The Launch Pad, the University of Miami’s interdisciplinary entrepreneurship resource center, marks Global Entrepreneurship Week with several events, from Monday through Friday, November 16-20, that are geared toward encouraging students and alumni to further their goals.

Opening day will feature Dana White, entrepreneur and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This student-athlete event will be the kickoff for a new program being introduced by The Launch Pad in partnership with the University of Miami’s Athletics Department. Teaching Entrepreneurship to Athletes through Mentoring (TEAM) is the first of its kind, preparing student-athletes for life after sports with an entrepreneurial mindset.

“The statistics are staggering, with almost 80 percent of NFL players and 60 percent of NBA players either bankrupt or in financial distress only a few years after retirement. Dana White is a perfect example of an athlete who turned his passion into incredible success in business,” says Susan Amat, executive director of The Launch Pad. “We are thrilled to have him inspire our athletes to dream—and execute—big.”

Through this innovative program, The Launch Pad will provide student-athletes with access to needed business resources, along with the skills necessary to prepare them for properly planning for their financial futures. Student-athletes who “go pro” will be paired with a mentor, a current or ex-pro, to help with the transition. The Launch Pad will work with these students by encouraging them to make the right choices early on in order to cement the foundation needed to continue their success after they have left the field, court, or track.

During Global Entrepreneurship Week, millions of people will join a growing movement of innovative thinkers to promote entrepreneurial activities around the world. Administered globally by the Public Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., the mission of Global Entrepreneurship Week is to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination, and creativity.

At the Launch Pad, which opened at the beginning of the fall 2008 semester, participants learn that entrepreneurship is a career choice, and one that can be started right away. The center offers guidance in learning business basics, developing ideas, networking with industry experts and investors, and strategizing to take ventures to the next level.

All of the events during Global Entrepreneurship Week are open to the public. The events surrounding this week are sponsored by The Miami Herald. A complete list can be found online at www.thelaunchpad.org/news-events.

The 8th Annual Miami Short Film Festival, presented by the University of Miami School of Communication, will run from Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 22 with the opening night Green Carpet Gala on Saturday, November 14. The festival’s home and central venue will be the Bill Cosford Cinema, with screenings also held at the Miami Beach Cinematheque on Española Way and Miami Children’s Museum on Watson Island. UM students, faculty, and staff will receive a 50 percent discount for all Cosford screenings. For more information, visit www.miamishortfilmfestival.com.

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program (MALS) is hosting an information session for prospective applicants from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, November 16 at the CAS Gallery located in the Wesley Center on Stanford Drive. The MALS Program is designed for the returning student who seeks to develop the critical thinking that marks a truly educated person– for the self-motivated person who never stops asking why. The 30-credit program, taught by leading faculty, offers convenient evening class hours. The number of credits taken each semester is flexible, and courses are offered in all semesters. Please contact us to confirm your attendance by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or by calling 305-284-6731. For more information about MALS, visit  www.as.miami.edu/mals.

Silvina Levis, Professor of Medicine – Geriatrics, will present “Soy Isoflavones in Menopause—Results of the SPARE Study” on Monday, November 16 at 12 p.m. in the RMSB fourth-floor conference room as part of the Department of Medicine Research Conference Series. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.med.miami.edu/medicine/x522.xml.

“Climate Change as a Human Security Concern: From Evidence to Action,” presented by The Department of International Studies and Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE International), will take place on Monday, November 16 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.  The free event, which is open to the public, consists of a panel discussion and question-and-answer session at the Whitten University Center, Flamingo Ballrooms A and B. Introductory comments will be made by Ambassador Ambler Moss, professor in the Department of International Studies. The event will be moderated by Sherri L. Porcelain, senior lecturer, Global Public Health, Department of International Studies. Presenters include Christina Chan, CARE senior policy analyst, Climate Change and Human Security;  John Beier, professor and co-director of the Center for Global Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health and faculty-affiliated member of the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy; Amy Clement, associate professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science; Jorge Pinon, energy fellow, Center for Hemispheric Policy and former president of Amoco Latin America; Amir  Gamliel, deputy command engineer ES-EN US SouthCom; Bruce Bagley, professor and chair of the Department of International Studies; and Shannon Gibson, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of International Studies.