As Will Smith’s catchy anthem “Miami” echoed through the Donna E. Shalala Student Center ballroom on Thursday, Jordan Fowler and her parents danced along, smiling as they left Canes Take Flight, one of the main events to introduce new undergraduates to the institution during new student orientation.
Fowler, a first-year student from Madison, Mississippi, is thrilled to be starting her college journey in Coral Gables and is eager to start classes and meet new friends on the campus that stole her heart on a tour last year. But she is just one of the more than 750 new spring undergraduates starting their University of Miami journey this January, and Fowler was bubbling with enthusiasm for her new home. So were her parents, Valencia Simmons-Fowler and Kevin Fowler.
“There are so many opportunities and resources here that I didn’t think I would have, and the campus is just amazing,” said Fowler, who is majoring in biology on a premedical track and hopes to become a dermatologist. She added: “I also really like how the University promotes mind-body wellness, along with education.”
Parents and new students peppered the campus starting last Wednesday, when move-in and student orientation began for one of the largest spring admit classes in the University’s history. While many of these students spent the fall semester together on Start Abroad programs in Rome, Barcelona, and Ireland, others took classes at community colleges or worked until they could start classes in Coral Gables.
Carlos Palau and Elias Namey met in Barcelona on Start Abroad and became close enough that the two chose to become roommates this semester. They were checking out campus together and met up with another Barcelona friend, Blake Koons, outside Centennial Village before moving into their room. Almost all of the new students were excited to learn more about their new home and jumped headfirst into a host of orientation events planned to help students thrive at the University.
“It’s an honor to go to this University, and I love the setting and the campus,” said Palau, a biochemistry major from Houston, Texas, whose mother, Kelly Cromack, was helping with move-in.
Meanwhile, Myles Acker was checking in for orientation with his parents from Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday. In 2024 Acker attended the Summer Scholars Program in engineering and got to live on campus for three weeks, which opened his eyes to the many possibilities at the University.
“I wanted to attend the University of Miami because there are a lot of opportunities for every major,” he said.
But in the short term, Acker was just excited to get the semester started.
“I’m a little nervous about all the schoolwork, but I am very excited to live on campus,” he said.
At Canes Take Flight on Thursday, students and their families learned about the University’s history and met the mascot, Sebastian the Ibis, as cheerleaders and the Sunsations dance team showed them how to properly throw up the U and demonstrated chants for some of the most popular University cheers. They also sang its alma mater.
Also at Canes Take Flight, students heard from University leaders like Joel Samuels, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost of the University.
“You are part of a special cohort, and over the next few years we will guide you in your academic journey,” he said. “I encourage you to explore new paths and opportunities that you never knew you might be interested in. Do something outside of your comfort zone, meet new people from different backgrounds, and build a community that will stay with you for the rest of your lives.”
In addition, Renee Dickens Callan, assistant vice president of student life, encouraged students to get involved in one of the more than 300 student organizations on campus.
Maria Galli Stampino, dean of undergraduate affairs, urged new Canes to use the support of staff and faculty on campus as mentors throughout their college experience. Stampino said while there are 13,000 undergraduates at the University, the campus is small enough that students are never considered a number but unique individuals with myriad opportunities to grow both academically and personally during their college years.
“There’s no institution in North America with as many majors, schools, and colleges as the University of Miami,” she said. “So the world is your oyster here, and we are here to help you.”
Later, at Cane Kickoff Live, students learned about safety, wellness, and student experiences through a talk show with UMTV host Shea McDonald fielding questions to campus leaders like UMPD Chief Trevor Shinn and Matthew Shpiner, director of emergency management. They also learned about support systems available through the Dean of Students Office from Dean Ryan C. Holmes, associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students, and about campus well-being initiatives like the Healthy Cane Network from Anthony Musto, executive director of the Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center, as well as a panel with student orientation leaders.
There was also a scavenger hunt around campus called “Where’s Sebastian?” that allowed students to earn pins and a hat, a block party Friday night, along with weekend excursions across Miami.
Staff members and the more than 30 students involved in planning spring Cane Kickoff hope the new students will walk away feeling ready to embrace the next four years.
“Through Cane Kickoff, we make new students feel welcome and part of the excitement of being here at UM,” said Michael Baumhardt, senior director of orientation and student involvement programs in the University’s division of student affairs and alumni engagement.
Lizzy Seldin, a biology major who is starting this spring, said she appreciated all the information offered at Thursday’s sessions and felt better about starting in the spring after hearing from older students in her shoes.
“I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s experiences about being a spring admit—it helped to allay many of my worries and concerns,” said Seldin, who is from Maryland. “It’s helpful to know there are so many support systems for students here.”
