M a g a z i n e FALL 2009 magazine.fiu.edu
FIU welcomes President Mark B. Rosenberg and pays tribute to President Modesto A. Maidique
Passing the Torch
Why did you join? “Being a member is similar to being a stockholder in the company you work... you want to make sure you are a contributor to its “The FIU Alumni Association has given future success.” Reuniting with FIU allows me to give back. That other alumni agree with me makes it better!
me the opportunity to establish lifelong Gonzalo Acevedo ’91, Lifetime Member friendships and share my panther pride!” Giselle Perez, Annual Member
Through my involvement in the Association I hope to help others. FIUAA opened the door to my career in business.” Jose Manuel Diaz ’86. Lifetime Member
“I joined because FIU means more to me than just the institution where I got my degree. One of my personal goals is to be able to give back to FIU in a big way. This is just one small step.” Lizbeth Ramon ’03, Lifetime Member
I joined the Student Alumni Association because it stands out. It is the largest organization on campus.
“I joined SAA because it is a great opportunity to network with alumni and meet fellow students.” Darcelle Skeete - Student Ambassador & Panther Pride Scholarship Recipient
David Trujillo - SAA President
Let’s continue the conversation Tell us Why You Joined at twitter.com/fiualumni or facebook.com/fiualumni Some of your responses may be featured in the next issue of the FIU Magazine.
Not a Member? Join today at www.fiualumni.com or call 800-FIU-ALUM.
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FALL 2009 Volume 20
On the Cover
In This Issue
03 In Brief
18 Coming Home
FIU honors Legacy Society, donors
Mark B. Rosenberg returns to FIU as the
who have included the university in
university’s fifth president.
their estate planning.
22 Crowning a Legacy 10 The First 43
FIU says good-bye to FIU President
Meet the highly qualified and diverse group
Emeritus Modesto A. Maidique.
of aspiring doctors accepted into the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
28 Alumni News Join the Alumni Association’s “My Panther
Passing the Torch This summer, FIU ushered in a new chapter of its history when Mark B. Rosenberg was selected as the university’s fifth president. The former State University System chancellor and FIU provost succeeds Modesto A. Maidique, who passed the torch after 23 years. Maidique fulfilled his goal of welcoming the inaugural class of students to the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Rosenberg hit the ground running, launching a successful alumni drive and reaching out to FIU’s faculty/staff, students and supporters.
12 Oh What a Night
Connection” and become a part of an
FIU honors distinguished alumni, faculty
exclusive FIU social network.
and President Maidique at the 8th Annual Torch Awards Gala.
34 Class Notes
16 A Family Affair FIU professor Martha Pelaez Ph.D. ’94 and her family are the epitome of a Golden Panther family.
36 “Remember When...” A collection of photos remind us of FIU’s early days.
37 V.I.P. Pamela Silva ’03
In the next issue
The “I” in FIU An FIU degree uniquely educates our graduates to live and work in the global marketplace. Our alumni are scattered across the globe, from Asia to Europe to Latin America, working in a variety of professions. We bring you the stories of our FIU alumni living abroad and explore how FIU helped prepare them for an international career. At the same time, we share stories of students and faculty who are living abroad to enhance their education and further their research.
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The Leader
Historic Gifts
Keeps Gettin’ Better
NBA legend Isiah Thomas joins the FIU family as men’s basketball head coach.
Two new gifts, from Herbert Wertheim and the Green Family Foundation, secure the College of Medicine’s promising future.
2009 FIU sports are here, so get your season tickets now.
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FALL 2009 Volume 20
Letter from the Associate Editor
Dear Readers, In our last issue, I wrote that change was in the air at FIU, citing the opening of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine this fall and the search for a successor to Modesto A. Maidique, our president of more than two decades. As I write this letter, the news of Mark B. Rosenberg’s appointment and his arrival as FIU’s fifth president is fresh in my mind. Rosenberg, a past FIU provost and professor of political science, accepted his new role with a characteristic smile. Listening to him at a forum for students and alumni at Biscayne Bay Campus during the home stretch of the selection process brought back the memory of the first and briefest encounter I had with Rosenberg shortly after I joined FIU’s Editorial Services in 2006. I once had to call him in Tallahassee to get a quote for the faculty/staff newsletter (now known as News @ FIU) and he could not have been friendlier or warmer on the phone. This was my first impression of Mark Rosenberg: He is a man with a big heart who values each of us who help keep the FIU wheel moving forward. I believe that is what the university needs as it enters a new era, someone who will nurture all the great achievements of his predecessor and who will lead us with confidence, expertise and genuine enthusiasm for everything blue and gold. In this issue, we re-introduce Rosenberg to you and let him answer some questions submitted by alumni and students. We also salute the many, many accomplishments of President Emeritus Maidique, whose 23 years at FIU are the thing defining legacies are made of. (For the purpose of historical accuracy, in this issue we will refer to Maidique as “President Emeritus” in stories regarding events that took place once Rosenberg became president.) We also add a new feature called “Remember When…” in which some of FIU’s most iconic photographs help us remember where we have come from and remind us that the best is yet to come. Speaking of which, football season is here and so is our new medical school. Inside, you will find the latest news on both. As always, we “Feel the Pride” and look forward to hearing from you soon. Until next time,
FIU Magazine Editorial Advisory Board Dr. Cathy Akens
Assistant VP Student Affairs, Biscayne Bay Campus
David Berry ’06
Letters to the Editor: FIU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via e-mail to alumni@fiu.edu, by fax to 305-348-3247 or mail to FIU Magazine, Division of University and Community Relations, UP PC 515, Miami, FL, 33199. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. All letters should include the writer’s full name and daytime phone number. Alumni, please include your degree and year of graduation. Change of Address: Please send updated address information to FIU Office of Alumni Relations, MARC 510, Miami, FL, 33199 or by e-mail to alumni@fiu.edu. FIU Magazine online: magazine.fiu.edu WRGP Radiate FM: FIU Student Radio is broadcast north of Kendall on 95.3 FM, south of Kendall on 88.1 FM and 96.9 FM in North Miami and South Broward.
FIU 2009-’10 Alumni Association Board
Division of External Relations
Executive Committee
Sandra B. Gonzalez-Levy
Jose M. Perez de Corcho ’93
Senior Vice President External Relations
President
Joaquín “Jack” F. González ’98
Marketing Coordinator, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Terry Witherell
Associate Vice President External Relations
Vice President
Luis Casas
Bill Draughon
Secretary
Director of Marketing, Communications & Recruiting College of Business Administration
Dr. Gisela Casines
Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Carol Damian
Professor of Art History, School of Art and Art History
Rebecca Dinar
Outreach Coordinator, BBC Office of the Vice Provost
Dr. Stephen Fain
Professor Emeritus, College of Education
Martha Hoffman
Assistant Director of Marketing, College of Engineering and Computing
Dr. Larry Lunsford
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs University Ombudsman
Michelle Mason, Esq.
Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Services, College of Law
Rafael Paz, Esq.
Associate General Counsel, Florida International University
Khaleel Seecharan ’02, MS ’03 Director of Operations, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Mary Sudasassi
Director of Public Relations, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Jose M. Perez de Corcho ’93 President, FIU Alumni Association
Dr. Jonathan Tubman
Martin Haro ’05
FIU MAGAZINE
Associate Vice President for Research Associate Dean, University Graduate School
Associate Vice President Alumni Relations
Karen Cochrane
Cynthia J. Dienstag, Esq. ’83 Gabriel Albelo ’93 Treasurer
Director Editorial Services
Ralph Rosado ’96, MA ’03
Deborah O’Neil, MA’09
William R. Trueba Jr., Esq. ’90
Editor, FIU Magazine
Martin Haro ’05 Associate Editor
Aileen Solá-Trautmann Art Director
Parliamentarian Past President Officers
Gonzalo Acevedo ’91 Gus Alfonso ’02
Writers
Stewart L. Appelrouth ’80
Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08
George B. Brackett Jr. ’76, ’77
Dan Grech
Elizabeth Cross ’89
Carlos Miller ’94
Raymond del Rey ’97
Photographers
Gloria O’Connell Ivan Santiago ’00 Michael Upright Roldan Torres ’85
Isabel C. Diaz, Esq. ’01 José Manuel Díaz ’86 Ariana Fajardo, Esq. ’93 Ramón Ferrán ’79 Sharon Fine ’99 Marlon Font ’04
FIU Board of Trustees
Dr. Jason Scott Hamilton ’89, MS ’93
Cesar L. Alvarez
Carlos H. Hernández ’97
Jorge L. Arrizurieta
Jorge F. Hernández ’95
Betsy S. Atkins
Samuel C. Jackson MPA ’97
Thomas Breslin
Ana L. Martinez, CPA ’92
Albert E. Dotson Sr.
Michael R. Méndez ’03
Patricia Frost
Justo Luis Pozo ’80
S. Lawrence Kahn III
Alicia Maria Robles ’98
R. Kirk Landon
A. Celina Saucedo ’99
Miriam López
Carlos E. Velazco ’06
Albert Maury
Dr. Susan Webster ’87
Arthur “AJ” Meyer David R. Parker Claudia Puig
Alumni Office: Write to FIU Office of Alumni Relations at UP MARC 510, Miami, FL 33199 or call 305-348-3334 or toll free at 800-FIU-ALUM. Visit the Alumni Relations Web site at fiualumni.com for the latest news and alumni events. Gifts to FIU: Contact University Advancement at 305-348-6298 or visit: advancement.fiu.edu/giving. htm. Copyright 2009, Florida International University. FIU Magazine is published by the Florida International University Division of University and Community Relations and distributed free of charge to alumni, faculty and friends of the university. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. 10400_08/09
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President Barack Obama awards Dr. Pedro José “Joe” Greer Jr. the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
in brief
President Obama honors FIU’s own Dr. Greer A longtime advocate of the homeless and underserved, Dr. Pedro José “Joe” Greer Jr., chair of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine’s Department of Humanities, Health & Society, accepted a Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor – in a ceremony at the White House in August. Less than 24 hours later and back on campus, the Miami native said he was shocked and humbled by the honor. “The honest truth, this goes to prove that any government can make a mistake,” he said with a healthy dose of self-deprecation. “It was a wonderful experience. To be amongst that type of company [Stephen Hawking, Harvey Milk, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor were among the 16 honorees], I was thinking I was going to trip, I’m going to fall…. “But it was humbling, it was exhilarating, it was shocking. Like President Obama said, as ‘agents of change’ we can make the
world better. If we work together, if we learn to be accepting of others, we can make a difference. That’s what we’re doing at FIU.” Greer looks forward to working with the medical school’s first class and sharing with Golden Panthers the qualities that earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “If we can set the base for our students to give back to social justice the ethics of medicine with the science that is needed, then we have an army of young physicians that can go out and really save the world.” n
College of Law selects new dean In May, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida R. Alexander Acosta was selected as the second dean to lead the College of Law. “I am honored to take the reins of such a young and promising law school,” Acosta said. “I love this community and am honored to be part of the FIU family. With its world-class faculty and outstanding
students, the College of Law will become one of the most respected institutions in the country. Together, we can make that happen.” Since May 2005, Acosta served as U.S. attorney for one of the four largest districts in the nation, which encompasses nine counties, from Monroe to Highlands. He placed particular focus on health care fraud prosecutions, hosting the first Health Care Fraud strike force in the nation, and on the prosecution of gang- and gun-related violence, increasing prosecutions in both of these areas by more than 30 percent. Some of his high-profile cases include the prosecutions of Jack Abramoff, Palm Beach County Commission Chairman Tony Masilotti and Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne for fraud and public corruption, among others. Prior to his appointment as U.S. attorney, Acosta, a Miami native, served as the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the first Hispanic to serve as an assistant attorney general. n
FIU receives $1.2 million from NIH for research training The National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities (NCMHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded FIU $1.2 million to fund the Minority Health & Health Disparities International Research Training (MHIRT) program at the College of Nursing & Health Sciences for an additional five student cohorts, from 2009-’13. The MHIRT program is a component of an NCMHD long-term strategy to establish a cadre of biomedical, behavioral and social science researchers working to reduce the disparate health burdens among underserved populations in the country. Its awards help U.S. undergraduate and graduate minority students to benefit from intensive, short-term, international research training opportunities as part of their academic learning. Continues on next page
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in brief FIU is one of two Florida universities to offer the MHIRT research abroad program, which encourages minority students to pursue careers in health care research. The university’s MHIRT program was established through the efforts of Kathryn Anderson, associate nursing professor and Marie-Luise Friedemann, nursing professor emerita. The program’s research focuses on examining chronic illness and its impact on families and vulnerable populations. With the new funding, the MHIRT program now can accommodate 40 additional students and will include an additional research partner site in northern Thailand. n
Princeton Review, BusinessWeek rank CBA high FIU students ranked the College of Business Administration among the best in the nation for preparing them to operate a business, according to a national survey. The college was one of 15 schools named to The Princeton Review’s Student Opinion Honors for Business Schools in the operations category, one of six categories
showcased. The list was published in the April 2009 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, the online version of which can be found at entrepreneur.com/topcolleges. The Princeton Review used data from its national survey of 19,000 MBA students attending 296 business schools profiled in its book, “Best 296 Business Schools: 2009 Edition.” The 80-question survey asked students to report on classroom and campus experiences at their schools and rate their MBA programs in several areas. The Princeton Review tallied the “Student Opinion Honors” lists based on students’ assessments of how well they felt their business school courses had prepared them to succeed in six areas. FIU was one of 15 schools selected in the operations category. “We salute the business schools on these lists for the outstanding job they are doing both academically and professionally in preparing their students to apply their MBA training beyond the classroom to successful job searches and productive careers,” said Robert Franek, vice president-publisher of The Princeton Review. “We know this will be particularly meaningful to applicants and MBA grads in these challenging economic times.” In addition to this honor, the College of
Business Administration was also included in BusinessWeek’s 2009 ranking of Top Undergraduate Business Programs. The university’s Landon Undergraduate School of Business, which has appeared on the list twice in the past three years, came in at No. 15 for public two-year programs in the nation, No. 55 among all public schools and No. 98 overall. “As Miami’s public university, it is very rewarding to see that our focus on delivering a world-class quality undergraduate business education is recognized by publications such as BusinessWeek,” said Joyce Elam, executive dean of the College of Business Administration. “The South Florida community can be proud of having one of the nation’s top public business schools right here in Miami.” n
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute receives $100,000 grant The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at FIU received a $100,000 grant from The Bernard Osher Foundation in recognition of its contributions to the age 50-plus community in Miami-Dade County. Under the direction of the university’s Continuing and Professional Studies (CAPS),
The Leader Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas revitalizes FIU’s men’s basketball program Last spring, FIU hired Isiah Thomas, an NCAA and two-time NBA champion, as the university’s men’s basketball head coach. Athletic Director Pete Garcia has “no doubt that Isiah will give FIU a tremendous opportunity to take the basketball program to the highest level.” Thomas joined FIU after spending three seasons with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers as their head coach (2000-’03) and five seasons (2003-’08) as the New York Knicks’ president of basketball operations, the final two of which he also served as their head coach. He guided the Pacers to three consecutive playoff appearances in 2001, 2002 and 2003. “Coming back to the college game has always been a dream of mine, and I didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to go somewhere where we can build a basketball legacy together,” said Thomas after the announcement of his hire. “People don’t know that FIU is one of the 25 largest universities in the country, with a tremendously strong
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in brief Left to right: Philanthropist Sanford Ziff greets FIU President Gregory Wolfe and his wife Mary Ann at the Legacy for Learning Luncheon at the Frost Art Museum. Robert Conrad, vice president for Advancement, and Joseph L. Caruncho ’83, chair of the FIU Foundation, Inc., presented School of Journalism and Mass Communication Dean Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver with a certificate inducting her into FIU’s Legacy Society.
