OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT IMPACT REPORT 2015-2017
CREATING A STRONGER COMMUNITY TOGETHER
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“The scholarship of engagement means connecting the rich resources of the university to our most pressing social, civic and ethical problems, to our children, to our schools, to our teachers and to our cities...” — Ernest Boyer in The Scholarship of Engagement
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CONTENT
From left to right: Saif Y. Ishoof, Cynthia Rivera, Isabel Gamarra, Caryn Lavernia, Alina Parbtani, Alexina Alonso and James Knapp (not pictured: Matthew Ramos-Paez).
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ABOUT ENGAGEMENT.............................................. 4
CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE:............................... Rose Ellen Greene............................ 6 Engagement Advisory Council............................ 8 OUR INITIATIVES:............................... Life Sciences South Florida.......................... 10 Talent Development Network........................... 11 Veterans Initiative...........................15 ACCESS.......................... 16 TRIPLE WIN PARTNERSHIPS: City of Miami Beach & FIU...........................17 FIU & U.S. Coast Guard.......................... 18 Royal Caribbean Cruiselines Ltd........................... 19
LEAD IN ASSISTS...........................20
MAYA ANGELOU’S LEGACY........................... 22
AROUND TOWN: Disruption.......................... 24 Together for Children.......................... 25
FIU OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT
8/14/17 11:43 AM
Message from our
VP It has been two years since I accepted the honor of leading the Office of Engagement, and what a tremendous journey it has been. Engagement embodies the community oriented spirit of FIU and it is an honor to be able to serve in connecting our talented students and our faculty’s ground breaking and innovative scholarship with other like-minded organizations and together help address the challenges our community, state, nation and globe face. During this time, our office has made meaningful connections and developed partnerships that transform the lives of our students, our faculty and staff, and our community. A new educational framework and changing political landscape have made engagement more important than ever for public universities like FIU. Through engagement with local and broader communities, we seek to be a resource in FIU’s pivot from a discipline-based framework of higher education to a framework focused on the role and responsibility we as FIU can play in the world around us through partnerships. Using our 5S framework, our office is able to build targeted deep partnerships that are IMPACTFUL and help our institution achieve its strategic goals. Moving forward, our team is focused on reclassifying FIU as a Community Engaged University by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. We will continue to grow these important relationships, while building new initiatives that are important for the development and growth of our community.
Stay tuned! SAIF Y. ISHOOF
IMPACT REPORT 2015-2017
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FIU’s Office of Engagement =
STRATEGIC CONNECTION POINT BETWEEN FIU AND THE COMMUNITY.
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NOT ONLY OUR HOME, BUT OUR COMMITMENT. FIU OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT
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We are systemic across the university, Engagement is a resource for students, staff and faculty whose research and clubs are working to make strategic relationships within our community. We leverage our scholarship, our resources and our research to address the challenges of the world around us, creating a win for our partner, a win for our university and a win for our community. Focused on building transformational partnerships, the secret ingredient for all our work is IMPACT and all collaborations work to help create opportunities on a local, national and global scale. Following a 5s framework, we tactically identify projects that are sustainable, scalable, have staffing potential and support FIU’s strategic goals. Engagement is synonymous with community, and brings visibility to the deep connections FIU has across the region regardless of unit. Our mission is to encourage FIU to deepen its bond and, therefore, encourage any and all interaction with our community.
We CONNECT and create a bridge for our students and faculty with our community.
We help drive INNOVATION within our FIU community and greater Miami.
We steward and create MEANINGFUL partnerships.
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TAKING ACTION: ROSE ELLEN GREENE When Rose Ellen Greene walks into the outside courtyard of Jesse J. McCrary Jr. Elementary School, kids call her by name and come up to give her a tight hug. Their connection is palpable. Greene was introduced to the elementary school 5 years ago when her daughter began volunteering there. She fell in love with the school, and most importantly the students. Since then, Greene has been visiting the school on a weekly basis—volunteering in the school’s classrooms, purchasing t-shirts, financing their field trips, and attending their year-end parties.
COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE
A native of New York, Greene moved to Miami for college, where she met the love of her life, Gerald Greene. She married and has volunteered with Miami-Dade County since. Her husband was a manager at brokerage firms Bache & Co., Herzfeld & Stern and Purcell, Graham & Co. in Miami Beach and Bay Harbor Islands, and would mentor younger brokers. Greene, served on boards of several cultural and art initiatives. Eventually, her passion for philanthropy led her to work with children.
