I nivcrsity ot Mijimi Volume 61 MAILAWV Number 1 Summer 1984 Strategic Plan to Reshape Un IK I ISA GIBBS Perhaps thi \. • / dlle.r irriculum. restrut • A reduction in the student-faculty ratio and some reorganization The neve, sj : Washington i . ; e the ae ademic interplay among schools and departments. versity of Pi The University of Miami Board of Trustees recently approved a five- • lhe stabilization of undergraduate and graduate enrollment vear plan which will reshape the University into a more selective and • The improvement of opportunities for faculty research I ii high-qualitv private institution. ing financial, laboratory, library and computer support eel Art-, and • : The Strategic Plan, a product of fwo years of research. establishes • The encouragement of community service programs long-term'goals and redefines budget priorities These include imposing Although the Plan predicts an increase in total undergraduate cnroll- more stringent admission standards for entering students and switching to S. 1 Is and pro, menl due to increased recruiting efforts in the Sunbelt, the University in­ ever, would be fee:. an incentive budgeting system under which most departments will be re­ tends to impose stricter admission standards in an attempt to improve the required to meet the'ir expi quired to pav their own way. overall quality of the undergraduate population. Til. ' - "The plan is a document reflecting 01 nt of strengths and Already, UM has seen a positive change in the quality of Its Freshmen weaknesses, ge'iieral directions based on our priorities and realities of classes — average Scholastic Aptitude lest scores for the 198'4 entering • funding available." said President Fdward T Foote "It Is a guide to help ciass was 1020. more than 40 points higher than those of 198 I. us think more- i learly about where the University of Miami should be The two-volume p i o attract and retain students, thi University proposes .m me rease in going and how we can help it get then University-funded financial support lhe Department of Student Fit : ill," the plan St "Any strategic planning document is simply a snapshot of an evolving Assistance is currently allocated approximately $35 million for studeni as- lj nt joining He.- rank • : process. As the first such snapshot at this university, this document is im­ sistance — $16 million in the form e,f federal loans. $12 million from state Llllle portant but sheeiild not be misunderstood," continued Foote. 'What you and federal funds and $7 million from the University. will read is not precisely what v. ill occur by 1989 I lie numbers in the "V\ .ih a thoughtful si plan will obviously change, but tin- directum of tin' University is assured." The Plan calls for an overall increase in outside funding By 1989, gift t iniversity is poised as fi IA ai e foi Among the specific goals and objectives eeiitlined by Ihe plan are: and endowment income should increase by approximately 50 percent, and Hxeie "Nol only because- of its own stl • A re -examination of the means of instruction and the content of sponsored grants and contracts by .'id percent ihe University has special advantaj UM's Morion Freshmen Collectanea lo bv given one of a kind new exam By LOURDES FFK.VWDI / ,1 III I Itle | lt\ (KAN'K KAt/ It is the only one of its kind in the ,--* *&r World — and its located at thi I ni- In the past Versity of Miami. ademic Skill of no The Morton Collectanea, the re­ cern tee students it sult of 51 years of work, la a bota­ tions In thi Fl nist's dream. It houses — in two *l e * . rooms — data collected by Or Julia 1 «-^ _ ill, all i !nivc Morton and her late husband of Mi in They began the collection in 1 !*.'.3 comple ti While living in New York. "Because are rei Of the depression, the poor people in ;&*•&>_ Honda musl rt gisti I t.• lak' rural areas would gather plants lor i ! VS r in hi pring food. There was a tremendous in­ e to take thi I terest in what could be eaten," she result in Ihe termi said "In Germany, wood sawdust li Was being used to make bread aid So was born the Mortons' infor­ mation center on edible plants. Dur­ "Tile ing World War II. the Mortons he-. a'.. •• ((11111111!;'..' went to the Bahamas to research grade... tropical fruit They later came to hack il in fi Miami for the same reason. How­ said Pod (,1 ever, the hurricane of 1945 tipped Testing f enter over all the fruit trees and the Mor­ According t < Oiili», tons had to wall until lhe trees desigm ' ' were repositioned. -kills. In the meantime, thev wrote 50 should I Tropical Fruits of Nassau and con­ tacted the UM botany department (no longer in existence) Then-Pres­ ident Bowman Ash.