In an office decorated with a crazy quilt made from swatches from the dozens of academic robes she's gotten from universities that have awarded her honorary degrees, University of Miami President Donna Shalala talked about leadership with U.S.News & World Report:

You're president of a major university and a member of three corporate boards, and serve several nonprofits. How do you get everything done?

I start very early. I get up before 6 a.m. and walk the dog before working out with a personal trainer. The dog doesn't know the difference between Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, so I have to walk the dog early those days too. I read six newspapers. I try to deal with my serious reading before work. I am very disciplined about returning phone calls and E-mails. I try to do them in the morning. I have a BlackBerry so I can return E-mails, but calls are usually later. No one in Miami is ready for phone calls at 7:30. The only place I ever lived that I could return phone calls early was Madison, Wis. But I have a driver, so I can return calls while I'm in the car. I get to work at about 7:30 or 8 unless I have a breakfast meeting. I'm pretty disciplined and am almost always on schedule. I try to get in bed by 10 p.m. I get out of dinner meetings fast.

In what area of life do we need the most leadership?

Health. We are living longer, and we need to live better. We need leadership on the fundamentals of eating right, exercising, and not smoking. I am interested in getting people to use the healthcare system at the right time, getting them to see the doctor early enough, before a small health problem turns serious.

Do you think there is less leadership today?

Nonsense. In every community, whether large or small, there are people who lead in their community in easy and difficult times. Sure, it is apparent that presidents are looking at polls, but they are also stepping up on issues. President Clinton stepped up on tobacco. He shaped the polls on the tobacco issue. I think President Bush tried to step up on Social Security even though the polls showed that was unpopular. He has not been successful and backed off, but I admire people who take on big problems.

What has been your biggest disappointment?

My friends would expect me to say losing healthcare legislation was the worst time. But for me, it is when a student has died. I find the death of a young person the most difficult and painful of times. To explain it to other young people, to see a bright future snuffed out, is just awful. I am haunted by those deaths. It always takes all my strength and faith to keep on going. In Wisconsin, I had heavily recruited a brilliant young Native American from Bayfield, Wis. A couple of days before his high school graduation, he was killed in an auto accident. As a part of the recruitment, I promised him he could sit next to me at the first football game. I left the seat next to me empty. Every year, I am reminded of the kids who aren't in the freshman class and aren't graduating. I remember every single one of them. That is the worst of times for me, to see the future snuffed out.