Tom Fiedler (right), executive editor of The Miami Herald, leads the panel discussion "What Happened? A Post-Mortem" last Thursday at the School of Communication. Panelist from left to right were Sam Roberts, who holds the Frances L. Wolfson Chair at the School of Communication; Sergio Bendixen, a recognized expert in Hispanic public opinion research in the United States and Latin America; and James G. Kane, editor and chief pollster of The Florida Voter.

A member of the audience asks a question of the panel during the discussion on November 4, 2004 at the School of Communication.

Robert Binstock, former president of the Gerontological Society of America and director of a White House Task Force on Older Americans, discusses ethical and policy challenges that the president will face during his term.

Robert Binstock addresses the audience in the Hurricane 100 Room of the UM Convocation Center on October 29, 2004.

On October 21, 2004, John Zogby, president and CEO of Zogby International, lead a discussion and answered questions from the audience at the School of Communication.

John Zogby has been called "the maverick predictor who beat us all" by the Washington Post. His list of clients includes NBC News, MSNBC, the New York Post, Fox News, Gannett News Service, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cincinnati Post, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and nearly every daily newspaper in New York state, as well as television stations throughout the nation.

From left to right, James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute; Bill McCollum, former U.S. representative from Florida; Reverend Bob Edgar, general secretary, National Council of Churches USA and former U.S. representative from Pennsylvania; Ambler Moss, director of the Department of International Studies; and Chris Bury, correspondent, ABC News Nightline, discuss current foreign policy issues during "The People Speak: American Power and Global Security" forum on October 18, 2004 at the Storer Auditorium.

Bill McCollum (left), former U.S. representative from Florida makes a point during the forum as Reverend Bob Edgar, general secretary, National Council of Churches USA and former U.S. representative from Pennsylvania listens.

Diane Rowland (left), executive vice president of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and executive director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, speaks with several medical students following the "Why Care, Why Vote: What's at Stake for Health in Election 2004" forum at the School of Medicine. Behind her is Bruce Vladeck, professor of health policy and geriatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

An auditorium filled with medical students listens to the speakers address health care issues and the presidential election at the "Why Care, Why Vote: What's at Stake for Health in Election 2004" forum on October 13, 2004.

Carol Browner, former EPA administrator for the Clinton Administration discusses the environmental protection policies that she implemented during her time at the EPA as part of an environmental lecture series hosted by UM's Center For Ecosystem Science and Policy.

Carol Browner, former EPA administrator for the Clinton Administration address the University community as part of the UM's Center For Ecosystem Science and Policy environmental lecture series.

Two-term Florida governor and three-term U.S. Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) discusses points from his recent book Intelligence Matters at the Storer Auditorium.

Tom Fiedler (right), executive editor of the Miami Herald, served as moderator for the October 4, 2004 discussion. As a result of his Senate work, including serving on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Graham is convinced the 9/11 attacks could have been avoided.

Bill Plante, a CBS News White House Correspondent since January 1993, discussed his work covering the presidents and the election campaigns during The View from the White House lecture on October 1, 2004.

Paul Peck, the benefactor who sponsored the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery programs (left) and Bill Plante pose for photos before the lecture.

Sebastian, dressed as Uncle Sam, mixes it up in front of the MSNBC stage.

Reporters file their stories while watching the debate on some of the 65 television monitors in the Press Hall.

A view of the media stands in front of the Convocation Center/Debate Hall.

A group of beaming UM students shows off their tickets to the debate.

On September 30, 2004, several of the state's top journalists gathered at the School of Communication to discuss covering a presidential campaign. From left to right, Judy Miller, managing editor, the Miami Herald; Harris Meyer, law editor, Daily Business Review; Paul Blythe, state editor Palm Beach Post; Susan Candiotti, CNN national correspondent; and Jeff Burnside, political reporter, Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ share the stage with Darcie Lunsford, vice president of the South Florida chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and moderator for the discussion.

Susan Candiotti (center), CNN national correspondent, speaks with Jeff Burnside, political reporter for the Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ, before the start of the forum. Seated to right is Paul Blythe, state editor of the Palm Beach Post.

Moderator Michael Putney discusses Florida election issues with panelists Matthew Dowd, chief Bush-Cheney Strategist; Ann Lewis, national chair of the Women's Vote Center, Democratic National Committee; UM School of Law Professor Martha Mahoney, who sits on the Miami-Dade County Election Reform Coalition; Eleanor Clift, contributing editor, Newsweek; and Arian Campo-Flores, Miami bureau chief, Newsweek.

Panelists were each asked for their expectations for the first presidential debate.

Thomas E. Mann (standing), senior fellow in governance studies at The Brookings Institution, makes a point during the "How Will They Govern?" program at the Storer Auditorium yesterday. Looking on is Tom Fiedler (left), executive editor of The Miami Herald, and John Dickenson of Time magazine.

Norman J Ornstein (right), resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research and director of the Transition to Governing Project speaks during the "How Will They Govern?" program on September 29, 2004.

UM President Donna E. Shalala addresses the audience at the Latino Vote: A Gameplan for Victory event held at UM's Storer Auditorium. Sitting from left to right are panelists Raul Yzaguirre, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza; Joe Garcia, senior advisor and Florida director of the New Democrat Network; Florida House of Representative David Rivera (R-District 112); and Univision Network anchor Jorge Ramos, who served as moderator of the panel. The panelists discussed the role of the Latino and Hispanic vote in the 2004 presidential election and beyond.

Joe Garcia, senior advisor and Florida director of the New Democrat Network, listens to fellow panelists at the Latino Vote: A Gameplan for Victory event.

Smackdown Your Vote, held at UM's Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, featured World Wrestling Entertainment wrestlers and UM students in a forum on critical issues facing Americans under 30 and solutions proposed by the presidential candidtes.

In the Democrats' corner, UM student Tiffany Yelder, left, and wrestler Mick Foley face the Republican corner of wrestler John "Bradshaw" Layfield and UM student Alex Acosta at Smackdown Your Vote.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader discussed his campaign platform at an appearance on September 28, 2004 at the Bill Cosford Cinema on the Coral Gables campus.

Independent candidate Ralph Nader urged students to get involved in civic affairs and attacked corporate influence on politics.

David Steinberg, director of debate at UM, introduces the teams before the start of the UM versus British Debate All Stars on September 27, 2004. Seated on the left is the UM team, Jodie Barkin (left) and H. Sklar Zwick, and on the right is the British team; Aneurin Brewer (right) and Robert Marrs.

Aneurin Brewer of the British Universities U.S. Touring Team makes a point during the UM versus British Debate All Stars at Storer Auditorium. Seated on the left is the UM team, Jodie Barlin (left) and H. Sklar Zwick.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, center, capped off his three-day visit to the University of Miami with a private ceremony for the University community on September 22, 2004. Before his presention on A Human Approach to World Peace, he was presented an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Pictured above is Board of Trustee member Dean C. Colson (left) and President Shalala.

Before his presentation in front of a packed UM Convocation Center, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama got into the UM spirit as he met backstage with University officials and guests.

Current and former White House photographers share their insights on photographing America's chief executives during a White House Photographers Panel at UM's Cosford Cinema. From left are Marc Pachter, director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery; Christopher Morris, current White House photographer for Time magazine; Diana Walker, former White House photographer for Time who covered Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton; and Sharon Farmer, White House photographer for the Clinton administration. The panel discussion was presented as part of the Paul Peck Presidential Series organized by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the School of Communication, and the Council for Democracy.

With samples of her work being displayed on the Cosford Cinema's giant screen, Sharon Farmer, White House photographer for the Clinton administration, describes how she got her start in photography and what it is like to photograph important political figures. Currently, Farmer is a photographer for the John Kerry campaign.

Elise K. Kirk, a musicologist widely recognized for her research in the fields of the performing arts and American cultural history, discussed the important political, social, and cultural influences that have shaped American opera into one of the nation' s most vital and exciting art forms at the Clarke Recital Hall on September 20, 2004.

UM students give out information during the UM Mock Elections at the Whitten University Center on September 21, 2004. The election was sponsored by the Council for Democracy, the UM College Republicans, and the UM Young Democrats.

A UM student casts his vote for president during the UM Mock Elections at the Whitten University Center on September 21, 2004. The election was sponsored by the Council for Democracy, the UM College Republicans, and the UM Young Democrats.

From left to right, U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Jack Watson, Jr., White House chief of staff for President Jimmy Carter, William Fox, director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Treasury, and Ambassador Thomas Pickering, former U.S. under secretary of state, discuss the issue of terrorism and the role it is playing in the upcoming presidential election.

The School of Communication's Bill Cosford Cinema hosted the panel on September 16, 2004. It was organized by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s Paul Peck Presidential Initiative and co-sponsored by the UM student organization Council for Democracy.

Chan Lowe (left), editorial cartoonist for the Sun-Sentinel, and Jim Morin, the Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist for The Miami Herald, addressed a standing-room only audience at the Lowe Museum on August 27, 2004.

The two lauded political cartoonists are featured in "It's Debatable: The Political Cartoon Art of Chan Lowe and Jim Morin," an exhibition focusing on the 2004 presidential election and issues of national concern, on display at the Lowe through October 1.

Mary Matalin, a Republican strategist who most recently served as an assistant to President George W. Bush and as counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney, discusses the reasons why she believes President Bush will win the November election.

James Carville, a Democratic strategist and former senior advisor to President Bill Clinton, talks with the local news media prior to taking the stage. The lecture was a presentation of the Jane S. Roberts Lecture Series.

The Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, in collaboration with its Ethics Coalition partners and the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County, hosted a mayoral forum solely devoted to the issues of ethics and accountability reform at Storer Auditorium. From left to right, Carlos Alvarez, Deliverance Charles Blue, Jose C. Cancela, Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, Maurice A. Ferré, Jay N. Love, Jimmy Morales, and Dave Slater, mayoral candidates for Miami-Dade County, participated in the forum. Kenneth Goodman, co-director of UM's Ethics Programs, served as moderator.

Kenneth Goodman (standing), co-director of UM's Ethics Programs and moderator of the forum, listens as mayoral candidate Dave Slater makes a point. Next to Slater is Jay N. Love (left) and Jimmy Morales.

From left to right: Greg Bush, series moderator, Maria Anderson, City of Coral Gables commissioner, Beth Dunlop, architecture writer for The Miami Herald, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk,dean of the School of Architecture, and George Burgess, Miami-Dade County manager, participate in the fourth CommunityForum. This forum examined how our community balances supply and demand with quality of life and environmental issues as population growth pushes development in Miami-Dade County south and west to the edge of the Everglades and real estate prices soar.

Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, right, dean of the School of Architecture, listens to Beth Dunlop, architecture writer for The Miami Herald, make a point during the forum on May 24, 2004.

Robert Rubin (right), secretary of the U.S. Treasury from 1995 to 1999 in the Clinton administration and current chairman of Citigroup's executive committee, was interviewed by Miami Herald Executive Editor Tom Fiedler in the Storer Auditorium on May 10, 2004.

After addressing topics from his book In An Uncertain World, former secretary of the U.S. Treasury Robert Rubin signed copies of his book for guests outside of the Storer Auditorium.

In a stirring lecture that moved many of the more than 3,000 graduates, faculty, staff, and visitors in attendance, author-poet Maya Angelou brought her distinctive style and grace to UM's Convocation Center on April 27, 2004 as the graduate convocation guest speaker for the class of 2004. Her lecture also was a part of the Presidential Debate Lecture Series.

Author-poet Maya Angelou held a private reception after her lecture for select members of the graduating class and other guests. Angelou, author of 12 best-selling books, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, holds a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

Senator John Kerry addresses the more than 3,000 students, faculty, and community members who came out for his rally on the Coral Gables campus.

Kerry, the probable Democratic party nominee, came to campus at the invitation of the College Democrats, a UM student organization. This was the first visit to UM by a presidential candidate this election year.

Ronald Takaki makes a point during his lecture at Storer Auditorium on April 14, 2004. Takaki's book and lecture, America in a Different Mirror: Re-Visioning Our History, challenges the conventional narrative of American history: that the United States was settled by European immigrants and that Americans are white or European in ancestry.

Ronald Takaki, professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, for more than thirty years and an internationally recognized scholar, signs a copy of his book for a member of the audience..

From left to right, Greg Bush, series moderator; Ken Goodman, co-director of UM's Ethics Program; Leoni Hermantin, from the Haitian American Foundation; Bill Teck, a local publisher; and Cheryl Little from the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Organization.

From left to right, James H. Wyche, vice provost and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Greg Bush, series moderator, and Cheryl Little of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Organization, speak before the start of the forum.

U.S. Representative Peter Deutsch of Florida's 20th District.

Congressman Deutsch discusses the critical issues facing Florida and the nation with UM students and employees.

Alex Penelas, mayor of Miami-Dade County, spoke at the Rathskeller to University students and employees.

The mayor spoke for about 20 minutes before opening the floor for questions.

Political consultant Ric Katz (right), makes a point to the audience as Robert Sechen, chief counsel of the Republican State Party, listens.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorensen (left) and Thomasina Williams, Esq.

Columnist and Columbia University professor of law Patricia J. Williams signs her books for guests.

Williams spoke to a packed Storer Auditorium as part of the President's Lecture Series.

Rennard Strickland, the Phillip H. Knight Professor at the University of Oregon School of Law, pioneered the introduction of Indian law into university curricula around the country. He has published more than 25 books on Indian law topics.

Chairman Billy Cypress of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, which is underwriting the University's production costs of the presidential debate, Rennard Strickland, and Dennis O. Lynch, dean of the School of Law.

From left to right: Merrett Stierheim, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools; series moderator Gregory Bush, UM professor and director of UM's Institute for Public History; and Tony Doris, a reporter with The Palm Beach Post, chat before the forum.

From left to right, panelists Walter Secada, Ph.D., from the School of Education; Merrett Stierheim, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Michael Putney, Channel 10 reporter and columnist forThe Miami Herald; and Tony Doris, reporter with The Palm Beach Post.

University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala is all smiles at the November 6, 2003 press conference, where it was announced that the University was selected to host the first Presidential Debate on September 30, 2004.

University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala answers questions from the news media following the announcement.