We were honored today to have Dr. Donna Shalala speak to our Club. She has a very impressive biography.

 Donna E. Shalala became Professor of Political Science and President of the University of Miami on June 1, 2001.  President Shalala has more than 30 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher, and administrator.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, President Shalala received her A.B. degree in history from Western College for Women.  One of the country’s first Peace Corp Volunteers, she served in Iran from 1962 to 1964 She earned her Ph.D. degree from The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.  She has held tenured professorships at Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY),  and the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  She served as President of Hunter College of the City University of New York from 1980 to 1987 and as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1987 to 1993.

During her tenure, UM has solidified its position among top U.S. research universities. Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami, one of the first billion-dollar capital campaigns completed in the United States, raised $1.4 billion in private support for the university’s endowment, academic and research programs and facilities.

In 1993 President Clinton appointed her U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she served for eight years, becoming the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history.  At the beginning of her tenure, HHS had a budget of nearly $600 billion, which included a wide variety of programs including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Child Care and Head Start, Welfare, the Public Health Service, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At the end of her tenure as HHS Secretary, The Washington Post described her as “one of the most successful government managers of modern times.” 

She served in the Carter administration from 1977-80 as Assistant Secretary for Public Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

She is a Director of  the Lennar Corporation and Mednax, Inc.  In 2007, President George W. Bush handpicked Shalala to co-chair with Senator Bob Dole the Commission on Care for Returning Wounded Warriors, to evaluate how wounded service members transition from active duty to civilian society. In 2009 she was appointed chair of the Committee on the Future of Nursing at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

President Shalala has more than four dozen honorary degrees and a host of other honors,  including the 1992 National Public Service Award, the 1994 Glamour magazine Woman of the Year Award; in 1992, Business Week named her one of the top five managers in higher education; in 2005, she was named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News & World Report; in 2008, President Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award; and in 2010 she received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, which recognizes individuals for outstanding dedication to improving the health and life chances of disadvantaged populations in South Africa and internationally.

She has been elected to the Council on Foreign Relations; National Academy of Education; the National Academy of Public Administration; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the American Philosophical Society; the National Academy of Social Insurance; the American Academy of Political and Social Science; and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Shalalah gave us an update on the University of Miami. She is pleased that there are new coaches for Men's Basketball and Football. The University is about to have its best class of recruits ever. The diversity of the group has not changed but the caliber of student has increased. There are also new Deans for Communications and Business from highly regarded universities. There are no plans to increase the size of the student body.

Safety and small class size are selling features for the University of Miami. Seventy percent of the classes are under 30 students and the students are able to graduate in 4 years. There is a 90% retention rate for freshmen. Ninety percent live on campus or in walking distance, and freshmen are not allowed to have cars on campus. The university sells bikes to students for $85.00 to encourage their use. Buses shuttle students to Coconut Grove, South Miami and to football games. Zip cars have also been introduced.

There is building going on, including a new student activity center and an ambulatory care facility that will be open to the community, as well as students and employees. This will have urgent care, sports medicine, and will absorb the student health services.

Festival Miami will be held again this year. The U.S. Marine Band will make their first Miami appearance. This free concert will be at the Bank United Center on October 9th and Dr. Shalala encourages us all to attend.