BBC Circle of Friends experience FIU in a whole new way

A private tour of the Frost Art Museum, wine tasting and evening with Dan Wakefield await BBC’s Circle of Friends.

By Rebecca Dinar

Last year, in an effort to expand its reach into the community and raise needed funds, FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus launched a Circle of Friends group. The group is invited to a series of private events organized by the Office of the BBC Vice Provost. Monies collected through the Circle of Friends are used to fund campus events, elective classes, infrastructure and beautification projects, scholarships, trips, lectures and activities that enhance student life on BBC. Membership begins at $100. 

Last year the Circle of Friends participated in a series of events, two of which employed the skills of the Harvey E. Chaplin Eminent Professor Barry Gump, of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The first event featured exotic fruit wines, provided by Schnebly Redlands Winery based in South Florida. The second was a holiday party that showcased brewed beers in Dr. Gump’s fermentation class. Guests included friends Stuart and Eileen Haves, Brana and Joe Fils, Sunny Isles Beach Vice Mayor Lowis Thaler, Dr. Stanley Worton, Sandy Lansing and FIU alumnus David Aelion.  

In the Spring, 2009 BBC Circle of Friends members will enjoy:

·         GETTING INTIMATE WITH MODERN MASTERS:  On February 20 attend a private tour of the new Frost Art Museum and view its current exhibit Modern Masters.

·         EXPERIENCING WINE WITH AN INDUSTRY PRO: On March 12 taste the newest wines from the Stone Hill Winery with FIU’s Harvey R. Chaplin Eminent Professor Barry Gump at a special event co-hosted by the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

·          ENJOYING AN EVENING WITH A SCHOLAR:  On March 31 reminisce about “New York in the ’50s” with renowned author, screenwriter and FIU Professor of Creative Writing Dan Wakefield.

For more information, please contact Jan Solomon at jsolomon@fiu.edu or call 305.919.5700