Industry Leaders Join University of Miami School of Business Advisory Board

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Miami School of Business Administration today announced the appointment of 10 international business leaders to a newly formed Board of Overseers. The board, which includes the current and former top executives of some of the nation's most prominent companies, will work with the School's dean, faculty and administration in its effort to achieve recognition as a globally preeminent business school. The board, chaired by David H. Komansky, the chairman emeritus of Merrill Lynch & Co., includes:

• Ralph Alvarez, Former President and COO, McDonald's Corp.;
• Joseph Echevarria, U.S. Managing Partner of Operations and Vice Chairman, Deloitte LLP;
• Pedro Fabregas, President and CEO, American Eagle Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida;
• T. Kendall Hunt, Chairman and CEO, Vasco Data Security International Inc.;
• David H. Komansky, Chairman Emeritus, Merrill Lynch & Co.;
• Jorge Mas, Chairman, MasTec Inc.;
• Michael Misiorski, CFO and Senior Vice President, Bacardi North America;
• Fredric Reynolds, Retired Executive Vice President and CFO, CBS Corp.;
• Brian Rice, Executive Vice President and CFO, Royal Caribbean Cruises; and
• Marvin R. Shanken, Founder and Chairman, M. Shanken Communications Inc.

"We are very fortunate to have such an accomplished and distinguished group of business leaders making a commitment to help the School of Business Administration advance our bold agenda to become one of the world's greatest business schools," said Barbara E. Kahn, dean of the School of Business Administration. "The input and support of the Board of Overseers is vital to strengthening our academic reputation, increasing our financial resources, and enhancing our ties to the business community."

Members of the board, who are all alumni of the School of Business, will provide counsel to the dean on the mission, goals and strategic planning of the School; promote the School regionally, nationally and internationally; help strengthen the School's financial resources; and serve as a "sounding board" for research projects, educational programs and external activities.

Under the leadership of Dean Kahn, who joined UM in 2007 after 17 years at the Wharton School, the School of Business Administration is moving forward with a vision to achieve global preeminence - to earn a place among the world's very best business schools. The School is pursuing a strategy built upon three pillars: research excellence, innovative cross-disciplinary programs (focused on such areas as health sector management and policy, real estate and entrepreneurship) and community engagement.

In the past two years, the School has attracted new faculty from some of the world's leading business schools and universities including the Wharton School, Harvard University, MIT, and Duke University. The 2010 Financial Times MBA program rankings place the School's faculty among the top 35 business school faculties in the U.S. and among the top 40 faculties in the world. The School's vision has also been supported by the launch of new academic programs which include a business minor in health sector management and policy, a joint MD/MBA degree program in partnership with the University's Miller School of Medicine, an undergraduate business major in real estate, an MBA concentration in real estate, a joint Bachelor of Architecture/MBA program in partnership with the University's School of Architecture, and a Master in Real Estate Development and Urbanism program in a collaboration with the University's School of Architecture, the program administrator, and the School of Law.

As part of its community outreach program, the School organized the University's first Global Business Forum in 2009, a two-day event that drew nearly 700 members of the community along with such industry titans as the legendary Jack Welch and the CEOs of McDonald's Corp., The Coca-Cola Co., and many others. The next Global Business Forum is scheduled for January 2011 and will focus on the business of health care.

Detailed biographies for members of the School's Board of Overseers are available online at http://www.bus.miami.edu/explore-the-school/overseers/index.html.

About the University of Miami School of Business Administration

The University of Miami School of Business Administration is a comprehensive business school, offering undergraduate business, full-time MBA, Executive MBA, MS, PhD and non-degree executive education programs. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Miami, the School is located in a major hub of international trade and commerce and acclaimed for the global orientation and diversity of its faculty, students and curriculum. The School delivers its programs at its main campus in Coral Gables as well as at locations across Florida and abroad. More information about the University of Miami School of Business can be found at www.bus.miami.edu.

SOURCE University of Miami School of Business Administration