University of Miami (Florida)
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The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world.

More than 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from around the world call UM home during the academic semesters. The University has grown from its main location in the City of Coral Gables to include the medical campus located in Downtown Miami, the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science on Virginia Key, the John J. Koubek Center in Little Havana, the James L. Knight Center in Downtown Miami, and the South and Richmond campuses in southwest Miami-Dade county. With more than 10,000 full- and part-time faculty and staff, UM is the largest private employer in Miami-Dade County. The University was chartered in 1925 by a group of citizens who felt an institution of higher learning was needed for the development of their young and growing community. The inaugural class of 560 students enrolled in fall of 1926.

The University's 12 colleges and schools, along with the Division of Continuing and International Education, offer 150 undergraduate, 130 master's, 60 doctoral and two professional areas of study. The Coral Gables campus houses eight schools and two colleges. The School of Medicine has its own campus that is part of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center complex in downtown Miami. The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is located on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay. Additionally, other academic programs, including bi-lingual Continuing Education classes, are offered at the Koubek Center in Little Havana.

Creating new knowledge is one of the highest priorities for a research university. Each day, in laboratories, studios, clinics, and classrooms across the campuses, what we know is rigorously questioned and challenged in the pursuit of new knowledge. Research and sponsored program expenditures totaled nearly $270 million (FY 05).

Out-of-classroom activities play an important role in a college experience -- and rich student life at the University of Miami offers a multitude of opportunities. More than 260 student organizations reflect a wide array of interests, while the Greek community is home to 28 fraternities and sororities.

The University's collection of administrative and support offices strive to provide the highest level of customer service for the students, parents, employees, alumni, and all audiences that the University serves.

The University of Miami has become a major contender in collegiate sports. UM's athletics teams have enjoyed unprecedented success on the fields, winning more than 20 national championships while UM athletes have earned more than 55 individual titles. The University is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The University of Miami has become a mecca of cultural and social activities - from the Lowe Art Museum and the Cosford Cinema to the Gusman Concert Hall at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music and Jerry Herman Ring Theatre. UM has theatres, museums, galleries, an arboretum, and a convocation and basketball arena, that are among the best in South Florida.

The more than 147,000 alumni of the University of Miami are our most treasured assets. It is their success and support that has helped UM among one of the nation's leading private research universities. The University of Miami Alumni Association (UMAA), founded in 1930, is your UM connection, helping you stay in touch and actively involved with your alma mater.

Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami, is the billion-dollar campaign for the University. It is a comprehensive effort to strengthen every aspect that makes a university great: outstanding faculty, excellent students, strong academic programs, powerful research, vibrant student life, state-of-the-art facilities, interdisciplinary initiatives, and service to the community.

The Hurricanes Name
It began in controversy. Some reports say the 1927 football team held a team meeting to select Hurricanes, hoping they would sweep away opponents just as the devastating storm did on September 16, 1926. Another version holds that Miami News columnist Jack Bell asked end Porter Norris of the 1926 team what the team should be called. Told that the local dignitaries and University officials wanted to name the team for a local flora or fauna, Norris said the players wouldn't stand for it and suggested “Hurricanes” since the opening game had been postponed by such a storm. From time to time, opposition has arisen to the name that would “reinforce Miami’s negative reputation as a weather-beaten community living constantly under the threat of destruction.” But as one UM official rationalized in the 60’s, “Does anyone think Chicago is overrun by bears just because the town has a football team by that name?

Team Colors Orange, Green & White
UM’s school colors were selected in 1926. The colors of the Florida orange tree represent UM. Orange symbolizes the fruit of the tree, green represents the leaves and white, the blossoms.

The "U"
In 1973, UM’s Athletic Federation, the fund raising arm of the athletic department at the the time, commissioned a local public relations expert to develop a distinctive logo. The University had gone several years with a variety of helmet and uniform changes and the Federation noted that a number of major colleges have the initials UM. Miami designer Bill Bodenheimer suggested the “U” idea, which lent itself to slogans like “U gotta believe” and “U is great”.