m2u newsletter
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The Spring 2013 M2U newsletter highlights initiatives and achievements of the historic Momentum2 campaign and its dramatic beneficial impact on the U.TRANSCRIPT
Campa ign at traC t s more than $1 B i L L ion in donat ions
Breakthrough MilestoneJust ten months after its official launch in February 2012, the University of Miami’s Momentum2 campaign hit the $1 billion mark, putting the University on the fast track to reach the campaign’s fundraising goal of $1.6 billion in 2016.
The University’s success fuels a cycle of prosperity and progress that fosters benefits throughout South Florida and beyond. In addition to yielding academic excellence and influential research breakthroughs, UM’s education, research, and clinical care activities generate a total annual impact of some $6.1 billion on the tri-county (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) region.
News from Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami spring 2013
“ Our donors have made a choice to invest in the next great American university.” - president donna e. shalala
Collaborating on a CureDiabetes, a devastating disease that affects some 25 million Americans, is a scientific puzzle. Solving that puzzle is what drives the dedicated investiga-tors, collaborative teams, and pioneering initiatives of UM’s Diabetes Research
Institute (DRI).This Miller School of
Medicine Center of Excellence is the nation’s most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, and the nonprofit Diabetes Research Institute
Foundation has provided vital financial support for this quest. With its $100 million Momentum2 lead gift, the foundation’s total giving to the DRI reached $225 million, making it the single largest donor in the University’s history.
th e s tory thus Far
Thanks to the generous support of donors like you, the Momentum2 campaign is already making a dramatic beneficial impact on the U.
$1.1 billion in donations / 111,975 donors /
139 donations of $1 million or more / 38
endowed scholarships to help attract star students /
18 endowed chairs and professorships to support
recruitment of outstanding research faculty / 16 new
and renovated facilities to advance sophisticated
research and enhance the campus experience
Bu i Ld ing MoMentuM :
Leadership Givingdiabetes research institute foundationThis $100 million lead gift supports cure-focused research at the Miller School of Medicine’s Diabetes Research Institute.
the Buoniconti fund to Cure paralysisThe fund’s generous gift of $60 million includes a newly announced increased commitment of an additional $20 million to support cutting-edge research at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
norton herrickThis gift of more than 3,500 rare films and television programs to the School of Communication is valued at $32 million.
the pap Corps: Champions for Cancer researchThis $25 million gift supports cutting-edge research at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
the fairholme foundationA $20 million gift for construction of the University’s magnificent new Student Activities Center was complemented by $4.8 million in additional campaign giving.
hussman foundationThis $20 million naming gift to the Miller School of Medicine’s Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, along with $3.2 million in additional support, fosters state-of-the-art research in conditions such as autism and Alzheimer’s. Directed by Margaret A. Pericak-Vance, Ph.D., the institute has spearheaded influential discoveries such as the recent identification of a new gene associated with Alzheimer’s disease in African-Americans.
dr. nasser ibrahim al-rashidA $10 million gift from this prominent businessman and philanthropist estab-lished the Dr. Nasser Ibrahim Al-Rashid Orbital Vision Research Center at the Miller School of Medicine’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Dr. Al-Rashid made additional Momentum2 gifts totaling $5.1 million to the Miller School.
the starr foundationA generous $10 million gift, along with $300,000 in additional Momentum2 support, will speed the pipeline from discoveries to therapies for an array of medical diseases and conditions at the Miller School of Medicine’s Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, led by Joshua Hare, M.D.
the dr. John t. macdonald foundationA leadership gift of $7.5 million from this loyal supporter of the University establishes UM’s collaborative Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute, along with an additional $5.2 million in Momentum2 support.
President Shalala at the campaign launch gala
For the 12th year in a row, the University of Miami
has achieved Charity Navigator’s four-star rating
for sound fiscal management and commitment to
accountability and transparency—the highest score
from one of the nation’s premier charity evaluators
and a feat matched by fewer than 1 percent of the
nation’s charities.
Char i ty nav igator Four - s tar rat ing
Star Quality
d iaBe t e s r e s earCh ins t i tu t e
Camillo Ricordi, M.D.,
DRI scientific director
The Shape of Things to Come Visionary campaign gifts are transforming our campuses, enhancing the UM student experience, and building distinctive resources for cutting-edge research and scholarship.
