Goldie Hawn: I Love UM — But I Never Cared For College!

Posted by Jose Lambiet , February 17, 2012 Print

There were folks with million-dollar checks last night at the University of Miami‘s BankUnited Center, but actress Goldie Hawn got a lot of the attention. (She’s Kate Hudson‘s mom, for you young ‘uns)

The star of Private Benjamin, HouseSitter and First Wives Club, last seen in these parts in December at a Miami Dolphins game, materialized at the kickoff gala of the U’s Momentum 2 fundraising campaign — a drive that’s expected to raise a whopping $1.6 billion!

– Click here for Mike Jachles event photos

Already, master fundraiser and UM President Donna Shalala has parted the usual donors from $900 million-plus, but the school needs much more for construction, research, scholarships, athletics and the recruitment of top professorial talent.

– For more society galas that any other news organization in Florida, click here to register to the Gossip Extra dirt alerts

But it was Hawn who, at 66 and with no Kurt Russell in sight, got chatted up by every other dude over 30.

“I love it here,” Hawn said of UM. “It’s great to be surrounded by people who make a difference. Places like these are great agents of change.

“UM has been an extraordinary university since Donna Shalala took over.”

Although Hawn didn’t get much of a college education – she lasted one semester at DC’s American University before her dancing took her to Broadway — she now says she may have missed something by not staying put.

“I was on TV at 21,” she said. “Going to college may not have been my destiny.”

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Starring about 300 students on hand to entertain or attend to the 900 guests, Thursday’s gala may very well have been one of the top 5 Miami fundraising fiestas this season.

One highlight: The Kenny Loggins concert with the Frost School of Music‘s Henry Mancini orchestra.

To see who else was at the wingding, click here.

For more galas:

– Tropical pound setting wows them at the Fairchild Tropical Garden’s yearly gala

– Dave Matthews to highlight Everglades Foundation gala

– Donald Trump at the Red Cross Ball: Negative electioneering hurts the GOP

– The Palm Beach zoo ball is where the wild things are

– Tebowing in Palm Beach: Donald Trump snags Tim Tebow garb at Komen for the Cure auction

– Rod Stewart, Housewife Ramona, cold hard cash star at Palm Beach Policemen’s Ball

– Young Friends of the Red Cross kick off the new year in style

– Rudy Giuliani highlights Palm Beach’s Salvation Army ball

– DWTS’ JR Martinez stars at LIFE Foundation

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