Michael Anderson, a 20-year-old University of Miami sophomore, died of cardiac arrest early this morning in Sydney, Australia, according to Patricia A. Whitely, vice president for Student Affairs.
Anderson was studying abroad for the semester at the University of Technology, Sydney.
“This has been an extremely sad semester for the UM community,” Whitely said, referring to another University of Miami student, sophomore Scott Jared Monat, who died in early March while studying abroad at the National University of Singapore.
Whitely said that the university has “reached out to [Anderson’s] parents.”
Further details about Anderson’s death have not been released at this time. According to Whitely, UM will release a formal statement about Anderson’s death later this afternoon.
Anderson, a native of Scottsdale, Ariz., was a student in UM’s School of Business.
Stay with TheMiamiHurricane.com as the story continues to develops.
UPDATE 3:11 P.M. 4/8/09
The university’s statement on Anderson’s death:
The University of Miami community mourns the tragic loss of one our students, Michael Anderson. Our thoughts and prayers are with Michael’s family and friends, and we will do everything possible to help them during this difficult time.
Michael passed away unexpectedly in Sydney, Australia, where he and six UM classmates were studying at the University of Technology in Sydney. Michael, a School of Business sophomore majoring in finance, was a talented student from Scottsdale, Arizona. He was a gifted tennis player and student leader in high school. School of Business faculty and staff remember him as a kind-hearted person with tremendous curiosity about the world around him and noted that he loved his experience at UM and the cultural diversity he found here.