University of Miami: Miami Magazine » Accelerating Ambition

A World of Difference

rshear — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 19:56:29 +0000

International outreach draws UM’s global community closer

Sergio Gonzalez and Donna Arbide, M.B.A. ’95, get behind Provost Thomas LeBlanc, seated right, as he signs an agreement at Beijing’s Henan University.

With the University of Miami’s global population and reputation on the rise, the UM Alumni Association is keeping pace through its award-winning Impact of U and Accelerating Ambition tours. UM President Donna E. Shalala and Executive Vice President and Provost Thomas J. LeBlanc have traveled across four continents to engage alumni leaders and forge new academic partnerships.

Shalala’s itinerary has ranged from Los Angeles to London and Boston to Bogotá for the 21-city Impact of U initiative, which earned a national Circle of Excellence Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

In London, Madrid, Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai, LeBlanc, UM’s chief academic officer, discussed Accelerating Ambition, the University of Miami’s Plan for the Future. While in Beijing, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an exchange and collaboration program with Henan University.

Taghreed Al-Saraj, B.F.A. ’99, M.S.Ed. ’01, far left, hosts a gathering of ’Canes in Saudi Arabia.

“It is our first trip to Asia to host receptions such as this one and to engage our alumni, parents, prospective students, and friends of the University of Miami,” said Donna A. Arbide, M.B.A. ’95, associate vice president for Alumni Relations and Individual Giving. The visit gave people like Sakae Yoshi, B.B.A. ’74, a chance to reconnect with their alma mater in a bright new era. Now the honorary secretary of the International Lawn Tennis Club of Japan, Yoshi attended UM on a tennis scholarship and was the U’s first Japanese tennis player on a championship team.

Accelerating Ambition continues in November in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil, and in April 2015 in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. “Our tour is reflective of the diversity of our institution,” said Arbide. “We have 119 countries represented on campus and alumni living in 154 countries.”

In Panama, Ramón, M.B.A. ’90, and Ana Maria Maduro host an alumni event, with special guest Dean Eugene Anderson, left, who invites several alumni at the event to join School of Business Administration advisory boards.

New international members on the UM Alumni Association Board of Directors include regional director Guillermo de Aranzabal Agudo, M.B.A. ’84, head of Spain’s Grupo La Rioja Alta wineries, and director Taghreed Al-Saraj, B.F.A. ’99, M.S.Ed. ’01 (see profile on page 35). International club leaders include Daniela Martinez, B.S. ’11, in Spain; Oscar Paez, B.B.A. ’03, M.A. ’05, in Colombia; Kuwait-based Reyadh Al-Rabeah, B.S.I.E. ’87, in the Middle East; Ric Scheinkman, ’01, in Brazil; and Gustavo Pifano, B.B.A. ’08, in London. Ramón R. Maduro, M.B.A. ’90, is working to establish an alumni club in Panama, where he recently hosted 50 ’Canes at an alumni-recruiting event in his home with UM School of Business Administration Dean Eugene W. Anderson.

As President Shalala has told Impact of U audiences: “Our alumni are making a difference around the world. The University of Miami network is growing and maturing.”

To get involved wherever you live, email the Office of Alumni Relations at [email protected].

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‘Accelerating Ambition’ in Asia

rshear — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 23:29:05 +0000

The University of Miami and Provost Thomas J. LeBlanc are headed to Tokyo on April 23, Beijing on April 25, and Shanghai on April 26 for the Accelerating Ambition tour. If you live in Asia or will be visiting during that time, the UM Alumni Association would love to see you there. Call 1-866-862-5867 or email [email protected] for details and to update your alumni record.

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Survey, Strategic Plan Highlight Alumni Interests

Sau Choi — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:32:01 +0000

Survey results showed alumni consider putting UM’s strengths toward solving real-world problems to be “extremely important.”

Among respondents, 74 percent of young alumni and 47 percent of alumni over 35 expressed interest in going to UM sports-related gatherings. Photo by Jenny Abreu

Sixty-three percent of young alumni and 47 percent of all other alumni expressed interest in attending a reception with President Shalala or other administrators.

After a comprehensive two-year effort that involved internal assessments, benchmarking against peer institutions, and an alumni survey, the University of Miami Alumni Association has rolled out its 2012-2017 Strategic Plan.

“The process has been a great source of pride,” says Donna A. Arbide, M.B.A. ’95, associate vice president for alumni relations, who worked closely with staff, volunteers, and the Alumni Board of Directors. “It has reminded us how far the UM Alumni Association has come since its founding in 1930.”

The plan’s broad goals call for adopting UM’s Accelerating Ambition program to achieve higher goals and distinctions, as well as working toward cementing alumni bonds to the University and cultivating national and international networks of volunteer leaders.

One of the plan’s recently launched strategic initiatives is miami.edu/alumni/volunteer, a clearinghouse for ’Canes with a yen for community service. Other initiatives already in play are career programming, regional events, young alumni outreach, the Stories of U campaign, and a rebranded UM Alumni Association logo.

The independently administered survey garnered replies from nearly 3,800 alumni respondents (a 13.5 percent response rate) on a variety of topics. Those alumni rated UM highly and expressed pride in its growth. Moving up in national rankings, being recognized as Florida’s best university, solving real-world problems in areas of strength specific to UM, and success in both academics and athletics were viewed as most important.

Respondents said their alumni association should make career networking and mentoring top priorities, followed by local and regional gatherings. They felt strongly that their alumni association should increase national outreach. Volunteer opportunities, particularly mentoring students, were listed as strong interests.

The process has reminded us how far the UM Alumni Association has come since its founding in 1930.

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