SMU’s 42nd Annual Women’s Symposium

More than 400 community leaders, college students and high school students register for the Symposium each year. One-third of the registrants are SMU students, with the remainder representing professional and volunteer community leaders, secondary school students, and faculty and students from other colleges and universities.

Featured speaker for the symposium will be Asma Barlas, an author, political science professor and director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity at Ithaca College, New York. The focus of her work and research has been on Islam and, in particular, how Muslims interpret and live it. An internationally renowned speaker on these topics, she has proposed theory that allows Muslims to argue on behalf of sexual equality and against patriarchy from within an Islamic framework.

• The Rev. Beulah “Bubba” Dailey, executive director of Austin Street Centre, a homeless shelter in downtown Dallas.
• The Honorable Dennise Garcia, judge of the 303rd State District (Family) Court and the first Hispanic woman to be election to the bench in Dallas County.
• Anne Marie Weiss-Armush, founder and chair of the Board of Directors of DFW International, the internet portal to international North Texas. Through journalism, education and international cultural projects, she portrays the essence and the image of the metroplex's global face.
• The Rev. Jo Hudson, senior pastor of the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, the largest church led by a woman senior pastor in the United States.
• Stacy Eppers, who has significant experience in mentoring young women through her work with Community Partners of Dallas. She serves as manager of the Rainbow Room, which is an emergency resource room for Dallas County child protective services.

SMU students, faculty and staff are admitted free. Individual tickets for the general public are $40-$95. Tables for eight are $320-$480.

Information and registration is available online.