Veritas, Vol. 45, No. 09, Summer 2003

              In two historic ceremonies, the Schools of Architecture and Nursing break ground on their future homes.
5 With the arrival of a possible record-setting hurricane season, the time for planning and preparation is now.
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Graduates celebrate their achievements and the beginning of new opportunities at commencement.
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Volume 45 ■ Number 9 ■ Summer 2003
UM ON SHORT LIST TO HOST 2004 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
The University of Miami is one of 14 potential sites for a 2004 presidential debate, the Commission on Presidential Debates has announced.
The commission, a nonprofit organization that has sponsored the general election presidential and vice presidential debates since 1988, will conduct site surveys during the next few months and announce the final sites in November.
If chosen, the University plans to build an academic program around the event, such as a panel discussion on health policy and a concert of presidential music.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RANKED AMONG THE BEST
The University of Miami has been named the No. 3 place to work in information technology by Computerworld magazine, one of the nation’s leading publications for IT professionals.
This was the tenth year in a row that Computerworld released its list of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT.
To compile this year’s rankings, the publication scored responses from both company and
employee surveys, which covered topics such as training and development, percentage of women and minorities in IT staff and management positions, retention programs, rewards for outstanding performance, benefits, and company morale.
Company environment is one of the most important factors that employees like best about working at the University. “Part of it is their ability to advance their education, flextime, having great sports teams—things that bond people together,” M. Lewis Temares, vice president for Information Technology and dean of the College of Engineering, is quoted in Computerworld.
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A step toward solving the mystery of memory
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University gets $5 million fortraiiTYôScarch
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A $5 million gift from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation will help scientists and physicians at the School of Medicine unlock the mysteries of the aging brain and why some people lose memory as they grow older.
The foundation’s gift will create the Evelyn F. McKnight Center for Age-Related Memory Loss, which could one day become a leading center of research into the causes and treatment of age-related disorders of the brain.
“We are grateful to the McKnight Brain Research Foundation for this generous gift that will significantly enhance our progress toward understanding and alleviating the age-related changes in memory and brain function,” says John G. Clarkson, senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.
The gift from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation will enable the School of Medicine to recruit a world-class
cognitive neuroscientist who will lead a team of scientists, researchers, and clinicians in exploring not only normal memory changes that happen with age, but the cognitive defects produced by various brain-related diseases.
“We are delighted to continue our long association with the University of Miami School of Medicine as together we lead the way in medical research focused on the brain,” says J. Lee Dockery, a trustee of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation. “The trustees of the foundation are committed to fulfilling the wishes of Mrs. McKnight by promoting research into the fundamental mechanisms that underlie the neurobiology of memory, as it relates to age-related memory loss and the toll it takes on our aging population.”
That population is growing daily:
By the year 2030 it is estimated that nearly 23 percent of Americans will be 63 or older, with millions suffering some form of memory loss.
The gift will stimulate an already active collaboration between clinical research and basic neurosciences.
The School of Medicine’s Center for Cognitive Neurosciences takes a multi-departmental approach to studying the aging brain. The award also will be used to present local, regional, and international workshops on the brain for educational and research purposes.
Dean John G. Clarkson, right, speaks with Michael Dockery, a trustee of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, as fellow trustees Nina Ellenbogen Raim and Teresa Borcheck look on.
Founded in 1999, the McKnight Brain Research Foundation supports research toward the understanding of memory and the specific influences of
UM researchers Carl Eisdorfer and W. Dalton Dietrich will both be involved in scientific research efforts at the new Center for Age-Related Memory Loss.
the natural aging process. Evelyn McKnight, who was a nurse, and her husband, William, were interested in the effects of aging on memory. William McKnight was chairman of the board of the 3M Corp. for 59 years before his death in 1979. Evelyn McKnight continued to support his interest in brain research and memory loss until her death in 1999. Their commitment continues through the McKnight Brain Research Foundation.
UM tops $90-million mark in fundraising
D espite the challenges of a slug-
gish economy, the University of Miami topped the $90-million mark in its fundraising efforts for 2003 as the institution reported increases in almost every category of fundraising from endowment gifts to alumni donations.
“Our alumni and friends really came through for us this year.
Thanks to their support, the University continues to generate the private funds necessary to help us build our endowment, create scholarships, and invest in research, academics, and facilities,” President Donna E. Shalala says.
“Were extremely happy with the success we’ve had in our fundraising efforts this past year,” says Sergio M. Gonzalez, vice president for University Advancement and Government
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Relations. “Such success creates wonderful momentum for even greater success next year.”
Total private, cash, gifts, and grants reached $92,769,907, a 7.6 percent increase over last year. Endowment gifts and foundation giving both experienced gains of more than 20 percent over the previous year—$16,324,688 and $34,860,598, respectively—while trustee giv-ing reported the largest increase of any other fundraising category: almost 65 percent over last year, or $12,058,924.
Meanwhile, the overall Annual Fund—including alumni, non-alumni, corporate, foundation, and organization giving—reached $16,146,550, an increase of more than 12 percent.
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