OLLI received the award based on several benchmarks, including community outreach, university support, the success of programs offered and the overall difference that the institute makes in the lives of its participants. “It is very gratifying to know that through OLLI’s courses and cultural events, we are serving as a catalyst for an inspired and fulfilled life,” said Mercedes Ponce, executive director of CAPS. “OLLI provides a vital pathway to healthy aging and engaged living. Our program opens up a new world of discovery and wonderment through personal growth.” This award represents the third grant that OLLI has received from the Osher Foundation. The institute currently serves nearly 900 students and offers more than 150 personal enrichment courses each year at Biscayne Bay Campus and at satellite locations in Bay Harbor Islands and Sunny Isles Beach. For more information about OLLI classes at FIU, or to register for courses, call 305-919-5910 or visit caps.fiu.edu/olli. n
FIU honors Legacy Society A group of FIU donors, including an alumna and an FIU dean, was recognized at the Legacy for Learning Luncheon held in May at the Frost Art Museum at Modesto A. Maidique Campus in recognition of their generous contributions to FIU. “The primary purpose of this luncheon,” said Robert Conrad, vice president of Advancement, “is to say thank you for including FIU in your estate planning. It is our hope that you will tell your friends about your good experience with FIU. Your
alumni community standing behind us. “Most important, I think we can get good players from across Florida and around the country to buy into our plan to make this a top-tier basketball program. I’m committed to growing something here and strongly believe that over time, we’ll put a team on the floor that everyone at FIU can be proud of.” A Chicago native, Thomas played college basketball at Indiana University, where he won the 1981 NCAA Championship and was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament. He then was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the second overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft. He won the ’89 and ’90 NBA Championships and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1990. He finished his NBA career with 18,822 points, 9,061 assists and 1,861 steals. During his 14-year NBA career with Detroit, he was an NBA All-Star 12 times. He was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, and elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in
contributions make a difference.” Among the event’s guests were former FIU President Gregory Wolfe, as well as June Harbett ’85, School of Journalism and Mass Communication Dean Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver, Glenn Hubert, Sanford Ziff and Kimrey Newlin, all of whom were presented with a certificate inducting them into FIU’s Legacy Society, which recognizes donors and friends of the university who have included FIU in their planned giving efforts. Joseph L. Caruncho ’83, chair of the FIU Foundation, Inc., echoed the university’s recognition. Continues on next page
2000, his first year of eligibility. “We are excited to have such a legendary athlete and proven winner in Isiah Thomas to lead our men’s basketball program,” said Garcia. “There is no doubt that Isiah will give FIU a tremendous opportunity to take the basketball program to the highest level.” Thomas spent his first summer at FIU scoring talent for the blueand-gold team. Among the student-athletes he has recruited are Phillip Gary, a 5’10” guard transferring to FIU from Malcolm X Community College; Kavon Lytch, a 6’7” forward from Midland Community College; and 6’3” guard Antoine Watson, who comes from Redlands Community College. “Our recruiting has gone exceptionally well. I am very excited about the players we have been able to sign and commit to our program,” Thomas said. “I am pumped up about the upcoming season and the campus is energized, too. We have received tremendous support so far from the FIU alumni and students, as well as South Florida.” n
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in brief “I am an alumnus of FIU and I got involved for the same reasons you did,” he said. “FIU was the vehicle for me and for many alumni to get an education and accomplish everything that we have in our lives. Your support makes a difference and I thank you for your presence here and your generosity.” n
Appointments made to Board of Trustees
Albert Dotson Sr.
Albert Maury ’96, ’02
S. Lawrence Kahn III
The FIU Board of Trustees (BOT) begins the academic year with new leadership. Over the summer, the board elected Albert Dotson Sr., a longtime FIU advocate, as the new chair and alumnus Albert Maury ’96, ’02 as vice chair. Also joining the board as a new trustee is S. Lawrence Kahn III, who most recently served as chair of the FIU Foundation for two years. The BOT also honored outgoing chair David Parker by naming him chairman emeritus. Parker remains an active member of the board.
Dotson, chairman and CEO of Puryear, Inc., has served on the BOT since 2001 and previously served on the Foundation Board from 1983-’01. Maury, president and COO of León Medical Centers Health Plan, is the first Golden Panther appointed to the BOT. Both men begin their two-year terms on Sept. 1. Kahn is the founder of Lowell Homes and has been involved with FIU since 1999. His term runs through January 2011. n
Tuition and fees increase for FIU students FIU is increasing tuition and fees, in accordance with the Legislature’s move to bring state tuition in line with the national average. Tuition at Florida’s public universities is among the lowest in the country. The FIU Board of Trustees approved the increases in June in an effort to mitigate the impact of damaging budget shortfalls. An FIU undergraduate who enrolled before July 1, 2007, and is taking a 15-credit course load should expect an approximate tuition increase of $185.68 per semester in 2009-’10. A student who enrolled after July 1, 2007, and is taking a 15-credit course load should see an increase of $287.52 per semester. The
increases include a $4.42 per credit hour technology fee being implemented this year and an increase of $1.08 to the student activity fee. Graduate students and law school students will also see tuition increases. Seventy percent of the $2.9 million generated by the tuition increase will be used to fund FIU’s library and hire additional faculty and academic advisors. The remaining 30 percent will fund an increase in financial aid for those students whose families meet certain income qualifications. Students who cannot contribute anything to their education costs will see $700 more in aid this year. n
Fieldhouse of Dreams FIU names its football program’s HQ in honor of Trustee R. Kirk Landon FIU has named the new headquarters of its football program after FIU Trustee R. Kirk Landon, a longtime university supporter, in appreciation of his $1 million donation to blue-and-gold football. The new two-story, 50,000-square-foot R. Kirk Landon Football Fieldhouse is set to open this fall on the west end zone of FIU stadium. ”This is just the latest example of Trustee Landon’s contributions to FIU and its athletic programs,” said Athletic Director Pete Garcia. “His leadership and financial support have helped us take FIU to Division I status and build a successful athletics program.”
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in brief Budget cuts force program closures To absorb a 15 percent cut in state education dollars, FIU will close 11 programs and eliminate 170 positions. The cuts were approved in June by the FIU Board of Trustees (BOT). Most of the jobs to be eliminated are currently vacant, will be vacated through attrition or will be shifted to other sources of funding. The programs to be closed include: French education, BS; mathematical sciences, BS; occupational therapy, BS; Spanish education, BS, MAT; English education, MAT; French education, MAT; mathematics education, MAT; physical therapy, MS; science education, MAT; social studies education, MAT. All students currently enrolled in the
programs targeted for closure will be given the opportunity to complete their degrees. The university had planned to reduce its 2009-’10 budget by $8.2 million. However, an additional $11.4 million cut in 2009-’10 was required to respond to the latest legislative cuts. The BOT did not support the recommended closure of three other programs: recreation and sports management, BA, MS; athletic training education, MS; and religious studies, BA. The closure of these programs may be revisited depending on the success of external fundraising. n
Golden Panther’s family establishes memorial fund In May, FIU and the family of former FIU student Brittany Comeau established a memorial scholarship fund in honor of the Golden Panther, who was killed in a traffic accident on Memorial Day 2006. The Comeaus, led by Brittany’s mother, Mona Guerrier, have pledged $100,000 to establish the fund, which will provide FIU students with scholarships in support of tuition and/or housing expenses. Preference will be given to students who are past residents of Haiti. The family hopes to continue to raise funds
Central to the fieldhouse is a 14,000-square-foot, clear-span weight room that Golden Panthers will use for strength and conditioning. The facility also includes an equipment room, full-service athletic training facility, ticket office, merchandise area, 8,500 square feet of locker-room space and an Athletics Hall of Fame. The fieldhouse also houses coaches’ offices, a theater-style team meeting room and six breakout classrooms overlooking the football field, which open to an outdoor deck that will be used for recruiting, as well as game-day suites for FIU supporters. Landon is the president of two charitable organizations, the Kirk Foundation and the Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation. He previously served as CEO of American Bankers Insurance Group until 1995 and as chairman of its board until his retirement in 1999. His involvement with FIU dates back to when he served on FIU’s 1972 advisory board and the University Founders Council. In 2004, Landon made what was then the single largest donation from an individual in FIU’s history to establish the R. Kirk Landon Undergraduate School of Business. n
Robert Conrad, vice president for Advancement (second from right, back row), Sandra Gonzalez-Levy, senior vice president of External Relations (third from left, front row) and Brittany Comeau’s family established the memorial scholarship fund in honor of the Golden Panther.
and donate to the Brittany Comeau Memorial Scholarships in the future. n
Campus renamed to honor FIU President Maidique FIU’s southwest Miami-Dade campus has been renamed the Modesto A. Maidique Campus to honor FIU President Modesto A. Maidique’s 23 years of service to the university. In June, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously for the name change and also to bestow upon him the title of president emeritus. “Two decades ago, my dream was to transform FIU into a major urban public university,” Maidique said. “This university now has all the major components in place to join the ranks of the nation’s top universities. This honor is the pinnacle of this incredible journey.” n
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Historic gifts to College of Medicine advance educational excellence Two new gifts from prominent South Florida philanthropists will help secure the future of the newly opened College of Medicine. The donations from Dr. Herbert Wertheim and the Green Family Foundation join other gifts from leading foundations, corporations and families. The major gifts, with matching grants, include: • $20 million from Miami’s León family to establish the Benjamín León, Jr. Family Center for Geriatric Research and Education and the León Medical Centers Eminent Scholars Chair in Geriatrics. • $10 million from the North Dade Medical Foundation to establish an endowment that will provide merit-based scholarships for medical students who are Miami-Dade or Broward County residents. The matching funds will be used to establish endowed professorship chairs.
• $6 million from the Batchelor Foundation for the college’s Medicine & Society program. • $ 4 million from Miami Children’s Hospital to endow the Miami Children’s Hospital chair. • $ 2 million to support college operations from the College of Medicine Founders, a group of business, civic and educational leaders. • $ 1 million from the Ware Foundation to endow the Dr. Harry A. Edwards Professorship in Pulmonary Medicine.
Medical school becomes Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine For more than 20 years, Dr. Herbert Wertheim has been a champion of FIU’s growth and success. His support of the university’s programs has been generous and wide ranging, from the Wertheim Conservatory for the study of tropical plants and the Wertheim Performing Arts Center, to the establishment of a visiting professorship in the College of Business Administration. From the start, Wertheim has been passionate about one initiative in particular: the need for a public, community-oriented medical school at FIU that would emphasize preventive medicine. A South Florida native, Wertheim was an outspoken advocate for the establishment of the college, often traveling alongside university administrators as they sought approval for the college before the Florida Board of Governors and the Florida Legislature. In June, Wertheim made history with a $20 million gift to the College of Medicine, the largest cash donation ever to FIU. In recognition of his visionary contributions, the medical school has been named the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. FIU President Modesto A. Maidique praised Wertheim for his
“FIU has been in my heart for more than 20 years. I can’t help but want to continue to contribute to this success story.” — Dr. Herbert Wertheim
longtime commitment to FIU and the College of Medicine. “Dr. Wertheim is a brilliant man with boundless energy and a good heart,” Maidique said. “I am proud to have our college of medicine bear his name.” The gift will establish the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Endowments for Medical Education and Research and the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Medical Scholarship Endowment. Half of the endowment will be set aside for scholarships to support medical students and others pursuing advanced degrees in other scientific fields such as engineering. The rest of the money eventually will support a lecture series, health care conferences, research projects and eight endowed chairs in medical informatics, neurological aging studies, ophthalmology, optometry, wellness and dietary medicine, family and preventive medicine. “FIU has been in my heart for more than 20 years and when I look around here and see the amazing accomplishments during that time, I can’t help but want to continue to contribute to this success story,” Wertheim said. “FIU is our hometown
university and as a son of this community, I want to invest in those who are going to stay here and pour their talent and their energy back into this community.” An optometrist, inventor and entrepreneur, Wertheim is the chairman and CEO of Miami and London-based Brain Power, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of optical instruments and chemicals. He was one of the first clinicians to expose the extreme dangers that ultraviolet radiation and blue light pose to eyes and eyesight. From his research, he invented UV 400 Tint Protection to help stave off eye damage. Today, UV 400 is the world standard in both prescription eyewear and sunglasses. The Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine’s focus on community health and preventive care resonates with his interests and approach to medicine. “We are going to be training doctors who know how to help people stay healthy and these doctors are very likely to practice in South Florida because they are from South Florida,” Wertheim said. “FIU is establishing the wellness philosophy that will prevail in the medical education of the future.”