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Since she began her work with Jesse J. Elementary, Greene’s ultimate goal was to give the students a program that would provide them with mentorship opportunities and support services that would inspire them to go to college. After working with several different institutions she made contact with Saif Y. Ishoof, the VP for Engagement at FIU, and learned about the Education Effect. “I had known Saif from his work at City Year, and was hoping that his connections would help me find a program that would really impact the students,” said Greene. “I wanted to help make these students dreams come true.” This is how Greene learned about the work of the Education Effect at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Liberty City, and at Booker T. Washington High School in Overtown. Putting her love of children and her community first, Greene did something unprecedented and donated $2 million for the program to expand into Jesse J. Elementary. This is the largest gift given to the Education Effect and is the first from a private donor. The expansion into Jesse J. Elementary marks the first time the program will be working with students, their parents and the community, and will incorporate researchers, faculty and staff from FIU’s Center for Children and Families, a nationally recognized interdisciplinary clinical center committed to improving the lives of children and families. “Rose Ellen is truly inspirational and very unique within our Miami community,” said Ishoof. “Her love for the children and her passion for making an impact guide her actions. Her generosity is admirable. She is a doer, and should serve as an example to all other Miami philanthropists. She doesn’t want the credit, just to help the children she works with and loves.” Over the next five years, Greene’s gift will fund a multidisciplinary team that will connect the school, students and parents with university expertise, resources and research-based programs that address pressing educational and social needs. This includes developing parent engagement programs, interventions by the Center for Children and Families, exposing children to college experiences, and professional development activities for teachers. “I see the real possibility of what an investment in FlU’s Education Effect program, in partnership with M-DCPS, will achieve. I am excited about the mission and vision of this program and feel fortunate that I am able to contribute,” Greene said.
FIU OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT
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IMPACT REPORT 2015-2017
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Engagement Advisory Council For the first time, the Office of Engagement has brought together some of Miami’s changemakers under a new Engagement Advisory Council (EAC). Charged with helping FIU’s Office of Engagement tell the FIU story and help strengthen our ties to our community, the EAC members are our champions for change in the community.
We asked each member,
“Why is being a part of the
engagement advisory council at FIU important to me?” Here are their answers:
“The Engagement Council is impactful. We work together to seriously enhance existing FIU programs, while benefiting the greater Miami community.”
COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE
Luis Andre Gazitua, Esq. Miami Lobbyist and Government Affairs Lawyer Gazitua Letelier Chair of the FIU Engagement Advisory Council
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“It is important to me to mentor and guide students in our community. The Engagement Advisory Council at FIU gives me the opportunity to impact student’s lives and contribute to our community in an impactful way. Purpose-driven work is the most important thing that I am able to do and FIU enables the opportunity to do it at a high level.” Heather Monahan Chief Revenue Officer Beasley Media Group
“EAC enables business owners like me to be involved in the community and be part of making a difference in the community. This initiative brings me closer to the community and to the great minds working toward it.“ Mallesh Murugesan CEO and Founder Abeyon
“FIU is now a critical agent and voice in our community as we redefine our local economy, cultural landscape and outward reach to other regions undergoing similar progress. I’m proud to be a part of the Engagement Advisory Council as we ensure our diverse community as a whole is a partner and catalyst in FIU’s success.” Alex Dominguez Director AT&T Corporate External and Legislative Affairs South Florida
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“With FIU taking on such a leadership role in South Florida and the world, one who cares about such things would be crazy not to be involved in such a mentally and spiritually stimulating endeavor.” Drew Nederpelt Founder/CEO Health & Wellness Channel
“The opportunity to contribute, even in a small way, to helping forge connections between our local community and the university is rewarding on many levels. I am most excited about working together as a mentor to create tangible connections between the university and our local startup eco-system. It is through EAC that I believe we will create a virtuous circle where everyone wins on all sides of the equation.” Andy Sturner Co-Founder/Chairman Boatsetter
“I want to be part of positive change. Creating a path for success is critical for long-term, sustainable growth and a thriving, diverse ecosystem. Through engagement, mentorship and exposure, we will create more opportunities for the students of FIU and this community, during and post-graduation.” Cindy Diffenderfer Co-Founder and CEO Miavina
“FIU is a vital part of our community and has made an institutional commitment to not only educate emerging leaders in South Florida, but to reinvest its energies in the most under-resourced segments of Miami. FIU is leading the charge on redefining the role of a public university and recommitting itself to values of justice, fairness and equity. I’m proud to be a member of the Engagement Advisory Council and a witness to the impact that FIU has in our community.” Alana Greer Co-Founder Community Justice Project, Inc.
Other EAC members include: Marco Botero, head of client solutions at Twitter; Kareem Brantley, managing partner at Bravis Fund Group; Brian Breslin founder and director at RefreshMiami; Andy Campo, managing partner of Axxis Solutions; Jaret Davis, co-managing shareholder at Greenberg Traurig; Benjamin Evans, managing director at BMe Community; Rebecca Mandelman, vice president for strategy and engagement at the Miami Foundation; Rebekah Monson, vice president at WhereBy.Us; among others.
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OUR INITIATIVES LIFE SCIENCES SOUTH FLORIDA Launched in 2010, Life Sciences South Florida, whose members include more than 20 leaders of the top educational, economic development and research institutions in the region, is a consortium of members that seek to establish an industry cluster in South Florida focused on life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and information technology. Our office serves as the operational arm of the initiative.
