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DALLAS (SMU) – The ҹɫÍõ³¯community will celebrate the graduation of more than 700 students at 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 15, at Moody Coliseum. Civic and philanthropic leader Caren H. Prothro, chair of the ҹɫÍõ³¯Board of Trustees, will deliver the commencement address.

“Graduation is a time to celebrate accomplishments and the promise of new endeavors,” said ҹɫÍõ³¯President R. Gerald Turner. “As this year’s December graduates begin the next chapters of their lives, we wish them all the best and thank them for what they have contributed to SMU.”

Featured commencement speaker Prothro has served as chair of the ҹɫÍõ³¯Board of Trustees since 2010 and was re-elected to another term as chair in July of 2012. She has been a member of the Board since 1992 and served as vice chair from 1996-2000. She serves as a co-chair of SMU’s Second Century Campaign and its Campaign Leadership Council.

During her tenure as ҹɫÍõ³¯Board chair, Prothro has emphasized the importance of reaching the University’s stated goal of having 100 endowed faculty positions and attracting nationally recognized experts to enhance SMU’s reputation as a center for research and scholarship. She also has focused on increasing funding for merit-based scholarships that enable ҹɫÍõ³¯to draw top students nationally and gaining support for major campus enhancements.

Prothro also is a longtime civic leader who helped spearhead the development of the Dallas Arts District and has served on the boards of numerous arts and philanthropic organizations as well as corporations.

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ҹɫÍõ³¯is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today ҹɫÍõ³¯enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools.

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