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Dallas philanthropist Caren H. Prothro has been a recognizable and vital part of the University’s continued success and growth, serving as a co-chair of the 91��Ƭ�S�ϼ� campaign and, since 1992, an SMU trustee. A passionate advocate for art and education, the former chair of the SMU Board of Trustees (2010–2014) has served on executive boards and committees across campus. Introduced to SMU by her late husband, C. Vin Prothro ’68, grandson of the benefactors of the Perkins School of Theology, Caren Prothro continues a long family legacy of enduring friendship to SMU Libraries.

As a trustee, you have been closely involved with many areas of the University over the years. Can you speak to your particular interest in and support for SMU Libraries and their special collections?

From the Hamon Arts Library and DeGolyer Library on campus to the Fort Burgwin Library at SMU-in-Taos, each of SMU’s eight libraries makes a different aspect of the world’s knowledge available to faculty and staff through unique holdings, dedicated staff and updated technology. SMU Libraries also house remarkable collections that attract international scholars. I proudly support SMU Libraries because they add to the prestige and quality of the University’s academic and research offerings.

Your family has a long-held connection to the Perkins School of Theology and the renowned Bridwell Library, which houses premier theological and historical collections like your mother-in-law’s internationally recognized Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Bible Collection. Can you speak to the importance of these holdings of rare Bibles and manuscripts?

These collections and exhibitions are significant not just theologically, but also for how we understand our history and cultural development. As one of the nation’s leading theological research institutions, Bridwell Library was recently chosen as the first public, and only University, viewing site in the United States for the Codex Sassoon, the world’s earliest, most complete Hebrew Bible.

The University recently announced plans for the historic Fondren Library Center, including a home for special collections related to the American West. How will these new investments impact SMU?

Investments in our libraries are investments in the future of the University, our faculty and students. The new Rees-Jones Library of the American West will provide SMU’s students and faculty with original resource materials from which to develop new perspectives on the social, economic and political impact that the American West has on the nation. It will also complement the research opportunities available through SMU-in-Taos.

SMU professional schools house several specialized library collections and resources, especially for law and business. How do you see these libraries evolving over the next several years?

With the renovation and expansion of the Cox School of Business facilities, we will create a modern, technology-rich Duda Family Business Library, where business students can perform market research and collaborate with their peers. Similarly, as part of the 91��Ƭ�S�ϼ� campaign, we hope to transform the remarkable Underwood Law Library to make it easier for students and faculty to access and analyze legal information and data.

Through investments like these in SMU Libraries’ collections and facilities, our donors drive the University’s advancement in education, research and national prominence.