We are excited to share with you the accomplishments of your University of Miami Alumni Association for the 2010-2011 academic year.

The opening of the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center marked a momentous time in our history. Alumni now have a 70,000-square-foot “home away from home” on the Coral Gables campus, complete with a library, business center, living room area, grand room, and café—fittingly named Sebastian’s Café. The Newman Alumni Center is the only building on campus completely funded by alumni, with contributions from more than 600 donors. The center is yours to visit, reminisce in, and enjoy. Stop by for breakfast or lunch, and be sure to say hello to the Alumni Relations staff members on the second floor.

Our new center is now home to new campus-based traditions, including our Get Carded receptions. These first-ever events welcomed new graduates to the UM Alumni Association, gave them their official UM alumni card, and enabled them to take a picture next to the life-sized bronze Sebastian that adorns the Newman Alumni Center entrance.

This year, the Alumni Board of Directors, Alumni Council, and President’s Council led us into our third strategic planning process, focusing on areas such as acquiring alumni data, increasing young alumni involvement, telling the University of Miami story, generating alumni/parent leadership opportunities, and growing participation of alumni/parent donors.

Additional recent accomplishments include:

• Spearheading the University’s launch of a mobile phone application
• Garnering two awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for:
• Our Hurricane Points of Pride booklet
• Overall Alumni Relations Programs
• A successful three-city tour with new head football coach Al Golden

Remember, as an alumnus you are an automatic member of the UM Alumni Association. There are no annual membership dues, only benefits to enjoy and memories to create. Join us on the road this year as we take Provost Thomas J. LeBlanc to visit alumni in various regions around the country. Visit us online at www.miami.edu/alumni for our complete 2011-2012 programming schedule.

For the University of Miami,

Newman Alumni Center Is a Monument to
University Progress and Alumni Accomplishments

On October 8, 2010, more than 800 guests participated in the dedication of the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center. Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of alumni and affiliate donors, this “home away from home” for our alumni is now a reality. The center—a monument to the accomplishments of our alumni—showcases personal memorabilia culled from alumni; works donated by alumni artists such as Humberto Calzada, B.S.I.E. ’66, M.B.A. ’68, Xavier Cortada, A.B. ’86, J.D. ’92, M.P.A. ’92, and Carlos Alves, B.F.A. ’85; and furniture donated by Camilo Lopez III, M.B.A. ’82, of Camilo Furniture, Inc. A remarkable 14x30-foot mural depicting the evolution of the University celebrates the great strides the University has taken since its 1925 founding.

Between October 8, 2010, and May 31, 2011, the center hosted some 185 events, including corporate board meetings, training seminars, conferences, retreats, civic banquets, and personal celebrations. More than 250 alumni club members from the Miami, Broward, and Palm Beach areas attended a special reception and tour in fall 2010, and another 150 alumni joined a complimentary Happy Hour Network event in February 2011 (click here to view e-vite). Alumni sports fans enjoyed Burgers and Baseball and Hotdogs and Hoops, special pregame parties where they geared up for UM baseball and women’s basketball home games.

Visit the Newman Alumni Center website to learn more about visiting us and reserving space for your next event.

Alumni Programs Keep You Connected

There are more than 157,000 living alumni in all 50 states and 148 foreign countries. No matter where you are across the country, chances are there’s a community of ’Canes just around the corner.

Touch each state to view alumni populations nationwide! (as of June 2011)

Gender   Male  56%  Female 44%

International Alumni(top 5)

• Bahamas: 1,428
• Canada: 419
• England: 320
• Malaysia: 285
• Venezuela: 248

From alumni clubs and events in nearly every state to on-campus activities, including Alumni Weekend and Homecoming, the UM Alumni Association is constantly developing new ways to keep all ’Canes connected. Future alumni are important too, so we reach out to students through programs like UM Ambassadors, Official Class Ring Program, Legacy Program and Black Student Scholarship Reception.

PRIDE Nationwide

With 40 Alumni Clubs nationwide, it’s easier now than ever for alumni to stay connected and show their Hurricane PRIDE!

