Faculty authors recognized for newly published books at annual reception

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

From revolutions in Cuba and money laundering to the biology of reefs and philosophizing about sex, FIU faculty members have been busy researching and writing a wide range of books.

At the fourth annual Faculty Book Authors Reception on April 7 at the Barnes & Noble at FIU Bookstore, the Office of the Provost honored 41 faculty members who had their books published in the past year.

“Many people go their whole careers planning on writing that book that they never quite get done,” said FIU Provost Kenneth G. Furton in his remarks, who himself had a book published and on display at the reception. “As a fellow scholar, I do recognize the value of creativity and determination and how much work goes into making a publication. You’re creating knowledge and sharing knowledge with your students.”

FIU faculty proudly display their published books at fourth annual Faculty Book Authors Reception on April 7.

Following the Provost’s remarks, President Mark B. Rosenberg thanked the faculty members in attendance for their commitment to scholarship and the written word.

“What brings us together is our commitment to the life of the mind,” Rosenberg said. “One of the most direct manifestations of that is our ability to codify the hypotheses and the research and the findings we have in written text. I want to thank you for your commitment to that.”

Faculty members in attendance received a “FIU Book Author” pin as a symbol of their commitment to scholarship and enjoyed wine and hors d’oeuvres as they learned more about the works published by their colleagues.

Anne Prestamo, Dean of Libraries, also congratulated the honorees and announced that their books will be added to the FIU Library’s catalog.

Each faculty member’s book will be on display in the bookstore’s “FIU Campus Authors” section, which currently holds two columns worth of books. They may need to add a third column by the time next year’s reception comes around.

“It’s a tremendous honor to have something we all worked so hard for be recognized and incredible to hear about the many interesting areas my peers have written about, like piracy in Somalia and abolitionism,” said Professor Moses Shumow, who published Mediated Communities, a book about the role digital media played in various protest movements around the world. “Any kind of work that is produced by our faculty helps raise the stature of our university.”

For a complete list of the faculty authors recognized and their books, click here.