Education: it's the university; when it comes to higher education in Coral Gables, there is only one game in town, and it's a winner: the University of Miami, the state's top private university - Coral Gables Area Report

South Florida CEO, August, 2002

* As early as 1916, famed Nebraska politico William Jennings Bryan realized the importance of establishing a "Pan-American University" in Miami-Dade County that would support students from around the country and the world - as well as the area's growing population. It wasn't until April of 1925 that the University of Miami was granted its charter and founded by a group of citizens that included Bryan and Coral Gables founder George Merrick, who donated 260 acres of city land and more than $4 million. They envisioned the university as the center for cultural and intellectual activity in South Florida.

Today, more than 75 years later, the University of Miami is positioned as one of the top private universities in the country. From the first class of 560 in 1926, to today's enrollment of almost 14,000 students from all 50 states and 108 countries around the world, UM is not only the largest private teaching university in the Southeast, but also one of the major economic engines in the Gables.

"UM is by far the largest employer in the city and the third-largest in Miami-Dade County," says Paula Musto, the school's vice president of university relations. In fact, according to a recent economic impact study performed by UM, one in every 28 jobs in the county is supported by the university, which employs 8,500 people. How does this work? University expenditures -- hiring, say, outside firms to do work on the campus -- generate approximately 26,000 more jobs in the county every year, adding up to more than 35,000 altogether.

The monetary impact is equally large. Every year, school faculty, students, alumni and visitors spend more than $1 billion in Miami-Dade County. With such a far-reaching impact, says Musto, it's important for the school to maintain a good relationship with Coral Gables and its residents. "We make sure that we add to the quality of life in the city and not impact it in a negative way," says Musto. "We also try to be in constant dialogue with the residents of the city".

Musto says the school is building more on-campus parking to address spillover complaints from the surrounding residential neighborhoods, as well as taking steps to calm traffic on San Amaro, one of the roads that encircles the school's perimeter. "We've spent $1 million upgrading and relandscaping the road and the medians," Musto says. "We just want to get the traffic to slow down." Other issues for city residents include big groups of students living together in private houses off campus, which is, incidentally, prohibited by city code. One proposal to address the issue: building new student housing -- off campus.

There's plenty of action happening on campus, too. The school's new Convocation Center -- which bore the Ryder name until that corporation pulled out of the project -- is near completion at its site facing Ponce de Leon Boulevard. The $41 million building will have 7,000 seats in three stories and will be used for UM basketball games as well as concerts, commencement ceremonies and lectures. It will open in the first quarter of the year, says Musto. There's also a new building under construction at the School of Nursing, and the Otto G. Richter Library's $16 million expansion, which included a new clock tower, is due to wrap up this fall.

But perhaps the most notable recent change at the University of Miami came last year, when 19-year school President Edward T. Foote II retired, leaving behind a legacy of growth. Under his leadership, UM became one of the top 20 research schools in the country. Donna Shalala (former Secretary for Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton) took over last year. The new president's stamp can already be seen around campus, says Musto. "Her aim is to really make the campus a lot more student-friendly," she says, referring to UM's appearance as a manicured, tidy country-club. "There's new tables and chairs all over campus, where students can gather".

Seems small, but those touches help make UM appear accessible and attractive to the 15,000 applicants who jostled for the 1,800 available freshman slots last year. "UM is definitely getting more and more selective and harder to get into," says Musto. Not bad for a school formerly called "Suntan U."