Rosenberg begins tenure with inspiring message to university community


FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg ushers in a new era of FIU’s history with his trademark optimism and energy — and a message sent in the early morning hours of Aug. 4 to members of the university community.

 MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                Members of the University Community

FROM:         Mark B. Rosenberg, President

SUBJECT:   A New Era!

DATE:          August 4, 2009

Good morning!

A new era is now upon us.  I have the privilege and responsibility of being your new president.  There could be nothing more meaningful than serving our students, faculty, professional staff and general university community in this capacity.   Rosalie and I are blessed to be associated with FIU.  Thank you.

Yesterday we experienced a milestone in FIU’s history:  Dr. Maidique completed a momentous 23-year run as president of our university.  During this period, we participated in a significant transformation in virtually all dimensions of our institution.  We became masters at turning the impossible into the inevitable!  We owe much to our fourth president for his vision and determination to succeed. 

Because universities are communities of memory and hope, presidential transitions offer us a unique opportunity to reflect on where we have been, to look forward to where we might go, and to determine how we will get there.

During this coming semester, I will do a great deal of listening in anticipation of working with you in 2010 to develop a new strategic direction for our institution.  This plan must be adjusted to our new reality:  managing 2009-2010 aspirations with a year 2000 budget.  Because I promised the Board of Trustees that I would “hit the ground running,” I have already begun extensive dialogue with students, alumni, donors, recently hired faculty, community business leaders, and elected officials in Washington, Tallahassee and Greater Miami.  During the next few months, I will meet with faculty, student leadership and university staff to hear your aspirations directly about FIU’s future.

Today, my first full day as your president, I am meeting with key FIU partners, including Dr. Eduardo Padron, President of Miami Dade College, and with leadership of the Public Health Trust.  We have important partnerships with these institutions that will be enhanced over the next few years.  In these meetings and others, I will emphasize that FIU will continue its trajectory of building a great public research university while enhancing student services and community engagement to help solve problems locally and globally.

In the meantime, I attach for your review a one page summary of issues that I earlier reviewed with our Deans Advisory Council.   Dr. Wartzok has constituted small working groups to review this document and to present option papers that we will use to set the stage for our new strategic plan.  These papers will be ready for university review by the 17 September 2009 Faculty Convocation.

I am thrilled to be back:  working together, we can continue to turn the impossible into the inevitable!