This illustration of an entrance to the University of Miami, top, and the promotional poster below it were created by Denman Fink, an artist whose work includes many of the original drawings for buildings at the University and throughout Coral Gables. Fink, shown left with students, was George Merrick’s uncle and an art professor at the University from 1926 until his retirement in 1952.
Message from Patricia A. Whitely
Happy centennial! We are so excited to share this special centennial edition of Miami magazine. Our substantial growth since our chartering in 1925 has enabled us to reach this tremendous achievement. The many members of our community—students, alumni, family, parents, staff, faculty, trustees, friends, and fans—have brought us closer and closer to excellence. Our alumni, in particular, provide a constant source of pride as they apply the lessons they gained while earning their degrees to their professional and personal lives across the globe.
This special centennial edition of Miami is more than a celebration—it is a testament to a century of vision, resilience, and impact. Through these pages, we tell the story of the University of Miami over the decades, highlighting the moments, the people, and the progress that built the foundation for our next century.
The campus looked a bit different when we opened our doors following the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926. Our founders would be enthused to see our campus now, including facilities like Centennial Village, Shalala Student Center, Knight Center for Music Innovation, Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science, and so many more. Further, since the founding of our Miller School of Medicine in 1952 as the first medical school in the state of Florida, we have become a leader in cutting-edge medical research and life-saving care with the complete integration of the UHealth system, including Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. The vision of our seven presidents has propelled us to become the trailblazing research institution and medical powerhouse we are today.
Miami Hurricanes represent excellence in all that we do. The University of Miami was born to lead, and our next century will be defined by the same innovative and resilient spirit that shaped our first. We will continue to push boundaries, challenge the status quo, and rise to meet the challenges of tomorrow with the same fearless determination that has always set us apart. Our legacy is not just in what we have achieved—it is in what comes next.
We are grateful for all the ways you volunteer, support, engage, cheer, and rep the U. We look forward to the next 100 years. After all, the future is U.
Patricia A. Whitely, Ed.D. ’94 Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement
President and Chief Executive Officer, University of Miami and Chief Executive Officer, UHealth
Joseph J. Echevarria, B.B.A. ’78
Executive Vice President for University Operations and External Affairs and Chief of Staff to the President
Rudy Fernandez, M.B.A. ’10
Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Joshua M. Friedman
Vice President for University Communications
Jacqueline R. Menendez, B.A. ’83
Assistant Vice President, News and Media Relations
Research has always been at the core of the University’s mission, and the University’s commitment to life-changing innovation is stronger than ever.
Matthew Rembold, B.A. ’21, M.A. ’23
Kristian Rodriguez, B.S.C. ’04, M.F.A. ’18
Robin Shear
Catharine Skipp
Lorena Taboas, B.S.C. ’08
Carter Toole
Diana Udel
Karina Valdes, M.A. ’13
Josh White
36 Health Matters
The groundbreaking research, treatment, and education emerging from the Miller School of Medicine and UHealth –University of Miami Health System have impacted countless lives for more than a half-century.
48 Celebrating 100 Years of Miami Athletics
From our first undefeated football season in 1926 to the competitive energy of a program that now includes 18 NCAA teams, our Miami Hurricanes are an ongoing source of nostalgia and pride. 4 The U at 100
As the University of Miami celebrates the centennial of its 1925 charter date, this journey through the decades reminds us how far we’ve come—and how hard we’ve worked—to become who we are today.
THE U AT 100
BY ROBERT C. JONES JR.
From its modest beginnings in an unfinished hotel to its present-day campuses where learning and lifesaving research occur daily, the University of Miami has had a seismic impact during its 100 years of existence.
OCCUPYING AN ENTIRE BLOCK IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES, THE THREE-STORY BUILDING LOOKED MORE LIKE A FRONTIER FORT THAN AN EDIFICE OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
Eager to learn, students began streaming into the structure in the early-morning hours of Monday, Oct. 18, 1926, settling into their seats in classrooms separated only by partitions of studding covered by cardboard. The first day of classes at the nascent University of Miami had begun. It wasn’t quite the opening the school’s founders had envisioned. But that it opened at all was something of a miracle. The land boom that helped spawn the dreams and plans for its creation had collapsed. And making matters worse, a devastating Category 4 hurricane struck Miami only a month before the University opened, washing away any hopes of a quick recovery.
Anastasia Building
Construction on what was supposed to be the University’s new home—a grand structure on a manmade hill in the Riviera section of the Gables—ceased. So, its founders scrambled to find a temporary home for the school, settling on the unfinished Anastasia Hotel, the stripped-down shell of the building students entered on the institution’s first official day. Workers hastily modified it for the University’s needs, adding classrooms and outfitting it with laboratories, administrative offices, a library, a student lounge, an auditorium, and a gymnasium with locker rooms.
They used cardboard partitions as classroom dividers, believing that it would be easier to convert the building back into a hotel once the University’s permanent home was completed. But what they and those first students didn’t know at the time was that the building would serve as the University’s temporary home for the next 20 years.
Category 4
A devastating hurricane struck Miami only a month before the University opened.
The Dade County
Circuit Court granted the charter on April 8, 1925.
1925
Birth and Struggle
It is entirely conceivable that the University of Miami’s history might have unfolded differently had it not been for a group of persistent individuals, members of a provisional board of regents who applied for and received the institution’s charter in 1925. The Dade County Circuit Court granted the charter on April 8 of that year. That group believed that the Miami metropolitan area would greatly benefit from an institution that offered “unique opportunities to develop inter-American studies, further creative work in the arts and letters, and conduct teaching and research programs in tropical studies.”
Even before that charter, William Jennings Bryan, the former U.S. presidential candidate and secretary of state, proposed the idea that a great Pan-American university would take advantage of South Florida’s climate and geography.
Coral Gables founder George Merrick shared that dream.
“Miami should and can have such a university, and the ideal place for it is at Coral Gables,” he once wrote. Merrick’s gift of 160 acres and $5 million, to be matched by an equal amount from other sources, guaranteed the University of Miami’s birth.
On Feb. 4, 1926, more than 7,000 people gathered at the site selected for the University to witness a cornerstone laying of what was intended to be the institution’s first building, which Merrick named for his father, Solomon G. Merrick, a Congregational minister. Eight months later, a real estate crash and destructive tempest notwithstanding, the University opened.
Miami native Francis Houghtaling was the first to register for classes on the Friday before classes would begin. The son of a dairy farmer, he even recruited other students to help ensure the University’s future. By that December, the combined number of full-time students had reached 646.
The College of Liberal Arts, the School of Music, and the Evening Division comprised its initial academic offerings. Later, the University would launch a School of Law (1928), School of Business Administration (1929), and School of Education (1929).
Bowman Foster Ashe served as its first president through several lean years that saw the University struggle to stay afloat. Students, displaying genuine camaraderie, often acted decisively to help their institution survive. In one instance, when the University was forced to seek bankruptcy protection, they went door-todoor in the community to raise funds to pay faculty salaries long overdue.
Relief would come in July 1934, when the University was reincorporated and a board of trustees installed, replacing the board of regents. By 1940 community leaders had begun to replace faculty and administration as trustees. And eventually, after World War II, the University would move onto its Coral Gables Campus.
Today the University of Miami has grown into what its founders had envisioned. With more than $492 million in research and sponsored program expenditures annually,
1.
graduating
and commencement,
it features three campuses and is home to 12 schools and colleges serving undergraduate and graduate students in nearly 350 majors and programs. More than 19,000 students from around the world are pursuing their academic goals.
Over its 100-year history, the University has withstood pandemics, weathered storms, survived a great depression, opened medical facilities that have cured the sick, and above all, educated and graduated a multitude of students, sending them into a global workforce to help solve some of the world’s most intractable problems.
And it all started in an unfinished building in Coral Gables.
In the course of a distinguished career in public service, the late Dante Fascell, LL.B. ’38, Hon. ’88, became a powerfully effective advocate for his adopted home state of Florida. Born in New York, Fascell moved with his Italian immigrant parents to South Florida in 1925, when he was 8. In 1933 he enrolled in the University of Miami, where he played the clarinet, led his fraternity, was tapped into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (a precursor to today’s J.D.).
After serving in World War II, Fascell entered the Florida House of Representatives in 1950. His time in Tallahassee served as a springboard to the U.S. House of Representatives, to which he was elected in 1954. During his 38 years in Congress, Fascell was a tireless champion of South Florida and its environment, including his work to create Biscayne National Park, whose visitor center bears his name. After his retirement from Congress in 1993, Fascell was elected to the University’s Board of Trustees. Not long before his passing in 1998, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.
First
class
1927. 2. Early faculty members, 1926. 3. Men’s gymnastics, 1927. 4. Members of the Science Club in a laboratory, circa 1928. 5. Symphony concert with Arnold Volpe, conductor.
Dante Fascell
ALUMNI PROFILE
The War Years
Just before dawn on Sept. 1, 1939, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein launched a surprise attack on Poland, shelling Polish fortifications at the Baltic port of Danzig. Some 62 divisions, supported by more than 1,300 aircraft, then launched a coordinated assault across the GermanPolish border.
Two days later, in response to the invasion, Great Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany. World War II had begun.
Germany’s aggression against Poland, however, did not change isolationist sentiments in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of Americans had perished or been wounded during World War I. As such, many Americans wanted to minimize U.S. involvement in world affairs. And with millions of people still unemployed because of the Great Depression, many believed the nation should concentrate on its troubles at home.
But despite U.S. ambivalence over the war, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was in his second term as president of the United States when Germany invaded Poland, was convinced that the country would eventually need to take a stand against Adolf Hitler’s war machine.
At the University of Miami in 1939, intervention in the war had become a hot topic, particularly among members of the International Relations Club, one of the most active student organizations on campus at the time.
Whatever the prevailing sentiment, the University would become more directly involved in the war effort in early August 1940, partnering with Pan American Airways to train cadets for the U.S. Army Air Corps in long-range air navigation and meteorology. A total of 50 cadets arrived on campus on Aug. 12 of that year, with Pan Am instructors and pilots teaching them as part of a 12-week stay. Cadets from Great Britain began to take the same training at the University in March 1941. In a surprise visit, the Duke of Windsor
4,200
The program would train more than 4,200 navigators— nearly 3,000 for the United States and over 1,200 for Great Britain.
arrived from his post as governor of the Bahamas to inspect the Royal Air Force cadets on Sept. 25, 1941.
The program would train more than 4,200 navigators— nearly 3,000 for the United States and over 1,200 for Great Britain—by the time it ended on Sept. 30, 1944. Smaller contingents of cadets from Brazil, China, Colombia, and New Zealand also received training.
With the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and the United States’ subsequent entry into the war, defense training activities at the University ramped up significantly. The University participated in the U.S. Navy’s V-12 Officer Training Program, established to increase the number of commissioned officers available for wartime service. As part of the program, the University offered regular college
courses but with more emphasis on mathematics and the sciences. Existing faculty taught the classes, with civilian students sometimes taking some of the courses.
The war years greatly impacted faculty members and administrators, with some accepting civil service positions and others being drafted into the armed forces. From Aug. 1, 1942, to Sept. 15, 1943, for example, Ashe served as administrator of the War Manpower Commission, a federal agency created by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 to address the labor shortage during the war. Jay F. W. Pearson, a charter faculty member and assistant to Ashe, took a leave of absence in June 1942 to serve first at the Officers Candidate School in Miami Beach, moving on to the Air Corps Pre-Technical School at Boca Raton, Florida, then to Seymour Johnson Field at Goldsboro, North Carolina, and finally San Antonio, Texas, as commanding officer of the Aviation Cadet Center.
Such events were indicative of the times, as other colleges and universities across the nation similarly played vital roles during World War II, training students, conducting research, and providing services to the military and government.
For the University of Miami, the war years also proved to be a time of great potential and stability, attributes that had eluded the institution since its opening. Property and monetary gifts poured in, and new academic programs and schools were created. The Graduate School (1941) and the Marine Laboratory (1943)—now called the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science—both launched during the World War II period.
1. Military cadets march in the commencement procession, 1944. 2. Military students stand in formation in front of the Anastasia Building, 1943. 3. Students take a break on the Aviation Club airplane. 4. This boathouse was a temporary waterfront site on Miami Beach for the Marine Lab, 1942. 5. Pan American Airways helped train cadets for the U.S. Army Air Corps in long-range air navigation and meteorology.
The University becomes more involved in the war effort.
Postwar Era and the Civil Rights Movement
The postwar years were just as evolutionary for the University. When the Fall 1946 semester got underway, more than 5,000 students had registered for classes, many of them returning soldiers who had taken advantage of the GI Bill, which funded their tuition and expenses. The School of Engineering (1947) and the School of Medicine (1952) were created. The first permanent structure on campus, the Memorial Classroom Building, finally was completed in 1950.
After Ashe died in late 1952, Pearson assumed the office early the next year—his knowledge of the University landscape being an invaluable asset that allowed the institution to continue its tremendous momentum. The transition to
5,000
Students registered, many of them returning soldiers.
1. Air Force student working in a chemistry lab in the 1940s.
2. Student studying in the Otto G. Richter Library, 1961.
3. Electrical Engineering Lab, 1952.
4. Design detail for the J. Neville McArthur Engineering Building.
5. More than 5,000 students registered for classes in 1946.
6. Registration coupons, 1950.
7. Memorial Classroom Building, 1957.
8. School of Medicine Laboratory, 1952. >
Pearson, who had been at Ashe’s side since the birth of the University, was seamless.
New facilities and resources were added to keep pace with enrollment and strengthen the research enterprise. Groundbreakings were held for the Ashe Memorial Administration Building and the Otto G. Richter Library in 1953 and 1959, respectively. The University dedicated the Julian S. Eaton Hall, now the oldest residence hall on campus, in 1954, with the Miami Herald calling it an “ultra-ultra dorm.” In 1959 the J. Neville McArthur Engineering Building became a reality thanks to a $1 million donation from its namesake donor.
JOE BRIGNOLO
> Students attended a memorial service for Martin Luther King Jr. days after his assassination and seven years after the Board of Trustees approved desegregation.
As the University ramped up its infrastructure, a new era—the fight for equal rights for African Americans and for an end to racial segregation and exclusion—was being waged on American soil. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott, sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks, to the Greensboro sit-in and the Little Rock Nine, the fight took place on public transit buses, at lunch counters, and on school campuses.
Thanks to the efforts of activists nationwide, the movement began to garner results. In the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal. And in 1956, the court struck down laws requiring segregated seating on public buses.
Slowly but surely, the nation was changing. And the University of Miami would help usher in that new age of equity. Its Board of Trustees voted on Jan. 31, 1961, to admit qualified students without regard to race or color—a move faculty members applauded. “The UM Faculty Council commended the Board of Trustees this week for making the University’s facilities equally available to all qualified persons regardless of race, color, creed, or national origin,” read a story published in the Feb. 17, 1961, issue of The Miami Hurricane student newspaper.
students, as a story in the Oct. 26, 1962, issue of The Miami Hurricane reported. “We get along just fine.
tion in which Black students could experience some of the social life and engagement they desired. They also regarded UBS as a vehicle to help spur change at the University and attain some of the goals that were indicative of Black student movements at other institutions of higher learning. As such, the organization, led by its founder, the late Harold Long Jr., B.A. ’68, J.D. ’71, presented a list of demands to Stanford.
They wanted more Black students to be enrolled, more scholarships for minorities, a Black studies program, and Black professors to teach those courses. And when UBS deemed that progress on its proposals was too slow, Long and 13 other Black students marched into Stanford’s second-floor office in the Ashe Building on May 17, 1968, and quickly sat on the couches and floor, demanding that the administration act on their demands. “We had to do something, and we decided that [a sit-in] was the way to go,” recounted Long. “We knew we weren’t leaving voluntarily, and if it meant we were going to be arrested, so be it.”
And they were arrested, though charges were later dropped.
Their protest, however, achieved significant success. Stanford, who was sympathetic to the agenda of Black students and often met with UBS leaders, was instrumental in brokering a decision to invite to campus a delegation of Black educators to discuss with all parties concerned and what could be done to grant UBS’s proposals.
H.T. Smith
For more than five decades, H.T. Smith, J.D. ’73, one of Miami’s most distinguished lawyers and civic leaders, has been at the forefront of the fight for equal justice—championing the end of apartheid investments and constitutional amendments ensuring equal legal protections for all.
A native of Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. As a U.S. Army lieutenant in the Vietnam War, his advocacy for fellow soldiers sparked his interest in law. Returning home, Smith persuaded the dean to admit him before taking the LSAT, and he became the fourth African American graduate of the School of Law. He broke barriers as Miami-Dade’s first African American assistant public defender and assistant county attorney. In 1981, with Harold Long Jr., B.A. ’68, J.D. ’71, he opened the first Black law firm in Miami.
Smith is a longtime University trustee and former vice chairman. In 2022 the University dedicated the Harold Long Jr. and H.T. Smith Student Services Building, the first structure in the University’s 100-year history named after Black alumni.
Chartered in 1970, Alpha Phi Alpha was the first Black Greek Letter Organization at the University.
ALUMNI PROFILE
Meanwhile, University trustees approved 50 tuition scholarships, which were named for John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Invited by Stanford and the Department of Religion, King visited the Coral Gables Campus on May 16, 1966, delivering remarks on “The Church’s Involvement in the Civil Rights Program.” Out of concern for his safety, the civil rights leader had been ushered in through the back door of the Whitten Student Union. Some 1,500 students and faculty members gave him a standing ovation, according to a Miami Herald story. “Civil rights is a moral issue—it is not just a matter of economics and politics,” King told the audience. A few days after he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the University held a memorial service on campus for the Nobel laureate.
In 1970 Whittington Johnson became the first Black faculty member hired by the institution. He would teach at the school for several years as a professor of history. And by 1972, the initial 50 scholarships approved by the board had increased to 200.
Today the story of the University of Miami’s first Black graduates is chronicled in a University of Miami Libraries digital exhibit. The Taylor Family/UTrailblazers Experience on the Coral Gables Campus, a gift from alumnus and former trustee Johnny C. Taylor, features an interactive three-screen kiosk at the Dooly Memorial Classroom Building that allows users to scroll through hundreds of photographs, documents, newspaper articles, film footage, bios, and other historical artifacts related to the years just after the institution’s 1961 desegregation.
As the 1960s and 1970s progressed, the University found itself at the forefront of a new set of challenges. In the aftermath of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, it took on the responsibility of helping to preserve Cuban intellectual life at a time when the island nation’s own institutions were subject to totalitarian control. The University established a postgraduate medical school for Cuban doctors, helping them to prepare for state licensing
exams. A training program for Cuban teachers who wanted to teach in U.S. schools also was created.
The ongoing war in Vietnam fueled anti-war protests by students who believed the University should address the key issues of the times. A proponent of people’s right to disagree, Stanford met regularly with students, faculty members, and minority leaders. He also introduced new courses and hired new faculty and administrators in response to calls for change. Stanford held open forums on “The Rock” and would even walk into crowds of protests to engage in dialogue.
During this time of passionate protests and advocacy, academic expansion continued with the introduction of several research centers and institutes. And when the institution celebrated its golden anniversary in 1976, Stanford and the Board of Trustees launched The Mid-Century Capital Campaign, which exceeded its $129 million goal six months ahead of schedule, raising more than $132 million.
Jerry Herman
The late Jerry Herman, B.A. ’53, D.F.A. ’80, was an award-winning Broadway composer-lyricist responsible for showstoppers like “La Cage aux Folles,” “Mame,” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Born in Manhattan, Herman spent his summers at camps in upstate New York where his parents worked as counselors. Young Herman made his directorial debut leading fellow campers through theatrical productions. At the University of Miami, Herman was active in the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity while writing, producing, and directing student productions. He also developed materials that would later become his first off-Broadway revue, “I Feel Wonderful.”
In his half-century of work, he scored a dozen Broadway musicals and five offBroadway revues. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theater Hall of Fame and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009 he was recognized with the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. The University’s Jerry Herman Theatre is named in his honor.
Students attending a Black Culture Week awards banquet, 1975.
In 1970 Whittington Johnson became the first Black faculty member hired by the institution.
ALUMNI PROFILE
The 1980s presents both
challenges and possibilities.
Challenges of the 1980s
Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. A new era in space flight began when the space shuttle Columbia, the first reusable space vehicle, launched. AIDS emerged as a deadly epidemic. Explosions at the Chernobyl power plant resulted in the worst nuclear disaster in history. And the Berlin Wall fell.
In Miami, a series of events—from rising crime rates to a civil disturbance in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood following the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating death of an unarmed Black insurance agent—painted a disconcerting picture of the metropolitan area, one that impacted nearly every industry and institution, even higher education.
$517.5M
Campaign funds raised for buildings, scholarships, and endowments.
Between the time the University’s fourth president, Edward Thaddeus “Tad” Foote II, was hired and when he welcomed his first freshman class, more than 1,000 students had withdrawn, sending the University spiraling into a budget crisis. But like it had always done, the institution rallied, largely through Foote’s visionary ideas.
A former dean of the law school at Washington University in St. Louis, Foote turned that initial shortfall of students into a major element of the institution’s first long-term strategic plan: The University would get smaller to get better. Admitting fewer students allowed the University to become more selective, thus the caliber of students improved significantly.
The Foote era also saw the launch in 1984 of the fiveyear $400 million Campaign for the University of Miami, which surpassed its goal in April 1988 and ended with a $517.5 million commitment for buildings, scholarships, and endowments. Three new schools were created: architecture, communication, and international studies. Competitive research funding increased significantly, rising from $58.1 million in 1981 to $193.9 million in 2000.
The Hurricanes football team captured national championships in 1983, 1987, and 1989, while the baseball program won two College World Series titles, in 1982 and 1985. Dormitories were transformed into residential colleges, with students and faculty families living and learning together. And the University increased its presence in the South Florida community, a commitment Foote made during his December 1981 inauguration address, when he said a special task force would be created and “charged with examining how the University now contributes to its own community of South Florida and how, consistent with its central mission, it might do more.”
The University was again on solid footing as the 1980s came to an end.
1. Space shuttle Columbia. 2. Hurricanes national championship football rings, 1983, 1987, and 1989.
3. President Tad Foote, left, oversees commencement ceremonies.
A decade of breakthroughs and heartbreak.
Resilience of the 1990s
It was a decade of prosperity, scientific breakthroughs, and technological advancement. The Soviet Union collapsed, bringing an end to a decades-long Cold War. The Human Genome Project, the landmark global endeavor to decipher the chemical makeup of the entire human genetic code, began. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit with the promise of changing humanity’s understanding of the universe. And the internet rose to prominence, ushering in a new era in business, communication, and entertainment.
But it was also a decade of heartbreak. Los Angeles erupted into five days of rioting after four white police officers were acquitted of assault in the videotaped beating of a Black motorist that shocked the nation. The Columbine High School shooting marked another tragic chapter in gun violence. And in the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, a former Army veteran packed a truck with explosives and detonated it in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people.
For the University of Miami, the 1990s was a decade of expansion, achievement, and ingenuity.
On the Medical Campus, the University of Miami Ear Institute—a global center for all hearing loss conditions, evaluations, and treatments—opened in 1990 with the recruitment of internationally renowned clinical and research faculty. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center opened the doors to a new facility in 1992 with the mission of meeting the special physical and psychological needs of cancer patients. And on the Coral Gables Campus, the Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center opened in 1996.
The 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team finished 12-0 and captured the program’s fourth national championship in nine years behind quarterback Gino Torretta, B.B.A. ’92, who would win the Heisman Trophy the following year. Success on the diamond would come in 1999, when the Hurricanes baseball team won the College World Series, defeating rival Florida State Seminoles.
President Tad Foote’s leadership following Hurricane Andrew in 1992 helped galvanize both the University and the community at large. Here he tours the campus with former Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander, left.
But the University’s biggest impact during the decade would come in its response to a natural disaster. Hurricane Andrew struck southern MiamiDade County in the predawn hours of Aug. 24, 1992, destroying and damaging thousands of homes and leaving hundreds of people homeless. The city of Homestead was hardest hit, with more than 99 percent of the mobile homes there destroyed.
The storm hit during the first night of new student orientation, stranding thousands of students and their parents on campus. Buildings on the Coral Gables Campus were damaged, and the start of the fall semester was delayed by more than two weeks. The University wouldn’t reopen until Sept. 14. And when it did, its students and faculty sprang into action, participating in initiatives and projects to help hurricane-ravaged southern MiamiDade County rebuild.
School of Architecture students rolled up their sleeves and engaged in workshops focusing on rebuilding. Many of them were integral players in the New South Dade Planning Charrette, a workshop sponsored by the We Will Rebuild initiative that was formed to help South Dade recover from Andrew. Students worked alongside design professionals, government officials, members of civic organizations, and residents to develop a vision of a new South Dade through more than a dozen proposals that varied in scope and scale. Among the student projects that came to fruition was one to make the main boulevard in South Miami Heights more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.
In the aftermath of Andrew, the School of Architecture created the Center for Urban and Community Design, a center with a mission of retrofitting and creating sustainable communities and buildings through collaborative, interdisciplinary projects. Also during that time of post-storm recovery, the School of Medicine established its Pediatric Mobile Clinic to provide medical care to uninsured children.
