When asking a high school senior what the term “provost” is, most respond with a blank look on one’s face. Most seniors are familiar with principals and deans; however, the university has a couple more terms to learn. There are many definitions for the word provost. One means the chief jailor at a prison; another is Chief Magistrate at Scottish Cities. Not at UM.
Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Luis Glaser is the Chief Operating Officer at UM. All the academic deans report to him, and he has overall control of the university budget.
“My job is to make all programs better, and to do that, I have influence over the money,” Glaser says.
Even though Glaser serves in the position of Executive Vice President and Provost, he also finds time in his daily schedule to inspire the minds of our young university students. Provost Glaser transforms into Dr. Glaser in the Cox Science Building, when he can be caught teaching BIL 255, Cellular and Molecular Biology.
“At the University of Miami… you can learn as much from fellow students as you can learn inside the classroom.” Dr. Luis Glaser Executive Vice President and Provost
“I teach because at the University of Miami, that is what we are all about,” Glaser says.
Glaser feels some of the best times working in a university is when college students grow up.
“It’s great, because they come in as babies, and I am still in touch with many of them.”
Not only is Glaser a proponent of academics, but also Greek Life — Glaser is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Glaser sees many great things in the future for the world of academia at UM.
“We are going to take a different approach to general education,” Glaser says. “We will become less rigid, and we will focus on the students’ ability to process information.” There will also be a significant jump in research activity.
Last year UM announced a one billion dollar capital campaign, one of the largest in the nation. Glaser believes this will have a great outcome with the university. There will be better facilities for education purposes. There will also be more student scholarships available. In the near future, we will see more student on-campus apartments, additional buildings for architecture, completion of the new Weeks School of Music Library, as well as the groundbreaking of the new School of Nursing.
There are three recommendations from Provost Glaser to all new students at UM. First, each student must understand proper time management. Second, experience people outside of the classroom.
“At the University of Miami, we have an extraordinary collection of people. You can learn as much from fellow students as you can learn inside the classroom,” Glaser says.
The third recommendation is to get involved in activities and socialize.
Offering words of advice to all students, Glaser says, “Use the university as a resource. If you do not tell the system your needs, the system will never know. Start a dialogue with the system. Do not be shy, because you will be a better student and a better human being because of that.” I