About Us

The Honors & Scholars Department is housed in Student Academic Engagement and Success

SMU offers an extensive range of Honors and Scholars programs for SMU students. Those contained in the Honors & Scholars department are: the University Honors Program, the Hilltop Scholars Program, the Turner Scholars Program, and the President鈥檚 Scholars Program. Our dynamic programs are designed to provide unique academic opportunities, interdisciplinary seminars, and hands-on activities that will immediately challenge and expand your thinking. With a focus on academic enrichment, our programs offer a diverse array of experiences that will engage and inspire you.

For more information, contact AcademicSuccess@smu.edu or one of our staff members.

Dean Melissa Chessher

Melissa Chessher, Dean of Honors and Scholars, joined SMU in 2022 as the Belo Foundation Endowed Distinguished Chair of Journalism. In 2026, Dean Chessher joined the Division of Student Academic Engagement and Success as Dean of Honors and Scholars.

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Staff

Dr. Brandon Gray Miller is a white man with straight, medium-length silver and brown hair. He is wearing a dark suit jacket, light blue striped dress shirt, and bright red tie, posed smiling in front of a softly blurred outdoor background with a building and greenery.

Dr. Brandon Gray Miller

Assistant Dean, Honors & Scholars

Director, University Honors Program

Director, Office of National Undergraduate Fellowships

bgmiller@smu.edu

214-768-4543


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Nikole Melgarejo Juarez

Director, Gerald and Gail Turner Scholars Program

214-768-4032

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A woman stands outdoors on a college campus, smiling confidently at the camera. She has long, dark brown hair worn loose, and is dressed in a charcoal gray blazer over a black top, accessorized with a simple gold necklace. The background shows a grassy lawn, pathways, and academic buildings.

Dr. Amy Richarson

Director, President's Scholars Program

amyrichardson@smu.edu

214-768-2214

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Dr. Hannah Park Lee

Interim Director, Hilltop Scholars Program

hpark@smu.edu

Tulsi Lohani

Program Coordinator, Honors & Scholars

Honors and Scholars Residential Community

Honors Health Sciences Program

University Honors Program

tlohani@smu.edu

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