Veritas, Vol. 48, No. 01, September 2005

              Research Ctn» MILLER
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UM and Humana team up on a new research center aimed at keeping people healthy and health care costs down.
4 Batista documents become the
latest addition to the University’s famed Cuban Heritage Collection.
5 With hurricane season in full swing,
a UM scientist embarks on a project that could lead to better storm forecasting.
BASCOM PALMER RANKED NO. 1 EYE HOSPITAL AGAIN
For the second year in a row, the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has been ranked the No. 1 hospital in the country for ophthalmology in U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey of “America’s Best Hospitals.” Seven other specialties at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center were also ranked in the survey, published in the magazine’s July 18 issue.
“This is truly a celebration and a source of pride for the entire community,” says
Carmen A. Puliafito, chairman of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. “We treat everybody, from the very rich to the very poor, and we have received support
from all South Floridians for more than four decades.”
Bascom Palmer has been ranked in first or second place every year the rankings have been published.
The seven other UM/Jackson Memorial Medical Center programs that joined Bascom Palmer in the rankings are kidney disease (ranked No. 21); digestive disorders (23); urology (27); ear, nose, and throat (31); hormonal disorders (35); geriatrics (36); and neurology and neurosurgery (46).
The standards for rankings in “Best Hospitals” are rigorous. Out of 6,007 U.S. medical centers (military and veterans hospitals are not included), only 176, or fewer than one in 30, were of high enough quality to be ranked in even a single specialty this year. To be considered at all, a hospital had to satisfy at least one of three requirements: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals; medical school affiliation; or availability of at least nine of 18 key technology-related services, such as positron emission tomography.
For consideration in a specialty, a hospital had to have performed a significant number of defined procedures in that field or have been recommended by at least one physician.
Pinnacle achievement: Bascom Palmer rated the nation’s No. 1 eye hospital.
Total marks University’s most successful fundraising year
Fundraising surpasses $135 million in fiscal 2005
The University of Miami had the most successful period of fundraising in its history during fiscal year 2005, surpassing the $135 million mark and inching ever closer to its Momentum campaign goal of $1 billion.
“It was a phenomenal year for philanthropy at the University,” says President Donna E. Shalala. “Thanks to the dedication and generosity of a multitude of wonderful individuals, the Momentum campaign just keeps gaining speed.”
Total private cash, gifts, and grants reached $135.7 million, an 8 percent increase over last year’s total of $125.7 million.
“Our having the best fundraising year in the history of the University is a testament to the entire University family’s hard work and dedication to the Momentum campaign,” says Sergio M. Gonzalez, vice president for University Advancement. “The participation of our trustees, faculty, staff, volunteers, and the tremendous leadership of our president made this incredible year possible.”
The largest gains reported:
• Foundation giving reached $58.2 million, a 58 percent increase.
• Endowment gifts totaled more than $13 million, a 66.2 percent rise.
• Total support for the Miller School of Medicine topped $81.7 million, which is an increase of 27.7 percent. Alumni fundraising also had a banner year, as total alumni giving reached $13.6 million, up 33 percent from last year. If alumni-related entities such as personal foundations and alumni-owned companies are included, alumni giving actually reached $41.3 million.
As of August 12, 2005, the Momentum campaign had reached $922.8 million, an increase of more than $302.1 million over figures reported in May 2004. Eleven donors have given $10 million or more,
13 have contributed $5 million to $9 million, and 131 have donated $1 million to $4 million.
Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami is endowing student scholarships and creating endowed teaching chairs; attracting gifted professors, scholars, and technicians; endowing new interdisciplinary centers and institutes; and enhancing research initiatives across the University.
“We look forward to another record-breaking year in this campaign with many opportunities to continue transforming and enhancing our institution,”
Fundraising success: A record-breaking fundraising year, due in part to an increase in alumni giving, is helping initiatives throughout the University, from new facilities to scientific and medical research.
Gonzalez says. “It is our great family of donors who make it all a reality.”
Last May, UM launched a faculty and staff component to Momentum, calling on employees to propel the initiative down the homestretch. The faculty and staff fundraising drive features a “100 Percent UM” theme, reflecting the level of commitment, dedication, and affection that employees have for the University. It will last
for the duration of the campaign, scheduled to end in 2007.
Faculty and staff can make contributions to the campaign in a variety of ways, with payroll deduction, personal checks, or credit cards being the primary methods of giving. Contributions can be made through the campaign Web site at www.miami.edu/campaign or via a pledge card, and pledges can be paid out over one to five years.
LeBlanc takes the reigns as UM provost
As the University of Miami’s new executive vice president and provost, Thomas J. LeBlanc knows that he will undoubtedly make many tough decisions. Any chief academic officer charged with overseeing a dozen schools and colleges and a $1 billion budget would expect no less.
But before LeBlanc makes any decision, his first order of business at UM is simply to do what takes place at any academic institution on a daily basis: learn.
“Every institution has its own character, its own history. So my first priority is to learn about the University of Miami,” says LeBlanc, who arrived at UM this July after spending nine years as the vice provost and dean of the faculty for the College
of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering at the University of Rochester.
LeBlanc becomes the first new executive vice president and provost at UM in almost 20 years, succeeding Luis Glaser, who served in that capacity for more than 18 years before his resignation last September.
As a first step toward learning about UM, he intends to absorb information from the sources who know the institution best: the hundreds of faculty members who teach in its various schools and conduct research across its three main campuses. “I’ll spend a certain amount of time talking to deans, department
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Big man on campus: Thomas J. LeBlanc is UM’s new executive vice president and provost.