I look forward to finally completing all my holiday prep work – online shopping, gift wrapping, Christmas card writing – and then attending mass on Christmas Eve with my family. That will free me up Christmas morning to sit around in my PJs with a strong cup of coffee and watch my children, ages 7 and 10, scream in delight at all the gifts from Santa.

I also look forward to visiting with friends who invite us annually to share in their holiday meal. That, for me, is the greatest gift of all: good company, great conversation and a ham glazed with three kinds of liquor.

— Alexandra Pecharich, Managing Editor

Going up to my mom’s house for Christmas. Everyone’s at the house and it’s like a big sleepover. Mami cooks all day for five days…a lot of traditional Puerto Rican food and drinks, like coquito. I’m also excited to see my 2-year-old babies (all three of them) grow up and experience the holidays the way I did when I was young.

— Aileen Solá-Trautmann, Art Director

I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and meeting my sister’s boyfriend from Tennessee. She calls him her giant, because he is 6’6″. It should be interesting because he doesn’t speak Spanish and my parents barely speak English.

— Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08

Calendars! I most look forward to buying all sorts of calendars – funny ones, wall ones, desk ones, pocket ones – nothing makes me happier.

— Marianela de Armas ’02

I’m looking forward to a long-awaited trip home to California to see my family, and for a fresh new year. There’s just something about turning the calendar that gives me a little boost of energy, as if the slate is blank again.

— Angeline Evans

As our feature story on the baby grand piano stationed in the lounge makes clear, musically inclined students also see the space as ideal for practicing their playing. Pre-med student Gabriella Guerrero says sitting down at the keys relieves her stress and “keeps me sharp for my classes.” She cites research that playing a musical instrument can heighten creativity and problem-solving skills.

That made me wonder: What exactly do those studies say and, if they really do bear out what Guerrero suggests, shouldn’t we all be signing up for guitar lessons about now?

Searching the Internet, I came across this provocative statement by a psychologist at the University of Zurich: “Learning to play a musical instrument has definite benefits and can increase IQ by seven points, in both children and adults.”

Seven points! Imagine getting quantifiably smarter virtually overnight AND simultaneously mastering a means for entertaining family and friends. It all sounded too good to be true.

I contacted FIU psychology professor Anthony Dick for his opinion. Writes he in an email: “I would state this a little more carefully and say that playing music in childhood is associated with small but significant and lasting improvements in cognitive functioning, and this appears to occur despite controlling for things like parent income and education. I am not sure if the same holds for adults – those effects may be shorter-lived.”

Hmmm. I was a bit disheartened, at least at first. Mind you, I have never taken an IQ test and have no plans to do so. Still, wouldn’t it be great to boost one’s brainpower in midlife? Imagine all the great cocktail conversations to which I could contribute astute observations.

So, I wondered, what kind of activities might truly kick start my gray matter. A Google search produced the following.

• Learn about something you’ve always wanted to understand.
  FIU students are set. For everyone else, a few suggestions: attend lectures at the university – check the calendar to find out who’s coming; take a non-credit class through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – a great option for retirees.

• Read often.
  Changing up what you read is part of the equation, so check out books by FIU’s Creative Writingfaculty, in addition to keeping up with FIU’s news site and downloading the apps for your favorite magazines.

• Meditate often.
  Calm, deep breaths through the nose bring in the fresh air our brains and bodies need, so breathe deeply.

• Perform math functions regularly.
  Translation: Stop using the calculator function on your phone.

• Never avoid breakfast, it’s essential for your brain to function efficiently.
  Both campuses offer breakfast (at the Fresh Food Company at MMC and Bay Café at BBC). For everyone else, a bowl of cereal at home or an Egg McMuffin on the road should do the trick.

What do YOU do to stay cerebrally fit? Outside of navigating a busy life that might include work, classes, family and social obligations, have you found a way to give your brain a workout that translates into improved function? Let us all know so we can keep up with you!

— Alexandra Pecharich

• The launch of the FIU.edu redesign, which is aesthetically pleasing and technically cutting-edge
• Our first online-only issue of FIU Magazine – the Music Issue
• The inaugural TEDxFIU event

While both the web redesign and online magazine are new iterations of an existing product, TEDxFIU is brand new to our calendar. It is part of the TEDx program, which enables community groups, schools, organizations and companies to organize their own independent events promoting TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” on a more local level (more on TED). With this in mind – and in the spirit of FIU’s “Worlds Ahead” vision – TEDxFIU sought folks from the FIU community with big ideas that would push our minds beyond the world we already know.

Our FIU community did not disappoint: we received many applications but had to narrow it down to just eight speakers.

One of the chosen few was our very own FIU Magazine cover man Tony Succar ’08, MA ’10, who spoke about his UNITY project and brought his band in to perform a few songs from his Michael Jackson tribute album, out next spring. See a clip from his performance at tedxfiu.com.

In addition to speakers, attendees were also excited to see this global movement come to campus. When the event was first announced in August, hundreds of people signed up for updates leading up to the event. Tickets sold out in minutes when they were released on Oct. 1. In all, nearly 600 people attended in person, while another 1,600 watched the live stream online.

It took several hectic months, a dedicated planning team and all hands on deck for event day, but I think it’s safe to say that TEDxFIU was a resounding success. Hope you’re all prepping your ideas for next year’s event!

Videos of each presentation are in the works and summaries are being blogged, so check tedxfiu.com regularly for updates.

Did you catch any TEDxFIU presentations? What did you think?

— Angeline Evans

Putting this issue together was a joy. We had FUN. And it shows in the stories. These are stories that sing and move and talk to you. I am excited for the new digital magazine to reach so many in the FIU community who don’t regularly see the print edition: students, parents, everyone studying at our campus in China, our alumni working around the globe and anyone interested in learning about our university.

In the online spirit, I sat down with our digital media manager, Angeline Evans, to talk about FIU Magazine online. Take a listen:

— Deborah O’Neil MA ’09

—

Transcript:

FIU Magazine has gone online. The first online-only issue, the Music Issue, launched this month and features stories, photos, video and streaming audio. To go along with the aural theme, we interviewed editor Deborah O’Neil for her editor’s letter.

Deborah, why did you take FIU Magazine online?

I don’t think I took it online – I think it was sort of the inevitable migration of the content in the digital format. This is the way magazines are moving, and we recognize that we can reach many more people by having a strong and vibrant magazine online.

What was involved in creating an online version of the magazine?

Oh my goodness. Years of planning – literally, it’s been years in the works. We first started talking about this probably three years ago. We had to have a viable mechanism to do it. That came with a WordPress site and a lot of guidance from our web communications team and a lot of help from Matt Herzberger. We had to figure out how we were going to implement it and how we would integrate the digital and the print. Then, we had to figure out how the online magazine would work with the university’s news site, because it was very important to try to not necessary create a competing source of information but a complementary source of information.

We had a lot of planning meetings, we discussed a lot of different strategies, and I think we came up with the best possible plan – the magazine lives within the news site. The content can be cross-posted in both places, which is really cool. That means it maximizes viewership and readership. And it’s a site we can all use, technically speaking. I’m a print person – I was a reporter. I don’t even pretend I have a lot of technical skills because I don’t, but I can use a WordPress site, which means that I can be involved in the posting and the editing of stories online. It’s really easy for all of us to do that. There was a lot involved and it’s taken a tremendous effort, and you have been a really important part of that, too, Angeline, so I want to thank you for all of your hard work the last few months in helping getting the magazine off the ground.

You’re welcome. It’s been a ton of fun. Speaking of fun, what is your favorite part of this first digital-only magazine.

You know, I love the whole theme we went with. We thought a lot about what the first digital magazine would be. Would it be a catch-all magazine with a little bit of everything? I decided not to do that because I wanted to make the most of the digital format and the possibilities of a digital magazine, and I felt that music was that idea. We could create a magazine that sings to you, that plays music for you. You can’t do that in print, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.

When you go into the stories, you’ll find music that you can listen to and videos. You’re going to find interviews that are entirely done, like this one, audio-only, sort of NPR style. You’re going to find sounds embedded into the print stories and some fantastic videos by our new senior multimedia producer, Doug Garland. It’s a really fun issue. It’s got a whole range of things from research to students making music to alumni making music. The other thing we did was we really tried to cover the spectrum of musical genres, so we have classical piano and we have Latin music and we have student-athletes playing their favorite hip hop music. We have a whole lot of things represented in this music issue that all together make it a really fun and dynamic experience for the readers and the listeners. See, listeners! You don’t get to say that in print. We have listeners for our magazine! How cool is that?

That’s really neat. What are your favorite stories in this online issue?

I love Mari’s marching band story [“One week at band camp“]. Marianela de Armas, who is our arts writer and who is just an amazingly creative person, went out and spent one week going through band camp with the band, which is just a hoot. And she wrote about it in first person and there’s a great video that accompanies it. There’s little embeds in there of the president talking to the students and interviews with some of the students. It’s a story that combines the best of what’s possible: It’s a full-length feature but it has all these really wonderful digital complements that make it a really multisensory experience.

Thank you, Deborah, for the radio inspired editor’s letter. For FIU Magazine, this is Angeline Evans.

The right song can get an athlete’s mind right. Whether it’s the lyrics of a hip-hop song motivating a football player to leave it all on the field, a latin beat bringing the volleyball team together before a big game, or the music of a close friend inspiring a basketball player to bring home the victory, FIU’s student-athletes rely on their playlists to get them in the zone.

FIU Magazine asked student-athletes from a variety of sports what song gets them pumped up before a game. Click on the photos below to listen to why their track helps them give their best performance.

Since the death of Michael Jackson, many musicians have re-recorded or performed his iconic beats. But none have attempted anything as musically bold and innovative as turning those songs into a tropical pop fusion set to salsa.   UNITY: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson  is the brainchild of FIU   School of Music alumnus and artist-in-residence Tony Succar ’08, MA ’10, who recomposed 14 Jackson hits, including “I Want You Back,” “Smooth Criminal” and “Earth Song.”

Succar’s penchant for being at the right place at the right time mixed with his considerable talent and educational foundation led him to the creation of this project. He called the album   UNITY  not merely because of the fusion of musical genres, but because he wants to bring people together through music. The album, featuring some of the biggest names in salsa, will be released in spring 2013. However, Succar gave the FIU community a preview with a   live performance of two songs  from the album during the inaugural   TEDxFIU.

Remember the time

Tony Succar’s family tree resembles a music sheet peppered with notes representing generations of musicians and singers. From his paternal great-grandparents, Mexican composer Lauro Uranga and Spanish-born flamenco dancer Rosa Rodríguez Valero, to his maternal Japanese-Peruvian great-grandparents that sang and played musical instruments, music is undeniably in Succar’s DNA.

Music remains the family business. His father Antonio Succar is a pianist and his mother Mimy Succar, a singer. Succar’s first childhood memory was an attempt to play a drum while his parents rehearsed with their band for an upcoming gig.

“Music was always a part of my life. There was always music playing in the house,” said Succar. “I remember they would shoo me out of the practice room, for fear of damaging my hearing.”

When Succar had just turned 13, his parents let him sit in with the band when they played a wedding. He was barely visible behind the drum set. Once he had a taste for performing, he wanted to play every gig. He quickly learned that performing did not come without sacrifice. From a young age, he juggled school and soccer, band rehearsals and late-night performances.

Yet, his goal was not to become a musician or producer; Succar wanted to play professional soccer. Unable to make the cut for the FIU soccer team, and unsure about his program of study, he turned to his father for guidance.

“My dad insisted I audition for the School of Music,” said Succar. “I didn’t even think about music as a career, let alone a major.”

I wanna rock with you

Succar and his father scheduled an audition with the drum instructor, but instead found   Mike Orta, associate professor of jazz piano, rehearsing the Latin Jazz ensemble in the Wertheim Concert Hall. After a few minutes of chatting with Professor Orta, Succar found himself auditioning for the percussion slot left vacant by a graduating senior.

Orta gave Succar the sheet music, and although at the time Succar couldn’t read music that well, he recognized the song. “Ir a Cuba” was one of his favorites, so he played the song from memory, first on congas, then on timbales, and finished it off on drums.

“What I saw in Tony was passion,” said Orta. “He had a passion for the music. He brought that passion on stage when he performed. He has a very musical family, so I know where he gets it from.”

Yet, that audition in the Wertheim made Succar realize he had a lot to learn.

Succar recalled, “When I was playing with those guys, I knew they were ahead of the game. I was up against amazing drummers and musicians that had been studying music all their lives. I knew something was up ahead of me that was going to be challenging.”

Don’t stop ’til you get enough

Succar began spending 8-12 hours a day practicing timbales and congas, followed by two hours of sight-reading and music theory. He was a freshman in ensembles filled with juniors and seniors, and there was no way he was going to show up unprepared.

His first concert performance was with Arturo Sandoval. The internationally acclaimed trumpet virtuoso was an artist-in-residence at the School of Music and recognized Succar’s energy and passion while playing congas with the ensemble. A few years later, when Succar was a junior, he took over the family business and became musical director of the newly revamped and renamed band Mixtura, which Sandoval hired to play at his jazz club in North Miami Beach.

With the FIU Jazz ensemble, and later with Mixtura, he played with Tito Rojas, Tito Puente Jr., Nestor Torres, and even shared the stage with Tito Nieves, who would later sing lead vocals on Succar’s first single – all while completing his undergraduate degree.

Succar’s father convinced him to continue studying and earn a graduate degree. “He said, ‘Do it for me’ and I did.”

Wanna be startin’ something

On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson passed away while Succar was in the last year of his graduate program.

“Michael meant so much to me. Not only because he was a phenomenon, but the message of his music was so important,” said Succar.

The idea for   the   UNITY  project  came when Succar began preparing for a Halloween performance. The client requested he close the show with Jackson’s iconic “Thriller.”

“I spent a lot of time listening to the rhythm of ‘Thriller.’ I wanted to contain the essence and fuse the instrumentation, orchestration and production of it.”

At the performance, the crowd went wild, and Succar took it as a sign to continue this musical exercise as an homage to the King of Pop. He began recomposing Jackson’s iconic hits and infusing them with Latin rhythms, jazz, world music and American pop. He enlisted the help of musicians and fellow FIU School of Music classmates to bring his music to life, and the result was an album of new compositions that remained true to the essence and foundation of the original songs. Missing from the compositions was the most important element: salsa singers gutsy enough to perform vocals on a Michael Jackson tribute album.

You are not alone

Succar set his sights on “el Pavarotti de la salsa,” the reigning king of Latin Jazz, Tito Nieves, to bring the   UNITY  vocals to life. Succar didn’t know Nieves, but he knew that his voice and his personality were perfect for the album. It took him countless tries, pitches and phone calls to get the attention of the world-renowned Latin recording artist. Busy with the release of his own album, he wasn’t interested in working on another project. It wasn’t until a friend of a friend urged Nieves to listen to a track from the album that he realized the genius of Succar’s project.

“When I got to hear that track [‘I Want You Back’], I said, ‘I want to meet this guy,’” said Nieves. “It was the same intro that the Jackson 5 used but in a salsa fashion, and that’s what blew me away, and knew I wanted to be a part of it.”

With Nieves on board, artists began paying attention. Within a few months, Succar was travelling across the United States and Puerto Rico to record with La India, Obie Bermúdez, Jennifer Peña, Kevin Ceballo, Jan and Michael Stuart.

Succar completed the album and scheduled the first single, “I Want You Back,” featuring Tito Nieves, for release in September 2012, but with the buzz and excitement created from airplay on major stations in New York, Florida, Puerto Rico and Peru, Succar released two weeks early. The first week, Facebook and Twitter pages appeared for the project and Succar received thousands of followers. The video trailer was viewed tens of thousands of times.

The second single, “Será que no me amas” (a remake of the 1978 Jackson 5 hit “Blame It on the Boogie”), is already available on the iTunes market worldwide.

Listen: Será que no me amas by Tony Succar, featuring Michael Stuart

For Succar,   UNITY  is more than a musical experiment that unites different elements. This project represents two years of work, with an incredible investment of his time and money.

“I have put my entire heart and soul into this project as a tribute to the most influential artist that has ever blessed his fans with his extraordinary music and global message,” said Succar. “I’m extremely grateful that this project has to come to life and is finally being introduced to the world.

As the composer and arranger, Succar purposefully preserved the original foundation and opening to Jackson’s songs, allowing the listener to quickly identify the beat. He then introduces, depending on the song, elements from Cuban, Puerto Rican, Peruvian and Colombian music, to enhance the tune. He attributes this to his diverse background and being born and raised in Miami, where he was exposed to the musical cultures of the Americas.

From Miami to Latin America and from Jackson fans to salsa fans, Succar’s album is set to do exactly what its title describes: combine everything that is great into one musical experience that will unite the world. 

It’s Saturday night at the Cage. The Panthers are battling it out, hoping to bring a win to the thousands of fans at Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium. The quarterback hikes the ball and connects a pass into the end zone.  

Touchdown FIU!

Over the cheers and cannon blast, the FIU Marching Band, 100 strong, belts out our fight song, “Go-F-Go-I-Go-U-Go-F-I-U.” I find myself smiling in their direction because, this past summer, I was with the band.   

By Marianela de Armas ‘02

For one week, I was embedded with the FIU Marching Band. Their pre-season camp began in August, the week before the fall semester began. For five days, and a total of 55 hours, both returning members and potential new members tried out for a slot to be a part of the 2012-13 FIU Marching Band.

The camp was just the first of many investments of time and energy required of potential band members. Making the band commits students to attend football games and community parades, among other events throughout the year, while juggling schoolwork with part-time jobs. But, after a week with my new friends, I understood that this endeavor was more than a club or an association, but more like a family, made up of a diverse group of majors, backgrounds and ages that if not for their shared loved for music, would never have met.

The days began at sunrise and went well into the late evening. The temperature neared three digits on the hottest days and, at times, sporadic summer showers had us scattering toward the nearest parking garage or rehearsal hall. The color guard spent five days synching their choreography, while the band learned more than 20 songs in that time. They rarely ever got it on the first try. But, by the last day, our   FIU Marching Band  was stronger, louder and ready to continue the tradition.

Day 1: Putting the march in marching band

Neither the sun nor I were fully up that first Monday morning, but we found ourselves on the soccer field near U.S. Century Bank Arena. It was only 7 a.m. and nearly 100 students, ranging from first-time-in-college freshmen to seniors from a wide sampling of majors, were already there, in formation, waiting to hear instruction from   Barry Bernhardt, associate director of bands.

“Set-mark-time-hut. Quarter turn to the left, and step, two-three-step,” shouted Bernhardt while clapping in time.

And, suddenly, the formation responded. They not only understood this secret language, but within a few hours of practice, turned and marched in unison in perfect choreography.

All the while, I tried to follow along from the sideline, as I was convinced I would cause a chain reaction and eventually ruin the formation. Good thing I kept my distance, too. Right when I thought I had it down, I stepped on my own shoelaces and tripped. Mind you, I was marching without an instrument. Imagine what would have happened if I’d tried strapping on a 50-pound quad tenor drum and playing it while keeping step.

After a break for lunch, the band trekked to the Wertheim Performing Arts Center and divided into their instrument sections, where they played together for the first time. The cacophony of drum beats, tuba pulses and flute scales echoed through the halls well into dinnertime.

In the midst of this, I met Elizabeth Moreno, a freshman assigned to first bass drum. A former member of Westland Hialeah High School’s marching band, she had participated in Band Days, a yearly event where bands across the county are invited to play and participate at a workshop at FIU. When I asked her about her first day at camp, she said, “We just finished practicing music, sight reading, playing with the rest of the band, seeing how our parts sounded with them, and colliding. I liked it.”

Just as we finished dinner, Bernhardt announced that we would be playing an impromptu concert just outside of the School of Music. While I struggled with the notion of getting up from my seat, the band was already on the lawn warming up.

With Bernhardt’s wave, the drum line counted off four hits and off they went. Onlookers paused to listen; cars drove by at a crawl, some even honked. It was incredibly infectious and, even if they were still a little raw, I felt more than proud to be standing there with them. Especially when a black sedan suddenly pulled up and out stepped the band’s biggest fan, FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg.

Listen: President Rosenberg stops by on the first day of band camp

One day down – only four more to go.

Day 2: Rain delay

Exhausted from the day before, I was less than pleased to hear my alarm buzz, until I remembered: Band camp! The only lesson that stuck with me from the day before was the need to dress for the occasion. It was going to be another grueling 11-hour day in sweltering August heat and, although we were hydrating, the potential for this reporter to be sporting unflattering sweat marks – regardless of how light I dressed – was high.

There was also a high chance for rain that morning, but that didn’t stop any of us.

The band convened at the soccer field, this time with their instruments, where they marched and played simultaneously while the color guard twirled flags in step.

Bernhardt instructed his graduate assistants to correct the band, while he kept a watchful eye on the dark clouds creeping down the turnpike.

The first sprays of that morning shower were more than welcome. For a moment, I closed my eyes and imagined I was in a fancy resort getting misted by a pool attendant, until the rain pelted a little harder. For fear of ruining the woodwind instruments and color guard flags, Bernhardt instructed those sections to pack up and seek shelter.

The rain turned into bucket pours and I stood drenched, no longer worried about sweat marks because I was transfixed by the sudden energy of the drum line and brass sections. The harder the rain, the louder they got, the better they danced. And from a distance, I could hear the rest of the band responding to them. They had found shelter in the neighboring parking garage.

When the rest of the band and I arrived at the Panther Parking Garage, the color guard was twirling and the sections were marching and playing under the direction of their peers. Neither Bernhardt nor his teaching assistants had instructed them to do so. They wanted to practice and, when I thought a little rain delay would be a welcomed respite to an already tiring morning, they were still pushing.

Graduates and their loved ones arriving for the morning commencement ceremony were surprised and delighted. By the looks on their faces, they must have thought it was part of their send off.

The band practiced in the garage until the rain let up, and reconvened at the School of Music for another evening of practice.

Day 3: Stopping traffic

After another day of running drills and practice, the band and color guard once again performed in front of the School of Music.

During the warm up, I chatted up tuba player Edward Selgas, an information technology major.

The band played on that night and something pretty amazing happened – they gathered a crowd. Even while receiving corrections on their performance, spectators, both in cars and on foot, waited patiently for Bernhardt to yell out, “Resume.”

Day 4: We are family

During dinner, I was able to sneak into the presentations made by music fraternities Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

I didn’t know we had music fraternities and I certainly didn’t expect them to entertain us during dinner. From an a cappella group to a New Orleans-style jazz band performance, it was musicians performing for musicians, without being corrected, without having to worry about being in step with the rest of the group.

The week was almost over, and, even after the all the sweat, bug bites and throbbing headaches, the day was bittersweet. I was reminded that band camp was almost over, which meant I had to leave; for the band, this was just the beginning.

Day 5: Ready, set, resume

And on the last day, we rested.

Well, for a few hours, as Bernhardt changed the call time to 11 a.m. instead of our regular 7 a.m. The band met at the Wertheim Concert Hall, where Bernhardt announced, among other housekeeping issues, that we would be marching throughout campus, from the bookstore to PG5, to play impromptu concerts.

I’m not sure if it was the culmination of camp, or the countless corrections, or the excitement of performing live, but every song exploded out of the band and through the hallways of the School of Music, as they put the final touches on more than 20 songs learned throughout the week. They played throughout the afternoon, while the color guard practiced in the aisles of the hall.

Around 2 p.m. Bernhardt turned to me and said with a smile. “I think they’re ready.”    

If you enjoyed this story and would like to receive FIU Magazine  online, subscribe here:  go.fiu.edu/subscribe.

The life stories of Paraguayan composer and pianist   Nancy Luzko  MM ’01 and nineteenth-century Irish-born, “French-trained” courtesan-turned-mistress-turned-first-lady-of-Paraguay Eliza Lynch could not be more different. And yet the two women share an important connection.

In what might be called the crescendo of her still young career, Luzko, 38, received a commission from the Ballet Municipal de Asunción to compose the music for a full-scale production about the enigmatic Lynch, who in the 1860s and ’70s generated both fascination and contempt. Over the course of a year, Luzko and her brother Daniel collaborated from either side of the United States – she in her adopted hometown of Miami, writing the music, he in Southern California, orchestrating the music to accommodate 65-70 instruments – to create 42 movements that together represent some 600 pages of musical score.

When the music premiered in 2010 with a series of performances by the National Symphony Orchestra of Paraguay accompanying the ballet production, the results earned critical acclaim and represented a personal triumph for Luzko.

“It was very, very rewarding for me to see the complete work,” Luzko says. “To see these two combined – the ballet and the music together – and also the costumes, the decoration, the scenography. Everything was very artistic.”

Seeking a muse

Undertaking the project meant that Luzko, who received her masters in piano performance from the   FIU School of Music  before going on to a doctorate at the University of Miami, would have to travel frequently to Paraguay for rehearsals. The time commitment put an end to her teaching at FIU, where she had been an adjunct professor of piano for 10 years.

It also meant that the calm and composed Luzko – a woman that her FIU mentor, the renowned pianist   Kemal Gekic, describes as having “inner quiet” – would have to get into the heart and head of the most controversial woman in Paraguayan history. Lynch and her lover, Francisco Solano López – whose ascension to president/dictator upon his father’s death in 1862 made her de facto first lady – never married, despite having six children and remaining together until his death on a battlefield.

“I said, ‘Eliza, tell me what to write,’” recalls Luzko about starting the project. Not long after, she got a reply to that plea. “It was amazing, really. Something came to my head, and I identified that melody as Eliza’s melody.”

That tune, known as “Eliza’s Sorrows,” eventually defined the entire score. “That melody is definitely the heart of the work,” says Daniel Luzko, who admires what his sister accomplished. “The movement is brilliantly written.”

Luzko says she approached Lynch’s story as strictly one about the passion between a man and a woman and not as a political drama a la Argentina’s Eva Peron, with whom comparisons have been drawn.

Although no voices accompany the score, the original ballet production called for the dancers to weep aloud over the sound of the music. They wailed in reaction to the violent deaths of Eliza’s mate and her teenaged son, both of whom were killed on the same day.

“They pretended to cry and   really  cried,” she recalled of the dancers on stage, “Every rehearsal, they cried. The music was so sad and so powerful.”

 
Finding a fit in Miami

In contrast to that tearjerker, Luzko’s life has moved along in the smooth style that musicians call   legato. Hers is a tale of five siblings who grew up playing piano at the encouragement of a musical father who with his wife ran a very successful alterations business in the small town of Encarnación. The youngest, Nancy at age 20 followed brother Daniel to the Chopin Conservatory in Warsaw for a year of instruction, an easy leap culturally as their parents have roots in Poland.

Luzko went on to earn an undergraduate music degree from the University of Kansas and then, tired of punishing winters, started looking for graduate programs in warm places. A move to Miami fit the bill perfectly: aside from the weather, Gekic had just started teaching at FIU.

“I felt I would love to go to Miami, but I wondered if there was anything going on there in the graduate area that I could take advantage of,” Luzko remembers. “And then I saw his name and that he was coming to FIU. It was a really attractive idea to study with a European teacher in Miami. I heard his performances on CD and I really wanted to study with him.”

Croatian-born Gekic remembers clearly those early lessons with Luzko.

“She looked like a little girl. Very, very shy, modest,” he says of his first student at FIU.

Very soon, however, he saw something else in her. Finding out that she also composed, he asked to hear her work. “I liked the pieces very much, and I encouraged her,” recalls Gekic, who was struck by her depth and her commitment to her craft.

“She’s an extremely serious person. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to joke. But about those things that matter to her, she is very serious. She likes challenge. She is an absolutely interesting person, I would say, in every possible way.”

Looking to the future

Luzko continues to compose “contemporary classical” music that embraces influences from a variety of musical genres, including Latin America rhythms and elements of jazz. She has performed in the United States, Canada, Austria, Poland, Spain and Argentina in addition to Paraguay, where she remains a beloved native daughter.

As the only Paraguayan woman to hold a Ph.D. in music, she has received considerable recognition in her homeland, including a young composer award in 2001 when she won a competition there. She was invited to present a concert of her own music this past summer, and in 2013 Paraguayan pianists will play her songs and vie for the Nancy Luzko Prize in a contest that she will judge.

Here in the states, Luzko continues to serve as an artistic director, along with her brother, for the annual Paraguayan Music Festival, which in 2012 was held in New York and in 2013 comes to Miami. She recently published a collected volume of her compositions and released a CD on which she plays her original songs. (In an introduction on the latter, Gekic writes about her compositions’ “underlying complexity of design” and calls her playing “proof of how it is possible to be sincere, straightforward, not seeking for effect and yet true to one’s innermost being.”)

Currently living in a small apartment in South Miami, she and her husband have purchased property on which they plan to build a home in the near future. The extra space will open up some new possibilities.

“I would like my piano to be important in my house,” says Luzko, who has had to stuff her black Steinway “middle grand” into a back room. In the same tight space she also keeps an electronic keyboard (not a typical compact model but a larger one that looks like an upright piano) to which she connects headphones to avoid disturbing the neighbors.

“We would like to make music – loud music,” she says, adding that her husband, an aerospace engineer originally from Brazil, is a sometimes drummer.

Professionally, she is also thinking about her future. “Right now I want to enjoy working with music but in a different way. Maybe help people through music somehow. I have several ideas.

