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October 8, 2012


Dear Colleagues,

Every day I interact with remarkable people who make the University of Miami such a special place. Thanks to you, we are realizing our mission as one of America’s top-tier universities—and your overall well-being is critical to our success.

We strive to offer the very best benefits package, including programs to promote good health and wellness. Open Enrollment, which will take place October 15 through November 2, is an opportunity to consider all the programs available to you. In addition to medical plans and preventive care, we provide a variety of fitness and wellness programs. Regular physical activity helps prevent many chronic diseases, plus physically active individuals feel better, are more productive, and generally have a healthier quality of life.

Exercise is Medicine, an initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine and American Medical Association, has enlisted universities to engage their populations in efforts to improve fitness and health. I support the initiative and want UM’s culture to foster the well-being of our faculty and staff.

To reinforce our commitment, I am pleased to announce U Move, a campaign to encourage students, faculty and staff, and the surrounding community to become more physically active. We are developing programs and educational materials to boost the level of activity in your daily routine.

Currently, the University has many physical activity resources, including:

  • The Herbert Wellness Center and Medical Wellness Center have programs to suit a variety of needs.
  • Through Shape-Up, our Benefits office reimburses 20 percent of your membership fee when you exercise regularly at our wellness centers.
  • For those with health concerns who need extra guidance to exercise, the CV Wellness program offers supervision.
  • The Walking ’Canes program helps increase activity without formal exercise, and the GEAR study investigates genetic variations that occur while working to get in shape.

If you are not active, now is the time to get moving. Join a wellness center, take a daily walk, and use the stairs instead of the elevator. It all adds up!