Qualifying for Alpha Lambda Delta

Zoe Reardon studies business and world languages at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Texas. A Second Century Scholar at the school, Zoe Reardon was invited to and joined Alpha Lambda Delta.

An honor society that provides members with a community of like-minded scholars, financial assistance, various discounts, and opportunities to help those in need, Alpha Lambda Delta has been operating for nearly a century. Membership in the organization is by invitation only. Eligible students not only must be enrolled at an institution with an Alpha Lambda Delta chapter on campus, they also must have a full-time course schedule and a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) or higher during their first year or semester (depending on the chapter).

Students who meet these requirements are sent an email or letter with information about joining Alpha Lambda Delta. Joining the organization requires a one-time membership fee that helps local chapters cover operating expenses. Once joined, membership to the organization cannot be revoked if a student’s grades drop below the initial 3.5 GPA minimum. Further, member students are allowed to wear organization regalia during graduation ceremonies. Those who do graduate with a GPA of 3.5 or higher also receive a special certificate denoting the achievement.

SMU Cox School to Benefit from Establishment of New Technology Center

The recipient of a four-year, merit-based scholarship to attend Southern Methodist University (SMU), Zoe Reardon is studying business and world languages. A member of the Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD) honor society at SMU, Zoe Reardon also serves as a peer academic leader.

A private research university in Dallas, Texas, SMU is home to the Cox School of Business. Recently, the Cox School and the Lyle School of Engineering received a joint gift to establish the Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The major funding infusion to establish the collaborative venture came from prominent Dallas business leaders and major SMU supporters Linda Wertheimer Hart and Milledge (Mitch) A. Hart, III.

The institute will enable the engineering and business schools to better integrate their expertise and resources to create innovative technology prototypes and develop business plans. The Hart Institute will reinforce SMU’s role as an “engine of regional economic development and job creation,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner.

Alliance Theatre Offers Collaborative Residency for Teachers

An honors student pursuing a double major in world languages and business at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, Zoe Reardon received a four-year merit scholarship through the Second Century Scholar program. Before enrolling in SMU, Zoe Reardon taught theater to children at a camp operated by the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

An organization that provides a wide range of theater and dramatic arts programming for children and adults, the Alliance Theatre features year-round classes, summer camps, and training for teachers. The Alliance Theatre Institute Residency is a program that pairs a professional teaching artist and a classroom teacher for collaborative learning. Using this model, the teachers create joint lessons and instructional strategies to fulfill the arts-integration standard set by the Georgia State Department of Education.

After the planning and coordination portion, the Alliance Residency continues with eight to 12 classes of arts-integrated instruction. The program has a built-in reflection and evaluation period, and concludes with teachers and students attending an Alliance Theatre production.

SMU Niemi Center Engages Business Students in Meaningful Research

Based in Texas, Zoe Reardon was awarded a four-year, merit-based scholarship to study business and world languages at Southern Methodist University (SMU). A member of SMU’s Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, Zoe Reardon also serves as a peer academic leader.

SMU, a private research university in Dallas, is home to the Edwin L. Cox School of Business and a variety of centers and institutes that advance business education. One of these institutions is the Niemi Center, which was named in honor of Dean Albert W. Niemi, a man who served as an administrator and professor at the Cox School for 20 years.

Providing an educational foundation in American capitalism, courses at the Niemi Center also teach how the dynamics of capitalism are changing. In addition to academic courses, the Niemi Center offers undergraduate and graduate students the chance to participate in meaningful research fellowships to promote positive change in the world.