For the fourth year in a row the University of Miami has ranked in the top 50 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges issue. In the 2012 report, UM is ranked No. 44 out of 281 institutions nationwide and is the No. 1 school in Florida.
U.S.News & World Report listed several UM graduate programs in its 2012 America’s Best Graduate Schools edition, including: the Miller School of Medicine, No. 45 in research; the School of Law’s graduate program in tax law, No. 5; and several health-related graduate programs, including physical therapy (No. 7) and clinical psychology (No. 25).
The Miller School of Medicine’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute was rated the nation’s No. 1 ophthalmology program for the ninth consecutive year in U.S. News’s annual Best Hospitals rankings.
Princeton Review ranked UM No. 8 for Race/Class interaction and named UM a Best Southeastern College in 2012.
The School of Business Administration received high marks in 2012 from multiple sources, including HispanicBusiness magazine, which ranked the school No. 8 in the country, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek, which placed four undergraduate programs on its top 10 in the country—business law, marketing, international business, and quantitative methods. U.S.News ranked the school’s undergraduate international business program No. 25 in the country.
The University of Miami is ranked No. 193 of 400 top world universities by the Times Higher Education, which bases its World University Rankings on teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook.
DesignIntelligence ranked the School of Architecture among the top 20 undergraduate architecture programs in the country.
The University is ranked No. 18 on the Top 100 Social Media Colleges list from StudentAdvisor.com, which tracks how schools engage audiences through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, and other social media.
On Hispanic Outlook’s Top 100 Colleges for Hispanics list, the University placed No. 6 for doctoral degrees, No. 30 for master’s degrees, and No. 46 for bachelor’s degrees awarded.
A strong commitment to sustainability earned the University a spot in the third annual edition of “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition," produced in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council.
The average SAT score of the incoming freshman class was 1325 (the highest in the institution’s history).
Our student selectivity ranking reached an all-time high of 39, up from 42 in 2011.
About half of new freshmen graduated in the top 5% of their high school class, and more than two-thirds graduated in the top 10%.
The Momentum2 campaign was unveiled publicly in February 2012, launched with a $100 million lead gift from the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation to advance new therapies at the Miller School’s Diabetes Research Institute.
Momentum2 campaign priorities include expanding scholarships for a diverse array of dedicated students, enhancements to campus life, strengthening research and faculty development, and building a biomedical research powerhouse.
Worth magazine, in collaboration with nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator, has ranked UM as the nation’s No. 1 fiscally responsible nonprofit organization. UM has received 12 consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator.
One of the largest employers in the county, the University has an economic impact of $6.1 billion on the tri-county region (Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach), which includes creation of more than 43,000 jobs. In Miami-Dade County alone the total impact is $5.62 billion, an increase of more than 24 percent since 2007.
Five Hurricanes teams—baseball, football, men’s diving, women’s cross country, and women’s golf—received Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA for being among the top 10 percent in Academic Progress Rates. Thirteen of UM’s 18 programs beat the national average in their sport.
University of Miami student-athletes set a new school record this year with a 93 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR), beating last year’s record best by four points. UM Athletics is ranked fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference for GSR.
Amy Deem, head coach for the UM women’s track and field team, served as the head women’s track and field coach for Team USA at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. One of the athletes on her Olympic team was former University of Miami All-American Lauryn Williams, B.B.A. ’05, who won a gold medal in London as a sprinter on the six-member team that won the women’s 4x100-meter relay.
Head UM diving coach Randy Ableman, a nine-time NCAA Diving Coach of the Year, traveled to the 2012 Olympics in London as an assistant coach of the U.S. Diving Team, which included UM alumna Brittany Viola, B.S.C. ’11.
Bob Gailey, B.S.Ed. ’82, M.S.Ed. ’85, professor in the Miller School’s Department of Physical Therapy, was part of the team that fitted double amputee Oscar Pistorius with the custom-built running blades he used to win gold in the Paralympic Games.
Women’s basketball head coach Katie Meier, the 2011 Associated Press Coach of the Year and ACC Coach of the Year, led the USA Basketball Women’s U18 Team to a gold medal in the FIBA Americas Championship, beating Brazil 71-47 in Puerto Rico.
UM’s women’s team advanced to the quarterfinals in the ACC Championships in 2012.
Investigators throughout the University received $353 million in sponsored grants and contracts during FY 2012, a 56 percent increase over the past decade.
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis received FDA approval to start Phase 1 clinical trials to transplant human Schwann cells as a treatment for patients with recent spinal cord injuries.
The Miller School of Medicine climbed from No. 51 to No. 39 in National Institutes of Health funding over a five-year period, representing an increase from $72 million in 2006 to $112 million in 2011. NIH funding in 2012 topped $129 million, solidifying the Miller School’s position as the top NIH-funded medical school in the state.
In May the National Institutes of Health designated the Miller School of Medicine one of only 21 Centers for AIDS Research in the nation. The center has partnered with Clear Health Alliance and former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson to improve access to care for HIV-positive people in Miami’s urban neighborhoods.
The Miller School of Medicine announced the creation of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute (BioNIUM), supported by a $7.5 million gift from the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation. The institute will link investigators from the Miller School, College of Engineering, and College of Arts and Sciences who work with materials less than one-millionth of a millimeter in size to diagnose and treat various diseases.
El Centro—the Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research at the School of Nursing and Health Studies received a second $7 million NIH grant to continue addressing health and social problems that disproportionately affect minorities.
