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Caswell Leadership Program
The purpose of the Dr. Jim Caswell Endowment for Leadership Development and Training is to fund and provide a stream of income to students to support initiatives within the Division of Student Affairs. This program is built to provide students a unique opportunity to acquire the experience and knowledge necessary for them to not only succeed in life, but also to inspire and lead others. As part of this program, students are provided with the resources and necessary support to create a successful and sustainable leadership project and develop their own leadership skills. The Caswell Leadership Program was founded in 2012 and has not only made a large impact on students’ personal and leadership development but has produced notable projects that can still be seen on campus or in the Dallas community today.
Aleena Taufiq ‘18 & ‘19 was a 2017-2018 Caswell Fellow who is the Founder and CEO of the Geared-Up program. This non-profit initiative focuses on engineering enrichment for middle school students in low income districts which consisted of guest speakers, engineering design challenges, and field trips.
Lillian Duma was a 2021-2022 Caswell Fellow who created the Language Partners organization on campus. This organization matches SMU students aiming to grow their non-English conversational skills and cultural competency with international students and individuals in the greater Dallas to grow their English language skills and knowledge of American culture.
Nick Fontela ‘21 & ‘22 and Kealey Poole ‘22 were Caswell Fellows in 2019-2020 and together created Caswell Coaches, which is still active on campus today. This program consists of experienced student leaders who work directly with clubs and organizations to guide them through various aspects of operating student organizations. A Caswell Coach is assigned to have one-on-one meetings with board members of the organization to better understand the needs of the organization and find the best ways coaches can help them.
