September 17, 2009
Alumni News

Alumna Supporting Iraqi Women

 
Lettie BienAlumna Lettie Bien, J.D. '86, an attorney and former President/CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce is in her second deployment to Iraq. Her first, as a U.S. Army colonel, was in 2004. Bien, who retired in 2007 after 30 years in the U.S. Army/U.S. Army Reserves, was asked to return this year as a Special Advisor to the Commander, Multi-National Corps-Iraq for Ministerial, Governmental and Embassy Affairs.

Bien, whose portfolio also includes Iraqi Women’s Initiatives, was recently the Mistress of Ceremonies for an Iraqi Women’s Initiatives Conference held at Camp Victory, Iraq, on June 27. More than 100 people attended, including U.S. government officials (Department of Defense, Department of State, and USAID), Iraqi government officials, NGOs, Provincial Reconstruction Team members, Iraqi bilingual, bicultural advisors, and business representatives, among others.

The conference was focused on improving the lives of Iraqi women, a primary goal of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The effort for the upcoming year will be led by the U.S. Embassy-Iraq and will focus on education, health and economics, with a particular emphasis on assisting the approximately 1 million war widows throughout the country.

The UM Alumni Association salutes Ms. Bien and all alumni serving our country.

Alumnus Named President of SFGF

Raymond ZomerfeldRaymond Zomerfeld, B.B.A. '81, M.S.Tx. '87, has recently been elected by the Board of Directors of the South Florida Golf Foundation to the Office of President. Zomerfeld, a partner in the CPA firm of Ocariz, Gitlin & Zomerfeld in Coral Gables, takes the helm after serving as a director of the foundation for the last eight years, the last three as the foundation’s treasurer. The South Florida Golf Foundation annually hosts the PGA golf tournament, currently the WGC-CA Championship, held at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa each March. Through its affiliation with the PGA event over the last 47 years the South Florida Golf Foundation has donated more than $15 million dollars to local South Florida charities. The foundation is currently seeking new board members who are dedicated to creating better lives for children and families in South Florida. Click here to learn more about the South Florida Golf Foundation.

Briefly Noted

Dean Taylor Barnhard, B.M. ’74, M.M. ’80, has recently been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2010.
Nicolas Anthony DeGrazia, B.F.A. ’01, and Daniel Zachary Kullman, B.S.C. ’01, recently returned from shooting two documentary films in Angola (Africa) and Haiti . Their production company, Bitter Jester Creative won seven 2009 Telly Awards for various documentary productions.
Michelle Diffenderfer, J.D. ’95, was recently listed in The International Who’s Who of Environment Lawyers 2009.
Jonathan M. Frantz, M.D. ’83, has just been named in the 2009-2010 Best Doctors in America database.
David Mayer Hinkes, A.B. ’79, has been promoted to Chair of the Management and Marketing Departments at Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) in Harrogate, Tennessee.
Michael J. Irvin, B.B.A. ’88, has been cast in Dancing with the Stars season 9, premiering Monday, September 21.

UM Headlines

Business and Government Leaders Come Together to Help School Celebrate Launch of Executive MBA Program in Puerto Rico

School of Business launches EMBA in Puerto RicoProminent Puerto Rican business, government and education leaders, including many University of Miami alumni, joined School administrators for a reception in San Juan Sept. 3 to celebrate the launch of the School’s Executive MBA program in Puerto Rico. The new off-site program begins in October, enabling professionals living and working in the region to earn the University of Miami MBA degree in Puerto Rico without interrupting their careers. The School’s faculty members will travel to Puerto Rico to teach the classes, which will take place on Saturdays over 23 months.

“Puerto Rico’s natural beauty, vibrant culture, and historical significance in the Americas all create a thriving, cosmopolitan showcase for education, business and entrepreneurship,” said University President Donna E. Shalala, in remarks before nearly 75 guests. “The University of Miami has a long and rich history of working with many organizations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, and the new Executive MBA takes us a step further in achieving our mission to serve as a global resource and leader in educational innovation.”

The Executive MBA program is designed to enhance the general business, critical thinking, decision-making, and strategic skills of business executives. Emphasis is placed on global management practices, global markets, finance, and leadership development. A number of the executives who will be part of the first Puerto Rico Executive MBA class joined the dignitaries for the launch celebration.

“Part of our mission as a business school is to prepare executives for leadership positions – not just in Florida, but all over the world,” said Dean Barbara E. Kahn in her remarks at the reception. “We are especially committed to the Caribbean and the wider Latin American region. By being here, we think we have a real opportunity to play a key role in the growth of the business community and ultimately the growth of the economy of Puerto Rico.”

The launch of the Executive MBA program in Puerto Rico marks another milestone in the history of the School’s EMBA program, which is currently ranked No. 33 among all EMBA programs in The Americas by the influential Financial Times. The program, which started in 1973 at the School’s main campus, was expanded to include programs in the Bahamas in 1976, Palm Beach County, Fla. in 1996, Tampa, Fla. in 1999, and Orlando, Fla. in 2001. The School also delivers an on-campus Masters of Science and Executive MBA program taught entirely in Spanish.

Holtz Children’s Hospital named one of the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report

Holtz Children's HospitalHoltz Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center has been ranked among the nation’s best in “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals,” published by U.S. News & World Report. Holtz was ranked No. 10 on the specialties list for treating kidney disorders and No. 23 for neonatal care.