“I want to keep writing and leave some legacy to my country. There is so little in the repertoire of piano there.”

And therein lies another bond between Luzko and Eliza Lynch: a love of music and the desire to share that interest with others.

It is accepted widely that Lynch introduced the piano to Paraguay, and biographers write of her having carted around the instrument from one battle encampment to another throughout the course of a war that sealed her tragic fate. (She eventually died penniless in Paris.)

“She really influenced Paraguayan society,” Luzko says. Lynch brought French and Italian architects, theatre groups and musicians to the capital city, arranged balls in the Club Nacional and provided lavish public entertainment for the masses. Through her popularizing of the polka she made a lasting contribution to the country’s folk music.

And like Lynch, Luzko too is leaving her mark on Paraguay’s culture.  

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Cuban-born soprano, Evelyn Saavedra, dreams of the day she will sing at The Metropolitan Opera. A vocal performance student in her junior year at FIU’s School of Music, she is working to make that dream come true. Balancing classes, rehearsals and performances, Saavedra’s passion and will is evident.

Listen to Saavedra’s interview, where she discusses:

• Being the first of her family to arrive in the United States.
• How a teacher discovered her talent.
• The FIU School of Music.
• Singing with the Florida Grand Opera.
• Her dream gig.

—

Transcript:

[Lip buzzing noise]

We literally do that all day.

And what does that do?

It makes sure you’re supporting correctly, because if you’re not using your air then the buzz won’t happen.

That’s the sound of Evelyn Saavedra, a voice major in her junior year at the FIU School of Music. She’s showing me a typical warm-up exercise before belting out an aria.

[Saavedra singing]

Originally from Cuba, she arrived in Miami at the age of 4 with her mother.

We were the first of our family to come here, so she literally came with a 4-year-old child by herself to a new country with no English. She was a doctor in Cuba, so she left a pretty good career to come here and do something else and start over.

One day when Saavedra was in elementary school, the music teacher discovered her talent.

The music teacher at my elementary school did choir auditions. He told everybody to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” or some children’s song, I don’t remember. He went one by one by one and he would write on a paper. He got to me, and he was like, “Whoa…okay. You can sing!” And I was like, “Oh, I can?”

My mom always says, “You must have been a mutation.” You see, in Cuba they have huge children’s choruses, and her whole school did auditions for a children’s chorus. Every single person in the whole school got in except for two people, and my mom was one of them.

The FIU School of Music is one of those hidden gems that nobody really knows about. You think FIU School of Music and you think, “What? Really?” But we have really talented professors and people from all over the world.
A typical day for me: I have opera lit in the mornings, then we have opera workshop. It’s a three-hour class where we sing opera, we do acting, we do movement, we do all sorts of things. We coach. And then we have choir and then we have voice forum. I have my lessons. I have coachings. I have conducting. Oh, and music history. I think that’s pretty much it.

The School of Music’s guest artist and artist-in-residence programs bring FIU voice students the opportunity to perform with major artists and companies from around the world.

What about your partnership with Florida Grand Opera? I think last year you were able to perform with them, is that right?

Oh, that was so exciting! The Florida Grand Opera contacted FIU, and they were interested in partnering up and perhaps using some of the FIU vocalists for a concert that they did. And I was so lucky. We had to audition for the Florida Grand Opera. They didn’t just want FIU to choose singers – they wanted to hear the singers and choose for themselves to make sure they were up to par. I was so lucky – out of the entire vocal department they only chose six singers. Five of them were master students, and I was the only undergraduate. I was 19, and I was just overwhelmed. I was really happy that that happened. It was an incredible opportunity. Of course, it was a very very very small role that I played in the concert – I think I only sang in the chorus – but we actually did the Carmen scene with the [sings a strain] and I had Frasquita’s part. It was a page…it was miniscule. But I was so excited.

My dream gig would be…I’m sure it’s going to change, maybe like next month or whatever… but today it would be probably singing at the Met or winning the Metropolitan National Council Auditions. In the future I would like to do that and then sing at the Met. That would be awesome.

For FIU Magazine, this is Marianela de Armas.    ♦

The 4,226-pipe concert organ offers listeners a full-body experience

“O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself.” So begins the anguished Psalm 94 of the Old Testament.

In 1857, German composer Julius Reubke set the Biblical poem to music for the “King of Instruments,” the pipe organ. The 30-minute sonata is regarded as one of the 19th century’s greatest organ compositions.

This fall, FIU organist and music librarian Dan Hardin played the sonata on the 4,226-pipe Schantz organ in the Wertheim Performing Arts Center in a performance that allowed the audience to experience the grandeur of the Wertheim organ, considered one of the finest pipe organs in Florida. Built in 1999 for nearly $700,000, the organ is the crown jewel of the Wertheim Concert Hall and would cost millions of dollars to build today.

The “Sonata on the 94th Psalm” brings to life the range of the organ, from the flitter of the flute to the rumble of the tuba. The initial soft and searching notes quickly swell to a powerful plea as David, the psalm’s author, asks, “How long shall the wicked triumph?”

From the audience, you feel the sounds of the organ filing the room, moving the air, reverberating down your spine. This is music that makes you sit up in your seat.

“That’s what happens when you have air going through the pipes,” says Hardin. “You have a presence in the room you cannot get with electronic instruments. It is such a majestic and glorious sound.”

A gift of longtime FIU philanthropist Dr. Herbert Wertheim, FIU’s pipe organ was custom made by one of the country’s preeminent organ builders, the Schantz Organ Company of Ohio. The organ’s completion earned FIU the cover photo of the October 1999 issue of the journal The American Organist with an accompanying essay by Schantz Tonal Director Jeffrey Dexter. In his essay, Dexter noted that Schantz organs are typically built for churches, so Schantz relished the opportunity to customize an organ for a university with a thriving School of Music and outstanding concert hall.

“This instrument is unquestionably one of the finest concert organs to be found anywhere in the state of Florida,” Dexter wrote.

FIU graduate student Adrian Quesada, who is studying piano performance, recently began studying on the Wertheim organ. He has played on other church organs but FIU’s organ, he said, is something special.

“The sound and color representation it offers is great,” he said. “Nothing compares to it.”   ♦

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Kemal Gekic, Professor of Piano Performance and Artist in Residence
Pianist Kemal Gekic’s playing has been acclaimed worldwide by audiences and critics alike. Born in Split, Croatia, in 1962, Gekic amazed his family by accurately picking out melodies at the piano at age one and a half.

I have found that, aside from a sheer aesthetic pleasure, music offers the most when connected to a social mission. I remember an occasion of which I am very proud. Back in the 1980s, I was living in Europe and the regional hospital needed new equipment, specifically an instrument used for eye surgery. The hospital served a whole province, and lack of equipment meant that interventions had to be postponed indefinitely or people had to be referred to other hospitals that were quite remote and many people wouldn’t have the means to travel. I was approached by a delegation of hospital executives who asked if I could help raise $1.5 million.

It was obvious a benefit concert in a normal-sized hall wouldn’t do. We launched a broad campaign and booked a sports stadium to play for a larger number of people.

The concert was a success and became a unique event in my life. Thousands of people listened in a sports hall to the music of Bach, Mozart and Chopin – through several dozen huge speakers, each piece enhanced by a color light show. The success was overwhelming. In the end, a number of necessary medical instruments were acquired, and it turned out that a number of people that I knew, including a member of my family, had their sight restored through this service. I received many honors, among them a special recognition by the province, as well as free service from the hospital for life, which I hope never to use.

David Dolata, Associate Professor of Musicology
As a lutenist David Dolata has appeared at such venues as the Glimmerglass Opera in New York, the Florida Grand Opera in Miami, the Boston Early Music Festival and the Spoleto Festival’s Early Music Series, and on broadcasts and recordings for NPR, BBC and CBS Sunday Morning.

Both my parents had unique experiences as adults that led to my family’s developing an appreciation for music. My mother, highly cultivated in all things except music, contracted TB and had to spend several months in the hospital. Next to her in the ward was a delightful woman from Afghanistan with an addiction to opera. My first and most enduring musical memory is listening with my mother to the “Anvil Chorus” from Verdi’s Il Trovatore, a melody that still thrills me to the core.

During the Korean War, my father was stationed at a U.S. Air Force base near Munich. Since his native language was Polish, he spent his off-duty hours in the barracks reading to try to improve his English. Another guy in his platoon also hung out there: Johnny Cash. After three years of listening to him practice guitar everyday, my father found the sound as natural as that of the singing birds and missed it after returning to the states. So my mother bought my father a guitar. He never picked it up, but I did.

Years later while working my way through college as a musician, wandering from major to major, a friend suggested that I should bloom where I was planted and pursue music as a career. From that moment, everything changed. Now, my work is my play, and every morning I can’t wait to dig in.

Cathy Benedict, Coordinator of Music Education
Cathy Benedict is the School of Music’s coordinator of music education. She advises all music education students as well as teaches undergraduate and graduate classes.

I’ve been making music as long as I can remember, perhaps because I was always searching for and desiring to construct musical memories. Of course, memories are after the fact and what I am always consciously or unconsciously yearning to experience are moments that most certainly must be called aesthetic encounters. But I have to say that once I began facilitating musical environments with young children my most powerful musical memories came from the joy that is made manifest as we discover and experience singing and “musicing” together.  And now that I am able to lead classes at FIU that bring together parents, FIU students and young children in multi-generational and diverse ways, my life is filled with musical moments that surely will become profound musical memories.

Orlando Jacinto Garcia, Director of the School of Music
Through more than 100 works, Orlando Jacinto Garcia has established himself as an important figure in the new music world. The distinctive character of his music has been described as “haunting sonic explorations” with “a certain tightness and rigor infrequently found in music of this type.”

My greatest musical memory was hearing the premiere of my work “Threnody for the Americas” performed by the New World Symphony Orchestra and soprano Joan La Barbara with Dennis Russell Davies conducting as part of the New Music America Festival in December 1988. The performance by these excellent musicians was very important for my career as a then-young composer. The performance was at an incredibly high level. It was extremely satisfying and rewarding and left me hooked on writing for the orchestra – my favorite ensemble to this day. 

Marcia Littley, Artist in Residence
A violinist and founding member of the Amernet String Quartet, Marcia Littley has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the United States and in Mexico, and has participated in many music festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, Interlochen, Tanglewood and the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall.

Some of my happiest memories are of my own family’s “musicales.” We gathered together for the sheer joy of playing. I would grab the violin, my mother would sit at her harpsichord, and my dad and sister would take up their flutes. We would play Bach and Handel and Mozart. It was a real family affair.

With professional musicians as parents, I remember playing the piano since I was very tiny. I remember being held in my parents’ laps and looking down at this vast piano keyboard. It seemed ginormous. Later, when I was 7, I switched from piano to violin after I heard an orchestra up close in concert at my school. I loved the instrument and cut out a violin of cardboard and put rubber band strings on it. I showed it to my parents, and they rented me a violin and got me a teacher right away.

As someone who teaches music as well as plays professionally, I love the idea of passing on tradition. My mentor used to tell me stories about his mentor, and eventually I got to study with my teacher’s teacher, who by then was a legend to me. My mentor also gave me his violin bow, which I recently gave to a student who was going to a master class in France. It’s incredible how something like that can make a huge difference. Not only is it a very good bow, but the act of passing it along represents a vote of confidence in my student and keeps the torch moving forward.

Robert Dundas, Associate Professor of Music, Director of Vocal Studies and Founder of the Opera Theater
Robert Dundas has performed in more than 30 operas, including Almaviva, Tamino, Don Ottavio, Nemorino, Don Jose, and the Duke of Mantua.

Throughout my musical studies, I dreamed of having a successful career as a professional singer.  I was fortunate to always find part-time employment during my college years, and I also had my share of solos in college productions. However, as I neared the completion of my studies, my teachers all felt that I had a greater talent as an opera stage director. With their encouragement, I even found employment as an assistant stage director at the Metropolitan Opera. It appeared I was headed for a career as a professional opera director—until I went to Germany to attend an intensive German language course.

Prior to beginning the course, friends encouraged me to audition for a German opera agent. Much to my surprise, the audition was very successful, and the agent sent me to a professional opera house for another audition. Again, the audition went very well and, before I could even begin my German language course, I had received a contract to sing in a professional opera house for the following season.

Of course, this was the answer to all my dreams and I remained in Germany for another 12 years, singing many roles in a variety of professional opera houses. I was even able to continue my directing career while I was there!   ♦

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The “they” are mostly young men, non-music majors with a love for the instrument but none to call their own.

So they come in a nearly non-stop procession to tickle the ivories – or bang on the keys, as the case may be – of a public baby grand piano.

Located in the Graham University Center (GC) at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus in a lounge filled with overstuffed modular furniture and sporting an FIU-blue carpet and walls covered with student art, the black beauty attracts students who primarily want to express themselves.

Kevin, the self-taught bio major

“I do it for myself,” says freshman biology student Kevin Hernandez, who has played the trumpet for seven years but began teaching himself piano only months ago. “I don’t want to be a piano player in a band.”

At home he has a 77-key electronic keyboard on which he started playing by ear.

“It does all these fancy tones, all these synthetic sounds,” he says. “But the real thing is always better. When I find a real acoustic piano, I usually play on it.” At FIU, during student orientation, he recalls, “The minute I saw it, I was so happy.”

So he jumps at the chance to practice popular songs such as Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and Adele’s “Someone Like You,” with the occasional “Phantom of the Opera” or Beethoven’s “Tempest Sonata,” third movement, thrown in for good measure. Like most of the musicians who lay it on the line in GC, Hernandez plays without sheet music. He does, however, interrupt himself to take cell calls and check his phone for texts, and he regularly stops and starts to replay sections of songs that give him trouble.

The results? Well, um, far from concert quality but definitely better than your little sister’s first recital.

FIU’s Got (Some) Talent

“Sometimes, it’s like, ‘You shouldn’t be practicing in public,’” says sophomore Shannon O’Neal of what she hears emanating from the instrument. She is one of the accidental audience of students and occasional professors who congregate in the area to work on laptops, sip Jamba Juice, socialize with friends and take naps. Other times, O’Neal adds, “It’s really good.”

The staff of Orientation and Parent Programs, who work in office space immediately adjacent to the lounge, confirm the mixed bag of skill levels.

“The majority do have talent,” someone says to general agreement. Adds student assistant Kenya Adeola with a smile, “Sometimes they play really pretty songs.” But then she recalls the guy who brought along a guitarist, a saxophonist and singers, and her face clouds over.

And as music often does, the tunes generated at the GC piano have stirred strong emotions. Several months ago, the FIU school newspaper published a story online about a student who reportedly hurled insults and then textbooks at a pianist who played the same three songs over and over again in a seemingly never-ending loop. “His major must be music annoyance,” quipped one witness.

Gabriella, the pre-med pianist

Many observers are hard pressed to recall seeing a female at the keys.

Weeks of stakeouts in the lounge finally yielded a sighting of senior pre-med student Gabriella Guerrero, who started playing piano as a child in her native Ecuador.

The classical music aficionado has no idea why more women don’t sit down at the GC instrument, but she cites a number of reasons for her taking advantage of the opportunity, among them a chance to release “any emotions and stress.” She also references scientific research that playing an instrument can help boost creativity and problem-solving skills.

“I try to keep the music in my life because I know it’s beneficial,” she says. “I play as much as I can. It keeps me sharp for my classes.”

The people’s piano

Ruth Hamilton, executive director of GC and the woman behind the piano, confirmed that the current instrument is the original one purchased for the space in 1997: a Japanese-made Kawai. She thought it would add something to the atmosphere and give students a positive outlet.  When she first brought up the idea all those years ago, someone in the School of Music suggested locking away the piano daily at an appointed time to prevent the kind of overuse that requires frequent repairs.

“Are you crazy?” she remembers asking. “It’s going to be left there for the students to play. If we need to fix it every two weeks, we’ll fix it.”

And on that promise, she has made good. Broken pedals and loose keys are repaired as often as needed, sometimes monthly, and tuning for sound quality takes place once per quarter. The bench seat is replaced every year or two as its legs get shaky.

And a custodial worker reportedly caresses the piano daily with a soft cloth.   ♦

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By Martin Haro ’05 | Photos by Doug Garland ’10

Johnny Rez has rock star dreams – and he is determined to achieve them.

Together with three other Panthers, the computer science student has spent the last 18 months jamming on and off campus as Rezolution, a pop band influenced by their church backgrounds and their different musical tastes, which include gospel, hip-hop and smooth jazz.

The band is a mishmash of non-music majors. Recent biological sciences grad Thomas Sebastian ’12 is the band’s pianist and back-up vocalist. Then there’s civil engineering student Michelo “Chelo” Milfort on bass and economics major Cameron Young as the keeper of the beat on drums.

The boys of Rezolution have come a long way since their first gig in the GC Pit at Modesto A. Maidique Campus. They’ve played at Miami landmark Tobacco Road and they recently won the Battle of the Bands contest during Homecoming 2012. They currently are in the process of cutting their first EP of original material.

Rez & Co. recently shared a bit about themselves, their music and their aspirations with   FIU Magazine.

Tell us about your musical backgrounds a little since none of you is actually studying music at FIU.

Thomas Sebastian ’12:  We all have church backgrounds, actually. I always wanted to be in music, so I got involved at my church, St. Mary’s, where I still play the piano.

Michelo “Chelo” Milfort:  My family attends Salvation Army services, and I’ve been doing music since I was 9. My father was a pastor, so I was always involved through him, playing different instruments. I can play the drums, the bass, brass. I played the trumpet for a while, and the tuba. But bass is how I do my thing.

Cameron Young:  I go to the Church of Jesus Christ. I’ve been doing music there since I was 8, playing the drums. I was always musically inclined. I grew up watching my family play instruments. Music was all around me: my dad played the piano; my uncle played the trombone….

Johnny Rez:  Church and music have always been a part of my life. Even when I was doing drugs years ago, God was working and preparing me for the things to come. He used music to get me on the right path. And that’s really how we got our name .

How do you mean?

Johnny:  Well, my full name is Jonathan Perez, but I go by Johnny Rez, so that’s where it comes from. But it also comes from the idea of making a decision to change for the better, which is something everyone can relate to.

Chelo:  He literally puts the “Rez” in “Rezolution.”

What kind of music do you like to play? And do you write your own songs?

Thomas:  Johnny and I co-wrote a song called “Shooting Star” about this girl I met when we were working in FIU’s office of Multicultural Programs and Services who shall remain nameless.

Johnny:I lean pretty much toward pop. But when we get together to rehearse, we do spend a lot of time bouncing different ideas off one another. We’re recording “Shooting Star” as a demo, as part of an EP.

Thomas:  I like hip-hop and R&B.

Cameron:  Me too. I like the grooves of hip-hop. But I also like gospel.

Chelo:  I’m a smooth jazz man.

Johnny:  I’d say our sound is a blend of pop and smooth jazz with lots of chord and melody changes. When we cover a song we like to re-create the original, so you only half-recognize it.

Thomas:  Rehearsing this semester has been harder than before because of our schedules. I don’t live in Miami anymore [he is working on a master’s in health administration at FAU], but we get together twice a week. We rehearse a lot – until our fingers and hands get numb. And like Johnny said, we’re always writing something.

Johnny:  I really want to get serious about that, about our own songwriting.

What else interests you? What do you want to be when you grow up?

Chelo:  I’m an entrepreneur, and I just finished a short neo-noir film. I’m launching two Web apps. One is a social network that rewards usage at the end of the year and the other one will allow students to sell their used books to one another directly and set their own prices.

Cameron:  I wanted to be an accountant, but my freshman year I was too into the ladies, so I started college on the wrong foot. So I switched to economics. I want to get better at the drums. Mostly, I just wanna be happy.

Johnny:  I definitely aspire to be a professional musician and recording artist. I want to go into the studio and be on the road and do concerts. That’s my dream. There’s no doubt about it.

Thomas:  If we don’t get a record deal in the near future, then I plan on being a health administrator for a private practice facility. My dream is to be a music producer behind the scenes, though. I hope it happens.

Are you parents supportive of your music?

Cameron:  They’re down. Right now I don’t think I’m in a hurry to finish school because I’d rather focus on the music, but they say my education is something no one can ever take away from me.

Thomas:  My dad wasn’t sold on it – and he’s a musician himself who tours with this Indian superstar. He would prefer I focus on school, but my mom’s my biggest fan.

Chelo:  My pops understands that hard work pays off. He gets it. So he encourages me to work hard. My mom supports me, too, but she’s a mom. She worries that I’ll do too much band and not enough school.

Johnny:  My parents are really supportive, but they definitely keep me in check, make sure I got my priorities straight. My mom’s always looking for places where we can play.

Cameron:  And she provides the food when we rehearse.

Thomas:  We rehearse at Johnny’s house a lot.  

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Since 1999, Ian Grocher ’99, a.k.a. DJ Irie, has been pumping up crowds for the Miami Heat and at clubs around the world, never forgetting that home is where his Panther heart lives. 

As DJ Irie, the official DJ for the Miami Heat, producer/entertainer Ian Grocher ’99 was made to be in the spotlight.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication grad and winner of the 2012 Charles E. Perry Young Alumni Visionary Award thrives as a party starter.

The guy is equally at ease commanding the decks at some of South Beach’s hottest clubs as he is taking the stage for an FIU fundraiser to the tune of PSY’s “Gangnam Style” – complete with all the right dance moves.

“Irie…Ian’s energy is infectious. He is a tremendous entertainer and he has amazing passion and love for what he does and FIU,” said Lourdes Balepogi ’00, the chair of the FIU President’s Council’s First Generation Task Force, which hired him to serve as master of ceremonies for a recent event. “Everywhere he goes he brings what is needed to pump up a room and get them excited for the occasion.

“It’s so great to see him doing his thing both at home, at the clubs and at FIU and all around the world.”

Ian Grocher is a natural born entertainer, a Miami boy through and through. Born in St. Croix, he was raised in the Magic City and Jamaica.

“I was what my mom called the ‘wash baby’ – the last one – and I was outgoing, the life of the party. I always spoke my mind,” he said. “My parents get all the credit [for my getting into music]. Growing up we had a music room, and my dad had this big sound system and vinyl everywhere. I used to sneak in there and play his Stevie Wonder records and his Marvin Gaye records. Bob Marley….”

He was completely hooked. “Next thing you know, I’m off to school and I’m using my lunch money to buy records,” he said. “I was like, ‘Who needs food, man – give me the latest singles.’”

Growing up the son of education-driven Jamaican parents (dad was a Sears services station manager, mom an RN), however, he knew they had firm ideas about the kind of life choices he should make. Music wasn’t on the list. He had his doubts, too.

“There were pretty much two options when it came to a career: doctor or lawyer. Check A or B,” he said. “I always wanted to be in music, but I guess I was in denial for a while because I didn’t really understand that you could actually have a career [in music] or thought that that was out of reach for someone like myself.”

So Grocher did the practical, please-your-parents thing: he enrolled at FIU and was initially on a medical path. It wasn’t long before he veered off track, however, as he found himself spending his every free moment playing at the turntables. Dropping out, however, was never an option. He had a full scholarship at the university and he knew he had to show his parents something to earn their blessing so he could pursue music.

Junior year was the turning point.

“I was already doing parties on campus and in the Grove and on the beach. I was sustaining myself and paying my own bills and I was happy doing that,” he said. “By the time graduation rolled around, I knew I had to make a decision about the rest of my life.

“So I decided to focus on music as my business and on making myself happy, and it was the best decision I ever made.”

A star is born

Grocher became Irie at Hot Wheels, the beloved Miami skating rink where he worked as a skating guard and did “my DJ thing on the side.”

It was the head DJ there who put in a good word for him with the manager, who was looking for another act for the rink’s lineup of entertainment.

“So I get this shot, and I’m about to grab the mic, and Manny, the head DJ, asks for my DJ name, and I say, ‘DJ…Ian?’ and he says, ‘That’s horrible!’ and he asks for something else,” Grocher recalled. “He knows I’m Jamaican and he dubs me DJ Irie right then and there.”

“Irie” means happy, pleasant. “I guess it fits,” he said.

Irie as a business, as a brand, soon followed suit. Grocher established his company, Irie Music, Corp., and began assembling his team, marketing his name and developing a sought-after persona.

Today, his passion for music has given way to a lucrative business that includes ventures in talent development/management and commercial/voiceover work. He also has a thrice-a-week radio show on 99 Jamz and is a regular fixture on TV’s Good Morning America.

The once twinkle-eyed college kid who got his start with gigs that paid $8 an hour is now a go-to bold-name entertainer that commands a cool five figures a show. Plus, he’s also the official tour DJ for the Oscar-winning actor and entertainer Jamie Foxx – the pair traveled to the French Riviera just a few months ago for a couple of late-summer parties – and a pioneer of his field as the first official DJ for any professional sports team in the United States.

“The Heat job came about in 1999, when I was just getting started,” he said. “They really courted me and, get this, I remember turning them down – I thought I was keeping it real, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer. And I did say no.”

Grocher figured he had a good thing going. He was the resident DJ at one of the old Level nightclub, and he think feel the music he was playing would translate for a basketball audience.

The Heat brass persisted, though, and eventually, they struck just the right chord.

“No one was doing this. No team in the NBA had an official DJ; no one in the NFL or the MLB, either,” he said. “It had never been done before. So to have the opportunity to open a door, to be a trailblazer – they had me at that.”

Fortune always has been on Grocher’s side, on DJ Irie’s side. The proof in this case isn’t in the pudding but hanging on his walls – and on his ring finger.

His home office is decorated with several plaques recognizing his efforts as a breaker of Def Jam Records artists like Foxy Brown, Ja Rule and Ludacris. And he has not one but two NBA Championship rings for his efforts with the Heat.

Those who know the guy well know success has not gone to his head.

One of the good guys

“I’ve known Ian for years and I can tell you that the guy he was back when we were at school is the guy he is today,” said Orlando Amorin ’01. “He is humble. He always puts the interests of others ahead of his. He’s not just a friend – he is a brother for life.”

Amorin would know: In 1998, the pair ran a successful campaign for the presidency and vice presidency of the Student Government Association at University Park (now know as Modesto A. Maidique Campus). Amorin, the co-founder and marketing director of the HipStar skaterwear clothing line, remembers meeting Grocher when they worked at the on-campus radio station and striking up a friendship almost immediately.

“We really got along really well from the get go, so when I decided to run I couldn’t think of anyone else I wanted to run with but Ian,” he said. “It took some convincing, and we were a late addition to the ballot. But I had to have him. He’s easy to work with and his energy and ethics were and are contagious.”

Amorin and Grocher ran what would today be considered a vintage campaign. They had buttons and flyers and relied on word of mouth to earn their votes. Among one of their platform’s promises was to deliver to FIU its first FM station, which they did when WRGP began broadcasting on the FM dial as 88.1.

“That was one of my proudest moments,” said Grocher.

Another point of pride for the Panther: his ability and willingness to give back, to his community and to his alma mater.

For years, Grocher has supported and worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Mourning Family Foundation and the Special Olympics, among others, and he has hosted the annual Irie Weekend for the past eight years.

The weekend’s centerpiece is a star-studded golf tournament that raises funds for the Irie Foundation, which supports educational and extracurricular programs for underprivileged kids.

And every chance he gets, Grocher comes back to FIU to lend his star wattage to a university celebration or initiative. In addition to fundraisers, he has played at Homecoming and campus parties.

“If there is a place where FIU lives, that is in my heart,” he said.

“Everything Ian has accomplished is because of that big heart he has,” Amorin said. “I’m not surprised he’s as successful as he is.”   ♦

If you enjoyed this story and would like to receive FIU Magazine online, subscribe here: go.fiu.edu/subscribe.

Skip to decade:   1970s  |   1980s  |   1990s  |   2000s

1970s

Joseph Carvelli ’75, a longtime friend and supporter of the Honors College, is the founder and president of Your Staffing Source, Inc.

Ana Magda Guillen ’75  is the owner of Guillen & Associates, an accounting firm that has been based in Coral Gables for more than 20 years. Guillen is an enrolled agent, a tax specialist licensed by the Internal Revenue Service, and is the new president of the Florida Society of Enrolled Agents.

Maria Guadalupe Rodriguez-Viada ’79, a counseling program manager with United HomeCare, received the Outstanding Leader Award from the Home Care Association of Florida during the 2012 Annual Conference and Tradeshow in Orlando. Rodriguez-Viada was recognized for her outstanding contributions and service to the industry and the patients the association serves.

1980s

Dawn Ostroff ’80  is the new president of Condé Nast Entertainment. The former entertainment chief of the CW television network, Ostroff is responsible for development, creation, production and distribution of original TV, film and digital initiatives based on Condé Nast’s brands.

Carlos J. Martinez ’85 , the only elected Hispanic public defender in the United States, was honored by the Coral Gables Latin Kiwanis Club with its highest award, the 2012 Freedom Award. He was recognized for his “public service, dedication and commitment to the neediest members of the community.” Martinez has instituted numerous programs to help troubled youth get on the right track. He has been vocal about the crisis of minority children being cycled from schools to prisons, the importance of protecting the confidentiality of juvenile records and the need to end the indiscriminate shackling of detained children in juvenile courtrooms.