Annual symposium gives students opportunity to make connections and showcase their research. Participating in research opportunities offers undergraduate students an invaluable experience—giving them a taste of the culture of research and the life of a scientist. It also gives students the opportunity to grow their involvement in school and discover their field of interest. This was the case for Alejandro Hernandez and Gretel Arcia Gonzalez, who are two of more than 300 student researchers and faculty judges from 11 South Florida colleges and universities that presented their findings at Life Sciences South Florida Undergraduate Research Symposium over the past two years. Hosted annually by LSSF—whose members include Max Planck Florida Institute and the Beacon Council, among other top educational, economic development and research institutions in the region—the symposium is aimed at encouraging students to join the life science field. Hernandez is working on using sodium silicate—a colorless, odorless liquid in soaps and detergents—as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to restore contaminated groundwater. Working at the Savannah River Site, one of the most significant sites for the production of materials related to the U.S. nuclear program during the early 1950s to late 1980s, Hernandez is helping to find solutions for and mitigate hazardous waste. Gonzalez, a student in FIU’s Department of Biological Sciences and a member of Advanced Research and Creativity in the FIU Honors College, says undergraduate research and participating in conferences is essential for her future career in forensic science. This is why she made the trip to the symposium to present her research on canine DNA profiling for forensics. “It was important for me to come network, present and see what other students across the region are doing,” Gonzalez said. “The connections I make here will help me better my research and will also help me when I begin applying to grad school.”
SPOTLIGHT The Lifees awards honor companies that help students succeed and industry grow. Life Sciences South Florida honors professionals and organizations that are leading the charge through partnerships with students, faculty, researchers and scientists in South Florida at their annual Lifees awards. Winners are recognized at an award ceremony held as part of the festivities for eMerge Americas.
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FIU OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT
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LSSF PARTNERS
TALENT DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Economic Development
The One Community One Goal (OCOG) Talent Development Network (TDN) is an innovative regional program designed to prepare and align talent with Miami-Dade County’s economic development strategy. A collective effort of Miami’s seven major educational institutions – Barry University, Florida International University, Florida Memorial University, Miami Dade College, St. Thomas University, the University of Miami and Miami-Dade County Public Schools—the program works alongside Miami’s economic development agency, the Beacon Council, and industry partners to build and retain talent. In addition, it helps align academic curriculum with industry needs in South Florida.
Research Institutions
A one-stop-internship-shop, the TDN portal gives employers the ability to reach students at any of the seven academic institutions at no cost and gives students from across Miami-Dade access to top notch paid internships; works on the development of their soft skills; and provides them opportunities for mentorship. Our office serves as the operational arm of the initiative.
Educational Institutions
The ultimate goal:
develop an internship culture in Miami-Dade.
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Hitting the mark: Talent Development Network making strides in its goal to build an internship culture Alma Ramirez, 25, was working toward her MBA in health care administration when she got the opportunity she was looking for: an internship at a local company called Abeyon. While working toward her degree, Ramirez wanted to get an internship so she could have as much experience as possible before graduating. “My hope was that through my internship, I could learn more about the industry.” Ramirez got her start at Abeyon as an IT intern through the Talent Development Network (TDN), a program that matches Miami’s local students with internships at top employers in fast-growing career fields. After a 3-month internship with the company, she landed the job. “TDN was the medium that allowed me to find out about the opportunity,” Ramirez says. “I reached out to TDN, submitted my resume and respective info, and within two weeks I was being called for an interview.”
OUR INITIATIVES
For the South Florida economy to continue to grow and thrive, talented and highly skilled college and university graduates must be able to find the quality, high-paying jobs they desire. To compete with other companies across the globe, companies need highly skilled employees that are knowledgeable about their specific industry. Over the next 12 years, approximately 500,000 students will be graduating from our local high schools and will be ready to go to college and join our workforce. Internships are key economic drivers connecting our students to top employers, while allowing the corporations to form a pivotal role in the formation of Miami’s future talent pool. Out of its initial pilot phase, TDN is looking to continue to work with local corporations on incorporating internships into their corporate structure and continue to engage students so they are encouraged to stay in South Florida. In the future, the TDN team hopes to scale and grow their project into different counties across the state. “It’s important to challenge yourself, step out of the box and go for different opportunities,” Ramirez says. “You never know what you can get if only you ask.”
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Speed networking leads to new connections
SPOTLIGHTS
You are about to graduate from college and are looking to get some experience in your field before you walk across the commencement stage next semester. You walk into an elevator and next to you is the CEO of a company for whom you have dreamed of working.
