The University of Miami’s last Momentum fundraising campaign was a record-smashing success — amassing $1.4 billion in donations at a time when no Florida school had ever before topped the billion-dollar mark.

So what will the U do for an encore? We’re about to find out.

Thursday evening, at a black-tie event attended by hundreds of donors, trustees, top UM administrators and their guests, which included actress Goldie Hawn, walking the orange carpet, UM President Donna Shalala officially announced Momentum2, a follow-up fundraising drive that aims to secure $1.6 billion in donations by 2016.

“This vision is grant, it’s fearless, and it’s comprehensive,’’ Shalala told the gathering.

As is typical with such fundraising campaigns, UM has been quietly soliciting donors for several years to get the ball rolling.

“Even I don’t know how much we’ve raised,’’ Shalala said, as Sebastian the Ibis brought out a sealed envelope.

An ovation erupted as she announced: $905 million.

“ S pectacular,’’ Shalala beamed and guest performance artist Kenny Loggins broke out into a rendition of “Heart to Heart.’’

“The real importance of it is it will firmly establish us in the top ranks of American universities,” said Shalala, 71, who has pledged to stay as head of UM through the campaign.

All major universities do fundraising, but the University of Miami’s original Momentum campaign became something more significant during the past decade: a highly successful metaphor for a school that was striving for, and achieving, new heights.

Begun in 2003 and concluded several years later, Momentum’s $1.4 billion haul was made even more remarkable when considering South Florida’s reputation for lacking a strong philanthropic community. UM’s success was also unusual for such a young university, as it became the first private university established in the 20th Century to reach a 10-digit fundraising goal.

UM’s new $1.6 billion goal is nowhere near the highest in the nation — Stanford University’s latest five-year fundraising drive just topped a record $6.2 billion — but UM’s sights are set very much in line with its chief Florida rival when it comes to prestige, the University of Florida. UF’s Florida Tomorrow campaign was launched several years ago with a $1.5 billion goal, which has almost been reached.

Does money guarantee a university increased quality and significance? Certainly not, but it sure doesn’t hurt. And UM administrators and supporters say the improvements associated with the first Momentum campaign are Exhibit A in demonstrating the importance of attracting dollars.

UM Senior Vice President for University Advancement Sergio Gonzalez credits the Momentum campaign with pushing UM higher in national rankings — U.S. News & World Report now ranks UM No. 38 on its “Best Colleges” list, a ranking that is 29 slots higher than where UM stood a decade ago.

The quality of faculty also improved because of successful fundraising, Gonzalez said. And Gonzalez says the surrounding South Florida community also benefits, as UM’s beefed-up resources fuel local hiring, and help pay for outreach such as community health clinics and partnerships with public K-12 schools.

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UM kicks off $1.6 billion campaign

EVANSVILLE — The University of Evansville is celebrating its 158th birthday this week with a series of events, including the dedication of a gallery showcasing the school's Methodist heritage.

The John Wesley Gallery and Methodist Commemorative Collection will be on the lower level of Neu Chapel. Its dedication will be at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

UE officials say the collection is a gift from R. Wayne Perkins, a professor emeritus of philosophy and religion, and his wife Sally Perkins, a UE master's degree recipient.

It includes paintings, ceramics, plates, silverware, busts and more.

Founders Day is observed annually at UE to mark the incorporation of Moores Hill College, the move to Evansville, the charter as Evansville College, and the official opening of the University of Evansville.

All four of these dates fall between Feb. 10 and 19.

Following the gallery dedication, UE will hold a Founders Day service at 10:30 a.m. in Neu Chapel. It will feature the Edgar M. McKown Lecture, given by storyteller and author Tex Sample.

Sample is a professor emeritus in church and society at St. Paul School of Theology, a United Methodist seminary in Kansas City, where he taught from 1967-1999.

The Founders Day celebration will conclude with the annual Alumni Awards Luncheon at noon in Eykamp Hall. The UE Alumni Association will present three awards:

* Samuel Orr Honorary Alumni Award: Richard and Patrice Schroeder. Both are members of the UE Sponsor-a-Student program and are longtime members of the President's Club. Richard Schroeder is a charter member of the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Advisory Board and currently serves as chair.

* Distinguished Young Alumnus Award: Craig Bryan, a 2011 graduate. Bryan has established programs to reduce suicidal behaviors among pre-deployment and active duty soldiers. He recently assumed the new role of associate director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah, and he has also worked as a consultant for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army.