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Dr. Herbert Wertheim; Ambassador Steven Green
Green Family Foundation supports community medicine program A $5 million gift from South Florida’s Green Family Foundation will establish an endowment to support FIU’s groundbreaking Medicine & Society program. The gift is among the 10 largest ever made to FIU and is eligible for a state match and a $3 million Batchelor Foundation challenge grant, also eligible for a state match. Together, both gifts could ultimately mean a total of $16 million for the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. The endowment will fund the college’s four-year Medicine & Society curriculum, which integrates medicine, ethics, public health principles, social determinants of health, cultural competency and community household visits to prepare physicians to address critical non-medical factors that affect health outcomes. The curriculum includes the NeighborhoodHELP™ (Health Education Learning Program)program, through which medical students will work with colleagues in health-related fields to help families in some of South Florida’s underserved neighborhoods. “The Medicine & Society curriculum is unique in its integrated,
interdisciplinary approach to educating doctors,” said Dr. John Rock, the college’s founding dean. “With our university and community partners, we intend to make profound, lasting change in our community as we train the next generation of culturally competent doctors.” “NeighborhoodHELP™ is a partnership between the community and the College of Medicine,” said Dr. Pedro “Joe” Greer, chair of the college’s Department of Humanities, Health & Society. Founded in 1991 by Steven J. Green, former ambassador to Singapore, the Green Family Foundation is committed to social programs that positively impact global health and alleviate poverty. Currently, the foundation is supporting several programs in South Florida, as well as programs that aim to alleviate poverty and improve health care in Haiti. “As a family and a foundation, we have long been interested in supporting programs that foster sustainable health and education initiatives,” said Ambassador Green, who chairs the foundation. “We see this gift as an investment in a program
“We see this gift as an investment. FIU will become a model for medical schools around the world.” — Ambassador Steven Green
that will become a model for medical schools across the nation and around the world.” Green Family Foundation President Kimberly Green will serve as founding chair of the Medicine & Society Community Advisory Board. “FIU’s hands-on community approach parallels the Green Family Foundation’s vision in helping to serve the communities of South Florida,” she said. The gift to the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine continues the Green family’s longstanding support of FIU. For more than two decades, they have supported FIU’s Frost Art Museum by underwriting the Steven & Dorothea Green Critics’ Lecture Series. In 1997, a $2.5 million gift by the Greens established endowments for the museum and the Green Library at Modesto A. Maidique Campus. “At FIU, we have a long history of doing great things for the community, together with the Green family,” said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. “This latest example of their generosity will impact generations of doctors and patients in deep and meaningful ways, in South Florida and beyond.” n
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the first 43
Profiles and pictures of the students are available at the “43 Dreams That Will Touch Thousands” Web site at wordpress.fiu.edu/43dreams. Photos by Michael Upright and Ivan Santiago ’00
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Meet the highly qualified and diverse group of aspiring doctors accepted into the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine By Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08
On a historic August afternoon, the 43 students who make up the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine slipped into their medical coats and swore to “be loyal to the profession of medicine and just and generous to all,” at FIU’s first White Coat Ceremony. “I am very proud,” said Nelcy Morlote, mother of medical student Diana M. Morlote ’09. “This is a major accomplishment.” “We are very proud of FIU. I cannot fit inside of myself,” added her father Ramiro. The family immigrated to the United States from Cuba five years ago. “The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage, a formal welcoming into the art of healing,” remarked Dr. John Rock, founding dean and senior vice president for Medical Affairs. These students “will help shape the college of medicine.” The ceremony concluded a week of orientation activities for the medical students, which included a tour of Jackson North Medical Center that will serve as the major public teaching hospital for the college. The class of 2013’s training will be based on NeighborhoodHELP™ (Health Education Learning Program), FIU’s new model of medical education that will bring together students, local families and community organizations in groundbreaking ways. Each student will be required to work directly with
a family in one of Miami’s struggling neighborhoods. “Working with the underserved is the best part of the curriculum, said Gabriel Thornton, who chose FIU because of its emphasis on cultural competency. Thornton, who grew up in Florida City, worked full-time at the West Gables Healthcare Center while he attended the University of Miami. One of five kids, he wanted to work in the healthcare field since he was a kid. “My pediatrician was the coolest person I knew.” Patricio Lau, the oldest of four kids, is the first in his family to go to college. “We were really poor,” he said. “We would pick up things that people threw away. You’d be surprised to see the good stuff people just toss.” After immigrating to Miami from Nicaragua in 2001, Lau says the only thing that made sense was science and math. “Just because I didn’t understand the language, I was put in all remedial classes.” He graduated from FIU with a double-major in biology and chemistry. Like Thornton, Lau has worked full-time during his entire academic career. In high school, he sold cable services over the phone, cashiered at K-Mart and washed cars. At FIU, he worked in the law library and the admission’s office. FIU medical students are not allowed to work while in school. Lau says the extra time scares him. “I’m freaking
“The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage, a formal welcoming into the art of healing.” — Dr. John Rock
out because when I had a job things were simple: when I wasn’t at work or school, I studied. That was the time I had – no more, no less. Now I’m afraid I won’t schedule my time wisely.” Miguel Flores says he has had the advantage because he was born here. “I’ve made the most of the opportunities I’ve had.” A Bill Gates scholar, Flores started a tutoring program at his former middle school and chose FIU because he wanted to give back to the community. Morlote first decided she wanted to be a doctor when visiting hospitals with her father, a cardiologist in Cuba. “I love that medicine combines science with helping people,” she said. The summa cum laude FIU alumna and her father are especially excited by the college’s integrated systems curriculum. The inaugural class has a mean GPA of 3.5 and a 30.4 MCAT. Eightyone percent are Florida residents and in addition to the United States, there are students who were born in Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, India, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Romania. “With these beautiful young seeds, 43 of them, you are going to see the blossoming of a wonderful organization that will deliver health care to our community,” said Dr. Herbert Wertheim, in honor of whom the medical school was named in recognition of his historic $20 million gift. n
Oh What a Night 12
Florida International University Magazine
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“I literally took what I was learning in school and used it in my business at the same time.” — Robert Bell
The 8th Annual Torch Awards Gala is an affair to remember By Martin Haro ’05
They came dressed to the nines. Some, like Kirill Reznik ’95, came from out of town, while others, like former FIU Senior Vice President of External Relations Marcos Pérez ’90, MBA ’00, are no strangers to campus. The occasion that brought Reznik, Pérez and more than 400 FIU alumni, students, faculty/staff, administrators, donors, friends and families was February’s 8th Annual Torch Awards Gala, the FIU Alumni Association’s premier
social event and fundraiser. Held in the Graham Center Ballrooms at Modesto A. Maidique Campus, the 2009 ceremony raised approximately $30,000 in cash for the future FIU Alumni Center, plus $20,000 in in-kind gifts, and featured a performance by FIU Theatre alumna and 2008 “American Idol” finalist Syesha Mercado. “I’m really excited to be here,” Mercado said before performing two songs – Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” and “Listen” by Beyoncé. “Earlier I was looking through the windows in the Graham Center, out to the Green
Library. It definitely brought back a lot of memories.” The evening was a memorable one for Alumni Association President Jose M. Perez de Corcho ’93. “Tonight is special for me. It’s my first Torch Awards Gala as president of the Alumni Association,” he told the Golden Panthers in attendance before introducing Betty Perry ’74, FIU’s first First Lady and the university’s selfprofessed “oldest cheerleader.” Perry presented Eddie León ’93, MFA ’98, president and CEO of the Miami-based Spine3D, the largest
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1. Bill Draughon, associate VP, Alumni Relations; Sandra Gonzalez-Levy, senior VP, External Relations; FIU President Modesto A. Maidique; Kathryn Dinkin, Southeast Florida regional president, Wachovia, presenting sponsor of the 8th Annual Torch Awards Gala; Alumni Association President Jose M. Perez de Corcho. 2. Honors College Associate Dean John S. Kneski; Torch Committee Chair Jack F. González ’98; FIU’s First First Lady Betty Perry ’74; Honors College Interim Dean Lesley Northup; Jennifer Grant; FIU Foundation BOD member Gerald Grant, Jr. ’78, ’89. 3. Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Founding Dean John Rock,; Martha Rock; Patsy Berkman ’82; former FIU Executive VP and Provost for Academic Affairs and COO Ronald Berkman.
“I literally took what I was learning 4
5
in school
6
4. FIU President Modesto A. Maidique; FIU First Lady Nancy Maidique ’03, MPH ‘08; Nicole Brilliant; Richard Brilliant ’93. 5. Bill Draughon; Kathryn Dinkin; Jose M. Perez de Corcho ’93. 6. Standing: College of Architecture + the Arts Founding Dean Juan A. Bueno; Eddie León ’93, M.Arch. ’98; College of Architecture Chair Adam Drisin. Sitting: Nicolas Quintana, assistant professor, College of Architecture and used + the Arts; Kevin Smith.
it in my business at the same time.” — Robert Bell 7
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7. College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kenneth Furton; Dr. Guang-Ping Gao MS ’91, Ph.D. ’94; Rene Herrera, associate professor, College of Arts and Sciences. 8. FIU Athletics Director Pete García; Hess Wesley ‘08; Syesha Mercado, FIU Theatre alumna and “American Idol” finalist; Earlene Dotson; Tillie Fox; Martha Rock; FIU BOT member Albert Dotson Sr. 9. FIU President Modesto A. Maidique; FIU First Lady Nancy Maidique ’03, MPH ‘08; Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work Associate Dean Virginia McCoy; Karen L. Levin ’95; Joel G. Magid, Ph.D.
architecture visualization studio in the United States, with the Charles E. Perry Young Alumni Visionary Award, named in honor of her late husband and FIU’s first president, Charles Perry. Jorge J. González ’88, president of City National Bank of Florida, was recognized with the Community Leadership Award, while Rocco M. Angelo, a professor and associate dean of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, received the Outstanding Faculty Award. Before FIU President Modesto A. Maidique was presented with the
The gala raised more than $50,000 for the future FIU Alumni Center.
Wachovia Outstanding Achievement Award, the audience enjoyed a video of his many achievements during more than two decades at FIU. “This is an honor,” he said before paying tribute to the foundation laid by President Perry. “FIU is the little engine that could. Chuck built that foundation and we have been building ever since,” he added, referencing, among others, FIU’s public and private partnerships, as well as the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the Frost Art Museum and FIU Stadium.
Addressing the tough economic times the university continues to face, Maidique said, “We will never give up on building Chuck’s dream. I believe in FIU and I believe in you.” Believing in their alma mater and the changes that lie ahead was in the minds of attendees such as Reznik. “I haven’t been to campus in a few years because I live in Maryland, so it’s nice to get the chance to come here,” he said. “I don’t recognize a thing, but one of the things I love about FIU is that it’s a living thing, always evolving.” Continues on next page
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Charles E. Perry Young Alumni Visionary Award
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Distinguished Alumni Award, College of Architecture + the Arts
FIU Alumni Association Lifetime Member Eddie León Monica López de Victoria ’02 ’93 MFA ’98 is president and is an internationally CEO of Spine3D, the largest recognized artist and one half architecture visualization of the performance art duo studio in the United States. the TM Sisters. López de While at FIU, León established himself as a Victoria has been published visionary in the field, working at several South in numerous art publications, including Florida companies. As an instructor in FIU’s Italian Vogue and “The New York Times.” Her Department of Architecture in the late 1990s, he exhibition titled “Uncertain States of explored artistic and technical concepts that have America: American Art in the 3rd given Spine3D a permanent foothold in the 3-D Millennium” has been shown in the United design business today. Since graduating, he has States and abroad. Additionally, the TM returned regularly to FIU to share his experience Sisters have participated in more than 60 “I literally with architecture students. group exhibits and live video-mixing concerts.
Community Leadership Award
took what
Distinguished I was
Alumni Award,
FIU Alumni Association College of Arts & Sciences learning Lifetime Member Jorge J. Dr. Guang-Ping Gao MS ’91, González ’88 is president of in school Ph.D. ’94 is the founding City National Bank of Florida. director of the University of He brings more than 21 years and used Massachusetts Medical experience in the banking it in my School Gene Therapy industry to his current role. A Miami native, Center. Since receiving his González is active in numerous charity and business at doctorate, Gao has emerged as one of the community organizations, including the Board the same world’s leading researchers in the field of of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, adeno-associated viruses and gene delivery time.” the Beacon Council, the Miami and systems. He also directs the UMass Medical International Chapters of the Young Presidents — School-China Translational Research Organization and the United Way of MiamiInitiative to develop new drugs and medical Dade County. He currently serves on the FIU Robert Bell devices. Gao’s work is likely to be part of the Foundation Board of Directors and the College process by which repaired or new genes can of Business Administration Dean’s Council. be directed to places in the body where flawed genes cause diseases. Outstanding Faculty Award FIU Alumni Association Lifetime Member Rocco M. Angelo has been the associate dean of the FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management since 1982. A professor of management, Angelo was the manager of Laventhol and Horwarth’s Management Advisory Services division in New York City prior to joining FIU in 1974. He was a visiting faculty member at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration from 1968-1979 and taught at the International Institute of Glion in Switzerland. In 1993, he was awarded the Statler Professorship and in 1997, he received FIU’s Distinguished Service Award.