Jay Starkman, Esq. ’85  is the founder and CEO of Engage PEO, a Fort Lauderdale-based firm that provides human resources to corporations. The 2010 Florida Top Entrepreneur according to   Florida Business Leader, Starkman previously led AlphaStaff Group Inc., another professional employer organization.

1990s

Manuel del Cañal ’91, MS ’98  was promoted to senior vice president in charge of business banking for Miami-Dade at BankUnited. He previously served as the bank’s senior vice president and retail sales manager for southeast Miami-Dade. Del Cañal, a certified public accountant with 24 years of experience, has lectured in the College of Business Administration at FIU.

Rosary Plana Falero ’91, MBA ’94  joined BankUnited as senior vice president of banking. A financial professional with more than two decades of banking experience in South Florida, she previously served as head of the private banking group for City National Bank. An active community member, she serves on the United Way of Miami’s Women’s Leadership Council and mentors the next generation of professionals through the Women of Tomorrow program.

Simone De Oliveira ’92 is a registered dietitian and provides in-home counseling to clients enrolled in United HomeCare’s Nutrition Risk Reduction Program. She recently was named  Outstanding Professional Caregiver at the Home Care Association of Florida’s 2012 Annual Conference and Tradeshow.

Marcel Navarro ’92  is a principal in MMG Equity Partners, a Miami-based privately owned full-service real estate development company that focuses on long-term ownership, management, development and acquisition of commercial properties throughout South Florida.

Miriam Quinn ’93  was promoted to join Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP’s global partnership. A litigator who focuses on technology and intellectual property matters, she regularly handles patent infringement lawsuits in Texas and throughout the United States and has extensive experience in a wide variety of technologies and industries. Quinn also advises technology companies concerning enforcement and defense related to patents and trademarks.

Melissa Criscuolo ’94, an English instructor at FAU, published her first book,   Things In My Backyard . The book is a collection of poetry set amid the Florida landscape that focuses on family and relationships, among other topics.

Ronald B. Neal ’95  is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Religion at Wake Forest University and a recently published author. Neal’s   Democracy in Twenty-First Century America: Notes on Race, Class, Religion, and Region  is an exercise in religious and political philosophy that engages the new face of inequality in America, as well as the new challenges presented to the American democratic project.

Frances Gail Arber Yurkevich ’96  was married to Michael Morris Yurkevich by her lifelong rabbi at the Blue Banquet Hall in Miami on July 10, 2011. The couple – he is a chef, she is a self-employed online merchant of collectibles and antiques – lives in Aventura.

Jeffrey Taraboulos ’96  was promoted to managing partner at Kabat, Schertzer, De La Torre, Taraboulos & Co., a Miami-based accounting and advisory firm. He is now responsible for overseeing the firm’s internal operations and expanding its footprint in the southeast through planned acquisitions, new office openings and the hiring of additional staff. A certified public accountant, Taraboulos has been a partner at the firm since 2004. He focuses his practice on tax and financial planning services, as well as forensic accounting and litigation support.

Christopher J. Ferguson MS ’97  is an associate professor of psychology and criminal justice and the chair of the Department of Psychology and Communication at Texas A&M. He is also a recently published novelist: his debut,   Suicide Kings, revolves around the secrets a young woman in Florence learns following the death of her mother and the lengths to which dark forces will go to protect them. For more information about Ferguson’s book, as well as e-book and print copies, visit   christopherjferguson.com.

Rafael E. M. Pratts ’97 was appointed assistant director of the Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida’s satellite office at the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce.

Mireidy Fernandez ’98  has received her doctorate degree in industrial/organizational psychology from University of the Rockies.

Jacobo “Jake” Pérez ’98, a writer-segment producer for CNN’s New York bureau, has published his first children’s book,   Sweet Coco . Written in rhyme and inspired by his nieces, Pérez’s story follows about a little girl who learns how chocolate is made. The book is available at specialty chocolate shops and independent bookstores in New York, San Francisco and other major cities, as well as online.

Ricky Sant ’99, MBA ’05  is the new assistant director of University Computer Systems for the Graduate School at FIU.

2000s

Larry Fleurantin, Esq. ’00, the principal attorney at Larry R. Fleurantin & Associates, published an article titled “The Debate Continues on Whether to Remand Family Law Cases with Inadequate Findings.” The article appeared in the May 2012 issue of   The Florida Bar Journal.

Marbet Mier Lewis ’00, a counsel attorney at GrayRobinson, P.A., was promoted to shareholder at the firm. Lewis focuses her practice on the laws governing alcohol industry trade practices and other regulated products.

Carmen (Arus) Piles ’00  is the new director of the American Cancer Society’s Leadership Giving department. In her new role, she is overseeing the launch of organization’s newest Laureate Society for is Florida division.

Steven M. Harper, Esq. ’01  was named partner at Harper Meyer Perez Hagen O’Connor Albert & Dribin, LLP, after five years as an associate at the Miami-based firm. Harper focuses his law practice on aviation and maritime finance, taxation and regulation and also serves in the firm’s international and corporate practice groups. He also has worked with the Legal Advisory Panel of the Aviation Working Group, an organization comprising aircraft manufacturers and leasing and financing companies dedicated to developing and promoting policies and laws that facilitate advanced international aviation financing and leasing.

Tina Vidal-Smith ’02, MIB ’04  is the director of Corporate Operations for the Pacer Health Corporation, a company specializing in the acquisition and turnaround of financially distressed businesses across several industries. The FIU Torch Award winner is also an owner and co-founder of the ML Management Group, a firm that handles the careers of some of the most pugnacious mixed martial arts athletes in Miami.

Joel Gandara ’03  is the founder of Underwear Station, Inc., a wholesale distributor and manufacturer of men’s underwear and swimwear.

Peter Barbatis Ph.D. ’08  joined Palm Beach State College as vice president of Student Services and Enrollment Management, becoming the college’s first Hispanic vice president. A community college administrator with more than 20 years of experience in Florida, Texas and California, Barbatis previously served a two-year stint as senior vice president of Student Development and Enrollment Management at the Bronx Community College.

Jayesh D’Souza Ph.D. ’09  is the author of   Terrorist Financing, Money Laundering, and Tax Evasion: Examining the Performance of Financial Intelligence Units , a book on   financial counterterrorism.

Diego Novaes ’10, MS ’11  won an award for Best Closing Argument at the 2012 Lone Star Classic in San Antonio, Texas. Novaes is a third-year Stetson University College of Law student.

Ron Warner JD ’10, a South Florida attorney with more than 15 years of litigation experience, joined Fowler White Burnett, P.A., as an associate in the firm’s downtown Fort Lauderdale office. Warner’s practice focuses on insurance litigation.

Christin “Cici” Battle ’11  was among eight Florida university students selected by Gov. Rick Scott for the Gubernatorial Fellows Program, which offers first-hand experience in state government. A former president of the Student Government Association-Biscayne Bay Campus, Battle is currently pursuing a master’s degree in higher education administration at FIU.

John Cogollo ’12, a.k.a. John Cabrali, made his professional operatic debut at the Fort Worth Opera in Texas last spring. The Miami-born, Colombian-raised School of Music graduate was involved with the productions of   Tosca  and   Lysistrata.    ♦

The findings are part of a study on the effects of distractors on children with ADHD. A team of researchers, led by FIU Center for Children and Families Director William E. Pelham Jr., set out to examine how distractions – such as music and television – affect children with ADHD.

Traditionally, Pelham said, parents and teachers believe distractors only have negative effects. Pelham set out to discover how music and videos actually impact the abilities of children with ADHD to focus in the classroom. Leading into the study, Pelham believed the music would have negative effects in many cases, and would have no effects at best. But even a world-renowned psychologist and leading authority on ADHD can be surprised by his own research findings.

“If a kid says he can watch TV and focus, it’s just not true. With television, we found out what we needed to know,” said Pelham, who also serves as chairman of FIU’s Department of Psychology. “But with music we actually discovered, in most cases, it didn’t really affect the children.”

While a few were distracted by music, the majority were not.

“And in some cases,” Pelham noted, “we found listening to music helped the kids with ADHD to complete their work. Actually for this subgroup, the effect of music on them was nearly as effective as medication.”

The research studied both medicated and non-medicated male students with ADHD, as well as a control group of male students who were not diagnosed with ADHD. The students were given the opportunity to weigh in on the music and video selections. The radio stations selected for the music portion of the study featured contemporary music including rock and rap.

“Rather than just assuming it’s better for a child with ADHD to do their homework in complete silence, it may help their concentration to let them listen to music,” Pelham said. “If parents want to know if listening to music will help their child’s performance in school, they should try it. In psychology, we have what we call single-subject-design studies. Basically, it’s trial and error. If a child’s performance improves after trying the music for a period of time, then that’s a pretty good indicator that the child falls into the subgroup of children that benefit from music.”

While the research indicates music may help some, Pelham said there is opportunity to explore why and to what degree.

“There’s actually a lot of different directions you could take this research,” Pelham said. “But I’m an applied person. I like to find out what I can do to help people.”   ♦

If you enjoyed this story and would like to receive FIU Magazine online, subscribe here: go.fiu.edu/subscribe.

Videographer Chris Necuze and I recorded the remarkable history of the College of Law for a   mini-documentary  that was shown at the college’s Sept. 29 gala.

For this video, we interviewed more than a dozen people, many of whom were early advocates and founders of the law school. They spoke, often with surprising emotion, about the need the law school fills in this community and the great pride they feel in its success. More than one person told me that of all the initiatives they’ve participated in at FIU, they are most proud to have been part of the establishment of the law school.

It is easy to understand why they are so proud. As part of the anniversary,   FIU Magazine  Art Director Aileen Sola and I created a commemorative FIU Law magazine. In it, we dedicated 10 pages to stories of law alumni and students. As College of Law Dean Alex Acosta often says, it’s all about the students. We can take pride that we are attracting top-notch students to the law school and in turn, the College of Law is doing a great job educating these future lawyers.The results speak for themselves in the alumni stories.

–Deborah O’Neil MA ’09

“Having the opportunity to attend Oxford is a privilege,” Gil said. “The seeds of American freedom were sown in England. Through my research, I’ve learned the Brits have a scientific and rational approach to politics and conflicts that, I think, the Americas really need. That’s why I wanted to study there.”

Gil will pursue a master’s degree in Latin American studies at the world’s second-oldest university, established more than 900 years ago.

Originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, Gil immigrated to Miami in 1988 as an infant with his parents. He enrolled at FIU in 2006. He credits his upbringing in a religious household with influencing him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

“I’m a church boy. I grew up in the church doing a lot of community service,” Gil said. “I wanted to learn about philosophy because I needed to find ways to intelligently express what I believe in.”

At FIU, Gil was a McNair Scholar. He was also active with Student Government Association and the Honors College and served as intern with the Honorable Judge Julio Jimenez of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.

“I’m tremendously proud of Juan. He was an outstanding student and I enjoyed supervising his McNair Fellowship project, which turned into a co-authored book chapter,” said Nicol Rae, senior associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and professor of political science. “I think he will be an excellent ambassador for FIU at Oxford, and I expect him to excel there as he has done here.”

Gil co-wrote a paper with Rae that compares political parties in the United States and the United Kingdom. Titled “Party Polarization and Ideology: Diverging Trends in Britain and the U.S.,” it was published in The Legacy of the Crash: How the Financial Crisis Changed America and Britain (2011).

Gil earned a second bachelor’s degree in political science in 2011. 

Gil’s long-term plans include obtaining a doctorate degree in international relations and dedicating his career to diplomacy.

“I like non-profits, I like Latin America and I like the church,” Gil said. “If I can do work relating to any of these three, I’ll be happy.”

By Deborah O’Neil MA ’09

On the first day of class, the stories spilled out, painfully, haltingly, uncomfortably. The morning when school bus driver Christopher pulled over on I-95 to snort cocaine before picking up 72 children. The day Doreen decided being battered by the streets was better than being raped by her uncle. The childhood of beatings and incest that drove Anita to drug abuse and crime, until one day she’d had enough.

The Miami residents, each of them transitioning out of homelessness with the help of the Miami Coalition for the Homeless, had gathered at FIU to tell their stories to Joann Brown, chair of FIU’s new communications arts degree program in the College of Architecture + the Arts. As devastating as the stories were, for those sitting in the audience the presentations ranged from confusing to straight-up boring. That would soon change. This was day one of a semester-long journey that would give the 
formerly homeless renewed purpose 
and Brown’s public speaking students 
an unexpected lesson.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 12, 2006, two Plantation teenagers wielding bats beat to death one homeless man and brutalized two others in Fort Lauderdale. During the criminal trial, one of the survivors, Raymond Perez, described how he’d been sleeping on a blanket in a church courtyard when he was attacked. The teens were grinning and laughing as they struck him. The violent spree brought new attention to the problem of homelessness in America and the realities of life on the streets. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimates that each year, more than three million people experience homelessness, including 1.3 million children. Their days are marked by hunger, sickness and violence.

The National Coalition for the Homeless documented 1,182 attacks and 312 deaths of homeless individuals around the country between 1999-2010. Homeless men, women and children have been kicked, set on fire, beaten and
decapitated. Nearly half of the people who commit these crimes are under 
age 20. Three-quarters of the perpetrators 
are under age 30.

In Miami-Dade County, the Miami Coalition for the Homeless recognized education was one part of the answer. The Coalition established a Faces of Homelessness Speakers Bureau in 2009. Through the bureau, homeless and formerly homeless individuals share their personal stories with others to raise awareness of who becomes homeless and why. The speakers visit schools and community organizations throughout South Florida telling their stories.

“We needed to educate the community about the issue of homelessness,” said 
Devin Floyd, an Americorps Vista volunteer who heads the speakers bureau with Mabel Colon. “Maybe we can lessen crimes against the homeless.”

On the first day, Brown listened, quietly and patiently, as the formerly homeless, all members of the Miami Coalition for the Homeless Speakers Bureau, told long, rambling stories filled with graphic detail. Sometimes they forgot what they were saying. Threads of stories were left hanging. They repeated themselves. Almost no one had a point to make. They just talked.

And when they were done, Brown 
began teaching.

“You all are very strong and have come through a lot,” Brown told the speakers on the first day. “Your stories could be so much more impactful to the people who listen to them if you planned out what you were going to say.”

The group was participating in an innovative classroom project that teamed them with undergraduates taking Brown’s public speaking class. The project, heading into its third year this fall, gives students an opportunity to practice the communication skills they are learning by coaching the Homeless Coalition speakers.The speakers spend the semester writing, refining and practicing the delivery of their personal stories with instruction from the students and from Brown. Each year, some of the speakers drop out of the program. Those who stay learn how to develop a powerful opening statement and circle back to it in the closer. They learn to speak slowly, project their voice and gesture with their hands, but not too much. They find out that, with practice, you really can stop saying “umm.”

When the course is over, the speakers take their presentations on the road, bringing a dose of reality to the many wrong assumptions people make about homelessness. Brown’s hope is that the speakers will use the tools they learn at FIU to deliver a powerful message. Even though the speakers will eventually find themselves before auditoriums filled to the brim, it turns out that for them, the “Big Day” is the last day of class when they give their final presentations to the FIU students.

On the final day of class, the room was filled with nervous energy. There was a VIP appearance by Dean Brian Schriner. The Executive Director of the Miami Coalition for the Homeless Bobbie Ibarra was there too. Four members of the original group of speakers – Doreen, Anita, Winnie and Dean — had finished the program and today they would deliver their presentations, polished and professional.

Anita went first. Deep breath. She began. “Did you all know…” She stumbled. Then stopped. “Give me a minute. I messed up.” Another deep breath. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Did you all know that sometimes people live twice? Well I have, and this is my story.”

Her gut-wrenching biography unfolded with a clarity she’d never thought possible. Anita’s memories are foggy from so many years of drug use. But with the help of the FIU students, she’d put it all together. She never knew her mother. Her father was a pimp. He raped her repeatedly.

“I remember one night the TV was on. I’d pray that the people inside the TV would see what he was doing to me, but the help never came.” She started living on the streets at age 11 or 12, sleeping in abandoned buildings. She prostituted herself for drug money and ended up in prison. “Crack cocaine brought me to 
my knees.”

Three years ago, on a particularly cold night, she found herself looking up from the street into a condo with a flickering TV. Those people were probably lounging on their sofa in soft pajamas snacking on something yummy. And that night, Anita decided she was done. “I was tired of the life I was living.”

Today, Anita is three years clean and works at American Airlines Arena. For her closer on the final day, she spoke of her will to continue on her new path. “As long as I keep being…” She paused, scanning the students for help. “The word is in my head.”

“Determined?” a student offered.

“Yes! That’s it,” Anita broke into a huge 
smile. “As long as I keep being determined, 
I will prevail.”

Anita, Doreen, Winnie and Dean finished their final presentations to the admiring applause of everyone in the class. And then they all sat together — as students who had shared something important over the course of a semester — and reflected on how far they had come together.

“It’s truly been a learning experience for me,” Dean said. “When you go through the process of public speaking training, it educates you. I aspire to be an inspiring, motivational speaker.”

Freshman Brianna Phillipe said the class was not only about speaking and structure and delivery. “It was also about what they were saying…what they went through and how they overcame it, and how they were going
to relate that to an audience so
it is inspiring.”

Freshman Chelsea Byerly learned in her public speaking class that homelessness is not so simple. “It could be one choice that changes the direction of your life,” she said. “I didn’t know that.”

Hearing about homelessness first hand made it real, the students said. And Naomi Baptiste appreciated the opportunity to do some good for the cause as part of her coursework.

“There are things we can do,” she told her classmates. “I’ve never had a chance to personally feel like I’m doing something and making a difference. I really like that we got the chance to connect on this level as opposed to just donating somewhere.”

As the last class ended, Anita looked around the room with the wisdom she’s earned. “You all are very beautiful,” she told the students. “I didn’t go far in school. I left in the eighth grade. It felt good to sit in a university. I can tell my grandkids, I did go to a university.”   ♦

The Communication Arts Department Studio is available to alumni and university-affiliated community members interested in receiving assistance and coaching for speeches, presentations and interviews. Contact them at communicate.fiu.edu.

Windows were blown out throughout the Botta family’s house. Three-quarters of the roof was missing, and its trusses were twisted as if by a tornado. The furniture, their clothes, family heirlooms, photographs – all of it was gone.

“When we opened the door, it looked like a nuclear winter,” remembered Botta, now director of communications for FIU’s School of International and Public Affairs. “Our neighborhood was just devastated. It was unrecognizable. You realized the utter destruction. Everything that you knew was gone.”

Two decades later, as South Florida marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, FIU is unveiling the country’s most powerful hurricane simulator. The massive machine, known as the Wall of Wind or WOW, generates wind speeds up to 157 miles per hour for purposes of testing the hurricane resiliency of everything from private homes to warehouses to light poles.

By recreating Mother Nature’s fury, researchers will help build safer, storm-resistant communities around the world. For people like Botta who have witnessed the destructive power of hurricanes first-hand, South Florida is an appropriate home for such a facility.

“Anyone who lived through Hurricane Andrew or has seen the images of devastation and despair in communities after hurricanes, knows how important this research is to save lives and improve the quality of life for all of us in South Florida,” College of Engineering and Computing Dean Amir Mirmiran said.

Performance testing

FIU’s International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) has been at the forefront of hurricane research for more than a decade. With IHRC’s new Wall of Wind, FIU has set itself apart from all other universities with a unique facility that allows researchers, businesses and government agencies to test and analyze how their products and services perform in hurricane conditions.

The WOW stands behind 26-foot doors on the FIU Engineering Campus. Measuring 8,000 square feet, it has 12 massive electric fans, each of them six feet in diameter. With 8,400 horsepower behind them, the fans can generate winds up to the level of a Category 5 hurricane – similar to Hurricane Andrew.

“With the Wall of Wind, we can answer many questions related to transportation and infrastructure, so that when we build, we build smarter,” said engineering Professor Peter A. Irwin, who recently joined FIU. He has consulted on many of the world’s largest skyscrapers and conducted research on the effects of high winds on large structures and long-span bridges.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Arindam Gan Chowdhury, a faculty member in IHRC and the lead researcher on the Wall of Wind, says his research aims to mitigate massive losses due to hurricane damage. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused an estimated $27 billion in damage in South Florida. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused $81 billion in damage along the Gulf Coast.

Richard S. Olson, director of Extreme Events Research in FIU’s Division of Research and a professor in the School of International and Public Affairs who specializes in disaster politics, said the Wall of Wind provides unmatched research opportunities to clients from private industry, the government and the academic community.

“One of its capabilities that excites me most is the testing of post-disaster temporary shelters,” Olson said. “In places like Haiti, for example, a country that was hit by an earthquake and is then subject to storms and hurricanes, you have temporary shelters that could be in place for years. We have tested those kinds of shelters in the Wall of Wind so researchers can see how well they hold up in hurricane force winds.”

Filling the void

Today’s Wall of Wind has been more than five years in the making. In 2007, IHRC’s wind engineering team from the College of Engineering and Computing assembled its prototype two-fan mobile unit, which could generate 120 mph winds with a water-injection system simulating horizontal rain. This paved the way for a bigger six-fan structure.

Now, with demand for stronger wind speed testing, FIU has made yet another step forward with its current Wall of Wind, which cost approximately $6 million to construct. The new facility’s capability to replicate a hurricane-level wind with wind-driven rain fills the void where most current wind-structure interaction experiments fail.

The Wall of Wind research team, under Chowdhury’s direction, has already had a significant impact in mitigating hurricane damage.

Recommendations made as a result of Wall of Wind testing were published in the 2010 Florida Building Code. The new code provisions based on the recommendations are geared toward decreasing the vulnerability of roofs. This research-to-application endeavor, at such a rapid pace, underscores the importance of FIU’s Wall of Wind in creating hurricane-resilient communities.

Caroline Spitzer ’12 graduated in May with a bachelor of fine arts in theatre with a focus on costume design. An Honors College graduate, she was recognized as one of the top college costume designers in the nation by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for the costumes she designed for FIU Theatre’s Fall 2011 production of The House of the Spirits. 

1. If given the opportunity, what costumes would you design
for Roary?

Roary definitely needs more outfits. I think it would be fun to model him after celebrities, like Roary Elvis or even Roary Kanye.

2. Did you always want to be a costume designer?

I actually intended to become a pastry chef, but something about it wasn’t settling right with me, so I changed my major to theatre and here
 I am four years later.

3. What is your favorite fabric?

Silk dupioni. It’s expensive, but absolutely fantastic because it resists wrinkles and has a tendency to take creases very well, which gives the final product a crisp look.

4. Tell us about your experience at the American College Theatre National Festival.

Participating in this festival at the national level was definitely an honor. I feel I am now part of this elite group of costume designers that have had this amazing opportunity. At the festival, I took master classes with professional designers from across the country. Having my work reviewed and getting that one-on-one feedback was the most important part of this experience.

5. What is your creative process?

In an academic setting you get the luxury of time. For example, with The House of the Spirits, I read the script four times and read the novel before I began sketching. In the professional world, you have to start designing right away.

One of Spitzer’s sketches for FIU Theatre’s The House of the Spirits. The completed dress is on the far right in the top photo.

6. During this process, do you ever look at costumes from other productions?

No. I don’t want to be influenced. But, I do look at them after the show is over.

7. If you could, for a moment, imagine Lady Gaga’s costume closet. What would you recommend she wear next?

Actually, I wouldn’t recommend a costume at all. I think she should perform in regular clothes and shock her fans and critics.

8. Your thoughts on Halloween?

Halloween is my favorite holiday! last year I was Rosie the Riveter and the year before I was one of the toddlers from the TV show, Toddlers
& Tiaras.

9. Normally we wouldn’t ask, but in this case we feel it’s appropriate what is your favorite color?

Apple green.

10. Do you judge what people wear?

I do notice. I’d actually like to ask you a couple of questions about 
your outfit.   ♦

Skip to decade: 1980s | 1990s | 2000s

1980s

Sally Sims ’81 is vice president of marketing and business development for University Credit Union. She received the Card Services for Credit Unions 2012 CAMEO Award for her second-place finish in the marketing category for 2011-2012 MasterCard promotion earlier this year.

During his keynote address at Modesto A. Maidique Campus last April, Urbina said he never expected the invitation. “But as a man of letters, as a scholar, as a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati,” he said, “I fully understand the importance and significance of this honor.”

Urbina reminded students of Phi Beta Kappa’s founding principles: the free exchange of ideas, liberty of expression and scientific inquiry. Those principles have guided his life’s journey. He left Nicaragua in 1980 disenchanted with the Sandinista revolution and drove a taxicab in Miami. He recalled spending hours at the library wondering how he was ever going to become a writer. His sister-in-law encouraged him to take classes at FIU.

“I took Literature and Revolution,” he said. “What a revolution it was. A new world of hope and opportunity opened to me…. Many of you are graduating. You will take with you the principles you acquired in your education. Hopefully you will use those talents for the common good.”

1990s

Samuel C. Jackson MPA ’90 was honored and feted for his work as the first African-American administrator in the Department of Food and Nutrition by Miami-Dade County Public Schools last February, in recognition of Black History Month.

Mauricio Rivero ’91, JD ’05 has joined the Florida-based law firm of Avila Rodriguez Hernandez Mena & Ferria, LLP, as an associate in the taxation and estate planning practice. Rivero focuses on federal income taxation and estate planning for domestic and international clients. His previous experience includes a 10-year tenure as a revenue agent with the Internal Revenue Service.

Gabriel A. Rincón-Mora ’92 is a professor at Georgia Tech. The winner of the first Charles E. Perry Young Alumni Visionary Torch Award focuses his research on the design and development of silicon-based integrated circuits that draw and condition power from tiny batteries, fuel cells and the environment to supply microsystems for biomedical, consumer, industrial and military applications.

Ariana Fajardo, Esq. ’93, an attorney with Orshan and Fajardo, was appointed to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court by Florida Gov. Rick Scott last spring. She previously served as an assistant state attorney with the Eleventh Judicial Circuit from 1996 to 2002.

Diana L. Rodriguez ’94, MS ’99 rejoined the practice of Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant, one of South Florida’s largest public accounting firms, as associate director of its tax services practice.

Jack González ’97, the immediate past president of the FIU Alumni Association, joined BDO USA as director last May. BDO is the fifth largest network of public accounting firms around the world.

2000s

Richard Montes de Oca MBA ’00, former assistant general counsel for Royal Caribbean Cruises, has launched MDO Partners, a boutique law firm specializing in corporate law, global compliance and business ethics. Montes de Oca is one of seven principal attorneys at the firm.

Jose M. Hernandez Jr. ’01 is managing partner at Plasencia, Hernandez & Co., a financial consultant in the areas of insurance and investments. He consults for professionals and business owners in the areas of life and health insurance, disability, long-term care and estate planning.

Sergio A. Tigera ’01, a College of Business Administration alumnus, recently married Aslynn Rivera ’98, MBA ’01, a College of Arts & Science and CBA grad. Tigera works for Caterpillar, Inc.

Luis Vacanti ’01 has joined the Florida-based law firm of Avila Rodriguez Hernandez Mena & Ferria, LLP, as an associate in the corporate and financial services practice. Vacanti focuses on a broad range of transactions in general- and asset-backed finance, capital markets and general corporate work, with a particular emphasis on Brazil and other Latin American countries.

Mary Aviles ’02 was awarded the highly competitive Knight Fellowship for journalism. As a Knight Fellow, Aviles will work on a content-sharing platform for independent Hispanic media to enable them to build larger audiences.

Patricia Birch ’02 received the coveted Counselor of Real Estate credential from The Counselors of Real Estate, an internationally known group of high-profile real estate practitioners, at the group’s annual convention last November. Birch is a Miami-based real estate appraiser and vice president of Gallaher & Birch, a boutique valuation and advisory firm.

Angela Moldoche ’06 is the owner of Triangle Vision Optical, a business she started after emigrating from Cuba to Miami in 1995. She came with one goal: to provide her only son, Enrique Piedra ’05, a better future. FIU became part of their journey toward a new life. Moldoche left behind a successful career as an optometrist and settled in the Magic City to reboot her life. She enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College, eventually transferring to FIU, where she earned a degree in Spanish, and established her own business. Enrique followed in his mother’s footsteps, making good on the dreams she envisioned for him, and graduated from FIU with a degree in liberal studies. He now is a physical education teacher and most recently taught at Citrus Grove Elementary.

Alex Prado ’06, a political science alumnus from the College of Arts & Sciences, is a Ranger-qualified Airborne Infantry officer in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division. He is currently in Afghanistan and sent this letter to his FIU family last winter.

I have made it safely to the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, where my unit and I are staging prior to entering our area of operation in Eastern Afghanistan.

Around this time three years ago, I like to say God told me what I was supposed to be doing for at least the next four years. I had been blessed with the opportunity to study public policy at Harvard, but was torn as to where my studies would take me next.

Up until that point, I had been told that I was a “leader” throughout my experiences during and after FIU. However, anything and everything I had done up to that point was driven by my belief in serving something bigger than me, and that any benefit I may have derived from that service must be paid forward to those who come after me.