* Distinguished Alumnus Award: Dr. R. Edward Coleman, a 1965 graduate. Coleman is a professor of radiology and vice-chair of the Department of Radiology at Duke University Medical Center. He has worked with PET (positron emission tomography) imaging and its use and evaluation of patients with cancer and dementia.

Coleman is credited as the first physician to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of PET imaging. He served on the UE Alumni Association board of directors from 1988-1994 and received an honorary degree from UE in 2000. Coleman has also been a President's Club member since 2009, sponsors an endowed scholarship, and was the 2009 homecoming speaker.

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UE ready to celebrate school's 158th birthday

Photos by Sue Watson

Career Day
Former graduates of St. Mary's, Cadet, and now known as Holy Family School, recently gathered for Career Day. Students led the morning devotional and entertained prior to being introduced to several dozen alumni from the school. Their careers included writers, poets, attorneys, scientists, teachers, pastors, broadcasters, school principals, a county prosecutor, realtors, music producers, concert promotors, a medical transcriptionist and coder, and a physician. Parents and grandparents were also present to cheer on the elementary school which educates children in grades K-8. (Top) Holy Family students enjoy singing together and clapping. (Below) Third grader India Lucas leads a song. (Above) From left are Agatha Asemota, healthcare consultant; Maliah Wilkinson, student; Helen Howell, computer tech teacher; Lakisha Mitchell Buffington, published writer and poet; Amnesti Johnson; Galena principal Andre Sims; and student Chris Falkner. Holy Family School is under the auspices of Sacred Heart Southern Missions, a Catholic ministry headquartered in Walls.

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Career Day

Lions and tigers and eagles, oh my! The Powers Atrium in BC?s Fulton Hall isn?t your average atrium: It has a Wizard of Oz theme. ?[The atrium] was renovated not too long ago, and the architects wanted to incorporate a cool theme into it,? said Savarino. And so, the benches are engraved with the Latin equivalent of, ?Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore,? while the lights are shaped like the Tin Man?s hat.

?It?s kind of weird,? said sophomore nursing major Grace Collins. ?I think you just have to come in and see it to believe it.?

The Eagles like to get down and dirty. Right before finals, BC observes their spring semester tradition of Mudstock: Students build a mud pit in the parking lot and have an all-day volleyball tournament, culminating with an outdoor concert near the senior housing complex known as the Mods. Savarino, who worked as an EMT on medical standby for both events last year, said everyone always has a good time -- but getting a spot on one of the volleyball teams can be pretty competitive, said sophomore marketing major Kasey Jong.

BC went to the Super Bowl.?Or at least, some of its alumni did: Six players who played in this year?s Super Bowl used to walk the halls of Boston College, and New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin used to be BC?s head coach. ?You wouldn?t think that BC would be the most-represented college in the Super Bowl,? said senior communications major Dave Grotz, but he added that football is ?probably the best part about BC.?

?There?s a definitely a lot of BC pride about people that have gone to the NFL and done well,? said Jong.

Want a prime Boston Marathon-watching spot? Head to BC.?BC is located right after ?Heartbreak Hill,? a make-or-break stretch of the Boston Marathon, so their campus is said to be one of the best places to watch. ?From experience here as a student and as a runner, it?s absolutely amazing running through BC,? said Grotz, who ran the marathon his sophomore year.

And as most Boston students will agree, Marathon Monday is one of the best days to be a student in the city. ?Everyone just gets hammered on Monday and goes out and supports the runners,? said Jong -- although that tradition is pretty much the same no matter where you go to school.

BC is a powerhouse of incredible architecture. The third floor of Gasson Hall, which opened in 1913, has a spiral staircase that leads up to a gorgeous bell tower. Word on the street is that any student found up there will be ?punished accordingly,? said Savarino (which most students believe means expulsion), but that hasn?t stopped some Eagles from making the trek.

?I?ve had friends do a lot of weird stuff up there,? said Grotz.

Bapst Library isn?t too shabby either; in fact, it was named one of the most beautiful college libraries in the world. ?It?s just what you would imagine a Hogwarts library to look like,? said Collins.

?Basically if you drop a pen or are really loud, everyone will look at you and glare at you,? she said, ?so Bapst is the place to go if you want to get some serious studying done.?

BC students, what's your favorite thing about your school?

Interested in more 'School Secrets'? Find out what's weird and wacky about life at Northeastern and BU, and check back for fun facts about the rest of Boston's institutions of higher education.

