The University of Miami traded its breezy and studious atmosphere for carnival rides, food trucks and fireworks for thousands to celebrate its big birthday on Tuesday — 100 years old.
Chartered on April 8, 1925, the university had 646 full-time students by the end of the following year. Today, it has more than 19,000 students from all over the world.
Jeremiah Thomas is among those thousands of students. Originally from New York, the junior is majoring in sports administration and computer science.
"UM is just such a cultural experience," Thomas said. "You see so many different diverse people coming here, coming together and I feel like this festival just shows it."
The university's beginnings
The University of Miami's inception came from group of citizens who felt their community needed a higher education institution. UM was chartered on April 8, 1925, and by 1926 opened for students. It was then a co-educational, whites-only school. In 1961, UM opened its doors to Black students.
The now-premier school faced major challenges in its first 15 years. The South Florida land boom that inspired optimism was crashing and a hurricane made recovery more difficult. The school at one point also had to overcome bankruptcy, according to the the University of Miami Magazine Centennial edition.
When it opened, UM consisted of the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Music and the Evening Division. It now has 12 schools and colleges with nearly 350 majors and programs.
Alumni
Alumni were also drawn back to campus this week to commemorate their alma mater. Wali Salahuddin grew up in the area and graduated from UM in 1999.
" I was always a fan of the university and the sports and athletics," Salahuddin said. "And then to be a student here on campus and to go through the engineering program where I felt warm, welcomed, encouraged and supported. After all these years, I still feel that way."
Salahuddin was one of the many students — past and current — proudly wearing the Iron Arrow Honor Society jacket. Founded in 1926 by the university and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the honor society recognizes students who embody scholarship, leadership, character, humility and love for their alma mater.
Its mission is also to commit "its inductees — past, current, and future — and their resources to the advancement of the Miccosukee to ensure the growth, education, and prosperity of the Miccosukee people." (The University of Miami is on Seminole, Miccosukee, and Tequesta lands.)
As Salahuddin posed for a photo, an old friend from his college days snuck up behind him — the teacher assistant who tapped him to join the Iron Arrow Honor Society. They've kept in touch over the years.
Honoring the past and looking ahead
"We are part of the entire experience of being in this Miami community," said Laurie Silvers, chair of the Centennial Honorary Committee and the immediate past chair of the Board of Trustees. "And from my perspective, over the 100 years... what we have given the community and what the community has given us are unparalleled."
For Silvers, it’s not just about looking back, but also looking ahead with excitement about what the next 100 years of UM will bring.
"I'm enthusiastic about what's going on today because I think it shines a bright light on who we are and where we're going to be in the future," Silvers said.
The university today consistently lands among the top 100 schools in the country in the U.S. News and World Report annual ranking.
