SMU news

SMU president R. Gerald Turner to step down after 30 years

SMU president R. Gerald Turner and his wife, Gail.

Photo by Tamytha Cameron Smith

Dr. R. Gerald Turner is stepping down as president of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, a post he has held for 30 years.

In a YouTube video and letter to the SMU community on August 21, he said, "...it is with an incredible sense of gratitude to the SMU community, I am announcing today that the coming academic year, 2024-2025, will be my last to serve as the 10th President of Southern Methodist University (SMU).

"I have been blessed by remarkable health and energy, along with the consistent support of the Board of Trustees, my wife Gail, my family, and the SMU community," he continued. "But as Trustee Ray Hunt occasionally notes, the calendar is the calendar, and it relentlessly moves forward. Therefore, it is best to transition out of the presidency when momentum is high, as it now is at SMU."

A search committee aims to name a new president by the end of the spring 2025 semester, Turner said.

Turner will become president emeritus of the university when the new president takes office, likely on June 1, 2025, he said. In that full-time capacity, he will report to the new president to continue to support the development and external affairs of the SMU.

Before joining SMU, Turner had been chancellor at the University of Mississippi. At his 1995 SMU Presidential Inauguration, he memorably said, "Life is too short to go to an ugly university." (Indeed, SMU consistently ranks as one of the prettiest college campuses in America.)

Chief among Turner's accomplishments at SMU are:

Two successful major capital campaigns (A Time to Lead, 1997-2002, and Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign, 2008-2015), which provided funding for academic and athletic facilities, scholarships, academic programs, endowed faculty positions, and more.
The recruitment and construction of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
A current $1.5 billion SMU Ignited major gifts campaign (2021-2028), which is 90% toward its goal.
SMU's new membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which officially began July 1, 2024.
Other major construction projects and significant enhancements of academic programs.

SMU has remained a leading U.S. academic institution for business, graduate degrees, and more. Its acclaimed Meadows School of the Arts got a major boon last fall from a $15 million gift that helped create a specialization in music theater. An SMU professor is the current Poet Laureate of Dallas.

"The Board and I are extremely grateful and proud of our shared success during the past 30 years brought about by the generosity of our supporters and the remarkably creative executive administrators, staff, and faculty at SMU," Turner said in his announcement.

"Thank you for 30 years of friendship and support ... let's continue to 'pony up.'"

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small but mighty

2 shining Dallas suburbs declared best small cities in America

Bethany Lakes Park Amphitheater in Allen, Allen Parks and Recreation

Allen Parks and Recreation/Facebook

Bethany Lakes Park is one of the many local parks Allen residents can enjoy every day.

More than a dozen of the suburbs that make up the DFW Metroplex are among the best small cities to live in, according to a new WalletHub study. And two perennial favorites lead the way.

In total, 15 Dallas-Fort Worth neighbors — with Allen and Flower Mound at the top of the pack — have been rated among the best small cities in America for 2026.

WalletHub's annual survey compared over 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 residents based on 45 livability metrics categorized into five key dimensions: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Cities were then grouped by percentile, where the 99th percentile represents the very best.

Nineteen small U.S. cities were rated in the 99th percentile, with the top three spots occupied by Lexington, Massachusetts; Brookfield, Wisconsin; and Carmel, Indiana. No Texas city earned this rating.

In Dallas-Fort Worth, Allen leads the way as the best small city for 2026, and is rated in the 96th percentile nationally for the third consecutive year. Flower Mound follows close behind in the 91st percentile.

The two Dallas neighbors also rank among the 100 most affordable places to live, WalletHub found, so it's no surprise that both cities appear at the top of the list. Allen was recently declared one of the 10 best housing markets nationwide, and Flower Mound flourished as the No. 3 best U.S. city to live in 2026, according to a separate livability ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

"Moving from a bustling metropolis to a small city could drastically cut down your cost of living," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "While small cities may lack some advantages of big cities, like robust public transportation systems, they make up for these shortcomings in other areas."

Cost-saving benefits aside, Lupo also said the best small cities have "strong job markets, high-quality education, good health care, safe living conditions, and plenty of local flair to help [residents] achieve a high quality of life."

Elsewhere in Dallas-Fort Worth, Rockwall has taken a surprising tumble down the list over the last two years. The city, which previously ranked in the 97th percentile in 2024, now ranks in the 86th percentile for 2026. The Colony joins Rockwall in the 86th percentile this year.

Additional DFW cities that appeared among the top 50th percentile of the best small American cities are:

Little Elm — 87th percentile
Colleyville — 85th percentile
Southlake — 82nd percentile
Sachse — 77th percentile
Coppell — 76th percentile
Mansfield — 74th percentile
Keller — 72nd percentile
Burleson — 63rd percentile
Grapevine 61st percentile
Cleburne — 56th percentile (tied)
Wylie — 56th percentile (tied)

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