The pursuit of new knowledge is the very essence of the university. Indeed, the search for knowledge, perhaps the most fundamental endeavor that distinguishes the human species, is a driving force in higher education. And here at the University of Miami, inquiry and discovery are embraced and rigorously pursued every single day. This is abundantly apparent in our comprehensive research programs, which generate crucial new findings—ranging from basic scientific breakthroughs and medical clinical innovations to discoveries that deepen our understanding of history and humanity—to improve the human condition. In FY 2008 sponsored research expenditures in support of these projects reached a record of more than $325 million, up more than 18 percent from the previous year. The spirit of inquiry, which springs from our passion to build a better world, epitomizes the University. Not only is it found in our laboratories, libraries, and field sites around the world where we pursue leading-edge research—it is an active presence in our classrooms, throughout the curricula, and in countless other activities. The qualities found in research and critical analysis, which complement and enhance teaching, are instilled in our students.
In this report, we present a sampling of the remarkable breadth and depth of our research enterprise, which exemplifies excellence in the pursuit of vital opportunities. This approach characterizes one of the University’s most extraordinary and exciting ventures, which came to a resounding close last year.
The incredible success of Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami, which concluded at the end of 2007 after raising $1.4 billion in less than seven years, has fueled a sweeping transformation throughout our institution. The greatest fundraising initiative in our history, Momentum has redefined where UM stands in the landscape of American higher education. We are grateful for the magnificent support and trust of our friends and champions, most notably the University’s Board of Trustees, for making this possible. Momentum has been the catalyst of one of our most dynamic periods—and we are taking advantage of this momentum to further accelerate our progress.
THE SPIRIT OF INQUIRY, WHICH SPRINGS FROM OUR PASSION TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD, EPITOMIZES THE UNIVERSITY.
The next stage of our evolution is being guided by the University’s new strategic plan, which will propel us into the highest echelon of the nation’s private research universities. Developed by Executive Vice President and Provost Thomas J. LeBlanc and approved by the Board of Trustees in May, the sweeping initiative emphasizes recruiting and sustaining world-class research faculty, improving and expanding doctoral degree programs, enhancing the undergraduate experience, and augmenting the University’s infrastructure. This blueprint, which has received broad faculty support, calls for attaining the characteristics of peer institutions that are members of the highly prestigious Association of American Universities. Progress will be measured by improvements in SAT scores of incoming freshmen, the number of faculty in national academies, doctoral degrees awarded, the size of the endowment, and rankings for federal research grants. Attainment of these goals will require an estimated $2.75 billion investment, almost $2 billion of which will be in facilities such as new on-campus housing, classrooms, laboratories, and library space.
The plan’s aim to advance our outstanding medical research hinges on the growth of the clinical operation—and we have already achieved one of the major goals thanks to a landmark step. Last December a new era began for the University and the Miller School of—Medicine with the opening of University of Miami Hospital, the first full-service hospital owned and operated by the University. The purchase of the 560-bed, all private-room facility, the former Cedars Medical Center, located just across Northwest 12th Avenue from the medical campus, exemplifies UM’s commitment to bring more university-based health care to Floridians and international patients. UM Hospital also serves as the cornerstone of the new University of Miami Health System—UHealth—which brings together our two specialty University hospitals—Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center—three major affiliated institutions, and more than two dozen outpatient facilities. We will continue and strengthen our more than half-century affiliation with Jackson Memorial Hospital, where UM attending physicians deliver superb care, by expanding existing programs. Our faculty physicians and the doctors they train have more than one million patient encounters every year in primary care and in 30 medical specialties throughout University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
The strategic plan’s ambitious goals will be accomplished by our dedicated faculty and staff under the guidance of a cadre of exceptional leaders. Over the past year we welcomed and promoted some of the finest officials in higher education. Internationally renowned researcher James M. Tien, the Yamada Corporation Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and founding chair of its Department of Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems, joined us as the new dean of the College of Engineering. Sergio M. Gonzalez, who joined UM in 2001 as vice president of University Advancement and led the Momentum campaign, is now senior vice president of University Advancement and External Affairs. To reenergize our quest to have the nation’s top athletic program, we recruited Kirby Hocutt as our new director of athletics; he previously served as athletic director at Ohio University and associate athletics director at the University of Oklahoma. We are excited about the new chapter that began this season for our storied football program with its move to Dolphin Stadium, one of the nation’s finest sports facilities.