Humbled by my peers, I needed a path that would allow me to pay forward all of the sacrifices my family has made coming from Cuba as refugees with nothing, only to give me all that I have today. I wanted to sacrifice and put it all on the line for the only country that could facilitate what my family has been able to accomplish under such circumstances. I wanted to truly test my ability to be a leader in a line of work that has dire circumstances when there is a lack of leadership, as well as myself physically, mentally and spiritually as often as possible and under the toughest of circumstances. I also wanted to exercise a regular practice of self-discipline on a higher level than I was used to, while still feeling young and putting off wearing a suit for a little while longer.

Long story short, I’m now in Afghanistan fighting for a cause that I truly believe in. If I were to say that this was a complete sacrifice, I’d be lying. I love my job, and am proud to put on my uniform everyday. The physical, mental and spiritual challenge has more than quenched my thirst for a test of my abilities, and the journey has only just begun.

My path in life has been blessed with the opportunity to come across amazing individuals who have helped me to shape the way I think, be the person that I am, and grow to be the citizen that I want to be.
I will try to send periodic updates as time allows. May God bless you all and watch over all of your future endeavors.

Estefania Chuecos ’07 is a vice president financial advisor at Chase Investment Services.

Lin-Dai Quant ’07 was promoted to service desk manager at Compuquip Technologies, Inc., one of the largest IT services providers in South Florida. Eric Dosal, the company’s president and CEO, credited Quant’s “strong work ethic and dedication” for her rise through Compuquip’s ranks, which she first joined as a client services representative four years ago.

Michael R. Santana JD ’07 has joined the Orlando office of GrayRobinson, P.A., as an associate in the litigation practice group. He focuses his practice on civil litigation, including insurance litigation, personal injury and professional malpractice matters.

James Woolford ’07, MBA ’10 was appointed to a two-year assignment as consul general of Panama in Toronto, Canada, last spring. He previously worked in the treasury department of Copa Airlines where he was responsible for more than $600 million in investments.

Ana Alvarez Osteen MBA ’08 is Apollo Bank’s new chief credit officer. She previously served as senior vice president and credit risk manager at Miami’s Expocredit Corp.

Christopher Avila MA ’08 has joined the Florida-based law firm of Avila Rodriguez Hernandez Mena & Ferria, LLP, as an associate in the corporate and financial services practice. Avila focuses on business law.

Jazmine Ramirez ’11 is an account executive at Daisho Creative Strategies, a Miami-based design and marketing firm.

Andres Rodríguez MS ’11, a first-time documentary filmmaker, presented Levantándose del Pantano at last April’s Puntos de Vista 2012, Texas State University’s third international Spanish-language documentary film festival. The film is a 25-minute edit from Rising from the Swamp, a video investigation about how the fishing community of Everglades City survived after commercial fishing in the area was eliminated in favor of the creation of the Everglades National Park and the Big Cypress National Preserve in the 1970s.

Brenezza DaParre ’05, MS ’07 and Charlie Garcia JD ’12 – two FIU lovebirds matched by his mother – were married at Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove on March 10. The wedding and reception were true blue-and-gold affairs. Says DaParre, who is deputy chief of staff in the FIU Office of the President, “We have tons of FIU grads in our circle.”

Indeed, there were more than 55 Panthers in attendance, including DaParre’s former and current bosses, FIU President Emeritus Modesto A. Maidique and FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg, as well as College of Law Dean Emeritus Leonard Strickman, College of Law Dean R. Alexander Acosta and Professor John Stack.

Technically speaking, DaParre says, they met “at a football game the year FIU played in the Orange Bowl. He likes to say our utter obsession for our alma mater is what brought us together.” However, the alumna, who is pursuing a doctorate in higher education, gives credit to his mother.

“His mom used to work in FIU Athletics. We used to work together, so she immediately said I needed to meet Charlie,” DaParre recalls. “It took 10 months for us to officially meet, and even then it wasn’t because she convinced us but because she said she was throwing a staff party at her house…but we were the only ones there.”

The newlyweds also understand what’s important. For his graduation in May, DaParre gifted Garcia with a lifetime membership to the FIU Alumni Association to match hers.

By Bill Beesting

Damion Dunn ’04 died on April 15 in a motorcycle accident. He was 30. Damion had been in my freshman Honors College course in the fall of 2000. As every college professor does, I hope to have some positive impact on every student’s life. Naturally, we don’t affect all. Sometimes we don’t know if we’ve made a difference. Other times we see it immediately.

In Damion’s first semester, he worked on a group project about mythology. Students had to create their own myth, develop a cosmology based on the myth, and explain future expectations for the believers. Damion provided the leadership for his group and they excelled.

Damion was in my Honors class again the following semester, and he and his roommate, Stefan Jhagroo, approached me about doing a conference presentation. They wanted to research how myth builds community and apply that knowledge to the class experience. That led to a presentation at the Florida Honors Conference in Jupiter where Damion and Stefan were praised by students and faculty from around the state. Remarkably, they were still freshmen.

Damion and Stefan presented again at the 2001 Southern Regional Honors Conference in Nashville and then at the 2001 National Collegiate Honors Conference in Chicago. The compliments continued. We went on to present at the 2002 Caribbean Studies Association conference in Nassau on a panel with John Bonas from the U.S. Department of Education. The two sophomores, the only undergraduates presenting at the conference, carried the day.

Damion was struck with wanderlust. “Where can we go next?” he asked. So he wrote a paper for the 2003 Caribbean Studies Association conference in Belize. Damion was by now a junior and presenting by himself at professional conferences. And he was also representing FIU in front of an international audience of scholars. A few short years ago, he had been an unassuming freshman. He listened, though, and saw opportunity. This is why I love teaching, especially freshmen. I get to see them grow as students and mature as adults and scholars. To see Damion standing confidently delivering an excellent paper – that is why I became an educator 33 years ago and have stayed at FIU for 29 years.

In the summer of 2001, he did an internship with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter at Two World Trade Center. That, I’m sure, accounted for his volunteering in 2002 for Alternative Spring Break at the World Trade Center site. CBS ran a show about Spring Break at that time. The other segments looked like Girls Gone Wild, but the final segment featured Damion being interviewed by Dan Rather at the World Trade Center. I had calls the next day from people around the country telling me how proud I must be. I was.

On campus, Damion was deeply involved in student life, participating in a long list of organizations. He did things for FIU because FIU had done things for him, and he enriched the lives of many. In the days after his death, his Facebook page was filled with comments from all those who had been influenced by him.

Damion came to FIU from Jamaica. His mother was a schoolteacher, his father, a cab driver in New York. Eight days into the summer after Damion’s freshman year, his father died. He called me from New York. “Dr. Beesting, I won’t be able to return to FIU. I have no money.” When I see what he accomplished at FIU, I’m happy that I helped increase his financial aid.

All his accomplishments got him into Harvard Law School, where he earned his JD in 2008. After that, he practiced law in New York, and then moved back to Miami to work at Bilzin and Sumberg, where he worked until his death.

At Damion’s FIU graduation, his mother, Esmine Richards-Dunn, threw her arms around me, and said, “Thank you for taking care of my son.” At his funeral, she threw her arms around me and said the exact same words. As I helped place the coffin into the hearse and turned around, she was right behind me. We threw our arms around each other once more, and cried.

It was my pleasure, I thought, knowing I would see Damion whenever I thought of the joys 
of teaching.

Bill Beesting is the associate dean of Undergraduate Education, an Honors College Senior Fellow and founder of the Academy for the Art of Teaching at FIU. A scholarship fund named for Damion has been established to support a student from Jamaica or of Jamaican heritage for study at FIU. Contributions can be made by check to the FIU Foundation with Damion Dunn Memorial Scholarship in the memo, and sent to FIU, University Advancement, 11200 S.W. 8th St., MARC 540, Miami, FL 33199. Donate online by visiting advancement.fiu.edu and clicking on Giving to FIU.

By Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08 | Photos courtesy of FIU Libraries, Special Collections and Rosa Jones

Rosa Jones grew up in Miami during the ’50s when the city was reinventing itself. African-Americans were beginning to move out of the cramped confines created by segregation into white neighborhoods. Waves of Cuban refugees were arriving every day, changing the city’s demographics. And even as the city was in flux, Jones graduated from Mays High School, then a segregated school.

As a young social worker at Jackson Hospital, Jones wanted to be responsive to the needs of her diverse, rapidly growing community. In 1972, at a community meeting, she learned of a public university being built out west. She was offered an assistant professor position and the opportunity to develop the Department of Social Work’s field work curriculum. For Jones, it was an opportunity to engage the community and to help meet the need for higher education. “Teaching and higher education administration were not part of my original career plan. But two years into it, I knew it was what I was meant to do.”

Jones retires this year after 40 years of service to FIU as a founding faculty member. In that time, she has been a professor, department chair, dean and for the last eight years, vice president of Student Affairs. Her legacy as the university’s steadfast and most respected student advocate is unmatched, as is the reach of the student-focused initiatives created under her leadership: Freshman Convocation; model for increasing ratio of academic advisors; Partners in Progress and Invitational Scholars Program; FIU’s participation in National Student Exchange Program; Common Reading Program; parent programs; and expanded student building and facilities.

“Dr. Jones is one of the most thoughtful and passionate advocates for students whom I have ever known,” says President Mark B. Rosenberg, who has worked with Jones since the inaugural years of the university. “Her selfless dedication to FIU and our community set the highest standard possible. She is an exemplary professional and one of the most decent people I know.”

Innovative spirit

For Jones the early days at FIU were invigorating. The founding faculty were mostly young professionals who were open to new possibilities and methodology and believed the university could be great. “There was this innovative spirit to create something great,” says Jones. “We were going to be different.”

The university instituted a pass/fail grading system rather than relying on letter grades; classes were offered four days a week instead of five to allow faculty time to develop infrastructure; and it was not rare for professors to hold classes in their homes. Jones’ office was on the second floor of the abandoned control tower at the center of the old airport that today is Modesto A. Maidique Campus. She could see the old runway lanes from her window. There were few phones and scarce furniture.

“There was a spirit of camaraderie because we were starting from scratch,” she says.

With only about 150 founding faculty members, the FIU community was very close. Founding President Charles “Chuck” Perry encouraged faculty to go out into the community and be of service.
“We wanted to let the community know that we were here and that we were a part of the community.”

For the community

Jones served seven years as the director of the Department of Social Work, during which time the master’s program received initial accreditation. In 1987, she was named associate dean of undergraduate education.

Going from professor to administrator was a natural transition. The McDuffie Riots of 1980 hastened the move. One of the worst race riots in United States history, the McDuffie Riots broke out in Overtown and Liberty City after police officers were found not guilty of killing Arthur McDuffie following a high-speed chase. As a social worker, Jones was asked to assist in working with Dade County Public Schools to increase FIU’s minority student enrollment and build strong relations.

“My new role spoke to my knowledge of the community,” she says. Even today, Jones says FIU’s continued success depends on how responsive the university is to South Florida’s needs and whether the university reflects the diverse community it serves. “I’m excited about the engagement programs I see with President Rosenberg. It goes back to an original mission.”

In its short history, FIU has gone through many phases. “I’ve been at the same institution, but that institution has not been the same,” she says. FIU’s world view has evolved, helping the university transition to a global marketplace. “I get excited when I see what is going on with FIU in China and the continued growth in international students and international programs.”

Student advocate

During her tenure at FIU, Jones has made relationships with students her priority. She’s proud FIU has remained committed to providing students with access to a high-quality education.

“I still get chills at graduation watching students achieve their goals,” she says.

Former Student Government Association president Helena Ramirez ’11 worked closely with Jones when she was a student and says she was a great mentor to her and to many SGA executive board members.
Ramirez says, “There were many nights when student government would be hosting events or working late, and Dr. Jones was still in her office, working. She was always committed to the students. That was her number one priority.”

Ramirez still seeks Jones’ advice. “She is always available for conversations and to write recommendations on my behalf to programs nationwide. She’s been a huge support to me and I’m truly grateful to have had her leadership during my years as a student leader.”

Those late nights in the office produced many positive initiatives for students. In the early days, student programming was limited to a few programs and activities. In more recent years, Jones has led a shift in the focus of student programming as the student base has evolved from older transfer students to traditional college-age students with busy lives. Under her leadership, Student Affairs programs have been tailored to students’ schedules in an effort to more deeply engage them in the life of the university. There are now 300 clubs and organizations as well as more than 35 Greek organizations.

Former Panther basketball standout and aerospace engineer Marlon Bright ’10 first met Jones when he visited FIU as a high school student. He says she made his decision to come to FIU from rural Tennessee easier. “Dr. Jones remained a close and trusted mentor, adviser and mother figure. There were countless scenarios when she was there to lend a helping hand when it seemed my options had run out. I can’t say enough about her and what she means to me and more importantly FIU as a whole.”

Jones admits retiring is bittersweet. “FIU is an integral part of who I am. To some degree, I feel like I grew up here.”

The success of students like Ramirez and Bright are her proudest achievements. “I’d be truly comfortable and satisfied if people characterized me as being responsive to students. I would hope that they’d believe that no matter what position I’ve held, I’ve always been an advocate for students. Period.”

By JP Renaud Mpa ’11 and Martin Haro ’05

They said it would never work, that Miami didn’t need another law school. But the dreams of a determined few, who believed in a public law school that would educate a new generation of civic-minded attorneys, would not be quelled. After all, visionaries are people of action.

Ten years ago, those dreams became actions – and FIU finally had its College of Law. But that wasn’t the end of the dream; it was just the beginning. The next decade would see the birth and growth of a law school that would match – and eventually surpass – all expectations. Highest bar passage rate. Moot court champions. A steady climb in national rankings.

Beyond the accolades and statistics, the greatest dream to come alive rests in the alumni and students. They represent the promise, the future, and FIU Law’s ultimate achievement. These profiles stand as a testament to what has been accomplished thus far. They are the public servants, business and community leaders, the decision-makers who will help shape the 21st century.

Their titles may vary – and each represents a different year in the College of Law’s brief history – but much more connects them than sets them apart. They have a hunger to make a difference. They have a passion for the law and how it can give a voice to those in need.

As elite members of an alumni base that still hails fewer than 1,000 members, they are all forever connected to a blue and gold thread that leads them back to those first few dreamers.

Read on: Alicia Garcia >

I’ve been driving for a while now, and I’m starting to get worried. The blue dot on my iPhone seems to think I’m heading in the right direction, but I’m not sure. All I see are miles of farmland. Strawberry fields? Tomatoes? Who knows. All I know is we are not in Miami anymore.

Then I see it: Welcome to the Everglades National Park. Yes!

I’m going to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with Park Ranger Larry Perez ’96, MS ’08. Perez just wrote a book, Snake in the Grass: An Everglades Invasion, about Burmese pythons in the park. This should be an adventure. I’ve got my laced-up shoes and long pants, as he suggested in his email, and some bug repellent for our three-hour tour. Our photographer, Angel Valentin, has a net to cover his face. “I learned my lesson last time I was out here,” he says. “I was covered in bites.”

Perez is waiting in the visitor’s center. He’s a nature-lover’s rock star. Confident, yet goofy. The tall, dark and handsome type in a green uniform and ranger hat. Humble, too. He’ll sign as many autographs as his fans demand. Seriously. He was signing a kid’s book when we walked in.

Ranger Larry, as his fans call him, has built quite a following in South Florida. You mention his name and you can bet your Hard Rock Casino winnings that you’ll get an “Ohhhh, I LOVE him!” Perez speaks all around town, sharing his passion for and vast knowledge of the Everglades with people of all ages.

A Miami native, Perez grew up like most South Floridians a proud urbanite. He never thought much about what lay out west – the famed River of Grass, the largest sawgrass prairie in North America, the largest protected mangrove forest in the northern hemisphere. He visited once in fourth grade and thought it was cool but then moved on, back to reality.

The Everglades became real for Perez his sophomore year at FIU when he was in the Honors College majoring in park and recreation management. While skimming the course catalog, he came across an Everglades course offered by Professor Bradley Bennett. All the classes were held at the park. He says, “That lab course changed my life. Bennett wowed me intellectually. I immediately fell in love.” He began working for the National Park Service after graduating in 1999 and went on to get a master’s degree in environmental studies in 2008.

Our first stop on the tour is the Anhinga Trail. A card-carrying urbanite myself, I’m relieved to see a boardwalk and rails protecting us from what Perez calls in his book “the critters of ill repute” that call the Glades home: Alligators. Crocodiles. Snakes. Panthers.

As he leads us through the trail, he’s clearly in his element. Perez remembers his first trips out to the Everglades for class. “The depth and breadth of this world drew me in,” he says.

After 10 years as a ranger, he still seems in awe of the dynamic landscape, pointing out every plant and critter we come across. “What makes this place special is the vegetation – a tropical/Caribbean mixture.”

We stop to check out a momma alligator with her eight babies who have taken residence in a drain hole on the side of the road. Ranger Larry drops by periodically to check on them. “They’re about a year old,” he explains. “There aren’t as many babies today. They leave when they’re ready.”

Ranger Larry has accomplished the unthinkable: He makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about cold-blooded reptiles.

He’s a natural storyteller, a skill that he makes the most of in his role as an Everglades educator. His stories from the field are as colorful as the place itself. “Do you know people are allowed to jump into the alligator-infested waters and the rangers can’t stop them? It happened on my first day. A guy decided to go swimming. I called for backup and we got him out. And then one of the rangers turns to me and says, ‘You know this is wilderness and if folks want to go swimming, they go swimming.’”

For the record, he says, no one’s ever been attacked or eaten by an alligator at the park.

Perez asks us to imagine South Florida at the start of the 20th century. “From the Model-Ts, Miamians would look out and see tall royal palms majestically swaying over the sawgrass. But to get to them they had to trudge through swamp.” Most dismissed the Everglades and discussed ways to drain it to help fuel the construction boom of the Roaring Twenties.

As Ranger Larry weaves his story, park guests join us to hear what happens next. Soon they are asking questions. Are those royal palms? Yes. What kind of bird is that? Anhinga. Can we…?

“Shhh, everyone be quiet,” he interrupts. “Can you hear that hiss?” It’s an alligator hissing, warning another alligator to back off. We watch attentively in silence as the two alligators skirt by each other without incident.

That reminds me. What about the Burmese pythons? Where are they? Can we see some? And can Angel get a couple of photos?

In 2005, the photo of a 12-foot python’s unsuccessful attempt to consume an adult alligator at Shark Valley made international headlines. Folks were horrified and fascinated. Perez fielded hundreds of questions about the serpent from Junior Rangers, park guests and international tourists.

In his book, published earlier this year by the University of Florida Press, he shares the stories and facts of the invasion with those who can’t join him on the trail. The first recorded sighting of a Burmese python in the Everglades was in 1979, but it wasn’t that big a deal. There are tons of non-native species in the park. In the present day, officials send an electric shock through the canals surrounding the park. They collect all the stunned fish, weed out the non-native species and return the rest to the water.

The capture of three pythons in one year, 2001, was a signal, though, to park officials that this was a bigger deal. In 2005, 94 pythons were found and removed from the Everglades.

Visitors strolling through the Anhinga Trail that year were “privy to history,” says Perez, “the first time ever that an Old World python had ever been observed tangling with a New World American alligator.

“That day, an alligator had grabbed a python just behind the head of its toothy jowl. The remainder of the snake surly girdled the trunk of the now static alligator several times around. The pair remained locked in battle for approximately 24 hours,” he writes in his book.

When an approaching alligator hissed loudly in a defensive display, the python, which observers had written off as dead, resurrected, catching his captor distracted and off guard. “The serpent tensed its sinewy muscles and darted like a shot into the nearby vegetation-never to be seen again. Though speculation ensued about whether or not the python was mortally wounded, this much was known for certain: the snake had tangled for 24 hours with the monarch of the Everglades marsh, and somehow, it had ended in a draw.”

Perez says stories like these lead many to think pythons are everywhere, while, in fact, it is still rare to come across one. So no chance we’re going to get a photo for our story? How about a lab we can visit where pythons are being dissected, tagged, hypnotized into submission…something? “Nope,” Perez explains, “sadly, most are found dead or they’re put down.”

The presence of the non-native python has undoubtedly hurt the delicate ecosystem and prompted many questions on how and if the snakes can be eradicated. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science journal earlier this year found the population of small mammals in the Everglades has decreased significantly. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the number of raccoons and possums spotted has dropped more than 98 percent, bobcat sightings are down 87 percent, and rabbits and foxes have not been seen at all in years. All are thought to be victims of pythons. The report concluded there are too many snakes to successfully remove. It’s now a question of how to manage the invasion.

“This invasion is unprecedented,” Perez says. “In 2009, the peak of recovery, we found 360 pythons in the park. But there are players, other non-native species, that have caused more problems. Every change in the system yields some winners and some losers.”

As the day starts to cool off, Ranger Larry has one final stop for Angel and me. “Most people never get off the trail and track through the mud but you all are doing it today,” he says. I silently remind myself of what Perez just told me. Pythons are rare. No one has ever been eaten by an alligator in the park.

Our destination is a tree dome in the middle of the marsh. I’ve seen similar tree domes tons of times as I cruise down Alligator Alley at 80 miles per hour but never imagined I’d ever venture into one. Today, the water is low so we wade through with ease. As we approach the dome, it’s like entering a forest – the kind you see in fairy tales. The tall, thin trees curve together. Sunlight barely seeps through. Bright orange air ferns grow midway up the trunks.

Finally we reach an opening in the middle of the dome. There’s a pool of water the dry season has spared. Ranger Larry says last week an alligator was hanging out there. He takes his walking stick and starts poking around to see if it’s still there. Luckily, it’s not.

For a few minutes we explore in silence. There’s magic in that dome. Peace that a yoga master would envy. It’s allowed to be and for a few minutes we just are. Wait…is that the traffic of the turnpike? No it’s just the wind.

Perez shares the secrets of the park with thousands each year. His stories are intense. Captivating. And after one short afternoon seeing the park through his eyes, I have fallen in love with the Everglades.   ♦

Sports writer Pete Pelegrin ’96 chronicles the first decade of FIU football and takes a look at how the Panthers built their Cage.

FIU football opens the home schedule of its 10th anniversary season on Sept. 8 against Akron at a newly enclosed FIU Stadium. The upgrade completed over the summer marks a major development for FIU fans, putting the Cage at 20,000-plus seats. Coming off its second consecutive bowl appearance, FIU aspires to continue its rise to the upper echelon of college football in 2012 with its highest-rated signing class and the largest senior class in the team’s history.

The Panthers return 10 of 11 starters from the No. 14 scoring defense in the nation. Record-breaking running back Kedrick Rhodes aims at another 1,000-plus rushing yards season for the FIU offense behind the senior-laden offensive line led by Rupert Bryan. All-Sun Belt Conference senior defenders Johnathan Cyprien and Tourek Williams anchor the tenacious Panthers defense. Defensive backs Jose Cheeseborough and Sam Miller lead the secondary.

This will also be FIU’s last season in the Sun Belt Conference. Starting in 2013, FIU will be part of Conference USA. The move will introduce FIU football to a new audience, opening new bowl opportunities and expanding FIU’s reach to markets like Houston, New Orleans and Charlotte.

The 2012 season provides an interesting point in the history of FIU football to reminisce and peek into the future. The 10th anniversary is an opportunity to look back on how far FIU football has come. In the span of one decade, fans witnessed:

• A sparkling inaugural game – a 27-3 defeat of St. Peter’s in front of a sold-out crowd at old FIU Stadium
• The Panthers’ leap from Division I-AA Independent to Division I and the Sun Belt Conference and, eventually, Conference USA
• A change in head coaches
• Four players drafted into the NFL: T.Y. Hilton in 2012, Anthony Gaitor in 2011, and Antwan Barnes and Chandler Williams in 2007
• FIU closing the doors on the venerable Orange Bowl with a resounding win over North Texas and ending the then-nation’s longest losing streak at 23 games
• The dazzling career of the electric Hilton, selected in April by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the NFL Draft
• The program’s first conference championship in 2010
• Two bowl appearances: against Toledo in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and versus Marshall at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

With the continuous infusion of talented players, a relentless coaching staff, an improved FIU Stadium and the promise of a new conference, fans eagerly await the new season. However, before the new season begins, it’s time to look at the first 10 years of FIU football, as well as the building years that made the inaugural 2002 season possible.

1998: The early years

The beginning of FIU football came to light in the blue sky above the Orange Bowl Oct. 10, 1998. As Florida State and Miami battled it out on the field below, a plane above trailed a banner reading: “FIU Football…Still Undefeated.”

A year earlier, then-FIU President Modesto A. Maidique appointed a task force to investigate the possibility of FIU football.

In the days following the plane’s flight, former FIU Alumni Director Eddie Hondal ’88, MS ’00, said FIU got the response it had hoped for: “We got a ton of calls from alumni excited about how they could help create the football program.” T-shirts were printed with the catchy slogan, “FIU Football…Still Undefeated” and handed out around campus.

And so it began.

2000: The First Coach

In September 1999, FIU hired former Miami Dolphins quarterback Don Strock as its director of football operations. The university and Strock consulted with Miami Dolphins coaching legend Don Shula and community leaders about how best to establish the new program.

More than eight months later, on May 17, 2000, the Florida Board of Regents approved the establishment of Division I-AA football at FIU, to begin competition in 2002. FIU football was a reality.

“For years I attended chamber of commerce meetings, board of directors events and university functions, and more than any other question, I was asked, ‘When will we be able to cheer for an FIU football program?’” Maidique said. “I was very happy when I was finally able to answer that question with an actual date.”

FIU had 24 months to field a team and hire a head coach.

Immediately after the Board of Regents gave the green light to FIU, Strock left the Gainesville meeting, changed into coach’s garb in a McDonald’s bathroom and traveled to Kissimmee to see FIU’s first recruit and eventual first signee: Poinciana High quarterback David Tabor ’05, MS ’07.

Strock was named FIU’s first head coach Sept. 13, 2000. He and assistant coaches Bruce Hardy and Carmen Grosso spent the next two years sharing an office with one telephone and one computer, building a program from the ground up.

Nearly one year later – Aug. 27, 2001 – Strock led FIU’s first football practice. “That first year, anybody that called and we knew played high school ball, we got them,” Strock said. “It was quite a group.”

With the on-campus football facilities being built, the team practiced the entire 2001 season on the university’s intramural field. They wouldn’t face an opponent for another year, but the players didn’t care.

“We would stretch and there were ant piles everywhere and lines wouldn’t be straight,” recalled former FIU defensive back James Knapp ’05, MS ’08. “But it’s funny. We didn’t complain because we were happy to just play football.”

“It was the hardest year coaching you could possibly have,” Strock said. “There were no real rewards for the team. So we tried to do things to lighten it up, like if a kicker made a certain amount of field goals there would be no gassers.”

That year, FIU signed its first highly touted recruit, Sarasota quarterback Jamie Burke, who chose FIU over Florida, when former Gators coach Steve Spurrier left to coach the Washington Redskins.

2002: The Inaugural Game

In October 2001, FIU announced its schedule. The inaugural game would be played Aug. 29, 2002, at home against St. Peter’s. The university was busy getting FIU Stadium ready, installing 10,000 temporary end-zone bleachers and laying down new AstroPlay field turf. Some players asked for scrap pieces of the turf.

“We put some of it as carpeting in our dorm rooms,” recalled former defensive back Kevin Timothee ’07, who went on to become the first FIU player to sign with an NFL team – the Tennessee Titans in 2005. “Late at night, we would sit at the stadium and envision making plays. It’s something that we dreamed about. We really loved being part of an inaugural college football team.”

On that late August night in 2002, FIU Stadium was alive with the sights and sounds of a sold-out crowd wearing blue and gold. Former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was in attendance. Fireworks lit up the night sky.

In front of a statewide television audience, FIU prevailed, 27-3, in impressive fashion.

FIU Football (1-0)…Still Undefeated.

Burke, who threw the most touchdown passes that season (14) by a freshman in Division I-AA, recorded the first touchdown in program history with a 5-yard scoring pass to running back Jerrid Lundstedt midway through the first quarter.

“It was an electric and historic night,” said Roberto Valcarce ’89, an alumnus and FIU sports fan for more than 25 years. “I mean, how many people can actually say they literally saw the program’s birth? I was there.”

The team would finish the season 5-6. FIU’s final game was a 31-21 loss to Florida Atlantic in the first annual Don Shula Bowl.

The Panthers went a combined 5-17 the next two seasons.

2005: Move to Division I-A

FIU and rival FAU joined Division I-A in 2005. Already competing in the Sun Belt Conference in other sports, both football teams joined the SBC.

The Panthers got off to a slow start that season with a 2-6 mark. The team achieved its first Division I-A victory at ULM on Nov. 5 with a 31-29 triumph. The team finished the season strong, matching its best season record of 5-6.

Entering the fifth season of FIU football in 2006, many thought the Panthers would contend for the SBC title. FIU had an experienced offense and a speedy defense led by Antwan Barnes. The future Baltimore Ravens and current San Diego Chargers defender would finish the 2006 season leading the nation in tackles for loss.

Said Paul McCall ’08, MS ’10, the backup quarterback that season, “The expectations were very high considering the progress that had been made the year before.”

Success proved elusive. The Panthers lost the first four games of the season by a total of 11 points. The team fell to 0-6 after a seven-overtime, 25-22 loss to North Texas.

Pete Garcia, a former executive with the Cleveland Browns, was hired a week later as FIU’s new athletic director. He joined FIU Athletics the week before FIU faced off against cross-town rival UM. The tense game unraveled when UM took a 14-0 lead midway through the third quarter. After an extra point attempt, emotions boiled over. Both teams’ benches emptied onto the field before order was restored.

