Note from the news editors: UM News Briefs are a new segment from The Miami Hurricane. News briefs provide a weekly snapshot of life at the University of Miami, in Miami and sometimes around the state, country or world. Stay up to date with UM News Briefs.
THIS WEEK AT THE U
UM Provost Jeffery Duerk to step down
After six years leading the University of Miami’s academic and research initiatives, Provost Jeffrey Duerk will be stepping down from administration to join the faculty full-time. As the Miami Herald noted, Duerk joins former UM COO Jacqueline Travisano as the second high-ranking UM administrator to leave this semester.
Duerk formerly oversaw each college’s dean and senior administrators involved in research and education. This oversight included budgetary matters.
UM President Julio Frenk notified the “university community” on May 15 of the change. UM students did not receive this email. Duerk is also still listed on the University’s official website as the current provost at the time of writing. Duerk has not updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect the change either.
Other administrators and Duerk failed to respond to a request to interview on the matter.
U KNOW MIAMI
Authorities are searching for a woman believed to have stolen $600,000 from a Miami man. Police report the man met her at popular Wynwood nightclub Dirty Rabbit.
The two returned to the man’s apartment around 5:30 a.m., May 8 and shared a drink. The man fell asleep shortly after and awoke several hours later to find his safe opened and missing several watches and rings, each gold or studded with diamonds.
The thief was caught on elevator security tapes leaving the apartment, holding two red party cups, presumably containing her DNA and the sleeping pills used on the man.
The woman is yet to be arrested at the time of publication and authorities suspect she has committed this type of crime before.
IN CASE U MISSED IT
Florida high school students get to sleep in
High school students should be getting between eight to ten hours of sleep according to the Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes sleep wellness. Middle school students need even more, with 6th grade students requiring at least nine hours of sleep.
The Florida legislature signed into law this past Monday a bill that will mandate later school start times for high school and middle school students. At the high school level, schools will not be permitted to open earlier than 8:30 a.m. EST. At middle school, the requirement is slightly earlier at 8:00 a.m.
Private and charter schools are exempt from this requirement.
The bill also mandates education on the impacts of sleep deprivation at the middle and high school levels. The law will go into effect July 1, 2026.