A new era of climate research and solutions

Propelled by a $5 million commitment from former trustee Eric Levin, the interdisciplinary Climate Resilience Academy will link with private and public partners to solve impacts of climate change and other complex global issues.

As one of the nation’s top research institutions located in a community considered “ground zero” for experiencing serious impacts from climate change, the University of Miami is uniquely situated to be a driver for solutions that will benefit society.

The launch of the Climate Resilience Academy on Earth Day, April 22, 2022, established the University as a lodestar for leading positive hemispheric and global change to address issues of the climate crisis, sustainability, and resilience.

The formation of the new academy was made possible by a $5 million commitment from Eric T. Levin, a former University trustee and the former president of the University’s Citizens Board, which represents business leaders throughout South Florida.

Levin has leveraged his experience as a financial strategist, investor, and consultant to offer his thoughts on establishing the academy and sharing information on what areas of focus and expertise potential partners in the private sector are hoping the University can address.

“Climate change is a big problem—the challenge of our lifetime—and it’s imperative to get others involved and be collaborative to tackle these big problems,” Levin said.

According to Levin, the University wanted to “put its stake in the ground in terms of being a leader in this area.” The academy will not only focus the University’s efforts in this area, but get business, government, nonprofits, and other universities involved in this endeavor.

“Our Climate Resilience Academy will educate the next generation of scientists and advocates as we help deliver solutions to climate change, its impacts, and related stressors in partnership with industry, government, universities, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders,” said President Julio Frenk.

“The concept of ‘resilience’ is foundational to the history and mission of the University,” Frenk added. “Far from just a byword, resilience is first and foremost how our people face the inevitable element of change.”

“We are very grateful to Eric, who saw what was possible when the University works with partners in the public and private sectors, and whose generosity will drive this vision of the academy forward,” said Josh Friedman, senior vice president of development and alumni relations.

Jeffrey Duerk, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, highlighted the academy’s unique design and its timeliness and value for the University and the South Florida community.

“The academy—our first at the University—is best described as an interdisciplinary functional structure that will bring together experts both from within the University and others through partnerships and relationships to ensure the necessary expertise to solve challenges that are by their very nature interdisciplinary,” Duerk said.

“If you look across our units, schools, colleges, and programs, there is a consistent theme of being at ground zero for climate change and the impacts of that—from the Rosenstiel School’s incredible expertise in terms of climate change, weather, and hurricanes to the College of Engineering’s expertise in civil engineering and new technologies to the School of Architecture’s knowledge of building environments,” Duerk pointed out.

The provost said the new academy aligns seamlessly with

Jeffrey Duerk, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, speaks at the inaugural symposium of the new Climate Resilience Academy. The Academy was made possible by a commitment from Eric T. Levin, lower right.

the University’s aspirations to be hemispheric, excellent, relevant, and exemplary, and will deepen its dedication to support the local community. “This new academy will increase the awareness that the University not only harbors extensive expertise but also the profound desire to assist South Florida in finding solutions to pressing problems.”

Rodolphe el-Khoury, dean of the School of Architecture, and Sharan Majumdar, professor in the Rosenstiel School’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences, led the planning process that established the foundations of the academy and defined its mission while building a team of collaborators within and beyond the University.

“South Florida is particularly stressed by climate change, and we are a ‘living lab’ even if we don’t want to be,” Majumdar noted. “Rising sea levels, changes in weather patterns, and extreme heat, are affecting the health of humans and society, our living environment, and the economy.

“Building resilience to tackle these large and difficult problems needs experts across many disciplines to develop a unified, collaborative approach, and the Climate Resilience Academy will do this by bringing together the diverse talents of our students, researchers, and faculty across our schools and colleges,” he added.

The academy also is meant to identify areas of potential growth and support academic units in mounting searches for joint faculty appointments that defy conventional disciplinary and departmental boundaries. “Figuratively speaking, it is a United Nations for interdisciplinary and interinstitutional efforts, facilitating appointments, brokering deals, mounting big proposals, and shepherding complex projects that break the silos,” remarked el-Khoury.

David Kelly, academic director of the sustainable business master’s degree program and co-chair of the Sustainable Business Research Cluster, noted the economic benefits the academy’s efforts will yield.

“Companies are increasingly focused on adaptation and resilience to climate change, and the academy will work together with companies and municipalities to ensure that the most evidence-based adaptation and resilience strategies are implemented,” said Kelly.

Kelly is also one of the principal instructors for the innovative, problem-based, multidisciplinary first-year course to be offered in the fall that will empower students to become resilient themselves and enable them to spark change in society.

Amy Clement, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the Rosenstiel School, serves on the advisory board for the academy and is one of a large cohort of faculty members who will collaborate to teach the fall class.

“Universities are recognizing that there are problems that are immediate and can’t be solved by looking through the lens of any one discipline,” Clement said. “Climate is one of those, and Miami is one of those cities where there’s no more delaying with the impacts of climate that are already here … the University has an important role in figuring this out because there’s no playbook for it—this is an unprecedented change that we’re experiencing in an unprecedented time.”