Distinguished Alumni Award, Athletics FIU Alumni Association Lifetime Member Marcos A. Pérez ’90, MBA ’00 is the chief operating officer of León Medical Network. After receiving his bachelor’s, Pérez worked 12 years at Bacardi. In 2003, he returned to FIU as President Modesto A. Maidique’s chief of staff and then held numerous leadership positions, including vice president for administration and athletics, senior vice president for external relations, executive director of the FIU Foundation and
chief development officer. He also led the initiative for the university’s approval for FIU Stadium. Today, he serves on the FIU Foundation Board of Directors.
D istinguished A lumni A ward , C ollege of B usiness A dministration María C. Alonso ’91 is the South Florida market manager for Bank of America. Alonso works with the bank’s leadership teams and community organizations to implement its local charitable giving strateg y and sponsorships. She is first vice chair of the Executive Committee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Executive Committee of the New World School of the Arts and a board member of the March of Dimes. Alonso continues to work closely with the United Way as the co-chair of its Financial Stability Impact Council.
D istinguished A lumni A ward , C ollege of E ducation Mabel Morales ’94 has been an art educator and district supervisor for Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 16 years. As district supervisor, Morales oversees 550 visual arts educators county-wide. An award-winning, national board certified educator, she currently serves on the board of the Florida Art Education Association. She has been selected by the Florida Department of Education to serve on the committee to re-write the Sunshine State Standards. A practicing artist and avid master of pastel painting, she is currently working on her Ph.D. from FSU.
D istinguished A lumni A ward , C ollege of E ngineering and C omputing FIU Alumni Association Lifetime Member María Fernández-Porrata ’84 learned the ins and outs of transportation by working at the Florida Department of
FALL 2009 Florida International University Magazine
Transportation (FDOT) for 14 years and then serving as public works director for the Village of Pinecrest. In 2004, FernándezPorrata joined Marlin Engineering, Inc., as public relations manager, working on transportation projects. She serves on FIU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Advisory Council and is an active member of the America Public Works Association. She also volunteers as a Girl Scout troop leader and is a mentor for Future City.
Distinguished Alumni Award, The Honors College FIU Alumni Association Lifetime Member Kirill Reznik ’95 has served as a delegate of the Maryland General Assembly since 2007. Reznik is the first FIU alumnus elected to a state legislature outside of Florida and represents District 39 in Montgomery County. He serves on the Health and Government Operations Committee in the House and the State Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council. He remains an avid supporter of FIU who served as president of the D.C./Baltimore Chapter of the FIU Alumni Association from 1997-2006. Today he is its treasurer.
Distinguished Alumni Award, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management FIU Alumni Association Lifetime Member Richard Brilliant ’93 is vice president and chief audit executive of Carnival Corporation where he manages an international team of more than 50 professionals. During his time at Carnival, Brilliant has been credited with designing and implementing the corporation’s global Sarbanes-Oxley compliance program, managing various special projects and implementing the Enterprise Risk Management framework. Prior to Carnival, he worked in the hospitality and consulting services group of Kenneth Leventhal & Company. An active Golden Panther, he serves on the Board of Directors of the FIU Foundation.
Distinguished A lumni A ward , S chool of J ournalism and M ass C ommunication
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integrated disease surveillance at New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and participated in the department’s response to the World Trade Center attacks and the anthraxrelease investigations. She was a disease surveillance team leader for the World Health Organization-AFRO Region and Ethiopia.
Johnny Díaz ’96 is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a Living/Arts writer for “The Boston Globe.” Díaz started his career as a Distinguished Alumni Award, reporter at “The Miami Robert Stempel College of Herald,” when he was 16 years old. He shared Public Health and Social Work in the 2000 Pulitzer-winning coverage of the Frank V. Sacco ’78 has led the Elián González story. He also covered some Memorial Healthcare System as of the biggest breaking stories in South president and CEO for more Florida, including the Gianni Versace than 20 years. He is a fellow and murder. A published author, his latest book past regent in the American is titled “Beantown Cubans” and he was“Ialiterally College of Healthcare featured contributor in the first “Chicken took whatExecutives and past chairman of the Florida Soup for the Latino Soul” book. Hospital Association. As past president of the I was Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, he Distinguished Alumni Award, learningreceived its Community Service Award in 1994. College of Law He chaired the governor’s Medicaid Reform Task in school FIU Alumni Association Force in 1996. Sacco was honored with the Lifetime Member Carlos J. usedNational Conference for Community and and Martínez ’85 is a public Justice’s Silver Medallion Award in 2006. it in my defender for Miami-Dade County’s 11th Judicialbusiness at Wachovia Outstanding Circuit of Florida. Martínez Achievement Award the same has worked for the Public Defender’s Office FIU Alumni Association continuously since 1993. During his tenure, time.” Lifetime Member Dr. Modesto he has designed and implemented A. Maidique is the fourth — management and legal reforms, drafted and president of FIU, one of the 20 analyzed legislation and budget proposals and Bell Robert largest universities in the United overseen the office’s community relations. He States and the nation’s largest is credited with creating the Redemption Hispanic-serving university. Under Maidique’s Project to help ex-felons regain their civil and leadership, FIU has tripled in physical size and employment rights; Play It Smart, a program more than doubled enrollment. Research teaching young people how to interact with expenditures have grown from about $6 million law enforcement; and a statewide public to nearly $110 million. The university established defender management training program. accredited colleges of law and engineering, as well as schools of architecture and public health. Distinguished Alumni Award, Maidique led the way in founding the Herbert College of Nursing Wertheim College of Medicine, making it one and Health Science of only three U.S. medical schools established in FIU Alumni Association the last 25 years. Today, his research focuses on Annual Member Karen L. global leadership. Last spring, he directed Levin ’95 is the director for the “Leading Decisions: Preparing Global Leaders,” Center for Public Health an executive and professional education Preparedness and associate program offered through the FIU Center for director of the National Center Leadership. As the center’s executive director, for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia Maidique also is working to develop a leadership University’s Mailman School of Public Health. training academy for Miami-Dade County’s She previously served as acting director of public school principals. n
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“I literally took what I was learning in school and used it in my business at the same time.” — Robert Bell
Pelaez
Photos by Michael Upright
Family
Clockwise: Pedro Nogueras, Martha Pelaez, Carla Nogueras and Tanya Nogueras.
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alumni profile
A Family Affair
For a professor of psychology and her three daughters – all Golden Panthers – FIU is more than a university By Carlos Miller ’94
Today, FIU psychology professor Martha Pelaez MS ’89, Ph.D. ’92 teaches hundreds of undergraduates, mentors graduate students and travels the world as an expert on infant social learning. However, she has not forgotten the beginning, when FIU was a dream and she struggled to master English just so she could get into the university. Once she was accepted into the psychology doctoral program in 1986, two full years after she initially applied, she had to balance the rigors of graduate school with her responsibilities as a mother to three young daughters. By the time she graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology in 1992 – winning the International Dissertation Award followed by a post doctoral fellowship at the UM School of Medicine – her reputation as a researcher was so stellar among FIU’s faculty she was offered an assistant professorship of psychology. Pelaez is a Frost professor and teaches infant social learning, attachment disorders and language acquisition. She delivers lectures around the world on infant learning and on the benefits of massage stimulation on premature babies. “It has been a very rewarding experience for me,” she said. “It shows you that students should not be discouraged if English is not their native language. You can overcome that obstacle. If you are raising three amazing kids while you are getting your Ph.D., you can overcome the difficulties.” Those three young girls who grew up watching their mother grind her way through grad school and ascend the ranks of academia also have graduated from FIU, making it a truly family affair. Two of them have or plan to marry beaux they met at FIU.
Even Pelaez’s ex-husband, Pedro Nogueras ’99, MS ’08, received his master’s in public administration from FIU. Through the years, Pelaez has seen her daughters come of age, and FIU transform into one of the country’s largest universities with a football stadium, an art museum, not to mention a law school and a new medical school. “It’s been a remarkable phenomenon,” she said. “I’ve seen the whole trajectory of FIU evolving over the years. I’ve seen it explode.” Pelaez enrolled at FIU the year President Modesto A. Maidique took the helm. Three years ago, she was a member of the Florida Board of Governors representing all faculty in the state and voted for the approval of the university’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. “The biggest change I’ve seen is that people and scholars began to recognize us as a great public urban research university,” she said. “Before, when I would go to conferences, people would say, ‘FIU? Where is that?’ But now they know who we are and what research we do. Not just nationally, but internationally.” Carla Nogueras ’98, MS ’00, her oldest daughter, was the first to graduate from FIU. She received her bachelor’s in social work and her master’s in public administration and now is a third-grade school teacher at Redondo Elementary. Pelaez’s middle child, Martha Nogueras ’02, MS ’03, pursued degrees in economics. She lives and works as a Foreign Service officer at the U.S. embassy in India. “I must have been 7 or 8 when my mom began taking me and my sisters to her child development lab in the PC building on Saturdays, where she would go over her research or conduct more
“I literally took what “II must was have been learning 7 in orschool 8 when my mom and used itbegan in my taking us at to business her It the lab. same was one of time.” the coolest — placesBell I Robert knew.” — Martha Nogueras
experiments,” Martha said. “I’ll never forget the lab – it was one of the coolest, coziest places I knew.” Finally, younger sister Tanya Nogueras also received two degrees from FIU, both in architecture: a bachelor’s in 2006 and a master’s last April. “I am very grateful I went to FIU because the way they teach design is not very traditional,” Tanya said. “It’s not as restricted as it is in other universities. It is more avant-garde.” Carla, Martha and Tanya’s father, Pedro, grew up in Miami. He arrived from Cuba in 1960 at the age of 12. “Back in 1969, there was not a public university for the common citizens of this county,” he said. “If you could not afford the University of Miami, you had to leave town. And many could not afford to even do that.” He graduated from FIU with a bachelor’s degree in international relations in 1999 and, at 60 years old, he earned a master’s in 2008. While Pelaez credits her ex-husband for putting them all through college through his printing business, he says their hard work led to their success. “They did it all themselves through their efforts, persistence and dedication,” he said. For Pelaez, FIU will always be the place that encouraged her to strive for the highest when her confidence was at its lowest. “FIU has been good to us,” she said. “It has allowed us to pursue our passions and fulfill our dreams. And it will give anybody the same opportunity.” n Carlos Miller ’94 is a Miami-based multimedia journalist. He is the weekend editor at NBCMiami.com and a senior editor at MiamiBeach411.com.
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Florida International University Magazine
Photos by Roldan Torres ’85
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ComingHome By Dan Grech
New FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg invites alumni back as he takes charge of the university where his career began M ark R osenberg
was named the fifth president of
I nternational U niversity morning, he called
on a
S aturday
in
F lorida
A pril . O n S unday
Bill Draughon, associate vice president for
A lumni R elations . “B ill , I
need you to get the board of the
Alumni Association together,” Rosenberg said. “Tomorrow.”
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Continued
Rosenberg, the first FIU professor to rise to FIU president, met the next day with 26 of the 29 members of the alumni board. The incoming president was effectively mobilizing the university’s troops, the more than 135,000 university graduates who hold a central role in his immediate strategy and long-term vision for FIU’s future. “Mark sees alumni support as one of the important pieces of the puzzle for FIU,” Draughon said. “The university has done so well with growth. Now we need to bring everybody together as a family.” Rosenberg says a strong FIU family will provide stability as the university faces worsening state budget cuts. By building alumni affinity, he hopes to plant seeds in the community that can flower into donations, partnerships and influence. A solid alumni base will be the foundation of national excellence. “We want alumni to breathe blue and gold,” Rosenberg, 59, said. “That means returning to the university to go to the theater or a sporting event. That means helping an FIU graduate find a job. That means donating to the university. The Alumni Association has to be a network that works for the university, for its students and for its graduates.” In the year before Rosenberg’s appointment, the Alumni Association had increased its membership by 20 percent – the top rate of growth nationwide. At the meeting, he challenged the board to add another 2,000 members in two months – a jump of an additional 13 percent. The Alumni Association board sprung into action and hit and surpassed the goal he set by the June 30 deadline, signing 2,782 new members. Rosenberg says his model is the University of Florida. He saw firsthand the power of the Gator Nation while serving for the past three years as chancellor of Florida’s 11 public universities. “UF is very aggressive at building brand loyalty to
“My challenge as president will be to achieve FIU’s aspirations, to turn the impossible into the inevitable.” — FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg
the Gator Nation. It has a significant endowment and major donors that are lifelong Gators,” he said. “But this isn’t just about fundraising. It’s about a conscious effort by the university to instill pride among its graduates.” He takes over FIU after 23 years of leadership by Modesto A. Maidique, who doubled enrollment, turning FIU into the 25th largest university in the nation. He opened a new law school and a new medical school, added a Division I-A football team and built a new football stadium. He turned Miami-Dade’s first public four-year college into a 21st century urban research university. Rosenberg was an important part of that growth as well. He came to FIU in 1976 as a political science professor specializing in Latin America. Within three years, he founded the Latin American and Caribbean Center, which remains one of the nation’s premier federally funded hubs for area studies. In 1998, he was named provost and over the next eight years, orchestrated the university’s transition to a center for advanced research and doctoral studies. He calls FIU a “modern American success story.” Rosenberg’s two children, Benjamin and Ginelle, are Golden Panthers; he is a management and international business major who has studied at FIU’s campus in Tianjin, China, and she is studying theater and history. “Thirty years ago, FIU wasn’t even known,” he said. “Today, it’s a major player and economic engine in the community. FIU’s story is about reaching for the stars and hitting them. My challenge as president will be to achieve our aspirations, to turn the impossible into the inevitable.” Rosenberg arrives at FIU during a painful contraction. Programs have been closed, faculty and staff laid off and tuition increased. He says his first priority “will be to advocate for the finance and budget strength of FIU.”