Reimagine Education Awards
You are a local software company that has been searching for a great developer that will take your product to launch and round out your team. You heard about an outstanding intern who has helped launch products for your competitors. Many of the local companies have made her offers to join their company when she graduates in two weeks. You walk into an elevator and there she is. If you had three minutes to convince someone to hire you, or someone to become part of your team, what would you say? Would you land that internship? Would you recruit that student?
TDN recently received the MBA & Professional Education Bronze Award from Reimagine Education. The annual Reimagine Education Awards is a yearlong global competition designed to uncover transformative initiatives across the educational sector. The competition attracted 807 submissions from 56 countries—527 entries were accepted and 140 shortlisted. The international panel of judges consisted of 40 experts who evaluated the projects based on three main criteria: innovation, impact, depth or scalability.
Developing a clear elevator pitch is pivotal to your success when you are attempting to sell yourself to either an employer or trying to recruit a star employee. Students and employers from across Miami-Dade County were given the opportunity to practice these networking skills and test out their elevator pitch at a breakfast on February 14 at the Beacon Council as part of an event for TDN. More than 60 students from seven academic institutions that participate in Miami’s Academic Leaders Council joined more than 50 employers – such as Uber, the New Tropic, Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami Beach, Telefonica, Senator Daphne Campbell, Stardom Up and Cargo42 – for an hour of speed networking. Each participant had the opportunity to speak to either a student or employer for three minutes at a time before they were asked to move on. “My legislative assistants met some wonderful students,” Senator Daphne Campbell said. The networking was followed by a panel discussion where interns Feras Ahmed and Alma Ramirez spoke about their respective internship experience and how it helped launch their career. Then were joined by their employers, Brian Brackeen of Kairos and Mallesh Murugesan of Abeyon, respectively, and shared the value that interns bring to their companies. “TDN helped me find this opportunity that was pivotal for me to jumpstart my career,” Ramirez said. The panel also highlighted the talent of FIU senior Gregory Johnson, whose extensive experience would make him a prime candidate for any local employer. Johnson shared insight on how to land great internships and how employers can also attract great talent. “Having a culture that accepts winning ideas and respects and values its employees is important to me,” he said.
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Venturing into the tech world TDN joined forces with Venture Café Miami for a job fair with more than
30 startup employers and
50 students. Since its launch in 2015, TDN has posted more than 440 internships to tdnmiami.com, engaged more than 260 employers and more than 1,000 internship-seeking students have registered on the portal.
The Miami Job Flea In partnership with The New Tropic and the Arts & Entertainment District, we hosted the “The Miami Job Flea”, a job and internship fair for students and young professionals across Miami-Dade County. The event directly led to: • 20 new internships being posted on TDNMiami.com • 25 new employer registrations • 53 new registered students • 115 applications processed
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
SPOTLIGHT With funding from Miami-Dade County, the Children’s Trust and the Foundation for New Education Initiatives, the Talent Development Network gave more than 20 students the opportunity to intern for a summer at FIU. The students were placed in different departments across the university getting hands-on experience in video development, marketing and editing and were recognized in a ceremony with FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. Part of the Summer Youth Internship Program administered by Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), the students were part of more than 1,300 students that interned with companies across the county allowing them to experience different industries as they are getting ready to submit their college applications and choose their majors.
OUR INITIATIVES
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and those who get a lot have to give back a lot,” said Cristian Carranza, Administrative Director, Division of Academics. “These students are the voice of the Summer Youth Internship Program and the M-DCPS career academies and should share with other students their wonderful experience. Once you go on to college, and graduate remember the community that nurtured you. To FIU and the Talent Development Network, your partnership means the world to us.”
TDN PARTNERS
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VETERANS INITIATIVE FIU has had a long-standing tradition of recognizing veterans during commencement and has been working to engage the veteran community through the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs. The first in the state to offer in-state tuition to veterans, regardless of their state of origin, FIU has developed programs aimed at helping them transition into society and teaching them life skills such as beekeeping and farming. For example, the program at Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences that, in partnership with the Miami VA Healthcare System (MVAHS), and the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP), will serve to promote recruitment and retention of VA nurses; increase enrollment in the undergraduate nursing program; and develop inter-professional education; and promote skills specific to military health concerns. Most recently, Citi Salutes, a Citi Group initiative teamed up with FIU to create the FIU Student Veterans Career and Talent Development Program.
