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OverviewImage:UofMiamiLakeOsceola.jpg A view of Lake Osceola on the University of Miami campus, facing Eaton Residential College and the School of Architecture. The University of Miami has a total student body slightly in excess of 15,000. In 2006, the average weighted grade point average for students granted admission to the university was 4.0 and the median SAT score was 1260. Sixty-two percent of UM students ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class. In the 2006-2007 academic year, 19,000 students applied to the university, 8,360 (44%)[2] were admitted, and 2,000 accepted the invitation to form the freshman class of 2006.[3] As of the 2006-07 academic school year, UM's undergraduate tuition (excluding room and board) is $31,232 per year.[4] Unlike some private universities which are located within their namesake city such as the University of Chicago, UM's main campus spans 260 acres (1 km²) in Coral Gables, an affluent Miami suburb located immediately south of the city of Miami. Several university satellite campuses are located off the primary campus, including the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (located on Virginia Key) and the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine (located at Jackson Memorial Hospital in the city of Miami). UM is the second largest private employer in South Florida.
UM is also home to the Iron Arrow Honor Society, a prestigious and selective honor organization for University of Miami students. In 2004, UM's BankUnited Center (formerly the Convocation Center) was the site of the first nationally televised U.S. presidential debate of the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, featuring President George W. Bush and U.S. Senator John Kerry. Academic rankingsAcademicsIn the 2006-07 issue of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges", the University of Miami is ranked 54th among 254 "National Universities".[5] UM is also one of 146 colleges named a "Best Southeastern College" by the The Princeton Review in its most recent 2006 edition.[6] School of BusinessIn 2006, BusinessWeek included UM's School of Business Administration in its "Top 50" U.S. collegiate business programs, ranking UM the 44th best U.S. undergraduate business program in the nation.[7] The Wall Street Journal ranked the UM School of Business Administration 14th in the regional ranking category.[8] School of LawU.S. News & World Report's 2007 ranking of law schools ranked the University of Miami School of Law 65th among the nation's 180 accredited law schools.[9] Bascom Palmer Eye InstituteFor the third year in a row, the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute was ranked the best hospital in the country for ophthalmology in U.S. News and World Report's 2006 survey of “America’s Best Hospitals." [10] Student diversityThe Princeton Review, in its current 2007 issue, ranks the University of Miami as the fourth most diverse student body among all U.S. colleges and universities. OrganizationImage:P1000196.JPG Walkway leading to the Otto G. Richter Library on the campus of the University of Miami. Most of the University of Miami's academic programs are located on its primary campus in Coral Gables, which houses eight schools, two colleges, and the University of Miami School of Law. A few graduate and undergraduate programs are located off of the primary Coral Gables campus. These include the University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, which has its own campus at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Medical Center complex in downtown Miami. The University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is located on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay. Several other University of Miami academic programs, including its bilingual Continuing and International Education classes, are offered at the Koubek Center in Miami's Little Havana. UM has eight academic schools and colleges:
UM has three graduate-level schools:
UM also has a Department of Continuing and International Education. The UM Department of Community Service, comprised of volunteer medical students and physicians from UM's Leonard M. School of Medicine, provides free medical and other community services in Miami and surrounding communities. University Presidents
AthleticsImage:UMiamiLogo.gif The distinctive 'Split-U' logo, the official logo of University of Miami athletic teams The university's sports teams are called the "Miami Hurricanes" and compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Its traditional athletic rivals include the Florida State University Seminoles and the University of Florida Gators. However, since 1987, the Hurricanes have only played the Florida Gators four times (twice during the regular season and twice for bowl games in the 2001 Sugar Bowl and the 2004 Chick-fil-A Bowl). The Hurricanes and the Gators have not played since UM began ACC play in the 2004 season, but the rivalry will be renewed in 2008 when UM is scheduled to meet the Gators in Gainesville. In order to comply with Title IX equality requirements, the university only fields 15 athletic teams. Men's teams compete in football, baseball, basketball, cross-country, diving, tennis, and track and field. Women's teams compete in basketball, cross-country, diving, golf, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Notably, the university does not field a men's soccer team and had to cut its men's rowing team and men's diving team (which had produced a number of Olympic medalists, including Greg Louganis), in order to comply with Title IX. Team colors are green, orange, and