In the aftermath of the brawl with UM, FIU suspended 18 players indefinitely, including 11 starters. The team could not recover from its 0-7 start and the suspensions. In early November, Strock resigned. He coached the final four games of the season as FIU finished 0-12.

2007: Cristobal Era Begins

Renewed hope came with the hiring of Mario Cristobal as head coach. A tireless recruiter with a keen eye for talent, the former UM assistant coach brought a relentless work ethic to FIU. For Garcia, the decision to hire the young coach was an easy one.

“Knowing that I was getting a coach that knows football and was regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country and was familiar with the area was actually an easy decision,” he said.

Cristobal’s first season at the helm of FIU football was challenging. The Panthers lost their first 11 games. FIU played its home games in the Orange Bowl because FIU Stadium was being rebuilt along with construction of a field house that included a weight room worthy of a Division I-A program.

It wasn’t just the facilities that needed building. Losses of 59-0 to Penn State, 55-3 to Kansas and 47-6 to Middle Tennessee showed the program needed to be built as well. FIU went into the final game of the 2007 season riding the country’s longest losing streak of 23 games. It was to be the final college football game played in the historic Orange Bowl, which would eventually be demolished to make room for the Miami Marlins’ new ballpark.

The season finale against North Texas was magical. The Panthers manhandled the Mean Green, 38-19, snapping the lengthy losing streak and sending the Orange Bowl out in style.

“That night was special for many different reasons,” said McCall, who threw three touchdowns in the game. “The fact we snapped a two-year losing streak meant a lot to our program. The venue being the Orange Bowl and being the last collegiate game played there makes it all the more memorable. I still remember the celebration after the game – it was as if we had won a championship.”

2008: T.Y. Hilton becomes a Panther

The FIU record books would be rewritten the following season with the arrival of highly touted freshman receiver T.Y. Hilton.

That season, FIU Stadium opened with a seating capacity of nearly 20,000 and the two-story R. Kirk Landon Fieldhouse, complete with a weight training center for all FIU athletes, coaches’ offices, meeting rooms, new locker rooms and a stadium club. The 2008 team embraced the renewed enthusiasm for FIU football, tying the program’s season record for most wins.

After signing his letter of intent with FIU, Hilton told Cristobal that he would score a touchdown the first time he touched the ball. Sure enough, the first time he touched the ball in competition – against Kansas – Hilton returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown.

“It was just a feeling I had,” Hilton said of his signing-day promise. “When I reached the end zone, it hit me. I thought, ‘I just did what I said I was going to do.’”

Hilton went on to set FIU single-season records for receiving yards (1,013), average yards per reception (24.7) and all-purpose yards (2,162).

Miami Northwestern High defensive back Anthony Gaitor ’11 was another highly regarded recruit signed by Cristobal.

“I would call these guys hybrids,” former FIU linebacker Scott Bryant said of his new teammates at the time, “because they can do a little bit of everything.”

With a tough, non-conference schedule to start, FIU began the 2008 season 0-3 but picked up steam with the program’s first Division I non-conference win – a 35-16 triumph at Toledo. After a 22-21 nail-biting victory over Arkansas State, FIU was 4-5 and in position to become bowl-eligible for the first time in program history.

A loss to ULM the following week dropped FIU to 4-6, but the team was still within reach of the necessary six wins when it ventured to Dolphin Stadium to take on FAU in the Don Shula Bowl. What ensued was a classic – a 57-50 FAU overtime win that saw the teams combine for more than 1,000 yards of offense, had several lead changes and ultimately knocked FIU from bowl contention.

FIU finished the season 5-7; Hilton became the program’s first Freshman All-American; and the Sporting News named Cristobal Coach of the Year.

In 2009, the Panthers were hit with a rash of injuries, and they still lacked quality depth. The team struggled to a 3-9 mark. The highlight of the season came in a sweltering Halloween noon game against Louisiana. In overtime, FIU got a field goal from Dustin Rivest, stellar defensive play by linebacker Tyler Clawson ’09 and a field goal block by precocious freshman defensive end Tourek Williams to seal the 20-17 victory.

2010: The First Bowl Game

The Panthers began their 2010 season 0-4, and one of the losses was particularly tough. FIU raced to a 20-6 lead at national power Texas A&M and throttled then-Heisman Trophy candidate, quarterback Jarrod Johnson, sacking him six times and forcing four interceptions. A&M rallied in the fourth quarter, winning 27-20.

The road to the team’s first conference championship and first bowl game began two weeks later with the first win of the season – a thrilling 28-21 triumph over WKU at FIU Stadium.

After a stinging defeat to FAU dropped FIU to 2-5 on the season, the Panthers dug deep. Hilton scored four touchdowns in three different ways (kick return, receiving and rushing) and made a game-saving tackle to spark a 42-35 double overtime win over ULM. Hilton and Darriet Perry scored rushing touchdowns in overtime to lead FIU to victory.

The season-defining victory came the following week when the Panthers beat perennial Sun Belt champion Troy for the first time. En route to their 52-35 thrashing of the Trojans, FIU racked up a program-record 448 rushing yards and a program-record 668 total yards of offense. Three FIU rushers – Perry, Hilton and Darian Mallary – each tallied more than 100 yards rushing. The victory was so physical, and so dominating, that Troy’s best receiver Jerrel Jernigan said, “FIU came in here and point blank kicked our asses.”

An easy win over Louisiana the following week set up a potential Sun Belt Conference championship-clinching game versus Arkansas State at FIU Stadium. The Panthers had only one win all-time against the Red Wolves, back in 2008. The 2010 game would be close.

Tied at 24-24 with less than two minutes to play and the Panthers inside Red Wolves territory, Hilton caught a short pass from quarterback Wesley Carroll ’11. FIU receiver Wayne Times delivered a crushing block to give Hilton just enough room to go 42 yards for the game-winning, conference championship-clinching touchdown. FIU won 31-24 and walked off the field Sun Belt Conference champions.

The historic conference title assured that FIU would play in a bowl game for the first time in program history.

FIU received a bid to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against Toledo. The game was the day after Christmas in snowy Detroit, but nobody was complaining. Why would they? It was an indoor game at Ford Field, and FIU would be playing in front of a worldwide ESPN audience. It was the only televised football game that night.

The first bowl game did not start as FIU envisioned. The Panthers trailed the Rockets, 24-7, in the third quarter. Team captains Hilton and linebacker Toronto Smith ’11 were tired of the sloppy, tentative play.

On the sideline, Smith challenged Hilton to make a play. Hilton challenged Smith and the FIU defense to stop Toledo. Before lining up for a kickoff return in the third quarter, Hilton told Smith, “Watch me return this kickoff for a touchdown.”

Eighty-nine yards later, Hilton scored, narrowing the Rockets’ lead to 24-14. The FIU defense stepped up, with safety Kreg Brown intercepting two passes. Pizza Bowl Defensive MVP Jarvis Wilson recorded two sacks.

The teams traded leads. FIU faced 4th and 17 from its own 41 with a little more than 30 seconds left. They were down, 32-31. That’s when “The Motor City Miracle” happened.

Carroll connected with Jacob Younger on a 9-yard pass, Hilton trailed Younger on the play. Younger flipped the ball to Hilton, who tiptoed eight yards down the sideline, picking up the first down and keeping FIU’s hopes alive.

Three plays later, with 4 seconds left on the clock, Jack Griffin split the uprights with a 34-yard field goal to give FIU a 34-32 victory and its first bowl championship.

2011: Record-winning season

FIU got off to a rousing start in 2011, winning its first three games. Among those contests was a landmark 24-17 victory against Louisville before a worldwide ESPN audience. It was FIU’s first victory against a BCS opponent. FIU’s defense sacked Cardinals quarterback Will Stein six times and linebacker Winston Fraser returned an interception for a touchdown. Hilton dazzled with 201 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

The following week the Panthers stuffed cross-state rival Central Florida in front of a sold-out FIU Stadium. Again the FIU defense recorded six sacks and defensive lineman Isame Facianereturned a fumble 51 yards for a touchdown in the 17-10 triumph.

For the second consecutive season FIU became bowl-eligible. The Panthers achieved the feat after thrashing FAU 41-7 in Don Shula Bowl X, taking back the coveted Don Shula Trophy after it resided in Boca Raton the past five years.

In his final home game as a Panther, Hilton gave those in attendance another moment to remember. Pinned back on the FIU 3-yard line, Hilton caught a punt and sprinted 97 yards for a touchdown, giving the team a 31-0 lead it would not relinquish.

Two weeks later, FIU achieved another milestone in its young program. By defeating Middle Tennessee, 31-18, the Panthers recorded their eighth win of the regular season – the most wins ever in a regular season in the history of the program. Less than a month later, the Panthers would be in their second bowl game against Marshall at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg.

A version of this story first appeared in the Sun Belt Conference Football 10th Anniversary book.

That’s the good news – and the bad.

By Robyn Nissim | Illustration by Chris McAllister

Along with the boost to the local economies, the visitors put additional strain on the water supply of the Mara River, one of the only perennial sources of water in that region of East Africa. Water is a finite resource. And just like some of the rare species of animals that follow the water to the north, water needs to be protected.

When there is a drought in South Florida, people are restricted on when they can water their lawns, fill their pools or use their decorative water features. When there is a drought in other parts of the world, there is famine, war, disease and damage to the environment, to animals and to people.

But “whether one is in a well-developed society or in a small community without services, water is still a major need for survival,” says Maria Donoso, director of FIU’s Global Water for Sustainability (GLOWS) program. And in the long run, the threats to people’s health, livelihood and natural environment are the same.

“There is a circle of nature that if you break or endanger it, will come back to haunt you,” Donoso says.

War, gender inequality, disease, pollution, deforestation, animal extinction, politics, governmental upheaval and abject poverty can be mitigated by one element – clean, useable water. Which is not always easy 
to obtain.

More than two thirds of the planet’s surface is water but only 2.5 percent is fresh water. Of that fresh water, less than 1 percent (.007) is accessible for human use. With the world’s population at 7 billion and climbing, clean water is definitely at a premium.

GLOWS was created in 2006 with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to address the world’s growing water crisis. With $84 million from USAID, GLOWS is now one of the university’s largest federally funded programs and has established FIU as an international authority on integrated water resources management. Based in the School of Environment, Arts and Society on FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus, GLOWS is operated by a small staff of four, including director Donoso and program executive officers Ryan Stoa, an environmental lawyer at the College of Law, Lanakila McMahn, a sanitation and water supply expert at the Robert Stempel School of Public Health, and Alberto Tejada and Elizabeth Anderson, an urban hydrologist and an ecologist, respectively, in the College of Arts and Sciences. GLOWS partners with CARE, WaterAid America, Winrock International, World Wildlife Fund and World Vision U.S., to provide a holistic approach to integrated water resource management.

“The great thing about working in a consortium {like GLOWS} is that there’s a range of issues that we deal with – particularly with water, there are so many facets of life that it touches upon – and in the consortium you have people with a range of different expertise, both in terms of topics and experiences. Bringing those together creates a really rich fora in terms of identifying solutions and working together,” says Mary Renwick, who leads the Water Innovation Program at Winrock.

GLOWS has teams working across the globe, with six projects in Ghana, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and the country of Georgia in the South Caucasus region of Europe. Three projects have been completed in India, Morocco, Peru and Ecuador. GLOWS program activities include developing and applying new techniques to “harvest water,” including building wells and sanitizing existing water supplies; health and hygiene training and education, waste management and agricultural techniques. In countries such as Georgia, where water is abundant, GLOWS is working with local officials to protect the existing water supply and to demonstrate the benefits of sustainable development and preserving the environment.

Over the years, nine FIU students have developed theses on GLOWS-related research projects. Students have traveled to the project sites around the world looking at basic water demand, precipitation and river flows, and the economics of water. GLOWS also provides support for a number of non-FIU students in other countries.

“The University is a neutral place where all of the minds can come together and present their information without weighing in on a particular interest,” Donoso adds. “An additional benefit that FIU brings is the science base and the opportunities for collaborative projects. And it gives our students and faculty the unique experience of becoming involved in real-life laboratories.”

GLOWS pioneered an on-the-ground method of water management research that has led to a more targeted approach to individual country’s questions and specific needs. Six years ago, this was a radical concept. “We, as FIU, a research institution, became engaged with community partners, who communicated to us what the most critical questions were. Suddenly, our research wasn’t purely curiosity-driven or directed by what we were reading,” explains Professor Michael McClain, an environmental scientist and founding director of GLOWS.

“On the other side, the development agencies realized they had a partner that was generating knowledge at a level and quality that had not been available before. So that process began and has expanded to many other areas of the world. And FIU students and researchers are critical components of this approach.”

As the program grew, its work began evolving. “GLOWS is trying to pursue and promote at all levels the importance of water resource management in an integrated, sustainable way,” says Donoso. “In many, many cases we have found that you build an area on one hand and deteriorate the quality of the water on the other.”

Take, for example, the Wami Ruvu basin in Tanzania where the GLOWS projects include exploring various ways to maximize the supply of clean safe water for basic needs and trying to create opportunities for business ventures among local villagers so that clean water is a financial benefit, as well as necessity.

“Involving the private sector is critical for long-term success and for a sustainable supply of services and goods,” says Vivianne Abbott, director of the Integrated Water Sanitation and Hygiene Program in Tanzania. Abbott notes that GLOWS has helped foster 27 new village micro-savings and micro-financing programs that are serving more than 25,000 people in the area.

But the potential for profit is not always enough motivation to change habits, Donoso points out. Concepts must be translated into laws and policies to ensure adherence. And that is another way that GLOWS is making its mark on the world.

In the Mara River Basin where Africa’s wild animals migrate every year, GLOWS has been working with the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, an intergovernmental agency composed of states that lie along that body of water. Together, they are supporting governments in their efforts to establish policies that would ensure the continued health of the rivers and lakes. They completed an environmental assessment that detailed the minimum water flows required to sustain surrounding ecosystems – to determine a harmonious balance among the wildlife, the communities and the tourists. Those these studies are translated into policies that are being adopted and derived into laws and regulations at the country level.

“This is major because it goes beyond what we can do as a project,” Donoso says. “When you translate your awareness campaigns and elevate them to policy, it assures a higher level of support from the governments of the countries. We hope that this means there will be a continuation of our efforts beyond a project’s timeline.”

Continuing leadership and innovation through GLOWS places FIU as one of the top water research universities in the country, with funded projects in freshwater issues ranging from water supply, sanitation, wetland ecosystems, multiple water use systems 
to water resources management and 
public policy.

“GLOWS is really focused on generating knowledge to improve development in the world,” says McClain. “That’s what it boils down to.”

GLOWS Around the World

A consortium of international organizations led by FIU is providing solutions to the global water crisis. With $84 million in USAID grants, a team of scientists and an environmental law expert at FIU lead the implementation of GLOWS projects around the world. Other members of the GLOWS consortium include CARE, WaterAid America, Winrock International, World Vision and the World Wildlife Fund.

Ecuador and Peru: The Pastaza River Basin begins in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and ends at the Marañon River in Peru, which carries its waters into the Amazon. The lives of thousands of people are closely tied to the Pastaza River’s resources. In 2006, GLOWS established the regular collection of water data to be used by local authorities and formed local committees to participate in effective water management. The project also developed a fisheries management plan, advanced sound petroleum exploration management and promoted collaboration among native communities on both sides of the border.

West Africa: Ghana, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso: This $28 million GLOWS project is increasing the number of people with access to safe water and sanitation and improving hygiene in four nations. Poor water quality is a major concern in all four countries, particularly Niger, Ghana and Burkina Faso, where access to sanitation is less than 15 percent. In Mali, less than half of the population has access to a toilet. GLOWS is introducing water and sanitation technology and promoting better hygiene at community level, while developing models that can be replicated in other parts of Africa.

Morocco: In 2009, GLOWS implemented a water access project in the El-Haouz region of Morocco to increase access to drinking water, improve hygiene practices and encourage collaboration among local authorities to govern water. In the agricultural Doukkala Province, GLOWS improved water use practices by small farmers to enhance livelihoods and ensure sustainability. The $350,000 project, completed in 2011, brought clean water to hundreds of children in local schools, provided more than 1,000 people with improved access to sustainable water and educated 3,000 people on best hygiene practices.

Pan-Africa: Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Mozambique: This $500,000 GLOWS project targets Sub-Saharan African countries, where there are large, well-experienced regional, national and international organizations in the water delivery, sanitation and hygiene field, yet local organizations lack the necessary technical capacity to solve these challenges. GLOWS seeks to bridge the knowledge gap with technical training and education so local organizations are able to develop sustainable, state-of-the art, locally tailored approaches to water delivery, sanitation and hygiene.

Rwanda: Focused on sustainable management of water quantity and quality, this $21.9 million project will improve nutrition for families, decrease health problems and increase productive time, which is being spent looking for water, largely from unprotected sources. At the community level, GLOWS is implementing innovative technical activities to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable rural populations, while working to ensure the long-term benefits of these activities. At the district and national levels, GLOWS is working with Rwandan authorities on strategies to replicate successful projects elsewhere in the country.

Georgia: In the country of Georgia, where most of the population has access to potable water, the big issues are waste management and conservation. Many surface waters are severely polluted, forests are illegally logged and grasslands are overgrazed. Inappropriate irrigation and agricultural practices have degraded large areas of arable land through erosion and salinization of soils. The $6.5 million Georgia GLOWS program aims to promote the benefits of preserving the country’s abundant natural resources and to demonstrate the link between sustainable development and future economic growth.

Kenya and Tanzania: Kenya and Tanzania share the resources – and challenges – of the Mara River Basin, home to Masai Mara National Reserve and Serengeti National Park. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit annually to witness the migration of millions of wildebeests. This yearly influx of tourists is just one of the many issues stressing the fragile balance of the area. The mission of the $6.3 million GLOWS project is multi-faceted: work with governmental authorities in Kenya, Tanzania and the Mara River Basin to preserve water flows; implement a program that improves river basin management practices; promote biodiversity conservation; and increase access to safe water and improved sanitation and promote better hygiene.

Tanzania: The Wami Ruvu Basin is water rich, but more than half the people in this southern Tanzanian region have no access to clean water. The $15 million GLOWS program aims to supply clean, safe water for drinking and domestic use. GLOWS is working with local governments and NGOs to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services. Micro-lending at the village level encourages private investment in this effort. More than 70 water access points have been created serving some 16,000 people, and more than 20,000 people have completed sanitation and hygiene education.

India: Located in northwest India, Rajasthan is the largest state in the country. During monsoon season, the Wakal Basin is full of water; however, during the dry season, residents suffer from water scarcity. In 2006, GLOWS launched a project to promote equal access to and sustainable use of water in the region. The GLOWS team collected data on groundwater quality and introduced improved rainwater harvesting techniques, then worked with communities to encourage collaboration and protect the region’s biodiversity.  ♦

If you would have asked me upon my graduation back in 1991 if I thought I would be president of the Alumni Association, I would have responded, “Impossible!” If you would have asked me that same question two years ago, I would have answered, “It’s inevitable!” Because that’s what we do here at FIU. We turn the impossible into the inevitable.

The FIU campus is where I grew up. At the age of 9, I played football for the Tamiami Colts. I attended Southwest Senior High School, and my purple pride Eagles played several football games where our Panthers football team plays their games today. I have been schooled, counseled and advised here. I have brought my children here and they are a part of this great FIU community.

When I graduated in 1991 for the first time, the Alumni Association had just 509 members. 10 years later in 2001, the membership had grown to just 800. But then we became serious about things. The membership is now close to 20,000. That’s an increase of 2,475 percent in just 10 years.

So now imagine where FIU’s Alumni Association will be in 10 years. In the year 2022, we will have:

• More than 50,000 Alumni Association members
• An alumni base with many more well-recognized names
• A well-funded First Generation Scholarship Fund supported by our Alumni Association
• One of the best recognized and most elegant award ceremonies in the country – the Torch Awards contributing more than $100,000 to the university on an annual basis
• One of the most coveted and well-attended fishing tournaments in the country
• Alumni who are Worlds Ahead and renowned for returning to the university and actively supporting its academic programs
• Alumni who are raging mad about FIU collegiate athletic programs
• Alumni who remember their roots and give back through gifts and endowments.
• An Alumni Center that remembers those that graduated from this great university

I call upon all of you to become ambassadors of FIU, tell the story, contribute and bring new members back to our home. I look forward to working with each and every one of you in the coming days and months.

With gratitude and congratulations,

Gonzalo Acevedo ’91, MBA ’10

Early on, I worked as a school social worker in a disadvantaged community in North Philadelphia. It frustrated me that once students left my office they were going back into the same environment. I decided to work with policy and advocate for people by making systems-level change. My research now looks at how older adults with chronic illness and disabilities are involved with planning and decision-making about their health. How I got to this point has to do with the separation of aging and disability. There are millions of people living with chronic health conditions and disabilities, but society treats them differently based on whether they are over or under 60. It’s about social justice. If you have a younger person with a disability, the practitioner’s goal is to get that person into a job, into society with recreational activities and education. If someone is older, we are just basically trying to keep them out of a nursing home. They are not given a lot of choices about what kind of care or services they receive. Something needs to be done because baby boomers will not be content with the current state of health and support services for older adults with chronic illness and disease. They are going to want more control, more decision-making. I want to create an intervention that facilitates older adults’ decision-making and helps them have a bigger role in care planning. We need to put the values and beliefs of older adults in the forefront of their care.

See more Worlds Ahead faculty profiles >

Here at home, I also have had the pleasure of hosting receptions for some of our Worlds Ahead alumni in South Florida. In April, we toasted at the Reagan House FIU alumni who were nominated for or won Suncoast Emmys. And in May, Miami-Dade County’s top teachers also joined us at the Reagan House as we honored Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ 2013 Teacher of the Year Alexandre “Alex” Lopes, an FIU doctoral student who has since been named Florida Teacher of the Year, and other FIU alumni who were finalists for the award.

I also would like to congratulate our new Alumni Association President Gonzalo Acevedo ’91, MBA ’10, who took office on May 2 at the association’s annual meeting.

So many of our alumni are living examples of the value of an FIU education. Through your accomplishments you are showing the world that an FIU education gives you the tools to succeed in an increasingly competitive and complex global marketplace. You embody what it means to exceed expectations, pursue one’s passion and make a difference.

As I always say, you, our alumni, are our lifeline for a lifetime. As alumni, you play an important role in telling the FIU story and in taking FIU to the next level. As we move forward, I am asking you for five things:

• Be a proud Panther! Wear your FIU gear!
• Make plans each year to attend an FIU Athletics event on campus or on the road.
• Help us recruit talented students to attend FIU.
• Hire FIU students and graduates!
• Make a donation to FIU and encourage others to do the same. Your contribution to FIU will ensure that we can continue to give our students the same high quality education that we gave you.

Homecoming is coming up the week of Oct. 7-13, and it’s the perfect opportunity to come back to campus and join your FIU family in celebrating our FIU Pride.

See you there! Go Panthers! Go FIU!

President Mark B. Rosenberg

By Martin Haro ’05

Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman, the New York Times foreign affairs columnist, headlined the February 2012 Geopolitical Summit, which focused on the crisis posed by the global economic recession. Speaking in the Graham Center Ballrooms at Modesto A. Maidique Campus, the journalist warned that Americans are not making the progress they need to survive the global economic turmoil, and that the American Dream will be lost if students don’t up their game. “Average is officially over.” he said. “Everyone has to find their extra-value added.”

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, the legendary founder of the Def Jam record label and philanthropist, kicked off the Student Government Association-BBC Lectures Series in February by encouraging students to be passionate about what they do. “Life is like a movie – you want to make sure you play the part in your life you want to play,” he said. “Find a way to be a leader, not a sheep.”

Journalist Sam Sifton, the New York Times national editor, discussed “Election 2012: How The New York Times Covers the Run for the Presidency” in March with a full house of students, alumni and faculty in the Mary Ann Wolfe Theater, as part of the BBC series. He focused on how journalism has evolved and, in particular, how social media like Twitter have changed the way journalists cover stories.

Actor Adrian Grenier from HBO’s Entourage shared how he navigated the “hyperrealism” of Hollywood, as well as what it was like for him to live the life of an in-demand actor “in a hall of mirrors.” He described how for a while he would walk into any room in Tinseltown and feel “that immediate and almost complete sense of approval” and what that does to the ego, as well as his thoughts on the cult of celebrity, images and the media. The actor was so determined to get his point across at the March event he even brought a visual aid: his 2010 documentary Teenage Paparazzo, which screened before his lecture.

Chilean author Isabel Allende charmed more than 500 in March with her honesty and wit. Allende came to FIU to receive the Creative Writing Program’s Lawrence Sanders Award, which recognizes fiction writers whose work combines literary excellence with popular appeal. In a candid and funny hour-long chat with Creative Writing Professor Debra Dean, Allende revealed quite a bit of herself to her fans.

“The person I am is the summary of everything else that has happened – the good and the bad,” Allende said. “Now that I’m 70 years old, I look back and say, ‘What would I change?’ I don’t think I would change anything. Of course, I’d want my daughter to be alive, but I am very happy she lived 28 years…. The joyful moments don’t teach you anything. It’s the suffering, the stress, the losses that make you the person you are.”

Fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone discussed with BBC students in April what it took to launch her own successful company, People’s Revolution, as well as her views on the ever-changing communications landscape.

Transgender activist Chaz Bono – best known as the only child of Cher and Sonny – spoke at BBC in April about his experiences making the transition from female to male. Bono chronicled his journey in his 2011 book, Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man, and shared stories about gaining acceptance from his family. He also addressed a range of LGBT issues, including marriage equality, the portrayal of gays and lesbians in the media and issues related to the coming out process.   ♦

• Minos A. Zombanakis Professor of the International Financial System at the Harvard Kennedy School

• Lifetime Member, FIU Alumni Association

• Bachelor’s in business administration and accounting

Q. What was your time at FIU like?

A. Those were such wonderful years full of good memories. I was working as a ticket agent for Eastern Air Lines at a branch on South Beach before the beach was trendy and what it is today, and I was going to school full time. That was the time I decided I wanted to go into economics. I had such wonderful professors who I still keep in touch with, like Raul Moncarz and Peter Montiel, who was my advisor.

Q. Like many in the FIU family, you were born in Cuba and came to the United States as a child with your family. How did that early experience influence your life?

A. I was 10 years old when we first arrived in the United States. We went to California and lived in Pasadena for a while before we settled in South Florida. It was life changing – I had to learn a new language and make new friends, and it wasn’t easy because I was very sick that first year. Looking back on it, it was a character-building experience, and I admire the guts that my parents had to leave Cuba and come here. But being an immigrant stays with you forever, and I am happy that my son didn’t have to go through the same.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

A. After the upheaval of moving to America, my parents always told me my education would be the one thing I would always be able to take with me. I learned early on I should put a premium on education, and I do. Education – and not just formal education but experiential education – only adds to your human capital.

Q. The New York Times called you “the most important female economist in the world.” What do you hope will be your legacy as an economist?

A. For many decades the popular belief was that the financial crises like the ones that we are seeing in the United States and in Europe now were exclusive to emerging markets in developing countries. My greatest hope is that my work, the work that I have been doing for more than 20 years, informs an understanding of these crises.

Q. What is your proudest accomplishment?

A. I’ve always been very proud of my perseverance. To be persistent, I learned early on in life, serves anyone well.

Read about more Very Important Panthers

The   FIU Alumni Association  welcomed a new president and a new executive director this summer, marking the start of the next era of alumni engagement.

President Gonzalo Acevedo ’91, MBA ’10, will lead the university’s 30-member volunteer alumni board. The Alumni Association’s 29th president is the managing senior vice president/director of the Private Client Group at City National Bank.

Executive Director Duane Wiles served as associate executive director of the Alumni Association from 2006 to 2011. In his latest role, he is now the associate vice president of Alumni Relations, leading the university’s professional alumni office.

Wiles was selected for the position following a national search. Former Executive Director Bill Draughon, who led the association for eight years, now heads fundraising for the FIU Alumni Center in University Advancement.

FIU Magazine  Editor Deborah O’Neil MA ’09 sat down with Acevedo and Wiles at the Alumni Association Annual Meeting in May to talk about the future.

How are we doing in terms of building our alumni base?

Acevedo:   When I became president, I asked Duane to take me back to 1991, because that’s when I graduated. That gives us 20 years of growth. In 1991, the Alumni Association had 501 members. Fast-forward to 2001 and we had 800 members. Not spectacular growth. The numbers for 2011 are 19,800. You’re talking about 2,400 percent growth and that speaks to what’s been done in the last 10 years and what we can do going forward.

Is there a target for what our membership should be?

Wiles:  I’d like to kick off a campaign called Drive for 25. Over the next five years, I’d feel very good with 25,000-30,000 dues-paying members.

Acevedo:  In the next 10 years, we are going to graduate 100,000 students. You can quickly come up to 30,000 to 40,000.

Wiles:  We are just now beginning to expand the network outside South Florida. In the next five years, I’d like to see 30 active alumni networks across the country and internationally that are supporting the priorities of the institution. We want to create a network of 1,000 volunteers to help us recruit new students. Secondly, we are asking alumni to support the brand of the institution. Wear FIU gear wherever you are. We are also going to launch our own online store so it’s easier for alumni to go online and shop. We also want alumni involved with legislative advocacy. I want to make sure Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., hear our voices.