The Alumni Club PRIDE model of programming was implemented for all alumni clubs and affiliate groups (special interest groups and school/college alumni associations) to expand programming in the following areas:

Professional and Social Networking
Recruitment of High School Students and Scholarship Fundraising
Ibis—Sports-Related Programming
Devotion to Community
Education for Alumni

Together, our alumni clubs held nearly 400 events throughout the year, including professional networking events, game watch parties, community service projects, and educational events. Facebook pages and Twitter accounts enable alumni clubs to create real-time, online dialogues with local alumni and friends. Our innovative UConnect email campaigns identified more than 130 individuals interested in assuming leadership positions with their respective local alumni clubs.

 

Click here to join the alumni club in your area.

 

Bringing the U to You

Receptions, pregame parties, and educational presentations are some of the events that enabled the UM Alumni Association to bring the “U” to you!

• New head football coach Al Golden hit the ground running, sharing his vision with nearly 1,000 alumni and friends in Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, and New York City.
• At the University Club in New York City, Joseph J. Echevarria Jr., B.B.A. ’78, now CEO of Deloitte LLP, presented the UM Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Lecture.
• Pregames on the road united more than 1,300 ’Canes fans at the Ohio State, Hyundai Sun Bowl, and Georgia Tech games.
• The UM Alumni Association and School of Communication screened award-winning student films to industry leaders in Hollywood, California, at the sixth-annual ’Canes Film Showcase. This year’s reception at Paramount Studios welcomed more than 500 attendees, including industry icons Ray Liotta, B.F.A. ’77, David Isaacs, A.B. ’71, and Jeanne Wolf, A.B. ’61, M.A. ’66. Student filmmakers also received an exclusive tour of the studio of Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning producer Jon Landau. 
• Summer Send-Off Receptions were held in 24 cities nationwide, connecting more than 1,050 students, parents, and alumni. In Atlanta, 2009-2011 UM Alumni Association President Pat, B.B.A. ’75, and Martha Barron treated guests to private tours of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. In Chicago, Ken, B.B.A. ’65, and Patty Hunt hosted guests at The Heurtley House, a National Historic Landmark designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. In Los Angeles, UM Trustee Eddie, B.S.E.E. ’72, M.D. ’75, M.S.B.E. ’01, and Joanne Dauer hosted guests at their beautiful Beverly Hills residence.

Destination Miami

Alumni from around the world packed their bags and joined students, faculty, and staff for Destination Miami: Alumni Weekend and Homecoming 2010, making the University of Miami their destination for a fun-filled weekend celebrating all the reasons it’s great to be a ’Cane.

No matter where their personal journeys had taken them, more than 1,800 alumni came together to revel in the accomplishments of their alma mater. If you couldn’t join us this past year, enjoy some of the sights and sounds here.

Lifelong Lifelines Take Your Career to the Next Level

Alumni Supporting Alumni is the hub that connects ’Canes through several professional development programs. Whether alumni are currently searching for a position, considering a career change, or seeking fresh ideas and talent for their business—or they’re available to offer mentoring and advice to those who are—Alumni Supporting Alumni fosters pivotal career connections!

Here are other ways the UM Alumni Association can help boost your career:

• ’Cane Connections, where you can search for alumni experts within a particular industry or sign up to mentor current students and/or alumni in your field)
• Access to the services of UM’s Toppel Career Center
• Access to the University’s annual Career Expos (fall and spring)
• Non-degree courses through the Division of Continuing and International Education
• Library Alumni Portal, with more than 700 librarian-selected resources and links

Hurricane Pride Continues through Annual Fund Giving

Annual Fund Numbers

Bolstered by news of UM’s rise to No. 38 in U.S.News & World Report rankings, Annual Fund strategies continue to focus on rebounding alumni participation (a key factor in rankings) and increasing revenue for student scholarships and institutional priorities. In FY11 overall, Annual Fund revenue grew 11.6% over fiscal year 2010, reaching $6,497,447. Even more impressive was a 52% increase in overall alumni giving to $15,488,688. The number of alumni donors continued to lag behind, however, ending the year at 20,017.