Salute to our veterans Winston Churchill once said: “Never give up. Never give up! Never give up!! Never, never, never-never-never-never!” That is the message keynote speaker Lt. Colonel Justin Constantine, United States Marine Corp (ret.), had for the more than 100 veterans and supporters who attended the first Annual Veterans Day Celebration Breakfast on November 9 at FIU. Constantine, a purple heart recipient, volunteered for deployment to Iraq in 2006, and served as a Civil Affairs Team Leader while attached to an infantry battalion. While on a routine combat patrol, Constantine was shot in the head by a sniper. The bullet came in through the back of his ear and came out through his mouth. Everyone thought he was dead. But that didn’t stop 25-year-old Corpsman George Grant from springing into action and performing his first ever tracheotomy on a human, saving Constantine’s life. Since then, Constantine’s road to recovery has been a long one. But he was never deterred. Today, Constantine suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury, can’t see out of his left eye, is missing teeth, and can’t run because the doctors had to remove bones from his legs to reconstruct his face. Yet, he considers himself the luckiest person in every room. That moment that changed his life forever brought him closer to his wife. It gave him the opportunity to travel and speak to millions of veterans about his experience. “I now know that I am stronger than I ever was before and can put everyday problems into perspective so I can really enjoy life,” Constantine said. The breakfast held in honor of Veterans Day was aimed at recognizing the more than 52,000 veterans in the South Florida community, and the more than a thousand veterans who currently attend FIU. “Freedom is not free, but upheld by everyday citizens who understand the urgency and importance of defending it,” President Mark B. Rosenberg said. “We’re here to tell our veterans that their bravery doesn’t go unnoticed.”
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An
/ MDCPS Partnership
ACCESS Achieving Community Collaboration in Education and Student Success (ACCESS) is an achievement-oriented partnership that has enabled FIU to align the university’s combined instructional, research and creative talents to Miami-Dade County Public Schools to improve the academic success of K-12 students.
Achieving Community Collaboration in Education and Student Success An
/ MDCPS Partnership
Chaired by the superintendent of M-DCPS and the president of FIU, ACCESS is designed to improve student success in public schools, increase high school graduation and promote students’ transition into higher education. It is made up of 20 strategic workgroups, each with its own unique vision and goals, and overseen by top leaders from M-DCPS and FIU.
OUR INITIATIVES
Giving ACCESS, creating a pipeline The nationally recognized partnership between FIU and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) continues into its fifth year. More than 150 individuals from both institutions are working in issue-specific groups to address the diverse educational needs and opportunities in our region. Significant effort is being made to evaluate longitudinal data and assess the impact of our collective efforts toward student achievement, graduation and post-secondary enrollment. Four pillars have been identified that will link the partnership to institutional strategic priorities and goals: 1) Operational Accelerators; 2) Enhancing Student Potential; 3) Pathways to Student Success; and 4) Educator Empowerment and Development. As FIU continues to refine its work with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the university is exploring the opportunities to create a triangular ACCESS Program with Broward County Public Schools and Broward College. Recently M-DCPS and FIU came together to re-envision what a transformational partnership between a public university and K-12 system looks like. The leadership of both institutions met in February 2017 to solidify new priorities, including: 1 Strategic expansion of dual enrollment. 2 Alignment that allows for the creation of a more robust teacher and counselor talent pipeline. 3 The building of career pathways, aligned with the One Community One Goal industry groups in partnership with the Beacon Council. 4 New school design at the MAST @ FIU High School, including an option for students to complete up to 60 college credits, with access to FIU’s state-of-the-art labs, while completing high school.
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TRIPLE WIN PARTNERSHIPS City of Miami Beach and FIU Since 2014, FIU and the City of Miami Beach have come together and leveraged each of their unique assets— geography, history, demographics and intellectual capital—to address both institutions’ most pressing challenges,
FIU and the City of Miami Beach: Providing opportunities for students, facing the community’s greatest challenges As a doctoral candidate researching sea level rise, Carlos Tamayo was always interested in the City of Miami Beach, and the work they are doing to mitigate the effects of climate change. He started participating in early committee meetings being held between FIU and the city, and soon Tamayo was given the opportunity to present his research – which focuses on barrier systems that may be able to protect coastal areas – to the group. When city officials announced they had internship openings for graduate students from FIU, Tamayo applied for the position immediately. He was hired by the public works department, and, after just four months on the job, Tamayo found himself working full-time as a civil engineer for the city. “The opportunity to work in Miami Beach – because of what they are doing with sea level rise – was huge to me,’’ said Tamayo, who earned his master’s degree in environmental engineering from FIU in 2010. “When I applied for the internship, I certainly hoped it might become full-time. It just happened quicker than I thought.” Through a civic partnership, the City of Miami Beach has joined forces with FIU, hired 40 student interns and is welcoming a new cohort this Fall 2017. Seven of these interns have gone on to be hired full-time. But the bond between FIU and the City of Miami Beach extends much further. FIU’s experts continue to work with the City of Miami Beach to study sea level rise, and to determine solutions. The FIU Sea Level Solutions Center is now housed within the FIU Miami Beach Urban Studios, located on Lincoln Road. The partnership has also given opportunities to local high school students and driven initiatives focused on arts and culture. In addition, FIU’s links to Miami Beach are strengthened with the Wolfsonian-FIU and Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, and the annual Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Over the past two years, FIU and the city joined forces with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and expanded dual enrollment classes at Miami Beach Senior High School by 70 percent with 17 classes available to students in the 2016-17 school year. FIU’s History department students and faculty have also digitized and archived 52,400 images for the City of Miami Beach Historical Archives. The Miami Beach Digital Archives is now an extensive database of historical photographs, brochures, ordinances and other official documents that are essential to understanding more than 100 years of development of the City of Miami Beach. “This collaboration is an example of how two anchor institutions come together to create opportunity and work toward solutions for issues critical to our development and economic stability,” said Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy L. Morales. “We are proud that we are able to think outside the box and join academia with policy, creating high impact programs that are generating opportunities for both entities. We look forward to continuing to work together for the betterment of our community.”