Gonzalo, what brought you back to FIU?

Acevedo:  Early on, I didn’t come back to FIU. I didn’t have a reason. I just wanted to get to work and make some money. But there was certainly something going on at FIU. When I finally came back because my professors brought me back, my degree had been raised in value. There were more buildings, more students. The university was more robust in its programs. It was more ingrained in the community.

Your professors brought you back?

Acevedo:  I had the good fortune of being in a terrific program – political science – with professors John Stack and Nicol Rae and Eduardo Gamarra. When I graduated, I remember picking up the diploma and getting a slap on the back. It was one of my economics professors telling me, ‘Go get ’em!’ Years later, I became a vice president with Bank of America and it hit the paper. I received a call from FIU’s University Advancement Office and they said, ‘We want you to come back. Your professors are very proud of you.’ They brought me back and I haven’t left since.

That’s a great story and it raises an important question. How can the university leverage the affinity alumni feel for their faculty mentors?

Wiles:  Every time I meet an alumni member they ask, ‘Is professor so-and-so still here?’ Part of our plan is to reach out to the faculty so they are part of   Silver Pride, our 25-year reunion. We are also going to establish a lifelong learning program for alumni. We want to do a one-day experience where we bring alumni back to campus and put them in a classroom with our renowned and excellent faculty. The other way we are going to engage faculty and staff is through our travel program. If we are   going to wine country, then we’ll involve someone like Professor Chip Cassidy.

Gonzalo, what do you most  want to accomplish as president?

Acevedo:  I want the national and global community to know FIU and the great things that are happening here. I want to make sure we grow and serve the alumni. I want to work with Duane and give a terrific client /alumni experience and provide a network for them.

Tell me about the FIU network.

Acevedo:  I’ve used the network. My professors have helped me. A year-and-a-half ago, I went through a job transition and it was kind of difficult. I received counsel here through the business school.

Wiles:  We just launched the Alumni-to-Alumni Career Mentoring Network. These alumni are volunteering to provide career advice to another graduate who may be in transition from one job to the next or looking to advance in their current position. In our initial launch we have 80 mentors and 85 mentees ready to get involved.

You are a banker, Gonzalo, so what is the return on investment for an alumnus to give back to FIU?

Acevedo:  It’s a better community. It is building that network. I work for a bank that has been in the community for 60 years. The president of the bank who reached out to me and offered me the position I am in right now graduated from FIU. I found out after taking the job that President Rosenberg was on the board of directors. That FIU network is there, and it is growing.

Wiles:  It comes full circle. The more alumni get involved, the stronger the institution becomes. The stronger the institution gets, the higher value that brings to your degree. That elevates you when you come up for a job promotion or you are looking to change careers or start your own business.

Duane, what do you most want to accomplish as executive director?

Duane:  Ultimately, I want to see more alumni engagement. How do we get alumni more engaged? You provide more programs and services that will tap into various segments of the alumni population. We have to personalize that experience. For our alumni who aren’t here in South Florida, I want to host a virtual alumni career fair, a virtual Homecoming.

You can’t do this alone. What is the responsibility of the institution to alumni?

Wiles:  It’s important from the top down that everyone plays a role in communicating and engaging the alumni base. Everyone.

Acevedo:  For me, the responsibility has to do with the value that my degrees have. I want to see not just the business school getting better or political science getting better, but the entire university getting better.

What’s the biggest challenge?

Wiles:  One of the biggest challenges that we face relates to social media. It can be a huge plus, but it’s a challenge to compete for attention. Another big challenge is identifying revenue sources to support our programs. We are talking about exponential growth. So, that’s a huge financial impact.

Acevedo:  Right, how do you serve an additional 20,000 people? You have to have the resources, the people and the technology. That has to be part of the strategy. There are a lot of people who want to give back to FIU.

Wiles:  It’s treasure, talent and time. If the treasure is there, you give that. If you have the talent, give that. If you have the time, give that.

How does the alumni center fit into the future plans?

Wiles:  In the next five years I’d like to be breaking ground. But we have to do a better job of engaging the alumni base and getting them excited about it. Alumni have to see the possibility of an alumni center so they support the effort. I talk to some graduates and they say, ‘When I come back to campus, I get lost. I don’t really know where to go.’ Having a place where alumni can feel comfortable is so important.

Do you feel like you are about to start a new era of alumni relations?

Wiles:  Absolutely. Yes, I do.

What’s this new era going to look like?

Wiles:  It’s going to be an era of increased alumni participation. We are going to be visible, not just here on campus, but online through social media. It’s an era where we are going to engage alumni in a more meaningful way.

Acevedo:  I do see it as the start of a new era. Duane, you are in for the long haul. I am in it for the next two years as president. As an alumnus, I’m in it for the rest of my life.    ♦

By Ryan Jones

He doesn’t need a college degree. With Raja Bell, that much is abundantly clear.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Bell has made plenty of money over the course of his pro basketball career. He’s married with three young sons, so he’s not exactly lacking for distractions in his free time. And even without a piece of paper declaring him a college graduate, Bell has a terrific résumé with which to prepare for a gig in coaching or broadcasting, his preferred options for a post-playing career.

For all that, Raja Bell will be back at FIU this month to claim his diploma in recreation and sport management from the College of Education. Thirteen years after the end of his brief but stellar FIU playing career, Bell has finished his coursework. Why? Because for all the reasons he didn’t need that degree, there are just as many reasons that he did.

“I come from a family of educators,” Bell says, laying out all the academic connections in his extended family tree: His mother was a teacher, and his father for years oversaw academics for student-athletes at the University of Miami. His wife, former FIU soccer standout Cindy Greenman ’97, taught grade school before embracing full-time motherhood, but as Bell points out with a smile, “she’s still teaching every day.”

Ultimately, Bell says, not coming back to finish his degree wasn’t really an option. “I promised my dad and mom that it would happen,” he says. “I know that’s a cliché, but I told them I wouldn’t neglect it – that I wouldn’t say that I don’t need it just because I’ve had a successful career.”

Joining the NBA

Spoken like a man for whom valuing education is a birthright, and who never forgets his unlikely path to a lengthy professional career. Born in the Virgin Islands and raised in South Florida, Bell matured into a very good college basketball player at schools – first Boston University, then FIU – that weren’t known for their basketball. Despite leaving school as arguably the best player in Panther history – he scored 965 points in two seasons – Bell says, “I didn’t know I was going to play in the NBA.”

He didn’t at first, going undrafted by the NBA in 1999 and spending a year in the basketball minors. But late in the 2000-2001 season, he earned a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, appeared sparingly in the team’s final five regular-season games, then ended up playing vital minutes in Philly’s run to the NBA Finals.

A physical, savvy defender and terrific outside shooter, Bell parlayed his impressive debut into a career, going on to play key roles with the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns (with whom he averaged careers highs in points and minutes in 2006 and ’07), Charlotte Bobcats and Golden State Warriors. He spent the past two seasons back in Utah, and at press time, he was a deciding between free agent options for 2012-’13.

It’s been quite a career for a guy who was a long shot to ever make the league, but even as he was establishing himself in the NBA, Bell remembered what he’d left unfinished at FIU. Others remembered, as well.

Back to class

“He was one of my students, a bright, articulate kid,” remembers Robert Wolff, professor and program director of Recreation and Sport Management. “But you could see his focus wasn’t really on finishing school. His focus was on the NBA. I gave him the same advice I gave all the kids: Your degree is the one thing they can’t take away from you.”

A few years into his career, Bell decided he was ready to finish what he’d started. He gave Wolff a call, and with the help of folks from the admissions and registrar’s offices, they came up with a plan that would allow Bell to finish his degree. Among the obstacles: adapting to changes in degree requirements since he left campus and figuring out a schedule that would allow him to do coursework during an NBA season that, with preseason camp and playoffs, can run from September to June.

Bell came back to campus when he could, and the rise of online courses allowed him to squeeze in homework between practices and games. During the spring 2011 semester – in the stretch run of the NBA season – he took Wolff’s sports law class online and this past summer, he knocked off his final math credits. Later this month, he’ll make it official: Raja Bell, proud graduate of Florida International University.

“If I didn’t have Dr. Wolff in my corner, supporting me and urging me on, this would never have gotten done,” Bell says. “He’s really been a mentor for me. It was a priority for him, and he was excited when it became a priority for me.”

Panther connections

Bell also credits Athletic Director Pete Garcia with strengthening his connection to FIU. Garcia worked with Bell’s father at the University of Miami and has known Bell since he was a kid. One of Garcia’s first priorities when he arrived at FIU in 2006 was reaching out to prominent former student-athletes – chief among them the gym rat he knew from his days at Miami.

“I know how hard Raja works,” Garcia says. “Nothing’s been given to him. He’s a self-made guy. He’s always had a lot of confidence, and he knew what he wanted to achieve. A lot of guys would say, ‘I made a lot of money, I don’t need a degree.’ Most guys would put it off. To come back and finish school while he’s still playing, that’s remarkable. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Bell is proud, too, of finishing his degree, and of his connection to FIU, the place he met his wife and many of his best friends, and where he returns each summer to get in shape for the coming season. He says he’d like to spend three more years in the NBA, long enough for his sons – 5-year-old Dia, 3-year-old Tai, and 7-month-old Zen – to “remember their daddy playing.”

And then? He’s thinking of going into coaching or broadcasting – careers that, like playing, won’t require a college degree to excel. But Bell will have that degree, and in his three young sons, he’ll have ever-present reminders of why it matters – a chance to set the example he himself followed, and another generation in a family for which education is essential.   ♦

Ryan Jones is a freelance writer in Pennsylvania.

To feed the excitement, I always plan a pre-season spread in the August issue of FIU Magazine. It’s one of my favorite projects. I get to hang out with the players and then show them off in the magazine. I call in one of my favorite “big shot” photographers, Josh Ritchie. Josh is a genius at composing big production photos. You can check out his work here.

This year, Coach Mario Cristobal suggested we consider incorporating the construction of the north side of the stadium into the image. It’s the 10^th anniversary of FIU football and we wanted to play off the theme of building a winning program. However, from a photography point of view, it wasn’t going to be easy to fit a 17-ton excavator, some very large football players and the stadium in one photo – AND make it look amazing. I had confidence Josh could pull it off.

Art Director Aileen Solá and I had several scouting sessions and chats with MCM Project Manager Juan Campos about the construction site. After weeks of planning, we were ready for the photo shoot at sundown one Friday in April.

Josh rented Profoto 7b heads and battery packs. Then used a combination of magnum reflectors, beauty dishes, soft boxes and a parabolic umbrella to control the light in a way to work with the ambient light and create the dramatic look with the football players. He used a Nikon d3 with a Nikkor 17-35mm 2.8 lens. It was shot at 17 mm on iso 100 at f-16 at 1/30 of a second.

The whole time, we kept looking at the sky. It had been raining all week and the sky was turning black. At one point, it began to drizzle. Not good when you have thousands of dollars of rented lighting equipment on the field.

When Josh started shooting, the football seniors Rupert Bryan, Sam Miller, Jonathan Cyprien, Kedrick Rhodes and Jose Cheeseborough did their thing. Menacing. Intense. Ready. As it turns out, the storm clouds added moodiness and personality to the photo.

Josh wasn’t the only one with a camera. FIU Magazine’s Senior Multimedia Producer Doug Garland ’10 captured the whole thing on video. Check out his video for a behind the scenes look.

– Deborah O’Neil

Hippocrates used red wine to disinfect wounds. The Romans would add small amounts to their water supply to ensure purity. And in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Cornelius toasts to his nephew’s “better health” – even if the wine did turn out to be poisoned.

Even before microbes could be magnified or arteries could be mended, people turned to wine, not only to soothe, but also to heal. But it wasn’t until much ado was made over the French, their eating habits and their lifespan that modern science started taking wine as seriously as, well, everyone else.

The “French Paradox,” as it’s been dubbed, ponders the question: How can a people who invented such delicacies as quiche, foie gras and éclairs have such relatively low cases of heart disease and cholesterol?

The answer, many put forth, was in the wine.

“The research is concrete that drinking wine in moderation provides your body with significant heart health benefit,” said FIU alumna and nutritionist Janet Brill MS ’93, the author of   Prevent a Second Heart Attack . “I recommend to everyone that can drink safely to drink one glass a day.”

Brill, who dedicates an entire chapter of her book to the benefits of red wine, notes that someone who drinks in moderation decreases their chance of a heart attack by 50 percent. Even someone who discovers wine later in life can reap the benefits – provided it’s done in moderation.

Specifically, red wine benefits the heart in three major ways.

First, Brill said research has found that the ingredients found in red grapes, most notably resveratrol, boost the production of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol – the good kind of cholesterol that helps remove the plaque that builds around the artery wall. Heart attacks happen when that plaque bursts or builds to a point that clogs the artery and prevents blood flow.

Second, those same elements in grapes not only raise HDL cholesterol, but also make the particles bigger.

“You want big, fat fluffy versions of HDL,” Brill said. “That’s a beautiful thing when it comes to preventing heart disease.”

Finally, red wine increases antioxidant levels, which fight the very creation of plaque. And to top it off, Brill said, the ethanol found in wine – and in all alcoholic beverages – seems to increase the potency of those antioxidants already found in grapes (and any other red fruit).

“At the base level, everything looks great for wine,” said sommelier and wine educator Aaron Berdofe.

Berdofe reminds us that the research is fairly new and many times, “we just want justification for drinking wine.” Moderation is key. That means two 8-ounce glasses a day for men and one for women.

And it may not be just the wine alone that causes the French to live longer and healthier lives, despite their cuisine. Literally, Berdofe said, it may be their joie de vivre.

“For the French, it may also include being active, eating right and having a strong social community,” he said.

Tania Rivera, an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at FIU, agrees that there is still much to learn about wine’s role in keeping the heart healthy. She emphasizes that alcohol is not part of a healthy diet.

“Although it doesn’t hurt to have a glass a day, I wouldn’t recommend to someone who doesn’t drink to start the habit just to keep the heart healthy,” she said.

So, which would be the heart healthiest wines? Pinot noir, says Brill. Grapes grown for this red wine usually come from cold and wet environments so that the healthiest parts of the fruit are kept at their freshest. Other dark, rich reds like cabernet and petite syrah also top the list for health benefits.

Skip to decade: 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s

1970s

Frank M. Souto ’74 is president of FMS & Associates, LLC, a company based in Racine, Wis., that consults with credit and collection companies. He also represents the Texas-based business of his designer brother-in-law, Silvio Menéndez, Wild Timber Designs, which manufactures a variety of wood products. An Alumni Association Silver Pride Inductee, Souto works with alumni associations at different universities across the United States to raise additional funds for those associations.

1980s

Jesus Romero ’81, MS ’83 was included in Barron’s magazine’s listing of the top 1,000 financial advisors in America for the first time this year. A Merrill Lynch financial advisor with more than 50 years of experience, Romero specializes in the handling of wealth and liability solutions.

Keren Peters-Atkinson ’88 recently was promoted to chief marketing officer of Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. She previously served as the company’s director of sales and marketing. In her new position, Peters-Atkinson will direct the traditional and online marketing plans for Madison’s 10 companies and 12 joint ventures, as well as those of related entities nationwide. She also will continue to write the company’s award-winning weekly work/life advice e-newsletter and blog, “Monday Mornings with Madison,” which can be found at mondaymornings.madisoncres.com.

1990s

José Tomas ’92, MS ’03 was elected to the Board of Directors of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest HR association. Tomas serves as president of Latin American and Caribbean operations and global chief human resources officer for the Burger King Corporation.

Gabriel Albelo ’93, president of the Miami-based TransAmerica Training, was honored by Oracle University last fall with a National Special Recognition and Marketing Collaboration Awards for his and his company’s outstanding track record in selling, supporting or delivering Oracle training. He is a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Rosanna Fiske MS ’94 was named one of the 100 most influential Hispanic business executives in HispanicBusiness magazine’s October 2011 issue.

The associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of the Global Strategic Communications master’s program at FIU was among 30 Hispanic executives selected in the Corporate Influential category. She was chosen for the impact she has had inspiring other Hispanics in their in communications career paths.

“I am honored to have been selected by HispanicBusiness as one of the leading Hispanic business leaders,” she said. “As a Hispanic faculty member in the leading communications program for Hispanic students, it is especially rewarding to be part of such a distinguished group of diverse executives and academics.”

Fiske was the first Hispanic woman president of the Miami chapter of Public Relations Society of America. She has received a number of industry and academic awards, including an FIU Torch Award, the 2010 Public Relations Professional of the Year PRemio Award by the Hispanic Public Relations Association for her many years of service to advance the profession, as well as her community.

At FIU, Fiske has been instrumental in helping shape the school’s Global Strategic Communications program into the largest graduate communications program in Florida. Currently, she also serves as the chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America.

Ivan J. Parron ’94, JD ’05, principal partner of the Miami Beach-based entertainment, media and sports law firm Parron Law, was admitted to the New York State Bar. Parron is already admitted to practice law in Florida and Washington, D.C.

Luis Marcelino Gómez ’95, MA ’98, Ph.D. ’01, a senior lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, published his fourth short-story collection, Cuando Llegaron los Helechos (When the Ferns Arrived), last November.

Ginelle Santamaria ’99 and Michael Joaquin Alvarez welcomed their first baby, a son named Michael Joaquin Alvarez II, last Oct. 9.

2000s

Larry Fleurantin, Esq. ’00, an Honors College graduate and the principal attorney at Larry R. Fleurantin & Associates, published an article titled, “Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies in Immigration Cases: Finding Jurisdiction to Review Unexhausted Claims the Board of Immigration Appeals Considers Sua Sponte on the Merits.” The article appeared in a 2010-’11 issue of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy.

Maria Arbiol ’03 and Luis Lopez del Castillo ’04 were married last July 9 at Viña Casas del Bosque, a vineyard in Santiago, Chile. The couple first met in FIU in 2002 and currently reside in North Carolina, where she is finishing a degree in educational leadership at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and he works in the Raleigh office of Wasserman Media Group as a Hispanic marketing consultant.

Al Rego MBA ’04 recently was promoted to vice president of Clinical Operations at Miami Children’s Hospital. Rego, who has been with the hospital for more than two decades, now oversees its pharmacy; clinical laboratory; departments of radiology, dietary and environmental services; and patient and guest relations.

Susan (Novoa) Carvajal ’06, MS ’09 and George Carvajal ’08 were married on Sept. 23, in a ceremony that was dressed up in blue and gold.

The bride and groom reached out to FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg and the FIU Alumni Association to inquire about some FIU goodies that could help enliven the ceremony, since their wedding’s colors were navy blue and gold. FIU holds a special place in the couple’s hearts: the pair met at FIU in 2006 playing intramural soccer with their respective Greek organizations.

“We bleed Blue and Gold,” Susan said. “We both worked on campus and we lived in the dorms, so it’s no surprise that the majority of our love story was written with FIU as its stage.”

To make their special day even more so, FIU sent beads and pompoms their way, as well as a very special guest: Roary.

Lourdes Cristina Cortizo ’07 married Edward Joseph Acevedo at Gesu Catholic Church in Miami last Aug. 20. They reside in Arlington, Va., where Lourdes is a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C., and Edward is a professional staff member for the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs under the leadership of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ’75, MS ’87.

Jenifer Merille ’11 and Eduardo Merille ’97, MBA ’00 had quite the blessed December 2011. On Dec. 12, Jenifer earned her degree in education and crossed the stage nine months pregnant. Eddie, who is FIU’s director of marketing and new media, snapped this picture of her at Commencement with FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. Less than two weeks later on Dec. 23, baby Melody Blas Merille arrived just in time for Christmas. Melody was welcomed by brother Luke, 4, sister Mila, 2, and by her abuela, fellow FIU alumna Marianela Merille ’75, MS ’77.

As a teenager, you worked at the McDonald’s drive-through in Pittsburg, Kan. What wine would pair ideally with McDonald’s famous french fries?

Got to be Champagne.

Oh, wow. I would’ve gone red with that.

No, salty foods are perfect for the acidity and the bubbles in Champagne or sparkling wine. I just bought three cases of sparkling wine last week. I think drinking Champagne is something that people should not reserve for special occasions. On a Monday night with broccoli and grilled pork, open a bottle of Champagne. It always makes you feel good, popping a cork and listening to the bubbles.

I notice you said you bought cases of wine. I thought a big perk of the wine biz was lots of free wine.

Well, it depends on what job you have and how much access you have to different wines.

I guess you don’t get a free $52 bottle of Jordan cabernet as often as a winery would give away a $9 or $10 or $12 bottle, huh.

Right. But I have friends at different wineries, and all of us get an employee rate for our companies’ wines, so I’m able to keep the cellar going a little bit.

You started college at Kansas State. How’d you end up transferring to FIU?

I had a bad winter. Every now and then people from small towns get it and say, “Oh, I don’t have to be here anymore. I’m an adult now, and I can go wherever I want.” I was dating a guy at K State who wanted to be a dive instructor and he said, “Why don’t we move to Florida?” So I did.

And you majored in communications with a concentration in hospitality management. Sounds like perfect preparation for your current job.

I love the wine business, and I credit that to the School of Hospitality at FIU and to Chip Cassidy’s wine class. It got me excited about wine. And so I’ve made a career in something I always wanted to do – communications – in an industry that’s fascinating. Over the years, there have been so many times when I’ve paused and thought, “I can’t believe I get paid to do this.”

I think you have my dream job. Can you explain how I failed to choose a career in the wine industry?

That’s easy: Because you didn’t go to FIU.

Oh. Tell us about your gig at Jordan.

Since we’re a family winery, it’s pretty all encompassing – everything from the marketing and messaging for the brand to public relations and digital media strategy and execution. I do a weekly video blog. I write all the copy for our direct-to-consumer newsletter and sales rep presentations.

How do you use social media?

We never directly try to sell on social media. Our idea is that if you take care of your customers, your customers will take care of you. We ask ourselves, what do we have to share where we could be a helpful resource for our followers? We did a piece on how to make French macaroons with our chef in the kitchen. How to prune an olive tree. Stuff like that.

Right now, I’m enjoying a glass of the ’97 Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva, and I know you used to represent the importer of that wine. What’s in your glass?

Um, right now Gatorade, because it’s 7 in the morning here, and I just got back from running 4 miles at the gym. Last night it was Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut, a sparkling wine, and yesterday at work I had our Jordan 2002 cabernet, an incredible wine. We did a vertical tasting (several consecutive vintages) up through our 2008 cab. It’s amazing to see how those wines age. Hmm…isn’t it only 10 in the morning on the East Coast where you are?

So it is. I, ah, wrote that question last night. Next topic: At wine tastings, it’s customary to swish and spit to avoid unseemly drunkenness. Explain how to do this gracefully and without staining your blouse.

I think at everybody’s first tasting, you don’t follow the spit rule and you get burned. At a winery, especially in Europe, it’s easy, because you can just spit on the floor. When you’re in a hotel banquet room, professionals bring their own plastic Dixie cup. You put the cup almost to your lip and spit into it. That’s the sign of a true professional: a wine glass in one hand and a Dixie cup in the other. Also, watch out for a full dump bucket because there’s the possibility of something splashing up on you.

You’re looking to publish your memoir,  The Exes in My iPod , in which you use a 13-song playlist as a window into your previous relationships – as your book’s pitch notes, “a string of exes that could fill a National Football League roster, 53 men.” One song on the playlist is “Brass Monkey” by the Beastie Boys. Tell me about THAT guy.

Oh, God. I met that guy at FIU. In my media law and ethics class. He was the carefree slacker type, and I was the girl who wanted to sit in the front row and fill up two binders with notes. We dated for almost two years. I would be trying to study, and he’d come over with a six-pack of Heineken and take out whatever CD was in my stereo and put in the Beastie Boys – because that was the only one I had that he liked. He taught me to relax and have fun.    ♦

Get in touch with Lisa Mattson ’97 at facebook.com/exesinmyipod or  @lisamattsonwine on Twitter.

• Founder and President of The Pfeffer Group, LLC

• Former Chairman of Wyndham Hotels Worldwide

• Lifetime Member, FIU Alumni Association

• Bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism management

Q. What are your fondest memories of FIU?

A. The relationships I developed with international students from South America, the Middle East, India and Greece come to mind. As it turns out, this understanding of and getting used to multi-cultural mentalities, customs and other idiosyncrasies early on in life gave me a competitive advantage as I climbed the corporate ladder.

Q. How did FIU prepare you for your career?

A. I was a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces and a foreign student, so when I came here I was ready to work. I felt that FIU professors gave me an immediate understanding of the basics of hotel and restaurant business and its marketing, operational and financial aspects. Their advice was very instrumental in my decisions.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

A. I was told to work in the industry while I studied it and to keep an open mind. I once faced a crucial decision and I approached Professor Rocco Angelo for advice. During graduation, I was offered a management trainee position at The Plaza in New York and, since I was already a front office manager at the Howard Johnson Golden Glades, I was also offered the assistant manager position of the flagship Howard Johnson in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Rocco’s advice turned out to be prophecy. He said to me, “Don’t be blinded by the glamour, someone has to be the president of Howard Johnson.” Within 15 years, I was named president of Howard Johnson Hotels.

Q. Why is it important to be involved with your alma mater?

A.  First, keeping in touch with the past, with those who had an impact on your life, is a great foundation for continued success and happiness, regardless of your goals or purpose in life. Second, I always keep in touch with the faculty to stay up to date on the young graduates coming out of school for recruitment purposes or as a source of current information.

Q. What is your proudest accomplishment?

A: On the business side, the fact that I was able to succeed in the corporate world, retiring from the highest position at Wyndham Hotels Worldwide (the largest franchiser of hotels in the world), and establishing The Pfeffer Group. The company allowed me to go from being a “corporate animal” to an entrepreneur. When we started, we were doing only consulting and we’ve since ventured into a number of partnerships, including The Pfeffer Group Retail Division, financial investments and a residential real estate private fund. On the personal side, my daughters Jacqueline and Jessica give me a lot of pride and joy.

Read about more Very Important Panthers

By Deborah O’Neil MA ’09 | Photos by Eduardo Merille ’96, MBA ’00

Nestled along the northern reaches of California’s Pacific Coast Highway is the hamlet of Bodega, a curious mix of rural charm, American pop culture and majestic coastline.

Ansel Adams came here in 1953 to photograph the iconic St. Teresa de Avila church that still sits in the center of town. Alfred Hitchcock filmed   The Birds  with Tippi Hedren in the early ’60s here as well. The 140-year-old Potter School featured in the movie stands just behind the church.

It is here that Miami natives and college friends Michael Fahmie ’02 and Michael Faulk ’05 landed after college and decided to start a business.

A real country store

A trained chef, Fahmie bought the historic   Bodega Country Store  in the center of town and, with help from Faulk, began restoring it as a proper country store – a place where you can buy home-cooked food, local produce and Patty’s homemade goat cheese, batteries and matches, California wine and books by local authors. His website sums it up: “A nice store in a small town.”

“I have a real working country store,” Fahmie said. “People find it to be a bit of a novelty these days. Bodega Country Store represents a sort of lost Americana. I’m really proud of what we have done here.”

Fahmie has kept intact the store’s original kitchen, situated right next to the checkout counter. He and his staff prepare food throughout the day – fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, chicken salad, crab macaroni and cheese – using a Burton induction burner and two small convection ovens, a microwave and four tabletop warmers. Fahmie, who worked at the Mandarin Oriental and as a private chef to, among others, FIU President Emeritus Modesto A. Maidique, has no desire to modernize his historic kitchen.

“You embrace what you have. That’s what I have learned as someone who came from a place where you can get what you want, when you want it,” he said. “As a chef in Texas, I flew in caviar from Russia and salmon from Alaska. But the sign of a really good chef is taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary. I make crab macaroni and cheese, and I can’t keep it on the shelves.”

Visitors to Bodega Country Store are greeted with a life-sized Hitchcock outside and inside, Fahmie may well have one of the world’s largest collections of Hitchcock memorabilia. A couple of times a year, Tippi Hedren drops by the store to sign autographs.

You can, of course, pick up a copy of   The Birds. You can also say hello to Zeka, the store’s real bird. Zeka, by the way, was Zek until “he” laid an egg.

Fahmie caters to two crowds. The locals are pretty well birded out and just want supplies and good food. Tourists, on the other hand, come from all over the world to visit the sites Hitchcock made famous and to recreate Ansel Adams’ black and white steeple image. They too want good food and supplies, but they also want to chat with someone who knows the town’s history, and they get a warm welcome at the Bodega Country Store.

‘Proof that God loves us’

Fahmie and Faulk met while they were culinary arts students at Johnson & Wales. After graduating, both went to FIU. Says Fahmie, “I had a lot of industry experience, but I wasn’t getting promoted because I didn’t have a bachelor’s degree.” They worked alongside FIU chef instructor Michael Moran ’86, MS ’03 at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival for two years. Both were mentored by FIU hospitality instructor and wine expert Chip Cassidy ’75.

“I started taking the hospitality program so I could be more well rounded,” said Faulk, who also has worked as a chef and now manages restaurants. “Chip was a major influence on me wanting to learn about wine.”

