Connect with us

Dallas, TX

R. Gerald Turner’s service to SMU was a gift to Dallas

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

Opinion

Get smart opinions on the topics North Texans care about.

How SMU transformed under President R. Gerald Turner over three decades

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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



Source link

Advertisement

Dallas, TX

2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced

Published

on

2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced


Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.

We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.

Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.

The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.

Advertisement

It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.



Source link

Continue Reading

Dallas, TX

Dallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs

Published

on

Dallas Approves 0,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs


A portion of South Lamar Street was officially renamed Botham Jean Boulevard in 2021.

Flashit Photography

On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018. 

Advertisement

The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175. 

Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed. 

“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.  

Sign up for the This Week’s Top Stories newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox

Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force. 

The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.

On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.” 

“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.” 

Advertisement

Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion. 

Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago. 

 “I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.” 



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Dallas, TX

World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released

Published

on

World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released


We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending