President Donna E. Shalala

Achieving the Promise of Greatness

The University of Miami is on the fast track, accelerating progress throughout the institution.

Excellence in the classroom, pioneering research in laboratories, and service in the community—as well as our championship feats in athletics and the achievements of alumni—extend the boundaries of new knowledge, enhance quality of life, and drive our advancement as a major research university. The exceptional contributions of our talented and energetic students, world-class faculty, administrators, and friends, are both a source and reflection of substantial influence, inspiration, and greatness.

There has never been a more dynamic period at the University of Miami as we take steps to achieve lofty goals—and our efforts are paying off. Key measures of quality are rising to record levels. There were nearly 20,000 applications for 2,000 slots in the fall 2007 freshman class. The mean SAT scores and high school GPAs for entering freshmen were the highest ever. Sponsored research expenditures for fiscal year 2007 reached a record of more than $274 million. The University continues to rise in U.S. News & World Report’s prestigious “Best Colleges” rankings, moving to No. 52 this year, up from No. 54 last year. This continues the steady upward trend that reflects the University’s accelerating progress—it has moved up 14 spots from five years ago. UM also is ranked No. 46 in the National Universities: Best Values category. No other Florida institutions were ranked in this category.

The UM community is working together to create a university where education is second to none, groundbreaking research flourishes, and patient care eases pain and suffering. The support of our alumni and friends makes this possible.

The remarkable success of Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami has fueled a sweeping transformation throughout our institution. The campaign came to a close at the end of 2007, having raised $1.4 billion from more than 131,000 donors. The greatest fundraising initiative in the University’s history, Momentum has been the catalyst of one of our most dynamic periods. Everywhere you look the University is being reinvigorated—thanks to this investment in our students, faculty, programs, and facilities—and we are taking advantage of this momentum to further accelerate our progress.

Donna E. Shalala
President