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FIU collaborates with the United States Coast Guard FIU has been selected as one of the universities to participate in the United States Coast Guard College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative Scholarship Program (CSPI). The program provides sophomore or junior undergraduate students enrolled, accepted for enrollment or pending acceptance in a full-time Bachelors degree program at participating universities an opportunity to join the Coast Guard and have the last two years of college paid for (including tuition, books, and fees), a full-time Coast Guard salary, housing allowance, and medical benefits, as well as a guaranteed position upon graduation.
Program guarantees jobs for students after graduation Kyle Nolan was born and raised in Pennsylvania where he graduated from high school in 2010. He then went on to receive his Associates of Arts degree at Indian River State College in Vero Beach, FL, in December 2013. This is when he heard about the Coast Guard College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) at FIU and decided to apply. In Fall 2014, Nolan began his first semester in the program.
TRIPLE WIN PARTNERSHIPS
As part of the program, Nolan received a full scholarship for his junior and senior year at FIU. The scholarship included tuition, books and fees, a full-time Coast Guard salary of up to $3,600 a month, housing allowance and medical benefits. In return, Nolan attended U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) training camp during the summers and volunteered at numerous events at area high schools to spread information about the U.S. Coast Guard, including organizing a MAST Academy visit to the Coast Guard Base in Miami Beach. Nolan is one of 90 students who have participated in the program nationwide and was guaranteed a full-time position with an approximate salary $60,000 or more after graduation. Recently, FIU re-signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Coast Guard to expand the length of CSPI at FIU, and will be looking for other opportunities to collaborate with other units across the university.
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President Rosenberg and Kyle Nolan (center) joined by other Coast Guard members
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Degrees to jobs: Public-private partnership pave the way The Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and FIU collaborative is an innovative public-private partnership aimed at promoting talent development, research and economic vitality. The partnership has created new opportunities for students that include paid internships, custom curricula and behind-the-scenes access to Royal Caribbean’s experts and facilities.
Public-private partnerships bridge industry with academia That is exactly what is happening with a unique partnership between FIU and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., a renowned global cruise company that reaches nearly 500 destinations on all seven continents. Since 2013, the partnership has been working to chart a new course for education, the arts and the hospitality industry. By joining forces, the two anchor institutions are enhancing preparation and training for Royal Caribbean’s shipboard performers while affording learning opportunities to FIU students, particularly those in our College of Communication, Architecture + the Arts, Chaplin School for Hospitality & Tourism Management, and College of Business. The partnership has given these students a chance to participate in behind-the-scenes shipboard tours, given them contact with RCL management teams in entertainment and operations, and a chance to learn from entertainment professionals working on the front lines. In addition, students have also had access to Royal Caribbean’s proprietary data for their research. Among its biggest accomplishments is the Royal@FIU World Stage Collaborative, a 130,000-square-foot, state-of-theart training facility at the Biscayne Bay Campus.
Royal Caribbean is making an investment in its future workforce by partnering with FIU. These public-private partnerships have a triple bottom line: FIU and its students benefit from the experiential learning; Royal Caribbean secures its future workforce and benefits from research activities; and the community is positively impacted by two anchor institutions investing in economic development.
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TRIPLE WIN PARTNERSHIPS
In February of 2017, Royal Caribbean’s Chairman and CEO, Richard Fain met with FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg to refine the working relationship. The new agreement will feature a more robust internship program geared toward providing students an intense 10-week summer internship and a new research process in which RCL will release an RFP every year, allowing faculty and students to take advantage of joint research activities.
