Architecture professor Quintana honored for love and commitment to Panthers

Members of the FIU family gathered Nov. 5 to honor architecture professor Nicolás Quintana, who is retiring from the university at the end of spring 2010 after 13 years of educating and inspiring students.

The intimate reception, organized by the Dean’s Office of the College of Architecture + The Arts, was a touching night for Quintana, as well as his family, friends, fellow FIU professors and current and former students. FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg, President Emeritus Modesto A. Maidique and Senior Vice President Sandra Gonzalez-Levy also joined the festivities. Cookie Gazitua, a member of the President’s Council and an arts and culture advocate, presented Quintana with a special award for his years of work and dedication. Quintana also received a painting by artist Ismael Gómez-Peralta.

An award-winning architect and educator, Quintana joined the FIU faculty in 1993 and is the founding member and director of the Architecture and Urbanism Committee of the Cuban Cultural Heritage Association, a non-profit institution. He is also chairperson of Essential Studies of Cuban Architecture, a project of the School of Architecture. Both entities are dedicated to the research, protection and preservation of the essential elements that structure Cuba’s traditions, focusing on a creative vision of the future.