From its founding in the 1920s through hurricanes, protests and decades of growth, the University of Miami has transformed into a leading research institution. From classes held in a hotel to a thriving campus of nearly 20,000 students, follow the story of 100 years of history that highlights the people, challenges and milestones that shaped what the U is today.
1920s: A vision takes root
The decade began with a dream: to establish a university that would enrich South Florida’s burgeoning community. The University of Miami’s founding was a testament to South Florida’s ambition and the vision of individuals like real estate developer and founder, George Merrick.
In December 1921, Merrick announced that Coral Gables would become “Miami’s University Suburb.” Despite his many projects, the dream of UM was at the center of his plans.
On April 8, 1925, the University of Miami was granted its charter, but the roaring twenties had their fair share of challenges. The collapse of the land boom in 1926 left the University cashless and unable to materialize Merrick’s many plans for it at the time.
On Sept. 17 and 18, 1926, a devastating hurricane known as the “Killer” and “The Great Miami Hurricane” struck South Florida. No other rivaled its consequences until Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Merrick later wrote a memoir of the aftermath, detailing the state of Miami after the “Killer” and the determination UM’s founders had in the creation of this institution.
“A group of Miami citizens sat in an unroofed building and decided upon the opening of the University of Miami,” he said. “The history of the University of Miami since that day, having passed through such [circumstances] as no other University in the nation has passed through, has still come to great stature in community, state and nation.”
On Oct. 15, 1926, the University of Miami welcomed 646 students under President Bowman F. Ashe. However, it did not resemble the ambitious higher education institution that its founders spoke of just months earlier.
The campus was centered in the Anastasia Hotel in Coral Gables, whose first and second floors were the only completed ones. Besides classrooms and laboratories, the space also included administrative offices, a library, a student lounge, a large auditorium and a gymnasium with locker rooms.
Students paid $225 a year to attend the new university. Half was due at registration, the rest at the start of the second semester.
Girls could live in the rented third floor of the San Sebastian Hotel a block away, but the boys had to fend for themselves until they finished building the men’s dormitory, “La Posada del Estudiante,” (now the University Health Center), on the main campus.
The College of the Liberal Arts, which included music, art and drama, and the law school hardly resembled the many offerings proposed just a year earlier. To accumulate more revenue for the University, faculty and staff came up with solutions, including aviation classes through Curtiss Flying Service and one of the nation’s first undergraduate marine zoology programs led by future UM President Jay F.W. Pearson.
In 1926, President Ashe suggested that UM launch an honor society for men, and in 1926, the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor given at UM, was established. Iron Arrow had nine founding members: Leonard Tunk, Gavin Miller, Clarke Wilson, Francis Houghtaling, Dale Clark, Harry Gray, Norman Kennedy and Bob Fink.
1930s: Overcoming adversity
In the 1930s, the University of Miami faced a period of challenges, but also experienced remarkable moments of growth and resilience. The decade began with financial struggles. A drastic 60% reduction in faculty salaries prompted seven faculty members to file a complaint.
In response to the escalating crisis, UM filed a voluntary petition for bankruptcy. In an effort to save the institution, Ashe, along with a group of University supporters, purchased the University’s assets for $15,758.
The students of the University were also deeply invested in the success of their school and rallied together to help. They went door-to-door to raise funds and organized a campaign urging recipients of a Florida Supreme Court-mandated refund from Florida Power and Light to donate their refund to the university.
“When you went to Yale or Harvard or Florida, you knew you were just a student like thousands of others before you and after you,” one alumnus recalled in a 1949 Miami News article. “But at Miami you felt like one of the pillars under the building. If you pulled out the whole thing might collapse.”
Perhaps the most iconic display of students banding together occurred in 1936. The university was struggling with its aging Anastasia Building, and the students decided to take matters into their own hands.
They raised $1,000, equivalent to over $19,000 today, to purchase paint for the building, and spent their own time painting it. Newsreel photographers captured this event, and it was broadcast to theaters across the country. Under the headline “For the First Time in History,” the editors of the 1936 Ibis Yearbook summed up the experience.
“When the painting was completed, the University of Miami took on new importance.” the Ibis said. “Not only did the exterior appear bright and shiny, but also the very spirit within was strengthened and brightened.”
By the end of the decade, the University had made significant strides. Enrollment was increasing, and finances were improving. The University purchased several key properties in the area, including the San Sebastian Hotel, surrounding apartment buildings and the former Granada Shops furniture factory.
1940s: Expansion and new frontiers
The early 1940s were a time of monumental change for the University of Miami, sparked by the attack on Pearl Harbor, the opening of the Graduate School in 1941 and the establishment of the Marine Laboratory, now the Rosenstiel School for Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, in 1942.
