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The themes featured in this issue of Diversity Exchange – Leadership, Values and Change – figure prominently in the plan and associated ongoing initiatives throughout the university. Leadership is critical at all levels in any successful organization. While there are several key dimensions to leadership, one of the most vital and inspirational is the talent to effectively articulate where a movement is headed. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech embodied this dimension; his words mobilized initiatives for social equality throughout the globe. At FIU, we are instituting several programs to develop leadership at all levels of the university because we consider it crucial in achieving a new level of distinction as one of the top urban, public, research universities in the nation. In the plan, we have articulated FIU’s values. In addition to values one typically associates with higher education – such as freedom of expression, excellence in teaching and research, and respect for the individual – diversity is highlighted. We strive to create an environment that is responsive to diversity in all its forms, and we foster cross-cultural understanding through comprehensive programs and activities. Finally, there’s the issue of change. We live in a time of ever-accelerating change, challenges, and opportunities. As a university, we are taking steps to move beyond the conventional and dated views of the past to create images of the future that will shape our view of the world – and will guide the university’s endeavors to understand and improve the quality of life locally and globally.
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Florida International University has been engaged in a comprehensive process of reflecting and planning for the future. This two-year effort, which has involved countless discussions in virtually every area of the FIU community, has yielded the Millennium Strategic Plan, a 10-year blueprint (2001-2010) for the growth and development of the university.
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