Hurricane Pride, launched in spring 2010 to grow the number of alumni donors to 26,000 by 2017, continued as the central theme. Its “Bleed Orange, Give Green” call to action emphasizes the impact all annual gifts have across the University.

Reaching Out by Land, Link, and Line

This year the Annual Fund sent more than 221,500 direct mail packages and 321,000 emails festooned with the latest fast-link technologies, including purls (personalized urls) and QR (quick response) codes. More than 5,200 alumni responded, donating $650,000.

For a more personal touch, our Calling ’Canes program enabled alumni to connect with students who benefit directly from their support. From our brand-new call center in the Newman Alumni Center, Calling ’Canes had more than 28,000 conversations with alumni across the country, sharing campus news, updating alumni contact information, and asking for Annual Fund support. 

Help Reach Our Challenge Goals

And since nothing beats face-to-face contact, our Regional Development Program visited more than 500 alumni in 20 geographic areas across the country to encourage their support. The result: $513,314 in revenue, a 6 percent increase over last fiscal year.

Young alumni are often enthusiastic supporters, accounting for nearly 18 percent of alumni gifts. Our 2011 Young Alumni Giving Rally engaged 1,400 South Florida alumni from the classes of 2001-2010 in the importance of giving back, culminating in a thank-you celebration at the Newman Alumni Center.

Engaging future alumni is also essential, so we launched Philanthropy Awareness Day to educate students on the impact of alumni support on the student experience. More than 300 students signed donor thank-you cards at the event. Through the Senior Class Gift Scholarship, our newest alumni, the graduating Class of 2011, contributed more than $24,000, awarded to rising seniors in need of financial aid. Eleven graduating seniors gave $100 or more and joined the prestigious President’s Circle giving society. Through President’s Circle appeals, 428 donors of all ages made leadership gifts of $1,000 or more, totaling $1,046,141.

The Power of Parents

Parents contribute greatly to the education of their students and future ’Canes. The Parents Program serves as a bridge between students and their families and fosters a strong sense of community and spirit among all members of the University of Miami community. Parents provide internship and career opportunities, host receptions around the country, and assist with admission efforts. 

Through the Parents Council, parents can be directly involved in their student’s education through meaningful opportunities on campus and regionally. The Parents Council raised $450,000 for the Parents Fund and $8,104,057 in overall parent giving. The recent $20 million commitment to the Student Activities Center is from active Parents Council members. 

Online Tools Keep Alumni in the Loop

Our alumni rely heavily on the Internet for news and information, so we continue to optimize the UM Alumni Association website, the MiamiAlumni.net online community, and our social media presence to engage alumni in innovative ways. Online traffic to the main site increased 1 percent over last year, with an average of 30,759 monthly page views.

Inbox Innovations

Our @Miami monthly newsletter features alumni profiles, news briefs, and other University points of pride. The e-Alumni Connections bimonthly newsletter features alumni and University calendar notices, special alumni discounts, and much more. Maintained via a subscription model, these newsletters are delivered to nearly 95,000 subscribers, a 6 percent increase over the previous year. Alumni also have the benefit of keeping their umiami.edu email address for life!

Social Media

The UM Alumni Association utilizes the vast outreach power of Facebook to promote events, publish University news, run contests, and much more. In August 2010 we converted our main Facebook presence from a profile to a fan page and increased our friends to a fan base reaching 2,751. The UM Alumni Association is also “Linked-In,” doubling its connections this year to 247 alumni and increasing group members by 43 percent to reach 112. On Twitter, 1,581 alumni are following the UM Alumni Association (@UM_alumni). Sebastian’s Café at the Newman Alumni Center is also on the scene, offering “newbie” specials to guests who check in via Foursquare or Facebook.

UM Goes Mobile

This year, the UM Alumni Association joined with other University departments to produce the University of Miami Mobile Application for several smart phones, including iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry. The mobile application includes campus maps, athletic news, University directory, event calendar, and much more.

Being a ’Cane for Life Has Its Privileges

Your UM Alumni Association membership card is the key that gives you access to so many great services and other benefits. This page lists several of the value-added reasons why it's great to be a Miami Hurricane!

