Carlos M. N. Eire spoke to more than 250 people at UM's Newman Alumni Center, discussing his childhood and dispelling beliefs that repression and human rights violations no longer exist in Cuba.

Airlifted out of Cuba nearly 50 years ago to escape Fidel Castro’s regime, Yale University scholar Carlos M. N. Eire still remembers the insults he endured as a little boy attending school in Miami, including being asked by classmates if he used a toilet in his native country.

Even as Eire grew older, misconceptions about Cuba persisted, and today he, along with thousands of other Cuban exiles, continue a struggle to dispel beliefs that oppression and human rights violations are nonexistent on the island. Read the full story

Team Studio 6

Stacking canned green beans, yams, fruits, and other tinned treats as high as they could, five teams of University of Miami students and employees gathered at the School of Architecture on November 18 to show off not only their ‘canstruction’ skills but also a can-do spirit to help wipe out hunger. Read the full story

Francisco Sánchez, U.S. undersecretary of commerce for international trade

Francisco Sánchez, U.S. undersecretary of commerce for international trade, told an audience at a University of Miami Center for Hemispheric Policy (CHP) luncheon on November 17 that the new free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea would help “level the playing field and create tens of thousands of jobs for the U.S.” As under secretary, Sánchez’s mission is to promote trade globally but with an emphasis on the Western Hemisphere, he said, adding that there is a presidential and bipartisan push to increase U.S. exports. Sánchez, a President Barack Obama appointee, spoke before more than 120 business executives and entrepreneurs at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Miami.

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Edward Gillis, who for nearly 20 years has helped lead a division directly responsible for improving the academic quality of the University of Miami, has been promoted to dean of enrollment management.

Gillis was previously assistant vice president of enrollment management and executive director of admission.

In his new role, he will supervise a number of offices that fall under the Division of Enrollment Management, including the Offices of Admission, International Admission, Financial Assistance Services, Student Employment, E-Communication and Market Research, and Technical Operations.

“Ed Gillis is recognized widely as a national leader in college admissions and an experienced professional with a long track record of success,” said Thomas J. LeBlanc, executive vice president and provost. “We are fortunate to have someone with his dedication, institutional knowledge, and commitment to improvement leading the undergraduate enrollment efforts for the University.”

Gillis began working at UM some 19 years ago when the University had not yet cracked the upper echelon of the prestigious U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” ranking. Since that time, UM has been one of the fastest-rising institutions on the list, rising to No. 38 in the 2012 rankings and maintaining its position as the top-ranked school in Florida. Rising SAT scores of its incoming freshman classes are among the key factors that prompted the meteoric rise.

“We’re always trying to improve the quality of the incoming students who arrive each year,” Gillis said. “The quality, especially as measured by SAT and ACT scores, has improved substantially. It’s been improving for a number of years, but we had a pretty good jump this year.”

From 2001 to 2011, the average SAT score of UM’s incoming freshmen rose from 1190 to 1315, and along with that increase, “we’ve become more geographically diverse,” Gillis said.

Also during his tenure, the University has become more selective in the students it admits. About 28,000 students applied for 2,150 slots for fall 2011.

To attract more academically gifted applicants, Gillis’s office reaches out to high school guidance counselors; students; and parents who, he said, are “much more involved in their children’s college searches than they were 20 and even 10 years ago.”

“We create opportunities to interact with gifted students, including traveling around the country and the world to meet with them,” Gillis said.

The Intensive English Program held its 28th Annual International Thanksgiving Celebration on Friday, November 18. Students from more than 20 countries joined in a Thanksgiving celebration at Allen Hall on the Coral Gables campus as the IEP weaved international customs into America’s traditional holiday. Students represented their native lands by wearing traditional dress, sharing food distinct to their culture, and by providing an array of multicultural entertainment. Flags, photos, and artifacts represented Middle Eastern, Latin American, and Asian countries, among others. Read the full story