Donna Shalala and Robert Dole co-chair bipartisan presidential commission charged with looking into the care of wounded service members
President Bush named Donna Shalala and Bob Dole to head the commission, which he formed in response to a growing outcry over the care of wounded outpatient soldiers. Demands for corrective action arose among the public and in Congress after The Washington Post last month exposed squalid living conditions in a decrepit Army-owned building just outside Walter Reed and highlighted bureaucratic obstacles and delays in the outpatient treatment of soldiers who suffered serious injuries, including brain trauma, in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This is going to be comprehensive; it's going to be vigorous," Shalala said as she and Dole stood outside the White House after their meeting with Bush. "And neither one of us are afraid of talking to the brass, whether it's the president of the United States or a general." Read more.
The Miami Herald writes: University of Miami President Donna Shalala is an invaluable community
asset
People throw around terms like ''transformational leader'' and ''change agent.'' President Shalala brings life and meaning to those words. She has reinvigorated the already-strong UM, bringing new faces and energy to the senior leadership, revamping the curriculum, improving our students' experience and growing our medical enterprise. We hosted the 2004 presidential debate that focused the world's spotlight on our campus and on South Florida. We raised more than $1 billion well ahead of schedule. That money is being pumped into scholarships, academic programs, infrastructure and our community. We named two of our schools -- the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music -- thanks to the generosity of two distinguished and philanthropic families.
The transformation of our medical school is astounding. Faculty and students are making incredible strides in research and patient care that have an immeasurable impact on the quality of our lives and on life itself. President Shalala's decision to invest in the biosciences will jump-start a new industry for South Florida that will provide jobs and, more important, cure diseases. Read more.
RPCV Donna Shalala says: "I like to think of the Peace Corps as the 51st star on the American flag, because it represents the very best in the American character"
"I like to think of the Peace Corps as the 51st star on the American flag, because it represents the very best in the American character. The Peace Corps is a voice for democracy and American values. Like the stitching of a quilt, it helps bring together the world's diverse cultures. And the Peace Corps sows the seeds of peace by planting the enthusiasm, ideals, and skills of America's young people in the soil of other nations. I know this from my own service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran in the 1960s." Read more.
Donna Shalala says: "I'll never forget my own family's reaction in 1962 when I told them I was going to go half a world away to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran."
I'll never forget my own family's reaction in 1962 when I told them I was going to go half a world away to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran. As you can imagine, they were less than thrilled. You want to do what? For how long? My father even tried to bribe me by offering me a car if I chose Cleveland over Iran. I said, "No. I'm going." And that was that. My grandmother had other ideas. She handed me this very gracefully worded letter -- in classical Arabic -- addressed to the headman of the village that I would be living in. She made it very clear that she expected her granddaughter to return to Cleveland -- in one piece. Her note read, "This is the daughter of a very important headman in the United States -- take care of her." Read more.