To inaugurate our newest alumni into the UM Alumni Association and introduce them to their lifetime of ’Canes-only privileges, we created Get Carded Receptions, held in April at the Newman Alumni Center. More than 350 graduates attended to receive personalized alumni cards and start a new tradition by posing for a photo with the bronze Sebastian the Ibis statue at the Newman Alumni Center entrance. Also during the receptions, 23 graduates joined the Zero Year Reunion committee, 110 completed UConnect Alumni Club Cards, and 316 purchased young alumni season football tickets. An additional 500 graduating seniors visited the Newman Alumni Center after the receptions to receive their alumni card and complimentary alumni license plate frame.

On-Campus Benefits

• Access to the Newman Alumni Center business center and ability to rent event space
• Access to the Otto G. Richter Library and its branches (additional fee for borrowing privileges)
• Campus one-day parking pass (offered through the Office of Alumni Relations)
• Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center membership eligibility
• 10% off at the UM Bookstore
• Access to select campus athletics facilities
• Select discounts for athletics events
• Discounts to select performances and exhibits
• Transcript services by the Office of the Registrar

Financial and Insurance Services

• Personal checking accounts and official UM credit card through Bank of America
• Independent 529 Plan, a college tuition plan
• Life insurance
• Short-term medical insurance
• Long-term care insurance
• Pet insurance
• Auto and home insurance provided by Liberty Mutual
• Alamo car rental services
• UM Move Center (home-related service)

Exclusive Offerings

• Limited-edition UM Alumni Association merchandise
• UM license plates available in Florida and Maryland

 

CAREER AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

ONLINE SERVICES AND SOCIAL NETWORKING

Ensuring the Future of the UM Alumni Association

The UM Alumni Association is committed to encouraging lifelong education, providing quality services and programming to its more than 157,000 alumni. Your Alumni Association recognizes the importance of its permanent constituency–alumni–and values the various forms of continued funding.

Alumni Relations Expense Distribution by Program

*UM Alumni Association program expenses include the cost of Phase I of the Strategic Planning Process.

 

Ten-Year Alumni Relations Operational Budget*

*Does not include salaries

 

Revenue from UM Alumni Association Partners and Merchandise Sales

Proceeds from Alumni Association partners and merchandise sales support Alumni Association programs and services.

The People behind the Programs That Keep You Connected

The governing body of the UM Alumni Association is the Alumni Council, which is composed of the elected Alumni Board of Directors and representatives from our national alumni clubs, special interest groups, and school/college alumni groups. Together with the President’s Council, these individuals consider it an honor and privilege to provide guidance on alumni programming and development of key strategic initiatives.

President’s Council

The President's Council is a select advisory group of some of the University's most prominent alumni. Since its founding in 1993, the President's Council has grown to include more than 150 members from across the nation—men and women who serve as corporate and community leaders. These members, selected by presidential invitation, help lead the University by providing advice and support.

View our President's Council members

The UM Alumni Association is grateful for the hard work and dedicated service that all of our leadership groups provide.

Recognizing Outstanding Members of the UM Community

To celebrate the accomplishments of alumni and University friends, every two years the UM Alumni Association honors nine distinguished individuals to receive highest honors. The 2011 ceremony honored ten recipients and granted two individuals the designation of honorary alumnus.

Edward T. Foote II Alumnus of Distinction Award
Cristina Saralegui, ’71

Henry King Stanford Alumnus of the Year Award
Gregory Cesarano, J.D. ’76

William R. Butler Community Service Award
Rudy Moise, M.B.A. ’94, J.D. ’97

Inside Out Award
Shelly Berg, Frost School of Music Dean

Orange: Outstanding Service Award
Todd Payne, A.B. ’84, J.D. ’89

Green: Outstanding Fundraiser Award
John K. Schulte, A.B. ’54

White: Outstanding Affiliate Group Award
Beaux Arts

Outstanding Young Alumnus Award
Jennifer Phillips, B.B.A. ’06

Students of Distinction
Elizabeth Greig, M.D. ’10

Kristina Rosales, A.B. ’10

Honorary Alumni
Richard B. Bermont
Nicholas A. Buoniconti

To nominate individuals for our next Alumni Awards Ceremony, please click here.