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MIAMI, Fla. (Dec. 17, 2001) -
Florida International University will celebrate its 40th commencement
ceremony with President Modesto A. Maidique at the helm on Monday,
Dec. 17. The event is part of the two-day, four-ceremony fall
commencement, which takes place Dec. 17 - 18 at FIU-University
Park. President Maidique just celebrated 15 years on the job.
FIU's four commencement ceremonies, will highlight several South
Florida leaders who will receive honorary doctorates and service
awards in recognition of their dedication to the community and
FIU. Special guests at each of the ceremonies include:
Richard Forman. He is a PAES Professor
of Landscape Ecology in Harvard University's Graduate School of
Design and is widely recognized as one of the leading authorities
in the field of landscape ecology. Forman's contributions have
bridged key disciplines including landscape architecture, biology,
ecology, environmental studies, geology, sociology and physics.
Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, Forman held faculty positions
at the University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University, where he
was the director of the Hutcheson Memorial Forest Center. He holds
a bachelor's degree from Haverford College and his doctorate from
the University of Pennsylvania. He
will receive an honorary doctorate of science on Monday, Dec.
17, during the 10 a.m. ceremony.
Spenser Abraham.
The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Abraham was sworn into office
this year. Prior to assuming his current position, Abraham represented
his native state of Michigan in the U.S. Senate from 1995-2001.
He served on the Budget, Commerce, Science and Transportation,
Judiciary and Small Business committees. He also chaired the Manufacturing
and Competitiveness and the Immigration committees. Abraham
will give the Commencement address during the Monday, Dec. 17,
at 3 p.m.
Carlos Migoya. One of South Florida's
leading bankers, Migoya is the regional president for First Union,
Florida and is responsible for the bank's operations in Miami-Dade
and Monroe counties. Migoya has been in the banking field for
more than 30 years and held a similar position with Southeast
Bank prior to its acquisition by First Union 10 years ago. An
active civic leader, Migoya is past chairman of the Greater Miami
Chamber of Commerce, treasurer of the Orange Bowl Committee and
Downtown Development Authority. He is also on the Board of Directors
of the FIU Foundation, United Way of Miami-Dade County and Florida
Bankers Association. He will receive
the Alumni Service Medallion on Monday, Dec. 17, during the 3
p.m. ceremony.
Jose Maria Mijares. The leading Cuban
artist living in the U.S. will receive an honorary doctorate in
fine arts during the Tuesday, Dec. 18 ceremony at 10 a.m. Mijares
is world renowned for his mastery of oil painting, his pioneer
exploration of geometric abstraction in Cuban art of the 1950s
and his neo-baroque compositions of the exile period.
Manny Diaz. Miami's new mayor will give
the Commencement address during the Tuesday, Dec. 18 ceremony
at 10 a.m. Diaz is an FIU alumnus, who earned a bachelor's
degree in political science in 1977.
Alvah Chapman. Chapman, who recently
had the FIU College of Business Graduate School named after him,
will be honored with the FIU Pillar Award. The former chairman
and CEO of Knight Ridder, Chapman will receive the highest honor
bestowed on a community leader by the university, the award recognizes
outstanding lifetime contributions to FIU. This is only the third
Pillar Award bestowed (state Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and former
ambassador Paul Cejas have been honored in the past). Chapman,
will receive the award during the Tuesday, Dec. 18 ceremony at
3 p.m.
All commencement exercises will be held at
FIU's Golden Panther Arena, University Park, Southwest Eighth
Street and 112 Avenue. The schedule of the ceremonies is as follows:
Monday, Dec. 17, 10 a.m. - School of Architecture,
School of Hospitality Management and College of Health & Urban
Affairs
Monday, Dec. 17, 3 p.m.- School of Journalism &
Mass Communication, College of Engineering and College of Education
Tuesday, Dec. 18, 10 a.m.- College of Arts &
Sciences
Tuesday, Dec. 18, 3 p.m.- College of Business Administration
For more information, call 305-348-3666 or
visit the web site www.fiu.edu
FIU is Florida's only public, urban university to hold both the
leading ranking from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching and a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa society,
America's oldest academic honor society.
Media Contact:
Aileen Izquierdo
305-348-6999
izquierd@fiu.edu
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