He plans to spend more than half of his time off campus, building partnerships and raising money in the community. Before taking the helm of FIU – a job that pays a base annual salary of $475,000, $25,000 of which he will give back to the university during each of his first two years at the university – he spent three years in Tallahassee leading the State University System of Florida. As chancellor, Rosenberg worked closely with state and federal legislators on funding and strategy. He says the job schooled him in state politics and national education policy. But it wasn’t a perfect fit. He missed being on a college campus. During his candidacy for FIU president, Rosenberg’s allies emerged from all walks of the university. Supporters started a Facebook group – Mark Rosenberg for FIU President – that soon added more than 1,000 members. A parade of colleagues and community leaders spoke on his behalf. The Student Government Association (SGA) and the FIU Alumni Association supported his candidacy. “Everyone in the FIU community is enthralled by him,” said Arthur “AJ” Meyer, a senior majoring in construction management and former president of the Modesto A. Maidique Campus SGA. Meyer tells the story of a meeting of the Florida Student Association last summer in Deston, in the Florida panhandle. Rosenberg, who was chancellor at the time, drove from Tallahassee with his wife Rosalie to spend the weekend of his 59th birthday with the student group. “Every student I spoke to was blown away by Mark’s candor, his sympathetic point of view and his ability to relate to us,” Meyer said. “His capacity to reach across the generation gap and interact with students is like no one I’ve seen before.” At the end of the weekend, the student association bought Rosenberg
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5 Questions for the Fifth President
FIU Magazine gave alumni and students an opportunity to pose questions to the new president. We selected the best questions and got Dr. Rosenberg’s responses. You can read more questions on our Web site. 1. Eduardo Hondal ’88, MS ’00: The university’s leadership has always benchmarked FIU with UCLA because of similarities in demographics, history and local competition. What must FIU do now, academically and in terms of selectivity in admission, etc., in order to meet our benchmark of being the UCLA of the east?
a cake – and a “Star Wars” action figure of the chancellor character, a token that he still holds dear. Throughout his career, even while chancellor, Rosenberg has mentored dozens of students. But he doesn’t simply dole out advice: he befriends their families, attends their subsequent graduations and forges a lifelong friendship. Alumni Relations Vice President Bill Draughon says Rosenberg has a prodigious memory for personal details. “When Mark was provost, I saw him walk up to a student once and say, ‘Hey, you had a 3.2 GPA last semester. Have you kept that up?’” Draughon said. “That told me he was a person who cares deeply about our students. He truly loves FIU and that shines through.” Rosenberg, a first-generation college graduate who earned a Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, says he learned his love of people through his parents. His father owned a small scrap recycling plant in Athens, Ohio, and served as chairman of the city’s school board for nearly 16 years. Rosenberg started working in the family scrap yard at age 9. “In the morning, we would go out on calls to manufacturers,” he said. “In the afternoon, we’d get itinerant collectors from the hills bringing in plant roots, beef hides and rags. And at night, my dad chaired school board meetings and hosted university dignitaries.”
His mother was a Holocaust survivor. “She raised the four kids with a determination to succeed. That same survivor’s blood flows through my veins.” FIU’s fifth president says that survivor’s ethic also runs through the “hungry hearts” of FIU students. Many Golden Panthers are first in their families to attend college and most work their way through school, juggling jobs, family responsibilities and their studies. “I identify with their struggle, their challenges, their desire to succeed,” he said. “It’s very natural that I’d be the president of a university like this. I came out of a family that had that same hunger.” Rosenberg says he started his academic career at FIU, so it is fitting that he will end it here. He calls the FIU presidency the last big job of his career. “When you live through the Liberty City riots, the Mariel and Haitian boatlifts, Hurricane Andrew; when you watch your students as they mature into adults and become successful in the community; when you raise your kids in South Florida and bury your parents in South Florida, it all becomes part of a single tapestry,” he said. “I’m coming home.” n Dan Grech is Americas reporter for the public radio show “Marketplace” and co-senior producer and co-host of “Under the Sun,” a radio show telling the stories of South Florida.
UCLA and FIU have much in common – a great urban community, a commitment to academic excellence and a strong faculty. FIU’s continued success is dependent on enhanced attention to our students through better advising, mentoring, and job placement, as well as enhanced extracurricular opportunities. To achieve our destiny we must also take our research and creative energies into the community through partnerships that will address community issues.
“I2. literally Alberto Padron ’98, MBA ’09: What are the Top 5
academic programs that will serve as the cornerstones
took what of FIU’s future?
was IAll of our academic programs will come under review in the next year as a consequence of the SACS learning reaccreditation process and the development of a new strategic plan. We expect all units and academic in school programs at FIU to have an improvement strategy that includes national benchmarking and goal-setting. To andensure usedquality, all programs must be nationally and internationally competitive. it in my
3. Felipe Inoa business at MS ’08: What will your approach be to making sure our university can be clearly distinguished among
other universities given the hard economic times and theallsame other challenges that lie ahead?
time.” The best way to differentiate FIU is to ensure that we
are taking advantage of the unique location that is — Multicultural, global and edgy, our community is Miami. a bellwether for how the rest of the United States will Robert Bell look in two decades. Miami is the asset that gives FIU distinctiveness. 4. Valerie Graves, communication major: What will you do to improve customer service at FIU? Customer service must be enhanced. I will be insisting on aggressive training, evaluation and review of all levels of student and customer service. I will insist on excellence in this domain, for it is a key to our long-term success. 5. From Chrisna Luus, FIU swim team member and psychology major: What traditions and legacies would you like to establish here at FIU? It is important to build greater affinity for FIU with our students and alumni. Student pride in FIU is important – there is much to be proud about. I still aggressively challenge our students to tell the story of FIU throughout the community. They know that they are getting a quality and affordable public education from excellent faculty. I will also aggressively support and promote our Alumni Association. They are our lifeline for a lifetime!
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Florida International University Magazine
FALL 2009
“I literally took what I was learning in school and used it in my
MAM
business at the same time.” — Robert Bell
Legacy
Crowning a
Photos by Michael Upright
FALL 2009 Florida International University Magazine
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FIU President Maidique’s last day brings his one final historic moment and a heartfelt tribute from the community By Deborah O’Neil MA ’09
On the morning of Aug. 3, FIU President Modesto A. Maidique stood before 43 young adults, each brimming with enthusiasm on this, their first day of medical school at the university. “Now,” Maidique announced, “we have a medical school.” FIU’s fourth president had waited a long time to say those words. And he finally got the chance on the very last day of his 23-year tenure as president. The moment culminated the journey of a man and an institution that grew up together in the public eye, achieving what no one imagined. The arrival of the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine signaled both a triumphant new beginning and a proud professional finale. The president, with a thriving testimony to his own history, told the new students, “You are part of history.” Later, Maidique ended his last day on stage before a much bigger crowd. More than 700 administrators, faculty/staff, students, alumni and community leaders gathered to pay tribute to his public service and mark the transferal of the presidency to Mark B. Rosenberg. The event brought out local, state and national elected officials, Maidique’s two children and five grandchildren and a host of longtime FIU supporters and donors. At the podium and in a specially created tribute video, those
“Thanks to all of you, FIU is now a power to be reckoned with in our community and in the state of Florida.” — FIU President Modesto A. Maidique
who have known him best described an unfaltering optimism and visionary leadership that transformed FIU. “Vision is the art of seeing the invisible and there is no one better than Mitch Maidique at seeing the invisible,” said incoming FIU President Mark Rosenberg, who worked closely with Maidique throughout his presidency. “Mitch Maidique’s vision of FIU as a great public research university stands as what we have today, a vision that has come to fruition.” Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus David Parker noted that FIU awards more than half of all the college degrees earned in MiamiDade County. “He’s built a firstclass institution and in the process, transformed our community,” Parker said. “He will be succeeded but cannot be replaced.” State Rep. Luis Garcia presented Maidique with a laudatory proclamation signed by the MiamiDade delegation, adding, “Whatever documents you get here will not measure up to your stature. “President Maidique has been a shining example of what people can accomplish in this great country of ours,” Garcia said. In a lighter moment, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Joe Martinez turned to Maidique and asked, “Are you ready for the title of past president?” Maidique reminded him that his new title will be “president emeritus.”
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Major milestones “XX
xxxxxx
xxxxxx Under President Maidique’s leadership, FIU enjoyed unparalleled growth. Among the most xxxxxx significant achievements during his tenure, FIU: xxxxx
• • • • • • • • • •
• • •
Created 22 new doctoral programs. xxxxx.” Grew research expenditures from $6 million to nearly $110 million. — Expanded from 54 buildings and 2 million square feet to XXXX 109 buildings totaling 7 million square feet. Opened the School of Architecture in 1996. Established The Honors College in 1997. Became the youngest university invited into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious honor society, in 2000. Attained the highest ranking by Carnegie Foundation, “Doctoral/Research University-Extensive,” in 2000. Opened the College of Law in 2002. Established a collegiate football team in 2002 that became Division I-A three years later. Reached all-time records of graduating more than 100 doctoral students, surpassing $100 million in endowment funds and more than $100 million in research expenditures in FY 2007-’08. Inaugurated a new football stadium in 2008. Opened a branch campus of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in China with the University of Tianjin and celebrated the first graduating class in 2008. Won approval to establish a medical school in 2006 and welcomed the first class of students in Fall 2009.
Continued
Martinez joked, “He’s not ready.” He then recounted how each time Maidique scheduled an appointment, Martinez would wonder, “What does he want?” knowing it would be almost impossible to say no. “It was so hard to turn him down because it always made sense,” Martinez said. Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart recalled that he was elected in 1986 shortly after Maidique’s appointment. “What an extraordinary legacy this longevity has left for the community,” he said. “It is an honor to spend just a few minutes saying thank you for the public service, the legacy you were able to achieve.” And in a rare honor, the congressman and his brother, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, presented Maidique with an American flag which had been flown over the United States Capitol in his honor. “We still get goosebumps every time we do this,” Mario Diaz-Balart said.
“This man and this flag symbolize the greatness of America.” In his remarks at the end of the ceremony, Maidique returned to the College of Medicine, where his day had begun. He shared the story of the hundreds of individuals from FIU, local and state government, the healthcare industry and private sector who played essential roles in bringing the college to fruition. The story of the College of Medicine, he said, is the story of FIU itself. “A lot of people give me great credit for the medical school and they also give me credit for many of the good things that have happened,” Maidique said. But, he added, no one could have done this alone. “If you multiply the story of the medical school 10, 20, 30 times, you have an idea of how this university was built. “Thanks to all of you,” he said, “FIU is now a power to be reckoned with in our community and in the state of Florida.” n
FALL 2009 Florida International University Magazine
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FIU President Maidique reflects on 23 years as “a magnificent gift of destiny” Editor’s Note: After numerous community leaders paid tribute to President Maidique on the last day of his presidency, he delivered a tribute of his own. In his Aug. 3 remarks, Dr. Maidique spoke of his extraordinary journey at FIU and expressed his gratitude. Here is an excerpt of his speech. I began this day doing something I have dreamed about for two decades: welcoming the first class of medical students to our university. I could not have picked a more perfect day to close this chapter of my career. As each of those 43 students got up and told their stories, I sat there thinking, “This is what it is all about.” People keep asking me, “What has kept you so determined? What has kept you so committed, so energized during all these years?” The answer was in the room with me this morning. Patricio Lau from Nicaragua was there. He was raised by a single mother and was the first in his family to go to college. Now he is beginning medical school at FIU. Trine Engebretsen wants to be a doctor because she was Florida’s first liver transplant recipient. Hanadys Ale fled Cuba only five years ago, learned English at Miami-Dade College, got an FIU degree with a 4.0 GPA and today, she started her medical career. That’s what it is all about. My mother and father were both teachers. My aunt was a teacher. Education is part of my DNA. My grandfather’s family, my mother told me, was very rich. One day, their entire tobacco plantation was wiped out. My mother learned that the only thing that was portable was your education. You could take that anywhere, no matter what catastrophe occurred. So both of my parents were uncompromising about the importance of education. At one time, like those kids in the room this morning, I was that immigrant kid coming to the United States for an education, for a better life, for freedom. Like many of our students, another source of my determination has been that where I came from, you don’t go back. You’ve got to make it here. Education was my shot at the American Dream. I’ve never forgotten that during my years here. I’ve been determined to give the young people of Miami-Dade the best education possible. That meant making sure FIU could provide the same opportunities that you might find if you were rich and privileged and native-born. That is, the opportunity to become a lawyer, the opportunity to become an architect, the opportunity to get a Ph.D., the opportunity to be a medical doctor. Our kids deserve the best. One of the things I am most proud of is that together we have created an institution that is so integral to the success of this community. You would think after 23 years it would be old hat for me, but I am still delighted when I meet an FIU student, alumnus or alumna doing well out in the community. Thousands of you undertook a journey with me in 1986. By my estimates some 8,000 to 9,000 people have been full-time employees of the institution during those years. If you count part-time, it gets closer to 15,000 to 20,000. I want today to say thank you to the vice presidents and deans, to the faculty and staff that work so hard and often are not recognized for everything they do, to the Board of Trustees, to our Alumni Association Board, to the Foundation Board of Directors, to our thousands of donors, to our legislative delegation, to our County Commission, to the President’s Council and to the many advisory and support groups that have prospered and helped propel the university forward. I want to say thank you to the students who have overcome the odds and who give us purpose, to the parents who entrust us with their children, to our alumni who make us proud as they succeed. Thanks to all of you, FIU is now a power to be reckoned with in our community and in the state of Florida. I’m always asked what I am proudest of in my 23 years. I’ve given this question a great deal of thought. First, I need to tell you, like the eloquent president of the Czech Republic Vaclev Havel, I look upon my time as your president as having been “a magnificent gift of destiny.” I have learned so much. I have grown so much. When I got here, I was in my forties. I was a child. Now, as I move on, I’m a man. FIU helped to make me a man. One of the many things I am proudest of that we have accomplished together, is having been here to witness and spur the transformation of FIU from an upper-division college into a major, full-service, urban research university and also, to personally witness, like I did this morning with the medical school, the transforming power of higher education on thousands of young men and women. The mountain we have been scaling is a very tall one. We are perhaps half-way there. But I can think of no one better to lead us to the top of that mountain than my friend and colleague, Dr. Mark Rosenberg, a man of boundless energy, great personal warmth, exceptional talent and impeccable integrity. There is indeed much more work to be done but the die is cast. FIU is well on its way to its date with greatness. Thank you.
