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Thank you Dean Kahn. Let me join in welcoming everyone to the University of Miami. The Global Business Forum promises to be a showcase for informative discussions that explore the new world created by the awesome power of connectivity.

I especially would like to thank Dean Kahn for her and the School of Business Administration’s leadership and vision, as well as all our sponsors who helped make this possible. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to put this program together.

My fellow panelists, Alberto Ibargüen and Michael Ducker, bring distinction to this event, and I thank you both for joining us today.  There is a vital need for partnerships with organizations like the Knight Foundation and Fedex Express, and all those participating in the Global Business Forum. Your support helps to expand our academic strengths and reach into the heart of the community.

Barbara Kahn noted that the launching of this forum couldn’t be timelier. As academics like to say, the current global economic crisis provides “real world” learning which no classroom exercise can ever hope to simulate.

We hope the Global Business Forum will provide each of you with a holistic view of the world and the tools for creating prosperity that transcends the boundaries between disciplines and nations. In doing so, we can begin to understand in a more global and comprehensive way the challenges facing our nation and the world.

In November of 2001, during my inaugural speech as President of the University of Miami, I paid tribute to my new home by saying that “Miami es el mundo…Miami is the world.” I couldn’t think of a better place to be than this dynamic metropolis. Its diversity was one of the main reasons I chose to call Miami home. And I think we can all agree that there’s no better place to be in January!

As the globally acclaimed “Gateway to the Americas,” Miami’s unique geographical location and profile as a major urban center make it a natural launching pad for any serious discussion of global connectivity. There is no other city quite like this.  The University of Miami is indelibly branded by our location, and we help shape how the business world perceives South Florida – as a thriving and competitive global marketplace.

A significant part of the University’s mission lies in creating new opportunities for economic growth through innovation and by strengthening the important connections between higher education and the business community.
As a major economic and intellectual player in the region – we are the largest private employer in Miami-Dade County – the University of Miami provides a working model by which best business practices can be successfully adapted and implemented.

We also serve as an incubator and clearing house for new ideas and increased productivity. And we do all this in a culturally and ethnically diverse environment that looks more like the “real world” than the ivory tower.

Today I can say with pride that the University of Miami es el mundo.

Implicit in our continuing success is how Miami’s multicultural environment has prepared our students to engage in meaningful and productive relationships with people from all over the world. Our hope is that students will enrich their education through uniquely Miami experiences that not only expand their reach into the world but open their eyes, their minds, and their hearts. Universities are where learning and research extend beyond the classroom and the laboratory and connect directly with people and communities at a personal and transformational level.

At the University of Miami, we take pride in our entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary approach to education, research and delivery of health services. We are creating learning hubs where students and faculty from a variety of areas of study come together to integrate unique ways of seeing the world and solving its problems. And we can bring our strengths and resources to the table alongside business and technology leaders, public officials and policy makers, to make a real and immediate difference in the quality of life of millions at a local, regional, national, and global level.

The University of Miami’s globalization runs parallel with the ever-growing relationships made possible through technology, trade, and travel. Never has the need for strong connections between people across the globe been greater.  We look to our hemispheric and global friends to join their expertise and strengths with ours. Together we can show the world a model for better-living through innovation, collaboration, and greater prosperity. 

Thank you, and now I hope that you have lots of questions.

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