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* The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching reclassified FIU as a "doctoral/research-extensive" university. The designation is the broadest, most comprehensive rating possible from the prestigious organization, one that only 152 universities in the United States hold. * Phi Beta Kappa voted to establish a chapter at FIU, making ours one of only four Florida universities to affiliate with the 224-year-old honor society. In fact, FIU is the only public urban university in Florida to both hold the lead Carnegie rating and have a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Our success, in fact, has come as such a pleasant surprise to so much of the academic community that wherever I have gone over the past few months, university presidents and other colleagues convey congratulations and ask: "How did you do it?" The answer, of course, is complex. But one of the many factors is the strength that our university draws from its diverse student body, faculty and staff. More than two-thirds of our student body is either Hispanic or African-American. In addition, some 2,400 students from 130 foreign nations are enrolled at FIU this year. The diverse backgrounds of members of the FIU community combined with their talents and other attributes greatly enrich this university. In fact, FIU is built on that diversity a foundation that supports and enriches us immeasurably. Institutions of higher learning should seize the opportunity to take the lead in promoting diversity. The academy has traditionally been at the forefront of advancing social change, and it can again play a pivotal role in educating individuals who will make a difference in the future workforce. I am pleased that FIU has been a pacesetter in this most important undertaking.
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I'm
pleased to share with you that FIU has reached a number of major
milestones over
the past few months:
