points of pride

points of pride

A selection of the many ways Hurricanes helped shape the world in 2019.

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Mission-Driven Research

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Researchers at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science received a $3 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to harvest healthy corals that will be transplanted into the 125 acres of the Florida Reef Tract that have been decimated by disease.

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The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities awarded the School of Nursing and Health Studies a $1.35 million renewal grant to continue educating a new generation of diverse health disparities scientists.

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The University established the Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing, the second interdisciplinary research center under the Frost Institutes, to catalyze data-driven research and enhance understanding in the field of data science. The institute is home to Triton, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the country.

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NASA and the National Space Grant Foundation have selected a team led by Victoria Coverstone, professor and chair of the College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, as one of just 11 national teams that will design systems and technologies to support deep-space exploration.

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Ramin Moghaddass, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering’s Department of Industrial Engineering, received a National Science Foundation grant that will expand research opportunities in data analytics and machine learning for undergraduate students.

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A collaborative study by researchers from the Miller School of Medicine and Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science linked algae blooms fouling Florida’s waterways to degenerative brain diseases in dolphins.

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Launched with a $2 million grant from the Simons Foundation, the University of Miami Institute of the Mathematical Sciences of the Americas kicked off its inaugural year by convening a global meeting

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Sensational Students

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The Frost Band of the Hour performed at Miami’s electronic Ultra Music Festival in 2019 and in the Pepsi Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium in 2020.

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More than 800 undergraduates participated in the Foote Fellows Honors Program, a by-invitation program offering learning opportunities such as school-based seminars, faculty-mentored research, networking activities, and off-campus internships.

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Three student media outlets received national accolades: UMTV’s SportsDesk received its first College Television Award from the Television Academy Foundation, and Ibis yearbook and Distraction magazine received awards from the Associated Collegiate Press Association.

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Three College of Arts and Sciences graduate students—Hunter Howell, Brianna Almeida, and Emmanuel Medrano—received prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.

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Nurse practitioner students from the School of Nursing and Health Studies deployed with the U.S. Army to Huehuetenango, Guatemala, to provide health care as part of the Army’s Beyond the Horizon 2019 humanitarian assistance program.

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Senior Shwetha Mudalegundi and junior Danielle Goldwert were selected from more than 5,000 applicants to receive the prestigious research-focused Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation award. 

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Senior Breana Ross was awarded the 2018 Global Citizen Award from IES Abroad for her dedicated work with students from high-need townships in South Africa.

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National Recognition

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Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, received the prestigious NCI designation from the National Cancer Institute. Sylvester is one of only two NCI-designated cancer centers in Florida and one of just 71 across the nation.

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U.S. News & World Report ranked both the Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs in the School of Nursing and Health Studies as No. 28 on its Best Graduate Schools 2020 list.

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Trumpeter John Daversa, associate professor and chair of studio music and jazz at the Frost School of Music, won three Grammy Awards in 2019 for his “American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom” album. Fellow faculty members Dafnis Prieto and Brian Lynch also earned Grammys, with Prieto winning in 2019 for Best Latin Jazz Album and Lynch winning in 2020 for Best Large Jazz Ensemble.

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The Miami Herald in 2019 named University of Miami President Julio Frenk and Professor of Practice Xavier Cortada among its top 50 influencers in Florida, and in 2020 named Rudy Fernandez, senior vice president for public affairs and communications and chief of staff to the president, and Hansel Tookes, Miller School assistant professor of medicine.

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Gisela Vega, director of the University’s LGBTQ Student Center, was awarded the 2019 Eddy McIntyre Community Service Award by the National LGBTQ Task Force.

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The Princeton Review ranked the University’s Student Health Service No. 8 in the nation on its list of Best Health Services on college campuses, based on a survey of 140,000 students from 385 colleges and universities nationwide.

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Patricia A. Whitely, vice president for student affairs, received the Fred Turner Award for Outstanding Service to NASPA, a national organization of student affairs administrators in higher education.

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NASPA presented its Outstanding Peer Education Group award to the William W. Sandler Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Education, recognizing the center’s impact and service to the community.

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The Florida Legislature allowed the Miller School of Medicine’s pilot needle-exchange program, which has reduced HIV and hepatitis infections throughout Miami-Dade County, to be a model for similar programs to be established throughout the state.

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The National Collegiate Athletic Association awarded the University of Miami a 2019 NCAA CHOICES Grant for its ’Canes Connected peer-education program. The program is a commitment from the Division of Student Affairs, Department of Athletics, and all Hurricanes to promote healthy lifestyles and to educate students about the negative consequences of high-risk use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

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The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge granted the University its Silver Seal Award, recognizing the student-led Get Out The Vote initiative and its registration of 1,051 students in the 2018 midterm elections.

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The University of Miami School of Law was selected among LLM Guide’s top 10 programs for media law and entertainment law around the world.