The Coral Gables Campus itself would also recover, as Foote used insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to restore it to a condition that surpassed its pre-Hurricane Andrew look.
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center opened a new facility with the mission of meeting the needs of cancer patients.
Kristiana L. Yao, B.S. ’18, B.B.A. ’18, has dedicated her career to improving public health through service and innovation. A Stamps Scholar, Foote Fellow, and National Merit Scholar, Yao earned dual degrees in public health and business administration, graduating summa cum laude. Yao recently joined the University of Illinois Chicago’s Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design. She previously served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and held roles with the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, and the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. While at the University, Yao interned at Jackson Health System, the White House, and CMS. Her commitment to strengthening access to health care earned her a Truman Scholarship and a Rhodes Scholarship—one of the world’s most prestigious academic honors. She is the University’s third Rhodes Scholar and the first since 2003.
Kristiana L. Yao
ALUMNI PROFILE
2000
The noughties
Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center
The University turned 75
Momentum of the 2000s
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A powerful tropical cyclone that devastated New Orleans. The Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed at least 225,000 lives across a dozen countries. The largest economic crisis since the Great Depression. And the spread of social media across the world.
Such were the noughties.
For the University of Miami, which turned 75 years old in the year 2000, the decade was one of tremendous growth, spurred by the vitality of a new president. Donna E. Shalala, the former Peace Corps volunteer who became the longestserving secretary of Health and Human Services in U.S. history, took the reins.
In her inspiring inaugural address, held Nov. 2, 2001,
$1.4B
Momentum campaign: First university in Florida to successfully reach a billion-dollar goal.
comprehensive fundraising initiative in the school’s history, with the endowment of student scholarships and new teaching chairs and the enhancement of facilities and research endeavors among its lofty goals.
A $100 million donation—the largest from a family in the institution’s history—from the family of Leonard M. Miller, the late South Florida businessman and former University board chair, named the medical school in Miller’s honor. Also during the campaign, the music school was renamed the Frost School of Music in honor of a $33 million gift from philanthropists Phillip and Patricia Frost.
After reaching its goal more than a year ahead of schedule, the Momentum campaign came to an end on Dec. 31, 2007, having raised $1.4 billion and making the U the first university in Florida to successfully mount a billion-dollar campaign.
While the campaign may go down as the University’s signature accomplishment of that decade, it was by no means the only defining attribute.
The University hosted the first of the 2004 presidential debates between Republican nominee George W. Bush and Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry on Sept. 30. Some 250 University of Miami students, those who won an essay contest in which they wrote about “Democracy in Action: Make Your Vote Count,” attended the event. More than 5,000 others watched the debate on large-screen televisions at a debate watch party held in the Whitten University Center.
Dozens of events were held leading up to the debate, including a lecture series called “Celebrating American Democracy and Diversity.” The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, spoke and received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree as part of the series.
Children’s Research Institute, a center devoted exclusively to research on children’s health.
In Athletics, the Miami Hurricanes baseball squad won the 2001 College World Series, and the football team would capture its fifth national championship, defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 37-14 in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 3, 2002, to cap an undefeated (12-0) season.
It was also the decade the Hurricanes women’s and men’s basketball teams would get a home to call their own. Their on-campus arena, the 8,000-seat Convocation Center opened in storybook fashion, with the men’s team defeating the storied North Carolina Tar Heels 64-61 in overtime on Jan. 4, 2003.
But the arena, now known as the Watsco Center, would come to be synonymous with more than just basketball— hosting concerts, award shows, and commencement ceremonies. The days of one, massive graduation event on what is now called the Foote University Green ended with the spring 2003 ceremony, the first held inside of the $48 million arena.
Several facilities helped transform the Coral Gables Campus, including a new home for the School of Architecture. With its domed tower, freestanding colonnade, buttresses, and half-moon windows, the 8,600-square-foot Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center is now the centerpiece of the school’s five-building complex.
In the fall of 2006, the School of Nursing and Health Studies opened the M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies, which features classrooms and clinical practice labs, conference rooms, and a computer lab.
The Lowe Art Museum would dedicate its new Myrna and Sheldon Palley Pavilion for Contemporary Glass and Studio Arts in 2008, making it one of the few museums in South Florida with an extensive glass collection.
The Miller School of Medicine experienced a building boom of its own during the decade. It opened the Lois Pope LIFE Center, the hub of the medical school’s neuroscience research efforts, in 2000 and in 2001 dedicated the Batchelor
basketball teams also play their games at the center.
Dale Chihuly: Yellow and Orange Persians Form with Colbalt Blue Lip Wrap, 1989
Myrna and Sheldon Palley Pavilion for Contemporary Glass and Studio Arts opened.
Commencement ceremonies are now held at the Watsco Center, which opened in 2003. Hurricanes women’s and men’s
Building Boom of the 2010s
The momentum built by the University during the 2000s continued at a juggernaut pace with the arrival of the 2010s, a decade that saw economic recovery from the Great Recession, nearly 200 countries sign the Paris Climate Accords, the Event Horizon Telescope captures the first image of a black hole, the legalization of same-sex marriage, and major television shows such as “Breaking Bad” and “Game of Thrones.”
It was also a decade that started with tragedy, when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, leaving huge swaths of the Caribbean nation’s densely populated capital, Port-au-Prince, in ruins; killing between 200,000 and 300,000 people, by some estimates; and displacing thousands of others.
The University of Miami immediately rushed to the aid of its neighbor, with nearly every school and college rendering assistance of some kind.
Led by world-renowned Miller School of Medicine neurosurgeon Dr. Barth Green—who in 1994 cofounded
the nonprofit Project Medishare for Haiti to provide health care to the country’s underserved areas—a team of physicians, nurses, and other personnel from the University arrived in the quake-damaged country within 24 hours after the temblor struck, treating hundreds of injured patients at a 240-bed trauma and critical care field hospital on the grounds of the Port-au-Prince airport.
Two months after the earthquake, the School of Architecture, at the request of the Haitian government’s Commission for Reconstruction, hosted a five-day planning charrette to aid in Haiti’s rebuilding efforts. Then-dean of the School of Architecture Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk organized the charrette, which resulted in a body of work that helped support the Haitian government’s postdisaster needs assessment recommendations presented to the U.N. International Donors Conference at the end of March 2010 in New York.
And when the Obama administration granted Temporary Protected Status to undocumented Haitian immigrants three days after the earthquake, a group of School of Law students—supervised by the Health Rights Clinic and a staff of immigration attorneys—set up a makeshift legal
1. A 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. 2. The School of Architecture hosted a design charrette to aid Haiti’s rebuilding plans. 3. School of Law students made house calls in Little Haiti.
MICHAEL MARKO 2
BARTH GREEN
office in the Miami Health District to screen dozens of Haitians who had arrived to apply for the special immigration status.
Fundraising once again took center stage, as the University in early February 2012 publicly launched Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami, setting a goal of reaching $1.6 billion by the year 2016. And like the previous campaign, Momentum2 achieved its goal ahead of schedule—assisted by a $55 million gift from the Miller family to help build a state-of-the-art medical education building.
Fueled by campaign donations, building projects during the decade continued to boom. The Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science opened its Marine Technology and Life Sciences Seawater building. The 86,000-square-foot facility houses the Marine Life Sciences Center, where critical research on marine animals and the impacts of climate on organisms and ecosystems is conducted. But it is the Alfred C. Glassell Jr. SUrge-STructureAtmosphere INteraction (SUSTAIN) Laboratory that is the highlight of the complex. The lab features a 75-footlong wind-wave tank that can generate Category 5 hurricane-force winds, allowing researchers to study the rapid intensification of tropical cyclones and the impacts of sea level rise.
Stuart A. Miller, J.D. ’82, is a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and chair of the UHealth Board of Directors. The Miller family has been longtime supporters of the U.
Described as a “game changer” for students, the Student Activities Center—later renamed the Donna E. Shalala Student Center—opened at the start of the 2013-14 academic year. Student organizations that once had to share office space in the neighboring Whitten University Center now had their own individual accommodations.
The School of Nursing and Health Studies opened its state-of-the-art, five-story Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education, or S.H.A.R.E., in 2017, offering the latest simulation technology in a variety of clinical environments.
The School of Architecture dedicated its Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building, which includes high-tech features such as a fabrications lab with 3D printer and modern workstations that facilitate advanced digital production.
Frost School of Music opened the
A $55 million gift from the Miller family helped build a state-of-the-art medical education building.
Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios, a 41,089-square-foot, twin-building complex that unites students and faculty musicians in world-class teaching and rehearsal spaces.
The decade would also see Shalala announce she was stepping down as president at the end of the 2014-15 school year. A physician and former minister of health of Mexico would replace her. Julio Frenk, a prominent Harvard dean and the son of GermanJewish immigrants who fled to Mexico to escape the persecution of Nazi Germany, became the University’s first Hispanic and native Spanish-speaking president in 2015.
At his investiture ceremony, he committed the institution to advancing its relevance. “Today, more than ever before, we must build a sturdy bridge that connects scholarship to solutions,” he said.
1.
2.
Wind-wave tank at the SUSTAIN Laboratory.
Donna E. Shalala Student Center. 3. Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education.
“The U means something. For 100 years, we and our community have been at our best when we achieve greatness together.”
President Joe Echevarria
Launch of a New Century
The 2020s began with COVID-19, and like institutions of higher learning everywhere, the University of Miami entered unchartered waters as it began to deal with a global pandemic that was establishing a foothold in the U.S., forcing businesses to adopt work-from-home policies, communities to mask up and practice social distancing, and universities and colleges to shutter their classrooms and migrate courses online.
Like most other institutions, the University of Miami closed its main campus midway through the Spring 2020 semester, sending students home to complete the term remotely. But when fall rolled around, the University, like it had done on so many occasions throughout its history, rose to the occasion. With meticulous protocols and precautions in place, it offered both in-person and remote instruction that fall, becoming one of just a few higher education institutions to do so. Its efforts served as a model, as no cases of in-classroom transmission of the virus were recorded throughout the full academic year.
Even as the world battled the pandemic, the University refused to be stagnant. It publicly launched its most ambitious fundraising effort ever, the $2.5 billion Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century.
New facilities opened, including the $36.5 million Knight Center for Music Innovation, which showcases next-generation features that allow Frost School of Music students, faculty members, and visiting artists to experiment, explore, and develop new modalities in musical performance.
Atmospheric science doctoral student Kelsey Malloy attended the Miami Climate Symposium 2020, hosted by the University.
Research, a cornerstone of any great academic institution, got a substantial boost when the Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science, made possible by a $100 million donation from Phillip and Patricia Frost, opened in a 94,000-square-foot facility early this decade, focusing on research at the molecular level.
A landmark anonymous gift in 2020 of $126 million to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center came with the promise of accelerating breakthrough advances in finding cures for cancer and expanding innovative treatment options for patients.
On-campus housing ramped up as well, with two new student lodging projects opening this decade: the 12-acre Lakeside Village, composed of 25 interconnected buildings, and the first phase of Centennial Village, which welcomed 880 first-year students to its Ibis and Coral
With the 2020s described as the decisive decade for climate action because of a multitude of extreme events, the launch of the Climate Resilience Institute ensures the schools and colleges receive University support for interdisciplinary, problem-driven research aimed at finding solutions to climate impacts and other environmental stressors.
In 2023 the University achieved a designation it sought for decades: membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities, a distinguished national organization of leading research universities founded in 1900.
Village, Hug the Lake
> Invited to join the Association of American Universities. 2023 &
$100 M
Now in 2025, a new era begins with a new administration led by a University of Miami alumnus, former trustee, and die-hard Canes fan who fell in love with the institution 50 years ago when he stepped onto its campus as a freshman.
“The U means something,” says Joe Echevarria, B.B.A. ’78, the University’s seventh president. “Here in our community and in cities around the world, it symbolizes the grit that achieves greatness and the swagger that follows it. For 100 years, we and our community have been at our best when we achieve greatness together. Leadership is a team sport.”
Donation from Phillip and Patricia Frost helped create the Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science.
Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science
Lakeside
BY JANETTE NEUWAHL TANNEN
A Century of
Research has always been at the core of the University’s mission. From devices that advance the practice of medicine to sustainable structures that mitigate effects of climate impacts, the quest for knowledge continues to drive world-changing innovations.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI’S FIRST PRESIDENT, BOWMAN FOSTER ASHE, SAID HE DREAMED OF A “GREAT INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTION WITH A GREAT MEDICAL SCHOOL.”
Decades later, President Henry King Stanford envisioned “Towers of Excellence” that the University might develop in research. Both planted the seeds for a growing research institution that exceeds those expectations today. In 2024 the University received $637 million in research funding from a host of federal and private funding sources, an increase of 35 percent from just five years ago.
In 2023 the University was accepted into the Association of American Universities, an elite group of 71 institutions recognized for their research prowess. The Miller School of Medicine also regularly tops the state in research funding received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with the School of Nursing and Health Studies, which is now ranked 11th in the nation among nursing schools for NIH funding. And Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – University of Miami Health System, was redesignated in 2024 as a National Cancer Institute, which represents the top 4 percent of cancer centers in the United States.
D Discovery
1. A student plots points on large map in the radar research laboratory, tracking tropical storms and hurricanes in 1960.
2. Organ-on-a-chip device that mimics real organs. 3. Giant Sea Roach, one of the more than 96,000 species at the Marine Vertebrae Museum.
4. Tethered blimp that collects first-of-its-kind data on aerosol particles.
Complex problems of our modern world require interdisciplinary solutions.
“As we grow and mentor the future leaders of tomorrow, the University keeps building on its success and attracting more talented researchers with new ideas,” says Guillermo “Willy” Prado, M.S. ’00, Ph.D. ’05, interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, whose own public health research has garnered several major federal grants.
To date, there are 75 centers and institutes, all designed to foster collaborative work among colleagues from various disciplines. In the medical realm, the University is renowned for its expertise in eye care, spinal cord injury, cancer, cardiovascular care, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, neuroscience, nursing, and public health.
Additional areas of distinction include tropical cyclone tracking, coral restoration, and other marine and earth science topics; sustainable structures and vehicles; novel methods of coastal protection; new technologies that enhance learning and patient experiences—including augmented and virtual reality; and the humanities, including theater arts and music.
The Miami Herbert Business School also is a leader in research productivity. The school last year ranked No. 2 in the country on the Financial Times Faculty Research Productivity list. Dean Paul Pavlou and associate dean for research Kevin Hong, both business technology experts, are tied at No. 8 for most productive faculty in the world, according to the Association for Information Systems Research Ranking. This ranking also named associate professor of business technology Nina Huang as the No. 1 most productive female scholar in the world.
The complex problems of our modern world require interdisciplinary solutions. Founded in 2017, the University Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge (U-LINK) nurtures the formation of research teams that combine faculty scientists from all schools, colleges, and campuses. Many of these faculty-led projects have also received external funding to bolster their success, including one led by School of Communication professors Alberto Cairo and Barbara Millet to improve the hurricane forecasting cone.
“The University of Miami serves as a pioneer for innovative, integrated, and transformational research that advances scientific knowledge and contributes to societal well-being for the Miami community and beyond,” says Dr. Maria Alcaide, interim vice provost for research and scholarship, who also is an infectious diseases physician and professor of medicine.
Dr. Robert Machemer created a less-invasive surgical procedure to clean blood or other fluids from the inside of the eye.
Innovation in Medicine
The multidisciplinary research enterprise that distinguishes the University today is rooted in early pioneering work on the Medical Campus. Even before the school was established in 1952, Dr. Bascom Palmer, a local ophthalmologist, longed to create a dedicated center for eye care and research and worked with the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind to set the wheels in motion. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute opened in 1962 and has been ranked the top eye hospital in the nation for 23 years.
During the 1950s, a dermatologist named Dr. Harvey Blank used an antifungal typically applied to tomato plants called griseofulvin to help a patient with a persistent, dangerous, and overwhelming skin infection covering his body. In a matter of weeks, the patient was healed. Later successful clinical trials showed the drug to be an effective oral antifungal treatment, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its use.
Dr. William Harrington, who led the school’s Department of Medicine and founded many international training programs for physicians, helped the University become a major NIH clinical research center. One of its first breakthroughs was when a team of doctors performed the world’s first successful thymus transplant on a 6-week-old baby in 1967. This novel procedure ultimately helped restore the baby’s immune function to fight off infection.
The Department of Ophthalmology also earned notoriety when Dr. Robert Machemer created a less-invasive surgical procedure to clean blood or other fluids from the inside of the eye. Called a “closed system” vitrectomy, the first proce-
centers and institutes, all designed to foster collaborative work among colleagues from various disciplines.
dure in 1970 helped restore vision to a patient who had not seen out of his right eye for five years.
These early triumphs set a precedent for the school to earn more research funding.
During the 1980s, University physicians uncovered new insights about HIV/AIDS, originally thought to be limited to men who have sex with men. They offered research-based evidence to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that all people, regardless of their sexuality or background, were susceptible to HIV. Margaret Fischl, M.D. ’76, was part of the team on the clinical study that led to approval of the first drug to treat HIV in 1986.
Dr. Gwendolyn Scott, a pediatrician, worked closely with Dr. Mary Jo O’Sullivan, in obstetrics and gynecology, to prove HIV was transmitted from mothers to their babies, and they subsequently led clinical trials to prevent infection by using AZT with pregnant mothers.
Miami remains a hotspot for HIV, and today several centers at the University are focused on treating and preventing the disease, including the Center for AIDS Research—the only NIH-funded center in Florida today— and the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health, also known as CHARM.
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis was co-founded in 1985 by spinal cord injury (SCI) expert Dr. Barth A. Green and three families who had experienced SCI firsthand. The Miami Project was one of the first to regenerate adult human central nervous system tissue. Its director, W. Dalton Dietrich III, uncovered the benefits of using cold therapies right after traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries to preserve neurons, which is now widely used.
In the late 1980s, physician and professor Dr. Camillo Ricordi developed a device now called the Ricordi Chamber to extract islet cells from the pancreas. This led to successful islet transplantation in patients with diabetes, and studies showed that some patients could achieve blood sugar control without insulin injections. Researchers at the Diabetes Research Institute are still working to create lab-grown islet cells.
In the 1990s, the University established the Touch Research Institute, which explores the benefits of touch and massage on the health of infants and children, and the Ear Institute, which is one of the top clinical and surgical institutes in the nation for treating hearing loss, tinnitus, balance problems, and other conditions.
In 2007 Margaret Pericak-Vance and her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Vance, joined the faculty to form the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, which has since contributed to a greater genetic understanding of more than 50 disorders, including ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, age-related macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, autism, and muscular dystrophies. A 6,500-square-foot biorepository that can store 5 million samples opened this year, positioning the institute as a pivotal resource for researchers advancing precision medicine worldwide.
Also in 2007, the School of Nursing and Health Studies launched the Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research, with help from a $7 million grant from the NIH and the National Institutes for Minority Health and Health Disparities. Now led by Prado, it was the first of such grants awarded to a nursing school. Soon after, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization
In the late 1980s, Dr. Camillo Ricordi developed a device now called the Ricordi Chamber to extract islet cells from the pancreas.
The Hussman Institute biorepository can house up to 5 million samples of blood, plasma, serum, and tissue.
designated the school as a Collaborating Centre for Nursing Human Resources Development and Patient Safety.
The Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, founded in 2008 at the Miller School and led by Dr. Joshua Hare, a cardiologist and the Louis Lemberg Professor of Medicine, is a pioneer in the use of stem cell therapy to repair damaged hearts.
Stem cells are also the main ingredient in a novel organ-on-a-chip device that College of Engineering associate professor Ashutosh Agarwal and colleagues are developing. The chip combines materials like metal or plastic with stem cells from rodents and humans to create miniature versions of a heart, pancreas, and lungs that mimic real organs, including how they function normally and when diseased. Researchers use the chip to test pharmaceutical therapies, control the differentiation of stem cells, and uncover the mechanisms of human disease.
In 2015 the John T. Macdonald Foundation Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute opened its state-of-the-art lab and “clean rooms,” offering a particlefree environment to fabricate materials at the micro- and nanoscale. A year later, Miami’s first syringe exchange program opened thanks to Miller School professor Hansel Tookes, M.P.H. ’09, M.D. ’14, who was able to persuade Florida lawmakers the program could help lower the rate of bloodborne diseases, like HIV and Hepatitis C.
In 2015 Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez, B.S. ’01, Ph.D. ’11, professor of public health sciences, and Erin Kobetz, vice president for health equity, launched
Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative to investigate the excess burden of cancer among firefighters. Following guidance from scientists at the initiative, in 2022 the World Health Organization reclassified firefighting as a carcinogenic line of work.
In 2018 the Miller School joined the NIH’s 10-year, $2 billion-plus All of Us Research Program to build one of the world’s largest and most diverse health datasets. The goal: advance personalized medicine by helping researchers and physicians understand why different people are more vulnerable to certain diseases and conditions.
In 2023 the School of Nursing and Health Studies received a landmark $23.57 million grant from the NIH to explore how parents’ stress can affect their children. The Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) project is led by the school’s dean, Hudson Santos, and Dr. Michael Paidas, chair of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive services at the Miller School.
The University also conducts extensive research on risk factors and treatments for drug abuse. The Clinical Trials Network at the Miller School, one of just 13 national research centers of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, works to build partnerships with local clinics and treatment centers to address the needs of individuals struggling with substance use.
Growing up in Miami, young Maribel Pérez, B.S.C. ’93, always knew she wanted to be a journalist. While a student at the University, she wrote for The Miami Hurricane student newspaper, covering the institution and community’s recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. She also met her future husband, Christopher Wadsworth, M.A. ’94.
Pérez Wadsworth joined Gannett as a reporter in 1996 and would spend the next 26 years with the media company, ultimately becoming president of Gannett Media. As president of the USA Today Network and later publisher of USA Today, she led a team of more than 4,000 journalists in more than 200 communities. During her tenure, Gannett newsrooms were recognized with five Pulitzer Prizes. In 2023 Pérez Wadsworth was appointed president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and a trustee. She is the first woman and the seventh president to lead the foundation. At the University, she is a trustee, president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and co-chair of the School of Communication Dean’s Advisory Committee.
Stem Cell Institute was founded at the Miller School and is now a pioneer in the use of stem cell therapy to repair damaged hearts.
Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative launched to investigate the excess burden of cancer among firefighters.
One of just 13 national research centers of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Clinical Trials Network at the Miller School addresses substance use.
Interdisciplinary
ALUMNI PROFILE
Maribel Pérez Wadsworth
Startup Solutions
Dedicated research often yields innovative solutions, some of which can be turned into startup companies and commercial products. One of the more successful inventions came in 1992, when cancer researcher Dr. Eckhard Podack developed a monoclonal antibody that could attach to lymphoma cells. Licensed to Seattle Genetics in 1999, it led to the creation of Adcetris, the first new treatment in years for lymphomas, a type of blood cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
In 1997 Dr. Azorides Morales, former chair of the Department of Pathology at the Miller School, worked with colleagues to create an automated tissue processor to rapidly test patient tissue samples. Licensed in 1999 to Sakura Finetek, Inc., the Tissue-Tek Xpress Rapid Tissue Processor allows patients and surgeons to learn the results of biopsies within hours instead of days.
In 2018 Miller School brain surgeon Dr. Eric Peterson created a novel catheter that provides neurosurgeons with access to the brain through the wrist. He co-founded a startup to develop the technology, RIST Neurovascular, Inc., which was acquired by Medtronic in 2020.
In 2019 ophthalmologist Dr. Mohamed Abou Shousha, an associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, founded Heru, a company that expands access to eye care through portable headsets powered by artificial intelligence. Developed by Abou Shousha and a team of physicians, scientists, and engineers, the Heru software helps ophthalmologists test for visual defects and offer telemedicine.
Uncovering Insights About Our Planet
When state leaders in 1947 called upon oceanographer F.G. Walton Smith to investigate a mysterious hue in the water killing fish on Florida’s west coast, he had no official lab other than a boathouse behind a Miami Beach home. Yet the founder of what is now the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science gathered a team of scientists, and they discovered the cause was a dinoflagellate that became poisonous to fish when it reproduced in a rapid bloom. Soon called “red tide,” this discovery brought in years of research funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), a unique partnership between the Rosenstiel School and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was formed in 1977 to explore everything from improving hurricane forecasts and climate modeling to making fish stocks more economically and environmentally sustainable. Now under the direction of Benjamin Kirtman, William R. Middelthon III Endowed Chair of Earth Sciences, CIMAS remains a key research partnership that unveils new tools, including the Hurricane
Top: In 2018 Dr. Eric Peterson created a novel catheter. Middle: Dr. Azorides Morales is analyzing a sample using the Tissue-Tek Xpress. Bottom: F.G. Walton Smith and Howell Rivero examine dredgings, 1950.
Analysis and Forecasting System (HAFS). Released in 2023, HAFS is a new model for generating more accurate tracking and intensity forecasts for tropical cyclones. Kirtman has also worked to improve the accuracy of forecasting models and developed SubX, which combines several forecasting models to predict extreme weather events three to four weeks ahead of time.