In the spring of 1942, Miami Beach turned into a military training ground, and over 50 U.S. Army and British Air Force cadets arrived on campus. They enrolled in regular college courses and participated in all facets of campus life, from fraternities to politics and even some joined the football team.
By 1944, a record number of 2,400 students had enrolled. By this time, the university’s demographic was largely white, with a growing Hispanic population.
With the increase in funding from military programs and revenue, the University Board of Trustees purchased the original 245-acre campus that Merrick had envisioned as the foundation for the university 20 years earlier.
On Sept. 16, 1946, the University held its first classes at the new main campus, which was still under construction.
When the fall 1946 term opened, more than 5,000 students showed up to register at the new campus. By 1949, 7,000 students were enrolled.
New buildings, such as the Memorial Classroom Building and apartments for veterans who got married, were completed, marking an architectural shift from the campus of the past. The new Merrick Building became the heart of the school.
“In a few years, the Main Campus will be one of which you can be truly proud,” 1946 Student Body President Charlie Franklin said to The Hurricane. “For the present however, a bit of patience and fortitude. The noise of construction work may be distracting, but it means the dream campus is fast becoming reality.”
1950s: A decade of unprecedented growth
By its 25th anniversary, the University of Miami had much to celebrate.
The campus now featured modern apartment and classroom buildings, along with the Lowe Art Museum and Ring Theatre.
Academic programs flourished with the growth of enrollment. The long-awaited College of Engineering was established in the Anastasia Building in 1947, and the Marine Institute received further expansion, with the University securing a property on Virginia Key in 1948. UM’s Medical School was established in 1952 from a research unit at the Veterans’ Hospital and became Florida’s first school of medicine.
In December 1952, the University experienced a profound loss when Ashe, the “heart and soul of the University,” passed away unexpectedly.
At a memorial in 1953, Ibis Yearbook reflected on his immense contribution,“his indomitable courage spurred it over several seemingly insurmountable hurdles.”
Jay W. Pearson, a member of the original faculty and Vice President at the time, was named president on February 6, 1953.
“We were small at the start, yet both were sturdy and stood the periodic lashing of the wind and cold,” Pearson said in his inaugural address in May 1953, likening the University’s growth to a young tree, “suddenly, both began to shoot up, at last to burst through the surrounding foliage.”
Enrollment surged, and the University’s building program expanded dramatically. Pearson introduced new graduate programs, oversaw the dedication of the Antonio Ferre Graduate School Building and secured a multi-million dollar gift from Otto G. Richter for the building of the Otto G. Richter Library in 1962. He also initiated the first Honors Program and oversaw the newly accredited School of Medicine’s move to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
1960s: Reexamination, activism and consolidation
In January of 1961, seven years after Brown vs. The Board of Education was passed, the Board of Trustees at UM voted to admit qualified students regardless of race, making UM one of the first universities in Florida to desegregate.
That summer, UM’s first African American students began attending classes on the main campus.
“The people here are ready for change and can accept change,” Pearson said to The Hurricane. “I have no reason to expect a single incident from our student body.”
Pearson’s retirement in 1962 marked the end of an era. His successor, Dr. Henry King Stanford, became the first president who was not part of the University’s founding.
Stanford, a scholar and administrator from Birmingham-Southern College, took the presidency during a time of national optimism and increasing social unrest. The country was in a struggle for civil rights, which led to widespread protests and activism.
On campus, students began questioning everything from dress codes to class requirements. The Women’s Movement and African American students pushed for representation in faculty, administration and on the Board of Trustees.
United Black Students was founded in 1967 by Harold Long to push for equal rights on campus with a series of demands. On May 17, 1968 the organization led a sit-in at Stanford’s office, peacefully sitting to call for action on their demands.
“There comes a time to stand up for what you believe in,” Long said. “If I don’t do it now, when would I? What type of man would I be?”
Stanford, believing in open communication and the right to dissent, held extensive meetings with students, faculty and minority leaders. He introduced new courses and hired new staff to address the issues.
Martin Luther King Jr. visited the University of Miami in May 1966 and was met by a standing ovation by the 1,200 students and faculty in attendance. When the mayor of Miami requested that Stanford cancel King’s speech, Stanford refused.
“Civil rights is a moral issue – it is not just a matter of economics and politics,” King said. “It is a torturous logic, to use the tragic results of segregation as an argument for the continuation of it.”
In the late 60s, social revolution and activism flooded college campuses. Students were active in anti-war and civil rights activities, especially once the U.S. military began drafting for the Vietnam War in December 1969.
