President Mark B. Rosenberg: Voters say ‘Yes’ to FIU


President Mark B. Rosenberg sent the following memo to the university community on Tuesday Nov. 4, 2014. 

Dear FIU family:

Tonight marks an important milestone in the history of our university! The voters have spoken and they have said “Yes” to FIU!

Voters today approved a referendum that grants the university the county charter exemption we need to expand to the 64 acres next to our Modesto A. Maidique Campus.  This vote is about more and better educational opportunities for the residents of Miami-Dade County!

We would not be at this point without the support of the county commission and Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his staff. They have shown tremendous support and vision for the future of FIU and Miami-Dade County.

We are very thankful to voters of our community, our students, alumni, faculty and staff. We want to thank our Board of Trustees for their support and the incredible backing of our FIU Foundation Board of Directors.  Both the President’s Council and the Alumni Association have been dedicated to this cause.  We appreciate the countless messages, phone calls, letters of support to county leaders and media outlets.  You packed the Stephen P. Clark Government Center to show our county commissioners that FIU is important to the people of South Florida. And you voted!

Thank you, as well, to FIU alumnus Eddie Hondal and Friends of Higher Education for leading the community effort in support of our expansion.

At FIU we are fortunate to have a dedicated team of faculty and staff, along with students, alumni, and other members of the FIU family who have worked hard over the past few months to demonstrate how FIU is an important part of our community. They took to the airwaves, attended community events and participated in other activities over the past few months that showed, without a doubt, that FIU is woven into the fabric of Miami-Dade County.

In particular I want to thank our External Relations team who has worked tirelessly with the county and fair representatives for almost five years.

Thank you! Gracias! Mesi!

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With our community behind us, we are ready to move forward. There is much to do still!  FIU will continue to work with Miami-Dade County and Fair leaders to find a new, suitable location for the Fair. We also are committed to working with our elected officials in Tallahassee to identify the funds to pay for the relocation. We want a win-win-win solution. No county dollars will be used and we will not raise tuition to pay for this effort! To learn more, visit expand.fiu.edu.

One day, when you look south from the current Modesto A. Maidique Campus you will see FIU fulfilling its destiny as a beacon of hope and opportunity for Miami-Dade County: expanded academic space with labs, including the College of Engineering and Computing; research space; academic health center; an incubator to support entrepreneurship; student housing and support  space; and parking. We will realize an annual recurring economic impact of $541 million for our community above the almost $9 billion we already provide.  This expansion will bring about the creation of jobs and a $900 million investment in construction.

The consensus in our community is that world class cities deserve world class universities. With your continued support, we are building a world class university!

Thank you for believing in FIU and helping our university fulfill its destiny.

Sincerely,

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Mark B. Rosenberg

President