I didn't play around much with the SVM node, but I am a big fan of PROC HPSVM. I think you are gonna like it.
This paper by Bob Rodriguez and Robert Cohen explains really well what's the deal with HPDM procedures.
http://support.sas.com/resources/papers/proceedings13/401-2013.pdf
In my own short summary, HPDM procs were designed to make the most out of your computing power. If you are running in a single machine, they will run multithreaded. If you are running on a big appliance (grid, blade, whatever you call it), your HPDM proc will use as many nodes and threads as are available--no syntax changes needed, only specify this mode on your libname statement.
I understand that many HPDM procs were also developed as an opportunity to revisit the algorithm, add new options, and retire some others if it would benefit your results.
Very interested to hear how your course comes along. Just curious, what's the final project?
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