Legacy no longer: SMU's Plano campus gets a new name

Known for a dozen years as SMU-in-Legacy, the University's campus located in Plano's Legacy Business Park is aptly changing its name to the more familiar SMU-in-Plano.

Festivities to celebrate the name change begin Thursday, Oct. 29, with a 4 p.m. reception featuring SMU President R. Gerald Turner and Plano Mayor Phil Dyer at the SMU-in-Plano campus, 5232 Tennyson Parkway.

A community open house will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31, featuring information on college programs and services offered at the Plano campus. The two-day open house takes place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the SMU-in-Plano campus located at 5232 Tennyson Parkway, Building Two, Plano, Texas 75024. Prospective students also will have the opportunity to learn about attending SMU Dallas as a first-year, transfer or summer school student. Information about SMU-in-Taos and the Cultural Institute will be available as well. A Plano Symphony Orchestra petting zoo, a chance to win free summer youth camp enrollment or symphony tickets and trick-or-treat candy and a costume contest (Saturday only) will be part of the open house. For more information, visit smuplano.com.

Kate Livingston, SMU-in-Plano campus director, cites several factors for the switch. "This new moniker distinguishes the campus from the nearby commercial development called 'The Campus at Legacy,' which has proved confusing," she says. "The school is located on Tennyson Parkway, not Legacy Drive, and SMU has a sister campus in New Mexico called SMU-in-Taos, so it makes sense to have both reflect the city in which they reside."

The Plano campus opened in 1997 to offer SMU's resources to working professionals in the growing Collin County area who wished to strengthen their careers through higher education. Today some 800 graduate students are enrolled at the campus, pursuing master's degrees or professional certificates through programs including the Cox Professional M.B.A., counseling, dispute resolution, teacher education and engineering. The digital game design Master's program at The Guildhall at SMU attracts students from across the United States and internationally.

Beginning in January 2010, SMU-in-Plano will add two more programs: the Master of Liberal Studies degree, offered through the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, and the Graduate Marketing Certificate Program, offered by the Cox School of Business.

In addition to graduate degrees and certificate programs, SMU-in-Plano offers noncredit courses for adults through the Continuing and Professional Education (CAPE) program, such as photography, financial planning and test preparation. Summer programs include the Advanced Placement Institute for teachers, as well as the Academic Enhancement programs and Summer Youth Program for K-12.

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