- asked them to move their files lee I'M lhe Mor­ tons agreed — bringing ftn cations of information with them The campus, which was then comprised of erne permanent 'unlet- Miami Hi,":. ..... \l.\kll\ M'l'l I I ing and several wooden shacks, had an arboretum with 600 species. The presi nt arboretum, said Morton, is President's House I M "virtually abandoned . "Once mollecular biology came The President's House, owned by the University of Miami, is on Old Cutler Road- The Model T car is President to the forefront, institutions aban­ Edward T. Foote's, and can often be seen around campus. Pictures of the inside on page 2A doned botany and zoology and com­ bined them into biology, This is un­ fortunate'." sh. s.uet "The Universi­ ty of Miami should be greal for the study of botany, and President Foote recognizes this Financial aid offices on the move Morton said her department has atvcral functions, the mosi impor- Bv FRANK KATZ have to pull up roots and move after site- of the offices. The relocation ol - tart being th. i reatlon of the files stuff Writer 13 years but I found the Miami po­ the' e.ffices is one of his primary <>t>- A poster len the wall states all its sition an exciting challenge " jectives. he said, because' the ear .Mictions: selection, acquisition, Smith said that he had kept close rent location not only keeps stu­ 'When the ; processing, application, investiga- tabs on the University from hit for. dents geographically Isolated, hm tion. and communication One year ago, Ernest Smith was mer post because he felt it was one "attitudinallv and philosophii presented itself, i Application, according to Morion. the chief officer of student assist­ of the most interesting institutions well. is solving problems for people She ance for the State of Florida, having in the state. "At the time. I was oh "We need to move nur offices out an extraordinary not only receivt letters from all been in that position since 197-1, and serving UM with an outsider's per­ of this bunker we are situated in." opportunity to h over the world, but also dozens ol had worked in Tallahassee for 13 spective," he said. "When the job he said hone calls ee da> — many from years presented itself, I saw an extra­ According to Smith, the Universi­ pari of an up and Scapitals and climes treating some He is now the director of the Stu­ ordinary opportunity to be a part of ty has adopted a plan that will re­ one who has eaten a poisonous dent Financial Assistance Office al an up and coming class organiza­ sult in the realization of bis propos­ coming class plant. the Iniversity of Miami. In Julv of tion al. "The president and provost have One clinic in Iran had no milk for 1983 he was approached by UM ad­ "I was excited ..t the prospect ol committed to u- that thev will organization.' ministrators who were interested in children in the area and wrote .e-.k being a part of that organization." move us," he said truest Smith ing for the Chinese recipe fe.r soy his filling the position Under Smith, the Financial As­ Currently, the offices are located seminars ti bean milk sistance Office processed freshman on the outer fringes of the campus. ' I AS I male rial Hi Economic botany covers all the "I was asked by Jim Ashe |asso- applications for aid for the fall se­ scattered through four flee.irs m uses of plants — and everything e late provost for Honors and Privi­ mester in record tune "Wl expect three buildings rate into their i urrit uium "m man needs can be obtained from leged Studies] to come here, look to enroll 1,700 freshman this fall se­ Centralizing the offices will that students will se-e- m tht plants, said Mortem things over and file a report," mester, up _(> percent from lu -I make them much more accessible to Smith, "it's like the guy sitting in CLAS1 "Many people think of botany as Smith said. "My observation was year, and we made announcements students. Smith said, but the even­ his office with a telephone, but no just the study of flowers." she said. that the University was on the in March as to how much money tual development ol the Student As­ one- e ise- has one io he can't talk to Gillis said he plans i.e develop an "But man must first understand the verge of making it or failure." they would be eligible feer sistance Management computer sys­ anyone Optional pre ( I AS I test to be taken structure of plants in order to be With the assurances of President Smith was quick to share the- tem will prove even metre benefi­ Ih,- Universitj has recently ap­ prior to the actual test able to understand how man Can Fdward T.