The Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility serves the campus of Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...

and the greater Dallas community. The center is most recognized for its scholarships awarded to students who display an exceptional capacity to change our world. The scholarships are awarded to students who participate in notable internships usually associated with non-profit organizations.

Mission statement

The Maguire Center seeks to recognize, honor, and model ethical behavior; provide moral reflection on the contemporary issues; and celebrate ethics that reflect SMU's fundamental goals throughout the campus and in the Greater Dallas Community.

Cary M. Maguire

In the Spring of 1995, Southern Methodist University sought and secured an endowment of two and a half million dollars from a member of its Board of Trustees, Cary M. Maguire, to establish the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility. Mr. Maguire previously gave $1 million to establish the Maguire Chair in Ethics, some $2 million for expansion of facilities of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business, and $1 million for the Maguire Chair in Oil and Gas Management. He also founded the Maguire Energy Institute in the Cox School. The Cary M. Maguire Building in the Cox School is named in his honor. Mr. Maguire is Chair and President of Maguire Oil Company and Maguire Energy Company and Chair of Components Corporation of America and Staco Inc., California. His national leadership positions include serving on The National Petroleum Council, the Executive Committee of Mid-Continental Oil and Gas Association and as a member of the Madison Council of the Library of Congress, where he funded the Maguire Chair in Ethics and American History.

Summer Internships

The Maguire Center awards summer internships to SMU students who wish to devote time (200 hours) to public service. Students receive grants ranging from about $2,000 to $2,400. Through such opportunities, students gain experience that illuminates the concepts taught in the classroom and enables them to engage in public service, which financial circumstances otherwise might not allow.

The 2008 Recipients:

Nicholas Elledge worked at the Rancho 3M Christian Orphanage in Guadalpe, Mexico.

Gilberto Lopez worked in the Nuevo Leon region of Mexico with a project entitled "Carranza Casillas Sustainable Mountain Development Initiative."

Cody Meador worked at the Stewpot in downtown Dallas.

Kristen Mendelow worked as a Summer Clinic Fellow in the WIlmerHale Legal Service Clinic at Harard University.

Jennifer Tashman worked in Houston at Texas Defender Service.

Lindsay Wilson worked in Dallas with Our Friends' Place, a safe haven for abused and neglected girls and young women.

June Yi worked in Irving, Texas, with the Korean Central United Methodist Church.