Photos by Burns Library, Boston College (top) and TheDailySportsHerald (bottom) (Flickr)

About Melissa -- I'm a journalism student at Northeastern University, originally from New Jersey. I love hiking, kayaking, and cereal, and I am a vegetarian. I'm afraid of nothing, except butterflies. I love Disney movies, and I hope to one day meet Betty White.

Want more TNGG? Send us an email. Go to our main site. Follow us on Twitter @nextgreatgen. Like us on Facebook. And subscribe to our newsletter!

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School Secrets: 5 things to know about Boston College

Hundreds of Rutgers University students plan to rally today outside a meeting of the university's board of governors to protest a proposed takeover of the Camden campus by Rowan University.

Gov. Chris Christie last month announced the plan and other recommendations that a state advisory committee made to reorganize medical education in New Jersey. The merger was proposed to create a public research university that would strengthen Rowan's new Cooper Medical School.

But many Rutgers students, faculty, staff and alumni have strongly opposed the plan, organizing protests, signing petitions and calling their legislators. More than 40 people have signed up to speak at the board’s public meeting at 1:30 p.m. today at the Walter K. Gordon Theater in Camden, a Rutgers spokesman said.

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released today showed less than a quarter of New Jersey voters support the merger proposal.

Last week, Rutgers University President Richard McCormick said he does not want to give up the Camden campus, but that the university may not be able to pick and choose from the recommendations if they are bundled together as a package deal.

The same committee has also recommended Rutgers add three successful pieces of UMDNJ to its New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, which would give Rutgers a medical school.

McCormick said the Rutgers Act of 1956 requires the university’s board of governors and board of trustees to vote on the proposed changes that affect Rutgers.

To set the plan in motion, Christie has spoken publicly about submitting a reorganization plan to the Legislature, which would have 60 days to vote on it. His spokesman said that is one option, but discussions on the best way to institute the changes are ongoing with legislators and representatives of the colleges.

Related coverage:

• Editorial: Gov. Chris Christie's plan for N.J. higher ed is promising

• Q&A: Chris Christie's higher ed reform plan good for N.J.

• N.J. higher education reorganization: An opinion round-up

• Poll: Voters not warm to Christie plan to upend N.J. university system

• Rowan merger plan complicates proposal to merge 2 Rutgers law schools

• Rutgers president McCormick says university would not give up Camden campus if given a choice

• Gov. Chris Christie outlines plan to overhaul UMDNJ

• Gov. Christie calls for major changes in higher education

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Rutgers students plan rally over proposed Rowan University takeover of Camden campus

Second place goes to ill-prepared children’s performer who found profits in improv

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) February 15, 2012

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania announces Dr. Stephen Salzman of UCLA Medical Center is the grand prize winner of Wharton Digital Press’ “Brilliant Mistakes” contest. In partnership with media sponsor Inc.com, winners were announced today, marking the conclusion of a three-month challenge.

Three finalists’ submissions were reviewed by judges, including faculty from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, John Seely Brown, Co-Chair, Deloitte Center for the Edge, Inc.com Editor Eric Schurenberg, and the inspiration for the contest, Paul Schoemaker, PhD and author of “Brilliant Mistakes: Finding Success on the Far Side of Failure” (Wharton Digital Press). Entrants were challenged to submit an error that they committed and recognized as a potential source of learning or innovation, and then leveraged as a new concept or idea that helped transform a project or organization.

Dr. Salzman explained in his submission that throughout his medical career he believed that athletes, with lower heart rates, must be less sensitive to the effects of adrenaline. To prove his hypothesis correct, he conducted blinded research. Much to his surprise, the exact opposite proved to be true, forever changing his perspective, not only in the area of adrenaline, but throughout cardiology.

The second place winner, Annie Banannie, was awarded an Invitation to an SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management conference. A performer for children, her entry detailed how insufficient preparation led to her best performance ever. She didn’t have her props, so she had to make up a story on the spot in front of an audience of 200. Because of the “mistake,” Annie is incorporating more improvisation into her act, one that is more successful than it ever.

According to Paul Schoemaker, some errors – referred to as “portals of discovery” – can lead to game-changing innovation. “We were pleasantly surprised by the wide range of examples submitted,” said Schoemaker. “It is difficult to mine mistakes for learnable moments or innovative ideas; these winners exemplify what can happen when an organization encourages extracting the most from mistakes.”

