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The Dedman School of Law Board of Advocates (BOA) is SMU’s premier advocacy organization. It exists to preserve, nurture and promote a culture of excellence in oral and written advocacy at the SMU Dedman School of Law. Our work is vital to the development of practice-ready attorneys. Your support will directly impact our ability to host meaningful events and provide valuable resources to our members.

The Board of Advocates hopes to host and participate in more competitions in the upcoming year to showcase and further develop the advocacy talents of our students. The Board of Advocates will use funding raised through SMU Giving Day to train practice-ready attorneys. All funds will go directly to furthering our goal through hosting on-campus competitions for BOA members and non-members; by selecting and supporting teams for off-campus competitions; and by facilitating student events, advocacy workshops and other learning opportunities. The BOA has enjoyed numerous recent successes, including two 2023 national championships at the ABA Labor and Employment Law Competition and the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition. All funding raised directly helps the organization form additional teams for our student advocates to grow into successful attorneys of the future.

In addition to developing current law students, the BOA works to inspire the next generation of advocates through the Dallas Kids Project. The Dallas Kids Project gives back to the community by hosting a mock trial competition and training session for local fifth grade students.

Your gift this SMU Giving Day will benefit students through increased opportunities for competition, training in oral and written advocacy, and leadership through service in the Dallas community. In turn, these future attorneys will take the skills they developed through the Board of Advocates into their legal practice. Thank you for your generosity!

Scholarships are critical in recruiting the most talented students and reducing student loan debt. Scholarship gifts attract and support students who otherwise might not be able to attend Dedman School of Law and allow them to choose their preferred career path. Your gift to SMU Dedman School of Law enables us to continue to advance tomorrow's leaders in the legal and business fields.

The Department of Religious Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach, employing methods drawn from across the humanities and social sciences to examine the world's religious traditions as social, cultural and historical phenomena. Students graduate from this academically rigorous program with a global perspective, sensitivity to cultural diversity and a strong liberal arts background, assets that serve as a solid foundation for future endeavors. This Giving Day the Department of Religious Studies is raising money to support faculty research, including funding travel to archives or field sites; publication fees; and conference travel for the presentation of research.

The Guest Artist Initiative looks to engage diverse dance artists who are leading the dance industry through innovative creative practices to work with the students in the Division of Dance. The opportunity to exchange ideas, information and approaches with an extensive range of dance artists is invaluable to our students' growth and learning. Expanding the knowledge of these passionate, diligent and dedicated dance students is at the forefront of the vision and mission of the Division of Dance. Having funding to bring in diverse and compelling artists is crucial to providing our students with a full range of opportunities to develop as dynamic artists in their own right.

The Division of Film and Media Arts selects a group of students every two years to produce their own feature film through our Summer Film Production program. This year's team will be producing a period drama titled When the Azaleas Bloomed (ITALICIZE TITLE IN GRAVYTY), written by current junior Jake Willeford '27, who has developed this story over the course of four years. Willeford will be directing, and a team of four current sophomores and juniors are producing the film. Past summer film productions have gone on to festival success and even distribution. Our fundraising priority is to make our set this summer as professional as possible and to showcase as much production value on screen as we can. In addition to the invaluable experience of working and running a professional feature film, the impact can be far-reaching as some students from our past feature productions have even gotten jobs straight out of SMU specifically based on having produced a feature while in school. The Meadows School of the Arts and its Division of Film and Media Arts will also benefit from the exposure the feature film program brings. National academic film program rankings cite film production opportunities as a unique strength of SMU's program in addition to the noteworthy professional outcomes by participating students. For more details, visit https://www.smu.edu/Meadows/AreasOfStudy/FilmMediaArts/SummerFilmProduction

The Civil Rights Pilgrimage takes participants to places of significance in the American Civil Rights Movement. The pilgrimage provides historical background along with personal interactions with people who directly participated in the movement. In addition, participants meet with contemporary 'foot soldiers for justice' who are working in the communities we visit. It is a transformative experience of the courage and spiritual depth of individuals and communities who work for justice. Contributions to the Civil Rights Pilgrimage provide scholarships for student participants.

$50 covers museum admission fees for one student. 

$100 covers one day of transportation for one student. 

$150 covers all the meals for one student. 

$500 covers journals for all participants.

$800 covers hotel accommodations for one student.

The Cox School's Executive MBA program holds an EMBA Business Plan Competition each spring term. This annual event offers students an opportunity for hands-on learning and real-world business plan building strategy. Giving to the fund provides support to bring in corporate partners to judge the business plans and award prize money to the winners.