UniversityJournal
New Senior Vice Presidents Whitely and Ugalde appointed to new leadership roles Patricia A. Whitely, Ed.D. ’94, and Aileen Ugalde, J.D. ’91, both longtime University leaders renowned in their fields, were promoted in early February to senior vice presidents for the units they have led for a combined 39 years—the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of the General Counsel, respectively. While the two launched their University careers in distinct eras— Whitely in the 1980s and Ugalde in the 1990s—both garnered a reputation for being forward-thinking leaders who were instrumental in raising the stature of their divisions. President Julio Frenk recognizes Whitely as among the most accomplished student affairs leaders in the country and celebrates her “outstanding work in managing the student experience through a
pandemic—always prioritizing the wellbeing and development of our students.” The president likewise highlights Ugalde’s expertise in helping the University track its strategic goals during the tumultuous pandemic. “The strength of our operations, which sets us up to emerge from this historic time stronger than ever, relies on the sound legal guidance of our general counsel, Aileen Ugalde, who also served as a longtime secretary to the Board of Trustees,” Frenk says. Whitely began at the University as a residence coordinator and rose through the ranks to hold such key positions as director of student life and associate director of residence halls before becoming vice president for student affairs in 1997. Ugalde, initially recruited as a junior attorney on the Medical Campus, has
Patricia A. Whitely, left, and Aileen Ugalde
held a number of posts during the course of her tenure, including vice president for government affairs, assistant to the president, and secretary to the Board of Trustees. She was appointed vice president and general counsel of the University in 2006 and also served as the executive director for the University’s presidential searches in 2000 and 2014.
Inaugural Frost Institute Rises Construction begins on the Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science
The first deck of the five-story, 94,000-square-foot Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science took concrete shape in the beginning of the year, and construction continues apace on the research hub where world-class chemists and molecular scientists will sync ideas with experts from other disciplines to tackle a myriad of global challenges. Slated to open in the summer of 6 MIAMI Spring 2021 miami.edu/magazine
2022, just east of the McLamore Fountain on Memorial Drive, the institute is the first of a planned group of interdisciplinary research centers that will operate under the Frost Institutes for Science and Engineering umbrella. “It is hard to overstate the role this building will play in moving discovery science forward,” says Leonidas G. Bachas, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and interim director of both the institute
and Frost Institutes umbrella, who is seeing a dream come true. “Completion is still a year and a half away, but to watch the progress from my window is very gratifying,” A landmark $100 million gift in 2017 from longtime benefactors Phillip and Patricia Frost gave flight to the institutes, which are destined to elevate the University’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) endeavors. Jeffrey Duerk, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, notes that the inaugural institute’s location underscores its importance. “Chemistry and molecular science give rise to everything that we can see and touch, from the air we breathe, to our thoughts, to the objects we use daily— from our cells to our cellphones,” Duerk says. “It’s fitting that the first of the Frost Institutes is rising at the center of the Coral Gables Campus, where it will propel the University’s trajectory as a leader in STEM research, education, and interdisciplinary discovery.”