white. The school mascot is 'Sebastian the Ibis'. The ibis was selected as the school's mascot because, according to university legend, it is the last animal to flee an approaching hurricane and the first to reappear after the storm, making it a symbol of leadership and courage. The school's athletics logo is a simple green and orange letter "U." Nike is the official supplier of uniforms, apparel, and various athletic equipment to all University of Miami sports teams. Image:UMiamiIbis.jpg Sebastian the Ibis, the official mascot of the University of Miami FootballThe University of Miami is the most successful Division I collegiate football program of the past quarter century, winning more national championships than any other Division I collegiate football program. During this time, the University of Miami has won five Division I national football championships (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001); the University of Nebraska is second during this period with three. UM has produced two Heisman Trophy winners, Vinny Testaverde (in 1986) and Gino Torretta (in 1992). Four former UM football players--Ted Hendricks, Michael Irvin, Jim Kelly, and Jim Otto--have been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame following their NFL careers. Two other former UM players, Ottis Anderson and Ray Lewis, have been named Super Bowl MVPs (Super Bowl XXV and Super Bowl XXXV respectively). On November 24, 2006, following one of the worst seasons in decades (6-6), UM dismissed its current head football coach, Larry Coker, who helped lead UM to its 2001 National Championship and came close to winning another one in 2002 but then stumbled greatly in subsequent seasons. Two weeks following Coker's dismissal, UM Defensive Coordinator Randy Shannon was promoted to the position of head coach. The team plays its home games at the historic Orange Bowl, located off-campus in the city of Miami. BaseballImage:UMiamiLogo alternate.jpg Alternate Ibis logo introduced in 2000 In addition to its success in football, UM has experienced national success with its baseball program, winning four national championships (1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001) and reaching the College World Series 22 times in the 33 seasons since 1974. Five UM graduates are currently active on MLB teams. The team is currently coached by Jim Morris, the former head coach of the Georgia Tech baseball team. Former coach Ron Fraser was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2006. The team plays its games on the UM campus, at Mark Light Field. Men's basketballUM's men's basketball team has produced three players who are currently on NBA rosters. Rick Barry, who played his collegiate basketball at UM, is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Barry is the Hurricanes only consensus All-American in basketball and led the nation in scoring his senior year with a 37.4 average during the 1964-65 campaign. The university actually temporarily dropped the program after the 1972 season, with the Board of Trustees citing inadequate facilities, sagging attendance, and serious financial losses as the reasons for the decision.[11] The program was revived before the 1985-86 season, though UM would be minimally competitive over the next several years. The program's fortunes turned around in 1990 when Miami hired Leonard Hamilton as head basketball coach and accepted an invitation to join the Big East. By the end of the decade, Hamilton had turned UM into one of the better basketball programs in the Big East and had guided UM to three straight NCAA tournament appearances (1998-2000), including a #2 seed in the 1999 tournament and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2000. The 1998 tournament appearance was UM's first since 1960. Hamilton left at the end of the 2000 season to become head coach of the NBA's Washington Wizards and was replaced by Perry Clark. Clark had some success in his second season (2001-02), leading UM to a school record 24 wins and a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament. The 2002-03 season saw Miami move into its newly completed on-campus arena, the BankUnited Center. Despite a win over powerhouse North Carolina to christen the new arena, Clark's teams performed woefully over the next two seasons, leading to his dismissal following the 2003-04 season (UM's last season in the Big East). Clark was replaced by Frank Haith, whose teams have proven competitive in UM's first two seasons as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. 2006 custodial workers' strikeOn February 26, 2006, University of Miami custodial workers, who are contracted to the university by a Boston, Massachusetts-based company, UNICCO, voted to strike, citing unfair labor practices, substandard pay, and lack of health benefits. The strike, which involved prominent political and labor leaders and gained national attention, began on the evening of February 28, 2006 and ended on May 1, 2006. A worker vote on unionization, taken in June 2006, led to the first official presence of the SEIU union in South Florida. The unionized UM workers and SEIU are currently engaged in unionization attempts at other South Florida-based universities and local shopping malls. University of Miami points of interest
Notable alumniArts and entertainmentActors and actresses
Musicians
AthleticsMajor League Baseball (MLB)Current MLB players
Former MLB playerNational Basketball Association (NBA)Current NBA players
Former NBA players
National Football League (NFL)Current NFL players
Former NFL players
OlympiansDiving
Track and field
Business
Law
Politics
Television
See also
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