[Polybius]

Well, there’s the Fed Ex Orange Bowl, the Nokia Sugar Bowl and the Toyota Gator Bowl.

Now we have the Leonard Miller School of Medicine.

I received a long distance phone call yesterday at my medical practice from one of my relatives in Miami. “Have you heard about the Miller School of Medicine yet?”, she asked.

“No. I’ve never heard of it. Where is it? Is it one of those diploma mills on some Caribbean island?”

“No. It’s right here in Miami.”

“Somebody’s selling novelty medical school diplomas out of a Kinko’s shop on Miller Road?”

“No. The Miller School of Medicine is now the name of your medical school alma mater.”

“Huh?????”

Well, it seems that Donna Shalala was brought in to be President of the University of Miami for her potential money raising abilities and Bill Clinton’s former Secretary of Health and Human Services has indeed been bringing in money towards a $1 billion goal. One way or the other.

When the family of a late real estate developer (mostly known in South Florida for being sued for shoddy construction that literally blew away during Hurricane Andrew) donated $100 million to the University of Miami School of Medicine, Donna Shalala said “Thank You” by dumping the name of a Medical School with over half a century of history and tradition.

The former “University of Miami School of Medicine” is now the “Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine”.

From what I hear from my relative in Miami, other University of Miami School of Medicine alumni besides myself are up in arms over the matter. Even worse is how the current medical students must feel knowing they will have to spend many years after graduation explaining that the “Miller School of Medicine” is actually a real medical school.

Out with the old.

In with the new.

I guess it could have been worse. If Wayne Huizenga had died and left enough money, it could have been the Blockbuster Video School of Medicine.

[SoFloFreeper]

I don't have a problem with this. Schools need money, and what better way than to have a PRIVATE SECTOR donation?

[Polybius]

FYI

[Hildy]

What's wrong with that, it happens all the time. $100 million donation. That's a big one. It deserves the name. Why does this bother you?

[zarf]

You have a problem with this?

Kudos to Shalala and the UM.

[newgeezer]

I bet you could have convinced them to keep the old name if you had given them a hundred million dollars.

"You can't go home." "Nothing stays the same." Words to live by. :-)

[Moonman62]

When the family of a late real estate developer (mostly known in South Florida for being sued for shoddy construction that literally blew away during Hurricane Andrew)

Lennar really built some terrible houses. A coworker lucked out when Andrew destroyed his house. He'd been looking for a way to get out of it, and its sloping floors. He took the insurance money and left town.

[dfwgator]

The Canes are still Gator Bait!!!!

[pikachu]

Universities are worse whores for money than politicians. I can just imaging some of the other 'schools' we can see:

1. Bill Clinton School of Ethics
2. Bernard Kerik School of Public Relations
3. Scott Peteson Institute of Infant Care
4. Robert Blake Alibi Creation Center
5. Hoard Dean Yodeling School
6. Dan Rather Creating Writing Centre

[rawhide]

Where did some of other big name schools get their names? The ones that are not identified by being associated with a particular locale. I am sure some rich person started it all. So this is really nothing new.
Now, however, if the U of Miami is a state university, then there might be a problem for the Florida state legislature on the name change. Come to think of it, isn't U of Miami a state university, so how can the president change the name?

[thummy]

Miller Genuine Draft School of Medicine.

[Paradox]

Sorry, I really don't have a problem with this, or Shalala. I know she worked for Clinton, but you do know that she was the one who got into a shouting match with him over the Monica thing, right? She still didn't have integrity to resign, but nobody is perfect.

UM Medical School and the Jackson Memorial Hospital are among the finest in the nation...

[rawhide]

I've got an extra $1,000 to donate this year, any schools out there that will change their name to my name? Hmmm?
My name in lights! I like that thought!

[Kirkwood]

$100M is going to allow their medical school to compete with the big league schools. My school would put up Michael Jackson's name on it for that kind of money.

[ampat]

It's called "Prostitution".

[Osage Orange]

And when enough time has gone by....some other Donna Shalalalala-like shuckster will rename the Med. School after another deep-pocket contributor.

We won't probably live to see it, but I'd bet you a box of Osage oranges, it will happen.

FWIW-

[Osage Orange]

Just be glad Dr. Kervorkian didn't donate millions. It could have been named the Kervorkian School of Medicine....

[NativeNewYorker]

Citigroup boss Sandy Weill gave $100 million to Cornell and got the med school named after him.

Anything that, at the margin, crowds the govt out of education, is "a good thing".

[VOA]

Count your blessings.

UCLA is stuck with:
"The Geffen School of Medicine"
(yep, the light-in-the-loafers movie/music mogul)

[NittanyLion]

Take heart: maybe the Millers will sell the naming rights eventually. "The Google.com School of Medicine" sounds like a great name...

[the_devils_advocate_666]

Could be worse, you could have done your studies at the West Virginia University's Robert C Byrd Health Sciences Center