While in college, the two did internships as chefs at Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island in Washington. The beauty of the west coast awed them. “I just wanted to be in wine country in the Pacific Northwest,” Faulk said.

Fahmie spent the next decade working as a private chef before deciding to “step back and take a breath.” He took a year-and-a-half off to travel and author   Eat. Drink. Be Merry: Vagabonding in the Americas, a photo book of his journey.

There are photos of pine forests and rocky beaches, tomatoes and wine grapes, and Fahmie canoeing and camping. Alongside pictures of vineyards in California, Fahmie wrote, “Wine is constant proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

A sweet gig

Fahmie has family in Sonoma County, so he had been visiting the area for years. He had stopped at the Bodega Country Store several times and recognized its potential. One of Bodega’s pioneering families, the McCaughey brothers, built the store in 1856. But it was run down and operated as a cheap convenience store.

“It was such a historic building in a historic place and you come out to the coast and all you could get was a beer and maybe a frozen burrito,” Fahmie said.

In 2008, a business broker mentioned to Fahmie an old country store on the coast that was for sale. Fahmie knew exactly where it was. He decided he would be the one to bring back the Bodega Country Store. “I decided to do it my way,” he says.

He wanted the store to claim its role as the center of town life, the spot where every passerby and local stops for food, information and conversation. His culinary skills would be central – he saw an opportunity to create a menu of gourmet grab-and-go items for visitors headed to the breathtaking coastline just a few miles away. He also wanted to have fun with the village’s storied past.

He called on his longtime friend Faulk to help him out. Faulk had already settled in California, running restaurants around Napa and Sonoma, meeting winemakers and winery owners throughout the region. He also began experimenting with winemaking at home as a hobby.

Faulk left LaSalette, a fine Portuguese restaurant in downtown Sonoma, to help Fahmie get the Bodega business off the ground. The historic building had been neglected and needed some TLC. In the beginning as they worked on the building, the two catered weddings and held oyster barbecues on the weekends in the center of Bodega. “It was a sweet gig,” Faulk says.

It took a couple of months to get the store ready for opening. Faulk eventually returned to the restaurant industry and is now the general manager of Wildfox, about 40 minutes north of San Francisco. And Fahmie now offers FIU students the opportunity to intern at Bodega Country Store and learn about California’s wine country.

Eat. Drink. Be Merry.

For the last five years, Faulk has been making small-batch wine at home. He calls it   Engracia, named for his Cuban grandmother, Engracia Perez Hernandez, who fled Cuba in 1960. The label is designed with the island of Cuba. Dominos designate the vintage.

He works with California growers to get his grapes and makes a merlot, pinot noir and a chardonnay. Fittingly, the making of Engracia is a social event and Faulk’s friends help him out. Every year, he has a bottling party and hosts private tastings at his house.

Faulk also welcomes FIU alumni and students to join them. Anyone interested in helping with harvest, bottling or just in tasting some wine is welcome to contact him. He can be reached through engraciawines.com.

“We have a great time throughout harvest season,” Faulk said. “I get a group of my friends to help me pick the grapes, then we crush and press. When it’s ready to bottle I call on my group of friends and we bottle and label. We eat good food, drink great wine, get our hands dirty and have fun doing it. It’s basically a party, but we work first, then party. You get this great sense of accomplishment and it is indescribable.”

Where the winemaking will go, Faulk isn’t sure but he’s developed a philosophy for Engracia.

“A person does not make wine, rather they simply guide it along during the natural process in order to ensure that the finished product is one of great quality,” he said. “I prefer the term ‘Wine Father’ or ‘Wine Mother’ or perhaps ‘Wine Parent’ rather than ‘Wine Maker.’ ”

The two friends still hold their summer oyster barbecue across the street from the store. And they will be happy to tell you all about Bodega’s quirky history over a bottle or two of Engracia.   ♦

For years, Duffy Keys ’75 kept a home in California’s wine country while he traveled the world as a senior executive at The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Already a fine dining connoisseur, Keys began thinking about wine as the natural next chapter of his career.

Keys was at a Fourth of July barbecue in 2003 extolling what his own winery might look like when he met Jim Borsack, the co-owner and senior vice president of El Portal, a global chain of designer leather stores. Also a food and wine lover, Borsack had just planted 20 acres of cabernet on his Temecula property.

By the end of 2003, the two became business partners combining their business, food and wine expertise to launch B Cellars. Their winery in upper Napa Valley’s historic Calistoga sits on 22 acres, eight of which are planted with cabernet, cab franc and merlot.

“I spent 30 years eating and drinking in all parts of the world, working for the finest luxury hotel company in the world, The Four Seasons,” said Keys, a graduate of FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “What I learned there can be translated to wine – it’s about ingredients and processes and excellence. It is doing the very simplest things exceptionally well every day.”

B Cellars wines are modeled on the French blending tradition, with a contemporary approach. The winery procures grapes from Napa Valley’s most coveted vineyards including To Kalon, Dr. Crane, Caldwell, Williamson Ranch, Juliana, Maldonado, Star, Stagecoach and Lewelling for their four proprietary blends and small-batch single varietals.

“You have to figure out how you are going to differentiate yourself,” Keys said. “One of the things that sets B Cellars apart is that all of Napa Valley is our terroir.”

Today, B Cellars wines can be found in the best restaurants and wine shops in 19 states. Their distributor in a half-dozen states is American Wines, the fine wine division of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, owned by the Chaplin family, namesake of the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. B Cellars wines range in price from $55 for their blends to $145 for their limited releases.

Robert Parker, the world’s most famous wine critic, highlighted B Cellars wines in his Best of Northern California 2007, 2006, 2005 review: “Jim Borsack and Duffy Keys have hired Kirk Venge as their consulting winemaker, and the wines are clearly made in a fruit-forward style that should satisfy consumers and restaurants looking for immediate drinkability.”

“Our objective is to be in the top five or six steak houses, Italian restaurants and fish houses that are the stalwart in every community,” Keys said. “We want to be in the top three or four country clubs and wine shops in a community. If we do that, the rest becomes almost viral. It takes care of itself.”

FIU Magazine spent an afternoon with Duffy Keys at B Cellars, touring the vineyard and winery. Keys explained their approach to winemaking and how the lessons he learned at The Four Seasons have shaped the success of B Cellars.

In the beginning

Keys and Borsack shared a vision for their wines, but to bring it to life, they needed a winemaker and they needed fruit. They set their sights on the best of both, but breaking into California’s close-knit winemaking world was not easy.

“When we first got started we had a guy out of the luggage business and one from the hotel business,” Keys said. “We told them we were taking enology and viticulture classes at UC Davis. They were not impressed. The growers were saying to us, ‘I have a reputation. If I am going to sell you this fruit, who is going to make your wine?’ Meanwhile, the winemakers wanted to know where we were going to get our fruit.”

Well connected after more than 20 years in the luxury hotel industry, Keys, with some help from Borsack, leveraged their professional relationships to open doors in the valley. Through legendary winemaker Nils Venge they were able to make a connection with Nils’ son Kirk Venge to become B Cellars’ master winemaker. Nils was the first American winemaker to earn a perfect 100 score from Robert Parker.  Kirk was named one of the Top 20 New Winemakers in the World in 2005 by Food & Wine magazine.

Keys muses, “The adage, ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,’ is evident in the production of every vintage of B Cellars since inception.”

With Venge as the B Cellars winemaker, the renowned Beckstoffer Vineyards signed on as well.

“The Wall Street Journal recently called Andy Beckstoffer the most powerful person in Napa,” Keys said. “The point they were making was what goes on in the vineyard is really the driving force behind what’s in the bottle. Between Nils and Kirk Venge and having access to three of Beckstoffer’s champion vineyards, the rest was a lot easier.”

What if…?

One school of winemaking is single vineyard varietal. In that model, a winery owns a vineyard of, say, cabernet. Every year, they bottle the cabernet that comes off their estate. B Cellars signature wines are blends, but they also produce single vineyard wines from Beckstoffer’s pedigreed Dr. Crane, To Kalon and George III vineyards.

“There aren’t many producers who get access to these vineyards,” Keys said. “It’s a way for us also to dimensionalize ourselves to show people that while our blended wines speak for themselves, we also can make a single vineyard varietal wine and hit it out of the park.”

The French, on the other hand, have been blending wines for centuries. Keys and Borsack were drawn to the French style of winemaking but found it limiting.

“They blend Bordeaux with Bordeaux, Rhône with Rhône, Burgundy with Burgundy. That’s their Old World tradition,” Keys said. “We said, ‘We can do anything we want.’ What happens if you paired a Rhône varietal with Bordeaux? A Bordeaux with a Burgundy?”

They began experimenting with finished wines from great winemakers – great producers of syrah, cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese, chardonnay, viogniers.

“What we learned from that process is we can capture layers of flavors in a bottle that is impossible to get in the approach of a single vineyard varietal,” Keys said.

Creative interpretation

The spirit of B Cellars wines – rooted in tradition but not bound by it – encourages innovation in the winemaking process.

Keys was in Italy working on a hotel and winery project a few years ago when he was introduced to a winemaking process called the Ripasso method. Sangiovese was pressed off the skins and the grape skins were kept in the cellar. Once the sangiovese was fully fermented, it was poured over the grape skins. The resulting sangiovese had a deeper color and soft mouth feel.

Back in California, after the first vintage where they replicated this process on sangiovese; Keys, Venge and Borsack started to consider the next year’s vintage. Why not try the Ripasso method, with a B Cellars twist?

“Because we aren’t bound by any method, we said, ‘What if we use the Ripasso method on the sangiovese, but take it a step further and introduce the skins of the petite sirah into the mix?’” Venge said. “The petite sirah skin is very thick, very sturdy. It also delivers this rich ruby purple color while adding structure and more subtle tannins.  So, we incorporated this approach into the second vintage production of our Blend 24 and the result was AMAZING.”

Between the traditional Ripasso method for the sangiovese and the inclusion of petite sirah skins into the sangiovese fermentation process, the Blend 24 transitioned into what they refer to as a “Napa Valley inspired” Super Tuscan – unique to B Cellars. The wine has a distinct flavor profile with rich tannins, bright acidity and velvety mouth feel.

They have used it for Blend 24 every year thereafter. Robert Parker gave the 2007 and 2008 vintages ratings of 90 and 91 points. He described the B Cellars 2006 sangiovese as “one of the finest wines I have tasted from this varietal. It comes across as a distinctly Rhône-like red, displaying black fruit, earth, strawberry, red cherry, new saddle leather and olive characteristics in its spicy personality.”

Only the best

The Four Seasons operates five-star hotels around the world where every detail of the customer experience is executed to the highest standards. Keys has brought the same approach to his wine business.

“Our view is in order to make the very best you can’t cut corners,” he said. “French oak barrels cost $1,200, so a lot of wineries choose a less costly approach. They cost less, but the flavor delivery is noticeably different. All of our oak barrels are from France, except for our barrels for sangiovese that come from Hungary.”

They developed the B Cellars branding system around the idea of ingredients. They were the first to put the wine’s components on the front, instead of the back of the bottle. For instance, a customer who buys the 2007 Blend 24 will easily see that it is made up of 40 percent cabernet sauvignon, 30 percent sangiovese and 30 percent petite sirah.

The “B” in B Cellars represents brix, a measurement of a grape’s sugar at harvest. So, B Cellars wines are named sequentially (Blend 23, Blend 24, Blend 25 and Blend 26) signifying that the grapes were harvested at the sweet spot of optimal ripeness for their style of wines. As Mercedes and BMW have already demonstrated, the numbered brand system appeals to customers.

Says Keys: “It goes to one of our other points of view about wine: It’s not all the mystery that’s important. It’s what you like that counts.”   ♦

Sitting in the plushly decorated formal salon of  Opus One, Yasko Cadby ’86 is the picture of tranquil elegance as she talks about the shaky start to her new job as Japan export manager for the prestigious Napa Valley winery.

She was apartment hunting in Tokyo on March 11, 2011, when the devastating Tohoku earthquake struck. “I was on the 21st floor and the earthquake hit and it was, ‘Do I want to come here?’” she recalls.

The answer was “Yes,” and Cadby took on her new duties overseeing markets in Japan and South Korea in June – fortunately with few tremors of the business variety.

Cadby doesn’t really have to sell the wine. Opus One, the brand founded in 1979 by California wine pioneer Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of France, is wildly popular both in the United States and Asia. (Constellation Brands, Inc., purchased Robert Mondavi Corp., assuming 50 percent ownership of Opus One in 2005.) It’s not unusual for the winery to get a call from someone trying to put in an order for 10,000 cases, a flattering but impossible request since it’s about half the winery’s annual production.

Her job is to make sure people understand the product. “At the restaurant we just don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, we want Opus One,’” she says. “We want them to say, ‘Oh, I like the 2005 Opus One as opposed to 2007 because ’05 is a little bit more of a reserved style.’ That’s the level of communication we want and to do that we need to educate sommeliers.”

On a sunny day in the Napa Valley, the Opus One winery is a symphony of good impressions, from the sweep of green vineyards leading up to the winery to the mix of soothing – but not soporific – music playing over outdoor speakers. That last item is no accident. As coordinator of guest relations here, Cadby pulled out her own CDs to help liven up the music selection.

Paying attention to detail is a key part of the Opus One experience, says Cadby. “Even when I come here now, I feel the sense of urgency,” she says. “Your back needs to be straight.”

The winery, which makes only Bordeaux blends, primarily cabernet sauvignon, is famous for its distinctive architecture, in particular a rotunda set low to the ground and surrounded by a grassy berm, part of a conscious effort to create something that complements rather than contrasts with its environs.

The slender and soft-spoken Cadby is one of the few U.S. winery representatives in Asia. She’s also a woman executive in a climate that isn’t as male-dominated as it used to be, but can still be conservative. But it doesn’t take more than few minutes of conversation to see the expertise and enthusiasm that drive her– and a delightful sense of humor, too. Should she need to be assertive in a negotiation she occasionally brings out her secret weapon: Saying “No” politely but firmly in English. “They understand,” she says with a smile.

Cadby, who was born and raised in Japan, didn’t start out expecting to be managing the finer points of high-end wine, or any wine for that matter. After getting a business degree from Sophia University in Tokyo she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do, but she knew she was interested in the airline travel industry. She looked at a few schools but finally settled on FIU because it was one of the few at the time offering a hospitality management program – with the added bonus of being in a warm weather climate.

Her interest in wine came via a class in wine education led by  Professor Chip Cassidy, well-known as a mentor to many in the wine world.

“What I learned from him was his passion for wine,” she says. “The wine’s not just to drink. Wine has a lot of history and you’ve got to also understand its agriculture, its chemistry, its biology, all these things. I was so fascinated by this.”

Cassidy is “very good at pulling everybody’s ability and making them grow into the next step,” says Cadby. Even today, when she’s feeling tired or at a loss, she’ll call Cassidy for help and “just talking to him, my energy level goes up.”

Another avenue into the world of wine came through her job as a Japanese-English translator for Florida Power & Light Co. She often went along to local restaurants to translate for visiting executives from Japan, which naturally segued into helping them decipher the wine list once they discovered her expertise.

After getting her degree in hospitality management, Cadby started graduate studies but left that for full-time work, and ultimately, a move to the burgeoning California wine scene. She got married, had two daughters, both now in college, took a little bit of a break in her career and then began taking wine classes and working as a freelance writer and translator. Interestingly, she learned wine first in English and had to turn around and re-learn the terminology in Japanese.

Her job at Opus One started casually as an on-call employee. But by 2007 she was working full-time as guest relations coordinator. In 2011, she took on the export manager job, although she still visits the U.S. frequently.

This harvest, she spent a week in the United States that included getting up at 3 a.m. to experience night harvesting, which is something wineries do to keep grapes cooler and fresher. It made for some long days, but it’s all part of the task of learning how to communicate the whole story behind Opus One wine. “The goal is when people talk about Opus One it’s because of the quality of the wine, not because of the brand name,” she says.

Showing visitors around the familiar rooms, Cadby stops at some of her favorite places, like the salon, with its mix of 18th-century Italian opera chairs and contemporary seating, and the tasting room, bathed in a soft light at day’s end. The cellar is another treasured spot with its rows of pristine barrels all meticulously painted with red wine around the middle – no untidy splashes of red wine here.

In the end, it’s the details, and the passion for getting them right, that count, she says.

“So many things need to be clicking in your head. You have to have a passion otherwise it will be a pain. You have to work weekends. You have to work nights. You have to get up early. You have a lot of ‘you have tos.’ If you have that passion, you want to do it and that passion makes everything easy.”    ♦

Michelle Locke is a freelance wine writer in California.

By Deborah O’Neil MA ’09 | Photos by Eduardo Merille ’97 MBA ’00

“It turns out the wine inside the bottle is as refreshing as the label,” wrote California wine blogger Peg Melnik. “It has aromas and flavors of grapefruit, pear, melon and spice. The wine has a round texture and vibrant acidity. A great package inside and out.”

Honig lives on the estate with her husband, Michael, who brought new life to the family winery when he took it over in 1984. Their three children Sophia, 4, Lola, 3, and Sebastian, 1, are growing up nibbling on sauvignon blanc grapes.

Raised in Argentina, Honig discovered her love of wine in college when she took a class and did an internship with Chip Cassidy in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

“Chip became my mentor,” she said. “He had me sitting in meetings with distributors. He had me tasting wine all the time. I realized I really wanted to get into the wine business.”

After graduating, Honig went to work in sales for Clicquot Inc. in New York and for Rudd Winery of Napa Valley. In 2004, she completed an Advanced Certificate and Diploma with the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust. She later started making wine in Argentina and imported her own wine brand. She now handles public relations and develops international and national markets for Honig Vineyard and Winery.

“If it had not been for wine classes at FIU and my FIU professors who got me educated and excited about wine, I wouldn’t have taken this path,” Honig says. “There is a lot about wine that I love. It’s a very dynamic business, wine is a fun product, and you are selling something that makes people happy.”

At 60,000 cases annually, Honig is a medium-sized winery that makes two wines, a cabernet sauvignon and a sauvignon blanc. At $40 for the red and $17 for the white, both are praised as exceptional values. Honig wine is sold in 19 countries and featured in hundreds of restaurants around the country.

The little creatures that inhabit the Honig vineyard bring more than rural charm. They are part of the Honig family’s approach to winemaking. Their 70 acres of cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc grapes are grown according to California’s new code of sustainability standards.

In 2010, Honig was one of 17 wineries to participate in a pilot project for the state’s new sustainability certification. They have maintained the certifications since then, even publishing their “Green Report Card” online. They were rated “excellent” in almost every category from minimizing water use to their comprehensive employee benefits.

Instead of spraying chemicals, the winery uses owl boxes, which provide a habitat for owls that control rodents. They’ve also created a natural habitat for blue birds, bats and bees.

Five wind machines protect crops during the winter by mixing the air and raising the temperature by a few degrees to prevent freeze. This is a more eco-friendly approach than pumping water to protect against frost.

The Honig wine bottle is 15 percent lighter than standard wine bottles. Less glass means less energy used in its production and less fuel needed to ship. The winery also saves on fuel by coordinating its pickup and delivery schedule so that delivery trucks always leave with a full load of bottled wine. Plus, the tractors in its vineyard use biodiesel fuel.

In 2006, the Honigs installed 829 solar panels at a cost of $1 million. The panels power the winery and their private home, saving them $42,000 a year in electrical bills and preventing the emission of more than 7.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

The family focuses the long-term viability of the soil, the vineyards and their business. Honig says, “We are stewards of the land and it is our responsibility to take care of it and pass it on to our children in excellent condition. Better soil and better grapes also make better wine. If you buy
a nice heirloom tomato and you buy a commercially grown tomato and make sauce out of each, clearly you’re going to have better sauce with the heirloom tomato. It’s the same with grapes and wine. A beautiful vineyard is a healthy vineyard that produces great wine.”  

By Deborah O’Neil MA ’09 | Photos by Eduardo Merille ’97, MBA’00

On a Sunday afternoon at the end of harvest,   JC Cellars  owner and winemaker Jeff Cohn ’84 is talking about wine. With him, it’s easy to see just how much wine can express the personality of its maker.

“With cabernet you have to dress up in a jacket and tie. With zin and syrah you run around naked and free,” he says with a grin. “Syrah, petite syrah, marsanne, grenache are all very romantic.”

This is no stuffy lecture on the secrets of the cellar. Cohn sprinkles the conversation with words like “sexy” and “exciting” to describe wine. He uses grape-stained fingers to point out the big fermenting tank that they call “the hippo.”

It’s not hard to imagine why his mentor and fellow winemaker Pam Starr jokes that Cohn is “not allowed in the suit club.” Cohn’s wines – lively Rhône varietals and opulent zinfandels that regularly earn 90+ ratings – are bursting with joie de vivre.  Wine Spectator  has named JC Cellars one of the top California zinfandel producers and given Cohn the title of Zinfandel Specialist.

“He’s known for his zinfandels and zany left-field varieties. It’s just appropriate for Jeff,” Starr says. “He has an enthusiasm and zest for winemaking that I rarely run across.”

Cohn and his wife Alexandra Cohn MS ’87, a fellow hospitality graduate, opened JC Cellars in 2005 as an urban winery in Oakland, Calif. They are successful entrepreneurs in a highly competitive industry, combining her business savvy and his artistic vision with a lot of hard work. Owning a winery means wakeup calls before dawn to check on fermenting grapes, hours on the road visiting vineyards, business trips around the country and the risk that comes with depending on Mother Nature’s generosity.

An accountant with a background in hotel and winery consulting, Alexandra runs the business side of JC Cellars. She travels for the winery, “eating my way across America,” she jokes, managing business relationships and public relations. “There are tons of fabulous people in the wine industry,” she says. “I’m really proud to say those people are my friends. You have a growing, close-knit community.”

The serious work of making a mark in the wine industry seems to have done little to diminish Cohn’s irreverence. A few years ago, the winemaker promised to dye his hair purple if he received a score of 95 or above on any JC Cellars wine. He got two, a 95 from   Connoisseurs’ Guide  for his Fess Parker 2005 Syrah and a 96 from   The Wine Advocate  for the Philary Syrah.

The winemaker made good on his promise, posting the proof online and noting, “It won’t wash out. I still have some pink highlights.”

An irresistible calling

Neither of the Cohns was born into the wine world. Pluck and talent got them there.

Although both attended FIU, they met after graduating during an orientation at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Virginia. Alexandra was an accounting trainee and Jeff was the food and beverage cost controller for the large convention hotel. Alexandra even remembers the day they met: June 3, 1987.

Their leap into the wine industry didn’t come for years, although wine seemed to beckon Cohn everywhere he landed, starting with FIU.

Cohn took his first wine class at FIU and remembers tasting two wines in David Greer’s class that got him excited: a Ridge Fiddletown Zinfandel and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. “They had so many layers and were so complex because they were blends,” he says. “The influence I got from that has carried through.”

With help from then-Professor Steve Moll, now the BBC vice provost, Cohn landed a job as the food and beverage manager for Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. He spent two or three weeks a month cruising and in his downtime, he hung out in his friend’s wine shop in Martinique.

Later, he took a job at Sutton Place Gourmet in Washington, D.C., where the wine buyer began teaching him about wine. He took advantage of his employee discount to taste and learn more.

He worked one harvest season at Boordy Vineyards in Maryland, doing everything from picking grapes to cleaning barrels.

And finally, after years of working in various hospitality jobs, Cohn told Alexandra: “I think I want to go back to school and become a winemaker. I think I can do it.”

Cohn enrolled at California State University, Fresno to earn a master’s degree in agricultural chemistry with an emphasis on enology. Early on, he met Starr, then the winemaker at Spottswoode in Napa Valley. Cohn’s earnest desire to learn made an impression on her that still lingers.

“I remember being grilled by a very enthusiastic student of enology, asking questions like, ‘Why isn’t my wine going through malolactic fermentation?’ It was so pure and honest,” Starr says. “I told him to go back and work on it some more. I didn’t know that would lead to more phone calls and visits. He’s just not going to take no for an answer.”

Cohn remembers how Starr made him taste grapes off the vine, week after week. He learned from her one of the most important lessons of winemaking: Don’t rely on numbers to make your wine. “If it’s not ripe, you need to wait, even if the numbers say otherwise,” Cohn wrote in his newsletter. “I live by this every year, even when I see rain clouds on the horizon (more gray hairs).”

Starr says Cohn hasn’t changed much since she first met him 20 years ago. He still asks her questions that are “sideways enough to make you think, ‘Why is this person asking that? Some of his questions have led me to say, ‘Well, why don’t I do this?’”

“He has become a really great winemaker,” she says. “He has a very good reputation with growers and that’s an excellent reputation to have – your ability to be true and honest.”

Science and art

While he was studying enology at Fresno State, Cohn had the chance to pick a quarter ton of fruit from Robert Biale’s Aldo’s Vineyard in Napa Valley, famous for its old vine zinfandel. With those grapes he made “Wild n’ Zinful,” the wine that convinced Kent Rosenblum to hire him at Rosenblum Cellars, the acclaimed producer of zinfandel.

During his 10 years at Rosenblum, the young winemaker became a star. Cohn made the first zinfandel ever to grace  Wine Spectator’s   Top 10 Wines of the Year – the 2003 Rosenblum Rockpile Road Vineyard Zinfandel. Cohn’s zin was the third best wine of 2005, right behind a Joseph Phelps Insignia and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the wine that had opened his eyes at FIU.

He left Rosenblum in 2006 to dedicate himself to JC Cellars. Today, his winery produces 5,000 cases of wine per year with a staff of five, including the Cohns. Their wines are sold in 26 states and range in price from $25 to $85.

The accolades keep rolling in for the winery. In January 2012,   Wine Spectator’s  Tim Fish described JC Cellars recent releases as “outstanding,” singling out the “big, distinctive St. Peter’s Church Vineyard bottling, loaded with flavor and personality.”

The creation of a single bottle of wine takes far longer and far more effort than many people realize, Alexandra points out. “People think the wine industry is such a romantic industry. It’s a lot of hard work,” she said. “You have 18 months when you are making product before you have anything to sell the first vintage out.”

Here’s how it happens: It takes one year to grow the grapes, and hopefully the weather cooperates, giving the vineyards just the right sun and rain, at the right times. The winemaker decides when to pick the fruit. There’s no formula for knowing when the moment is right. Cohn relies more on his senses than the myriad measurement tools available to the winemaker. By the end, the winemaker is praying day by day that the weather will hold out.

After the grapes are harvested, it takes three weeks to ferment them, a process that involves more important choices for the winemaker. Which yeast to use, whether to do whole cluster fermentation, the temperature of the fermentation, how many times to punch it down, when to press. These decisions are part science, part artistry and all affect the quality of the wine.

“I try not to let the chemistry rule what I do,” says Cohn. “A lot of people who make wine say it has to be this pH and that acidity. I don’t follow those rules. My friends will say, ‘Didn’t you look at the sugar? And I say, ‘I don’t know anything about that.’ I go by what I think is best for the wine. I go off the wall.”

Go for it

Cohn relishes the pressure and exhilaration of harvest season. “It’s what makes me go. This is my most favorite time of the year. This is when I get to create my vision.”

He makes his blends with a 60-milliliter syringe during marathon tasting sessions in his Oakland lab. “To really get the feel for what the blend is about, you can’t spit,” he said. “By the time I’m done, I’m done.”

He always tests his blends twice, coming back the next day to recreate the wine and see if he likes it as much the second time. “Ninety-five percent of the time, I nail it. If they come out the way they should, I go for it.”

He remembers his 2005 wine, The Impostor, a zinfandel blend. The fruit wasn’t what he’d hoped. It just wasn’t coming together. He kept working at it in the lab, ultimately coming up with a blend that was 72 percent zinfandel with syrah, petite syrah, mourvedre and viognier.

He wondered if anyone would understand this big, exotic blend. He had taken zinfandel to a new level, making a wine that was bold and balanced. Someone did.

The Impostor was selected as No. 52 on   Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2007.

When a wine comes together perfectly, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why. The outstanding vintage of 2005 left Cohn pondering the wonder of it all in his newsletter. Maybe it was the amount of rainfall. Maybe it was when the showers occurred. Or it could have been how the sun shined at a particular time.

“Or it could have been that every so often Bacchus smiles down on all of us and provides winemakers a chance to just make great wines.”    ♦

By Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08 | Photos by Eduardo Merille ’97, MBA ’00

Celeste Carducci owns the historic   McClelland-Priest Bed & Breakfast Inn  in Napa’s historic Abajo-Fuller Park District. Her guests are treated to the full Napa Valley experience – one the FIU alumna has perfected, much like the fine wines for which the region is known. Her luxury B&B combines more than 30 years in the hospitality business and a unique talent set.

Carducci started out in the industry working for her mother at the Seaway Hotel in upstate New York. Her mom was one of the first female hotel managers in the area, and by her side, Carducci learned it all: housekeeping, lifeguarding, night auditing and front desk management.

After completing a summer hotel program at Cornell University, Carducci was officially in love with the hospitality industry. She attended FIU’s   Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management  after hearing from industry managers that the school was among the best for job placement and hands-on experience.

