Op-ed: Julio Frenk’s transition will greatly benefit UCLA, but UM will miss him dearly
By Abdulrahman Bindamnan
July 26, 2024 7:41 p.m.
A year after Dr. Julio Frenk’s inauguration as president of the University of Miami, I began my undergraduate studies there in Fall 2016. As president of the Muslim Students of the University of Miami (MSUM), I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Frenk.
Dr. Frenk grew up in Mexico and was educated at the University of Michigan. He has had a distinguished international career, serving as Mexico’s Secretary of Health, where he spearheaded significant health care reforms.
He has also worked as an executive director at the World Health Organization and served as an advisor to the Gates Foundation.
Dr. Frenk became the Dean of Harvard’s School of Public Health, where Harvard Professor Fernando Reimers described him as one of the most strategic and visionary deans Harvard had ever had.
Inspired by Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust, Dr. Frenk later became the president of the University of Miami.
The first thing that struck me about Dr. Frenk was his brilliant – indeed, genius – mind and his dazzling way of thinking. He is also an attentive listener, focusing on the deeper implications behind words, not just their superficial meanings.
I met with Dr. Frenk several times in his office and was fortunate that he could find time for me – a UM student and then alumnus – despite his busy schedule. In Dr. Frenk, I found a visionary, strategic and inspiring leader who exemplifies the bridge between scholarship and leadership.
During my meetings with Dr. Frenk, he emphasized his philosophy of being generous to strangers, noting that Mexico, while not economically wealthy, is rich in welcoming immigrants. I found Dr. Frenk to be not only brilliant but also kind – a rare combination in academia.
As a contributing author at Psychology Today, I published two profiles on Dr. Frenk titled “Generosity to Foreigners: Leading By Example” and “The Philosophy of Showing Kindness to Strangers.” In these articles, I highlighted Dr. Frenk as an exemplary leader who practices what he preaches and a superb scholar who applies his ideas in the real world.
Throughout my journey in higher education, I have met many professors, scholars, and leaders and received considerable praise for my work. However, meeting Dr. Frenk was a turning point for me.
Dr. Frenk is a leader who seeks to uplift people rather than put them down.
In addition to being an exemplary leader and superb scholar, Dr. Frenk is also a skilled and facile writer. He is bilingual, fluent in both Spanish and English and reads fiction daily, alternating between the two languages.
While I am not typically an avid fiction reader, Dr. Frenk has inspired me to start. He has published numerous books and journal articles, aiming to bridge higher education, industry and the health sector.
In English, he enjoys Philip Roth and a wide variety of books, including classical works by authors such as Charles Dickens, Sinclair Lewis, Jack London, William Styron, John Steinbeck and Alice Munro, as well as detective stories by Agatha Christie and PD James. He also keeps an eye on recommendations from the New York Times and The Economist.
At the University of Miami, Dr. Frenk proved to be a visionary leader whose philosophy of generosity and outstanding scholarship will be greatly missed. He emphasizes the importance of leaving a legacy, believing that institutions are human inventions that enable us to do so.
Dr. Frenk has indeed left a lasting legacy at the University of Miami – one that will surely inspire his successors to continue his work.
I will always remember my meeting with Dr. Frenk and the strong vote of confidence he expressed in me. I appreciate his open-door policy and his serious commitment to his students. I wish him a successful journey as he takes the helm at the University of California, Los Angeles.
It is UM’s loss, UCLA’s gain.
Abdulrahman Bindamnan holds a BA from the University of Miami, an MSEd from the University of Pennsylvania and is a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota. He is a contributing author for Psychology Today and a scholar fellow at UPenn.