When the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the Rosenstiel School’s research catamaran, F.G. Walton Smith, was among the first responders to arrive. Scientists quickly developed a research method to assess where oil would spread and how it would impact marine life. The Rosenstiel School spearheaded the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE), and for the next 10 years, the group deepened knowledge about the Gulf of Mexico, its marine ecosystems, and how they are impacted by pollutants.
Knowledge about how the ocean and atmosphere interact when tropical cyclones form received a significant boost in 2014, when the Alfred C. Glassell Jr. SUrge-STructureAtmosphere INteraction (SUSTAIN) Lab opened at the Rosenstiel School. The massive tank can simulate Category 5 hurricane wind and waves, yielding insight on the complex air-sea interactions of wind, waves, and shorelines.
Harnessing the Latest Educational Tools
From the beginning of the University, an interest in improving the delivery of information and increasing student engagement has been a focus. This started with Henry S. West, first dean of what is now the School of Education and Human Development, who forged a relationship with the closest public school to campus. It quickly became a research lab for teachers to gain classroom experience—and to try out new strategies to reach students. To honor him, the school is now named Henry S. West Laboratory School.
The School of Law has also pushed the boundaries in training new legal minds. Former professor and interim dean Rafael Benitez, a renowned expert in international law, founded its Master of Laws (LL.M.) program in this area in the late 1950s. In the next decade, the school’s InterAmerican Law Review was the first scholarly review to focus on the Americas and helped cement the University as the preeminent law school in the gateway to the Americas.
A new training resource for physicians, emergency responders, and military personnel arrived in 1980 with the Gordon Center for Simulation and Medical Education at the Miller School. The center houses Harvey, the world’s first cardiopulmonary simulator, and UMedic, a series of interactive computer training programs. Today the Gordon Center trains 20,000 medical students, providers, and emergency personnel each year.
At the School of Nursing and Health Studies, the groundbreaking Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education facility opened in 2017, a five-story facility offering simulation experiences in a variety of clinical, research, and classroom settings.
In 2018 the University began to explore the applications of augmented reality, which layers virtual characters, animals, furniture, or even buildings on top of the real world. Today the University is pioneering ways faculty members and students can integrate virtual and augmented reality within their areas of expertise, such as a virtual art history course that walks students through wonders of the world, an application to show patients their spine in augmented reality before surgery, or even an application for first-year students to navigate a replica of the Coral Gables Campus. The University now offers more than 40 courses with an extended reality experience. At the School of Architecture, the RAD Lab serves as a springboard for utilizing new technology features into the built environment.
The Rosenstiel School’s research catamaran, F.G. Walton Smith, was among the first responders when the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred.
Enhancements to infrastructure are supporting these technologies. In 2019 the University’s Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing acquired Triton, one of the top supercomputers in the nation. Custom-made by IBM, Triton powers data-intensive activities, including AI, machine learning, computer vision, and blockchain research.
And since the forward evolution of technology and business practices always yields unprecedented legal considerations, School of Law professor Michele DeStefano founded LawWithoutWalls in 2010. This program unites lawyers, business professionals, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists with students from 30 law and business schools worldwide.
Exploring the Arts
Even in its earliest days, the University drew interest from writers and musicians, including speakers like poet Robert Frost, philosopher John Dewey, and author Marjory Stoneman Douglas. As part of the Winter Institute of Arts and Sciences, these creative voices bridged the University with the community, paving the way for more permanent English and Literature programs, as well as an Institute of Hispanic Studies. The Department of Writing Studies, Creative Writing program, and Michele Bowman Underwood Department of Modern Languages and Literatures in the College of Arts and Sciences have been springboards for many published authors, along with those who explore
Hispanic culture and the Caribbean diaspora in their research and books.
English professor Kelly Josephs, B.S.C. ’98, is currently working with Yale University on a major project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the elevation of Caribbean-focused digital humanities scholarship. The Mellon Foundation also gave the University grant funding for the Center for Global Black Studies, which opened in 2021. Yolanda Martinez-San Miguel, a professor of modern languages and literatures, received a fellowship from the Ford Foundation to work on the Caribbean Women Legacy Project, which is collecting oral histories of Caribbean women who have been socially and politically active between 1970 and 1995.
At the Frost School of Music, scholars in the Music Therapy and Music Education program are shedding new insight on the power of music for health and well-being. Music therapy program director Teresa Lesiuk and colleagues received a grant from the Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation to explore the impact of autobiographical music in adults with mild cognitive impairment. Lesiuk has also conducted studies about the cognitive, motor, and psychosocial outcomes of piano lessons on adult patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Frost professor Carlos Abril, B.M. ’92, received an award from the National Association for Music Education to examine the influence of environment, emotional state, and teaching strategies on marginalized and underrepresented music educators. He is also looking at whether music classes make students happier, as part of the Music for Childhood Well-Being Initiative.
Left to right: In 2018 the University began to explore the applications of augmented reality; Rafael Benitez founded the School of Law LL.M. program in the 1950s; Frost School faculty study the impact of music therapy on well-being; Marjory Stoneman Douglas was editor of the University of Miami Press, 1960-1963; Harvey, the first cardiopulmonary simulator, helps to train students, physicians, and first responders.
DAVID GREENFIELD
Building a Sustainable Future
Since its start in 1947, the College of Engineering has explored solutions to mitigate human impact on the environment. In fact, engineering faculty members tested the use of solar energy to cool buildings in the late 1970s. The School of Architecture came on the scene in 1981 and has joined this effort ever since. In recent decades, engineering and architecture faculty have worked—often collaboratively —to make devices, vehicles, roads and bridges, and buildings more sustainable, while also utilizing the latest technology to ensure our beaches, air, vehicles, and water are as safe as possible.
In the late 1990s, professor Antonio Nanni, Ph.D. ’85, and colleagues in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering discovered that fortifying concrete with alternate materials could help roads, buildings, seawalls, docks, and bridges last longer. Nanni and his research lab have been testing and proving the strength of a material called glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar, which can replace steel rebar rods typically placed in concrete to strengthen it. The team implemented GFRP in two bridges on campus and two in the state of Florida, with funding from the Florida Department of Transportation. The team also created a design code for GFRP rebar that is now utilized by construction companies worldwide. Today, Nanni is working on a form of concrete that uses saltwater to bind, which could add to the resilience of these structures. His colleague, associate professor Prannoy Suraneni, is working on creating more sustainable cement, which could also protect ocean ecosystems that thrive near seawalls.
The Center for Urban and Community Design, which the School of Architecture formed after Hurricane Andrew devastated Miami in 1992, continues to support the creation and renovation of sustainable communities and buildings.
While working with colleagues from the College of Engineering and Rosenstiel School on a grant from the
“We really are emerging as a medical innovation and climate tech hub.”—Norma Kenyon
National Cooperative Highway Research Program and U-LINK to create more sustainable forms of coastal protection, associate professor of engineering Landolf RhodeBarbarigos devised an unconventional idea—build perforated hexagonal tubes that could be stacked along a seawall to decrease wave energy and protect the shoreline. The interdisciplinary team, which also includes Rosenstiel School ocean sciences professor Brian Haus, soon grew to include marine biology faculty members Andrew Baker and Diego Lirman. They received an initial grant of $7.5 million in 2022 from the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to build hybrid coral reefs with the structures.
Modeled after beehives, the 12-foot-long SEAHIVE structures are manufactured out of eco-friendly concrete and were installed at two locations in South Florida so far. Licensed for commercial use in 2024, SEAHIVE units may also be used in future larger-scale projects, including efforts to create a hybrid living reef by seeding them with baby corals. Warming ocean temperatures are contributing to an alarming decline in coral reefs, which provide coastal protection and habitat for marine life. Baker, Lirman, and
Gloria Estefan
Gloria Fajardo, B.A. ’78, Hon. ’93, was an undergraduate when she met a rising musician and producer—and fellow Cuban exile—named Emilio Estefan, Hon. ’01. She joined his band, the Miami Latin Boys, with the proviso that she would work as their singer only on weekends so as not to disrupt her studies.
Seahives
The couple married in 1978, and the band, renamed Miami Sound Machine, created a string of hits during the 1980s that propelled Latin rhythms into the pop music mainstream. An equally successful solo career followed for Gloria Estefan, as did accolades for the
couple: nine Grammys, the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, and, in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1995 Gloria Estefan was elected to the University of Miami Board of Trustees and was tapped for the Iron Arrow Honor Society in 2014. She became the first Cuban American to receive Kennedy Center Honors in 2017 and made history again in 2023 as the first Hispanic to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Now a trustee emerita, she remains a steadfast benefactor of different areas of the University, primarily The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
Left to right: Antonio Nanni, shown here working with a student, discovered fortifying concrete could help roads, buildings, and bridges last longer; MAGGIE is a solar-powered aircraft designed by a College of Engineering professor to fly on Mars.
other Rosenstiel School researchers are working on several other grant-funded projects to restore Florida coral colonies and to breed more thermal-tolerant corals.
Looking to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, engineering professor GeCheng Zha designed and is testing a revolutionary approach to airflow that can power cargo ships and aircraft with much greater efficiency than current designs. Funded by a grant from NASA, Zha is working on a solar-powered aircraft called Mars Aerial Ground and Global Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE) that will use this technology to explore Mars.
Meanwhile, the Center for Aerosol Science and Technology, founded by College of Engineering Dean Pratim Biswas, is looking at ways to improve our air quality and to detect pathogens and other tiny particles in air. One of its chief researchers, professor Chang-Yu Wu, was the first aerosol scientist to prove that COVID-19 was transmitted through the air.
Looking to the future, neuroscience and aging research is a top research priority. The University pledged $30 million to bolster basic science research related to these topics, which can build upon the work of Dr. James E. Galvin, who directs the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health. These developments have positioned the University to grow even more in the coming years.
“We really are emerging as a medical innovation and climate tech hub, which is incredible, but that did not happen yesterday—it evolved over a century,” says Norma Kenyon, the University’s vice provost for innovation.
Recognized for Research Prowess
The University of Miami is now a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a distinguished national organization of leading research universities founded in 1900. The University is one of only two private and a handful of public institutional members established in the 20th century to receive this distinction.
AAU
In 2023 the University became a member of the Association of American Universities.
The opportunity to join the organization—considered the gold standard in American higher education—is by invitation only and is based on an extensive set of quantitative indicators that assess the breadth and quality of a university’s research and education. AAU invitations do not occur annually.
The University received the invitation in 2023 along with six other leading research universities: Arizona State University; George Washington University; the University of California, Riverside; the University of Notre Dame; and the University of South Florida. These recent additions brought AAU’s membership total to 71 institutions—69 American and two Canadian universities.
“We are very proud to have these six distinguished universities from across the United States join AAU,” said AAU President Barbara R. Snyder. “We look forward to working with all of these universities to continue advancing higher education and laying the scientific foundation that helps keep our economy strong and our nation healthy and safe.”
Now formally recognized among the top-tier universities in North America, the University of Miami demonstrates the depth and breadth of the institution’s 12 schools and colleges working to boldly identify and seek solutions for the world’s greatest challenges.
to one of the SEAHIVE structures.
Brian Haus, professor of ocean sciences at the Rosenstiel School, attaches grates
Decades of Impact for the Next Century: How UHealth and the Miller School of Medicine Are Shaping Health Care, Research, and Education
Health
Matters
BY CHAD HANSON
WHEN THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
PURCHASED CEDARS MEDICAL CENTER IN 2007 AND RENAMED THE 560-BED FACILITY UHEALTH TOWER, IT BECAME THE REGION’S FIRST UNIVERSITY-OWNED, MULTISPECIALTY, ACUTE CARE HOSPITAL AND THE FLAGSHIP FACILITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S FIRST AND ONLY ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER.
Created in 2008, UHealth – University of Miami Health System fused the groundbreaking research of the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine with the leading-edge clinical care patients receive at UHealth Tower and nearly 40 outpatient sites in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Collier counties.
UHealth patients benefit from the latest scientific discoveries and have access to clinical trials not available at nearby health systems. Working in tandem with Miller School researchers, UHealth is involved in more than 1,300 clinical trials. Patients managed at teaching hospitals have higher survival rates than those managed at nonteaching hospitals, and the connection between
UHealth and the Miller School ensures patients reap the benefits of an institution that annually ranks among the national leaders in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
In fact, one of Joe Echevarria’s, B.B.A. ’78, first acts as University of Miami president in October 2024 was his approval of a $30 million investment in basic science research focused on aging and neuroscience. This investment will also establish a new computational biology program within the Miller School, a funding priority for the NIH. The Miller School will collaborate on these initiatives with departments across the University’s schools and colleges.
The future of medicine is unfolding before our eyes at UHealth, propelled by the work of the Miller School’s faculty physicians, to the benefit of Florida, the United States, and the world. Evidence of its impact can be found everywhere the eye can see.
The Sound of Collaborative Care
UHealth otolaryngologists and neurosurgeons have combined their talents on Florida’s first auditory brainstem implant (ABI) on a woman suffering from neurofibromatosis type 2, a rare genetic disorder that results in tumors in the brain and spinal cord. An ABI works via electrodes surgically implanted on the brainstem. Patients wear an external processor that picks up sounds with a microphone, converts those sounds to electrical signals, and sends the signals to the electrodes on the brainstem. The patient can then perceive those signals as sound and pitch. This first patient shed tears upon hearing people talking, followed by their applause.
Surgeons in the Department of Otolaryngology are pioneering approaches to treat hearing loss.
The Department of Otolaryngology has a history of
clinical innovation since its founding in 1960. Cliniciansurgeons have pioneered endoscopic/minimally invasive approaches to remove skull base tumors and are now leaders in genetic hearing loss research and the use of gene therapy in treating deafness.
Detecting Cognitive Decline Before Symptoms Surface
The Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (CNSA) is a national and international leader in understanding the aging brain and a hub to develop and implement state-ofthe-art techniques for the study of brain disorders. Dedicated physician-scientists have developed innovative tools used across the globe to assess and treat cognitive decline, including the Loewenstein and Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L) measure that bears the name of David Loewenstein, the director of CNSA and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at the Miller School. LASSI-L zeroes in on the types of memory issues specific to patients with Alzheimer’s by introducing “proactive interference” that, paired with the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins, detects Alzheimer’s disease risk years before traditional tests that are given in regular centers. CSNA’s influence reaches far beyond Miami. Through the NIH-funded 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Miller School neuroscientists collaborate with top Florida institutions to focus on Alzheimer’s disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and education in culturally diverse populations.
A colorful banner showcases the future home of the Miller School of Medicine on the Medical Campus.
David Loewenstein is director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging.
A National Model for Stroke Care
Founded in 2012, the Florida Stroke Registry unites the work of a broad spectrum of Florida stroke centers. The organization supports the delivery of evidence-based best practices and the development of future interventions to improve acute stroke care through the systematic collection and analysis of performance metrics. It is the first to provide a data-driven perspective of geographic stroke care that drills down into the demographics of its constituents.
This large-scale data aggregation has produced tangible results. Florida Stroke Registry analyses helped increase the use of tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, in eligible stroke patients. In Florida, tPA treatment within 60 minutes of hospital arrival rose from 19 percent in 2010 to 92 percent in 2020, and treatment within 45 minutes of arrival went from 6 percent to 75 percent over the same time span.
Excellence in stroke care is mirrored by the work of Dr. Dileep Yavagal, professor of clinical neurology and neurosurgery at the Miller School. He founded Mission Thrombectomy, a global outreach initiative aimed at increasing access to mechanical thrombectomy, which removes blood clots blocking arteries in the brain during stroke. Mission Thrombectomy has improved the lives of stroke patients in more than 90 countries, and Yavagal also orchestrated a first-in-human clinical trial that delivered stem cells via catheter into the artery of areas of the brain injured during stroke.
A Heartbeat Away
About 25 percent of all strokes are related to atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common irregular heartbeat, and these cardioembolic strokes have worse outcomes than other types of strokes.
JORGE MAS
JUAN CARLOS MAS
JOSE MAS
Neurosurgeons developed an implantable braincomputer interface for continuous readings of a patient’s brain activity for cervical quadriplegia patients.
Dr. Jeffrey Goldberger, professor of medicine in the Miller School’s Cardiovascular Division, and Dr. Raul Mitrani, professor of clinical medicine and director of UHealth clinical cardiac electrophysiology, participated in a multicenter international study that showed ablation outperformed medication in terms of preventing atrial fibrillation and improving quality of life.
Jorge, Juan Carlos, and Jose Mas
The Mas family story begins like that of so many other Cuban immigrants in the early days of the exile. Jorge Mas Canosa fled Cuba for a new life in Miami and took whatever job he could find to support his family— milkman, shoe salesman, and stevedore. In 1971 he bought the company he worked for, Church & Tower.
His sons—Jorge, B.B.A. ’84, M.B.A. ’85; Juan Carlos “J.C.,” B.B.A. ’87, J.D. ’90; and Jose, B.B.A. ’92, M.B.A. ’94—worked for the family business over summers and after graduating from the University—digging ditches, driving bobcats, laying pavement. Over the years, they transformed it from an underground utility construction firm to MasTec, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified publicly traded U.S. infrastructure providers in the country. The Fortune 500 company and the secondlargest Hispanic-owned company in the U.S. earned more than $12 billion in revenues in 2024.
Jorge Mas is chairman of MasTec, and Jose Mas is CEO. As co-owners of InterMiami with David Beckham, they are responsible for bringing major league soccer to Miami. J.C. is chairman of the Mas Group. Through the Mas Family Scholarships, they support educational and health initiatives in Miami and beyond. Jose Mas has also served as a University trustee since 2020.
UHealth Cardiovascular Medicine chief Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis is envisioning a day when predicting heart attacks is as simple as using Google Maps for wayfinding. The moderator of an artificial intelligence (AI) panel at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Chatzizisis is an internationally recognized proponent of using AI-powered tools to interpret complex heart images and create precise, 3D digital twins of heart vessels to identify blockages. At the Center for Digital Cardiovascular Innovations, Chatzizisis and colleagues use digital tools to model heart valves in structural heart disease cases and support peripheral artery disease interventions.
Thinking Makes It So
For people who are paralyzed, simple movements like grasping a spoon or turning a doorknob were once the stuff of dreams. The work of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis neurosurgeons and biomedical engineers has transformed those dreams into reality.
The Center of Excellence based at the Miller School is one of the premier research programs in the country for translational and clinical investigations around spinal cord injuries. Among its litany of notable accomplishments is an implantable braincomputer interface that restores hand-grasp control for patients with complete cervical quadriplegia. The system connects to a transmitter that allows for continuous readings of the patient’s brain activity, which are interpreted by a computer in real time. Whenever the system detects a move or rest thought, it opens or closes the hand.
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The Future of Urology Care
Established in 2022 with a $20 million gift from the Desai Sethi Family Foundation, the Desai Sethi Urology Institute (DSUI) has grown to achieve top 15 ranking nationally among NIH-funded urology institutions. Dr. Dipen J. Parekh—founding director of DSUI, chief operating officer for UHealth, and executive dean for Clinical Affairs for the Miller School overseeing all clinical care— is an expert in robotic surgery for urologic oncology and has led DSUI as it advances the standard of care for urologic health, including developing surgical techniques now being used globally in cancer surgery, reconstruction, incontinence procedures, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, and prosthetic urology. Since 2016, more than 200 people have undergone focused ultrasound treatment for prostate cancer at UHealth, a less-invasive option than traditional surgery, and DSUI now accounts for approximately a third of all urology procedures in the South Florida market.
The institute also runs one of the largest and most highly acclaimed urology residency training programs in the country and is an epicenter for surgeons from around the world to learn how to perform robotic surgeries for prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer.
A Clear Vision
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is one of the world’s premier research, clinical, and education ophthalmic centers. It has been named for the 23rd time (and 21st consecutive year) as the nation’s best ophthalmology hospital by U.S. News & World Report and is consistently ranked as the country’s top residency program. Today, patients can visit Bascom Palmer’s main clinic downtown at the Anne Bates Leach Eye Center, which features a 24/7 emergency room, as well as satellite offices in Naples, Palm Beach Gardens,
Dipen J. Parekh
Plantation, and Coral Gables. The Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Vision Research Center houses the clinical and laboratory research initiatives.
The hospital boasts more than 30 pioneering research labs, programs, and centers focused on solving complex vision challenges. Under the direction of Jean-Marie Parel, clinicians have invented or improved more than 350 ophthalmic instruments. Scientists are tinkering with gene therapy and stem cells, and they are leveraging artificial intelligence and virtual reality to develop AI-driven diagnostic tools and treatment protocols to revolutionize patient outcomes in novel ways.
One of Bascom Palmer’s most ambitious projects yet is the “Moon Shot,” an initiative to restore vision to millions of patients by transplanting an entire human eye, one of four organs that has never been successfully transplanted. This effort leverages the expertise of those across Miller School departments, as well as in the University of Miami College of Engineering, the Lois Pope LIFE Center, and the Miami Transplant Institute.
Consistently ranked as the top residency program, Bascom Palmer trains doctors who go on to be leaders in their field—but clinicians don’t stop there. The Global Center for Ophthalmic Education offers online programs for vision professionals and students throughout the world, including virtual Grand Rounds using video-equipped mobile robots. Their reach extends as far as India and China as they teach local doctors the latest protocols for diagnosis and treatment.
SYLVESTER COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER
Business leader and philanthropist Kenneth C. Griffin, with members of the University of Miami and UHealth leadership, at the event naming the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Pursuing the Cure for Cancer
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is saving lives, easing the burden of cancer through new discoveries in the lab, patientcentered treatment in the clinic, and survivorship programs in the community.
Dr. Stephen D. Nimer took the helm as director in 2012 and spearheaded the drive to become a National Cancer Institute (NCI)designated cancer center. Sylvester announced in 2019 it had achieved the exclusive NCI designation. Five years later, it was renewed with an “outstanding” score from the NCI.
Sylvester currently has more than 540 clinical trials underway, focusing on cancers with
an elevated prevalence and mortality in South Florida. Its efforts have supported the approval of new drugs for diseases such as rare sarcomas and AML, and more effective therapies for lung cancer and different types of lymphoma. Sylvester researchers are also defining the effects of exercise and nutrition on ovarian cancer outcomes and ways to improve the lives of patients with hormone-related cancers.
Stephen D. Nimer
Jayne Sherman
While her first career was in marketing and public relations, Jayne Baron Sherman, B.A. ’67, eventually pivoted to her first love, film and theatrical production. Her Broadway hits include Tony Award-winning productions of “Kinky Boots,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” and “The Normal Heart.” In addition, she has produced films and television shows, several of which are streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV+, and Hulu. The stories she has produced span a range of subjects, from the women who worked as British spies during World War II (“A Call to Spy”) to a portrait of commitment in the face of adversity, as experienced by an older same-sex couple (“Love Is Strange”).
Powered by its namesake’s $50 million gift, the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building will offer patients lifesaving care in the same building where scientists are making discoveries, with two floors dedicated to clinical care. The 12-story, 244,000-square-foot facility also will set the standard for survivorship programs that focus on total-body wellness during treatment. The Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Care programs are staffed by top scientists in lifestyle medicine who are leading research studies on the impact of nutrition and exercise on cancer, genetic testing, and other integrative approaches.
Thanks to a generous gift from Sherman’s late father, their family name graces the Alvin Sherman Family Stage in the Jerry Herman Theatre. Sherman has also given generously to the Department of Theatre Arts and, with her wife, has established an endowed fund that provides stipends to students with financial needs who are involved in, or have an affinity for, the LGBTQ+ community.
Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative was launched in 2015 to better document and understand why Florida firefighters face an increased cancer burden and identify ways to reduce the risk. The initiative now assists fire departments across Florida.
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Partners in Health
No doubt one of UHealth and the Miller School’s most enduring legacies is its partnership with Jackson Memorial Hospital, which serves as the primary teaching hospital and where more than 1,100 residents train. Along with residencies at the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, these newly minted doctors are learning among the best.
The Miami Transplant Institute, a collaboration between Jackson Health System and UHealth, is the only center in Florida that performs all types of organ transplants—heart, lung, heart-lung, kidney, pancreas, kidney-pancreas, liver, intestinal, and multivisceral transplants. Working under the auspices of the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) study, Miami Transplant Institute researchers examined the risks and benefits of using kidneys from HIV-positive donors for HIV-positive recipients for more than 10 years and demonstrated kidney transplants from HIV-positive donors to HIVpositive recipients are just as safe and effective as those from HIVnegative donors. This expanded the pool of potential donors for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative transplant candidates.
For the region’s youngest patients, Holtz Children’s Hospital marries UHealth pediatric specialists with Jackson nurses to provide routine and expert care across a spectrum of more than two dozen services. From pediatric pulmonology to pediatric gastroenterology, experts are not only treating the most complex cases but also innovating to find new treatments.
For patients of all ages, Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital is a world-renowned adult and pediatric Level I trauma center and one of the busiest in the state. An average of 5,500 patients in need of lifesaving resuscitation, surgery, intensive care, and burn treatment come through its doors each year. Many come from the Caribbean, South America, and Central America to take advantage of Ryder’s unique capabilities. Ryder also serves as the U.S. Army’s only national Army Trauma Training Center.
