Veritas, Vol. 41, No. 07, April 1999

              Veritas
April 1999
Volume 41 • Number 7
For the Faculty and Staff of the University of Miami
Carlos de la Cruz elected chairman of the Board of Trustees
South Florida entrepreneur Carlos M. de la Cruz, Sr., has been elected chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees, effective May 1. The 67-member board governs one of the leading private research universities in the Southeast.
De la Cruz is the chairman of the board and CEO of Eagle Brands, Inc., the Anheuser-Busch distributor in Miami-Dade County, and of CC1,
Inc., the Coca-Cola botder in Puerto Rico. He serves as chairman of several local automobile dealerships: Miami Honda, Central Hyundai, and Sunshine Ford. He is also a member of the board of directors of LNR Property Corporation.
“Mr. de la Cruz brings a wealth of business experience and civic leadership to his new position on the UM Board. He is a widely respected businessman who has served the University exceptionally well for a long time,” says Presi-
dent Edward T. Foote II. “I look forward to working with him in the building of a great American university.”
Born in Havana, Cuba, de la Cruz has lived in New York City and Madrid, Spain, and has been a resident of Miami since 1975. After graduating from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and then a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami School of Law.
A member of the Board of Trustees for the past 11 years, de la Cruz and his wife, Rosa, are major supporters of the University. The couple’s philanthropy provided for the construction of the Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz Study Center and the Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz Faculty Scholar in Leadership at the School of Business Administration. The de la Cruz family also has
donated works of art from their personal collection, which are exhibited at the Coral Gables campus.
“The University of Miami is a vital resource for our community. As a national research university with a major medical school, it has a tremendous educational, economic, and cultural impact on South Florida, Latin America, and beyond,” de la Cruz says. “I am honored to serve on the UM Board along with other community leaders and to have a role in shaping the future direction of this great university.”
De la Cruz is the 19th board chair in the history of the University and the fifth to serve during President Foote’s tenure that began in 1981. He will
Carlos de la Cruz brings a wealth of business experience and civic leadership to the University.
succeed Leonard Miller, chairman of Lennar Corporation, who has served as trustee chair for the past four years. During Miller’s tenure, the level of philanthropy grew to record levels and the University saw the expansion of programs and facilities at its four South Florida campuses.
Scholarly activity rewarded with prize and praise
Eight faculty members are recipients of the third annual Provost’s Award for Scholarly Activity, created by Executive Vice President and Provost Luis Glaser in recognition of extraordinary research and scholarly pursuits. According to Glaser, it was “another tough year” deciding the awardees.
This year’s scholars include John Balaban, English; Thomas Curtright, physics; Thomas J. Balkany, otolaryngology; Gary Grotendorst, cell biology and anatomy; Hans C. Graber, applied marine physics; Frank J. Millero, marine and atmospheric chemistry;
Don Stacks, communication; and Thomas D. Waite, civil, architectural, and environmental engineering. In addition to a commemorative plaque, each faculty member received a $4,000 cash award and $2,000 toward continued research support.
Veritas asked the recipients’ deans to explain why they stand out in their fields.
Thomas Curtright was noted for helping the University become a world-renowned center in particle theory. “He has made important contributions to our understanding of certain aspects of string theory, which is the framework for grand unified field theories—the so-called ‘theory of everything,’” says College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble R. Subbaswamy. “In recognition of his lasting contributions to the field, he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society last year.”
Subbaswamy credits John Balaban’s leadership for the Creative Writing Pro-
gram’s rapid rise in becoming a national contender. “Balaban has been, for some time, one of the leading figures in poetry in the world,” he says. “His own original poetry has been widely acclaimed, as evidenced by his winning the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America and his nomination for the National Book Award. As the translator and editor of collections of Vietnamese poetry, he has been responsible for introducing Vietnamese literary culture to the West.” According to their dean, Thomas J. Balkany and Gary Grotendorst are excellent role models for young scientists and have made long-standing contributions to the medical center. “Tom Balkany has had a profound impact on the lives of thousands of deaf individuals, taking many advances in cochlear implant research from the bench to the patient. His work represents translational research at its best,”
says John G. Clarkson, senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. “Gary Grotendorst has advanced understanding of the basic biology of wound healing and tissue repair. His observations have helped the development of therapeutics by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.”
Otis Brown, dean of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, describes Frank J. Millero as one of the most consistently productive members of the Rosenstiel School faculty for more than 20 years. “His scholarly productivity (ten or more publications per year), graduate and undergraduate teaching, and community service are exemplary,” says Brown. “Frank was recendy named a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, which shows the community’s high regard for his contributions.
Hans C. Graber is held in similar
regard. “He is one of the leaders of the school’s remote sensing and air-sea interaction research programs. He has been a ‘sparkplug’ for new initiatives,” says Brown. “Most recendy Graber is participating in efforts to put a new air-sea flux flume facility at the University, and, to install a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) receiving facility in South Florida. His research leadership is supported by a growing list of publications and invited talks.”
The School of Communication is “very pleased that Don Stacks is an award-winner this year. He is most deserving,” says communication Dean Ed Pfister. “Dr. Stacks is an accomplished communication scholar whose level of productivity and reputation are at the highest possible levels.” Stacks was recendy elected secretary/treasurer of the Educator’s Academy, Public Relations Society of America.
On the engineering front, Dean M. Lewis Temares distinguishes Thomas D. Waite as an outstanding researcher and teacher. “He has led the College of Engineering in funded research for seven years,” says Te mares. “He still teaches, advises graduate students, and is the leading researcher while serving as associate dean.”
Recipients present at the awards luncheon held in the James W.
Me Lam ore Executive Education Center were (from left to right) Frank Millero, John Balaban, Thomas Balkany., Don Stacks, Elans Graber, and Gary Grotendorst. (Not shown: Thomas Curtright and Thomas Waite.)