The new football season is right around the corner and you don’t want to miss the excitement.
2009 PANTHER PIT TAILGATE PARTIES Home Tailgates FIU Stadium Sept. 26 vs. Toledo Oct. 17 vs. Troy Oct. 31 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Nov. 14 vs. North Texas* Dec. 5 vs. FAU * (HOMECOMING & SILVER PRIDE REUNION)
Sponsored by
Entry to the Panther Pit Tailgate Party at all home games is free for everyone. You’ll enjoy music, giveaways, dancing, face painting, activities for children, and visits by our Mascot Roary and the Dazzlers. Food and refreshments will be available for a nominal fee.
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Away Tailgates* Sep. 19 vs. Rutgers Nov. 21 vs. UF * (TRAVEL PACKAGES AVAILABLE) For game tickets and times visit www. fiusports.com or call 305-348-GAME. For information or to RSVP for tailgates visit www.fiualumni.com or call 305-348-3334. 8/27/09 3:25:20 PM
FALL 2009 Florida International University Magazine
Keeps Gettin’
Better
FIU coaches look ahead at a promising 2009 blue-and-gold sports season By Martin Haro ’05
Head football coach Mario Cristobal wants you to know one thing: In 2009, the Golden Panthers will roar. “Last year, we had a dramatic turnaround athletically and academically,” Cristobal said of the 2008 season, which saw FIU finish 5-7. “This year, the team will continue to improve on that. We’re going to put on a good show for our fans. We’re going to tap into that Division I flavor for our game. The energy of FIU Stadium will help us with that.” That is where you – the FIU community of alumni and friends, the university’s students, administrators, faculty/staff and supporters – come into play. Cristobal expects everyone to come out and cheer on the blue-and-gold team. “We have a legitimate Heisman-caliber player in [2008 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year] T.Y. Hilton,” Cristobal added. “Our guys are excited. They’re going to play hungry football.” The Golden Panthers will kick off the 2009 football season with an away game on Sept. 12 at Alabama. The first home game is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, at FIU Stadium at Modesto A. Maidique Campus (MMC), against Toledo. Football games will be broadcast on (WAXY-AM) 790 The Ticket.
Let’s hear it for the girls Meanwhile, head volleyball coach Danijela Tomic’s team will spike its way up to greater heights than last season, which saw them win the East Division outright for the first time in university history, setting a school record for attendance and registering the program’s longest winning streak (12 matches). The Golden Panthers went on to receive an NCAA at-large bid for only the second time ever and the team was repeatedly listed among the Top 30 in the NCAA’s RPI standings. “FIU volleyball fans can expect another exciting and successful season in 2009,” Tomic said. “All of our starters from last year
are back with a year of experience under their belts. In addition to that, our recruiting class will give their teammates more depth and competition in each position. Tomic says this season’s theme is “Finish Strong” and the girls’ ultimate goal is to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship,“Iwin an literally automatic bid for the NCAA Championships, took what get among the top 25 teams in the nation and go further in the NCAA tournamentI was than the first round. FIU opens at home at U.S. Centurylearning Bank Arena at MMC on Sept. 10 in school against UM in the first game of the FIU/ UM Invitational Sept. 10-12. and used
Out on the soccer field
it in my
Men’s soccer, says head coach Munga business at Eketebi, will improve on 2008 (4-11-2) with the addition of new players that the same will make the team stronger – and the continuous support of FIU’s alumni. time.” “We’re looking forward to an exciting — season,” Eketebi said. “We want to bring Robert Bell the program back to the level of success that FIU’s accustomed to and we hope to see everyone at the games.” Thomas Chestnutt’s women’s soccer team also will do its part to ensure FIU’s athletic success this season. “Everybody’s working really hard,” senior co-captain Amy Jackson told FIUSports.com during summer camp. “We’ve got some really good prospects that have come in and I think a lot of the freshmen will contribute to the team.” Football season tickets are still available, as well as fall sports packages for men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and other sports. (FIU’s cross country and track & field teams have a season but no local meets on schedule.) For more information, call 305-FIU-GAME. n
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ALUMNI
A Message from Alumni Association President Jose M. Perez de Corcho ’93
The last few months have been an exciting time at FIU. After an arduous search, Mark B. Rosenberg was selected as FIU’s fifth president in April. Having spent most of his professional life in South Florida, Rosenberg continues to be an active member of our community. As president-designate, one of his first initiatives was to issue a challenge to our Alumni Association to add 2,000 new members in two months over the summer. Our board of directors was impressed by Rosenberg’s commitment to our Alumni Association and quickly got to work on a campaign to meet his challenge. Continued support from our alumni and supporters is essential as FIU continues to climb the ladder of great urban research universities. As Florida endures the toughest economic downturn that most of us have seen, it is our alumni who continue to play a significant role in generating financial support for FIU from legislators in Tallahassee. Getting involved in our Alumni Association gives us a louder voice in making sure FIU’s needs are met. The FIU Alumni Association continues to offer a variety of events that provide opportunities for Golden Panthers to get involved. From black tie at the Torch Awards to T-shirts at our annual FIU Scholarship Fishing Tournament, our Alumni Association always engages members and gives back to our community. Athletics play a major factor in bringing FIU’s alumni together. With the addition of Isiah Thomas as our men’s basketball coach, seats will be in high demand. And with football season here, the excitement brews as coach Mario Cristobal’s returning players and new recruits prep for their second season at the renovated FIU Stadium. With the season opener at Alabama, and a late-season game versus the Gators at the “Swamp,” the 2009 season will give us much to look forward to. In closing, on behalf of all the Golden Panthers who received degrees from FIU President Modesto A. Maidique, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude for his dedication to FIU and for taking our alma mater to new heights. As always, we would like to hear from you and encourage you to get connected with our Alumni Association at 305-348-3334. In the Spirit of Blue & Gold,
Jose M. Perez de Corcho ’93
Alumni galvanized at annual meeting Alumni Association President Jose M. Perez de Corcho ’93 says alumni need to be FIU ambassadors with their family, employers and community. “During these challenging times and with the budget crisis in Tallahassee, we must get the message out that FIU is a first-rate university and we expect to be treated as such,” he said during the fourth annual FIU Alumni Meeting last May. Nearly 130 alumni, faculty/staff and friends of the university attended the meeting held in the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential House at Modesto A. Maidique Campus. The evening followed the tone set by then-recently selected FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg’s earlysummer Alumni Panther Pride Challenge, in which he called on at least 2,000 alumni who are not members of the Alumni Association to join their fellow Golden Panthers. Six years ago, the Alumni Association had 800 members. Today, under the direction of Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations Bill Draughon, the organization has surpassed the 20,000-member mark. “We need to come together as a community,” said Perez de Corcho. “It is important that FIU’s voice be heard and that the message get out to the community that South Florida would not be what it is today without FIU.” For leading the charge and his enduring commitment to the university, FIU’s alumni
FALL 2009 Florida International University Magazine
Standing: Ramón Ferrán ’79, Dr. Susan Webster ’87, Gonzalo Acevedo ’91, Cynthia J. Dienstag, Esq. ’83, Stewart L. Appelrouth ’80, Elizabeth Cross ’89, Marlon Font ’04, Nancy Maidique ’03, MPH ’08, FIU President Modesto A. Maidique, José M. Pérez de Corcho ’93, Joaquín “Jack” F. González ’98, José Manuel Díaz ’86, Raymond del Rey ’97, William R. Trueba Jr., Esq. ’90, Carlos H. Hernández ’97. Sitting: Jorge F. Hernández ’95, A Celina Saucedo ’99, Ralph Rosado ’96, MA 03, Sharon Fine ’99, Dr. Jason Scott Hamilton ’89, MS ’93, Ariana Fajardo, Esq. ’93, Gus Alfonso ’02.
honored FIU President Modesto A. Maidique with a glass tree sculpture by Fräbel. The gift, says Perez de Corcho, symbolizes Maidique’s will and decades-spanning dedication to the blue-and-gold community. “Your strength, endurance and unwavering devotion have transformed our university and community,” he said. “We thank you, Dr. Maidique, for everything you’ve done for our alma mater.” At the end of the meeting, Alumni Association members Elizabeth Cross ’89, Sharon Fine ’99, Marlon Font ’04, Jorge Hernandez ’95, Alicia Robles ’98, Celina Saucedo ’99 and Carlos Velazco ’06 were sworn in as the newest members of the Alumni Meeting Board of Directors. n
My Panther Connection brings FIU alumni together The FIU Alumni Association is excited to introduce My Panther Connection, its new online networking tool. The office of Alumni Relations has partnered with Affinity Circles, the leading provider of exclusive social networks for established membership organizations seeking to promote exclusive networking opportunities among members, and created a secure social networking site that is exclusively for FIU alumni. My Panther Connection
is a combination of Facebook and Linkedin that is solely open to FIU alumni. It gives Golden Panthers an opportunity to create a personal profile and add friends to their social network by searching and connecting with other FIU alumni, who can be searched for and found based on their name, class year, major, degree, region, state and even job function. Best of all, My Panther Connection also serves as a career center where users can post their résumé and search for job openings posted by fellow alumni and other corporations. Join My Panther Connection today by visiting fiualumni.affinitycircles.com/fiu/ auth/login. Another new online fixture is NetCommunity, the FIU Alumni Association’s new site at fiualumni.com. NetCommunity has features that are available for alumni use only. When users first visit the Alumni Association’s Web site they will notice subtle changes. They now can create a user name and sign in every time they visit the site. Signing in will allow them to access certain features such as the VIP Access section of the site. Within that section, users can access a 130,000-plus-member alumni directory. Additionally, they also can search jobs and post résumés in the career center, create their own personalized homepage, update their contact information on a secured server, submit Class Notes and post information on message boards. The FIU Alumni Association is committed to keeping FIU alumni connected with the university and other alumni. The association’s goal is to have a strong presence wherever Golden Panthers might be and in order to stay in touch, the association also has set up accounts on Web sites such as Facebook, Linkedin, Flickr and YouTube. n
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I “Feel the Pride” Because… Feel the Pride FIU is pretty great – and the success stories of our alumni, students, faculty/ staff and administrators, family and friends are the best testament to that fact. “I ‘Feel the Pride’ Because…” is a section of FIU Magazine in which Golden Panthers everywhere can share their own stories of how they “Feel the Pride.” We hope that you will be inspired to do the same. To tell us how you “Feel the Pride,” e-mail Associate Editor Martin Haro ’05 at harom@fiu.edu or visit our Web site and leave a comment in the section’s comments box. (All stories may be edited for length and clarity to appear in issues of FIU Magazine.) Julio Saenz ’94,
editor and publisher of Excélsior, an Orange County Register Communications publication: I “Feel the Pride” whenever I come across the subtle indicators of our present and future greatness. It can be the ESPN sports score ticker at the bottom of the TV screen flashing our latest victory or sitting at a bar pointing out our alumni in an NFL, NBA, MLS or MLB game to my buddies. It’s meeting FIU alumni on the other side of the country during important business meetings or reading in a trade journal that yet another Golden Panther has been promoted to yet a higher position. I “Feel the Pride” whenever I come back to Miami and the campus has transformed on its way to being one of the top universities in the world. Most of all, I “Feel the Pride” when I remember hearing FIU President Modesto A. Madique’s vision in the early ’90s as a student and seeing it met with ridicule and now seeing it all come to pass because of hard work and perseverance. The realized vision that FIU is today inspires me to remember that my FIU education has prepared me to accomplish what seems impossible and be a trailblazer. Continues on page 31
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UPCOMING EVENTS<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Alumni Events Trail of the Torch Annual kick-off event for the new school year sponsored by the Student Alumni Association and the Student Government Association. When: Thursday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m. Where: Modesto A. Maidique Campus Housing Quads Contact: Dianne Cordova in Alumni Relations at 305-348-9050 or dcordova@fiu.edu.
“Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914-1939” Exhibition explores the synergy of modern man and machine as seen in the artistic movements of early 20th century England. When: Nov. 20, 2009-Feb. 28, 2010 Where: The Wolfsonian-FIU (1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) Contact: Julieth Dabdoub at 305-535-2622 or julieth@thewolf.fiu.edu.
Ghost Tour
Target Wednesday After Hours events
Halloween event sponsored by SAA and SGA.
Free monthly series designed to complement the Frost Art Museum’s exhibitions.
When: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7-9 p.m. Where: MMC Housing Quads Contact: Dianne Cordova in Alumni Relations at 305-348-9050 or dcordova@fiu.edu. Silver Pride 25-Year Reunion (1972-1984), FIU Homecoming When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 11 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Where: Stadium Club at FIU Stadium at MMC Contact: Elena Balsinde in Alumni Relations at 305-348-0159 or ebalsind@fiu.edu.
