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!
Maybe he should focus on the lack of customer service at FIU and the lack of class times available for selection. The people in registration, cashier's, and bursurs are all rude and don't care about solving your problem. Also it is almost impossible to find a class schedule that meets my needs. When I first started at FIU this was not the case but it has gotten worse over the last 3 years. He has a tough job but hopefully he can turn this university around.
When I first went to Washington DC some fifteen years ago and said that I was a graduate of Florida International University the reaction, without exception, was a puzzled one: a quizical furrowing of the brow and expressions like, what?, what is that?, where did you say that was?, is that a school? More recently, for the last several years, I only have to say, FIU, and I immediately hear, oh yes, Florida International, in Miami. Most people then comment on some aspect of the school that they are familiar with. Almost always there is a smile and an expression of recognition. I have had this positive reaction at universities, on Capitol Hill and at think-tank events and conferences, which I attend for a living. I recall many years ago, at FIU, President Maidique saying that he was working to enhance the value of the degree for alumni and that has certainly been the effect of what he, and many others have accomplished over the decades. Current students, perhaps not as familiar with the history of FIU should realize that Mark Rosenberg was there helping every step of the way, all along the way. While not a founding member of the faculty, he joined early in the school's history. When it is said that he can hit the ground running, for me, that needs no explanation whatsoever. Now, as I look around the campus I can only marvel at what has been accomplished. Of course we all need to look forward and put our shoulder to the wheel, but looking back is inspiring because the impossible has been achieved and I would know: I was a freshman in 1986. Certainly today the school is operating from a more advanced status, even with the cutbacks and reductions. Juntos, podemos conquitar el siglo 21.
Frank Fletcher, BA in Spanish, Class of 1991
Followup correction: I did not spell CONQUISTAR correctly. Please note that I do know how to. It was a matter of proofreading.
I feel the school should put students first… I feel like just a number, because of the proximity and population FIU doesn't care specifically about students wants, They have a "they will adjust" attitdue
I am transfering to FIU…I have had nothing but problems. The only help I have received has been poor except from my dept advisors in biology and chemistry. Admissions sucks, financial aid sucks. I really dont want to come here anymore but I already paid. the immunizations lady has been difficult to deal with [edited]. I can never reach anyone I need to contact. If I hadnt called to see what I need to be good to go, I would have never been informed. I chose this university because of your biology program but everything else has been going wrong. I want to cry.
Hi, there:
I work for FIU as a writer. I'm the one who posted your comment. I’d like to help you get these issues straightened out. Please call me at 305-348-3859. And don't give up on FIU. It's a great university with caring people.
Several semesters ago, the University implemented the multi-semester registration to allow students to plan their classes. I was ecstatic because I could plan my vacations accordingly. It is unfortunate that my College department never knows what they are going to do. Schedules and professors change constantly. You could never rely on them and you are at their mercy. They also love to add classes to the curriculum and make the students take them regardless of when they entered the University. Apparently, the new policy is just hype. Nevertheless, I have hope the new President will notice and make any necessary changes.
Regards.
I feel that FIU should definitely put students first. So many times, it seems the administration is only looking out for themselves. FIU also needs to build more dorms, so more students are living on campus. We shouldn't be a commuter school anymore, we need more on-campus residents. Also, please keep the name University Park. This ridiculous name of "Maidique's Campus" is so annoying, and I refuse to use it. Please Rosenberg, let's be sensical about this and KEEP UNIVERSITY PARK! Please and thank you!
I have been an FIU student since 2002 as an undergrad and 2007 as a grad and like everyone else, the schools administration in PC keeps getting worse every semester. Theres only a few individuals who really care about the student, everyone else is just horrible to deal with. I think many of those employees need to be replaced. Cannot wait to finish my MS and be done with dealing with the administration in PC.
I transferred from BCC to FIU because of how widely recognized FIU was. I have to say, I regret doing so. Some of the professors are really good while others tend to not care at all. Advisors, faculty and admissions are all horrible. They are not very personable, tend to just treat students as a number, I can never get anything done correctly, and now I only have 1 class left to graduate but cannot do so until 2010 or god knows when…I really hope Mr. Rosenberg can make a difference…
As an FIU alumni 2003 I find it appalling that current students and alumnus have to pay a fee to access Career Services. This is the saddest thing I have ever heard of and its sad that the university once again puts the well being of the students last! My years at FIU were great, but as an alumni I would feel that one of the perks of being an alumni is knowing that I can always go back to my school for career assistance. This issue is one thing that needs to be addressed and changed. ASAP! I welcome you to FIU and I wish you much success, but it is time that the university actually put the well being of students 1st and not administrators pockets. FIU is a great school and has the potentinal to be better and compete with other major univerisities in the state and nation, but when you have individuals who don't care and are not cautious of the impact the decisions they make will have on students is sad! Its definitive time for a change!
Welcome President Mark B. Rosenberg!
Two things to take care of ASAP would be:
– Waive the $200 online course fee
– Allow payment of classes with VISA (Yes, you currently have to have a Master Card or American Express to pay for your classes!)
Bob
I came to FIU from the University of West Florida in Pensacola. I have to say that there is a night and day comparison. My experience at FIU has been terrible. The staff in the individual departments all lack professionalism and no one seems to care about the students and their quest for higher education. I have been trying to resolve a very simple issue since May, and as of today, it is still unresolved.
UWF is an amazing school with an amazing staff!
1. Wave the class fee's.
2. Open more seat space per classroom; there' s not enough as it is or hire more professors, students can't graduate because classes are not available.
3. Advisors need to put the students first. Make them fill a form per student that we can grade their help and evaluate them every semester like teacher's do.
4. Less students per class and hire more teachers with experience from known areas like Washington, Yale, MIT and Harvard.
5. Create an office to personalize the service to the students: with friendly and helpfull individuals that can actually solve our issues like: Remove holds, enrollment, etc. AND can be seen in commun areas.TIP: "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION" REMEMBER THAT!
6. Create a direct Hot Line that we can use to communicate our problems and act upon them, so that we can know you care and want to hit the ground running like you said you DO.
7. Remove the Provations to students who fail a class and stand to lose their Fanancial Aid, Loans and other sources of income, life is hard as it is. We don't need the school to hurt our future as well. We all have a vested interest on getting the best grades and doing the best we can.
8. Don't make studen'ts re-applied to FIU just because they missed a semester.
9. Allow payment with VISA. We all have a bank account that has a visa logo in it and have to do miracles each time to make a payment.
Sicerelly, I hope that I can look forward to your assesment of most of these issues in the next month because there's no time to waste if what is at stake is the future of this great Institution, and I know you all care as much as I do about this unsolved issues that are limiting all our options and destroying our future over time.
WE WANT TO GRADUATE, NOT BE FORCED OUT OF THE SCHOOL, NOT BE UNABLE TO PAY FOR CLASSES BECAUSE YOU DON'T ACCEPT VISA OR YOUR ADVISORS PUT THEIR INTERESTS FIRST.
WELCOME TO FIU!!!!
I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR TIME AS PRESIDENT, PLEASE MAKE A DIFFERENCE WE CAN NOTICE SOON BECAUSE GOOD PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING FOR NO GOOD REASON.