RE Log - Fall 2020

32 Ransom Everglades LOG FALL 2020 The Paul Ransom Digital Podium represented a continuation of the school’s long tradition of inviting speakers of significance and global interest to the community. In recent years, RE students and families have heard from acclaimed poets, social justice advocates, authors, an astronaut, child psychologists, veterans, scientists, cutting-edge educators, politicians and more. The new remote series offered the benefit of wider access; attendees did not have to make their way to the Lewis Family Auditorium or Swenson Hall – they merely needed to open their laptops and click a link. The digital podiums began on April 28 with “COVID-19: Lessons from the Pandemic for All of Us.” Allan Feingold, Medical Director of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at South Miami Hospital, and Steven G. Ullmann, Chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami, discussed the global and national response to the virus, and consequences for citizens. They advocated for a gradual reopening of RE’s campuses, but cautioned about moving too quickly. “Let solid data and science dictate the course,” Feingold said. “Science will inform politics. If we allow politics to inform science, we’re going to be in trouble.” A week later, two of Miami’s most prominent restaurateurs examined the impact of the pandemic on the restaurant industry. Two longtime friends – and friends of RE – Stephen Sawitz ’75 , the owner of Joe’s Stone Crab, and RE parent Shareef Malnik ’76, P’19 ’22 , owner of The Forge, shared their personal stories and family business lineage, and the costs of doing business during COVID-19. Ransom Everglades created a new virtual speaker series designed to bring the RE community together during the coronavirus crisis for roundtable discussions on timely and important topics led by influential speakers with ties to the school. These conversations connected parents, alumni, trustees and students with medical experts, community leaders and well-known business executives throughout the spring of 2020. RE mote Roundtables Paul Ransom Digital Podium series connects RE community Stephen Sawitz ’75 Shareef Malnik ’76 P’19 ’22