Southern Methodist University

SMU's Office of Diversity and Inclusion reports "directly to the President" and "guides and supports University policies and practices that foster inclusive admission, recruiting, hiring and promotion practices,"

In 2020, in a document titled "Moving Forward Together: The University Response to the Black Unity Forum’s Action Plan," SMU stated the following: "Effective immediately, the University will match, up to $500,000, fundraising efforts by the Black Alumni Board of the SMU Alumni Board for scholarships or student financial support . Moreover, as a part of the leadership and public phases of a new comprehensive fundraising campaign, SMU will utilize its best efforts to raise $10 million by 2028 (the end of the next campaign) to support the needs of underrepresented, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and first-generation students."

On June 29, 2023, SMU's President issued a message regarding the Supreme Court's decision on race-based admissions which reads in part as follows: "[Let] me reassure you of SMU’s dedication to our mission and core values – including our commitment to an inclusive student body, faculty and staff...Despite the implications this ruling may have on policies and practices at SMU and every other college campus in America, we will continue to be a welcoming and supportive community. We will determine how the specifics of the high court’s ruling will affect the consideration of race in our enrollment efforts. We will meet this challenge while continuing to build a community that mirrors our global society – a campus where every Mustang is valued and feels a sense of belonging." 

One of the goals of SMU's 2023-2024 Progress Report is to "recruit, retain, and graduate academically and creatively gifted undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds." A similar goal of the report is to "increase the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the student body."

SMU's Office of Diversity and Inclusion reports "directly to the President" and "oversees SMU's Cultural Intelligence and anti-bias training."

Through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Cultural Intelligence Initiative at SMU serves as an "educational resource to the entire campus" and provides "opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to learn and successfully implement the principles of cultural intelligence..." The Office creates "workshops, resources, [and] non-credit bearing courses for campus and individual use."

In a 2020 document titled "Moving Forward Together: The University Response to the Black Unity Forum’s Action Plan," SMU stated that the Athletic Department would "require all student-athletes, coaches, and staff to complete CIQ@SMU implicit bias training by the end of 2021."

Through "CIQ:Learn," the Office of Cultural Intelligence provides "opportunities for members of the SMU community to develop their cultural intelligence knowledge and skills through interactive seminars and workshops."

Through the Department of Student Affairs, the Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement "prioritizes advocacy and awareness through immersive community engagement experiences and social justice education."

For the Spring 2025 season, SMU's Office of General Education has partnered with the "Engage Dallas" virtual book club in order to "amplify a professional development opportunity for faculty and staff." The club will feature Ibram X. Kendi's "How to be an Antiracist" where members will "discuss ways to pursue antiracism in Dallas and how we can recognize and grow through our own biases."

SMU’s curriculum "requires every student, regardless of major, to take a three-hour course focused on human diversity."

SMU's Bias Education and Response Team outlines its reporting process and states, "If you observe or experience an incident of bias, we encourage you to file a report online through the Bias Incident Reporting Form...."

SMU's Office of Diversity and Inclusion offers a training course for search committees titled "Searching Intelligently" and states, "Grounded in the principles of CIQ [Cultural Intelligence], this mandatory course for faculty search committee members reviews SMU's faculty search model; offers insights for strengthening the networking and candidate cultivation process; and evaluating candidates."

In a 2020 document titled "Moving Forward Together: The University Response to the Black Unity Forum’s Action Plan," SMU stated the following: "The University will require all incoming staff and faculty members – tenure track or adjunct – to complete CIQ@SMU’s implicit bias training and standalone module on microaggressions no later than the end of fall 2021. Furthermore, all existing faculty and staff members will be required to complete CIQ@SMU’s implicit bias training and the standalone module on microaggressions by December 2021."

The Connect Mentorship Program at SMU is a "year-long mentorship program aimed at retaining students of color at SMU." The Program "helps incoming students of color become effective, successful, and engaged members of SMU through peer mentoring."

In a 2020 document titled "Moving Forward Together: The University Response to the Black Unity Forum’s Action Plan," SMU stated that "Beginning in November 2020, the Chief of Police and appropriate staff will meet quarterly with the new Community Advisory Board to provide perspectives on issues related to race and campus policing."

The Moving Forward Together February 2023 update reported that the "SMU Police Department’s Community Engagement team and PCAB organized meetings with Association of Black Students (ABS) leaders to discuss policing on campus and the relationship between SMU Police and students."

The Black Unity Forum at SMU is an organization comprised of leaders from its affiliate groups which "serve the black students, faculty, staff, and alumni of SMU." In 2020, the BUF created its Action Plan which "highlights the commitments, goals, and criteria" it deems as "paramount to the success" of the black community at SMU.

On September 7, 2023, SMU held an event titled "We Won't Go Back: Sustaining Movements for Social Justice After Affirmative Action" as part of the Bridge Builders Lecture Series.

SMU's Office of Diversity and Inclusion states, "Reporting directly to the President, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion guides and supports University policies and practices that foster inclusive admission, recruiting, hiring and promotion practices, and oversees SMU's Cultural Intelligence and anti-bias training."

SMU Libraries provides an "Anti-Racism Starter Kit" which includes such titles as "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi, "America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America" by Jim Wallis, and "How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide" by Crystal Marie Fleming.

In response to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights' February 14, 2025, "Dear Colleague Letter," SMU has "decided to temporarily pause the undergraduate Human Diversity (HD) requirement in the SMU Common Curriculum for students graduating between May 2025 and August 2025." The pause will be used to "thoroughly review the requirement and evaluate whether revisions are necessary."

In 2020, the Dean for the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU issued a statement titled "Black Lives Matter at SMU Meadows" which reads in part as follows: "Racism is, and has been, systemic in America's institutions, including our own, for generations. We can and must do better than sharing a social media post here and there...We must continue to examine and rethink the systems that oppress Black people and other people of color...To start, I have personally made a donation to a GoFundMe project called SMU Black Lives Matter."

SMU's Office of Cultural Intelligence wants to "move beyond diversity to a framework that equips our faculty, staff, and students to effectively collaborate with each other and the world around them."