Students protested in spaces across the Coral Gables campus, holding signs. One read, “warning: the draft may be hazardous to your health.”
1970s: Strengthening Research and Academics
By the mid-1970s, the University faced mounting financial challenges due to inflation and a national recession. To address this, Stanford and the Board of Trustees launched The Mid-Century Capital Campaign in 1976, aiming to raise $129 million over five years.
By the beginning of the 80s, the campaign exceeded its goal, raising $132 million.
Stanford had also long championed what he called “Towers of Excellence,” key areas of the University that would earn national recognition.
The then Marine Laboratory, now RSMAS, led by the renowned oceanographer F.G. Walton Smith, became one of the first to gain such recognition. It received a $12 million donation from the Rosenstiel Foundation in 1968, the largest gift in UM history at the time.
The STEM schools also saw major contributions from the Rosenstiels and other donors, resulting in a new campus at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and the James M. Cox Science and J.N. McArthur Engineering Buildings on the Main Campus.
A major milestone during Stanford’s presidency was the University’s inclusion in the 1973 Carnegie Commission’s list of America’s 52 leading research universities. This recognition, based on research funding and the number of Ph.D. degrees granted, elevated the University to new levels of prestige.
1980s: Strategic growth and national recognition
Edward T. Foote became the University’s fourth President in 1981. Following years of consultation with faculty, administrators, alumni, trustees and community leaders, Foote introduced the “Strategy for Excellence” in 1984.
The overarching goal of his plan was to elevate UM into the ranks of other national private research institutions.
The first goal was to raise the quality of students admitted to the university. Foote introduced a bold approach: UM would need to become smaller and more selective. Through the decade, the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen increased by nearly 100 points.
Another major goal was the $400 million Capital Campaign, which aimed to transform UM’s landscaping, facilities and scholarships. At the time, it was the second-largest campaign in higher education history and surpassed expectations with a total of $517.5 million.
The Schools of Architecture and International Studies opened in 1983 and the School of Communication opened in 1985.
In the 80s, UM made history in athletics. The Hurricanes football team went on to win nine national championships after 1984, and later set the record for the longest home winning streak in NCAA history. UM went on to capture additional titles in baseball, women’s golf and men’s crew.
Meanwhile, Iron Arrow faced legal challenges in 1976 when it was sued for violating Title IX by prohibiting the admission of women.
In response, the Iron Arrow Honor Society filed a countersuit to maintain its male-only status. Foote ultimately intervened, stating that the society would not be allowed on campus if it continued to exclude women. The first female members were tapped in 1985.
1990s: Enhancing academics and campus life
During the first night of new student orientation in 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit. The storm stranded 5,000 students and their families on campus. Four hundred and twelve homes of students, faculty, staff and administrators were heavily damaged, in addition to the campus destruction.
“Working sometimes 48 or more hours straight in conditions of great deprivation without electricity, water, air conditioning or telephones,” Foote said in a note thanking his front-line colleagues. “They cared for those students and friends and remained calm and admirably professional as they helped our University family together.”
Foote, aware of the lessons from the 1926 hurricane that nearly destroyed the University’s founders’ dreams, used this crisis as an opportunity to rebuild and improve. He used insurance and Federal Emergency Management Administration funds to reimagine the campus, ultimately surpassing its pre-Andrew condition.
While many highlight the transformation of the physical buildings during Foote’s presidency, his legacy extends far beyond the buildings themselves. His wife Roberta “Bosey” Foote recognized that the University lacked visual cohesion, so the couple set out to beautify the campus.
Bosey was instrumental in the establishment of the Jane Gifford Arboretum and worked closely with landscapers and the architecture school to add more interesting design elements and greenery to campus. Bosey also planted several palmetums throughout the school.
Initially, some critics viewed this as a superficial concern, but the campus’s lush new look quickly became one of its defining features.
In 1992, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center was dedicated at the School of Medicine and in 1994 the George A. Smathers Student Wellness Center opened.
Later on, the U.S. News & World Report ranked the University as one of the top 10 universities for diversity.
2000s: A rise to national prominence
The 2000s marked a transformative decade for UM, driven by the leadership of Donna E. Shalala, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, who became the university’s fifth president in 2001.
Shalala led the University to new heights in academics, research funding and student success, leading to an extraordinary rise in national prominence.
In 2004, the University found itself in the national spotlight when it hosted the first presidential debate between President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center.
Just a year earlier, UM launched “Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami”, a fundraising initiative that raised $1.4 billion. This success made UM the first university in Florida to mount a billion-dollar campaign. These funds not only boosted academic programs and research but also supported significant campus developments, such as the creation of University Village.
