President Shalala: ‘I’ll be here for a long time’

Despite calls for her ouster amid recent allegations against the university’s athletic department, President Donna E. Shalala told The Miami Hurricane on Thursday that she plans to remain at the helm of University of Miami “for a long time.”

Although she said the details of her contract were “private,” Shalala said she isn’t going anywhere.

“Officially I’m here and I’ll be here as long as you all here and as long as I feel healthy and energetic, and I can still make contributions,” she said. “So you should not be thinking there’s some end out there. I’ll be here for a long time.”

Shalala’s comments during an exclusive interview with UM student newspaper suggests that she is apparently going to remain on board for UM’s next capital fund drive. Although it is still in the silent period, Shalala said the campaign will be announced publicly in January.

“How much it will be, we haven’t set the amount with the trustees, but it will be over a billion dollars,” she said.

UM last capital campaign, which ended in 2008, raised more than $1.4 billion – making the school the first in Florida to surpass the billion-dollar mark.

To read the rest of the interview, look out for The Miami Hurricane’s first issue, which hits stands Monday, August 22.