FIU-BBC receives grant for initiative to increase minorities in environmental careers

The Office of the Vice Provost at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay Campus (BBC) announced today that the campus has received a two-year, $140,000 grant from Jane’s Trust for an interdisciplinary environmental studies initiative aimed at increasing the participation of minorities in environmental careers.

“We appreciate the initial investment by Jane’s Trust in this project,” said Damian Fernandez, vice-provost for the Biscayne Bay Campus. “The Trust has laid the foundation for the future of environmental studies at BBC which will address the educational needs of South Florida’s diverse population.”

Jane’s Trust, a trust established in 2002, supports organizations and projects which primarily benefit underserved populations and disadvantaged communities in the areas of arts and culture, education, the environment, and health and welfare. It awards grants in the states of Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

The Biscayne Bay Campus initiative, designed to integrate coastal and marine themes into the curriculum and life of the campus, is in line with the trust’s focus. The objective is to educate South Florida’s future environmental leaders, including a significant percentage of minorities who represent most of BBC’s student body. The program also aims to create a pipeline of minority students who will pursue graduate degrees and careers in environmental fields, thus ensuring the area’s future leaders are diverse and well-prepared to address coastal issues from an integrated, holistic approach.

With its interdisciplinary perspective and focus on minority students, the coastal environmental studies program at BBC will be unlike any other university program of its kind. Anchored by the strength of FIU’s Marine Science Program, the innovative program will be distinguished by collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and two of the university’s premier professional schools – the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The overall goal is to create a national model for integrating science, policy, and the humanities under the overarching theme of marine and coastal affairs, a model that will place FIU at the forefront of interdisciplinary environmental studies.

For more information, contact Julissa Castellanos, director of operations and academic support services, in the Office of the Vice Provost at 305-919-5700.

-FIU-

Media Contact
Madeline Baró, 305-348-2234 or mbaro@fiu.edu