Southern Methodist University is a private research university in metropolitan Dallas, with its main campus spanning portions of the town of Highland Park and the cities of University Park and Dallas. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU also operates satellite campuses in Plano, Texas and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. As of the Fall 2017 semester, the university's 11,789 students are 6,452 undergraduates and 5,337 postgraduates.