Matthew Lynch, the third place winner, explained that while working to identify Medicare fraud, he realized that only focusing on higher-than-average claims (conventional wisdom) was insufficient. With a team of others, he uncovered fraud activity by individuals and corporations who were uniquely adept at defrauding the system. The successes found in Matthew’s operation became an industry best-practice. He will share a lunch with Paul Schoemaker at the Wharton School.

Dr. Salzman’s prize includes two round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines to anywhere in the continental United States and a Wharton Executive Education course. In addition, he will receive a complimentary registration for Inc's Growco conference and an Invitation to Wharton Mack Center for Technological Innovation Conference.

The top ten entrants received a signed paperback copy of Brilliant Mistakes. To learn more about the book visit the Wharton Digital Press Web site: Brilliant Mistakes: Finding Success on the Far Side of Failure.

About the Wharton School and Wharton Digital Press

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania— founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school — is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The School has more than 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 9,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of 88,000 graduates.

Wharton Digital Press was launched in collaboration with Knowledge@Wharton, by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, as an innovative all-digital publishing initiative that publishes relevant, accessible and empirically based business knowledge to readers wherever and whenever they need it.

Wharton Digital Press brings together communities of readers and authors committed to identifying and solving the critical problems business managers face today. Leveraging a wide range of cutting-edge digital technologies, Wharton Digital Press helps inspire authors to develop bold, insightful messages, and communicate in creative ways with their audiences. Managers and policy makers need new sources of innovative and practical knowledge that will enable them to deal with the problems of the present and the challenges of the future. Wharton Digital Press takes advantage of the Wharton School’s global presence to disseminate relevant business knowledge from the world’s leading experts to readers wherever and whenever they need it. Wharton Digital Press’s eBooks and print-on-demand books are distributed by Constellation, a service of the Perseus Books Group.

###

Peter Winicov
The Wharton School
215-746-6471
Email Information

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Error in Adrenaline Sensitivity Research Leads to Wharton Digital Press “Brilliant Mistakes” Contest First Place Win

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Health Dialog today announced that Mary Jane Favazza, Executive Vice President of Client Operations, has been invited to speak at the prestigious Dynamic Women in Business conference hosted by the Harvard Business School Women’s Student Association on Saturday, February 25, 2012.

Favazza, an HBS alumna, will be featured on the panel, “Leaders in Change: Women Leading Changes in Healthcare”. The panel will take place from 2:50 - 4:00pm. Also on the panel will be Jean Yang, Chief Financial Officer of the Massachusetts Health Connector and Suzanne Cross, Vice President of Business Development at Johnson & Johnson. The panel will be moderated by Bunny Ellerin, Chief Executive Officer at Ellerin Health Media.

Mary Jane Favazza has nearly 25 years of experience in operations, business development, and client management in the healthcare and financial services industries. With close to ten years at Health Dialog, a healthcare analytics and decision support company, she has held numerous roles within the organization, currently overseeing and managing day-to-day client operations, client satisfaction, and program management. Previous roles at Health Dialog have included positions in business development, service delivery, implementation, and several cross-functional initiatives.

Dynamic Women in Business is a leading networking and learning event, focusing on the opportunities and challenges facing women in today’s business world. The conference will be attended by more than 1,000 women, including Harvard students and alumni, faculty, distinguished business leaders, and community members. For more information or to register, please visit http://www.dynamicwibconference.com.

About Health Dialog:

Health Dialog Services Corporation is a leading provider of healthcare analytics and decision support. The firm is a private, wholly-owned subsidiary of Bupa, a global provider of healthcare services. Health Dialog helps healthcare payors improve healthcare quality while reducing overall costs. Company offerings include health coaching for medical decisions, chronic conditions, and wellness; population analytic solutions; and consulting services. Health Dialog helps individuals participate in their own healthcare decisions, develop more effective relationships with their physicians, and live healthier, happier lives. For more information, visit http://www.healthdialog.com.

