History
A Jewish student organization has existed at Southern Methodist University for many decades; however, in 1989, then SMU President, Kenneth Pye, challenged the Dallas Jewish community to establish a more formal presence on the campus. The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas led the initiative and established an organization by the name of Campus Jewish Network. This organization soon became known as SMU Hillel and was ably directed in the early years by Rabbi Nancy Kasten. In 1992, she was recognized for her leadership and was appointed Associate Chaplain of the University. Over the years, the University has continued and strengthened its commitment to a strong Jewish presence on campus and its ties to the greater Dallas Jewish community.
SMU has traditionally had between 200 and 300 Jewish students and over 50 Jewish staff and faculty. The past eight years have produced a period of growth and increased presence on campus. During this period, SMU Hillel increased the number of participants by involving many Jewish students from other college campuses throughout the North Texas area in its activities. These campuses include the University of Texas at Dallas, UT Southwestern medical school, The University of Texas at Arlington and the local community colleges. It is estimated that an additional 250 Jewish college students attend these colleges.
To recognize this new population of Hillel students, in August 2009 the organization officially changed its name to Hillel of Dallas to more properly reflect the outreach to all Jewish college and graduate students in the Dallas area. This change has resulted in increased participation, by helping all students to feel comfortable at the organization's activities, and generating synergy and creative programming as these students come together as young Jewish adults.