Just across the street, the Miami VA is recognized nationally for several programs it conducts in partnership with the Miller School and UHealth, including geriatric research, treatment of HIV/AIDS patients, spinal cord injury research, and substance abuse treatment. Most of the school’s clinical departments offer services at the VA, and many faculty in basic science departments hold joint appointments.
More Accomplishments at a Glance
The clinical and research emphases of UHealth and the Miller School mirror the organizations’ devotion to service and healing.
The Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery will celebrate its 70th anniversary later this year and continues to create the future of skin wellness through discovery, education, and clinical care, with a focus on the relationship between aging and skin disease.
Interventional radiologists are advancing minimally invasive, imageguided interventions, with an emphasis on minimally invasive treatments for knee osteoarthritis.
The Department of Physical Therapy is a national leader in rehabilitation, delivering physical and occupational therapy across all UHealth locations, and was one of the first programs in the U.S. to offer a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree to physical therapists.
UHealth OB/GYN providers offer the most comprehensive array of services in the area, with an effective blend of the preventive and the precise stemming from state-of-the-art diagnostics to leading-edge surgical approaches and pharmacotherapeutics that provide hope for patients with complex conditions that cannot be handled anywhere else in the region.
The buildings—and the work going on inside—have made their mark on the community
Beacons of Discovery
The Gordon Center for Simulation and Innovation in Medical Education trains more than 20,000 people every year—including thousands of paramedics who answer 911 calls from millions throughout Florida—through the center’s Division of Emergency Medical Skills Training. On site is an actual fire rescue vehicle, a car for extrication of trauma victims, a hazardous materials decontamination shower, and a mock emergency department.
The John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics continues to make groundbreaking discoveries about genes that cause some of the world’s most prevalent neurologic diseases. A team of researchers led by director Margaret Pericak-Vance identified the gene that increases a person’s risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The Diabetes Research Institute has been instrumental in the advancement of pancreatic islet cell transplantation as a therapeutic strategy, which involves transplanting insulinproducing islet cells into a recipient’s liver. Another landmark achievement came in 2023, when the FDA approved the first-ever allogeneic pancreatic islet cellular therapy for adults with Type 1 diabetes who experience severe hypoglycemia despite intensive management.
Researchers at the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute are leading the nation in research for cardiovascular stem cell therapies, and the institute’s
four Phase I/II clinical trials represent one of the nation’s largest cohorts of cardiac patients receiving adult mesenchymal stem cells.
Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics researchers are using advanced sequencing and bioinformatics to solve rare, complex diseases and targeted treatments for neurological and sensory disorders. Its precision medicine approach is advancing understanding of neurodevelopmental syndromes and neurodegenerative diseases.
Patrice Whitehead Gay, left, laboratory technical director, and John Gilbert, director of the center for genome technology, at the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics.
The Next Era of Medicine
The Lennar Foundation Medical Center, a gleaming, five-story UHealth outpatient facility on the Coral Gables Campus, opened in 2016, offering academic, patient-centered care under one roof. It represented UHealth’s first step in extending its worldrenowned services and its continued efforts to improve patient access to its world-class care. Academic medicine expanded into the growing Doral community with the 2024 opening of UHealth Doral Medical Center, a six-story, 160,000-square-foot facility with a variety of specialty services, 33 clinical treatment units, eight operating rooms, and more than 60 exam rooms. It’s also equipped with complete imaging services, interventional radiology, and three GI endoscopy suites.
Slated to open in 2025, UHealth SoLé Mia will be a North Miami home for world-class, compassionate care. The seven-story facility, with 110 exam rooms, 10 operating rooms, and 33 clinical cancer treatment units, will be UHealth’s largest ambulatory center to date.
Margaret Fischl
While Margaret Fischl, M.D. ’76, was a young assistant professor in internal medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, a mysterious virus began claiming the lives of young men. It would later be known as HIV, and finding a treatment and a cure would become Fischl’s life work. She was one of the first investigators to educate the public about the transmission of HIV and was part of the team on the pivotal clinical study that led to the approval of the first drug for the treatment of HIV in 1986. Since then, Fischl has participated in the design and implementation of more than 150 studies for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. A professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine and Division of Infectious Diseases at the Miller School of Medicine, Fischl now focuses her research on the outcome of women with HIV and at risk for HIV. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed medical journals and has garnered continued competitive grant support.
In the works is UHealth Pinecrest, which will service that community and patients from Kendall and nearby neighborhoods. Designed to blend in seamlessly with the surrounding community, this facility is slated to hold UHealth pillars such as Sylvester, Bascom Palmer, and Desai Sethi Urology Institute.
Under the leadership of Dr. Tanira B.D. Ferreira, chief medical officer of inpatient and acute care services, and Kymberlee J. Manni, chief executive officer of University of Miami
Kymberlee J. Manni
LENNAR FOUNDATION MEDICAL CENTER
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UHEALTH DORAL
UHEALTH
Educating the Next Generation of Leaders in Medicine
As UHealth drives the clinical arm of the medical enterprise, the Miller School’s pioneering medical education curriculum is carefully crafted to equip medical students with essential tools to shape the future of medicine. NextGenMD prepares medical students to tackle complex clinical scenarios, advance translational research, and become leaders who will transform lives and serve the global community.
Hospital and Clinics, UHealth Tower is undergoing a major renovation to create a more welcoming and efficient space for patients and visitors. The centerpiece of the Medical Campus since its purchase in late 2007, the tower will boast five new floors of operating room space, plus a more accessible entryway.
Just a couple of blocks east, the University purchased the Civica Center as the future site for the Miller School’s new medical education building, optimizing space for clinical care, medical education and research, and fostering a fully integrated academic health center.
They are led by the dean of the Miller School, Dr. Henri R. Ford, an internationally renowned pediatric surgeon and authority on necrotizing enterocolitis. A past president of the American College of Surgeons and member of the Joint Commission’s Board of Advisors, Ford was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine in 2022.
Students embark upon clinical work as early as their first year and, given Miami’s multicultural population, are exposed to medical challenges not found in any other region of the U.S. The Miller School leads the nation in dual medical degree graduates, including M.D./M.P.H., M.D./ M.B.A., M.D./Ph.D., and M.D./J.D. programs.
The novel curriculum is working. The class of 2024’s 196 graduates achieved a perfect placement rate, with internal medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, and anesthesiology as the top specialties.
Serving the Community—and the World
Over the decades, UHealth and the Miller School have long stepped in to serve the greater South Florida community, making that service a key part of their mission.
The Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Department of Community Service (DOCS), a medical student-run program hosts eight annual health fairs and free weekly clinics for underserved populations in MiamiDade, Broward, and Monroe counties, with medical students, trainees, and faculty donating thousands of hours of care where it is needed most.
Tanira B.D. Ferreira
The Bascom Palmer Vision Van helps communities across South Florida by providing free vision screenings for thousands of people of all ages. In 2017 a volunteer team from Bascom Palmer drove the Vision Van to Key West to provide eye care for residents, nurses, and disaster recovery personnel working to restore services in the Lower and Middle Keys that were devastated by Hurricane Irma.
The IDEA Exchange provides new syringes in exchange for used ones, a commitment to harm reduction and prevention aimed to mitigate the adverse health outcomes associated with injection drug use.
As the University of Miami celebrates its centennial, UHealth and the Miller School of Medicine are looking across the vast landscape of medical discovery, eager for the breakthroughs the next 100 years will hold.
Henri R. Ford
SOLÉ MIA
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF MIAMI
Athletics has always been an integral part of the University’s mission—from its first undefeated football season in 1926 to its current reputation as an athletics powerhouse with 18 NCAA sports.
Quarterback Cam Ward, left, charges ahead into 2024, sharing a rich history with former football quarterback Fran Curci, 1959, in front of the first Miami Stadium, 1926.
THE
BY MEGAN BARNES, CHRISTY CABRERA CHIRINOS, CARTER TOOLE, AND JOSH WHITE
Focus: Athletics
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI HAS BEEN RESILIENT FROM THE OUTSET, SURVIVING A MAJOR HURRICANE JUST DAYS AFTER OPENING ITS DOORS TO ITS FIRST CLASS OF STUDENTS.
The Miami Hurricanes have displayed similar resiliency, whether it’s at the plate, at the rim, on the line of scrimmage, in the starter’s blocks, on the service line, or anywhere else a ball needs to be struck, a time needs to be met, or a play needs to be made. Athletics has been an integral part of the University’s mission since 1926, when a freshman football team under head coach Howard Buck won all eight of its games. Since then, the Hurricanes have become one of the most successful and recognizable athletics programs in the country.
Miami, which currently sponsors 18 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports, has captured 21 team national championships and 85 individual national championships during its century of competition.
The school has helped produce 65 Olympians, 11 Pro Football Hall of Famers, nine College Football Hall of Famers, 62 first-round draft picks in the National Football League, 67 Major League Baseball players, and 40 Grand Slam tennis titles, just to name a few.
And there was plenty of history made along the way. Let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable—and groundbreaking—moments.
Integration: Trailblazing Student-Athletes
Henry King Stanford, the University’s third president, guided the University through a period of sweeping change and expansion during his term from 1962 to 1981. He was known for championing minority rights and representation, which included helping United Black Students (UBS) gain formal recognition on campus in 1967.
That same year, wide receiver Ray Bellamy, B.S.Ed. ’72, M.S.Ed. ’77, became the first Black football scholarship athlete at Miami, as well as the first in the Southeast. Bellamy set records on the freshman squad before catching 37 passes for 549 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore on varsity. Injuries from a car crash ultimately cut his football career short, but in 1971 Bellamy became the first Black student body president in Miami history.
Like Bellamy, Will Allen, Hon. ’12, arrived in the fall of 1967 as the University’s first Black student-athlete in men’s basketball. Allen played three seasons on varsity, pacing
the Hurricanes with 19.1 points and 12.2 rebounds per game in his senior season. He concluded his Miami career with the sixth most points in program history and still ranks second in career rebounds. Both Bellamy (2012) and Allen (2016) have been inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
In 1974 Kim Sands, B.Ed. ’78, became the first Black female scholarship athlete at Miami, playing one season of basketball and four seasons of tennis. She later embarked on a 10-year career on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour, where she rose as high as No. 44 in the world singles rankings and No. 31 in the world doubles rankings. Sands returned to Miami as head coach of the women’s program in 1990. In her eight seasons as head coach, the Hurricanes posted a 102-76 record, winning five Big East
titles and advancing to the NCAA Tournament five times.
In 2021 Stanford, Bellamy, Allen, and Sands were all named the athletic department’s inaugural winners of the Trailblazer Award, which honors and recognizes current and former minority student-athletes and others affiliated with athletics who have distinguished themselves as pioneers and game changers in sports and life.
Title IX: Making History, Affording Opportunities
When Terry Williams Munz, B.B.A. ’77, signed a scholarship offer to play golf at the University of Miami in May 1973, she was beyond grateful. Without that scholarship, her family likely wouldn’t have been able to afford her college tuition, and she wouldn’t have been able to earn an accounting degree—or be part of a national championship team. But it wasn’t until years later, when she learned she’d been the answer to a question on the television game show “Jeopardy!,” that Munz realized how historic her scholarship had been.
The answer: “Golfer Terry Williams was the USA’s first woman to receive one of these from the University of Miami in 1973.”
The question was “What is a sports scholarship?”
Ray Bellamy, first Black football scholarship athlete
Bruce Hornsby
Voted most likely to succeed at his high school, Bruce Hornsby, B.M. ’77, has since won three Grammy Awards, toured with the Grateful Dead, and worked with some of the biggest names in music. After graduating from the University, the native of Williamsburg, Virginia, formed Bruce Hornsby and the Range. In 1986 the band released its biggest hit, “The Way It Is,” which skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and was later sampled by rappers, including Tupac Shakur, E-40, and Mase.
Hornsby began performing with the Grateful Dead in 1988 until it disbanded in 1995. He collaborated with Huey Lewis, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Sting, Elton John, and Eric Clapton, among others. Hornsby won the Grammy Award in 1987 for best new artist, as well as in 1990 for best bluegrass recording and 1994 for best pop instrumental performance. In 2007 he established the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program in the Frost School of Music and the Bruce Hornsby Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship to inspire a new generation of songwriters.
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The New York Times also documented this historic event, noting on May 23, 1973, that the University of Miami had awarded five athletic scholarships to women and had an additional 10 grants to divvy out, marking the first time a major collegiate program had given athletic scholarships to women.
Five decades later, hundreds of thousands of women nationwide have followed in Munz’s steps and have made history of their own—at Miami and beyond.
During the Title IX era, Miami’s athletic program has produced dozens of national champions, All-Americans, Olympians, and conference champions in both the Big East Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The first of those individual national championships came in 1974, when
swimmer Sharon Berg, B.A. ’77, won titles in both the 200-yard breaststroke and the 400-yard freestyle.
In 1975 the Hurricanes brought home their first national championship in swimming and diving when the program won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) title. There were six individual swimming championships that year too, with J.B. Buchanan, B.Ed. ’78, and Dawn Frady, B.A. ’77, winning two titles each.
Two years later, the Miami women put together a banner showing. The golf team won its third AIAW championship, with Cathy Morse, B.A. ’77, becoming the fourth Hurricanes golfer to win an individual title. Also that year, Jodi Applebaum, B.Ed. ’78, M.S.Ed. ’80, and Terry Salagnick, B.S. ’77, won the United States Tennis Association (USTA) women’s tennis doubles national championship.
In 1989 the women’s basketball team earned its first berth in the NCAA Tournament. Three years later, the
team won its first Big East Tournament title, earned its first NCAA Tournament berth, and advanced to its first Sweet 16. Meanwhile, Gillian Russell, B.B.A. ’96, became the first track and field national champion at the U, winning the NCAA indoor 50-meter hurdles.
A new soccer program expanded women’s sports in 1998, and volleyball returned in 2001 after a 19-year hiatus, with the team advancing to its first NCAA Sweet 16 the following year.
A growing number of Hurricanes made headlines and history as individual competitors, too. Track and field national champion Lauryn Williams, B.B.A. ’05, became the first American woman to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics after joining the U.S. bobsledding team in 2014.
Basketball star Tamara James, B.L.A. ’06, Miami’s all-time leading scorer, became the first Hurricane taken in the first round of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft, selected by the Washington Mystics with the eighth overall pick in 2006. And Audra Cohen, B.A. ’09, became the first Hurricane to win an NCAA women’s singles tennis title in 2007.
In 1973 golfer Terry Williams Munz was the first woman in the country to receive a sports scholarship.
Miami’s student-athletes weren’t the only ones who shaped the program and made their presence felt on a national stage.
Tennis coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews, who arrived in Coral Gables in 2002, built a powerhouse program that has produced three individual national champions in Cohen, Estela PerezSomarriba, B.B.A. ’20, M.S.Ed. ’21,
Estela Perez-Somarriba was the 2019 NCAA women’s tennis singles champion.
and Alexa Noel, B.A. ’24, and has made 25 appearances in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
In 2008 track and field coach Amy Deem—who took over the reins of the women’s program in 1990—was elevated to director of the Track and Field/Cross Country program, becoming only the sixth woman to oversee both the men’s and women’s programs at a Division I school.
Katie Meier, who retired in 2024 after a remarkable 19-year career at Miami, became the school’s all-time winningest basketball coach in 2021 and led the Hurricanes in 2023 to their first-ever berth in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
From the moment women began competing at Miami, they have made history and served as role models and inspiration to countless athletes.
In 2015, the University created an annual Celebration of Women’s Athletics event to further elevate its support of female student-athletes and shine a light on their accomplishments.
Rise of a College Football Power
It is a program that has won five national titles, delivered one of the most memorable 25-year stretches in the sport’s history, and produced some of the greatest to ever play the game, both at the college level and professionally.
But for all of the success the Hurricanes football program has had over the last 50 years, for all of the All-Americans who have toiled on the Greentree Practice Fields, and for all the records that have been broken, Miami football had the
In 1948 Andy Gustafson led the team in a time of growth and change
University of Miami backfield in 1926 included Robert Stanton, Ted Bleier, Harold Oram, and Clifford Courtney.
The devastating Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, which leveled South Florida and took a toll on the University as a whole, disrupted a project that would have created a temporary home for the budding program to play its games until a full on-campus stadium could be built.
But the storm shelved those stadium plans, and the football team—competing at the freshman level—wouldn’t play its first game until Oct. 23, when it beat Rollins College in front of 304 interested spectators. The program’s first varsity contest wouldn’t come until 1927, when head coach Howard Buck guided the Hurricanes to a 3-6-1 record.
In the years that followed, the program would pick up its first road win (1929), appear in its first bowl game (1933), forge a rivalry with in-state foe Florida Gators (1938), and win its first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship.
Under the guidance of former head coach and athletic director Jack Harding, the Hurricanes found their footing as a major college program, even with the coach taking a two-year hiatus to serve during World War II. Enrollment at the University grew after the war, and in 1945 the Hurricanes posted a 9-1-1 record and won their first Orange Bowl, notching their 100th win in the process.
Andy Gustafson took over the reins of the program in 1948 and shepherded it through a time of growth and change. Miami reached a record-high No. 9 ranking in both the United Press International (UPI) and International News Service after the 1954 season, and the Hurricanes finished sixth in all three wire service polls two years later when they went 8-1-1 in 1956.
But it wasn’t merely on the field during the Gustafson era that the Hurricanes made history. In 1950 Miami broke with southern tradition by playing against an Iowa team with Black players on the roster, and by the end of the decade, the school won a battle with the city to allow open seating to all in the Orange Bowl. And Ray Bellamy’s arrival in 1966 was the year Miami became the second major college in the South with a Black student-athlete on scholarship.
Andy Gustafson
Howard Schnellenberger, Miami’s coach in 1979, in front of the Orange Bowl.
But for all its transformational progress in the late 1960s, the Hurricanes struggled through most of the 1970s. Five different coaches helmed the program through a 10-year stretch in which Miami managed winning records only twice, going 6-5 in both 1974 and 1978. There were talks of disbanding the program before the arrival of the coach who changed everything.
Howard Schnellenberger, named Miami’s coach in 1979, led the Hurricanes to their first national championship in his fifth season. Miami opened that magical 1983 season with a loss to the rival Gators, then went on to win 11 straight, including a stunning 31-30 victory over top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. It marked the first time a team won the national title without a first-team AllAmerican as voted by the Associated Press, the UPI, the Football Writers Association, or the College Football Coaches Association.
After that, Miami went on a dominant run in which championships followed in 1987, 1989, and 1991 under the guidance of head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson, respectively.
Another national title would follow in 2001, and during that near twodecade span, the Hurricanes produced two Heisman Trophy winners in Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta, B.B.A. ’92, as well as dozens of All-Americans, including the likes of Russell Maryland, B.A. ’90; Warren Sapp;
11 Hurricanes greats are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Ray Lewis; Santana Moss, B.L.A. ’01, M.B.A. ’16; Ed Reed, B.L.A. ’02; Willis McGahee; Antrel Rolle, B.S.Ed., ’05; and many others.
Eleven Hurricanes greats, including Jim Kelly, B.B.A. ’83, Michael Irvin, B.B.A. ’88, and Edgerrin James, among others, have gone on to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Miami is now tied with Michigan and Ohio State for the second-most inductees. The Hurricanes trail just the University of Southern California and Notre Dame in that department.
Today the Hurricanes are led by one of their own, former two-time national champion offensive lineman Mario Cristobal, B.B.A. ’93,
Hilarie Bass
As one of the country’s highestprofile female attorneys, Hilarie Bass, J.D. ’81, represented dozens of major international clients and multimilliondollar cases. Yet she considers her pro bono work on behalf of two foster children that helped eliminate Florida's 20-year ban on gay adoption to be among her most important work.
Bass briefly pursued acting in New York City before graduating first in her class at the University of Miami School of Law. She then joined Greenberg Traurig, where she rose to national chair of its 600-member litigation practice and then co-president of the 2,000-attorney firm with 40 global offices.
After completing a one-year term as president of the American Bar Association in 2018, she left Greenberg Traurig and launched the Bass Institute for Diversity & Inclusion to continue championing equal access to the law and diversity and gender equity within the profession.
Bass became a member of the University’s Board of Trustees in 2005 and served as chair from 2019 to 2021. In 2014 she made a gift to the School of Law, which renamed its courtyard in her honor.
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Jimmy Johnson led his team to a win at the Orange Bowl, 1988.
M.A.L.S. ’99, who is guiding Miami back to college football glory. In his third season as head coach, Cristobal led Miami to its first 10-win regular season in seven years, and quarterback Cam Ward was named both a Heisman Trophy finalist and the ACC Player of the Year after putting together one of the most impressive individual performances by a Miami signal caller.
In 2024 Ward and wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, B.A. ’23, became the latest Hurricanes to have their names added
Dwayne Johnson
to the rafters in the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility after both were named consensus All-Americans at season’s end. Each also added their names to the Hurricanes’ record book, with Restrepo leaving Coral Gables as Miami’s all-time leading receiver with a record 200 catches and a record 2,844 receiving yards. Ward completed 305 of 454 passes for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns, leaving Miami as the school’s single-season leader in yards, completions, and touchdown passes.
Before he found worldwide fame as a professional wrestler and movie star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, B.G.S. ’95, was a defensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes, part of the 1991 national championship team.
Johnson’s family roots are in wrestling. His late father became one of the first Black wrestlers to win a World Wrestling Federation championship, and his mother is part of a Samoan wrestling dynasty. Once Johnson’s football career wound
down, he entered the family business, wrestling as Rocky Maivia—an homage to his father and maternal grandfather—and later simply as The Rock. He became one of pro wrestling’s biggest draws and parlayed his popularity into a successful acting career.
More recently, Johnson has branched out into business ventures, including a production company and the Teremana Tequila brand. In 2007 he made a generous gift to the Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence, which named the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Football Locker Room in his honor.
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Top: Vinny Testaverde, left, and Gino Torretta. Bottom: Wide receiver Andre Johnson, left, celebrates the 2001 national championship win. Mario Cristobal became head coach in 2021.
A Gem on the Corner of Ponce and San Amaro
Today the University of Miami is one of the powerhouses in college baseball. But long before the program became a four-time national champion, earned 25 trips to the College World Series, and advanced to the NCAA regionals a record 44 consecutive years, Hurricanes baseball was on the fritz and dropped on multiple occasions.
The program’s first varsity contest was played at Miami Field near Miami Senior High School on March 26, 1940. The “Hurricane Nine” defeated Newberry College in a 13-12 thriller. It wasn’t until the school hired Ron Fraser in 1962, though, that Miami baseball became a major factor on the national collegiate scene. Over the span of 30 years, “The Wizard of College Baseball” built what many considered the model collegiate program. It was Fraser’s knack for promotion, with tactics like wearing green gloves on St. Patrick’s Day and becoming the first to hire batgirls, that drew the masses and earned him the nickname.
After nine seasons overhauling Hurricanes baseball, Fraser guided Miami to its first playoff berth in 1971. That same year, Fraser’s dream of building an on-campus stadium began to take shape. George and Ethel Light came forward to support the project by making the initial donation to the fund. Opening night for the park came Feb. 16, 1973. A crowd of 4,235 watched as Miami downed Florida State, 5-1. The stadium is now called Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, following a 2002 donation from MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez and subsequent renovation.
The Miami Hurricanes held up the NCAA trophy after their win over the Stanford Cardinal at the 2001 College World Series, their fourth national championship.
The Hurricanes went on to make their first-ever College World Series appearance in 1974, finishing as the runnerup to Southern Cal. The program’s first title would come in 1982, and in its third game at the championship tournament, the Hurricanes turned one of the most memorable plays in college baseball history. In what would come to be called “The Grand Illusion,” the Hurricanes used a hidden ball trick to pick off NCAA stolen base leader Phil Stephenson.
Miami’s success continued through the mid-1980s, with Fraser dubbing the 1985 Hurricanes “The Happiest Team in America.” The group advanced to the College World Series by topping Florida, 12-9, in the final contest of the Atlantic Regional. Miami navigated itself through the losers’ bracket with three consecutive one-run victories to make the championship game where it overcame an early deficit to beat Texas, 10-6.
Fraser retired as head coach of the Hurricanes in 1992, leaving as the second winningest all-time coach with a 1,271-438-9 mark. His Canes teams set an NCAA record with 20 straight playoff appearances and eight trips to the College World Series. Fraser’s uniform No. 1 was retired on April 24, 1993, and he was a member of the inaugural class of the College Baseball Foundation Hall of Fame in 2006.
In 1993 Jim Morris was named head coach after an impressive 12 seasons at Georgia Tech. Known as “3”—which is retired at Miami—Morris was one of the most successful head coaches in college baseball history with 1,594 career victories. In 25 years at the U, Morris won 1,090 games, qualified for the NCAA postseason in 23 straight seasons,
Alumnus and former pitcher J.D. Arteaga, above, became the 10th head baseball coach in University of Miami history in 2024. Frank Smith, left, hits a home run for the University in 1940.
reached the College World Series 13 times and won national championships in 1999 and 2001. Morris led the Hurricanes to the school’s first ACC baseball tournament ring in 2008, as well as three ACC regular season championships.