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Health Dialog Executive to Speak at Harvard Business School’s “Dynamic Women in Business” Conference

University medical alumni and current pre-med undergraduates have traveled to Haiti during intersession since 2002 in a trip sponsored by the Medical Alumni Council to provide medical attention and aid to the people in the impoverished nation. For the students participating, the service provides the invaluable experience of working alongside doctors, gaining insight in the lives of Haitians, and seeing first hand the school’s Jesuit identity in action.
Michael Le, a senior from South Abington Township, who is a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program with a double major in biology and philosophy, said this service allowed him to see the value of communication when working with patients where there is a language barrier.
“In many instances, the doctors knew the correct diagnosis and prescribed the appropriate treatment, but without a means of communication, both the Haitians and the doctors were lost,” said Le, who plans to attend medical school next year. Le saw first hand the important role of the group’s translator, Junior, who helped both the doctors and students communicate with Haitian physicians and patients.
Le added that he and the other Scranton students were given the opportunity to practice procedures and treatments that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to perform in the United States until medical school. According to Le, students pulled teeth and performed physical examinations.
“In terms of medical education, this hands-on approach reinforced the theories and concepts we studied in our physiology and biology class,” said Le.
For Le, the trip also reinforced the University’s Jesuit ideals, reminding him of the value of service.
“The experience has struck a certain cord in my heart. I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for what I have learned in school, especially about service to others,” explained Le.
Lucie Henry, a junior from Beach Lake, majoring in biology major with a biochemistry minor and a concentration in nutrition, said the experience showed her how poor living conditions contribute to the spread of disease.
“There is no sanitation system, so when it floods all the waste gets into the tents or shacks where most of the people in Cite Soleil live. That is one of the main ways cholera spreads,” said Henry, who also plans to become a doctor.
Henry also said on a visit to see the abandoned children of St. Damien’s in Tabarre, she was shocked by the lack of medical procedures for these children.
“They were sick and most likely going to pass away because they needed a simple medical procedure, but didn’t have access to it,” said Henry.
The third student participating in the January service trip was Kathleen Lavelle, a senior biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and Hispanic studies double major from Avoca, who also participates in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and plans to attend medical school.
University medical alumni participating were Richard Bevilacqua, D.M.D., M.D. ’83, Pamela Taffera, D.O. ’02 and Christopher Andres, M.D. ’89
The University’s Health Professions Organization and the Medical Alumni Council collected medical supplies donated by local alumni doctors and others.

Elizabeth Klassner is a communication major at The University of Scranton with a minor in English literature.

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Haiti service trip ‘strikes a cord’ in hearts of pre-med students at University of Scranton

New Canaan Country School can now add a Sundance Film Festival director to their list of alumni. The Class of 1998's Matt Heineman recently returned from the festival in Utah where he unveiled a documentary he co-produced and co-directed with Susan Froemke. The film is called "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" and it sold out five screenings at the festival.

Heineman said his desire to do something about healthcare is because of all the misconceptions surrounding it in this country.

"Healthcare is an issue that affects all of us, but it's so misunderstood. Everyone knows what it's like to get sick and put your trust in your healthcare provider's hands. But most of us don't think about our health unless we're in the hospital or visiting the doctor," he said. "We wanted to show through the film that we can empower ourselves to be healthier, as individuals and as a country, even before we get sick. We all have a stake in the health of our nation because we all pay for it. We felt like this was a subject that would hit home for every American, so we made it our goal to reach as wide an audience as possible."

Even though he may have been more aware than your average citizen, Heineman said the biggest challenge he faced while filming was dealing with the topic itself and realizing how complex and polarizing it can become.

"There's a reason politicians dating back to Teddy Roosevelt haven't been able to successfully reform our system," he said. "So, from day one, we have acknowledged these challenges and tried to find storylines and characters that help tell the story in an exciting, interesting, and personal way."

After working so hard to find those storylines and put together a narrative that makes sense, Heineman said the most exciting part was simply being able to enjoy Sundance for the first time.

"First and foremost, it was an incredible honor and quite humbling to be able to be there as a young filmmaker," he said. "Once the nerves wore off at our premiere, it was an exhilarating experience to screen the film publicly for the first time, to see audiences react and to interact with people after the screening."

What surprised him most was the reaction by festival attendees and other audience members. He felt many people in the film industry were genuinely hoping for a change in healthcare.

"We were all amazed at how well the film was received. We had five sold-out screenings and it really showed us how excited people were by our film, which explores not only how our healthcare system is broken, but we can do to fix it," he said. "It was wonderfully affirming to feel the energy and the desire to change our severely perverse system."

The next step with the project is to work on a release. Heineman hopes the film can be put out after talking to distributors before the 2012 presidential election. In addition to that, he is also looking at other forms of distribution to get the word out.

"We hope to have an extensive outreach campaign, screen the film on Capitol Hill, at medical schools, hospitals, community clinics and businesses around America," he said.

Heineman will visit New Canaan Coutnry School May 10 to receive the alumni award. For more information on his documentary visit http://www.escapefiremovie.com.

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New Canaan Country School alumni makes film about healthcare