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“LEAD IN ASSISTS”:
CONNECTING OUR UNIVERSITY TO RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES Education Effect expands into Little Haiti With a local philanthropist’s $2 million donation, the Education Effect, a groundbreaking partnership between FIU and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) aimed at student achievement, is expanding into the historic Little Haiti community. The gift, the largest given to the Education Effect, came from Rose Ellen Greene, a longtime volunteer at Jesse J. McCrary Jr. Elementary School. The expansion into McCrary Elementary marks the first time the program will be working with students, their parents and the community and will incorporate researchers, faculty and staff from FIU’s Center for Children and Families, a nationally recognized interdisciplinary clinical center committed to improving the lives of children and families. Over the next five years, Greene’s gift will fund a multidisciplinary team that will connect the school, students and parents with university expertise, resources and research-based programs that address pressing educational and social needs. Sant La Community Breakfast This past October, FIU’s Office of Engagement joined forces with FIU’s Office of Student Access and Success and hosted a Community Breakfast in Little Haiti’s Sant La Neighborhood Center. The breakfast was an opportunity to gain insight from community members on the community’s biggest challenges and how those will impact the work being done by the Education Effect. Startup weekend: Launching a startup in 54 hours Developers, designers and entrepreneurs had 54 hours to hack their way into the greatest next startup. Participants put together the foundations of a business case, designed and built a product prototype, tested their product with potential customers, and, on Sunday night, pitched the results to a panel of amazing judges. The participants had access to startup experts, investors, coaches and mentors to help bring their big ideas to life. The winners – an online platform designed to enable users to crowdfund for the bands of their choice – took home $500 and went on to a global competition involving thousands of would-be entrepreneurs. ct
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Startup weekend: Launchi ng a Startup in 54 hour s
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Ivoh & FIU share ‘stories for change’ Students and faculty joined local media practitioners and community members to showcase multimedia work that is making a difference in the world. The event explored various types of storytelling, including Restorative Narrative. As a result of the connections made with the organization, Moses Shumow, an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, was named one of four Restorative Narrative fellows by Images & Voices of Hope (ivoh) for his work with high school students in Liberty City. Black Tech Week Hosted at the Biscayne Bay Campus, Black Tech Week brought together entrepreneurs, coders and investors for three days of talks with leading tech innovators and panel discussions on everything from intellectual property and global markets to technology education and startup funding. “We have an opportunity in Miami to showcase to the rest of the world that true innovation comes with a commitment to diversity,’’ said Felicia Hatcher, one of Black Tech Week’s founders. Startup Weekend Education Startup Weekend round two, came to FIU with a special focus on education. A collaboration with Teach for America, the weekend brought together teachers, college students, parents and high school students to help find the next great education entrepreneur. For 54 hours, teams worked on ideas that will help solve the problems facing education today. The winners, a group of former convicts, pitched an idea that would provide a system to give inmates access to higher education. The second installment of Startup Weekend Education was held May 19-21, 2017. Miami-Dade Urban Debate League FIU is partnering with the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League in a program that uses debate as a way to build reading, research, communication and critical-thinking skills among low-income middle and high school students with the ultimate goal of inspiring them to seek a college degree. The FIU Panther Challenge was held with faculty, staff and community members serving as judges for more than 170 participants. The event featured a keynote speech by Saif Ishoof, vice president for Engagement, a presentation by FIU’s Office of Financial Aid and Admission, and a special appearance by FIU mascot Roary. Ivoh & FIU share ‘sto ries for change’
Innovate Miami
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FIU celebrates Maya Angelou’s legacy, brings together Little Haiti community
CARLOTTA WALLS LANIER
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BRAVE. That is the word used to describe women like Carlotta Walls LaNier and Maya Angelou, whose courage and resilience paved the way for desegregation, the civil rights movement and helped change the lives of thousands of black Americans who suffered through extreme racism. Walls LaNier confronted angry mobs and the Arkansas National Guard to enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision ordered the desegregation of schools. Angelou is best known as an author, but as her grandson and community activist at Airbnb Elliott Jones says: “She was a civil rights activist before she was an author. She would make it a point to show up and stand and would not move or be moved.” On April 4, Walls LaNier spoke to more than 100 community leaders in Little Haiti—including Maya Angelou’s grandson Elliot Jones, FIU President, Mark B. Rosenberg and Vice President for Engagement Saif Y. Ishoof—for a day of reflection and celebration in honor of Angelou and her 89th birthday. Angelou passed away in 2014. “It is truly an honor to be here on Dr. Maya Angelou’s birthday,” Walls LaNier said. “I am very impressed with the history of collaboration between FIU and the community. I wish I had that in 1957, but the efforts that you have put into making your community and education system work together is just phenomenal.” Also in attendance were Education Effect Director Donnie Hale Jr.; the director of the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center and FIU alumna Gepsie Metellus; and the Little Haiti Education Effect donor Rose Ellen Greene. Bringing together some of Little Haiti’s most influential and impactful community leaders, the breakfast was an opportunity to share and celebrate successes, discuss innovations and opportunities to collaboration, and learn about the work FIU was doing in Little Haiti. “Both Maya and Carlotta have dedicated much of their lives to helping others reach their American dream,” President Rosenberg said at the breakfast. “At FIU we are no different. From the beginning, FIU has always been about access. We believe that no one who is driven and determined deserves to fall through the cracks. We measure our success by who we include not exclude.”
