1. Dr. Edward B. Burger named president of Southwestern

In February 2013, award-winning math professor Dr. Edward Burger was selected to become the president of Southwestern University, replacing President Jake B. Schrum. Dr. Burger assumed office in July 2013 and will be formally inaugurated in March 2014.

2. Football returns to Southwestern

After an absence of 63 years, Southwestern returned to the football field in the fall of 2013. The community rallied behind the new team and two pep rallies were held on the Georgetown Square. Although the team ended the season without a win, several players earned individual accolades.

3. Southwestern welcomes its largest class ever

Due in part to the addition of football, Southwestern welcomed a record number of students in the fall of 2013, with overall enrollment hitting 1,536.

4. Southwestern completes $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaign

Before leaving office, former president Jake B. Schrum helped raise the money to complete Southwestern’s $150 million Thinking Ahead campaign two years ahead of schedule. Funds raised through the campaign have dramatically changed Southwestern − both academically and physically.

5. Southwestern launches new version of its Paideia program

In 2013, Southwestern introduced a new version of its signature Paideia program. The program focuses on interdisciplinarity and helping students make connections between their classes. All students entering in fall 2014 will participate in the new program.

6. The HHMI-Southwestern Inquiry Initiative gets under way

Funded by a $1.3 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Southwestern began totally revamping its math and science curriculum. The goal is to focus more on inquiry-based learning, in which students learn by doing, not just listening to lectures. A component of the initiative was featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

7. SU Chorale performs in the Vatican

A long-planned trip to Italy over Spring Break turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience for members of the SU Chorale as the group arrived in Rome right after the selection of a new pope. The Chorale was the first choir to sing mass in St. Peter’s Basilica after the election of Pope Francis I.

8. Jane Goodall speaks at Southwestern

Southwestern has drawn many well-known speakers over the years, and it welcomed another one in April when world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall came to give the 2013 Shilling Lecture.

9. Brown Symposium focuses on sex

Psychology professor Traci Giuliano organized one of the most popular Brown Symposiums ever around the topic of sex. Featured speakers included Dan Savage, author of a nationally syndicated column about sex.

10. Princeton Review ranks Southwestern #7 in the country for Best Career/Job Placement Services

The high quality of Southwestern’s Career Services office was validated in August when it was ranked #1 in Texas and #7 in the country for Best Career/Job Placement Services in the 2014 edition of The Best 378 Colleges, which is published by The Princeton Review.