David Kadko, professor and chair of marine and atmospheric chemistry at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, was selected to lead a multinational team of researchers in the U.S. Arctic Geotraces initiative, a first-of-its-kind study on the effects of global climate change on the Arctic Ocean region.
This summer, as part of the Grand Lagrangian Deployment (GLAD) Experiment, a team of scientists led by Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Professors Brian Haus and Tamay Özgökmen released more than 300 custom-made buoys into the Gulf of Mexico from aboard the University’s 96-foot catamaran, the R/V F.G. Walton Smith. The buoys will help track surface ocean currents that transport pollutants similar to those released during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
In October, the University was awarded a $20 million NIH grant to establish the Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute, one of 60 elite institutes across the nation charged with accelerating the translation of biomedical discoveries into new therapies for a diverse population of patients.
David I. Watkins, Miller School of Medicine professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Pathology, and his team discovered how some people infected with HIV fight off AIDS without taking antiretroviral drugs. Watkins also was awarded a $9.9 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop an HIV vaccine using the yellow fever vaccine.
College of Engineering Professor Ge-Chen Zha, along with collaborators from Florida State University, was awarded a prestigious $100,000 Innovative Advanced Concepts grant from NASA to design a supersonic, bi-directional flying wing capable of whisking passengers to destinations in record time—and without a sonic boom.
President Barack Obama was a frequent visitor to campus this year, beginning in February with a tour of the College of Engineering and a talk on the importance of an energy-efficient America. He returned in September for a Univision-sponsored forum, in which presidential candidate Mitt Romney participated one day prior. Both Obama and Romney held rallies at the BankUnited Center in October.
On a Presidents’ Day they’ll never forget, students in UM President Donna E. Shalala’s U.S. Health Care Crisis class enjoyed a special guest lecture from former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Egyptian ambassador to the U.S. Sameh Shoukry delivered a lecture in February titled “Egypt’s Democracy and the Arab Spring.”
The University’s School of Business Administration and School of Architecture teamed up in February to present a first-of-its-kind Real Estate Impact, which explored the reshaping of urban spaces through global capital and ingenuity.
The Department of Theatre Arts and The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County partnered again to present a new rock musical, GIRLS VS.BOYS, a captivating, dramatic story about the struggles of teen life set to a rocking, soul-bearing score. The show ran from November 1 to 18.
The School of Nursing and Health Studies hosted the XIII Pan American Nursing Research Colloquium in September. The school’s selection as host was especially prestigious because it was the first time the biennial gathering was held in the United States.
UM's Center for Latin American Studies marked a successful beginning to its Asia and Latin America in the 21st Century initiative in April by hosting more than 200 participants at its first annual Miami's Asia Summit.
The University of Miami launched Taking Flight: the Year of the Humanities and the Arts, a yearlong celebration of scholarship, research, community engagement, and creative expression in the humanities and the arts. Taking Flight’s multidisciplinary calendar of events includes music, theater, cinema, art exhibits, seminars, and much more—all open to the public.
A record seven students from four UM schools and colleges received Fulbright scholarships to conduct research and teach in South Korea, Malaysia, Turkey, Russia, Italy, and Germany.
To encourage community involvement among students, the University this year launched the Office of Civic and Community Engagement, directed by Robin Bachin, the Charlton W. Tebeau Associate Professor of History and UM’s assistant provost for civic and community engagement. The office serves as a clearinghouse for service-learning opportunities, University-community partnerships, and nearly 150 courses with a community component.
M. Brian Blake, a computer scientist, software engineer, and experienced administrator, joined UM from the University of Notre Dame in May 2012 as vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School.
The American Psychological Association bestowed five awards to four faculty members in the School of Education’s Department of Educational and Psychological Studies: Assistant Professor Scot Evans, Associate Professor and Chair Marie Guerda Nicolas, Associate Dean for Research Etiony Aldarondo, and Dean Isaac Prilleltensky.
Lynn “Nick” Shay, professor of meteorology and physical oceanography and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, received the NASA Achievement Award for his efforts in studying hurricane formation and intensification.
School of Communication professor and award-winning filmmaker Sanjeev Chatterjee received a Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholar Award to teach multimedia storytelling to raise awareness about a critical environmental issue in Kolkata, India.
Charles S. Carver, distinguished professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, received the Jack Block award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in recognition of his research accomplishments over the past 30 years, which have shaped modern personality psychology.
Jennifer Langer-Osuna, a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the School of Education and Human Development, has been named a 2012-2013 National Academy of Education Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, awarded annually to 20 early-career scholars working in critical areas of education research.
The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science broke ground in June on the Marine Technology and Life Sciences Seawater Complex, a $47 million facility on Virginia Key that will enable scientists perform cutting-edge research on climate, marine animals, and the relationship between the oceans and human health. The complex will feature a giant tank capable of simulating Category 5 hurricane storm surges.
The University broke ground in April on a 37,700-square-foot neuroscience building adjacent to the Cox Science Center that will create an interactive hub for interdisciplinary health research based on neurological imaging. Slated for completion in 2013, the facility will house a cooperative group of research personnel from the psychology and biology departments, as well as other UM departments and the Miller School of Medicine.
Construction of the University of Miami’s new Student Activities Center reached a milestone in May with completion of its major framework. The Student Activities Center, scheduled for completion in 2013, will include gathering places, programming space, a student organizations suite, retail outlets, and a new Rathskeller. It is being made possible by the $20 million lead gift from Tracey and Bruce Berkowitz of the Fairholme Foundation, as well as a student referendum imposing a student fee specifically for the center’s construction.