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AROUND TOWN
Transformation is major key in the By Saif Y. Ishoof, vice president for Engagement
Disruption. The word may sound like the name of the new villain in the “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.0” film, but our story is about how bold innovators are disrupting Miami’s largest and most profitable industries. Miami is a place where the American dream has been realized for thousands, and a city poised to realize its fullest global potential. Our culture, our diversity, and our tolerance are among our greatest strengths, while facing challenges like greater economic inclusion is also a part of our road forward. Anyone questioning our ascendance need only check out the Snapchat of our greatest chronicler, the inimitable DJ Khaled. Yet our biggest industries are facing a paradigm shift. Some of Miami’s key economic drivers—our tourism, trade, and banking industries—are undergoing massive transformation. We can ride that wave, or let it sweep us away. We’ve already witnessed how our hospitality market is becoming one of Airbnb’s top hubs: with more than 5,000 beds available, Miami represents a 10 percent share of Airbnb units, the fourth highest of any city, and increasing numbers of people are turning to the platform to book their next stay. Uber has already proved to be a disruptor, diminishing the value of once highly valued taxi medallions. From threats like sea level rise to opportunities like artificial intelligence, the foundation of our economy could be turned on its head, and hinder our ascent as the world’s next global city.
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So what are we doing in Miami to keep disruption from harming our economy and instead fomenting the creation of the next Lyft or Airbnb? How can we use our sabor to distinguish our efforts from that of other cities across the U.S. and the world? How do we evolve our economy to help provide companies with the necessary support to scale and grow? In a world of increasing automation, how are we preparing our students to take those jobs of the future? That is where the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Disruption Workgroup comes in. We’re bringing together some of Miami’s greatest changemakers and innovators, some of our region’s largest business enterprises, and bold, insurgent startups to tackle these challenges and learn and grow together. Together they are finding solutions and developing ideas to help Miami continue to grow and become synonymous with innovation and forward thinking. Innovators like Felecia Hatcher, who singlehandedly has created a movement to connect under-represented innovators of color to technology, capital, mentorship and entrepreneurship guidance. Innovators such as Brian Brackeen, who takes a page straight out of the book of his former boss Steve Jobs in his work to make his firm, Kairos, a facial recognition technology powerhouse. And pioneers like Max Mendez from Miami MedTech who has been the catalyst for a new medical technology industry in our region and is helping develop devices that may save thousands of patients’ lives.
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Working together, to save our children
rise of the #305 Eight-year-old Jada Page was standing in front of a home with her father when a bullet missed its intended target. Her young life ended that day.
Their goal? To identify and get in front of market forces such as automation, technology, climate change and changing consumer preferences that could upend Miami’s economy. With an emphasis on the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation, resilience, technology, and the shared economies, the group is embracing disruptive forces and channeling as a force for good. That is exactly what happened on Friday, May 19, at the EAST Miami, where the “crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels” that Steve Jobs spoke about shared their knowledge in the “Innovate Miami: A Catalyst for Disruption” summit. Disruption is going to require incumbents and insurgents to collaborate in building a more prosperous future. Joined by the original disruptors themselves, the summit was lucky enough to have Ime Archibong, vice president for partnerships at Facebook, delivered the keynote. All innovators and brave souls willing to think outside the box came together for an innovative event.
Will you join us in riding this disruption wave? Surf’s up!
Twelve-year-old Tequila Forshee was sitting at her grandmother’s feet, getting her hair braided before the first day of school. She was shot in the head, as bullets ripped through the home. She will never have another first day of school. Six-year-old King Carter had a bright smile and many aspirations. He was walking through his own apartment complex, on his way to buy candy, when he was caught in the crossfire of rival gangs. His young dreams will never be realized. Youth violence is crippling our community. In Miami-Dade County, 316 kids and teens have been killed by gun-violence since 2006. Now a new initiative is looking to break the cycle. With the leadership of Assistant Vice President Caryn Lavernia, FIU has joined a coalition of government and law enforcement agencies, nonprofits, and business and education groups, facilitated by MiamiDade Public Schools, to form an innovative new program to stop youth gun violence. The effort has been called Together for Children. More than 2,000 community voices from across the county have joined the coalition to create holistic, comprehensive, neighborhood action plans formulated to provide youth the right supports, at the right time and ensure they have the people and programs in place to prevent violence. Since the initial anchor institution meeting in April of 2016, FIU has served as the higher education liaison to the coalition. FIU has been able to garner the support of researchers from Barry University, Florida Memorial University, University of Florida, Miami Dade College, and St. Thomas University to support the initiative through in-depth research on the root causes of neighborhood-based youth violence and to ensure the coalition is implementing evidence-based programming. “A global city is a community that puts the well-being of its children first, and we as educators stand ready to act,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg,. “In this time of crisis, FIU has joined forces with other institutions and together we are committed to making the safety of our children a top priority.” Together with parents, neighbors, police officers, coaches, clergy, community-based organizations, and youth, the coalition will address this reality and will proffer collaborative solutions.
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Office of Engagement Phone: 305-348-7752 | Fax: 305-348-0554 engage@fiu.edu | engagement.fiu.edu
FIU Office of Engagement
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