The Hurricanes production of elite baseball talent continued under Morris’ leadership. Left-hander J.D. Arteaga, B.A. ’03, established himself as one of the greatest pitchers to ever take the mound at Mark Light Field. During his fouryear career, Arteaga set program records for career starts (72) and wins (43). Miami retired Arteaga’s No. 33 on Feb. 5, 2003.
One of the best hitters in college baseball, Pat Burrell became the first freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in hitting with a .484 average. He totaled 23 homers and 64 RBI, as the Hurricanes reached the championship game of the College World Series in 1996, where he was selected MVP despite his team not winning the title.
In 2016 the Hurricanes qualified for the College World Series for the 25th time, capping off their NCAA record 44th consecutive postseason berth. Following Morris’ historic run, former Miami standout and longtime assistant Gino DiMare, B.L.A. ’99, guided the Hurricanes for five seasons before Arteaga was appointed the 10th head coach in program history prior to the 2024 campaign.
The wizard of college baseball, Ron Fraser
BILL EVANS
Men’s Basketball: A Tale of Two Eras
Basketball has been a part of the University of Miami history almost since the inception of the University. The Hurricanes first fielded a men’s varsity basketball team in 1927, but the program faltered from 1932 to 1938 and again during World War II before it returned to intercollegiate competition in 1946.
In 1954 Bruce Hale took over as the head coach and led the program to new heights, posting a 220-112 record over the next 13 seasons. Hale’s 1959-60 club was the first Miami men’s basketball team to advance to the NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 10.
Under Hale’s tutelage emerged stars like Miami’s first All-American Dick Hickox, B.Ed. ’65, and the Hurricanes’ all-time leading scorer Rick Barry, B.B.A. ’65. In 1964-65, Barry became the Hurricanes’ only consensus AllAmerica selection. He is the only player in basketball history to win singleseason scoring titles in the NCAA, ABA, and NBA. Barry was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986.
All-time leading scorer, Rick Barry
Board of Trustees voted to “temporarily suspend” basketball operations at the University.
Men’s varsity basketball team, 1928
Despite the excellence of players like Barry, and later Don Curnutt, B.Ed. ’70, the Hurricanes struggled on the court in the late 1960s and on April 22, 1971, the University of Miami
The Miami program was the “Rip Van Winkle” of college basketball from 1971 to 1985, but it would return, and in a big way. In July of 1983, Sam Jankovich was named Miami’s new athletic director and immediately announced that the resurrection of men’s basketball would be his primary priority in the early months of his tenure. The board agreed to reinstate the program after reviewing a report submitted by Jankovich that stated men’s basketball could be a revenueproducing venture. Moreover, nearly $500,000 had already been raised in support of bringing basketball back. It was also announced that the Hurricanes would be ready to compete on the Division I level in the 1985-86 season, and the downtown James L. Knight Center was home for the reborn program.
Left to right, 1928 basketball team; basketball head coach Bruce Hale, 1954; head coach Jim Larrañaga at the NCAA Tournament, 2023; players at the Final Four, 2023.
DAVID GREENFIELD
The new era of Hurricane basketball was ushered in on Nov. 22, 1985, by a young squad that defeated The Citadel, 85-77, in front of a sellout crowd of 4,984 at the Knight Center. Miami finished the season with a 14-14 record under head coach Bill Foster.
Leonard Hamilton took charge of the Hurricanes ahead of the 1990-91 season and led Miami through its first years as a member of the Big East Conference. He coached the Hurricanes to three NCAA Tournament appearances (1998, 1999, 2000), including their first bid since 1960. Perry Clark took the helm when Hamilton stepped down following the 1999-00 season.
On July 1, 2004, a new challenge arose for the Hurricanes as they joined the ranks of the most competitive and successful basketball conference in the nation, the ACC. Newly minted head coach Frank Haith, alongside scoring superstar Jack McClinton, B.S.Ed. ’09, took the Hurricanes back to the NCAA Tournament in 2007-08.
Fast-forward to 2011, when the Jim Larrañaga era arrived. In 2012-13, the Hurricanes stunned the world by defeating both Duke and North Carolina en route to the program’s first-ever ACC regular season title and ACC Tournament crown. Larrañaga was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year, while Shane Larkin earned Lute Olson National Player of the Year honors.
In 2022-23, the Hurricanes shared the ACC regular season title and earned their first Final Four appearance. Miami set or tied program records for overall, ACC, regular season (24), home (16), top-25 (seven), top-10 (three), and top-five (two) victories. The team ended the year third in the USA Today Coaches Poll, good for its best finish ever.
In his 13 seasons at Miami, Larrañaga led the Hurricanes to six NCAA Tournament appearances, including Miami’s first ever trip to the Final Four in 2023. He has coached eight NBA Draft picks, two All-Americans, and 22 All-ACC honorees. He stepped down as head coach on Dec. 26, 2024, and finished his Miami tenure with a record of 274-174 and is the University’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach.
Looking Forward
There’s no doubt that over the course of the University’s first 100 years, the Miami Hurricanes have become one of the nation’s most recognizable—and successful— athletic programs.
From being at the forefront of societal changes that allowed women and Black student-athletes to excel in college sports to the football team’s Decade of Dominance in the 1980s to Olympians like diver Greg Louganis and track star-turned-bobsledder Lauryn Williams shining on a global stage, the Hurricanes have been a force to be reckoned with in countless ways.
And even with monumental changes in college sports on the horizon, the Hurricanes are poised to continue making an impact in competition, in the classroom, and in the community. Just last November, Hurricanes studentathletes posted a four-year graduation success rate of 93 percent. It marked the ninth consecutive year and 12th year in the past 13 that Miami has earned a four-year average rate of 90 percent or higher.
Miami’s student-athletes have also excelled in their community outreach efforts, recently capturing the 2024 NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition. It marked the third time in seven years that Miami has taken top honors in the competition.
There has been much to celebrate—and still so much more for the Hurricanes to look forward to during the University’s next 100 years.
Lauryn Williams is the first American woman to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Campus and Community
The University’s landscape has changed dramatically across a century—both its physical footprint and its evolving impact on students and the South Florida region.
Upward, Outward, Onward
The University has grown exponentially in its first century, starting with one cornerstone on a donated tract of land in Coral Gables to multiple campuses with innovative spaces for living, learning, and delivering groundbreaking health care.
It was during the early 1900s that real estate developer George Merrick, along with several other Miami pioneers, saw the need for an institution of higher learning in the budding hamlet of Coral Gables. Merrick provided the 160-acre plot of land in 1925 that is now part of the lush, 240-acre Coral Gables Campus for the University of Miami. Today, the institution also includes the 72-acre Medical Campus on the 153-acre University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center complex, as well as the 18-acre Marine Campus on Virginia Key, which is home to the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science.
When classes began in October of 1926—delayed from a damaging hurricane—the University operated out of a “cardboard college,” named for the material used to separate classes in the hastily converted Anastasia Hotel. Over the next 20 years, the triangular Anastasia Building would house several schools and colleges, with nearby apartment buildings providing additional accommodations for the law school, music school, and student dormitories. The University later acquired the San Sebastian Building at LeJeune Road and University Drive for more student housing. The Marine Laboratory—the precursor to the Rosenstiel School—set up shop in a Miami Beach boathouse in 1942.
New resources fueled by an influx of military veterans enrolling in the University after World War II enabled construction on the original campus just southwest of the Anastasia Building to continue. The Memorial Classroom Building, dedicated in 1948, was the first permanent building.
It was later renamed the Oscar E. Dooly Memorial Classroom Building, in honor of the trustee who served on the board from 1944 to 1970. The Beaumont Lecture Hall, part of the Memorial Classroom Building, was later turned into what is now the Bill Cosford Cinema.
The Solomon G. Merrick Building, which broke ground in 1926, was finally completed in 1949. There were also semipermanent wooden structures called “the shacks,” built from the remains of army surplus buildings, where the administration building (now a historic structure called 1300 Campo Sano), the cafeteria, and three science buildings were located.
In 1947 the University received a federal loan to build 29 apartments that opened the next year for 533 married veterans. Built by one of Florida’s only female architects at the time, Marion Manley, four of the historic buildings remain and are occupied today by the School of Architecture.
Bottom: Students attended classes in temporary shacks, 1947. Above: Merrick Building was completed in 1949. Opposite page: Aerial view shows the triangular Anastasia Hotel.
First Building Boom
The 1950s and 1960s brought a flurry of new buildings to the Coral Gables Campus and beyond.
The Ring Theatre opened in 1951, a big upgrade from the temporary tents that drama students had been using. The theatre is now named the Jerry Herman Theatre, in honor of the famed Broadway composer-lyricist who is a two-time University alumnus (B.A. ’53, D.F.A. ’80). The opening of the Rainbow Building on Levante Avenue added more classrooms.
Another goal of the University’s founders was realized in 1952 with the opening of a medical school. Students of what is now named the Miller School of Medicine initially attended classes in the servants’ quarters of the Biltmore Hotel, which had been converted into a Veterans Administration Hospital for wounded World War II soldiers. Medical students began doing clinical training at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1954, but classes remained at the Biltmore site until 1969. The McKnight Vision Research Center, now part of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, also opened in 1952.
Back in Coral Gables, the Ashe Administration Building opened in the 1950s, along with the Lowe Art Gallery (later renamed Lowe Art Museum), the J. Neville McArthur Engineering Building, the Mary B. Merritt Panhellenic Building, and the Antonio Ferre Building.
At the School of Music, the Arnold Volpe Building, the Albert Pick Music Library Building, and separate band and orchestra rehearsal halls opened. The Arthur A. Ungar Computing Center and a campus health center also opened, athletic facilities appeared, and a makeshift student union opened in an apartment building.
Student residence halls began to appear on the Coral Gables Campus, the first being Eaton Hall for women in 1954. The San Sebastian Building north of campus served as a residence hall for men until 1958, when Mahoney Hall opened. Pearson Hall was added in 1962, and Eaton Hall later became a coed dormitory.
In 1953 the Marine Laboratory opened its first permanent laboratory, the Agassiz Building. Built by Marion Manley on land leased from the county, researchers at this Virginia Key site were able to pipe in seawater for their research tanks from Bear Cut. Soon, two research vessels were donated to the team. The Marine Laboratory began attracting more research funding, enabling the opening of a three-story Collier Building and pier on Virginia Key in 1955. The Grosvenor Building opened in 1959, allowing the administration to work on Virginia Key, and in 1961 the lab was renamed the Institute for Marine Science.
The Miami Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center opened in 1959 near Jackson Memorial Hospital, increasing
Buildings that opened in the 1950s include, top to bottom, the Ring Theatre, Ashe Administration Building, and Agassiz Building.
opportunities for research collaborations between University physicians and VA doctors. A year later, the five-story Medical Research Building opened. Now called the Kathleen and Stanley Glaser Medical Research Building, it became the first University-owned building created specifically for medical education and research. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute opened in 1962, named after the ophthalmologist and friend of President Bowman Foster Ashe who envisioned a world-class eye care facility.
The Otto G. Richter Library opened on the Coral Gables Campus in 1962, and a new student union and cafeteria were opened in 1965, later named the Norman A. Whitten University Center. The James M. Cox Jr. Science Building was completed in 1967.
Four 12-story residence halls rose just beyond Lake Osceola in 1968 and 1969. Originally called the “1968 Complex,” they were renamed McDonald/Pentland and Rosborough/Walsh Towers. The tower buildings housed 480 students each—and just in time. The University’s student enrollment ballooned to 18,220 in 1970.
Momentum on the Medical Campus
On the Medical Campus, the University purchased the National Children’s Cardiac Hospital in 1965, which allowed it to become a Clinical Research Center for the National Institutes of Health. A mixture of public and private funding helped build the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building in 1969, providing new classroom and lab space.
During the 1970s, pediatric faculty seized on an opportunity put forth by President John F. Kennedy to start University Affiliated Facilities, a national effort to improve services for children with developmental disabilities. Philanthropists Joseph and Abraham Mailman provided the matching funds needed to apply for the federal grant. The Mailman Center for Child Development opened in 1971 and now includes a range of pediatric offices. It is connected to the Debbie Institute, a training facility and child development lab school named for the Mailmans’ granddaughter.
photo of the Mailman Center for Child Development, which opened in 1971 on the Medical Campus.
Vision, creativity, and the ability to conquer novel challenges have been hallmarks of Laurie Silvers’ career. Silvers, who moved with her family from Illinois to Miami Beach when she was 12, followed in her father's footsteps and went into the broadcast media business after more than a decade as a successful attorney.
Among one of her first—and boldest—ideas was to create a cable TV network dedicated to science fiction. It took several years and a willingness to persist, but in 1992 the Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy) debuted to acclaim and ratings success. Silvers eventually sold it to USA Network, later part of NBCUniversal.
Silvers went on to build a thriving media conglomerate of radio, TV, and internet companies. In 2003 she joined the University’s Board of Trustees, which she chaired from 2021 to 2024. A double Cane, Silvers is now chair of the Talent and Compensation Committee, liaison to the Faculty Senate, serves on the UHealth Board of Directors, and is chair of the Centennial Honorary Committee.
Along with her husband, Mitchell Rubinstein, she has been a generous benefactor of the School of Law. The Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein Hall, which houses the school’s award-winning law clinics, is named in their honor. Their three children, David, Kimberly, and Carolyn, all graduated from the U.
Early
Otto G. Richter Library opened in 1962.
Laurie Silvers
The Louis Calder Memorial Library opened in 1972. The Comprehensive Cancer Center for the State of Florida opened in 1973. It was renamed Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1986 following a major contribution from the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation.
Soon after, Jackson Memorial Hospital was struggling and in need of repair, so in 1976 the medical school and the Public Health Trust entered into an agreement of affiliation to improve hospital leadership and governance. Faculty helped build support for a local bond to build better facilities, including a 440-bed West Wing of Jackson Memorial Hospital that opened later that year. It was soon renamed the University of Miami School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Medical Center. That same year, the Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital opened at Bascom Palmer.
The Medical Training and Simulation Laboratory, now known as the Gordon Center for Simulation and Innovation in Medical Education, opened in 1979. It is now part of the 16-story Don Soffer Clinical Research Center, which opened in 2006 and includes a fitness center for students and employees.
Focus on Housing and Health
The 1970s saw expansion of School of Music facilities, as well as the addition of the law school library, Neil Schiff Tennis Center, Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, and Whitten Learning Center. The original Rathskeller opened in Gautier Hall in 1972.
In February 1973, the dream of baseball coach Ron Fraser came to fruition when Mark Light Stadium opened for its first game.
The Rosenstiel School continued to expand, with additions to the Henry L. Doherty Marine Science Center added in 1971 and a dedicated space for the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies. The Science Laboratory and Administration Building opened in 1983.
The 1980s brought in generous donations that paved the way for facilities including the George W. Jenkins Building and Elsa and William H. Stubblefield Classroom Building for the business school. The nursing school, housed at the Medical Campus, returned to Coral Gables in 1980 and occupied a former fraternity house on Corniche Avenue.
In the second half of the 1980s, the University’s undergraduate housing buildings were remodeled to create more of a living-learning atmosphere, with faculty and residential coordinators living in apartments with their families. The four towers were renamed Hecht and Stanford Residential colleges.
The 1990s ushered in new campus landmarks, such as the James L. Knight Physics Building, the Studio Arts Building, the Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center, and Cobb Stadium for the soccer and track and field teams.
The career center that opened in 1995 to assist students with employment received a new home in 2014 along with a new name, the Patricia and Harold Toppel Career Center, to honor its benefactors.
On the Medical Campus, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1991 moved into the R. Bunn Gautier Building. In 1992 Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, now part of UHealth – University of Miami Health System, opened what was then the largest outpatient cancer treatment facility in the southeastern United States.
Aerial view of Mark Light Stadium and running track in the 1970s.
Hecht and Stanford Residential colleges
The Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center, above, is a premier fitness and recreation center that opened in 1996. The M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies, right, is connected to the Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education.
Sylvester has continued to grow dramatically as a leader in cancer care, earning the prestigious National Cancer Institute designation in 2019, which was renewed in 2024.
The Diabetes Research Institute opened in 1994, dedicated exclusively to curing diabetes. The Lois Pope LIFE Center opened in 2000 and is home to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a center of excellence in research on paralysis and spinal cord injury. The Batchelor Children’s Research Institute—one of the largest centers in the world devoted exclusively to research in children’s health—opened in 2001.
Unstoppable Growth in the 21st Century
Throughout the 2000s, campus buildings were updated and renovated, while two schools got their own home, and the University opened its own hospital by purchasing Cedars Medical Center, a 560-bed hospital now known as UHealth Tower.
In 2007—the same year as the Cedars Medical Center purchase—the University’s Department of Facilities Operations and Planning joined other institutions in committing to a green building policy. Since then, all new buildings have been constructed with a goal to earn a minimum of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating; several have achieved LEED Gold and Platinum status.
The School of Communication opened the Frances L. Wolfson Communication Building in 2001, and the School of Nursing and Health Studies moved into the new M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies in 2006. Today the Schwartz Center is connected to a state-of-the-art, five-story Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education, which opened in 2017.
The Lois Pope LIFE Center is home to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
A new venue for Hurricanes basketball games, University commencement ceremonies, and grand-scale entertainment events—now called the Watsco Center—opened in 2003. The School of Architecture got a new centerpiece in 2005, when the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center was opened with a gallery and unique lecture hall designed by Leon Krier. And in 2006, University Village opened. These are seven low-rise, apartment-style buildings on the western edge of campus for upper-class undergraduate students.
The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music—named as such in 2003 to recognize a landmark $33 million gift— opened the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center in 2005, following the construction of the L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance, and the Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios complex in 2015.
The 2010 opening of the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center gave alumni a meeting space and offered displays for memorabilia and administrative offices.
The Donna E. Shalala Student Center, which opened in 2013 at the edge of Lake Osceola, is now a campus focal point, offering 24-hour study space; a spacious ballroom
for events and conferences; and suites for student activities, government, and media. While the old Rathskeller in Gautier Hall was demolished to provide space for the Shalala Student Center, a brand-new two-story Rathskeller opened on the center’s west corner.
In 2014 the Rosenstiel School unveiled the Marine Technology Life Sciences and Seawater Complex, which also houses the Alfred C. Glassell Jr. SUrge-STructure-Atmosphere INteraction (SUSTAIN) Laboratory, a massive air-sea tank that can simulate hurricane-force wind and waves.
The Lennar Foundation Medical Center, a five-story, state-of-the-art outpatient facility offering a range of health care services, opened in 2016 on the Coral Gables Campus. The concept expanded in 2024 with the opening of the sixstory, 160,000-square-foot UHealth Doral Medical Center in Downtown Doral.
Also on the Coral Gables Campus, the Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building opened in 2018 to accommodate design courses at the School of Architecture and won the title of 2018 Building of the Year by World-Architects.
Marco Rubio
Growing up in Miami, Marco Rubio, J.D. ’96, witnessed his immigrant parents work hard to build a good life for him and his siblings. Conversations with his grandfather about the pain of losing their beloved Cuba to communism influenced Rubio’s decision to pursue a life of public service.
As a law student at the University of Miami, Rubio interned for U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ed.D. ’04, and ran Sen. Bob Dole’s Miami-Dade presidential campaign. Two years after graduating, Rubio won his first
elected office as a city commissioner in West Miami. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, and in 2007 he became the first Cuban American to serve as speaker of the Florida House.
In 2011 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until being tapped by President Donald J. Trump for the role of secretary of state, drawing on his experience as vice chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence and as a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Relations. Following his confirmation in 2025, Rubio became the first Cuban American to hold this position.
PROFILE
The Lennar Foundation Medical Center
Watsco Center
New Living, Learning, and Entertainment Spaces
A push to modernize undergraduate student housing was realized in 2020, when Lakeside Village opened for 1,115 undergraduate students. The complex of 25 interconnected buildings earned LEED Gold certification and includes event and retail space.
Also in 2020, the Harold Long Jr. and H.T. Smith Student Services Building opened. Here, students find ’Canes Central, a one-stop shop for help with registration, financial aid, and billing.
Open since the fall of 2022, the 94,000-square-foot Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science fosters collaborative research in chemistry, molecular science, environmental, and biomedical fields, particularly focused on discoveries at the cellular level.
Clockwise from left, Lakeside Village Courtyard, Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Recital Hall in the Knight Center for Music Innovation, Centennial Village, and Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science.
The Knight Center for Music Innovation has been hosting performances since its 2023 unveiling with superior acoustic technology, windowcasting capabilities, and two spaces that can incorporate virtual and augmented reality.
The first two buildings of Centennial Village opened in August 2024 with a two-story dining hall that connects the residential colleges—named Ibis and Coral—for 881 firstyear students. Phase 2 is currently under construction.
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is on track for a 2025 opening of the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building, a 12-story, 244,000-square-foot facility devoted to finding the best treatments for a range of cancer patients.
MARRA FINKELSTEIN
Visionary Presidents
Over its first century, the University of Miami has benefited from a constellation of extraordinary leaders. Six presidents—and a seventh newly appointed—have lent their energy, experience, and expertise to spearhead the University’s transformation toward becoming a world-class institution of higher learning.
Bowman Foster Ashe (1926-1952)
Bowman Foster Ashe’s first job out of college was teaching public school English and history. His own learning curve was steep when he was recruited from the University of Pittsburgh faculty to lead the newly chartered University of Miami in 1925.
By fall of 1926, when the first class of 646 full-time students enrolled, the land boom had collapsed and hopes for a speedy recovery were dashed by a major hurricane. Ashe’s vision and tenacity kept the University afloat during its tenuous first 15 years, serving to overcome bankruptcy, reorganization, and a world war. When the 1946 fall semester commenced, more than 5,000 students were registered.
At its opening, the University consisted of the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Music, and the Evening Division. During the Ashe presidency, the University added the School of Law, School of Business Administration, School of Education, Graduate School, Marine Laboratory, School of Engineering, and School of Medicine. In the postwar years, the GI Bill catalyzed University growth.
Jay F. W. Pearson (1953-1962)
Jay F. W. Pearson, a charter faculty member and assistant to President Ashe beginning in 1929, assumed the presidency in 1953. A native of Ohio, Pearson served as a professor of zoology at the University before becoming dean of the faculty, then vice president and executive vice president. As president, he presided over a decade of unprecedented growth, adding new facilities and resources to keep pace with enrollment and strengthen the research enterprise.
Enrollment jumped from 10,000 in 1953 to nearly 14,000 by the end of the Pearson presidency in 1962. The University also added an undergraduate honors program, expanded the graduate programs to the doctoral level in a dozen fields, established a core curriculum for undergraduates, and vastly increased its research activity.
A landmark Board of Trustees vote in 1961 allowed for the admittance of qualified students without regard to race and color. The decision ended the segregation that had been in place at the University since its opening and prompted other Florida institutions to make the same move.
Edward T. Foote II (1981-2001)
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a former dean of the law school at Washington University in St. Louis, Edward Thaddeus “Tad” Foote II began his tenure at a remarkably challenging time: The city and county’s intractable social and economic woes created a ripple effect that impacted nearly every industry and institution, including higher education.
But the fourth president introduced a “Strategy for Excellence” plan that propelled the University into the circle of prestigious private research universities. He ushered in a more selective enrollment process that improved the caliber of students significantly. Average SAT scores of incoming first-year students increased by nearly 100 points. Thus, Foote was able to strengthen emphasis on academics, research, and teaching excellence.
Under his leadership, the University was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society; new schools of architecture, communication, and international studies were created; and the University completed a series of renovations that converted standard student dormitories into a system of residential colleges. Another defining moment of the administration was the 1984 launch of the five-year $400 million Campaign for the University of Miami, which surpassed its goal in April 1988 and ended with $517.5 million raised. During Foote’s 20-year tenure, the University’s endowment grew nearly tenfold.
Henry King Stanford (1962-1981)
Known for his keen wit, personable manner, and stylish haberdashery, Henry King Stanford arrived in Miami after serving as president of Birmingham-Southern College. The third president guided the University through 19 years of growth that included a fourfold increase in the budget, the creation of 63 graduate programs, a jump of nearly $35 million in federally sponsored programs, and recognition as one of the country’s 50 top research institutions.
Several research centers and institutes were established and many buildings also opened during his tenure, including the Otto G. Richter Library, the James M. Cox Jr. Science Building, and four 12-story residence halls. Stanford navigated important changes that followed the University’s desegregation, often meeting with student leaders to address demands for recruitment of Black faculty and students, curriculum enhancements, and scholarships.
In 1976 the University launched the $129 million MidCentury Capital Campaign, which closed six months ahead of schedule in 1981 with more than $132 million raised.
Donna E. Shalala (2001-2015)
Fresh from her role as the longest-serving secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in history and an extensive career in government, Donna E. Shalala was appointed the University’s fifth president. With more than 40 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher, and administrator, Shalala applied her skillset to spearhead extraordinary progress in all areas at the University and position it among the top-tier of U.S. research universities.
