As an alumnus, I recall the university attempting to squash the image of Suntan U. While the university accepted the vast majority of applicants for financial reasons, it weeded out many new students during their first semester to support a tough academic reputation. As a biology major, this was proven with there being many sections of biology 101 during freshman year, and only one section of developmental biology by year three. I saw many new students flock to the beach or the pool in place of the classroom, only to find them missing come the spring semester. The Suntan U T-shirt that sold in the bookstore was banned during my days at the U. The biology program was ranked as one of the top in the country, right behind Stanford. I had to study up to eight hours a day, at least five days a week to keep up. Yet my fellow business and social science students studied much less for the same grades.
I cherish my education and my personal development which came to pass with my days at Miami. I am proud of the changes implemented by Presidents Stanford, Foote and Shalala. I am proud of where the University is today and most importantly, I am very proud to be an alumnus. My days as an RA resulted in a career in higher education which has lasted over 30 years. I have held the position of dean at four different institutions, worked with a professional football team for a few years, and have served in an elected position in my town for eight years. I owe much of this success to the great education and great times which I experienced at the U.