Southern Methodist University's seven-year pursuit of George W. Bush's presidential legacy has culminated in an official announcement that his library and public policy institute is coming to the campus. University trustees unanimously approved a resolution directing SMU President R. Gerald Turner to enter into agreements that will bring the nation's 13th presidential library to a site north of downtown Dallas.
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from 2007: Southern Methodist University was named months ago as the sole finalist for the George W. Bush Presidential Library. Campus leaders have said they expect to hear from the White House "very soon" that SMU will indeed host the library; a lead architect has been named, and the library has been mentioned in a recent job posting by the school. But still, no official announcement. (Dallas Morning News)
EARLIER: Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York City has been chosen to design the George W. Bush presidential library and museum at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The firm has designed the building that houses the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and working on the American Revolution Center at Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania. Despite the selection of an architect, the final call on building the library at SMU has not been made. The library foundation says it is in "exclusive discussions" with SMU. (Dallas Morning News)
Officials from architectural firms in the Dallas area say they have been approached in recent days about designing the George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University. An 11-page solicitation document pinpoints the library's desired location, "adjacent to the SMU campus," involving two large buildings whose design must incorporate the "spirit" of the Bush presidency. (Dallas Morning News)
Regional leaders of the United Methodist Church have given Southern Methodist University permission to lease part of campus for the Bush library, in a move that helps SMU secure its chances of officially landing the library complex. Several SMU professors and others came to voice their objection to SMU hosting the library complex, in particular a partisan public policy institute. Some professors and others say the institute would push pro-Bush policies and harm SMU’s academic freedom. (Dallas Morning News)