Under her leadership, the University conducted two historic fundraising initiatives. Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami (publicly launched 2003) raised $1.4 billion, and Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami (publicly launched 2012) raised $1.6 billion. The University experienced an extraordinary rise in the popular U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges ranking. In 2014, for the sixth year in a row, the University was ranked in the top 50; in 2001 it stood at No. 67.
Student applications reached an all-time high—hitting 31,600 in 2014, more than double the 14,700 in 2001. Record-breaking selectivity followed, with incoming firstyear students showing a mean SAT score of 1320. About half graduated in the top 5 percent of their high school class, and 66 percent graduated in the top 10 percent. The research enterprise also grew significantly, to more than $330 million in sponsored grants and contracts in FY 2015 in support of more than 2,100 projects, with the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and School of Nursing and Health Studies leading the state in National Institutes of Health funding.
Shalala, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, remains connected to the University as a trustee professor of political science and health policy.
Julio Frenk (2015-2024)
A former dean of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and minister of health of Mexico, Julio Frenk served as the University’s sixth president and the first Hispanic, leading the institution through a period of significant growth—from academics to health care to fundraising.
Under Frenk’s leadership, UHealth – University of Miami Health System experienced a dramatic financial turnaround. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center received the prestigious National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, becoming one of only two NCI-designated cancer centers in Florida and among just 71 nationwide. The University’s ascension into the prestigious Association of American Universities is arguably the most significant of his many achievements.
Other major milestones include the opening of the Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science, the Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing, the Knight Center for Music Innovation, and the 12-acre Lakeside Village student housing complex.
As COVID-19 cases in the world began to spike in 2020, Frenk’s experience as a global public health leader proved invaluable, enabling the University to become one of only 30 percent of higher education institutions offering both inperson and remote instruction in fall 2020. Sound protocols ensured no in-classroom transmission of the virus were recorded throughout the year. Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century, which quietly launched in 2015 when Frenk was arriving, was powered by historic donations. By the time of his departure in June 2024, the campaign had raised more than $2 billion, well on its way to reaching its $2.5 billion goal by 2025.
Joseph J. Echevarria (2024-present)
Joseph “Joe” J. Echevarria, B.B.A. ’78, a seasoned chief executive with a long history of service to the University, was appointed the University’s seventh president on Oct. 18, 2024, becoming the first alumnus to lead the institution.
Following a 36-year career with major consulting and tax firm Deloitte LLP, where he served in a multitude of leadership roles, including CEO, Echevarria brought his expertise to UHealth – University of Miami Health System as a senior advisor to President Julio Frenk, interim chief financial officer, chief administrative officer, and interim chief executive officer. He was named CEO of UHealth in 2020, and his responsibilities grew to include the entire University in 2022.
A former University trustee, Echevarria has been connected to the U for more than half of its existence. He was a spectator in the Orange Bowl when the Hurricanes won their first national football championship in 1984, and even when he was based in New York at Deloitte, he regularly traveled to attend games. His passion for the University has always been unparalleled, and his impact is vast.
In his executive roles with the University, Echevarria has been a steadfast advocate for transparency and a strong champion of honoring and supporting academic faculty. At UHealth, he has advanced strategic expansions to enhance service to the South Florida community, implementing strategies to reduce patient mortality rates and significantly
improving patient satisfaction. Throughout the University, Echevarria has already compiled an impressive list of achievements— among them, investing in basic science, working with the faculty on enhancements to compensation, advancing the institution’s strategic plan, and developing a financial model for the University’s schools and colleges. His leadership continues to advance a commitment to excellence at every level.
In the area of financial sustainability alone, his expertise helped achieve revenue growth of 54 percent and improved the operating margin from $25 million to $351 million since FY20. He also established a framework linking operational efficiency and financial stability with initiatives to unlock capital and generate internal funding—$39 million as of May 2024—for teaching, research, and patient care.
Memorable Moments Through the Eras
The University has always been a destination for world leaders and luminaries to share their wisdom with future generations.
1925
William Jennings Bryan, former U.S. secretary of state, shown here at a political convention, was a vocal advocate for the creation of an institution of higher learning in Miami.
1946
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill walked alongside University President Bowman Foster Ashe at a commencement ceremony held at the Orange Bowl, where Churchill received an honorary law degree.
1925
1926
University of Miami hosted the University of Havana in the first “Thanksgiving Day” game, played on the Coral Gables Campus. The Canes won 23-0 en route to an undefeated first season.
1966
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., sponsored by the Department of Religion, spoke on “The Church’s Involvement in the Civil Rights Program” to an audience of 1,500 in the former Ibis Cafeteria of the Whitten Student Union.
1953
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took a tour of the Coral Gables Campus with University leaders.
1966
Ralph Bunche, an American political scientist, diplomat, and the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 for his mediation in Israel, delivered a speech to students at the Undergraduate Student Government Lecture Series.
1971
French ocean explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau, right, with his son, Jean-Michel Cousteau, visited the Marine Campus for the dedication of the Henry L. Doherty Marine Science Center.
1961
Billy Graham, “the fighting fundamentalist” Christian minister influential in global politics and faith for more than six decades, met with University President Jay F.W. Pearson during a visit to address a crowd of 6,000 students.
1972
Eunice Shriver, philanthropist and founder of the Special Olympics and sister to John F. and Robert F. Kennedy, addressed the Volunteers in Action Conference hosted on the Coral Gables Campus.
1979
1980
American visual artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol, a leading figure in the 1960s pop art movement, appeared at the Lowe Art Museum for his “Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century” exhibition.
1994
Janet Reno, former Miami prosecutor and the first female U.S. attorney general who served during the Clinton administration, engaged with students during a visit.
1993
Renowned poet and author Maya Angelou spoke about women and minorities before a crowd of 1,500 in the University Center during “An Evening With Maya Angelou” on the Coral Gables Campus.
Alex Haley, author of “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” presented a lecture as part of Black Culture Week.
1981
Spanish novelist, poet, story writer, and essayist Camilo José Cela, left, with professor Joaquin Roy, discusses his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. Cela went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1989.
1999
Lech Walesa, former president of Poland and founder of the Solidarity movement who won the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize, spoke on the Coral Gables Campus.
1999
Gen. Wesley K. Clark, center, Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO, visited the University to discuss the role of NATO in Western Europe. He is joined in this photo by, from left: Ambler H. Moss Jr, former U.S. ambassador to Panama and founding dean of the Graduate School of International Studies; Roger Kanet, dean, Graduate School of International Studies; Luis Glaser, executive vice president and provost; and Andy S. Gómez, associate dean, Graduate School of International Studies.
2001
Florida educator and lawmaker Carrie Meek, who served in both the Florida and U.S. Congress and was one of the first Black representatives elected to Congress since Reconstruction, joined Leonard and Susan Miller at the “Women in Politics” event hosted by the Department of Women’s Studies.
2012
Presidential candidate Barack Obama brought his reelection campaign to the University for a grassroots rally at the Coral Gables Campus, giving students the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
2010
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, delivered an address titled "The Quest for Happiness in Challenging Times," speaking about the importance of having respect and compassion and the significance of world religions.
2024
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, with interim dean of the School of Law Patricia Abril, spoke with students in the Donna E. Shalala Student Center.
2015
Florida Keys troubadour Jimmy Buffett taught a master class in the same year that he received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree at the May ceremonies, where he delivered the commencement address.
2016
The University hosted the Republican presidential debate on campus, broadcast by CNN, which included President Donald Trump and alumnus Sen. Marco Rubio, who is now secretary of state in the Trump administration.
2022
American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur Pitbull, né Armando Christian Pérez, inspired a “What Matters to U” student audience at the Watsco Center.
The Rise of a Global Student Community
Just a handful of interest-based groups has evolved over the past century to more than 300 student organizations offering a robust and fulfilling experience for students outside of the classroom.
The University of Miami’s earliest students wasted no time in shaping a vibrant campus culture. They laid the foundation for student life by founding the Student Association, now known as Student Government; the M Club, which honors varsity letter winners; and the Iron Arrow Honor Society, established by the first student to enroll at the University.
According to the first edition of the Ibis yearbook in 1927, 16 student groups emerged across the institution and revolved around a few key traditions. Along with the Ibis, the first student newspaper, University News, chronicled campus happenings before The Miami Hurricane launched in October 1929. Both student-run publications remain fixtures of campus life today, along with WVUM, the campus radio station that first graced the airwaves in 1968, and UMTV, the student-run television station launched in 1984.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the signing of the GI Bill brought thousands of new students to the University. The Coral Gables Campus began to take on a more collegiate atmosphere, with fraternities and sororities gaining traction and providing a sense of community for the growing student body. The first building dedicated to
The University of Miami’s student life is now proudly a microcosm of the global city it calls home.
student activities opened in 1948, providing students the first space of its kind to socialize.
The social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s brought a wave of activism to the University, mirroring broader cultural shifts across the nation. As Miami emerged as a multicultural hub, the University attracted students from all over the world. This period saw the founding and growth of multicultural student organizations, including United Black Students, the Council of International Student Organizations, and Federación de Estudiantes Cubanos, all of which enriched campus life.
Several student organizations set up tables on the Foote University Green to promote their activities at the 2025 Spring Involvement Fair.
WVUM, the University’s studentrun radio station, has been on the airwaves since 1968.
The Student Union, later named in honor of Norman A. Whitten, revolutionized student life in 1965 by offering an on-campus hub for gatherings. In 1973, a new student-run pub, the Rathskeller, became an iconic gathering place that enhanced connection and community.
By the 1980s and 1990s, student life began to take on a larger local, national, and international identity, as the championship-winning Hurricanes football and baseball teams spurred a sense of pride and excitement among students and alumni. Also during the 1980s, the University recognized a need to better coordinate its efforts to help students struggling academically. Now known as the Camner Center for Academic Resources, the center employs staff members who help coordinate tutoring and provide
support services to students with physical and/or learning disabilities.
During this period, student life began to incorporate service to the community. The Student Volunteer Center launched in 1989 under the direction of William R. Butler, who served for more than three decades as the University’s first vice president for student affairs. Today it is named the Butler Center for Service and Leadership and serves as a liaison to more than 450 community partners for volunteer activities.
As the new millennium began, student activities and culture continued to flourish alongside the institution’s growth. The Student Activities Center, later renamed the Donna E. Shalala Student Center after the University’s fifth president, opened its doors in 2013 and transformed the student experience, providing much needed meeting space for several student organizations.
New centers created to support the specific needs of underrepresented and diverse student populations have also been added in recent years. In 2016 the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs moved to the heart of campus and is now located in Whitten University Center. That same year, the LGBTQ Student Center was established to provide a safe, welcoming space for students of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Today the Whitten University Center has dedicated spaces for the LGBTQ Student Center and the Veterans Resource Center, which was added to the Division of Student Affairs in 2023.
The University of Miami’s student life is now proudly a microcosm of the global city it calls home. With more than 300 student organizations, innovative residential colleges, and state-of-the-art facilities, the University offers students countless opportunities to connect, grow, and thrive, all while honoring the traditions from its early days.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Born in Havana, Cuba, former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ed.D. ’04, served for three decades as a champion of education and human rights in our nation’s capital. Her career trajectory was shaped by her family’s decision to settle in Miami after fleeing the communist Cuban regime in 1962.
Ros-Lehtinen began her career as a teacher, eventually founding and serving as principal of a private elementary school. Her election to the Florida House of Representatives in 1982 and the Florida Senate in 1986 made her the first Hispanic woman to serve in either body. She authored the
Florida Prepaid College Program—the largest and longest-running prepaid college tuition program of its kind in the nation.
Ros-Lehtinen’s historic election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1989 made her the first Hispanic woman and first Cuban American to serve in Congress. She also was the first woman to chair the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. After retiring from Congress, Ros-Lehtinen returned to the University in 2019 as a Distinguished Presidential Fellow, co-teaching a political science class with her husband, Dexter Lehtinen, B.A. ’68, a lecturer at the School of Law and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
Journalism club members working on an upcoming newspaper edition.
ALUMNI PROFILE
Traditions Unite Generations of Canes
From “throwing up the U” to Sebastian’s C-A-N-E-S spell out, traditions are part of a shared history and culture that span time and distance.
Members of the University of Miami community often boast about the pride they feel when—across a crowded room, perhaps in a city far from Miami—someone sees their U-branded apparel and responds by “throwing up the U” with their hands, fingers tightly aligned, thumbs kissing each other. It’s an instant connection, a joyful camaraderie of being affiliated with one of the best research universities in the United States.
The gesture is one of many University of Miami traditions developed over the last century, and several can trace their origins to the flora, fauna, or climate of South Florida—including the Miami Hurricanes name.
Among a few different theories, legend says the first members of the football team suggested they be called “Hurricanes” because one such storm had postponed the University’s opening game—or because they wanted to sweep away their opponents with great force. The name caught on quickly, with the student newspaper renaming itself from University News to The Miami Hurricane in 1929, just two years after the publication launched.
While the Hurricanes name denotes strength and a whirlwind of energy, the school mascot is a symbol of courage. Our Sebastian mascot is an ibis, a wetland bird known to be the
Hurricanes fans around the world signal their love for the University with a “U” hand gesture that dates back to 1992.
last wildlife to leave its habitat before a hurricane and the first to return after the storm. The University’s yearbook has been named “Ibis” since 1926, but the bird didn’t become the official mascot until 1957, after a costume that was created for a Homecoming event made its football field debut the following year. Originally named Icky, the mascot was renamed Sebastian after the San Sebastian dormitory. The first mascot was a boxer dog named Hurricane the First, also known as Hurricane I.
When you hear someone say “I bleed orange and green,” they are referring to the colors of the institution, selected in 1926 to represent the green leaves, white blossoms, and orange fruit of the Florida orange tree.
Category 5, the student-run spirit programming board, focuses on preserving and implementing traditions related to sports. For all Division 1 sports at the U, Cat 5’s presence in the student section at sporting events fires up the crowd.
“When someone sees you with any University of Miami gear, they’ll throw up the U, and it creates a sense of community,” says Zander Samarasinghe, a senior business analytics and sport administration major who is chair of Cat 5. “People react to it because it is such a huge brand. Everyone knows about the U.”
The orange and green split-U mark was introduced in 1973, commissioned by the student-athlete scholarship fund now known as the Hurricane Club. It was a bold move to shift away from previous “M” and “UM” marks but one that created one of the most recognizable collegiate brands today. The practice of throwing up the U originated in 1992 when former cheerleader Bill Tigano, B.S.C. ’93, flashed the now-ubiquitous hand gesture during a football home game against Florida State University. The University adopted the split-U athletics mark as its official institutional mark in 2009.
Sylvester Stallone
Less than a decade before he ran up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as Rocky Balboa in “Rocky,” Sylvester Stallone, B.F.A. ’98, was a drama major in the College of Arts and Sciences. Stallone left the University in 1969, 15 credits shy of his degree, to pursue an acting career in New York City.
Over three days in 1975, Stallone wrote the first draft of “Rocky,” the rags-to-riches story of a journeyman boxer who gets an unlikely shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. It was the highest-grossing film of 1976 and won the Academy Award for best picture, with Stallone earning nominations for best actor and original screenplay.
A string of hits followed, including several “Rocky” sequels and the “Rambo” franchise, making Stallone one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Stallone is also an accomplished artist, having exhibited his paintings at Art Basel Miami and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nice (France), among other venues.
In 1998 the University bestowed on Stallone his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, citing his acclaimed body of work as fulfilling the missing credits. His daughter Scarlet now attends the University, pursuing a degree in communication.
ALUMNI PROFILE
The U Statue is a 7-foot-high steel and aluminum sculpture on the Coral Gables Campus.
Hurricane I, first official University of Miami mascot.
Homecoming
In addition to throwing up the U, Hurricanes football fans hold up four fingers at the start of the fourth quarter. This represents the belief that the game is won in that crucial final period and that no matter the score in that moment, the Canes will fight for a victory. This never-give-up spirit spurred many historic comebacks, also earning them the moniker “Cardiac Canes” in recent years.
If you are visiting campus and see a group of people wearing colorful patchwork jackets, it might be tapping day for the Iron Arrow Honor Society. Founded 1926 through a commitment between President Bowman Foster Ashe, student Francis Houghtaling, and Seminole spokesman Tony Tommie to preserve traditions of the University and the Seminole Indians, Iron Arrow continues to have a close partnership with what is now the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. (See “Forging the Arrow” sidebar.)
Another connection between the University and the Seminole Indians is the War Canoe Trophy, a canoe that members of the tribe crafted from a
200-year-old Everglades cypress tree felled by lightning. It was donated on behalf of the City of Hollywood in 1955 as a trophy for the annual football game between the University of Miami and the University of Florida. Today the canoe is on display in the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame and Museum on the Coral Gables Campus.
Alumni Weekend and Homecoming is an annual celebration that has included a spectacular fireworks display and a boat burning ceremony on Lake Osceola since 1956. Legend
“... as the student conductor, the alma mater is like my chance to say: ‘I love you.’ ”
—Noah Booz
has it that if the mast of the boat falls before the boat sinks, the Miami Hurricanes will win the Homecoming football game the following day.
And when the Hurricanes football team emerges on the field, they do so in a now-iconic cloud of smoke that began in the 1950s with fire extinguishers in the Orange Bowl. Former transportation director Bob Nalette came up with the idea as a way to increase fan interest.
Adding to the game-day fanfare is the Frost Band of the Hour. The 150-plus-member marching band traces its origins back to 1926, when 17 students came together to form the University Band. It has been called Band of the Hour since 1949, when an announcer at the Orange Bowl introduced Henry Fillmore’s march with an impromptu quip: “‘The Man of the Hour’ will now be performed by the Band of the Hour.” A gift from philanthropists Phillip and Patricia Frost in 2000 to secure stability during a time
includes an annual boatburning tradition, where the rival team’s logo goes up in flames on the mast.
Frost Band of the Hour performs outside of Hard Rock Stadium.
of financial strife led to the current name, Frost Band of the Hour.
“This is a band with such a longlasting tradition, such great music, and such a wonderful culture of support,” says Craig McKenzie, D.M.A. ’19, director of athletic bands. “U of M football is an activity the entire community comes together for, and the Band of the Hour is the soundtrack.”
The University of Miami Alma Mater, written by University employee William “Bill” S. Lampe and composed by music student Christine Asdurian in 1926, is played at every special event, including commencement and athletics competitions. While singing, Canes hold up one finger that sways from side to side like a palm frond in the wind.
“That’s a magical moment for me as the student conductor,” says Noah Booz, a music education major and Frost Band of the Hour drum major. “The alma mater is like my chance to say: ‘I love you.’ ”
Forging the Arrow
Just a few months after the University of Miami opened its doors, the first student to enroll, Francis Houghtaling, sat crosslegged on a floor in the Anastasia Building with Tony Tommie, a Seminole Indian spokesman. Joining them was the University’s first president, Bowman Foster Ashe, and students who would become the founding members of the Iron Arrow Honor Society.
As one of the first Seminoles to receive a formal education, Tommie embraced Houghtaling’s and Ashe’s idea of a “tap society” that would honor American Indian culture while creating and preserving traditions that would grow to define the University. Tommie designated orange as the color of the University of Miami tribe, whose members would wear Seminole patchwork jackets. The group cemented the relationship by sharing a peace pipe.
The nine founding members chose an arrow as their symbol to represent the forward course they were charting, and this was the Iron Age, thus the name Iron Arrow was forged. While the original charter indicated Iron Arrow was the “highest honor attained by men,” Iron Arrow began admitting women
in 1985 following an eight-year ban from campus while it grappled with the new gender-inclusive requirements of Title IX legislation.
Throughout the years, Iron Arrow always maintained a close relationship with Seminole members and leaders of what is now the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, which became its own sovereign nation in 1962. The most recent affirmation occurred in 2018 with a new memorandum of understanding signed by the University of Miami, Iron Arrow, and the Miccosukee Tribe. Among its proclamations, the document declares full Miccosukee support of Iron Arrow’s “continued existence as an honor society that acknowledges, praises, and practices the traditions and culture of the Miccosukee.”
Iron Arrow taps new members twice a year, based on five criteria: leadership, scholarship, character, humility, and love of alma mater. Iron Arrow also supports sophomore students who demonstrate these criteria with an annual scholarship and award. As of 2024, there are about 2,000 living members, including students, faculty and staff members, alumni, and Board of Trustees members.
Members of the Iron Arrow Honor Society gather on campus for tapping day.
A Legacy of Service
Founded to meet the needs of a growing community, the University continues its tradition of service through its outreach initiatives and more than 30 student service organizations.
From its very beginnings came a desire to serve the community. In 1936 a confident music student named Carl Fien approached University President Bowman Foster Ashe and told him that students wanted to repaint the Anastasia Building—the triangular edifice where classes were held during the institution’s first 20 years. The exterior was crumbling, so they hoped to improve the University’s outward image.
When Ashe told Fien the University could not afford painters, the eager student insisted that he and his classmates would do it. The students raised money and gathered donations of paint and materials, then wielded ladders against the massive threestory building. It was a small but important harbinger of the future.
During World War II, the entire University shifted its focus and transformed into a place where young soldiers and cadets could train in engineering, boat operations, and aircraft navigation. And in the 1960s,
the Students at the University of Miami Move on Need, or SUMMON, organization was founded to offer volunteer opportunities. Students worked in local Head Start programs; tutored struggling students in underserved public schools; and organized clothing, food, and bedding collections for the poor.
Today there are more than 30 student service organizations on the Coral Gables Campus, mostly associated with the Butler Center for Service and Leadership, founded in 1989. It is a place where students can find service projects that match their interests, and in 2023, close to 9,000 students logged nearly 34,000 hours of community service.
Starting in 2010, the University intentionally integrated local community organizations and issues into its academic goals by founding the Office of Civic and Community Engagement (CCE). Now, many faculty members incorporate experiences that serve the South Florida community into their
“When students take communityengaged courses, they take away the idea that they can be changemakers.”
—Robin Bachin
research and teaching practices, a trend that has only increased over the past 14 years.
“When students take communityengaged courses, they take away the idea that they can be changemakers with the work they are doing in the community and realize their work can have a real-world impact,” says Robin Bachin, founding director of CCE and the Charlton W. Tebeau Associate
Fraternity members doing community service at the Variety Children’s Hospital.
Students volunteering in Guatemala, 2013.
Professor of History. “They are helping to build capacity in our local community, and they can see the results of that.”
There are more than 600 courses being offered that have a communitybased learning component. Many of these faculty members have received guidance through CCE’s engaged faculty fellows program about organizations that are relevant to their course content and how to create communitybased learning experiences.
In addition, each summer, programs like First Star Academy and Breakthrough Miami bring high school students who may not have considered college to spend time learning and improving their academic habits on the Coral Gables Campus. And throughout the school year, the peer mentoring program Inspire U Academy hosts monthly sessions for students from Booker T. Washington High School to help them transition to college.
At the Miller School of Medicine, a history of service and collaboration with the community is tied to its existence. When the school was established, community need led it to choose Jackson Memorial Hospital, which serves the most vulnerable patients in
South Florida, as its teaching hospital. Today, the UHealth Pediatric Mobile Clinic offers vaccines and health care to uninsured children across the South Florida community, while the School Health Initiative operates clinics in nine public schools. In addition, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Game Changer vehicles offer free cancer screenings throughout the community.
The Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute also offers Miller School students a variety of community service experiences, notes Denise Vidot, director of Community and Stakeholder Engagement. About once a month, it hosts community health fairs to offer free health care screenings and information to underserved communities.
“The community is the heartbeat of what we do at the Miller School, since our goal is to improve the health of the community,” says Vidot, who also is an associate professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies, with a secondary appointment in public health at the Miller School.
“Working with the community directly only improves the strength of our collective heartbeat.”
U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, M.S.Ed. ’73, learned from her parents, who were small-business owners, that to make an impact on the world, she would have to face obstacles. Believing that education is the ultimate equalizer, Wilson began her career in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Head Start program and rose to become principal of the school now named Dr. Frederica S. Wilson/Skyway Elementary School.
Following her 1992 election to the Miami-Dade County School Board, Wilson began an in-school mentoring, dropout prevention program, now known as the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. Over the years, the program has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships to help young men earn a college degree or postsecondary certification.
Wilson was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1998, the Florida Senate in 2002, and ultimately, to Congress in 2010. Since arriving in Congress, she has focused on creating jobs and uplifting South Florida. As for her signature hats, the congresswoman credits her Bahamian grandmother, who wore hats every day, adding that, “When you stand out in a crowd … people listen to what you have to say.”
Frederica Wilson
ALUMNI PROFILE
The Pediatric Mobile Clinic, providing medical care and vaccinations in Homestead, Florida, to farm workers and their children.
BYRON MALDONADO
University of Miami Libraries at 100
It has been said that the library is the “heart of the university,” and here at the University of Miami, that heart has been beating for a century.
The first library collections were formed by donations of private collections, individual books, and journals. The first gift was made by Mary Baird Bryan, wife of former U.S. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, several months before the University opened. During the first few decades, library services were provided in a variety of temporary quarters, and the library program was overseen by a number of administrators and clerical staff.
