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MIAMI, Fla. (Dec. 24, 2002) – As part of
its final meeting, Florida International University's Board of
Trustees recently awarded the title of "chairman emeritus"
to its founding and current chairman, Armando Codina.
The Board, which will be replaced in January by
a new Board of Trustees appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush, took the action
in honor of Codina's energetic and talented leadership during
the Board's 18-month existence. The upcoming new Board was mandated
by a state constitutional amendment approved in the November 2002
elections.
"Armando's fellow trustees know how important
his leadership was to the success of our efforts, and we're grateful
for it," said Board Vice Chair Paul L. Cejas. "It's
been a pleasure to serve with him, and this honorific title will
let future generations know how critical his efforts were to both
the immediate and long-term success of FIU."
Under Codina's leadership, the Board identified
"funding equity" as its top priority and successfully
lobbied for the first-ever appropriation designed to address long-standing
inequities in funding between the state's older, rural universities
and its newer, more urban institutions. FIU's share of that appropriation
was more than $2 million, most of which was invested to reduce
salary inequities for meritorious faculty performance.
Codina and the Board also approved three new high-tech
degree programs in areas key to the university's strategy for
expanding its research efforts. The Board also commissioned a
third-party salary study and enacted a new salary package for
President Modesto A. Maidique to bring his pay closer to the national
norm for research university presidents. Several other Florida
universities have since followed suit, conducting similar studies
and enacting new presidential pay agreements based on the results.
Codina's stewardship took place during a time in
which FIU was also launching a law school and a football program
and his own real estate development company, the Codina Group,
was named Florida's top privately held Hispanic-owned business.
During the same time, he was also appointed to the board of directors
for General Motors, becoming the first and only Hispanic to be
named to the prestigious board.
"It's rare that a university is fortunate enough
to have the involvement of a leader of Armando's stature, and
rarer still that such a leader can give significantly of his or
her time," said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. "We're
deeply indebted to him for his service to the university. Even
though he won't be continuing in his current capacity as a trustee,
we'll benefit for years to come from his tenure on our Board and
from his continued involvement as chair emeritus."
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