The New Heart of Student Life
A Superb Home for Student-AthletesWith new athletic director Blake James at the helm and coach Jim Larrañaga winning several national coaching awards and leading the men’s basketball team to the Sweet 16 this spring, these are exciting times for University Athletics. Thanks to a major gift directed by Ted and Todd Schwartz from the Schwartz Family Foundation, UM’s new 34,000-square-foot Theodore G. Schwartz and Todd G. Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence (right) will enhance the experience and support the pursuits of more than 400 student-athletes. As part of the Hecht Athletic Center, the Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence will feature a premier academic center; a 3,500-square-foot players’ lounge; one of the finest locker rooms in college athletics; and the Gallery of Champions, a sports museum dedicated to the legacy of Hurricane Athletics. The Hecht Athletic Center will feature a renovated and expanded 10,000-square-foot athletic training center with the latest in sports medicine technology. This project has also received generous gifts from many proud supporters of Hurricane Athletics.
Fostering Judaic StudiesUniversity Trustee George Feldenkreis
recently made a $1 million gift to the
UM Sue and Leonard Miller Center for
Contemporary Judaic Studies and the
George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic
Studies, a non-theological, interdisci-
plinary undergraduate program in
the College of Arts and Sciences. This
significant contribution builds on
Feldenkreis’s previous $2 million gift.
To provide an appealing campus environ-
ment for students to come together, the
University’s Hillel Chapter recently raised
$1.25 million toward a modern $4 million
facility. The Hillel House renovation project
welcomes gifts from prospective naming
donors and others who support its mission. Treasure Troves The University’s role as a leading historical
and cultural resource for the entire region is
highlighted in two of its most recognizable and
widely used assets: The Lowe Art Museum and
the UM Libraries’ flagship Otto G. Richter
Library.
Beaux Arts, the volunteer group dedicated to
providing support to the University of Miami’s
Lowe Art Museum, made a $1.7 million pledge
to the campaign. During its shared history of
more than 60 years, Beaux Arts has contributed
more than $5.3 million to the Lowe, providing
vital support for its educational programs
(above), exhibitions, acquisitions, and physical
improvements.
The Otto G. Richter Library, which recently
celebrated its half-century mark, has grown
into one of the region’s largest scholarly
repositories. Its renowned Cuban Heritage
Collection has received generous philanthropic
support from the Goizueta Foundation. The
library is now also home to the Cuban Theater
Digital Archive, which this year received grants
from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the
Knight Foundation. Distinctive physical
holdings continue to expand as well, thanks to
gifts of unique collections such as the Orange
Bowl Committee Archives.
A new home for UM’s burgeoning student activities has been a long-held, carefully planned, and “shovel-ready” University goal; all that was missing were the funds to make it happen. Now thanks to a $20 million gift from the Fairholme Foundation, the dazzling 119,000-square-foot Student Activities Center (left) is quickly taking shape on the shores of Lake Osceola. Additional funding for the project has come
from other donors and a student fee approved by students and their families.
In addition to gathering places, programming space, a student organiza-tions suite, and offices for the graduate student and Miami Law student organiza-tions, the building will house the William R. Butler Center for Volunteer Service and Leadership Development, retail outlets, a new Rathskeller, and student news media.
Supercharging Student SuccessThe rich learning experiences offered at the University of Miami are complemented by robust resources that help students and graduates prepare for successful futures. Provided by UM’s Patricia and Harold Toppel
Career Center, these services will soon be housed in a new state-of-the-art building on the Coral Gables campus, thanks to a recent gift from UM alumna and trustee Patricia Toppel, B.Ed.’58, M.Ed.’59.
The original Toppel Career Center, located at the site of the former student bowling alley in the student union, was dedicated in 1995 in recognition of Patricia and her late husband Harold Toppel’s generous support. The expanded Toppel Career Center (above) will double the center’s size and provide greatly enhanced career-related programming, technologies, and other resources for students and alumni, whether they’re on campus, across the country, or abroad.
Two if by SeaA magnificent $5 million gift made by Alfred C. Glassell, III, through the Glassell Family Foundation in honor of late Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science benefactor, businessman, and avid fisherman Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., will name the SUSTAIN (Surge-Structure-Atmosphere-Interaction) research facility at the school’s new state-of-the-art Marine Technology and Life Sciences Seawater Complex, scheduled to open in late 2013. The Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. SUSTAIN Building and Laboratory will be home to a unique wind-wave-storm surge simulator capable of generating Category 5 hurricane force winds in a three-dimensional test environment that includes a 28,000-gallon tank. Such studies, led by investigators including Rosenstiel School marine physicist Brian Haus (below), will ultimately help improve weather forecasting and guide construction of safer coastal structures.