In 1932 the University appointed Dorothy Miller the first professional librarian to oversee the program; William G. Harkins succeeded her in 1940. The Libraries’ budget increased significantly in 1946, and the size of the staff and collections grew commensurately. Four of the temporary locations were consolidated in the Solomon G. Merrick Building in 1949, while separate library collections remained at the Anastasia Building and other sites in Coral Gables. Faculty, administrators, and students had long been advocating for the building of a central library on the Coral Gables Campus. Planning began in earnest with the appointment of Archie McNeal as the director of libraries
and professor of library science in 1952. McNeal emphasized the importance of constructing this facility, and the University’s 1957 fundraising campaign helped make it a reality.
In December 1959 ground was broken for the new central library. The architects were Watson, Deutschman, and Kruse, and the striking mid-century Otto G. Richter Library was completed in 1962 with the support of $2 million from its namesake’s $6 million bequest to the University.
In the same year that the Richter Library opened, the Albert Pick Music Library also opened, with Elsie Fardig appointed to serve as chief music librarian. A newly updated law library was planned to meet the accreditation requirements of the American Bar Association and opened as part of the new law school building in 1956. The marine library occupied various locations on the Coral Gables and Marine campuses beginning in 1943; in 1971 the Rosenstiel School Library opened in the Henry L. Doherty Marine Science Center. Ground was broken on the Medical Campus library in January 1971 to meet the medical school’s accreditation requirements, and the Louis Calder Memorial Library was
The University of Miami Libraries system offers access to more than 4 million volumes, among a vast repository of print and digital assets.
The postcard above, Playa de Mariano, is from the Cuban Heritage Collection. Right, students and faculty members review materials from the Early Americas at the Kislak Center at the University of Miami.
dedicated in March 1972 under the leadership of Mildred Crowe Langner. Architects of this distinctive, mid-century library were Steward-Skinner Associates and R.M. Little.
In 1975 a new wing of the law library opened thanks to a $600,000 bequest of Baron de Hirsch Meyer, who financed the first four School of Law buildings. In 2005 the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center opened thanks to the generous support of its namesake donors. Also in 2005, the Cuban Heritage Collection opened in the Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion on the second floor of Richter Library thanks to the generous support of multiple donors, predominantly The Goizueta Foundation. The Cuban Heritage Collection is the largest archive on the history of Cuba outside of the island and the largest archive documenting the Cuban diaspora in the world. The Kislak Center at the University of Miami opened in 2019 and houses both University Archives and Special Collections. It is named in honor of Jay I. Kislak, whose transformative gift of his extensive collection on the Early Americas helped establish the center. The award-winning renovation was led by Alejandro Silva, B.Arch. ’99, of Silva Architects.
As the modes of knowledge transmission shifted to online and networked information in the 1990s—and scholarship reoriented toward the use of digital research applications and outputs—the focus turned to building a virtual library. Collection priorities shifted to the acquisition of online books, journals, and related media, and to digitizing the Libraries’ vast collections of unique material. The University Libraries Scholarship@Miami serves as the definitive record of University research and creative production.
University Libraries continue to evolve as they support research, teaching, learning, and clinical care. They consistently rank among the top 50 research libraries in North America according to annual data published by the Association of Research Libraries.
Jorge Ramos
Jorge Ramos, M.A. ’96, is one of the most respected Spanish-language journalists in the United States. A 10-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, he was renowned as co-anchor for “Noticiero Univision” for his fearless reporting and commitment to truth.
Ramos began his career in his hometown of Mexico City, Mexico, before moving to the United States and joining Univision in 1986, where he quickly became the face of Spanish-language news in the U.S. For nearly four decades, he
covered historic events—from the fall of the Berlin Wall to U.S. presidential elections—and conducted interviews with world leaders, often challenging them with tough, probing questions. Earning a master’s degree in international studies from the University deepened his understanding of global issues and informed his approach to reporting.
Ramos is an author, advocate, and voice for the Latino community, addressing social justice issues through his writing and public engagements. In 2023 he established the Jorge Ramos Endowed Scholarship in Communication to support students on their journey to becoming storytellers.
Schools and Colleges
School of Architecture
The School of Architecture has stood as a beacon of innovation and creativity for four decades, providing a breeding ground for ideas, pushing the boundaries of architectural design, and nurturing the next generation of architects.
The school’s rich history began in fall 1927 with three courses and a faculty that was supplemented by local talent. A distinguishing feature of the program was the presence of female students.
By the mid-1930s, a number of factors led the University to scale back its operations, with the architecture program being among those affected. The program reemerged in 1950, gaining a foothold in the Department of Architectural Engineering within the School of Engineering and grew into a five-year Bachelor of Architecture program by 1968. An independent School of Architecture was established in 1983, moving to its current facilities on the Coral Gables Campus—a set of international-style buildings designed in 1947 by Marion Manley.
The school founded its first graduate program in 1989. Both the Bachelor of Architecture and the Master of Architecture programs received accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board in 1974 and 1995, respectively.
The opening of the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center in 2005 added a new hub for learning and discourse. A widening scope included programs in adjacent fields, such as real estate development and construction management, as well as a deepening focus on sustainability, resilience, and technological innovation. The construction of key facilities, such as the Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building and the B.E. & W.R. Miller BuildLab, supports the school’s emphasis on project-based learning and emerging construction techniques. Collaborations with industry leaders have led to the adoption of advanced tools, including the first large-format concrete printer in a school of architecture.
The school actively collaborates across disciplines, including partnerships with the Climate Resilience Institute, Center for Global Black Studies, Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, and College of Engineering, to address 21st-century challenges through innovative research and teaching. Its study abroad program has expanded from its renowned Rome Program, launched in 1991, to include courses and semesters for undergraduate and graduate students, and summer programs for high school seniors. More than 50 percent of its students participate in study abroad programs based in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
The school stands as a leader in urban resilience and technological innovation.
Since its founding, the school has been deeply committed to community engagement and advancing social equity. In 1992 the school mobilized faculty members and students to assist in rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Andrew, which led to the establishment of the Center for Urban and Community Design. The creation of the Social Justice Prize and Teaching Fellowship empowers students and staff and faculty members to actively address critical global issues, fostering a strong sense of belonging and purpose. An emphasis on community-oriented design and environmental stewardship are woven into the curriculum.
Today, the school stands as a leader in urban resilience and technological innovation, preparing its students to address the complex challenges of the future.
College of Arts and Sciences
When the University first opened, the college—then known as the College of Liberal Arts—was one of only three academic units, along with the School of Music and the Evening Division. All subjects, except for music and art, fell under the college’s purview.
The University’s plan from the beginning was to move some subjects into separate schools as the institution grew. Some disciplines, like art—which was initially part of the music school—and political science—previously taught in the business school—became part of the college. These changes resulted in today’s cohesive academic unit, which houses 21 departments and 12 interdisciplinary programs spanning the sciences, arts, social sciences, and humanities.
The College of Arts and Sciences has often been at the vanguard of social movements. In the 1920s, at a time when male university professors far outnumbered their female counterparts,
Mary B. Merritt was among the first female faculty at the University. She was hired in 1926 as an English instructor and promoted to associate professor of English and dean of women three years later.
A Latin American history professor, Víctor Andrés Belaúnde, helped found the Hispanic American Institute in the 1920s, a precursor to today’s interdisciplinary programs. In the 1960s, Nancy Clasby, a faculty member in the Department of English, developed the University’s first Black Studies program. In 1970 Whittington B. Johnson joined the Department of History as the University’s first Black faculty member. He went on to serve as
The College of Arts and Sciences has often been at the vanguard of social movements.
department chair and director of what was then known as the African American Center.
Other faculty members, notably beloved biology professor Oscar T. Owre, B.A. ’41, M.S. ’49, contributed to environmental conservation efforts. As a faculty member from the 1950s to the 1980s, Owre, who was known as Bud, became a leading expert on South Florida’s birds, including endangered species.
The college’s newest addition is the Department of Writing Studies, which teaches written communication skills. New undergraduate majors in data science and artificial intelligence (AI), along with more than two dozen faculty members conducting research using AI tools, have made the college a hub of AI innovation at the University.
Today the college remains a locus of academic excellence, continually adapting to prepare students for the careers of the
future. In addition to its numerous departments and interdisciplinary programs, the college comprises renowned centers, institutes, and arts venues, including the Lowe Art Museum, Center for the Humanities, Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, Jerry Herman Theatre, as well as the John C. Gifford Arboretum. The college is home to more than 4,000 students and 440 full-time faculty members.
Miami Herbert Business School
In 1929, as the University of Miami was establishing itself as a young institution, the School of Business Administration was founded amidst one of the most tumultuous periods in American history—the onset of the Great Depression. Yet it persisted, emerging as a symbol of resilience, innovation, and navigating through challenges.
From its earliest days, the school offered courses at the undergraduate level to students during the day, as well as evening classes with extensive offerings for people who worked during the day. Financial resources were lacking, and the student body remained small. Course offerings, limited by necessity, were conventional at first and continued so for two decades before any real expansion of academic programs could be made.
It wasn’t until 1947 that the Master of Business Administration launched with four fields of study—accounting, finance, management, and marketing.
By the latter half of the 20th century, the school solidified its position as a leading business institution, offering not only traditional courses but also programs like the Executive M.B.A. for upper middle to senior management as well as a doctoral program.
In 1980 the school found a home— the School of Business Administration Complex—through generous donations from George W. Jenkins and Elsa and William H. Stubblefield, with the construction of two buildings named after their benefactors. A 48,000square-foot addition was added to the complex in 2000, which included graduate classrooms, the Storer
The school continued to adapt and grow and by the latter half of the 20th century, it solidified its position as a leading business institution.
Auditorium, the James W. McLamore Executive Education Center, the M.B.A. student lounge, and a stateof-the-art computer lab.
Coming into the 21st century, the school continued its trajectory of growth with the addition of M.B.A. degree programs such as the Miami Global Executive M.B.A., the Accelerated M.B.A. in Real Estate, and the Master of Health Administration.
Additionally, the school began offering specialized master’s programs ranging from finance to sustainable business, among others. In 2015 it launched its online master’s program.
In 2019 the school received a transformative naming gift from Patti, B.B.A. ’57, and Allan, B.B.A. ’55, M.B.A. ’58, Ph.D. ’23, Herbert, whose deep connection to the University dates back to their time as students. This strengthened the Patti and Allan Herbert Business School’s capacity to lead in business education on a global scale, amplifying its impact and reach.
The school holds a “triple crown” accreditation status—from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB); EQUIS, which recognizes business schools that are trying to make an impact beyond their domestic frontier; and the Association of MBAs accreditation (AMBA)—a feat achieved by less than 1 percent of the world’s business schools. Miami Herbert is one of only three business schools in the nation with this coveted designation.
With a rich history and a clear vision for the future, Miami Herbert Business School continues to shape the next generation of business leaders, ensuring that its centennial in 2029 will be a celebration not just of its past, but of its bright future.
School of Communication
The School of Communication evolved from a two-credit public speaking course offered in 1926 at the College of Liberal Arts into a school that champions ethical and effective communication, credibility and creativity, and impactful scholarship.
Programs include advertising, cinema arts, communication studies, interactive media, journalism, media management, and public relations.
Shortly after the University welcomed its inaugural class, the first student-written column of University News ran in the Coral Gables Riviera Times. By 1929, it evolved into The Miami Hurricane, the University’s award–winning newspaper. That same year, journalism courses were offered. A journalism major followed in 1938.
The two-credit public speaking course evolved into a public speaking major in 1927 and launched the University’s first debate team, The Debating Society. Now called The Debate Team, the group has won multiple national awards, including the ACC Debate Championship.
Continuing its collaboration with local media, the University broadcast several radio programs on WIOD, leading to a Radio Workshop course in 1940. Within a year, the University was producing up to three weekly programs, featuring original student-written scripts, casts, and production crews.
The Radio Department, established in 1948, quickly became the Radio and Television Department a year later, reflecting the rise of television. In March 1949, local station WTVJ signed on and within a month, partnered with the department to livecast student productions. Recognizing the growing importance of cinema, the department was renamed the Department of Radio, Television, and Film. A merger with the Department of Journalism in 1966 resulted in the Department of Mass Media Communications. In 1968 the radio operation received its
official license to broadcast under the call sign WVUM. Today, “The Voice” still broadcasts throughout South Florida and online.
Cable broadcasting was driven by a grant from Dynamic Cablevision in the 1980s that led to the construction of Studio C and the development of a 24-hour local cable channel.
Renamed UMTV in the mid-1990s, today, the awardwinning channel produces a variety of programming, including news, sports, weather, comedy, and Spanishlanguage shows, filmed in multiple studios within the school.
Meanwhile, back in the mid-1980s, the establishment of a communication school was gaining momentum. The School of Communication welcomed its first class of students in fall 1985. Today, the Frances L. Wolfson Building, built in 2001, and the Communication International Building, built in 2007, house the school’s five departments and state-of-the-art learning spaces, broadcast and production studios, UX and VR labs, and editing suites. The Koenigsberg and Nadal Interactive Media Center offers students a vibrant, collaborative learning space and houses Orange Umbrella, the school’s student-run consultancy. The Bill Cosford Cinema, a nonprofit art house movie theater, serves both the University and Coral Gables communities. The Norton Herrick Center for Motion Picture Studies hosts a collection of more than 2,000 films for University use.
To keep pace with the times, the school is finding new and innovative ways to integrate artificial intelligence into its curriculum. Recognizing the importance of research and practice, it offers courses that leverage experience and evidence.
The school continues to evolve, offering academic degrees and experiential opportunities that benefit undergraduate and graduate students in cinematic arts, communication and media studies, interactive media, journalism, media management, and strategic communication. The school consistently has achieved high national rankings across its award-winning programs, publications, and organizations, and its faculty members are among the most successful scholars and creative professionals in the field.
School of Education and Human Development
Established in 1929, the school began as a modest teacher education program and evolved into a comprehensive school offering programs designed to prepare future educators, researchers, and leaders in the fields of education, psychology, kinesiology, and research measurement.
In the early years, the School of Education focused on addressing the need for qualified teachers in a rapidly developing city, offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, with a strong emphasis on practical training and classroom experience.
By the mid-20th century, the school expanded to include advanced degrees and specialized programs in educational leadership, special education, and educational psychology. This period marked the school’s transition from a primarily teacher training institution to a multidisciplinary hub focused on a broad spectrum of human development. In 1935 the Dade County Public Schools established the Merrick Demonstration School in partnership with the University to provide students with hands-on classroom experience. In 1954, that partnership between the county and the School of Education blossomed into the Henry S. West Laboratory School. Shortly after, the first doctoral programs were offered.
focus to include programs in counseling and physical education, reflecting a more holistic view of education. This led to the school’s renaming in 2011 to the School of Education and Human Development to better reflect its diverse academic offerings and its commitment to fostering human potential and well-being across multiple contexts. The school further extended its reach by offering the University’s first online graduate degree.
Today, the school’s multidisciplinary programs now include teaching and learning, kinesiology and sport sciences, and educational and psychological studies. New programs in applied learning sciences, sports medicine, and data analytics address the demands of the modern workforce. These programs allow students to
The late 20th century saw a shift in the school’s
explore the full spectrum of lifelong human development, from early childhood through adulthood, while fostering community engagement.
Throughout its history, the school has remained committed to research and innovation. Faculty members
Responsible Educational Analytics Hub prepare future educators, researchers, and leaders in the fields of education, psychology, kinesiology, and research measurement that impacts both the academic community and broader society.
Programs allow students to explore the full spectrum of human development, from early childhood through adulthood.
engage in diverse projects, ranging from neuromuscular research and active aging to STEM education in bilingual classrooms and culturally informed family therapy interventions. The Community and Educational Well-Being Research Center, the Max Orovitz Kinesiology Lab, the Institute for Individual and Family Counseling, and the
Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations and public schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the school addresses critical issues such as college access for foster care youth, sports injury prevention, climate gentrification, and affordable housing.
Driven by a vision based on the transformative power of education, programs emphasize pedagogically innovative teaching and experiential learning.
The school leads in translational research, learning sciences, and community impact, developing future leaders to make a difference in classrooms, clinics, and communities worldwide.
College of Engineering
The college traces its roots back to the 1920s, when courses in aviation and surveying were first offered in the Anastasia Building. Early courses and experiments helped lay the groundwork for what would become a hub of innovation.
One of these early projects was the Vacuplane, an experimental aircraft developed at the University in the 1930s. With the onset of World War II, the University expanded its engineering-related programs to support the war effort, preparing cadets of the U.S. Army Air Corps and Britain’s Royal Air Force for critical roles in navigation and precision bombing.
Following the war, demand for skilled engineers grew, and in 1947, the School of Engineering was officially established. The school initially enrolled 400 students, the majority of whom were veterans taking advantage of the GI Bill. This postwar period saw a surge in aviation advancements, and by the 1950s, enrollment had tripled. Generous contributions, including a $2 million donation from J. Neville McArthur of McArthur Dairy, supported the construction of a dedicated engineering building.
By 2021, the college had expanded to six departments, adding programs in chemical and materials engineering and launching new research initiatives in aerosol science.
The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s opened new opportunities in aerospace engineering. Many graduates went on to work on pivotal NASA projects, including the historic Apollo missions and the space shuttle program. In the 1970s, the global energy crisis
underscored the need for alternative energy solutions, and the School of Engineering was at the forefront of research into solar energy and hydrogen storage. The decade also marked the expansion of the McArthur Engineering Building with a new wing dedicated to environmental engineering.
Later that decade, the school ventured into health care technology with the creation of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Early pioneers worked on designing artificial organs, helping to keep patients alive while they awaited transplants. This marked a major milestone, highlighting the school’s dedication to improving human life through engineering. As the school expanded, faculty members voted to grant autonomy to the architecture program, which had been housed within the school, officially establishing the College of Engineering and the School of Architecture as separate entities in 1983.
With the dawn of the information age in the 1990s, the college positioned itself as a leader in telecommunications and information technology, playing a key role in advancing satellite communications, microchip technology, and supercomputing. Programs in cybersecurity were also launched to keep pace with the tech-driven economy.
In the 21st century, the college established the Johnson & Johnson 3D Printing Center of Excellence, where students, faculty members, and industry professionals could access cutting-edge 3D metal printers to manufacture body parts for orthopedics or engine parts for rockets. By 2021, the college had expanded to six departments, adding programs in chemical and materials engineering and launching new research initiatives in aerosol science, thereby positioning itself as a leader in environmental and atmospheric studies.
The college is expanding its local, national, and global impact, including ventures into space, and is now focusing on strategic initiatives in emerging fields where innovation is needed most, such as health tech, digital tech, nanotech, cleantech, and fintech.
School of Law
The first graduating class of 13 students in 1929 laid the foundation for a prestigious institution that has since graduated more than 23,000 lawyers—from titans of industry to the highest levels of the judiciary to leadership roles in law, politics, education, and the military.
In the postwar era, the School of Law tapped into the ambition and diversity of its city, its students, and its leaders. The school welcomed its first female faculty members, Harriet French and Jeannette Ozanne Smith, introduced its first Master of Laws (LL.M.) program in taxation, built a dedicated home for the law school, and published the first law review. This laid the foundation for other signature programs that built on Miami’s increasing importance as the gateway to the Americas, such as LL.M. programs in international law and inter-American law.
employ the field of psychology to understand the role of lawyers and judges in the legal system; and LatCrit, the Latina and Latino Critical Legal Theory, introduced by professors Francisco Valdes and Elizabeth Iglesias, which continues to play a pioneering role in the critical legal studies movement. The Center for Ethics and Public Service, the genesis of the school’s clinical education programs, opened in 1997 and was followed by nine clinics that offer legal services to clients from Miami’s most under-resourced communities. The HOPE Public Interest Resource Center began to connect students with public interest opportunities.
The school’s commitment to community engagement, student support, and innovation ensures it remains at the forefront of legal education.
The 1960s and 1970s were transformative. The School of Law graduated its first Black students, hired its first Black faculty member in Robert H. Walters, and offered a unique program for Cuban refugee lawyers. Soia Mentschikoff’s arrival as dean in the 1970s marked a period of unprecedented growth and innovation: She led curricular reform, expanded the law library, and enhanced the school’s national reputation. Her leadership paved the way for future female deans and highlighted the role of women in legal education and the profession. Her tenure also attracted a dynamic intellectual community that fostered major interdisciplinary schools of legal thought, such as the Law and Economics Center, founded by professor Henry G. Manne and designed to apply the tools of economics to better understand the legal system. The first Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning was held in 1967.
The 1980s and 1990s brought increased intellectual gravitas with the establishment of the Robert B. Cole Lecture Series, which has hosted nine U.S. Supreme Court justices. This era also welcomed the therapeutic jurisprudence movement, co-developed by professor Bruce Winick to
Adding to the stellar Litigation Skills Program, the School of Law has since launched initiatives like LawWithoutWalls, the Transactional Skills Program, and the Miami Law and AI (MiLA) Lab that aim to equip students with the skills and mindsets needed for a rapidly changing legal landscape. And the Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board, the International Moot Court Program, and the Yvette Ostolaza Mock Trial Team build practice-ready lawyers.
As the School of Law looks ahead, it remains focused on providing scholarships, fostering a community of belonging and academic rigor, and embracing technological advances while enhancing the power of legal education to meaningfully impact society and democracy.
Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science
In the fall of 1940, Frederick George (F.G.) Walton Smith, a 31-year-old British marine scientist tasked by the British government to investigate a sea sponge die-off in the Bahamas, toured U.S. oceanographic labs. His visit to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts proved pivotal. Encouraged by its director to start a lab in Miami, Walton Smith met President Bowman Foster Ashe and in 1942 opened the Marine Laboratory in a Miami Beach boathouse.
During the lab’s early years, World War II spurred interest in ocean studies, making the seas into a vital battlefield, and the Marine Laboratory’s focus turned to underwater acoustics for submarine detection. Sonar devices were deployed off Key Biscayne and Bimini to refine oceanic acoustic signatures.
Postwar, the lab broadened its research. In 1947 Walton Smith and his team achieved a significant breakthrough, identifying the cause of red tide responsible for fish die-offs. This discovery set the stage for ongoing research into harmful algal blooms. The following year, the University consolidated its marine-related curricula into a dedicated Department of Marine Science, awarding its first Master of Science degrees a year later. Early research spanned fisheries, hurricanes, marine physics, coastal zones, and coral reefs, establishing a robust foundation for future specialized studies.
The Rosenstiel School has a long-standing partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In 1953 the Marine Laboratory continued its expansion with the development of a radar research lab on the Coral Gables Campus that supported hurricane tracking and meteorological research. Courses on weather radars quickly attracted National Weather Service personnel from across the country, as well as prominent researchers from many disciplines. To accommodate the growth, staff moved to a new main building on Virginia Key, which was completed in 1957.
The lab underwent a significant transformation, reorganizing in 1961 as the Institute of Marine Science with three academic and research divisions, before evolving into the Dorothy and Lewis Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in 1969. Walton Smith became its first dean, marking the beginning of a renowned institution dedicated to advancing marine and atmospheric sciences.
The school’s commitment to collaborative research is evident in its long-standing partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that led to the establishment of the Cooperative Institute for
Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) in 1977.
The school’s contributions are far reaching—from assisting with research on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 using its F.G. Walton Smith research vessel to developing the North American Multi-Model Ensemble, a seasonal weather forecasting system that has provided reliable weekly forecasts to NOAA since 2016.
Uniquely situated on Virginia Key between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the Rosenstiel School boasts cutting-edge facilities—including a unique wind-wave tank capable of simulating Category 5 hurricane-force winds and an aquaculture facility. It also has an experimental station at Broad Key, located off the coast of Key Largo, and a teaching research station in the Galápagos Islands.
Today, the Rosenstiel School, which expanded its name in 2022 to better reflect the breadth and depth of its research and teaching, is home to nearly 300 faculty members and scientists across five departments and CIMAS.
Miller School of Medicine
In 1952, as Florida’s first medical school opened its doors to its inaugural class of 28 students, including two women, cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death in the United States. Scientists were just starting to look at blood pressure as a reliable predictor of heart problems.
The school has come a long way. Its evolution, marked by a $100 million naming gift that established the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in 2004, has mirrored—and in so many ways contributed to—the astounding advances of medicine in the intervening 73 years.
The descendants of those early pioneers now use AI and large language models to advance research and improve patient outcomes.
In that founding year, an agreement between the University and Miami-Dade County designated Jackson Memorial Hospital as the medical school’s teaching hospital, establishing a firm academic medicine footing that grew into the school that attracts more National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding than any in the state. Though as a student in 1957, Bernard Fogel, M.D. ’61, noted the school’s “unair-conditioned, almost deplorable physical surroundings,” the man who would become the school’s dean also saw great promise in administration and faculty who “shared a vision ... to make something happen from the ground up.”
Included in that vision was the 1962 creation of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, which in 2024 was the No. 1 ranked eye hospital in the United States for the 23rd year, according to U.S. News & World Report. In 1964, Dr. William Harrington established the school’s first medical training program in Latin America.
