As the University of Miami’s centennial celebrations wound down late last year, our focus turned to what lies ahead. The University’s Alumni Association and Pat Whitely, Ed.D. ’94, senior vice president for student affairs and alumni engagement, went on the road to honor the U’s legacy and ignite a shared vision for its future.
After visits to Dallas and Houston in November, The Future Is Now tour wrapped up in Los Angeles and New York, reminding alumni and friends of their shared love and ambitions for their alma mater.
Speakers reflected on the institution’s founding mission and legacy, quoting Edward T. Foote, president of the University from 1981 to 2001, who said:
“Universities exist to help individual human beings become whatever they can be—the best they can be in their own God-given life. And universities exist to help people understand.”
From its humble beginnings in the aftermath of the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 and continued resilience through the financial turmoil of the following decade, the University of Miami proved itself early on as a force to be reckoned with.
During its first hundred years, the University hosted prominent leaders, gained recognition for excellence in athletics, and demonstrated distinction time and again in research and academics.
Rooted in rich traditions, the University continues to ascend to even higher levels of achievement with $492 million in research funding secured in 2024 alone, acceptance into the Association of American Universities in 2023, an increasingly accomplished faculty and student body arriving each year, and, as of last year, a spot on the list of the world’s top two percent of most-cited scientists.
The Miller School of Medicine has grown from the oldest in the state of Florida to one of the most competitive in the nation. Bascom Palmer ranks number one in ophthalmology by U.S. News & World Report, while the neurology and neurosurgery departments rank among the top 25 nationally.
Vanessa Suarez, B.S.C. ’18, president of the Los Angeles Canes Community, said that students and alumni embody this excellence as they go into the world:
“As Canes, we have swagger and thus we are proud to take a stand and help make the world a better place,” she said. “Like our beloved mascot Sebastian the Ibis, the first to return after a major hurricane, Canes serve for the betterment of society.
While The Future Is Now tour reached its final stop in New York earlier this month, more than 300 Canes packed the venue to hear from President Joe Echevarria, B.B.A. ’78, plus a fireside chat between football Head Coach Mario Cristobal, B.B.A. ’93, M.A.L.S. ’99, and former Miami Hurricane and Fox Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen, B.A. ’07.
Cristobal and Olsen entertained the crowd with a rollicking conversation that ranged over their respective careers and was full of Hurricane pride and confidence in the future. As Cristobal proclaimed, “it’s time to come together, because there’s nothing stronger than being a Miami Hurricane.”
Max Myers, B.B.A. ’11, president of the New York Canes Community, summed up The Future Is Now tour as “bringing the spirit of the U to communities across the country, and honoring 100 years of Cane excellence while setting a vision for our next century.”