“My father had a great enjoyment and love of the Gulf Coast and the South Florida area,” says Alfred C. Glassell, III, “and this building and the work conducted there will benefit the entire region.”
The adjoining Marine Life Sciences Building will provide a dedicated space for maintaining and studying living marine animals and ecosystems. Initial funding for the complex was obtained through a $15 million grant from the National Institute for Standards and Technology.
Powering Health Care ForwardAdvances against serious injuries and illness at the Miller School of Medicine and across the University promise to improve the health and extend the lives of millions.
The New Heart of Student Life
Turning the Corner against Cancer The University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of the world’s preeminent centers for cancer research and care, has recently added critical mass to the fight against cancer. Director Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., who joined UM from New York’s renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center last May, is a
pioneering expert in leukemia and stem cell transplants.The Pap Corps: Champions for Cancer Research has supported cancer research
with annual gifts to UM totaling more than $50 million over more than 60 years. The tri-county grassroots group—the largest such organization in the country—pledged $25 million for Momentum2.
Also helping turn the corner against cancer were the more than 2,000 riders (including Sylvester physician J. David Pitcher Jr., M.D., and patient Lazaro Cordero, above) who took part in the Dolphins Cycling Challenge’s third annual tri-county ride in November—and raised some $2.2 million for leading-edge cancer research at the University.
Tiny Scale, Huge Impact: Propelled by a transformative naming gift, the University of Miami’s collaborative Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute (BioNIUM) is poised to become an international leader in this influential discipline. Led by Richard J. Cote, M.D. (above), professor and Joseph R. Coulter Jr. Endowed Chair of the Department of Pathology, the institute links investigators from the Miller School of Medicine with colleagues from UM’s College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering to develop biomedical devices and materials of less than one-millionth of a millimeter in size to diagnose and treat serious diseases. The gift brings the total support the foundation has provided to innovative clinical and research programs at the University of Miami to almost $29 million.
“ My family made a promise that nothing will stand in the way of finding a cure.” - nick Buoniconti
Strides against Paralysis “To walk again.” It’s the dream of everyone affected by paralyzing spinal cord injuries, and making it a reality is among medicine’s greatest challenges. In a pioneer-ing step, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis has begun an FDA-approved clinical trial focusing on transplanta-tion of human Schwann cells for spinal cord injuries. The historic trial is, says Barth Green, M.D., “just as impor-tant to our field as man’s first step on the moon was to the space program.”
At last fall’s 27th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner in New York, The Buoniconti Fund raised nearly $18 million. Another $31 million was raised at its 2012 Destination Fashion gala in Bal Harbour, including a $25 million gift from loyal supporter Christine E. Lynn to build a new state-of-the-art clinical and rehabilitation facility.
The Buoniconti Fund serves as the fundraising arm of The Miami Project and has contributed more than $111 million over the last several decades to help find a cure for paralysis.
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis President Marc Buoniconti (center), his father, Nick Buoniconti (fourth from
right), with champions of The Miami Project at the Great Sports Legends Dinner
Fast-Tracking Expert CaregiversGenerous grants to the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies are expanding educational opportunities for aspiring nurses while expediting the education of urgently needed nursing professionals. A scholarship fund for students in the school’s Accelerated B.S.N. program was established by a generous gift from the Helene Fuld Health Trust. In addition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program has assisted Accelerated B.S.N. students who are traditionally underrepresented in nursing and are pursuing a second career in the field.
Helping Kids Stay HealthyObesity is on the rise in children and teens, raising their risk for associated health problems such as diabetes and heart disease at ever-younger ages. Howard Rose, M.D., B.S. ’51, M.S. ’52, decided to do something about it. The retired Jacksonville-area ophthalmologist recently made a significant ten-year commitment to fund the ROSE (Reaching Overweight/Obese Students Everywhere) Program in the Health Division of the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences. By helping youngsters and their families pursue healthier lifestyles through research, education, and community outreach, the ROSE program will serve as a resource for aspiring health professionals throughout the U and as a template for similar efforts by schools and organizations throughout the country.
