September 8, 2014
Statement from Stuart A. Miller
Our University and our community have been fortunate to have Donna Shalala’s guidance, inspiration, and leadership for what will be 14 years. I would like to personally, and on behalf of the Board of Trustees, offer our heartfelt thanks to our President for her service and dedication to the U.
President Shalala’s tenure as the University of Miami’s fifth president has been a fortuitous and celebrated circumstance of the right leader at the right place at the right time. In the future when we look back at “The Shalala Years,” we will be astonished at the arc of an institution fulfilling its mission as a rising star in higher education, research, and health care.
President Shalala has guided the University into the top tier of national research universities with unprecedented progress in the academic qualifications and diversity of our student body, scholarly productivity, research innovation, patient care, fundraising, new and improved facilities, and global community outreach.
While today is a day to thank President Shalala and celebrate her many contributions, we must also look to our bright future, seeking new horizons and pursuing our ever-expanding potential. As President Shalala said today in her letter to our community, “We have work to do.”
As we look ahead to building on President Shalala’s significant accomplishments, we will be appointing a Presidential Search Committee to be chaired by Richard D. Fain, Vice Chair of the Board and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. This will be an inclusive process and will seek valuable input from the greater University of Miami community.
I look forward to working with President Shalala and all of you to make this coming year a success. Our path to greatness has been set—we’ll take it one step at a time and together.
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