Veritas, Vol. 47, No. 02, October 2004

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"S In a move that will minimize cost w increases, UM changes to Humana for
comprehensive health coverage.
4 With 63 million people watching
via television, the University shines as the host of 2004's first presidential debate.
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5 Witnessing history: A lucky group of
230 University of Miami students experiences democracy up close.

Volume 47 ■ Number 2 ■ October 2004
For the Faculty and Staff of the University of Miami
www.miami.edu/veritas

UM MAKES GIVING TO THE UNITED WAY EASY
Giving to those in need has become a lot “EASIER” this year. With UM’s 2004 United Way campaign in full swing, the EASY system is now ready to process employees’ donations online.
Faculty and | staff I can pledge a payroll deduction to begin in January or arrange their check, cash, or credit card gift to begin working quicker. Employees can choose where they would like their individual investment in our community to be directed: a particular service or area of greatest need or even a specific agency.
For online pledging information, 2004 pledge card instructions, a list of United Way agencies, and a link to the United Way of Miami-Dade, visit www.miami.edu/unitedway.
BUSINESS SCHOOL’S M.B.A. PROGRAM RANKED BY WALL STREET JOURNAL
The School of Business Administration’s M.B.A. Program has been ranked in a recent Wail Street Journal/Harris Interactive survey of corporate recruiters on business
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Highly ranked: UM’s business school gets some much-deserved recognition.
schools. In the “regional” category, UM ranked No. 16 out of more than 40 schools and was ranked the top program in the state of Florida.
The ranking was determined by a survey of recruiters who said that they had future plans to recruit students from the school. Also taken into account was the number of survey respondents who said they have recruited recently at the school.
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Effective planning: The University’s comprehensive Disaster Preparation and Recovery Plan helps the institution prepare for the destructive force of hurricanes, as well as other emergencies.
With four hurricanes threatening South Florida, UM’s preparation and recovery plan is put to the test
Effective disaster plan helps UM weather storms
Long before Hurricanes Charley,
Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne were ever a threat to South Florida, the University of Miami was well prepared to weather the storms thanks to a thorough and comprehensive disaster preparation and response plan that placed UM in an effective state of readiness.
Developed 12 years ago and updated annually, the University’s Disaster Preparation and Recovery Plan outlines planning and response guidelines not only for hurricanes but also for potential terrorist acts, bomb threats, tornadoes, fires, and civil disturbances. Everything from building evacuation procedures to the cancellation of classes is covered.
Because South Florida is threatened by violent storms almost every Atlantic hurricane season, it is usually the forecast of an approaching hurricane that sets the plan in motion.
“It’s absolutely critical that a university establish a comprehensive disaster plan and continuously improve it,” says Alan Fish, vice president for Business Services and chair of disaster management for the University-wide Crisis Decision Team. “Updating and revising our plan is something we’ve done every year since it was initiated.”
University officials developed the plan after Hurricane Andrew caused more than $18 million in damage to the Coral Gables, medical, and Rosenstiel School campuses in 1992, but at no time since then had the plan’s effectiveness been tested as it was this year, when four major hurricanes threatened South Florida in the course of a month.
Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne wreaked havoc from the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast to the Treasure Coast, destroying homes, flooding streets, and knocking out power to thousands of residents for days or weeks. While University of Miami facilities experienced only a brush with the storms and escaped damage, the hurricanes still impacted operations as the cyclones forced the cancellation of classes and workdays on all three UM campuses.
“Our disaster and preparation plan has truly been tested this hurricane season, and it has operated smoothly and seamlessly,” says Fish, one of the architects of the plan.
The Crisis Decision Team he coordinates has met 11 times under the leadership of President Donna E.
Shalala since Hurricane Charley, making critical decisions such as whether to
activate UM’s Rumor Control Hotline and the state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Telephone calls to the UM Rumor Control Hotline ring into UM’s EOC, so when the center is activated, it operates as the primary source for disseminating information on class cancellations, building closings, and event postponements to concerned parents, faculty, staff, and the community.
Located at the Public Safety complex on Ponce de Leon Boulevard and staffed jointly by volunteers from the divisions of Student Affairs and University Communications, the center was activated from September 1 to 4 for Hurricane Frances and received 773 calls to its hotline telephone numbers during that period. More than 370 of those calls were from students,
216 were from parents, and the rest were from faculty, staff, and citizens.
“Back when Andrew struck, we had nothing like this,” says Gilbert Arias, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, who is responsible for staffing the EOC. “Radio and television announcements were the only way we could inform the community, so this EOC and the rumor control lines have been extremely useful.”
Telecommunications have improved vastly since Hurricane Andrew. Under the leadership of Tim Ramsay, associate vice president of Information Technology, a new emergency phone notification system was developed to alert the entire Campus Advisory Committee, which is composed of more than 100 members. This Continued on page 3
Provost Glaser announces resignation
Executive Vice President and
Provost Luis Glaser, who helped bridge the administrations of two Uni versity of Miami presidents, has announced his resignation effective at the end of the current academic year or until a new provost is identified.
Glaser will stay on as a tenured professor of biology and will serve in an advisory role to President Donna E. Shalala.
“Provost Glaser has been an extraordinary academic leader for the Uni-
Stepping down: Provost Luis Glaser has served the University for 18 years.
versity of Miami,” Shalala says. “He is wise, sensitive, and sophisticated, and he will be very difficult to replace.” Glaser has been one of the most visible high-ranking University administrators for almost two decades, leading off UM’s commencement ceremonies, announcing major gifts, and appearing at countless building dedications and ribbon cuttings, as well as major faculty award presentations.
During Glaser’s tenure, the University’s academic standings Continued on page 3