“It is an incredible honor for the UM faculty physicians, nurses, and entire staff at Holtz Children’s Hospital to be the only hospital in Florida with a child health program ranked among the top ten best programs in the United States,” said Steven E. Lipshultz, professor and chair of pediatrics and associate executive dean for child health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and chief of staff of Holtz Children’s Hospital.

“This national recognition reflects our commitment to bring the very best, compassionately delivered and quality-driven medical care to children and their loved ones in this community and to all the patients we serve from around the world,” Lipshultz continued. “This affirms the expertise of Holtz Children’s Hospital in providing advanced patient care to some of the most seriously ill and medically complex children, who often have rare illnesses from before birth to young adulthood.”

The methodology behind this year’s rankings weighed a three-part blend of reputation, outcomes, and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing, and other factors. The hospitals were judged based on a combination of opinions from pediatric specialists about the hospitals they would recommend for the sickest children and data gathered in a 65-page survey covering important medical information ranging from surgical death rates to whether pediatric anesthesiologists and other sub-specialists are on the staff.

Sports News

Hurricanes Volleyball Collects 3-0 Sweep of Albany

UM VolleyballSophomore Lane Carico supplied 10 kills and Katie Gallagher handed out 35 assists to help the University of Miami volleyball team power past the University of Albany, 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20), Saturday evening at the James L. Knight Sports Complex in Coral Gables, Florida. The match was the final one for UM in the Miami/FIU Invitational.

Playing the third consecutive 2008 NCAA Tournament participant in as many days, Miami (7-2) played solid volleyball on Saturday in order to earn the win. The Hurricanes hit a solid .256 clip (44-12-125) as a team and pulled together 11 total blocks.

Miami was led in kills by Lane Carico (10), while Genny Mayhew and Ali Becker each had eight. Lici McGee used seven kills and seven blocks (five assists), while Katie Gallagher had 35 assists, eight digs, five kills and five blocks for a solid overall performance.

For McGee, this is her third match of the season grabbing five or more blocks. She leads all UM players with 37 on the year.

Senior Cassie Loessberg registered 17 digs — now sitting just 11 digs shy of breaking the school's all-time digs mark. Mayhew needs 22 kills to top the 1,000-kill plateau.

Miami will be back in action next weekend, traveling to the Seminole Tri-Match in Tallahassee, Florida. The `Canes will open Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play against homestanding Florida State on Saturday, Sepember 18 at 6 p.m. They will then take on Notre Dame the following day at 2 p.m.

For more information on the University of Miami Volleyball team, please log on to www.hurricanesports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Hurricanes Volleyball program.

 
Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce Taps President Shalala for Board of Directors

Donna ShalalaThe Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce has tapped University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala to join its Board of Directors.

“The Chamber is excited to have President Shalala on behalf of the University of Miami on board to help in our efforts to lift up the challenged parts of our community,” said Chamber President and CEO Bill Diggs. “Creating this type of partnership that links the leading educational institution locally with Miami’s black business community will benefit us all.”

The partnership will include arranging for internships for University of Miami students and working with procurement for the University, among other initiatives, all geared toward helping the black business community, Diggs added. “We will be working together to train students and retain good talent in our community,” he said.
 

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SideNotes

NIST Awards UM Stimulus Funds to Study Hurricane Impact

New building on the University’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric ScienceThe National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that the University of Miami has been awarded a $15 million grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). These Recovery Act dollars will help create new jobs in Miami-Dade County through the construction of a new building on the University’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science campus. The facility will allow scientists to study how structures and their surrounding environment are affected during tropical cyclones (hurricanes). The project will be part of an integrated seawater laboratory building that will also house a state-of-the-art Marine Life Science Center. Target for completion of the building is Summer 2012.

“We are thrilled with the prospect of this new research building, which will help us further investigate how hurricanes and other extreme weather phenomena affect our natural and manmade environment,” said Roni Avissar, dean of the Rosenstiel School. “The facility will allow us to continue to expand our research capabilities and attract the highest caliber of Earth system scientists and engineers from around the world. It will provide a unique environment for scientists and engineers to work side by side on solutions for crucial problems facing humanity.”

Bar Examination July 2009

Since commencement on Sunday, May 17, members of the University of Miami School of Law Class of 2009 have been preparing diligently for the Bar Examination. While many of our May graduates planned to sit for the Florida Bar Examination, scores of others scattered around the country to take the respective examinations in other jurisdictions—Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington—to name a few.

Throughout the weeks of May, June and July, live bar review sessions were offered on campus for those preparing for the Florida Bar Examination. Hundreds participated, mostly from UM Law but also graduates of other law schools around the country. The New York Bar preparation is also offered at the School of Law, and about 30 graduates take advantage of those sessions. For the first time this year, the school also offered review classes to prepare for the California Bar Examination, and about a dozen students availed themselves of that new option.

Each year, the University of Miami School of Law offers a luncheon for its graduates at the Tampa Convention Center, where the Florida Bar Examination is given. The exam is held on the last Tuesday and Wednesday in both February and July.

The pictures of our graduates available here are but a few from Tuesday and Wednesday, July 28-29, 2009, where approximately 200 UM Law graduates sat for the Florida Bar Examination.

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