The Donna E. Shalala Center is an important and groundbreaking addition to student life on the University of Miami campus. The Student Center, funded by a generous 20 million dollar gift from Bruce and Tracey Berkowitz, includes a 24-hour study space, student organization offices and lounge spaces, a 1000-seat ballroom, a Senate Room, multi-use meeting and activities rooms, and a media suite that includes The Miami Hurricane newspaper, IBIS Yearbook, and Distraction Magazine.

Designed by Arquitectonica and built by Fort Lauderdale-based Moss & Associates, the Student Center houses the offices for student activities and student organizations, the Butler Center for Volunteer Service and Leadership Development, Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement, and reservations for the Student Center Complex. The Shalala Center is also the site of a Starbucks and the Rathskeller, which includes roller gliders and an outdoor bar with views of Lake Osceola. Most importantly, it is the office space for student groups that is arguably the facility’s biggest benefit. With the opening of the Shalala Center, student organizations that once had to share space neighboring the Whitten University Center now have the space specifically dedicated to the student organizations.