The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) has reorganized into the following five departments:
• Marine Ecosystems and Society (MES);
• Ocean Sciences (OCE);
• Marine Geosciences (MGS);
• Marine Biology & Ecology (MBE);
• Atmospheric Sciences (ATM).
The major reason for this restructuring is in great part due to the School evolving into five well-established academic units, which will be enhanced by being administered more autonomously. Previously, all administrative and academic functions were handled at the School level, generating cumbersome procedures and hindering the urgent response sometimes necessary in a rapidly evolving academic environment. This change is also expected to help facilitate the needs and desire of the School to enhance and develop new undergraduate and graduate education programs.
The Rosenstiel School was established in 1943 as a marine research laboratory at the University of Miami, a very different institute of higher education than it is today. Over time, it became apparent the previous financial model of which the school operated under in previous decades, was no longer sustainable. Thus, during the past five years RSMAS has been in the process of reinventing itself into the premier School of marine and atmospheric science within a strong research university. Our ultimate mission is to perform cutting-edge research in the process of educating the next generation of scientists and creating the knowledge that we communicate to our students and, more broadly, to the world.
This change has no immediate impact on our undergraduate and graduate programs. Students currently enrolled in these programs will graduate in the exact same degrees that they have enrolled into. The leadership and faculty in each of the five departments are working on the development of new degrees that will gradually roll out over the next few years. We will announce these new programs as they are approved.
We thank you for your continued interest and support of our School.
Best regards,
Roni Avissar
Dean