Leadership and Scholarship

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The business school was renamed the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School in honor of alumni Patti and Allan Herbert’s (pictured above) transformative $100 million in lifetime giving to the University.

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School of Law alumna Hilarie Bass, former co-president of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, was named chair of the University of Miami Board of Trustees.

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Anthony Eudelio Varona, an attorney and educator who specializes in administrative law, communications and media law, and sexuality and gender law, was named dean of the School of Law.

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Karen Wilkins, a leading scholar on global media, was named dean of the School of Communication.

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Leonidas G. Bachas, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was appointed interim director of the Frost Institutes for Science and Engineering and its first individual research enterprise, the Frost Institute of Chemistry and Molecular Science.

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José Cardoso da Silva, a professor in the Department of Geography and Regional Studies, received the 2019 American Ornithological Society Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award for his contributions to conservation, restoration, and preservation of bird ecosystems around the globe.

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The University added 14 new endowed faculty chairs, bringing the total to 49 and nearly reaching the halfway point toward its goal of attracting “100 talents” by 2025.

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Political science professor June Teufel Dreyer was elected president of the American Association for Chinese Studies, only the second woman in the association’s history to hold that post.

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Sociologist and law professor Alejandro Portes was awarded the 2019 Princess of Asturias Award in the Social Sciences, bestowed by the Spanish Crown, for his significant contributions to the study of international migration.

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Isaac Prilleltensky, vice provost for institutional culture and professor in the School of Education and Human Development, was recognized by the American Psychological Association with the Seymour B. Sarason Award for his contributions to the field of community psychology.

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Mihoko Suzuki, professor of English and Cooper Fellow in the Humanities, was awarded the Paul Oscar Kristeller Fellowship from the Renaissance Society of America to work on her next project at the Bodleian Library at Oxford.

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Internationally renowned conductor Gerard Schwarz and five-time Grammy-winning recording artist and 2019 NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider joined the Frost School of Music to lead, respectively, the Frost Symphony Orchestra and Henry Mancini Institute.

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Richard Weisskoff, professor and chair of international studies, received the George A. Fulton Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Economic and Demographic Analysis.

Environmental Responsibility

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To support emerging careers in sustainability, the University launched several new degree programs: the nation’s first Master of Science in Climate and Health, a two-year graduate program offered by the Miller School of Medicine and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science; a Master of Science in Sustainable Business in the Miami Herbert Business School; and a Master of Professional Science in Urban Sustainability and Resilience, offered jointly by the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Architecture.

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The University of Miami hosted the first Miami Climate Symposium, held over three days at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and on the Coral Gables campus, bringing together scientists and experts on extreme weather patterns that are linked to climate change.

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The University of Miami earned a STARS Gold rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

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The Miami Herbert Business School achieved LEED Gold Certification for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance from the U.S. Green Building Council for its environmental performance and sustainable operations.

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Athletic Achievements

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Senior Michelle Atherley won the NCAA title in the indoor pentathlon and was named the 2019 ACC Indoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, with five other Miami women joining her on the All-ACC Academic Team.

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Women’s tennis player Estela Perez-Somarriba won the NCAA Singles Championship and was named both ACC Player of the Year and ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

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Alicia Blagg and Briadam Herrera swept the ACC Women’s and Men’s Diver of the Year awards.

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Randy Ableman earned ACC Men’s and Women’s Diving Coach of the Year, while Amy Deem was named ACC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year.

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Paige Yaroshuk-Tews earned the 350th win in her 18-year career as women’s tennis head coach, and men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga earned his 650th college coaching win.

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Redshirt senior Beatrice Mompremier was named ACC Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year, the second Hurricane in program history to receive the honor.

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Football defensive end Greg Rousseau was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

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Powerful Partnerships

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In response to Hurricane Dorian, a cadre of faculty from the Miller School of Medicine began working with officials in the Bahamas to provide health care assistance. In addition, graduate business students began working with entrepreneurs in affected areas to help revitalize their businesses.

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Building on its goal to be the hemispheric university, the University of Miami opened a regional office in Mexico City to facilitate educational exchange, enhance research efforts, and convene and collaborate with top academic and health institutions throughout Mexico and Central America.

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The University of Miami signed an agreement with AT&T to bring 5G and Multi-access Edge Computing technology to the Coral Gables campus, making it one of the first campuses in the country preparing to offer the technology.

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For the ninth year in a row, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami teamed up with the Miami Dolphins in 2019 for the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, raising more than $5.2 million to fight cancer.

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Launched by the University of Miami in 2018, the Hemispheric University Consortium expanded its membership in 2019 to include 14 universities from throughout the Americas and the Caribbean working to bolster collaborative research in five areas: climate change, public health, entrepreneurship, conflict, and technology.

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The University joined the Puentes Consortium, a binational group of universities in the U.S. and Mexico that support multidisciplinary research by providing resources for visiting scholars, offering grant writing assistance, and convening large-scale conferences.

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