The accomplishments of our bright and talented students are another key factor of the strategic plan—and their quality continues to rise to new heights. We had 21,750 applicants for 2,000 slots in the fall 2008 freshman class. The mean SAT score for entering freshmen was 1280, up from 1183 in 2000, and 70 percent of these students ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class. And our ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” is still climbing—we are No. 51, up from No. 52 last year, and up 15 spots from six years ago.
As the excellence and stature of the University grows, we are bringing new facilities online to meet demands. In May on the Coral Gables campus we opened the Myrna and Sheldon Palley Pavilion for Contemporary Glass and Studio Arts at the Lowe Art Museum, which is named for the UM alumni and longtime benefactors who donated their glass collection to their alma mater, along with gifts to support construction and fund an endowment. The long-awaited dream of a home away from home for the University’s 150,000 alumni moved a step closer to reality with last January’s groundbreaking for the new Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center, a 65,000-square-foot facility on the Coral Gables campus that will celebrate the achievements of graduates and welcome them whenever they return. Made possible by a lead gift from the Newmans, the center is designed by Boston-based architect and MIT professor Michael Dennis. Construction is under way on a 30,000-square-foot multipurpose and practice facility that will be an addition to the BankUnited Center and will be a great asset for the development of our intercol-legiate basketball programs.
THE UNIVERSITY’S REMARKABLE GROWTH
IS INTRINSICALLY LINKED TO SOUTH FLORIDA’S DEVELOPMENT.
At the Miller School, next year we will open the Biomedical Research Building, a nine-story, 188,000-square-foot structure that will primarily be a wet lab facility. This will be the first UM building to be registered for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the United States Green Building Council. Plans are moving forward on the visionary UM Life Science Park—a collaborative hub of academia and industry for bioscience research and innovation. With two million square feet of space on approximately seven acres adjacent to the Miller School, the facility will further spur our research and South Florida’s emergence as a world-class bioscience R & D center.
Mamco—the Miami Asset Management Company, our wholly owned affiliate that manages off-campus real estate—is developing the Life Science Park as well as South Campus Village, an innovative planned community that will include up to 1,200 mixed-use residential units.
The University’s remarkable growth is intrinsically linked to South Florida’s development. The 80 years of synergy between UM and the community is especially evident in the economic impact our institution has on Miami-Dade County. The University of Miami is now the largest private employer in Miami-Dade County, with a total economic impact of $4.5 billion. Our total employment impact, as a result of operations, capital expenditures, and spending by students and visitors, adds up to approximately 42,000 jobs. Our economic impact has grown considerably with the addition of UM Hospital.
Beyond its enormous economic impact, the University of Miami enriches the quality of life in South Florida in areas encompassing everything from community revitalization to the arts and athletics. As a leading community partner, the University supports other organizations that strengthen the social fabric. UM employees, for example, raised an impressive $1.13 million for the United Way of Miami-Dade in 2007-08, making it the largest such campaign in the University’s history.
This past summer we extended the University’s reach in the hemisphere through a historic mission to Latin America to promote new strategic partnerships with educational, business, government, and social service organizations in the region. Visits to São Paulo, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, provided opportunities for deans from the School of Business Administration, the School of Education, and the College of Engineering to strengthen relationships with their colleagues at institutions of higher learning in these cities. UM’s Center for Hemispheric Policy launched its new Latin American Cities Initiative on the trip, conducting forums in São Paulo and Buenos Aires. The University of Miami Alumni Association also organized events with alumni in the area.
Throughout the past year, with our country in the midst of one of the most pivotal presidential elections in recent history, the University has been a leader in promoting dialogue on key issues and informing voters. We hosted two forums with the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates—the first of their kind ever directed to the Hispanic electorate and broadcast in Spanish—which were televised nationwide on the Univision network. This fall we have presented A Dialogue for Democracy, a dynamic lineup of lectures featuring major national speakers as well as other events focused on the campaign and the challenges that will face the next president.
As the University of Miami embarks on an exciting new era, we are aware of our responsibilities and will assertively explore and maximize every opportunity to become the very best. By strengthening our distinction as a leader in extraordinary learning, leading-edge research, and superb clinical care, we will be empowered to develop more of the effective solutions that are urgently needed to solve the world’s critical challenges.
Donna E. Shalala
President