Visionary GenerositySaudi Arabia’s preeminent builder lost vision in one eye as a child—but that didn’t prevent him from becoming a far-sighted businessman and philanthropist. Now Nasser Ibrahim Al-Rashid, Ph.D., has donated $10 million to the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute to establish an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to eradicating blinding injuries and lethal orbital malignancies.
The gift will establish the Dr. Nasser Ibrahim Al-Rashid Orbital Vision Research Center in the Miller School’s Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Vision Research Center. Previously Dr. Al-Rashid also endowed a chair held by David Tse, M.D., at Bascom Palmer and a chair held by Eugene Schiff, M.D., director and founder of the Schiff Center for Liver Diseases.
Dr. Al-Rashid (center) with Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D.
(left), director of Bascom Palmer, and David T. Tse, M.D.
folding line
folding line
Campa ign L eaders
Stepping Up for the UAn illustrious group of supporters and influential philanthropists from across the nation have volunteered for highly visible leadership roles as campaign chairs
and vice chairs in the University-wide Momentum2 campaign, as well as campaigns concurrently under way within individual units. Leonard Abess, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, and his wife, Jayne, are serving as chairs of the Momentum2 campaign. The Abesses (shown here with Senior Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs Sergio M. Gonzalez and President Donna E. Shalala) have a multigenera-
tional tradition of supporting UM: Leonard Abess’s father, Leonard L. Abess Sr., served as a UM trustee, as did his maternal grandfather, Arthur Ungar. Among the couple’s many generous donations to the University is their naming gift to the Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy.
Campaign ChairsJayne and Leonard Abess
Campaign ViCe ChairsTracey and Bruce BerkowitzJoanne and Eddie Dauer, B.S.E.E. ’72, M.D. ’75, M.S.B.E. ’01Swanee and Paul DiMareAna and Joe Echevarria, B.B.A. ’78Dany Garcia, B.B.A. ’92, and Dwayne Johnson, B.G.S. ’95Christine and Ted SchwartzPenny and Roe Stamps
sChool of arChiteCtureCo-ChairsJorge M. PerezGilberto Neves
College of arts and sCienCesCo-ChairsFrances Aldrich Sevilla-Sacasa, A.B. ’77James A. Kushlan, B.S. ’69, M.S. ’72, Ph.D. ’74
sChool of Business administrationNational ChairPat Barron, B.B.A. ’75
sChool of CommuniCationChairBob Mann, A.B. ’70
sChool of eduCation and human deVelopmentChairHilarie Bass, J.D. ’81
College of engineeringChairAna VeigaMilton, B.S.E.E. ’87, J.D. ’93Co-ChairsLaura Coulter-Jones, B.B.A. ’80, M.B.A. ’90Carmen Gonzalez-SanfeliuSal Jurado, B.S.C.E. ’73, M.S.C.E. ’76
sChool of lawChairWayne E. Chaplin, B.B.A. ’79, J.D. ’82Vice ChairsLarry J. Hoffman, J.D. ’54 Carolyn B. Lamm, J.D. ’73
leonard m. miller sChool of mediCineChairStuart Miller, J.D. ’82
phillip and patriCia frost sChool of musiCChairDavid Weaver
sChool of nursing and health studiesCo-ChairsPam GarrisonMaria Lamas Shojaee, A.B. ’85, M.B.A. ’12
rosenstiel sChool of marine and atmospheriC sCienCeChairSteve Saiontz, M.B.A. ’84, M.P.S. ’12
department of interCollegiate athletiCsChairPaul DiMare
uniVersity liBrariesCo-ChairsFred Camner, J.D. ’69Mitchell Kaplan, M.S.Ed. ’80
Citizens BoardChairAl Vara, B.S.E.E. ’79, M.S.E.E. ’85
Selected GiftssChool of arChiteCtureRecent gifts from two South Florida companies that are long- time supporters of the school will greatly enhance its Design/Build program. Thanks to Coastal Construction Group, architecture students will have the opportunity to design and actually construct their design in a roofed, open-air structure. First Florida Building Corporation funded the Billy E. Miller Design/Build Professorship, which honors the late father of company president W. Robert Miller, B.S. ’77.
sChool of Business administrationRetired executive Victor Wortmann, B.B.A. ’59, and his wife, Susan, have committed a total of $1 million in planned gifts to create the Victor and Susan Wortmann Track and Field Scholar Athlete Endowment Fund, which will support track student-athletes majoring in business and maintaining a 3.0 GPA, and the Victor and Susan Wortmann School of Business Undergraduate Student Scholarship Endowment, which will support undergrad-uate business students who maintain a 3.5 GPA.
