Ambassador Charles “Chuck” Cobb and Sarah Artecona, who accepted the George Merrick Legacy Award on behalf of UM.

The University of Miami and Ambassador Charles (Chuck) Cobb, a member of the UM Board of Trustees, shared the spotlight on June 21 when the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce honored them at the Fifth Annual George Merrick Awards Dinner at the Biltmore Hotel.

Cobb received the George E. Merrick Award, while UM was honored with the first-ever George Merrick Legacy Award, which was accepted on the University’s behalf by Sarah Artecona, assistant vice president in the Division of Business and Finance and past chair of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. Read the full story

Graduate students of the American University of Beirut view a big screen image of UM President Donna E. Shalala as she speaks at their commencement ceremony on June 22. President Shalala was among three individuals who received honorary doctoral degrees at the graduation exercise. AUB President Peter Dorman introduced Shalala as an accomplished scholar and academic administrator who has “transformed universities and, in her government posts, has sought to improve the lives of millions, particularly targeting underserved communities in the United States and around the world.”

President Shalala dedicated her honorary doctorate to her family, especially her mother, who was the first Lebanese-American woman in her community to receive a college education, and her father, who believed in the education of women and encouraged his friends to send their daughters to college.

“AUB’s commitment to educating women dates back more than 100 years,” Shalala said. “Today, there are almost as many women studying in this elite institution as men. Women make every university stronger. And women graduates of AUB enrich this nation and world. Why? Because the progress of humankind depends on the progress of women.”

For more on the ceremony, click here.

A generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) will allow the University of Miami Libraries’ Special Collections division to complete the processing of and enhance access to the Pan American World Airways, Inc. Records – an extensive collection that offers an in-depth look at the growth and development of a modern aviation corporation, beginning with its founding in 1927. Read the full story

The Good Government Initiative at the University of Miami, founded by former Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson with funding from the Knight Foundation, has announced the members of its 2012 class of elected officials.

The organization’s mission is to help develop and train elected officials as well as those aspiring to run for office and to engage the community in its governance through outreach and education. Read the full story

Many adjunct professors of the University of Miami School of Law have generously contributed over $80,000 to the Adjunct Faculty Scholarship Fund. Since its inception in the fall of 2011, three $5,000 need-based scholarships have been awarded to outstanding Litigation Skills students, while twenty $2,500 scholarships have been awarded to deserving third-year students to defer the costs of Florida Bar preparation courses.

“We’ve had a wonderful response,” said Douglas K. Bischoff, associate dean for adjunct faculty. “The amounts donated and the large number of adjuncts who supported this scholarship fund reaffirms the absolute commitment that the adjunct faculty has to the law school and our students.”

Forty-six adjuncts have contributed part or their entire honorarium in support of the scholarship and were recently saluted in a full-page ad in the Daily Business Review.

“We are very pleased at the support of the Litigation Skills faculty in assisting the program’s recognition of outstanding student performance,” said Laurence M. Rose, professor and director of the Litigation Skills Program. “Their monetary generosity complements their valuable time commitment and recognizes those who have gone the extra mile to insure that our most successful students are acknowledged in a way that helps them to choose a career path in litigation.”

Three more $5,000 awards are reserved for the fall 2012 semester, and future funds received in 2012-2013 will be used for the 2013 (spring and fall) awards.

“Being a lawyer is so much more than memorizing black letter law. But to practice law, it is required,” said Tyler Kirk, J.D. ’12. “This is why graduates from law school dedicate themselves to studying for the bar exam. The necessary preparation for the exam comes at a price. The selfless generosity demonstrated by the adjunct faculty through their scholarship fund will help many UM law grads achieve their dream of becoming attorneys while defraying the steep price tag of a bar prep course.”