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SIPA Phase II
“I’d like to see the Green School become a globally recognized school, and I’d like to see the students from the Green School around the world in positions of leadership’’.
–Ambassador Steven J. Green
University breaks ground on second phase of Green School building
Pointing to three flags waving in the breeze just a short distance behind him, FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg reflected back on the first groundbreaking event at the university, in 1971. United Nations Secretary General U. Thant was the guest of honor that day, and he spoke about the important role universities play in creating future global leaders. “Today, we come full circle” and further solidify the “I” in Florida International University, Rosenberg said, as he welcomed more than 200 students, faculty and guests to the groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) building. “This is a day many of us have dreamed about.”
The new building is an 80,000-square-foot, multistory facility to be built just west of the current site. It will be linked to the existing structure by a covered walkway and courtyard. SIPA Phase II will pull most of the Green School’s departments and centers under one roof, giving students and faculty more opportunities to connect and collaborate. “This is the next step in fulfilling Ambassador Green’s vision for us,’’ said John F. Stack Jr., founding dean of the Green School. Ambassador Steven J. Green, his wife Dorothea Green and daughter Kimberly Green attended the ceremony, along with Mireille Charles, the executive director of the Green Family Foundation. FIU named the Green School in honor of the ambassador in 2015. Speaking after the ceremony, Ambassador Green said the students he meets when he visits the Green School are the reason he is so committed to its success. “It’s a fabulous school,’’ he said. “The faculty is terrific and the mission is great, but what really makes me committed are the students,’’ he said. “To come out here in a world of pessimism and to see the optimism in the young people today is just inspiring.” “I’d like to see the Green School become a globally recognized school, and I’d like to see the students from the Green School around the world in positions of leadership,’’ he added.
FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg speaks with Ambassador Steven J. Green and Dorothea Green before the groundbreaking for SIPA Phase II.
Ambassador Steven J. Green with, from left, Mireille Charles of the Green Family Foundation, daughter Kimberly Green and Dorothea Green.
