miss the drop? You’re in luck – Captain Morgan is unlocking access for fans 21+ to score the coolest merch of the season. Head over to FollowTheCaptain.com, and while you’re there, dive into a world of hidden clues and surprises, because you never know what Captain Morgan has in store as we gear up for Super Bowl LIX.
Our thanks to Victor Cruz and Captain Morgan for the time.
The Bouncer (2024) – Movie Review
![VICSEED for MagSafe Car Mount [Upgraded Strongest Magnet Power] Magnetic Phone Holder for Car Vent 360 Adjustable Magnetic Car Phone Holder Mount for iPhone 16 Pro Max 15 14 13 12 Plus Mini](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/71uqg2a5zqL._AC_SL1500_-80x80.jpg "VICSEED for MagSafe Car Mount [Upgraded Strongest Magnet Power] Magnetic Phone Holder for Car Vent 360 Adjustable Magnetic Car Phone Holder Mount for iPhone 16 Pro Max 15 14 13 12 Plus Mini")
VICSEED for MagSafe Car Mount [Upgraded Strongest Magnet Power] Magnetic Phone Holder for Car Vent 360 Adjustable Magnetic Car Phone Holder Mount for iPhone 16 Pro Max 15 14 13 12 Plus Mini
Cinematography Work at Camerimage Festival ‘Radically Different,’ Jury Members Say
How Oklahoma handed Alabama a shocking third loss: Are Tide’s Playoff hopes gone?
Bryce Underwood’s meetings with Tom Brady helped flip QB from LSU to Michigan: Source
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Blinken questioned for State Department hosting in-house therapy sessions after Trump win
Voters in Switzerland say no to bigger motorways
Two killed and one injured as plane crashes in Colorado mountain range
Fred Harris, former Democratic senator from Oklahoma and presidential candidate, dies at 94
‘Optical illusion’: Key takeaways from COP29
-
Business1 week agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Science5 days agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics7 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Technology6 days agoInside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle1 week agoSome in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
-
World7 days agoProtesters in Slovakia rally against Robert Fico’s populist government
-
News6 days agoThey disagree about a lot, but these singers figure out how to stay in harmony
-
News7 days agoGaetz-gate: Navigating the President-elect's most baffling Cabinet pick