University Events Theatre Department presents “Sonia Flew” An overwhelmed mother learns her son has enlisted in the military only weeks after Sept. 11, 2001. When: Sept. 24-27, Oct. 1-4, 8 p.m. Where: Wertheim Main Stage at Modesto A. Maidique Campus Contact: Call 305-348-0496 or visit carta.fiu.edu.
When: Sept. 2, Oct. 14, Nov. 4, Dec. 16, 6-9 p.m. Where: Frost Art Museum at MMC Contact: Jessica Delgado at 305-348-3892. 23rd Annual Festival of the Trees Sponsored by the School of Architecture to benefit the FIU Interior Design Endowed Scholarship Fund. When: Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m. Where: Coverings Etc. (7610 N.E. 4th Court, Miami) Contact: Call 305-348-0496 or visit carta.fiu.edu. 6th Masters’ Mystery Art Show Annual display of postcard creations by community and university artists benefits the FIU MFA in visual arts program. When: Thursday, Dec. 3. Display viewing begins at noon; reception at 7 p.m. Where: The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach (One Lincoln Road, Miami Beach) Contact: Call 305-348-0496 or visit mastersmystery.com. Qualified individuals with disabilities as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act who need special accommodations for FIU-sponsored events may request assistance by calling event organizers or the Florida Relay Service at 1-800-955-8771. Requests must be made five working days before the event.
1. College of Nursing and Health Sciences Dean Divina Grossman has been elected chairwoman of the Florida Association of Colleges of Nursing for a two-year term.
Francisco Diaz Rivas, Esserman International’s general manager, notifies Sarena Bahad that she has been chosen for an internship at Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
Hospital Foundation, raised a record $137,000 in a 25-hour dance extravaganza that attracted 130 dancers.
2. The College of Law was formally inducted into the Association of American Law Schools, becoming the 171st law school to receive the coveted recognition.
4. In February, more than 53,000 guests attended the eighth Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which raised approximately $2 million for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
3. In January, the 12th FIU Dance Marathon, benefiting Miami Children’s
5. School of Hospitality professor and Wine & Food Festival culinary
Alumni Association gets student internship Earlier this summer, Honors College student Sarena Bahad, a native of Great Britain, completed a 12-week internship at Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami, where she worked on content management for accounts including Esserman Volkswagen and Domino’s Pizza. The Golden Panther, who is pursuing degrees in finance and art history and plans to graduate next spring, got the internship through the Student Alumni Association (SAA), of which she is a member and ambassador. “Working along with Crispin Porter + Bogusky was a wonderful and rewarding experience because I was able to showcase my business skills,” Bahad said. “When I was notified that I was the selected winner of the competitive internship, I was beyond ecstatic because I knew that I would grow
director Michael Moran ’86, MS ’03 and his team of student associate volunteers recovered more than 800 “SoBe”-events meals (twice what they salvaged last year) and donated them to the Daily Food Bank. 6. In March, the FIU Relay for Life raised more than $80,000 in support of the American Cancer Society, bringing the group’s five-year fundraising to more than $280,000. 7. According to PennEnergy.com,
Alumni, submit your favorite FIU Points of Pride and they may appear in an upcoming issue of FIU Magazine. Send your submissions to alumni@fiu.edu.
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I “Feel the Pride” Because… Feel the Pride tremendously from it. I sincerely thank the FIU Alumni Association for making this wonderful opportunity available to me.” To join SAA, visit fiualumni.com. n
See you at the Panther Pit tailgates Get ready to roar as the Golden Panthers spring into action in 2009 to face opponents such as the national champions Florida Gators, the Crimson Tide of Alabama and Rutgers, among others. FIU alumni and their families and friends will gain free entry to our home game alumni tent – the Panther Pit – on Saturday, Sept. 26, at FIU Stadium at Modesto A. Maidique Campus. On game day, for a nominal fee, enjoy food and refreshments, free giveaways (in the alumni tent for FIU Alumni Association members), visits from university mascot Roary and the FIU cheerleaders and Dazzlers. Panther Pit tailgates will begin two hours prior to kickoff. The 2009 home football schedule is as follows: • Sept. 26 vs. Toledo (7 p.m.) • Oct. 17 vs. Troy (7 p.m.) • Oct. 31 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (Noon) • Nov. 14 vs. North Texas (7 p.m.) • Dec. 5 vs. Florida Atlantic (7 p.m.) The FIU Alumni Association will host two Panther Pit tailgate parties at away games on Sept. 19 when FIU faces off against Rutgers in New Jersey and Nov. 21 when the Golden Panthers play the University of Florida in Gainesville.
FIU has saved $14 million in energy costs over a 15-year energy efficiency project through its ongoing work with sustainability leader Johnson Controls. 8. British art director Neville Brody and Research Studios collaborated with The Wolfsonian-FIU to create the graphic work for the Michael Mann film “Public Enemies” starring Johnny Depp. 9. The College of Business Administration was recognized for its “Uncommon Thinkers” branding
For season tickets and more information, call 305-FIU-GAME. For tailgate information, contact 1-800-FIU-ALUM or alumni@fiu.edu. For 2009 sponsorship opportunities, call the office of Alumni Relations at 305-348-3334. n
Alumni Association launches new chapters From Charlotte, N.C., to Los Angeles, from New York City to Palm Beach, Fla., the FIU Alumni Association is launching several regional chapters that keep more than 100,000 alumni connected. Through a variety of activities and events each year, regional alumni chapters provide Golden Panthers with numerous opportunities to network, assist their communities, socialize and recruit top students to FIU. Visit our Chapters page at fiualumni.com for chapter news and events near you. This is your chance to “Feel the Pride,” no matter where you are. The D.C. Capital Panthers met up for a special performance of “Rent” last May at the Warner Theatre. Starring in the show was Golden Panther Andy Señor Jr. ’97, who made his professional debut playing Angel in the play’s Broadway, London, Los Angeles and national touring productions. Alumni and friends came together for a pre-show happy hour and met the stars of the show backstage after their curtain call. A portion of the funds collected from alumni ticket sales helped support local capital Continued on page 33
Beverly Combs ’73, MS ’75, teacher and writer: I graduated with FIU’s first graduating class in a ballroom at the Marriott. We did not wear caps and gowns during the ceremony, but after, we passed a few caps and gowns among us to have our pictures taken with Dr. Charles Perry. Over the years, I’ve taught American history and U.S. government in junior and senior high schools and the adult education GAE program and co-written two language arts programs for Dade County Public Schools. I’ve worked as a social worker, as an ad rep and as a writer. I worked full time while going to school – one of those jobs was at FIU’s library – and I’m so proud of everything FIU and its graduates have accomplished. The recognition and accolades our alma mater has received are well-deserved. The diversity of its students and faculty were a great asset in helping me to view others. Plus, FIU’s plans for the future are wonderful and exciting. At FIU, I gained much of the knowledge and many of the skills I have needed and which have enhanced my professional careers and personal life. Today, I am 60 years old and have written both my autobiography, “I Knew I Was a Lesbian at Age 4 – Long Before I Ever Had Sex,” and a screenplay. n
Panthers around the world
campaign when it won the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals’ 2009 Award for Promotional Excellence. 10. Volleyball hitter Yarimar Rosa was named Sun Belt Conference StudentAthlete of the Year and quarterback Paul McCall received the SBC Male Sporting Behavior Award. n
Last spring, FIU President Modesto A. Maidique and Nancy Maidique ’03, MPH ’08 traveled to Paris, France, where they met chef Paul Bocuse, the father of Jerome Bocuse ’95, an FIU graduate and the chef at Epcot’s Les Chefs de France restaurant.
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Florida International University Magazine
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ALUMNI
FOR SPONSORSHIP, PROGRAM ADVERTISING, TICKET and RSVP information, contact: Committee Chair: Jack F. Gonzalez â&#x20AC;&#x2122;97 at 305-725-7731 or jackfgonzalez@gmail.com FIU Staff: Duane Wiles, Associate Executive Director Office of Alumni Relations, at 305-348-4213 or wilesd@fiu.edu 9th Torch AD2.indd 1
torch.fiu.edu 8/17/09 4:58:04 PM
Call 800-FIU-ALUM or email fiualumnievents@hotmail.com to register!
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Feel the Pride
A D.C. Capital Panthers event brought together several D.C. area Golden Panthers for a performance of “Rent,” featuring Andy Señor Jr. ’97 (middle).
region students who will be attending FIU. In March, a new chapter was launched in Charlotte to connect all FIU alumni living in North Carolina. The chapter held its kickoff event at PJs, where the group reminisced about their campus days and had a chance to network with other FIU alumni in the Charlotte area. A chapter also launched in Palm Beach to connect thousands of Golden Panthers in the area. The kickoff event was held at Clematis Social in conjunction with the Gator Club of Palm Beach. The event was an excellent networking opportunity – and yet another chance for FIU alumni to show off their Panther Pride. If you are interested in learning more about these new alumni chapters or setting up one in your area, contact Vanessa Baldomero, assistant director of Chapter & Young Alumni Relations, at 305-348-1613 or vbaldome@fiu. edu. The FIU Alumni Association currently is recruiting committee members for chapters in New York City and Los Angeles. n
FIU, fishing and fun mark successful tournament Almost 200 alumni, faculty/staff, students, family and friends of the university, including then-FIU President-elect Mark B. Rosenberg and former Biscayne Bay Campus Provost Raul Moncarz, supported and enjoyed the fun of the 7th Annual FIU Scholarship Fishing Tournament in June. This year, a total of $10,000 was awarded in scholarships to FIU students. Golden Panthers Elizabeth Arenas, Pablo Martinez and Wen-Ju Chien each received a Legacy
Arthur “AJ” Meyer; FIU Alumni Association President José M. Perez de Corcho ’93; Manny Matalón ’01, FIU Fishing Tournament director; Ramón Ferrán ’79, the tournament’s committee chair; Roary Rage; then-FIU President-elect Mark B. Rosenberg; Elizabeth Arenas; Alumni Relations VP Bill Draughon; Wen-Ju Chien; Darcelle Skeete; Chantel Anido; Pablo Martinez.
Scholarship, awarded to family members of FIU alumni, while Arthur “AJ” Meyer, Chantel Anido, Darcelle Skeete, Felix Gil, Kassandra Pool, Kate Stuart, Melissa Pierro and Yahurys Gomez each received a Panther Pride Scholarship, given to students who are involved in campus life. Thirty-four boats registered for the 2009 tournament and attendees tried their luck in a raffle featuring FIU Gear, among other prizes. Some participants, like first-timers Jose Fernandez ’03 and Victor Pelaez ’05 caught up with old friends and fished out what was to be a “delicious” dinner, while others, like Juan Andres ’87, were happy to be there in spite of catching only two fish. This year’s tournament winners were: • Most Aggregate Dolphin Weight: Team Ocean Bank ($2,500 and Gary Traczyk sculpture) • Largest Dolphin: Team Ocean Bank ($1,000 and large fishing trophy) • Largest Ladies Dolphin: Team Bonita Turtles ($500 and large fishing trophy) • Largest Fun Fish: The Murray Boys ($250) • Largest Junior: Team G&R Marine ($100 gift certificate to GameWorks and trophy) • 2nd Place Most Aggregate Dolphin Weight: Team T-Zer ($500) • 2nd Place Largest Dolphin: Team TAM Training ($250) • 2nd Place Junior: Team Reel Hard ($50 gift certificate to GameWorks)
Team Ocean Bank donated the prize money for both their largest dolphin and most aggregate weight back to FIU, totaling $3,500. In total, the event raised enough money to award $13,000 in student scholarships in 2010. Once again, TotalBank presented the event. Other sponsors included GEICO, Oceania Cruises and University Credit Union. If you are interested in participating or sponsoring the 2010 tournament, call Elena Balsinde at 305-348-0159. n
r e h t s n k a P Perm now n ’e eo c n u po
FIU Alumni Savings Connection FIU Alumni Association members now may enjoy incredible savings through the free valuepacked benefit FIU Alumni Savings Connection. To save, simply visit mysavings connection. com. To receive a special enter code, contact the FIU Alumni Association at 1-888-FIU-ALUM or alumni@fiu.edu so your membership status can be verified. The FIU Alumni Savings Connection affords members: • Nationwide savings: Save on clothing, electronics, footwear and more at more than 100 popular retailers like Target, Eddie Bauer, Foot Locker and Dick’s Sporting Goods. • Discount travel: Discover big savings worldwide on hotels, car rentals, cruises and travel packages. • Access to the online factory outlet: Visit our online mega-mall packed with factory-direct products from top merchants and enjoy savings of up to 50 percent off MSRP. • Discount movie tickets: Receive discounted rates at all major theater chains. Make the FIU Alumni Savings Connection your portal to instant savings. Just log on today and discover why it pays to be a member of the FIU Alumni Association.
