Below, for your reference, is the full text of President Julio Frenk’s video message (above) to the University of Miami community.
Dear members of the University of Miami community,
We have arrived!
Today is a great day for all of us who love and support the University of Miami and who have invested our hard work and hearts in its quest for excellence.
I am honored to share with you that the U has been invited to become a member of the Association of American Universities—the AAU. A distinguished national organization comprised of 65 advanced research universities, the AAU represents the gold standard in American higher education.
The University of Miami is among six institutions admitted into the AAU this year by unanimous approval of our peers—the highest form of recognition. One of the youngest universities invited to join, we are one of only a handful of AAU members founded in the 20th Century. The U approaches its centennial in 2025 having reached this defining milestone.
Our AAU designation has required a transformational level of activities and outcomes across our 12 schools and colleges in research, graduate and undergraduate education, and other areas that demonstrate compelling performance across the institution. With more than $413 million dollars in research and sponsored program expenditures funded in fiscal year 2022, the University of Miami is emerging as a world class leader in boldly identifying and seeking solutions for our world’s greatest challenges.
From the Miller School of Medicine and UHealth discovering and delivering the best research-driven patient care and outcomes to the collaboration between the Rosenstiel School and our governmental partners aimed at keeping millions of people and their property out of harm’s way, our research is life-changing. Throughout the entire University we see every day the special blend of talent and tenacity that drives the continuous pursuit of excellence.
Our aspiration to achieve AAU distinction has been in the works for more than a decade. The road was paved not by short-term gains but by long-term goals and sustaining investments from our stakeholders, including our faculty and staff, our students and alumni, our trustees and other generous supporters. Yet, membership in the AAU is not a final destination but a platform to reach further heights into our second century and beyond.
I extend my deepest gratitude to all those who have set us on the path to success. The road has been long, but we have indeed arrived! The milestone we celebrate today will reinvigorate our commitment to the essential mission of universities: to create, disseminate, and apply knowledge as the most powerful force for enlightened social transformation.
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