Harrington was also influential in creating the M.D./Ph.D. program, the first dual-degree program for a school that now produces more dual-degree graduates than any medical school in the nation. The Comprehensive Cancer Center for the State of Florida followed in 1973 and carved out a trajectory of service that led to the establishment in 1992 of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, now South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.
As the Miller School grew, so did its capacity to confront the most challenging diseases.
✺ The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is one of the nation’s premiere research programs for spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.
✺ The Diabetes Research Institute is an international pioneer in cure-focused research, particularly the field of islet cell transplantation.
✺ The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, named after the man who volunteered as an unpaid, part-time instructor of thoracic anatomy and physiology, is one of the largest and most impactful surgical programs in the U.S.
✺ John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics researchers have initiated groundbreaking genetic explorations, including identifying the gene responsible for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
✺ NIH funding for the Desai Sethi Urology Institute has more than doubled since 2022, making it a top 15-funded institute.
The Miller School descendants of those early medical pioneers now use AI and large language models to advance research and improve patient outcomes in areas such as cancer diagnosis, cardiac computed tomography, telehealth, spinal surgery, and more.
The school, which welcomed 235 students to its Class of 2028, including 141 women, continues its commitment to develop new generations of physicians and researchers who will shape the health care profession.
Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music
As one of the University’s three inaugural academic units in 1926, the School of Music was led by Bertha Foster, a dynamo who organized 1,000 schoolchildren to sing at the University’s groundbreaking event. One of Foster’s first students, Christine Asdurian, an Armenian orphan adopted in America, wrote the music for “Alma Mater, Stand Forever,” that fall.
The school’s symphony orchestra, launched in 1927, was the city’s leading classical music ensemble through the 1950s. Members of what is now the Frost Band of the Hour, founded in 1933, became the first bandleaders and music educators in Miami high schools.
The School of Music came into its own as a groundbreaking innovator under the transformative leadership of William F. Lee, dean from 1964 to 1982. He launched the country’s first music business and music engineering programs, and one of its first jazz programs, attracting future stars like Pat Metheny and Carmen Lundy, B.M. ’80. Notable faculty joined the school, including Frederick Fennell, the inventor of the wind ensemble, and Jim Progris, who started the Media Scoring and Production program, another first of its kind. Four new buildings were added, including the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, and enrollment mushroomed from 165 students to 825.
To sustain its rapid expansion, the school, under Dean James William Hipp, reorganized to include eight departments. Festival Miami, now known as the Frost Music Live Signature Series, launched in 1984, joined by the Salzburg Summer Opera Program. In 2003 Phillip and Patricia Frost donated $33 million to name the
The Henry Mancini Institute joined the Frost School, where talented students perform and record with luminaries like Gloria Estefan and Stevie Wonder.
school, at that time the largest gift ever made to a university-based music school. Naming gifts from L. Austin and Marta Weeks led to the construction of the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center, and the L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance.
Starting in 2007, Dean Shelton G. Berg, a renowned music artist and educator, led a transformation in the school’s pedagogy to meet radical changes in the music world. Known as the Frost Method, it is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary approach that fosters a broad range of creative and professional skills, from composing
Mancini Institute also joined the Frost
perform and record with luminaries like Gloria
Estefan, B.A. ’78, Hon. ’93, and Stevie Wonder. New popular music programs, the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music program and the Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship major were added. Donna Shalala MusicReach was instituted in 2008 and provides mentorship to more than 1,000 underserved schoolchildren. During summer months, the Frost School presents the classical music program at Festival Napa Valley and a Jazz Academy in partnership with Jazz Aspen Snowmass.
The school marked another milestone in 2023 with the opening of the $36.5 million Knight Center for Music Innovation, a 25,000-square-foot center with a world-class recital hall and a space for cutting-edge technological experimentation.
School of Nursing and Health Studies
The school has deftly navigated a 77-year journey to improve health equity and patient outcomes. Now a hemispheric leader in research-driven health care education, the school exemplifies the potential for nursing schools around the globe to flourish.
It all started in 1948, when the University of Miami introduced South Florida’s first collegiate nursing major. With a growing number of nurses returned from war and establishing a professional presence, the University contributed to the national mission by offering nursing courses in its repurposed World War II-era ROTC barracks on the Coral Gables Campus. In 1952 the University established a nursing department in the College of Arts and Sciences, with its first class of 10 students graduating four years later. That same year, as the University opened its medical school, President Bowman Foster Ashe saw the nation’s growing need for health care workers and expressed plans to expand nursing from a department to a school.
The school opened in 1968 amid another national nursing shortage and another war. In the decades that followed, the school offered students unparalleled community-based nursing and cultural competence
It all started in 1948, when the University of Miami introduced South Florida’s first collegiate nursing major.
experiences, including staffing a nurse-managed primary care pop-up clinic in Homestead after Hurricane Andrew and traveling to Haiti to implement educational training programs following the devastating 2010 earthquake.
Recognizing the importance of integrating health studies into its nursing curricula, the school changed its name to the School of Nursing and Health Studies in 2004 and began offering a health science bachelor’s degree and additional allied health tracks.
Other pioneering programs before and since have included a midwifery program, the M.S.N.-to-D.N.P. executive-style program, the B.S.N.-to-D.N.P. in Nurse Anesthesia program, and the Bachelor of Science in Public Health—some of the first of their kind in the state or nation.
The opening of the 53,000square-foot, donor-supported M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies in 2006 solidified the school’s indelible footprint at the University, which expanded in 2017 with the opening of the 41,000square-foot S.H.A.R.E. Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education.
The school has continually set high standards for meeting the health needs of a diverse community and seeking solutions that address important societal issues. The school also has been a valuable partner in promoting health equity on the world stage, both as a Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research: El Centro and as a Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Nursing Human Resources Development and Patient Safety. Today it ranks 11th nationwide among National Institutes of Health funding to nursing schools. From cutting-edge research and simulation excellence to expansive global collaborations, the School of Nursing and Health Studies has led the way well beyond what could have been envisioned in 1948.
Graduate School
The Graduate School began in 1941, when the University of Miami approved graduate coursework for the Master of Education degree.
In 1943 the University expanded its offerings to include three 36-credit-hour master’s degrees: Master of Education, Master of Arts, and Master of Science, but it was in 1947 that the Graduate School began to take shape under the leadership of Dean J. Riis Owre. Students interested in pursuing a master’s degree had the opportunity to specialize their study in eight distinct areas, ranging from biology and chemistry to education, English, history, mathematics, modern languages, psychology, and sociology. Four fields for the Master of Business Administration were also offered in accounting, finance, management, and marketing. Music, law, and nursing followed in the 1950s. While other disciplines offered courses, they had not yet developed full degree programs. Over time, more specializations were added to their curricula.
The Graduate School came of age with the launch of the University’s doctoral programs, offering the Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy in 1959. The initial specializations included anatomy, bacteriology, biochemistry, chemistry, marine science, pharmacology, physiology, psychology, and zoology, expanding to include the arts, humanities, and social sciences in the later years. By fall 1962, enrollment had reached 1,079. That same year, Don Weddington, M.S. ’64, Ph.D. ’68, became the first Black teaching assistant, and Thelma Hart became the first Black student admitted as an applicant for the doctorate in 1961.
The rapid expansion of graduate programs, a trend of previous decades, slowed considerably in the 1970s, both at the University and nationwide, leading to a decline in enrollment. The decades that followed presented further challenges, requiring adaptation and change. The institution shifted from being largely an undergraduate institution to also becoming a graduate institution, attracting faculty from multiple disciplines.
The Graduate School oversees more than 180 master’s and 70 doctoral degree programs across the entire University.
Two years after its launch, the Master of Education program awarded its first degree to Foster E. Alter, and in 1949 the first two international students, from Norway and China, received their master’s degrees. The fisheries program at what is now called the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science began offering master’s degrees in 1954, followed by the medical school a year after. On July 15, 1956, the 1,000th master’s degree was awarded.
In 1958 Jose A. Ferré and his brothers Luis A., Carlos F., and Herman, in honor of their father, donated $200,000 to construct a building to house the Graduate School—the Antonio Ferré Building was dedicated on Nov. 19.
The 21st century brought growth through the introduction of collaborative programs, such as the University of Miami/Florida International University Exchange Program. Today the Graduate School is among the most comprehensive in the country, its diverse academic programs matched by the culturally and geographically diverse student body representing more than 125 countries. It oversees more than 180 master’s and over 70 doctoral degree programs across the entire University.
Division of Continuing and International Education
From its beginnings as a program geared more toward recreational hobbies than intellectual pursuits, the realm of continuing education at the University of Miami has steadily evolved into the large and diverse operation it is today.
While program names and leadership have changed, the concept of adult education, now commonly known as continuing education, dates back to the University’s founding in 1926.
Bowman Foster Ashe, the University’s first president, never forgot his early teaching experiences in recreation centers in Pittsburgh, where he grew up. He developed his own concept of adult education, which he saw as a kind of “intellectual recreation.”
Ashe envisioned this early adult education program as encompassing lecture series and concerts, drawing upon Miami’s winter visitors for its speakers, performers, and audiences.
However, it wasn’t until the 1960s and the arrival of Dean M. Robert Allen that continuing studies took off with renewed interest, increased enrollment,
and new program offerings. Allen revitalized the program, transforming it from a part-time, “hobby-oriented” initiative offered during the summer and evenings into a professional program focused on lifelong learning.
Under Allen’s leadership, the School of Continuing Studies launched in 1974 and was quickly recognized as one of the leading centers for continuing education in the nation.
The division seeks to disrupt the continuing education landscape by creating revolutionary learning experiences into the next century.
In addition to serving as dean of continuing studies, Allen was also director of the summer sessions program, which was pulled into the continuing education umbrella. Allen had a tremendous interest in international affairs and launched programs with a focus on Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Today students from more than 90 countries study through the University’s continuing education language programs.
A year after Allen retired, a new building named in his honor opened to house the growing school. Built at a cost of $1.1 million and funded with donations from James L. Knight
and more than three dozen other donors, Dean Robert Allen Hall was dedicated in 1985.
The 30,000-square-foot facility had 19 classrooms, an English laboratory, computer lab, and, somewhat unique for the time, the capability to link electronically to the Whitten Learning Center and what was then the University’s James L. Knight International Center in downtown Miami.
Growth continued and the school was later renamed the Division of Continuing and International Education to better reflect the inclusion of international language programs that launched in the 1950s and saw explosive growth in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Bachelor of General Studies program, created in 1970 by President Henry King Stanford, was integrated into the expanding continuing education division to provide students with more flexible options for completing their degrees.
In 1984 the University created what would become a flagship program of its continuing education division—the Institute for Retired Professionals, renamed the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).
Today the Division of Continuing and International Education continues on its path to provide programs to students of all ages at every stage of life. From high schoolers experiencing college through pre-college programs to professionals looking to advance their careers with certificate programs, and, most recently, the addition of online education through UOnline, the division seeks to disrupt the continuing education landscape by creating revolutionary learning experiences into the next century.
Alumni and Philanthropy
Nurturing relationships with our alumni and donors is the key to enduring growth.
Alumni Networks Continue to Thrive
Alumni are the backbone of the global Canes network. Their support preserves traditions, fosters inclusivity, and drives the U’s mission into its next century.
As the University of Miami transformed from a small, fledgling institution to one of the nation’s top universities, so did its alumni base, expanding to a worldwide network of nearly 210,000 living alumni bound together by their experiences, passions, geography, and a shared love for the U. It was 1930—three years after the University graduated its first class—when 35 students formed the Alumni Association. That fall, they sponsored the first homecoming game against Stetson University. Over the decades, as
the University grew and historical events shaped its evolution, new alumni and friend groups emerged to respond to the changing times.
Following World War II, the GI Bill made it possible for more than 5,000 returning soldiers to attend the University of Miami in 1946—more than tripling enrollment in just one year. Their presence on campus has remained strong ever since. Today, through the Veteran Canes Society, a strong supporter of the University’s Veterans Resource Center, the U continues to provide a crucial support system for militaryconnected students and alumni.
The 1960s was a time of great upheaval in the United States, and particularly in South Florida, with the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. and the communist regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba. Both had significant impacts on the University and eventually led to the formation of influential alumni groups that continue to play an important role.
The UTrailblazers, the first Black graduates of the University of Miami, paved the way for future generations of Black students, leaving an enduring legacy of courage and resilience. The Black Alumni Society was established in 1989 as a way to honor that legacy and create pathways for success for the next generation through
Commencement at the Biltmore Hotel in 1958.
mentorship programs, scholarship support, and personal and professional development events.
Given the University’s close geographic proximity to Cuba, it is only fitting that it now hosts the largest repository of materials on Cuba outside of the island, called the Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC). In 1995 several alumni and Miami’s Cuban community members formed Amigos of the CHC to ensure the CHC remains a beacon for cultural preservation.
Following a report from the University’s 2014 LGBTQ Task Force, which explored ways to better support this community, the Alumni Association created its LGBTQ Canes affinity group. The group hosted the University’s first Lavender Graduation ceremony in 2015 and continues to partner with the LGBTQ Student Center to provide
100 Years of Generosity
A century of extraordinary philanthropy has transformed the University of Miami and paved the path toward its centennial.
As the University of Miami enters its second century, it does so brimming with gratitude for the individuals, corporations, and foundations that have believed in its power to effect positive change in an ever-changing world and have invested in its potential since its founding days.
Walk any of the three campuses, and you will see the names of many of the University’s most recognized donors. They are just one part of the University’s rich philanthropic history. Over a century, more than 425,000 individuals— alumni, faculty and staff members, grateful patients, community leaders, and fans everywhere—have made gifts large and small in support of students, research, facilities, and more. In doing so, they have all contributed to making the U what it is today: a force in academics, athletics, health care, and global influence.
“We are so grateful to all our donors—past and present— for being such a significant part of our remarkable journey over the past 100 years. Every gift makes a difference, and collectively, their philanthropy is ushering us into our new century as a stronger, bolder, more impactful University, elevating excellence among our students, our faculty, and our physician-scientists,” says Joshua M. Friedman, senior vice president for development and alumni relations.
In fact, it was philanthropy that gave birth to the University of Miami with the City of Coral Gables and George Merrick’s deed of land and pledge of $5 million. And it was philanthropy that rescued it from bankruptcy nine years later when the University’s assets went up for auction. That’s when the University’s first president, Bowman Foster Ashe, orchestrated a winning bid of $15,759, with funds provided mainly by Henry L. Doherty,
enriching activities for students and alumni.
As the University’s profile became more global, alumni influence did as well. Over the years, alumni living in cities coast-to-coast formed regional clubs to stay connected to their alma mater. Today, ’Canes Communities in 40 cities and six countries gather proud alumni to network, mentor students, hire graduates, welcome new alumni and raise scholarship funds for aspiring students in their communities, and cheer on their beloved Miami Hurricanes at game watch parties.
“ ‘Cane for life’ is more than a mantra. It is the spirit of a strong and vibrant alumni network that represents and supports our beloved U and one another across the globe,” says Alumni Association president and University trustee Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, B.S.C. ’93.
“We are so grateful to all our donors—past and present over the past 100 years.”
—Joshua M. Friedman
an oilman and philanthropist from the Northeast with significant real estate holdings in South Florida.
In those early years, the City of Coral Gables was the University’s most consistent supporter—cementing a bond that remains strong today. In 1946 the Citizens Board was established to generate support for the U. Since then, it has raised more than $450 million for numerous projects, ranging from student scholarships to faculty endowments to campus enhancements.
In 1969 the University received its then-largest single donation when the Rosenstiel Foundation donated more than $12 million to name the newly established School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
George Merrick, left, donated a deed of land and $5 million to found the University of Miami. Right, members of the Citizens Board, established in 1946, attend a gala.
The Mid-Century Capital Campaign of 1976 set an unprecedented five-year goal of $129 million. Six months ahead of schedule, the campaign had raised more than $132 million and included gifts to expand the Hecht Athletic Center and create the Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
The Campaign for the University of Miami, a $400 million fundraising effort launched by President Edward T. Foote in 1984, was the second-largest fundraising campaign in the history of higher education at the time, raising $517.5 million in commitments for buildings, scholarships, and endowments. Among the most significant gifts was a $56 million charitable trust from James L. Knight and a $27.5 million naming gift for cancer programs at the medical school from the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, creating Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Other philanthropic initiatives launched during this time were The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, in partnership with The Buoniconti Fund, and Wolfson Department of Community Service, with a gift from the Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Foundation.
During Donna E. Shalala’s presidency, the Momentum and Momentum2 campaigns raised a combined $3 billion. The Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine was named in recognition of the Miller family’s $100 million gift to
the school, and the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation made a $100 million lead gift. Other extraordinary commitments that transformed our campuses include The Lennar Foundation Medical Center; the Donna E. Shalala Student Center, created with a lead gift from The Fairholme Foundation; the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center; the Theodore G. Schwartz and Todd G. Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence; the Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building; the Batchelor Children’s Research Institute; and the Alfred C. Glassell Jr. SUSTAIN Laboratory of the Marine Technology and Life Sciences Seawater Complex.
Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century, which launched in 2015 under President Julio Frenk with an ambitious fundraising goal of $2.5 billion, will conclude in 2025. During his inaugural speech, Frenk announced a commitment to secure 100 new endowed positions. To date, 111 Centennial Talents—with more on the way— have been established to elevate the arts, the sciences, and athletics across the University.
The campaign kicked off with a $100 million gift from Phillip and Patricia Frost to establish the Frost Institutes for Science and Engineering. The School of Business was named the Patti and Allan Herbert Business School in recognition of the Herberts’ $100 million in lifetime giving. Also unveiled during Ever Brighter was the state-of-the-art Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility for student-athletes; the Kislak Center at the University of Miami, which houses the Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Early Americas; and the cutting-edge Knight Center for Music Innovation.
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – University of Miami Health System, received an anonymous gift of $126 million— the single largest donation in the University’s history. That gift combined with the generous support from The Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research, Steven Dwoskin, Kenneth C.
Griffin, and the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, continues to elevate Sylvester’s standing as one of the nation’s top cancer centers.
Other donations to further the Miller School’s work established the Lois Pope Center for Retinal and Macular Degeneration Research, the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, and the Christine Lynn Rehabilitation Center in partnership with the Jackson Health System.
Central to every campaign throughout the University’s 100 years has been a commitment to scholarship support—empowering students to pursue their educational dreams and achieve their greatest aspirations. Several families—including the Weeks, Stamps, DiMare, and Jenkins families—have made it the principal focus of their philanthropy.
“Once upon a time, this University and the philanthropists who support its mission took a chance on me and gave me room to bloom where I was planted, let me see the stars, and let me belong. And I am very grateful,” says scholarship recipient Nathaly Gonzalez, B.S. ’22.
As we reflect on a century of generosity and transformation, we are grateful for the enduring impact of those who have given so selflessly and look forward to the next hundred years of hope, progress, and shared purpose.
James L. Knight Center dedication ribbon cutting.
Former President Donna Shalala, right, with Phillip and Patricia Frost at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Frost Institutes.
Centenarians Take a Look Back
Some of our earliest alumni reflect on their time at the U.
Of the University of Miami alumni born in or before 1925, only a handful are still living. Their experiences were shaped by World War II—the central historical event of their young adulthood—and the enduring excitement of Hurricanes football.
Frances Sonneborn Rogers, B.Ed. ’44, moved with her family to Miami Beach in 1933. In 1940 she enrolled at Florida State Women’s College (now Florida State University), but she “couldn’t wait to get back to Miami” and transferred after a year to the University of Miami.
Rogers’ memories of the Coral Gables Campus are punctuated by the sight of students drilling as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program, a wartime initiative to prepare commissioned officers for the U.S. Navy. “It was quite fun to watch the guys,” she recalls.
Rogers took classes in the Anastasia Building—the fabled “cardboard college”—and cheered on the Hurricanes on fall Saturdays at the Orange Bowl. “We’d pay to park on people’s lawns in the neighborhood,” she says. As an education major, she initially gained experience tutoring football players.
The war occasioned Rogers’ most unusual extracurricular activity: submarine spotter. “German subs would come close to the Florida coast,” she explains. “I would go to Flamingo Park, sit in a shed, and wait for telephone and radio [calls]” alerting her to subs in the vicinity.
Four months after Rogers graduated, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law, which put higher education within reach of millions of returning servicemen.
Among them was G. Holmes Braddock, B.A. ’49, M.Ed. ’53, who arrived in September 1946. He was part of the first postwar class that attended the University
“The University built what we called ‘the shacks.’ ”
—G.
Holmes Braddock
on the GI Bill when an influx of student veterans more than tripled enrollment.
“The University didn’t have the classrooms or housing for that many students,” says Braddock. “The Merrick Building was still a skeleton, so the University built what we called ‘the shacks.’” These temporary wooden structures were hastily erected to accommodate the growth in enrollment. Only one of the five shacks remains, at 1300 Campo Sano, and is now listed on the Coral Gables Register of Historic Places.
Braddock plunged into campus life. “As a journalism major, I immediately signed up for The Miami Hurricane. Because I was new, I was assigned to cover the swim team—the upperclassmen got football and basketball.” He eventually became The Hurricane’s sports editor.
Braddock was tapped for the Iron Arrow Honor Society and was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa. After graduation, “I had some GI [Bill] time left, so I came back to the University,” where he earned a master’s degree.
Braddock is still devoted to Miami Athletics: He has held football season tickets since 1946. “I had to give up my seats on the 50-yard line a few years ago for more accessible ones,” he says. He has also held a baseball season ticket for nearly as long and is a regular at Homecoming and Golden Ibis Society events.
G. Holmes Braddock pictured with his wife, Virginia, left, and Frances Sonneborn Rogers, share memories from the 1940s, including wooden classroom buildings called “the shacks,” right.
THE NEXT 100
The trajectory of the University of Miami over our first 100 years has been nothing short of amazing. Yet we must not rest on our meteoric progress and bountiful accomplishments. Now at the cusp of our next century, daunting challenges already exist, but our ability to meet them resides in the very foundation we have built. University leaders reflect on what we can expect for the future of the U.
Over the past century, the University has become a beacon of collaboration, transforming lives through education, groundbreaking research, compassionate patient care, and bold innovation. The impact we’ve created is profound, changing the lives of individuals and families while shaping the world around us. Our unwavering commitment to service has elevated the Miami community, making us an integral force in the city’s rise as a global hub. By cultivating talent and addressing local challenges, we have solidified our role as a cornerstone of South Florida’s identity—an institution truly by, for, and of Miami. As we celebrate 100 years of remarkable achievements, we honor a legacy that inspires us to envision an even brighter future filled with limitless possibilities. Together,
As medical technology and discovery evolve at a dizzying pace, UHealth – University of Miami Health System and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine move revolutionary medical research into our clinics and hospital quickly, providing patients with treatments that may not be available anywhere else in the region. Though medicine is changing as quickly as the world, UHealth’s commitment to the best in patient care remains steadfast.”
Dr. Dipen Parekh, chief operating officer UHealth, founding director Desai Sethi Urology Institute, and executive dean for Clinical Affairs for the Miller School
The University of Miami will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the leaders and skilled professionals of tomorrow, serving as vital incubators for knowledge, innovation, and critical thinking. In today’s rapidly evolving world, where global challenges—ranging from climate to technological disruption—are increasingly interconnected and complex, the University of Miami is uniquely positioned to prepare the next generation of leaders and professionals to navigate these issues effectively.”
The Faculty Senate looks forward to the next 100 years of working within this dynamic institution to safeguard the vital principles of academic freedom and shared governance. Our last 100 years of unheralded growth and success have taught us that the instantiation of these core values is key to protecting the kind of academic inquiry, innovation, and impact needed to solve the problems of an increasingly complex future and to prepare our students to become the leaders, researchers, change agents, and professionals of tomorrow.”
JoNel Newman, law professor, director Health Rights Clinic, and chair Faculty Senate
There used to be a thought that brick-andmortar campuses were relics and students merely wanted the tools to get ahead in the professional world. Students understand the wonder of the dynamic, vibrant, life-changing, in-person, social laboratory we call the U—a place where dreams and successes are built. We are a community like no other.”
Ryan C. Holmes, associate vice president, student affairs and dean of students
Guillermo “Willy” Prado, interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost
The impact our University has had on the lives of our students is truly transformative. Our centennial provides a unique opportunity to deepen our ties not only within our University community but also across the globe. By expanding our programs, events, and initiatives, we aim to ensure that every Cane—past, present, and future—feels empowered to achieve their goals and make meaningful contributions to their communities. Together, we will ensure that the spirit of the U grows without limits for the next 100 years by strengthening the University’s support of our students and alumni.”
Patricia A. Whitely, senior vice president for student affairs and alumni engagement
The U of the future will continue to offer inquiry-driven teaching and learning, including relying on new metacognition tools derived from AI and environments built in VR. In general, we will see a more permeable barrier between school and work, continuing to bring real-world problems into our classrooms and sending our students out into the world of work, as interns and as partners in community engaged teaching and learning. But what needs to remain the same is the focus on students and their journeys, helping them to ask questions, identify their passions, and build meaningful lives. That’s our historic mission and that’s not going anywhere.”
Kathi Kern, senior vice provost for education and professor, Department of Religious Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