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ALUMNI CLASS NOTES 1970s William R. Aikman ’74 recently joined the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an environmental protection specialist. Prior to joining the EPA, Aikman spend more than 35 years in information technology at Exxon Corporation, Kellogg’s and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., and more than two years at the EPA as a member of the SmartWay Transport Partnership group. 1980s Barbara Y. Debesa ’82 has joined Coconut Grove Bank of Miami as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Monte Kane MS ’82, managing director of Kane & Company, P.A., has been installed as president of The Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants Educational Foundation for 2009-’10. Reydel Santos, Esq. ’83 recently was elected to the board of directors of Common Cause of Florida, a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization enabling citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest. Valentin Lopez ’85, managing partner at Lopez & Partners, LLC, recently received the Minority-Owned Business Award at the 12th Diamond Awards. Jorge A. Riguero ’88 has been executive director of BAC Investments Nicaragua, a member of BAC Financial Network, since 2000. Tracee Yablon-Brenner ’88 recently co-authored a nutrition book titled “Simple Food for Busy Families: The Whole Life Nutrition Approach.” Michelle (Otero) Valdes, Esq. ’89 has completed a chapter titled “Marine Insurance” for the book “Maritime Law and Practice” to be published by the Florida Bar later this year. 1990s Gregory Scott DePree ’91 is the co-founder of Savory Sandwiches, Inc., a franchise of six Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches in
the Denver area. DePree recently signed a deal for four additional stores and will open two this year. Stores 9 and 10 are set to open in 2010. The entrepreneur is a past recipient of the Illinois Restaurant Association’s Pineapple Award for his work with the ProStart program. He currently works with the Cherry Creek School District’s ProStart program and holds a position on their advisory board. He also sits on the board of the Naples, Fla., Vineyard’s Foundation.
company’s chief financial officer.
Pierluigi Gazzolo ’91 recently was promoted to chief operating officer for MTV Networks International. Prior to his new position, Gazzolo served as president of MTV Networks Latin America.
Hazem A. Monem ’96 has opened an Edible Arrangements franchise in downtown Miami, serving fresh hand-sculptured fruit arrangements.
Merrily Jasper Russin ’91, an artist, died on May 27 after a six-year battle with ALS. One of Russin’s paintings is part of the Frost Art Museum’s permanent collection and has been exhibited in the Faculty Club at Modesto A. Maidique Campus. The College of Architecture + the Arts is initiating a memorial scholarship in her honor. Katia M. Sotolongo CPA ’91, M.Acc. ’93 was contracted to present a series of educational storytelling programs for children at Miami-Dade County’s public libraries last spring. Sotolongo also was cast in a graduate short film for the University of Miami’s School of Communication Motion Picture Program. Lisa M. Halcomb ’94, formerly known as Lisa Fox or Lisa Matson, has completed her first book, “Congratulations – You’re Pregnant! Now What? An Organizational Guide Through Pregnancy,” which is available now on her Web site, organizedgirl.org.
Guido R. Gallegos ’95 is a Peruvian finance specialist who spent eight years working in his field in Tokyo and Singapore. Gallegos currently is based in Switzerland. Michael G. Hamel-Smith ’95 was promoted to partner at M. Hamel-Smith & Co. in Trinidad in 2007, five years after joining the firm as an associate. Hamel-Smith is a member of the Florida Bar.
Kathleen M. Robbins ’96 participated in a jewelry show with the Florida Society of Goldsmiths at Art Serve in Fort Lauderdale in November 2008. Ralph Rosado ’96, MA ’03 is the vice president of R&E Developers, a family-run, Miami-Dade-focused real estate development firm. At R&E Rosado oversees the financing, design, construction and sales of single- and multi-family homes, office buildings and mixed-use projects. He recently created his firm’s Affordable Housing Division to bring new quality housing within the reach of many families. Rosado serves on the Executive Board of FIU’s Alumni Association. He also is the founding president of Neighbors of Schenley Park, representing the interests of his unincorporated community. Daniel A. Medina ’97, M.Acc. ’01 has joined the board of directors of the South Florida Breast Cancer Network of Strength Organization, formerly known as Y-ME National Cancer Organization.
Sandra L. (Rodriguez) Hall ’94 has been married for more than 12 years and has “two incredible kids.” Hall currenly works at Flamingo Road Church as the pre-school ministry coordinator in Cooper City, Fla.
Anna Cuba de la Fe ’98 and her husband, Tony de la Fe, welcomed daughter Gabriela Christina on Oct. 24, 2008. Gabriela Christina, who weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz. and measured 20 inches, joined big brother Miguel Antonio.
Juan Carlos “JC” Acosta ’95, MBA ’01 recently was promoted to senior vice president of MTV Networks Latin America. Prior to this position, Acosta served as the
Leonor Flores ’98 recently was promoted to senior project manager at Pirtle Construction Company, one of Florida’s leading contractors.
How to submit a Class Note: Share your good news with your fellow alumni by filling out an online Class Notes form at fiualumni.com/classnotes.htm. Send us information on recent hires, promotions, awards, career achievements, appointments, births and marriages. You may also fax us your information to 305-348-3636, ATT: Class Notes. Electronic photos can be submitted in jpeg or bitmap format to appear with class notes by e-mailing alumni@fiu.edu. Please indicate in the e-mail which class note the photo should appear with, along with the full names and graduation years of all the individuals who appear in the photo.
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Feel the Pride John W. Leon, Esq. ’98 was honored as the 2008 Lawyer of the Year by the organizers and sponsors of the New Year’s Eve celebration held in the Miami Design District. Leon received the award in recognition of his significant contributions to the legal and philanthropic community in 2008, which included the first annual Rock the Fashion event. Alberto A. Padron ’98, MBA ’09 and three other FIU alumni recently traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, as students in the university’s Executive MBA Program. Janet Molina-Rivera ’99 met her husband Peter Rivera soon after graduation and married him in 2003. They are the proud parents of Ryan, 4, and Robert, 1. The Riveras currently live in northwest New Jersey. Andrea Celina Saucedo ’99 was named among the 12 Hispanic Women of Distinction for 2008 by Latina Style magazine, Bank of America, The Nielsen Company and The Colonnade at Sawgrass Mills. 2000s Kerry M. Phillips ’00 recently completed a residency at the McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, N.C. Phillips followed this residency with another one at the Vermont Studio Center in January. In March, she traveled to Texas with her dog, Tonta, to begin work on The Farms Project, an archeological dig at her grandparents’ long abandoned farms. Maya Rodriguez ’00 was selected as one of seven American journalists to travel through South and North Korea, on a fellowship sponsored by the Hawaii-based East-West Center, and report on the government, business and entertainment. Rodriguez kept a blog of her reporting for her TV station in New Orleans, which you can read by visiting beloblog.com/ WWLTV_Blogs/dispatches. Isabel C. Diaz, Esq. ’01, an attorney with Broad and Cassel, has been named among the 12 Hispanic Women of Distinction for 2009 by Latina Style magazine, Bank of America, The Nielsen Company and The Colonnade at Sawgrass Mills.
Shira Kastan ’02, MPA ’06 is director of Government Affairs at the University of Miami. Last year, Kastan spearheaded Fit to Play, a joint program between UM doctors and Miami-Dade Parks & Recreation established to educate children about healthy lifestyles and obesity. Aravinthan Arunachalam ’03 served as financial crisis expert on an economic forum hosted by the president of Salisbury University in November 2008. Maria Jose Bravo ’03, MS ’06 recently was promoted to senior associate in the tax department at Grant Thornton LLP. Oscar L. Grau ’03 was a founding member and served as president of the Student Alumni Association while he attended FIU. Upon graduation, Grau launched his career with Automatic Data Processing. He recently joined Eli LIlly & Co., where he helps provide solutions for South Florida physicians and individuals living with diabetes. Joseph M. Jackson, CPA ’03, a partner of Sharff, Wittmer, Kurtz & Jackson, PA, recently received the Mid-Size Business Award at the 12th Diamond Awards. Tania M. Acosta ’04 is the director of Administrative Services at the Homestead Campus of MiamiDade College, where she oversees all capital improvements and fiscal matters on the campus. Prior to her work at MDC, Acosta worked for Covenant CDC, a nonprofit organization providing affordable housing to low-income residents of Florida City. Today, she collaborates with many community organizations and is a member of the City of Homestead downtown façade improvement committee, which provides local business owners with grant funds to redesign their business storefronts. Charles Stuart Platkin MPH ’04, a.k.a. the Diet Detective, is one of the country’s leading nutrition and public health advocates and the star of WE TV’s “I Want to Save Your Life.” Platkin’s latest book, “The Diet Detective’s Calorie Bargain Bible,” was published last year.
and has returned to her alma mater to pursue a graduate degree in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences’ Occupational Therapy Program. Polo wants to use her experience to help those recovering from their own traumatic injuries and expand the role occupational therapists have in people’s recovery. Sandra M. (Alonso) Duran ’06 and her husband, Mauricio “Mo” Duran, are expecting their first child this summer. Fabiana Gonzalez ’06, a Phi Sigma Sigma and new class member of Alpha Upsilon in the fall of 2004, works at the Florida Department of Transportation, where she recently was promoted to project manager in the Planning and Environmental Management office. Laura B. Denoux ’07 participated in the seventh season of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”
Szemin M. Lee ’07 currently serves as the executive assistant and human resources coordinator for Kristi House, a nonprofit organization that seeks to end child sexual abuse in Miami-Dade County. Lee has served as the alumni advisor for the FIU Women’s Studies board of advisors; president for the FIU Women’s Studies Student Association; producer for the FIU V Day Campaign in 2007; member of the FIU National Organization for Women; and a member of the FIU Center for Leadership Development and Civic Responsibility. Carolina M. Dutriz ’08 recently was accepted to Marquette University’s School of Law in Milwaukee, Wis., with a 75 percent scholarship. Dutriz would like to meet fellow Delta Kappa sisters living in the area and can be reached at crazyqt331@aol.com. Jannette Fleming MS’ 08 has joined Grant Thornton LLP as an associate in tax services for the firm’s South Florida offices.
Lilliam M. Hernandez, CPA ’05 has opened her own CPA firm, Lilliam Vargas, CPA, PA.
Manny Velasquez ’08 was elected as executive vice president for the New York Chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs. Velasquez served as the vice president of marketing for the organization in 2008. He also is the associate director of Audience Services at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Myriam J. Polo ’05 overcame injuries she sustained in a car accident at the beginning of her undergraduate accounting studies at FIU
Andrea Moreira ’09, the 2008 archon of the Phi Sigma Sigma fraternity, received the Panhellenic President of the Year Award for 2008.
**Individuals denoted with a are members of the FIU Alumni Association. To become a member, please visit the online membership site at web.fiu.edu/alumni/jointoday_form.htm.
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“RememberWHEN...” Florida International University Magazine
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As the university enters a new era, we take Golden Panthers on a trip down FIU’s memory lane
FIU President Charles E. “Chuck” Perry (standing) and his fellow FIU founders – Nick Sileo, Butler Waugh and Donald McDowell – dreamed up the impossible back in the 1970s and laid out the foundation for what would become South Florida’s leading urban, public, multi-campus research university.
Ever the gentleman, FIU President Gregory Wolfe jumped on stage, umbrella in hand, to shield Ella Fitzgerald from a Miami rain during Culture Fest 1983.
s Modesto A. Maidique Campus was nothing but an abandoned airport circa 1971. Almost forty years later, the campus continues to grow and soon will add an alumni center, as well as the new Academic Health Sciences Center, which will house the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
Remember when FIU Magazine published our first issue 15 years ago? Our cover story was the arrival on campus of the Margulies Family Collection of sculptures, a long-term loan that placed FIU among the nation’s most prestigious university outdoors collections. Miami hosted the Summit of the Americas that December, an event previewed in our pages by then-FIU professor Mark B. Rosenberg. In 1994, FIU looked a lot differently than it does today. That year alone, the university launched nine major construction projects, which we said would enable it to meet the needs of the coming decade, including a brand new residence hall at Modesto A. Maidique Campus and the Kovens Conference Center at Biscayne Bay Campus.
FIU President Harold Crosby and education commissioner Ralph Turlington broke ground at one of Biscayne Bay Campus’ first academic buildings in 1977. t
Then-Provost Mark B. Rosenberg greeted Archbishop Desmond Tutu as FIU President Modesto A. Maidique looked on at an event on campus in 1998.
All-American Ben Collins (left), and head soccer coach Karl Kremser (center) received a proclamation from Miami-Dade Mayor Steve Clark in recognition of FIU’s NCAA National Championship in 1982.
FALL 2009 Florida International University Magazine
Very Important Panthers VIP: Pamela Silva â&#x20AC;&#x2122;03 Profession: I anchor the morning newscast for WLTV Univision 23. FIU degree: Mass Communication with an emphasis on broadcast
journalism. FIU affiliations: Lifetime Member, FIU Alumni Association
Alumni, FIU Golden Dazzler What are your fondest memories of FIU?
My fondest memories include those of the new friendships I built and which I maintain until today. To witness the growth of the university was also amazing. The football team had its inaugural season while I was still in school, and I remember thinking how special it would be to one day go back and attend a game with my kids. The basketball games were also very special, since I had the chance to share many of them with my fellow Golden Dazzlers. I also remember dearly all the days I spent at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) at Biscayne Bay Campus, catching up on some reading or feeling so lucky to finish work at the library and then head to the beach to enjoy the beautiful Miami weather. What advice would you offer your fellow Golden Panthers?
I think the best advice I could give is to really take full advantage of the fact that FIU is located in such a diverse and fast-paced metropolitan city. It truly offers a unique opportunity to begin networking within your aspired field, and allows you to take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to the real world very early on in your college years. I would also advise Golden Panthers to get involved in extracurricular activities that will enhance their FIU experience and help them build special bonds with their classmates. In what ways have you been involved with FIU and why is it important to be involved with our Alumni Association?
I have had the chance to go back a few times and speak to undergraduate students in the SJMC and it really has been a very rewarding experience. I remember when I was in their shoes how hungry I was for information and guidance. I feel that as alumni it is our duty to assist these students as much as we can. Helping the student body at FIU is beneficial to our community and also our personal growth. What is your proudest accomplishment?
I think my proudest accomplishment is the fact that I am able to serve my community by informing them day after day through my job. I was a young Peruvian immigrant who grew up in Miami with the vision of one day anchoring the newscast my family and I always tuned in to. I am living my dream. n
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Register today at www.mypantherconnection. affinitycircles.com and start reconnecting and networking with other proud Golden Panthers.