At a time when university presidents and higher education itself are under increasing scrutiny, it was too easy to take for granted the work R. Gerald Turner did for Dallas.
In a deliberate, strategic and almost unobtrusive way, he has literally built a university, brick by brick, in the center of our city.
Turner’s decision to step down as president of Southern Methodist University next year is a historic sign for our region. His three decades of service have benefited Dallas, even those who never set foot on the Hill.
We would like to put forward the following idea: great cities cannot exist without great universities. The ideas and energy that such institutions generate, the minds they attract, the young people they shape – all this forms the basis of a true city, a true polis, as the ancient Greeks would have called this organization of human life that becomes a society.
With his wife, Gail Turner, as his partner, Turner led the transformation of SMU into a nationally recognized university with growing prestige in the humanities, arts and sciences.
He was keen to promote the city’s athletics and focused his attention on helping the city’s football team regain national prominence.
He was committed to increasing the proportion of underrepresented populations in the student body, a crucial factor for the success of any serious university.
And he was the one primarily responsible for putting SMU on a solid financial footing for generations to come by growing its endowment to an enviable $2.03 billion.
We applaud SMU’s success without reservations, because when a city’s universities are strong and vibrant, the city itself is strong and vibrant.
There is still much work to be done. We know how hard Turner and SMU faculty and staff have worked to achieve R1 research status. This rating denotes a university that spends $50 million on research and development in an average year and produces at least 70 research doctorates. Schools that achieve this ranking demonstrate their ability to attract and develop top researchers.
After Rice University, SMU would be only the second private university in the state to achieve R1 status.
Turner has enabled SMU to do just that, while also ensuring that the university expands need- and merit-based scholarships to deserving students who otherwise could not afford to attend college.
If we know Turner, we know that his appointment as President Emeritus will be, let’s call it what it is, a well-deserved early retirement.
Because Turner will always be a part of SMU, and everyone who knows his love for the school welcomes this with open arms.
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