Originally proposed in 1992, the University Village faced multiple delays, including the devastation of Hurricane Andrew. But by the mid-2000s, UV began to take shape, offering new housing for 800 upperclassmen, graduate, law and medical students, as well as amenities like parking, shuttle services and faculty townhomes.
However, the unexpected impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused further setbacks to the construction and completion of UV, pushing the opening date back to fall of 2006.
As a result of Katrina, UM opened its doors to offer temporary housing and education opportunities to thousands of students displaced from universities along the Gulf Coast, including Tulane and Loyola New Orleans.
“We’re not stealing them from their home campuses. We don’t have any room,” Shalala said in a statement to The Hurricane. “But we have to do our share [to help].”
2010s: Momentum continues
In the early 2000s, UM was ranked No. 67 in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges rankings. By 2014, the University had broken into the top 50 and remained there for the next six years.
Under Shalala’s guidance, the University experienced significant growth and solidified its standing as a key institution in the south and in the nation.
In 2015, President Junio Frenk was inaugurated as the sixth president of the University. As former dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a leader in global public health, Frenk brought a fresh perspective to the era of innovation, academic distinction and global recognition.
During his tenure, applications to UM soared by 16%, reaching nearly 40,000. The percentage of admitted students who chose to enroll also increased by 31%, showing the growing appeal and selectivity of the institution.
The decade also saw a revitalization of the University’s infrastructure and medical enterprises. Frenk oversaw the expansion of UHealth, which experienced its best financial performance in history, positioning itself as South Florida’s premier academic health system.
UM’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute remained at No. 1 in the nation for the 16th time in 2018 and has kept its ranking since. The Ear, Nose and Throat program ranked No. 9 in the nation. In 2019, Sylvester became one of 71 U.S. institutions – and the only institution in South Florida – to become a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. This designation drastically increased local funding, from $9.9 million in 2014 to $30 million in 2019.
New healthcare facilities, like the Lennar Center, and record-breaking funding of nearly $322 million in the year of 2019, solidified the University’s standing as a leader in both education and healthcare.
Established in the spring of 2017, the Frost Institute for Chemistry, Molecular Science and Data Science was made possible through the $100 million gift by Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost that was announced during Frenk’s inauguration.
The Ever Brighter fundraising campaign, which launched quietly in 2015, raised more than $2 billion throughout the decade and is on its way to reaching $2.5 billion by 2025.
2020s: Celebrating 100 years
A significant test for UM came with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Frenk’s fourth pandemic experience as a public health leader. As the world grappled with the unprecedented health crisis in 2020, the University of Miami adapted to the rapidly changing circumstances.
Classes were suspended on March 17, 2020, and continued remotely until the end of the spring semester. By the fall of 2020, the University was one of only 30% of higher education institutions offering a hybrid model of both in-person and remote instruction. In-person classes resumed in the spring of 2022, and the University welcomed students back with resilient ’Canes spirit.
In 2023, UM was invited to join the prestigious Association of American Universities, an invitation-only membership reserved for the nation’s leading research universities. The University’s place in the AAU was a symbol of its rise to national prominence, with only 3%of the nation’s four-year institutions being granted membership.
Building on this momentum, the University also began investing in its infrastructure to support the next generation of ’Canes. With the Centennial Village to be fully complete by the fall of 2026, this multi-step plan is currently two-thirds complete. The next step is the potential replacement or reconstruction of Mahoney-Pearson and Eaton Residential Colleges.
Currently, 1,115 students live in Lakeside Village, 875 students are in Centennial Village Phase One and 1,150 students will live in Centennial Village Phase Two.
On Oct. 18, 2024, Joe Echevarria, former Herbert Business School alumnus and CEO of UHealth, was named the seventh president of the University of Miami.
“Excellence, continuous improvement, and impact are more than shorthand for rising to our immense potential,” Echevarria said. “Those words, which have likely by now become familiar to you, remind us that unless we are giving our very best – in academics, in research, in patient care, in athletics – we are not worthy of the U.”
As the University celebrates its centennial, it has become an even more selective school, with a 19% acceptance rate. Today it is home to 19,852 undergraduate and graduate students spanning 12 colleges and more than 180 majors. The student body is 21% Hispanic students, 15% international students and 10% African American students. On the field, the Hurricanes Athletics have won 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association championships and 85 individual national titles.
“The U means something,” Echevarria said. “Here in our community and in cities around the world, it symbolizes the grit that achieves greatness, and the swagger that follows it. For nearly 100 years, we and our community have been at our best when we achieve greatness together.”
This story was originally published by The Miami Hurricane, the student newspaper of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, as part of an editorial content partnership with the WLRN newsroom.