sChool of CommuniCationMarvin Shanken, B.B.A. ’65, the founder and chairman of M. Shanken Communications, offered an all-expense-paid visit to his New York City-based company for ten students who represented various majors in the school. Shanken has also supported the University through gifts from the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation.
sChool of eduCation and human deVelopmentThanks to more than $1 million in support, including a naming pledge from Ken and Lisa Rosen and their children and a generous gift from Sheryl Weisinger, B.Ed. ’66, the School of Education and Human Development will establish a new Ph.D. program in Community Well-Being, the first of its kind in Florida. The school will welcome its first Rosen doctoral scholars next fall. A previous pledge from the Rosen family supported scholarships that helped to launch the master’s degree program in Community and Social Change, now enrolling its fourth cohort.
College of engineeringUM Trustee Robert Strauss and Camilla Cochrane have made a planned gift to endow a junior professorship in biomedical engineering, which fosters innovative approaches to treating serious health conditions from diabetes to spinal cord injury. The gift will help the college become more competitive while supporting the dramatic growth of this key focus area, which is now the college’s largest department in both enrollment and funded research.
frost sChool of musiC In a ceremony filled with music, the University of Miami Frost School of Music broke ground February 8 on its new Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios. A key component in the school’s ambitious expansion plans and on a fast track for comple-tion, the new facility is made possible by the generosity of longtime UM philanthropists Patricia Louise Frost and Phillip Frost, a UM trustee. Also on hand for the festivities were loyal Frost School donors Dorothy Weaver and University Trustee and Frost School Campaign Chair David Weaver, who have pledged a naming gift for the school’s new auditorium; and Trustee Emeritus Marta S. Weeks-Wulf, whose transformational generosity to the Frost School over many years will be honored in the naming of the school’s new quadrangle.
Editor Barbara Pierce, M.A.’11
Art Director Lisa Kuehnle
Contributor Annette Herrera
Senior Vice President, University Advancement and External Affairs Sergio M. Gonzalez
M2U Spring 2013Associate Vice President, Central Development Naomi Nixon
Executive Director, Stewardship and Development Communications Darlene Rebello-Rao
Vice President, University Communications Jacqueline Menendez, A.B.’83
Assistant Vice President, Communications and Marketing Todd Ellenberg
Division of University Advancement and External Affairs 1320 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 300 Coral Gables, FL 33146
Phone: 305-284-4443
Email: [email protected]
Web: miami.edu/advancement
The power of scholarships to open doors to the deserving was showcased in February at the University of Miami’s annual Scholarship Donor Recognition Luncheon, held at the BankUnited Center Fieldhouse. The program featured presenta-
tions by current scholarship students, who eloquently expressed their gratitude for the opportunities made possible by the scholarship support they received, as well as remarks by President Donna E. Shalala, Men’s Basketball Head Coach
Jim Larrañaga, and other University leaders. Capping the festivities was a delightful surprise: a warm videotaped message of thanks from past scholar-ship recipient Shajena Erazo, A.B. ’09, who is now a public school teacher in Washington, D.C. Click on the QR code above to see Shajena’s message.
Division of Advancement1320 South Dixie Highway, Suite 300Coral Gables, Florida 33146
Nonprofit OrganizatiponU.S. Postage PAIDMiami, FLPermit No. 438
To offset the rising costs of a high-quality legal education, the Chaplin Challenge matches new donations toward law scholarships at UM. Thanks to the generosity of UM Trustee Wayne Chaplin, B.B.A. ’79, J.D. ’82, chair of Miami Law’s Momentum2 campaign, the Chaplin Challenge has raised more than $500,000 to date. Thirteen new scholarships have also been created, including endowments in memory of Richard Lapidus and Judge Maxine Cohen Lando. Funds permitting, the Chaplin Challenge will match all new donations (from $100 to $50,000) to School of Law scholarships through 2016.
Transforming Young Lives
Thank you!
The University of Miami’s $1.6 billion Momentum2 campaign has raised upwards of a billion dollars from nearly 112,000 donors—the second time UM has achieved this historic milestone.
Your generous gifts fund life-changing opportunities for bright young scholars, state-of-the-art educational resources, leading-edge health care, pioneering research, innovative community-building, and much more. Many thanks for your support!
Learn more about the many exciting recent activities and achievements at the University of Miami in the pages inside.
Momentous Achievement