SMU Human-Centered Interdisciplinary Studies

What an amazing weekend on The Hilltop! Congratulations to our Human-Centered Interdisciplinary Studies graduates! Their hard work, creativity, and passion to learn led to this day! We are so proud of these outstanding scholars as they go out into the world. 💙❤️🥳

Join us in person for lunch and an exciting dive into the world of coaching and its power to unlock human potential. Discover how science-backed techniques can help you or your team thrive like never before. It's a casual, inspiring event where you'll learn practical tips and connect with like-minded folks eager to grow. Register here: https://bit.ly/4eGsVGr

On Saturday, we held our annual HCIS Dissertation, Thesis, and Capstone event to feature the fascinating research of our 2025-2026 DLS, MLS, and MADR graduates. We are very proud of their interdisciplinary inquiry and perseverance! Congratulations!

This week, Dr. John Potter and his students in the Engaging Conflict class stepped out of the classroom and into the community, serving dinner at the Stewpot in Dallas. This local nonprofit helps people overcome poverty and homelessness by providing essential services, community support, and a path to stability. We are grateful for our MADR and MLS students who fully engaged with this experience. And we want to give a special shout out to Aaron Zeman, DLS student and MADR alumnus, who organized this opportunity.

Last week, Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell stopped by Dr. Mag Gabbert's "Creativity and the Art of Expression" course to speak with our doctoral students about the important role creativity plays in his work both on and off the court!

Join us tomorrow, 4/21 at 1pm CDT to learn more about SMU's Master of Liberal Studies! Sign up here: https://mlsinfosessionapril.eventbrite.com

Join us next Tuesday 4/21 at 1pm CDT to learn more about SMU's Master of Liberal Studies! Sign up here: https://mlsinfosessionapril.eventbrite.com/

Congratulations to all the winners! We are delighted to see Master of Liberal Studies student Michelle Ried's essay recognized and celebrated.

Conflict is inevitable, but how we engage with it matters...especially at work! Last week we gathered a group of experts to explore just that. SMU's Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution alumni and leaders, Jeffrey King, Malcolm McGuire, Rahel Tesfaye, Dr. John Potter, and Roman Peterson, addressed how to constructively approach workplace conflict with clarity and skill. Using real stories, they shared how engaging, rather than avoiding, is healthy for everyone and ultimately leads to stronger teams.

Visit our website to learn more about our upcoming summer course on workplace conflict where students can gain the knowledge, skills, and practice to engage effectively. We have enrollment options for degree-seeking, non-degree seeking, and certificate students. Learn more at smu.edu/hcis.

This week, the team behind SMU's Project Poëtica gathered an extraordinary group of poets, scholars, students, and community at the Symposium on Poetic Form. A special reading by 24th US Poet Laureate, Ada Limón, drew a big crowd in Dallas Hall. Our very own HCIS clinical professor and Dallas Poet Laureate, Mag Gabbert, led a round table discussion and presented her poetry at a group reading. Several of our MLS and DLS students attended sessions over the two days to get a jolt of interdisciplinary inspiration! Kudos to the SMU English Department and Bridwell Library for hosting such a brilliant event!

Exciting News! At the invitation of board of the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs, SMU's HCIS will be the new host of the Association’s national office. After eight years of impeccable stewardship at Rice University, and before that at Duke University, we are honored to have been selected as the new home.

Founded in 1975, the AGLSP is a forum for the exchange of interdisciplinary information and ideas among Graduate Liberal Studies programs, students, alumni, and all others with related intellectual and institutional goals. SMU’s relationship with the Association dates back decades through charter membership in 1975, active board participation, and extensive student and alumni participation in the annual conferences and published work in Confluence, AGLSP’s academic journal.

With the home office moving to SMU, Lue Kraltchev, DLS candidate, MLS alumna, and HCIS Graduate Assistant has been appointed by the AGLSP to serve as the National Office Administrative Manager given her professional experience and academic pursuits, including presenting at national AGLSP conferences and Texas GLS Symposia. Dr. Kate Montgomery, HCIS Department Chair, will continue to serve on the AGLSP board and work with Lue on SMU support matters.

We are pleased to share that the upcoming AGLSP Annual Conference will take place July 16-18, 2026, on our beautiful SMU campus. The conference theme is New Beginnings: Knowledge in Motion. We look forward to our HCIS students, alumni, and fellow AGLSP members and institutions participating and sharing their research and writing. Stay tuned for more details!