Donna Shalala

Donna Shalala
6th Secretary of Health and Human Services
In office 1993–2001
Preceded by	Louis W. Sullivan
Succeeded by	Tommy Thompson
Personal details
Born	(1941-02-14) February 14, 1941 Cleveland, Ohio
Political party	Democratic

Donna Esther Shalala (surname pronounced /ʃəˈleɪlə/; born February 14, 1941) is the current president of the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida. She has held this position since 2001.

Prior to her appointment as University of Miami President, she served as Bill Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human Services.

In 2007, President George W. Bush appointed Donna Shalala and Bob Dole co-chairs of a commission to investigate problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Early life

Shalala was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to James and Edna Shalala. Both of her parents were immigrants from Lebanon. She graduated from West Tech High School and received her bachelor's degree in 1962 from Western College for Women (which, in 1976, was merged with Miami University in Oxford, Ohio). Shortly after its creation, Shalala entered the Peace Corps, serving for two years in Iran from 1962 to 1964.

She received Master's and Doctorate degrees from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.

Teaching career

After obtaining her doctorate from Syracuse University in 1970, Shalala taught politics at Baruch College (part of CUNY), where she joined the American Federation of Teachers. In 1972, Shalala became a professor of politics and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, a job she held until 1979.

While still a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, she served from 1977 to 1980 as the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Carter administration.

She entered academic administration in 1980 when Hunter College named her as its president. She later served as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin from 1987 to 1993.

Every spring semester at the University of Miami, Dr. Shalala teaches a course covering the United States healthcare system, drawing on her expertise after serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

President Bill Clinton appointed Shalala United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in 1993. She served in this role for eight years, becoming the nation's longest serving HHS Secretary.

In this role, Shalala frequently drew criticism from political conservatives and moderates for her liberal positions. The Washington Post labeled her "one of the most controversial Clinton Cabinet nominees--one who had been branded by critics as being too liberal and politically correct."

However, Shalala was also known for her fervent anti-drug stance, saying "marijuana is illegal, dangerous, unhealthy, and wrong," though a number of conservatives considered the Clinton administration's anti-drug policies weak. Shalala also expressed reservations about Hillary Clinton's health care reform plan, saying “I didn’t come here to set up a new regulatory bureaucracy in Washington.”

University of Miami

Academic ratings

Shalala was appointed President of the University of Miami in 2001. Since her appointment, UM has made some modest progress in its national academic standing, as assessed by U.S. News & World Report, moving up 12 spots, from 66th (in 2001) to 54th (in 2006) in the magazine's "National Universities" category. She spearheaded the "Momentum" campaign, the $1 billion fundraising campaing for UM, which is ahead of schedule and has increased the goal to $1.25 billion to be completed by the end of 2007. UM one of only about 20 universities and the first university in the state of Florida to raise $1 billion or more. Interestingly, UM is only 80 years old (classes started in 1926), compared to the University of Florida and Florida State University, founded in 1853 and 1851 respectively.

UM's School of Business also has continued to rank highly, being ranked as the 44th best business school in the nation in 2006 by U.S. News and World Report. The Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, affiliated with UM's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, was ranked the best hospital in the nation for Ophthalmology by U.S. News and World Report in 2006. In the 2006-07 academic year, under Shalala, 19,000 prospective students applied to UM. Of these, 8,360, or 44 percent, were admitted. UM is getting increasingly more competitive every year and the most recent freshman class had a mean SAT score of 1269 and over two-thirds graduated in the top 10% of their high school graduating class.

Controversy surrounding stewardship of the school's football program

Past success of the university's football team has not continued in recent years, a failure that many fans have laid at Shalala's feet. The university's football team won four national championships in the 18 years prior to Shalala's arrival, more than any other Division I program during that period. While the football team did win the national championship in 2001 (Shalala's first semester as UM President), its stature has since declined, as it lost the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl in 2002. (The outcome has been contested over a somewhat questionable pass interference call made by official Terry Porter on UM defensive back Glenn Sharpe while he was defending OSU receiver Chris Gamble.) An opportunity for a rematch with Ohio State the following year was narrowly avoided, as BCS decision-makers chose Florida State University as UM's opponent in the Orange Bowl, even though many speculated Ohio State would be the better choice, given the opportunity for a rematch, and the fact that Miami had already defeated FSU during the regular season. Miami subsequently defeated the Seminoles again.

In 2004, the Hurricanes defeated the Florida Gators easily in the Peach Bowl; the following season, the program endured one of its most embarrassing defeats ever, 40-3 at the hands of Louisiana State. The post-game celebration was marred when a fracas ensued while players were leaving the field. Shalala was criticized for her unwillingness to assume some responsibility on the shoulders of her university's players for the altercation.

In 2006, for the first time in nearly a decade, the team fell from the Associated Press's "Top 25", going 6-6 for the season. One of those wins was against a winless Duke University team that came only on a last-minute UM field goal that spared the team what many believe would have been the most embarrassing loss in the university's history. The team's losses were so disappointing that they ultimately resulted in the 2007 firing of team's coach, Larry Coker. Reflecting the apparent lack of communication between Shalala and Coker, Coker predicted following UM's final game that he would return for the 2007-08 season; Shalala fired him 24 hours later.

Custodial wages strike

In early 2006, under Shalala's leadership, the university was involved in a hugely controversial custodial workers' strike, a dispute between the university's then non-unionized custodial workers (now represented by the SEIU labor union) and the university's contractor, UNICCO. The strike, which lasted from February 28 to May 1, 2006, generated extensive campus and off-campus criticism of UM and UNICCO's labor relationship with its UM-based custodians. While various studies had shown that UM's custodial workers were among the lowest paid university-based custodians in the nation, Shalala failed to act on their wages until the strike.

Shalala also drew criticism from some striking workers and protesters for appearing to take the side of UM's contractor on how a union vote should be taken and for not acting earlier to prevent the strike, following the publication of a report that had clearly revealed UM's custodial workers not earning a living wage. Still, Shalala failed to act until the strike forced her involvement.

It should be noted that Shalala did not posses direct control over any of the issues for which the UNICCO workers protested, and that some workers chose not to protest at all. Also after some pressure from Shalala, UNICCO granted partial raises and benefits to its workers; however the union supporters elected to continue the strike (their demands not being met), causing disruptions in UM life, most notably their occupation of the Ashe Administration Building, where Shalala’s office was located, and disrupting Shalala's own class.

Personal

Shalala is of Lebanese descent. She has never been married and has no children. She serves on the boards of a number of charitable and nonprofit foundations, including the Albert Shanker Institute.

She appeared on The Colbert Report on January 30, 2007 as Stephen's guest for the night.

References

• "Notable Former Volunteers / Government". Peace Corps official site. Accessed 5 January 2007.

External links

• Template:Nndb name.
• Donna Shalala biography at the University of Miami Web Site.
• Donna Shalala page at University of Miami Web Site.
• Donna Shalala: "Let them Eat Mangoes", Wonkette, February 17, 2006.
• "America's Best Leaders: Q&A with Donna Shalala, President of the University of Miami, U.S. News & World Report, October 22, 2005.