Right out of college, she was hired by the Marriott Corporation and then went on to work for a wine distributor in Washington, D.C., for several years. In her spare time, Carducci taught health and fitness classes in Virginia. Shortly after, she took a management position with Nieman Sporting Clubs of America.

Carducci’s ultimate goal was to meld her talents and expertise in the hospitality industry. Moving to Napa and opening a B&B was the first step. “I finally began pursuing my dream of blending the careers that I so much enjoyed when I moved to California,” she says.

In 1988, Carducci bought the grand 1879 Second Empire Italianate mansion from Dr. Ethel Priest. The house was the former residence of Joseph McClelland, the owner of Napa’s general store. She lived in the home while renovating. The McClelland-Priest Bed & Breakfast Inn opened with two rooms in 1991.

The house offers a glimpse into Napa’s past. “What I have done is bring the house back to its former splendor, making every effort to preserve its historic integrity,” says Carducci of the 5,800 square-foot home listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The chandelier, marble fireplace and wallpaper are original to the house.

The now-six-room B&B features large suites with fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs and private baths. Each room is named in honor of a famed composer, writer or artist. The former library, now the Carducci suite, is named in honor of Celeste’s grandfather, Giosuè Carducci, who won the Nobel Prize in literature.

The historic landmark, which feels like a family home with family photos throughout, plays host to weddings, private receptions and tourists from around the world throughout the year.

Carducci says more and more tourists are taking advantage of B&Bs. Large vacation search engines like Expedia have begun featuring them. And even in a struggling economy, Carducci’s bookings ran over industry average last year.

Hospitality and face time with innkeepers are a few of the reasons B&Bs are becoming more popular. Unlike big hotel chains, Carducci adds, “we’re all unique.”

At McClelland-Priest, health is paramount. Every morning, Carducci, who teaches nutrition at Napa Valley College, prepares a two-course, gourmet breakfast with her guests’ health in mind. “I shop daily and try to buy local whenever possible. California is great for fresh fruit.”

She also serves as a fitness guide for her guests. The B&B offers one-hour sessions that can include yoga, stretching, body sculpting, running, walking, or spinning. For those who prefer something less structured, Carducci recommends walking trails with breathtaking views.

Fitness fanatics are naturally attracted to McClelland-Priest. On the   B&B’s Facebook page, Monica Parikh wrote, “See you in April for the HITS Napa Valley Triathlon! It will be such a pleasure to relax in McClelland-Priest luxury after I kick ass :).”

In 2007, Carducci started looking for a new venture to add to the mix. “Napa was missing a wine bar,” she says. Having spent years in the wine industry and studied wine at FIU, in France and in Italy, she was confident that she and her husband Bruce Ahnfeldt could pull it off.

They bought and renovated a circa 1900 home in downtown Napa. In 2009, the pair opened Uncorked at Oxbow, an untraditional tasting salon where guests are encouraged to get up and sing or play the guitar.

The wine bar also serves the couple’s award-winning Ahnfeldt & Carducci Wines. “When we first bought the place we would hold some of the grape harvest to make wine. Today, we hold all our harvest to produce our red wine.”

Wine enthusiasts are savoring Uncorked. In 2011, Carducci submitted 12 Ahnfeldt and Carducci Wines to the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, all 12 were awarded medals. In the 2011 America Fine Wine Competition, the 2007 Ahnfeldt White Label 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon took home gold and the 2007 Ahnfeldt Merlot won the organization’s silver award.

On Yelp, a popular website where people rate bars and restaurants, Carducci’s wine bar has four-and-a-half stars. Don D. from Beverly Hills says, “The provocative wines were supreme. If you like smooth red wine, this is the place to try. Make sure you buy your bottles before you leave because you will not find them anywhere else…trust me on this one folks.”

Local Sharon C. says, “This is the most fun tasting room in Napa! Friendly and fun and nothing pretentious here!” Carducci’s guests take home the perfect souvenir: the experience of a lifetime.    ♦

FIU Magazine Editor Deborah O’Neil MA ’09 contributed to this story.

“It was a beautiful evening,” the tuxedo-clad Angelo said as he led freshman hospitality student Herline Emmanuel onto the dance floor after all the awards had been presented. “Just beautiful.”

College of Education alumna Jeanette Rego ’10 and her political science grad-husband, Carlos Rego ’08, agreed. The couple attended the ceremony for the first time this year and found it to be a great event.

“It was eye-opening,” Carlos said. “You come to an event like this and hear about how FIU is progressing and you see that through its alumni. You see the strength, the unity of FIU.”

Those qualities were in full display throughout the evening, which included memorable moments that were equal parts touching, solemn and, well…beautiful. From a heartfelt salute to one of the FIU Alumni Association’s most steadfast supporters to the moving standing O in honor of a fallen soldier, the 2012 gala provided almost 500 guests with many an opportunity to celebrate.

The evening began with a cocktail reception where honorees mingled with FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg and his wife Rosalie; Duane Wiles, interim director of the FIU Alumni Association; deans and representatives from the university’s different colleges and schools; and, of course, Roary.

Herline Emmanuel found herself at the center of a crowded ballroom at the JW Marriott Marquis early into the gala when she represented her freshman class while participating in a traditional passing of the torch among classmen. Freshman to senior, the torch made its way to the stage and the ceremony officially began.

‘I love the guy’

Before alumni received their awards, Howard Lipman, senior vice president of FIU Advancement, presented Bill Draughon with a special alumni recognition in honor of his eight-year run as associate vice president of FIU Alumni Relations. Jack González ’97, the president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, joined Lipman, Rosenberg and Wiles to celebrate Draughon. The four men presented their friend and colleague a rocking chair bearing a special engraving: “Bill Draughon, FIU Honorary Alumnus 2012.”

Draughon smiled and waved off the chair amid thunderous applause and cheers. As an associate vice president in Advancement, the Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association still has work to do and is in charge of fundraising for the proposed Alumni Center at Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

To further recognize Draughon’s efforts on behalf of FIU alumni, Stewart L. Appelrouth MBA ’80 and his wife Gail made a $10,000 gift toward the Alumni Center at the gala.

“When Bill took over the Alumni Association, we had fewer than 1,000 members. Today, we have, what – 20,000? He’s our spearhead,” Appelrouth said. “And now he’s in charge of making our Alumni Center a reality, something that will be the pinnacle of FIU’s future. We have all these great colleges graduating thousands of students…alumni who need a place to come home to on campus.

“I look to Bill to get this done. I love the guy.”

Celebrating, remembering

Throughout the evening, honorees mingled with one another and with their friends and family. Anthony Leone ’91, who was recognized by the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, broke bread with Rocco Angelo, an associate dean at the school, and Jessica Siskind, the school’s director of Development.

Milagros Fornell ’77, MS ’84, the associate superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction for Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the College of Education’s honoree, struck a pose for FIU Magazine with Darlene Boytell-Perez ’89, MSN ’96, an advanced registered nurse practitioner and clinical researcher at Gastro Health.

Jorge Perez, the Miami real estate developer, was proud to be there for his wife, Darlene.

“It’s always great to honor alumni who are successful,” he said, “because it shows students what they can aspire to achieve. And Darlene is definitely a great medical professional and an accomplished alumna of FIU.”

“And mommy,” added their 8-year-old son, Felipe.

One of the most touching moments of the gala came when Rosenberg presented the parents of the late U.S. Marine Corps 2^nd Lt. Michael Felsberg with a posthumous Torch Award. Felsberg, an FIU cross country/track & field standout, was killed in Iraq in 2004. The late Panther was a consummate student, excelling in and out of the classroom. He graduated with a near-perfect GPA and his spirit led to the renaming of the FIU Athletic Spirit Award in his memory.

His parents, Paul and Arlene – who have worked with the Alumni Association on a scholarship endowment for track & field student-athletes and have included the university in their estate plan – received their son’s Torch Award. As their son’s achievements were read and a video of Michael played on screen, the Felsbergs received a proud standing ovation from their FIU family.

By Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08

 It’s Sunday morning and the Karatassos family kitchen is prepped. Handpicked herbs and vegetables sit on the counter waiting to be chopped and diced. Pots crackle over the heat anticipating the freshest ingredients.

The two boys in this family of five join their father, Pano Karatassos Sr., in the kitchen. Sons Pano and Niko will learn from their father how to prepare a gourmet menu, all from scratch. Every detail, from the slicing of an onion to the garnish on the baked fish, is fine-tuned to perfection. Meanwhile the Karatassos women, mother Georgia and daughter Ann, are busy in the dining room. They set the table with white linens, fine china and crystal stemware.

Reminiscent of the finest restaurants in Paris, this has been the Karatassos’ Sunday family tradition for more than 30 years.

Today, the Karatassos family is synonymous with fine dining in Atlanta, Ga. Pano Sr. is the founder and CEO of the Buckhead Life Group – 14 restaurants in the area, each with its own style, atmosphere and flavor. Pano Jr., Niko and Ann, all graduates of FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, each play a role in Buckhead’s success. Pano Jr. is the master chef of the renowned Kyma restaurant. Niko oversees all the restaurants as Buckhead’s director of operations, and Ann keeps the books for the company.

The family’s serious devotion to food has earned their restaurants wide acclaim: Food & Wine, Esquire, Gourmet and The New York Times have all ranked their restaurants among the best locally and nationally for more than 20 years. On a grand scale, they have recreated the same fine-dining experience for the public that they have long cherished at home.

From an early age, the Karatassos children all knew they wanted to be part of the restaurant company their father was building. “We talk about the restaurants as a family,” Ann says. “It’s a big part of our lives.”

As a youngster, their father, Pano Sr., worked with his father, a first-generation Greek immigrant who ran a restaurant food-import business called Pano’s Food Shop in Savannah. After working in the Navy’s food department, Pano Sr. attended the renowned Culinary Institute of America.

He met chef Paul Albrecht in 1968 while working in Washington, D.C., and later worked with him in Missouri. Ten years later, the friends opened Pano’s & Paul’s, the flagship fine-dining restaurant that brought national attention to Atlanta’s culinary scene.

As a child, Ann enjoyed watching Pano Sr. work at Pano’s & Paul’s. Her first job was helping her dad’s assistant confirm reservations. “I loved everything about the restaurant business. I never considered doing anything else,” she says.

Knowing she would work in the restaurant industry, Ann looked for a university that blended academic instruction with hands-on experience. She discovered FIU after she heard from industry insiders that FIU’s hospitality program was the best in the country. Her brothers followed in her footsteps.

“FIU opened my eyes to the human resources side of running restaurants,” says Niko. “It gave me all the facets of the industry.” After college, each found their niche within Buckhead.

As the eldest son, Pano Jr. first learned the art of preparing a fine meal from his father and maternal grandmother, Athanasia, who came to live with the family when he was 10. After school, the budding chef would help grandma cook for the day, and prep the kitchen for the next day much like a chef at a restaurant would. At the local grocery store, she paid close attention to the freshness of the food, like everyone did in her homeland of Greece.

“Here we are at Kroger’s,” says Pano. “She’d ask the bag boy when the fish had come in or why the price of vegetables went up. And she’d smell everything!”

In honor of his grandmother, Pano brings the same attention to detail to his restaurant, Kyma. “It’s about bringing everything up to the highest level you can.”

After graduating from FIU, Pano Jr., like his father, attended the Culinary Institute of America. He trained one year as saucier under chef Thomas Keller at the Michelin 3-Star French Laundry in Napa Valley and two years as saucier under chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at the Michelin 3-Star Jean-Georges in New York City. He also spent two-and-a-half years under chef Eric Ripert at the Michelin 3-Star Le Bernardin in Manhattan.

In 2001, Pano Jr. opened Kyma, “wave” in Greek, to fill a void in Atlanta’s fine dining scene. Unlike other local Greek restaurants, Kyma features upscale Greek food prepared using the techniques of French culinary masters.

Chef Pano’s cooking has garnered a lot of attention for the restaurant. Kyma was named one of the Top 20 restaurants in the country by Esquire in 2002 and has been featured in Wine Spectator, Cooking Light, Gourmet and In Style magazines.

The success of Kyma has been echoed by Bistro Niko, a French neighborhood restaurant that opened in 2009. Esquire said, “Any skeptic who questions whether the south – which of late has come into its own as a cradle of intensely personal, adventurous cooking with indigenous ingredients – is ready for a serious French bistro should try to get a table on short notice at Niko.”

Bistro Niko gets its name from the youngest Karatassos, Niko. He is the businessman of the family, but you won’t find him behind a desk. He says you can’t run a restaurant company from corporate headquarters. He’s in the restaurants every day working with the managers and chefs.

“My role in the restaurants is keeping everyone excited and working toward a single goal,” Niko says. “We’re about impeccable customer service at every level, from how we prepare the food to how we serve it.”

The company maintains a family environment with employees, nurturing talent, promoting from within and rarely recruiting from outside. “Our general managers move up from servers,” he says. “They’ve been working with us 10, 15, 20 years and get the company culture. They believe in us.”

For years, it was Ann who worked at the company’s headquarters as the director of strategic development. More recently, she scaled back her work to raise her two daughters, Georgia and Alexandra, but she still takes care of the company’s payroll. She says it offers the perfect balance. “I still feel included – a part of the things, a part of the family.”

The Karatassos siblings are passing on their love of food to the next generation. Niko carries on the family tradition of Sunday dinners, cooking for his wife Bronni and two children, Ignace, 6, and Christian, 4.

Pano Jr. is teaching his children to cook. Oldest son Pano, 10, makes a fantastic omelet; Lucas, 7, makes pasta from scratch; and Sophia, 4, helps her brother roll out the dough. “It’s not uncommon to start the morning out in our house with a pound of dough on the counter,” Pano Jr. jokes.

“Growing up in a Greek family there is serious devotion to food and family get togethers,” he says. “Food has always been a big part of our lives.”

They all enjoy getting together in the family restaurants. Ann’s children often celebrate birthdays at Kyma. And her daughters Georgia, 9, and Alexandra, 11, order their favorite dish – octopus.

Who cares about handwriting, anyway? It’s the 21^st century, after all. We have iPads and iPhones, computers that spell check and fonts that go from French script to Freestyle and back to Times New Roman.

But to Laura Dinehart, an assistant professor at Florida International University’s College of Education, handwriting matters. A lot.

In research funded by the Children’s Trust and soon to be published in the Journal of Early Childhood Education and Development, Dinehart discovered that 4-year-olds who demonstrate strong handwriting skills are more likely to excel academically in elementary school. Research on the importance of handwriting is just beginning to emerge, and Dinehart’s findings establish a new link in understanding how penmanship plays a role in a child’s academic development.

We talk about reading, we talk about math, but no one talks about handwriting,” Dinehart said. “It’s not even a subject area in many classrooms anymore. We don’t ask kids to spend time on their handwriting, when in fact, the research is clear that kids who have greater ease in writing have better academic skills in 2nd grade in both reading and math.”

Dinehart took a sample of 1,000 2^nd grade students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and linked their grades and academic scores back to the information gathered from them when they were still in pre-kindergarten.

Students who received good grades on fine motor writing tasks in pre-k had an average GPA of 3.02 in math and 2.84 in reading – B averages. Those who did poorly on the fine motor writing tasks in pre-k had an average GPA of 2.30 in math and 2.12 in Reading – C averages.

More impressively, those who did well on the fine motor writing tasks in pre-k scored in the 59^th percentile on the Reading SAT in second grade (just above average) and in the 62^nd percentile on the Math SAT. Kids who did poorly on the fine motor writing tasks in pre-k scored in the 38^thpercentile on the Reading SAT in second grade and in the 37^nd percentile on the Math SAT.

There is still much research to be done, and many questions to answer. What exactly is happening when a child’s academic performance improves when his or her handwriting is practiced? Exactly how much practice is necessary before results are seen?

Dinehart will attempt to answer those questions in the second part of her research. However, one thing is clear.

“People should take a second look at how important handwriting might actually be,” she said. “And public schools should rethink how much they focus on handwriting in the classroom and how those skills can really improve reading and math.”

For tips on how parents can encourage their children to practice their handwriting, click here.

I determined years ago to write a book that even the most prejudiced reviewers would have to take seriously – even to the point of revealing their prejudices and bigotry.
B-I-N-G-O. The left-liberal New York Review of Books gave my Margaret Mitchell biography the lead review and took 2,600 words to explain how wrong wrong wrong it was. Mission accomplished. More fancy-pants Manhattanites at The New Yorker? At least the reviewer there seemed to read the entire Liberace book. Liberace, you ask? The piano player? A book about him? Did I answer those questions a score of times when I took on that project! If nobody asks the question about my current project on the Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, just wait until they see my conclusions. This, in part, is what the academy is about – it is also what tenure is about: to take the time to study things that other folks ignore. It involves looking at something as familiar as a Las Vegas performer, complicate the matter properly, and then offer an answer to your own riddles. The cultivation of ideas lies behind our titles of “doctors of philosophy.” We take things apart and literally “rethink” them back togetherto make some new form. Sometimes our theories might come in a flash – Newton and his apple, the physicist Niels Bohr watching dancing flames of an open fire. More commonly, we come by our ideas through plodding and hard work and even mind-numbing investigation of data – we fit this evidence with that, trying this combination, then another, before the whole begins to make sense. Making sense of the whole is what the enterprise is all about.

By Deborah O’Neil, MA ’09

Every morning, a chorus of cheers and applause greets the students of Miami Northwestern as they start the day at Liberty City’s landmark high school.

“It’s you! You’re here! That’s great, great, great!”

“Today is the day you write your future!”

“You are dynamite! Northwestern is dynamite!”

Against the neighborhood soundtrack of gunshots and sirens, the early morning pep rally led by City Year volunteers is unabashedly bubbling with positivity. For sure, some of the sleepy teens walking past roll their eyes. But plenty stroll in with smiles. A few even break out in a dance, right there on the school’s doorstep at 7 a.m.

It’s a great message for students anywhere. At Miami Northwestern, the educational rally cry competes with a lot of adult-sized distractions: poverty, crime and the stigma of academic failure.

Until this year, the school had received an F or a D every year that the state of Florida has graded schools. Nearly a quarter of the kids passing through the doors don’t graduate. That’s a marked improvement from 2007 when 59 percent didn’t finish and a high-profile study by Johns Hopkins University labeled Miami Northwestern one of the nation’s “dropout factories.”

Today, there are signs that a transformation is underway at Miami Northwestern Senior High. The school began 2012 with a huge step forward – its grade improved from a D to a B. Graduation rates are up. Discipline problems are down. Reading, math and science scores are steadily improving. The posters up and down the corridors read: “The Pledge: 100% Graduation.” A new principal, Wallace Aristide, is setting new ground rules for learning, discipline and school culture.

At the start of the 2011-’12 school year, the school’s transformation received an unprecedented stimulus: a $1 million contribution from JPMorgan Chase to fund the start of the community school partnership with FIU and Miami-Dade Public Schools. With the partnership, Northwestern Senior High has become FIU’s first “university-assisted community school.”

The partnership is called “The Education Effect” and it is unlike any ever initiated at FIU – bringing together the intellectual resources of a research university, the investment of a major corporation, the commitment of the nation’s fourth largest school district and the dazzling potential of 1,750 young minds.

The announcement of the partnership was held in the Northwestern College Resource Room with its alumni hall of fame. Each successful Northwestern graduate is a reminder of the powerful effect education can have on a life. U.S. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. Eleventh Circuit Court Judge Rodney Smith. FIU graduate and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Anthony Gaitor. Harvard University biomedical engineering major Jennifer Arzu.

The kids of Northwestern

Sophomore Marcus Postell carries his assignments in a Captain America folder and keeps a pencil tucked behind his ear all day. A resident of Opa-Locka, Miami Northwestern is not his zoned school. He and his parents chose Northwestern. Like many Northwestern families, the Postells have been graduating from the school for generations. The high school has a strong and active alumni association and Bull pride runs deep in Liberty City.

Among Northwestern’s graduates are Marcus’s sister, now studying pharmacy at the University of Florida, along with his father, aunts, uncles and grandmother. “I had to keep the family tradition going,” Marcus says.

He is in Northwestern’s performing arts magnet program, as well as the FIU dual enrollment program for computer science. Through dual enrollment, he is taking a class with an FIU professor and earning college credit in his second year of high school.

“My teachers are pretty superior,” Marcus said. “All of them want us to go to college.”

College is in the plans for Marcus. He wants to be a computer engineer or a physical therapist. He’s involved with a half dozen school clubs and is applying for the National Honor Society.

“I chose to send my children to Miami Northwestern,” said his mother Shronda Postell. “A lot of people questioned it. I have the attitude that I send them to school to learn. If I don’t feel they are learning and getting what they need, I’m going to the school to talk to them.”

There are two worlds at Miami Northwestern, says Principal Wallace Aristide. The school’s popular arts and medical magnet programs draw students from around the county. These high performing students like Marcus have a positive influence on their peers, Aristide said. Their parents, people like Mrs. Postell, have bought into Miami Northwestern.

However, the stigma of being labeled a failing school is hard to overcome. Some Liberty City parents send their children elsewhere. “We run into a brain drain,” Aristide said. “A lot of kids in our feeder pattern leave.”

So, alongside the magnet students is a larger group of low­ – performing students. They are kids scoring at level 1 or level 2 on the state assessment exams. The scale goes up to a 5; a three indicates the student is performing at his or her grade level.

That means some high school students are reading at a fourth, fifth or sixth grade level. A few don’t know how to read. Teachers at Miami Northwestern face the enormous challenge of trying to bring students who have fallen behind up to grade level.

Closing that gap is one of the keys to raising Miami Northwestern’s overall school grade. Mrs. Postell is more interested in her children’s grades than the school’s grades. Miami Northwestern has been a great choice for her family.

“My daughter was a very shy kid when she went to Miami Northwestern,” she said. “When she left Miami Northwestern she was on the commencement program as a speaker.”

Barriers to learning

In early 2011, the Children’s Aid Society National Center for Community Schools held focus groups at Northwestern as part of the development of the new partnership. Teachers, students and parents offered up a laundry list of problems and challenges: Not enough textbooks. Outdated technology. Chronic student absenteeism. Lack of parental involvement. Teasing and bullying. Emphasis on football rather than schoolwork. Disruptive students. Inadequate transportation.

The report praised Northwestern’s “caring staff who have provided for students personally with either cash, supplies, time etc. to support them with their current situations, crises and lack of resources.”

However, it concluded, “The numerous examples of homeless youth, deaths in family, shootings in their neighborhood as a frequent occurrence and lack of school resources depicts the many barriers to learning that plague this community and impact this population of students.”

Says Miami-Dade County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Nikolai Vitti: “That’s the truth that has to be told at an urban high school like Northwestern. At the same time, it’s a very delicate conversation. It cannot be, ‘The kids can’t do it.’ The reality is the kids can do it. If you provide them with the right opportunities, they will succeed.”

Miami Northwestern is one of Miami-Dade County’s 26 persistently low performing schools in the district’s Education Transformation Office – or ETO, as it is called. Now in its second year, the aim of the ETO is to raise student achievement in these schools. Vitti, who heads the ETO, says it can take three to five years to turn around a high school. Graduation rates among the ETO high schools have improved an average of 10 percent and Miami Northwestern’s went up 8 percent from last year.

For FIU Vice President Divina Grossman, the reports on Miami Northwestern were eye opening. She heads the FIU Office of Engagement, established in 2010 to lead and develop the university’s community partnerships. The creation of the Office of Engagement heralds a new era for the university, one that prioritizes collaboration to solve community problems.

As Grossman read the reports, she found herself thinking about Liberty City’s problems of poverty and violence. A high school cannot be isolated from the community where it lives.

In Liberty City, the median household income is $18,000 and as low as $12,667 in one area. The U.S. poverty level for a family of four is $22,350. Some 40 percent of residents didn’t finish high school and 38 percent are unemployed.

The A&E real-life crime drama The First 48 is filmed right across the street from Miami Northwestern. “A lot of those were our kids at one time,” Aristide said.

“It’s tough out there,” he added. “We’re safe in this building but when I get kids who have been shot, it’s tough.”

Every two weeks or so, Miami Northwestern goes into lockdown because of shootings in the surrounding community. During that time, everything and everyone at the school comes to a stand still – even if one period ends and the next begins – until police clear the neighborhood. The lockdowns sometimes go unnoticed. Other times, they disrupt everything.

“For individuals in upper middle class neighborhoods that would create a sense of shock and fear,” Vitti said. “At Northwestern it is just part of the culture. Unfortunately, the students grow accustomed to this.”

Aristide knows the students can’t control all the circumstances in their lives. He tells them to focus on two things: effort and conduct. “You can control that,” he says. “You will be successful with those two things.”

The principal quietly keeps tabs on the kids without parents and the ones without enough to eat at home. For some of them, Aristide says, school is the only consistency in their lives.

No single program, person or organization will be able to address all of the challenges at Miami Northwestern Senior High School. There are upwards of 20 different organizations like Arts for Learning, City Year and College Summit already working there.

Grossman says the question for FIU was, “What can we as a university really do?”

A community school

Towards the end of 2009, JPMorgan Chase approached FIU about the use of the community school model, which has worked successfully in other parts of the country. JPMorgan Chase was interested in funding a pilot in Miami.

They found an inspiration for how it could work in Philadelphia. The University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships has been widely recognized for creating a new vision for university-community relations. The center mobilizes the university’s resources to transform local schools in a reciprocal relationship that provides college students with meaningful learning experiences. Penn has eight university-assisted community schools.

“Community schools recognize the importance of both academic and non-academic factors, creating an environment that supports learning, while also fostering engagement to strengthen the surrounding community,” said former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, chairman of Florida, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. “The opportunity to work with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and FIU to strengthen communities and enhance education is part of what we are about.”

The community school model makes a lot of sense to Grossman, a nurse who has worked to address health disparities by examining all the factors that influence a person’s health.

“It is a very holistic approach that looks at conditions of learning such as meeting health needs, ensuring the safety of students, engaging parents and community members and preparing teachers.” Grossman said.

It is not enough to teach well and make sure teachers are prepared, she said.

“You have to look holistically at what is happening at home,” Grossman said. “Did the child eat that day? Were they bullied or traumatized? How can you perform well in school if you face all those challenges?”

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg said the university is ready to get to work with  Northwestern parents, students and teachers.

“We are marshalling our battalions and we are fighting for the Worlds Ahead education our youth deserve,” Rosenberg said. “The better our schools get, the better our community gets. The better our community gets, the better our state gets. The better our state gets, the more prepared we are for the competitive rough and tumble of the 21st century.”

In the Education Effect, FIU will take a leading role in bringing together community partners, particularly those already working at Northwestern, and other Chase grantees. The hope is that over time, the partnership will grow by attracting more community organizations and funding partners.

The Northwestern partnership is fostered in part by a broader initiative with Miami-Dade County Public Schools called ACCESS, or Achieving Community Collaboration in Education and Student Success. ACCESS encompasses programs focused on minority education, teacher training, tutoring, academic leadership development and college readiness.

Taking a cue from the Netter Center model, the Education Effect will utilize service learning to link FIU courses and research with real-world problem solving. The university will identify existing service-learning classes and develop new ones that will put FIU students in Miami Northwestern. Faculty and students from environmental sciences, education and business are already working with Miami Northwestern teachers, students and parents.

FIU wants its students to emerge from service learning with an understanding of their role in democracy, Grossman said.

“We have a responsibility to help develop a civic-minded student body and one of the ways we do that is by giving FIU students first-hand experience at Northwestern with students and teachers,” she said. “It makes our students think about their role in the community and how as leaders they can make an impact in many communities.”

Northwestern students will also have the opportunity to spend time at FIU, studying and learning about college life from FIU students.

“When a kid can leave here and sit with an FIU student who is a guide, FIU has made an impact on that young person’s life that is never to be forgotten,” Aristide said. “You have kids who come here and they don’t leave Liberty City. All they know is Liberty City.”

The grant supports the expansion of dual enrollment, which allows high school students to take FIU courses for college credit. While that is not going to address the challenges the school faces with the lowest performing students, it will benefit many students in the middle.

“It expands opportunity for kids on the cusp of a 2.5 or a 2.7,” said Vitti, the assistant superintendent. “They may catch on fire academically because of the opportunities in this new initiative.”

School leaders believe the partnership with FIU will help address the brain drain, motivate students and elevate the school’s academic reputation. Parents love the idea of their children taking college classes in high school, said Vitti. And the dual enrollment students, he said, “stand up a little straighter and feel more proud of their school.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” said FIU alumna and Northwestern math coach Adhar Mohamed ’04, whose father, Dominic Mohamed, was a founding faculty member at FIU. “Having college professors come in and teach college-level courses for our community is a big deal. It brings a spark of hope.”

The Netter Center model views schools as community hubs that can effect change across neighborhoods and cities. Aristide believes Miami Northwestern is such a school.

“We can do it in Liberty City,” Aristide said. “Go to college, work hard and transform Liberty City. Go into construction or architecture and design beautiful homes. Be an entrepreneur and build stores and malls so people in the community can be proud and employed and be fully engaged. If kids buy in, as they become adults, they can lead the change.”

A long-term commitment

At the September announcement of the new partnership, a little lady in a purple dress and a big red hat stood with FIU’s president and the Miami-Dade superintendent during the presentation of an outsized $1 million check from JPMorgan Chase. School Board member and educator Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall grew up in the Liberty Square housing projects and graduated from Northwestern.

She opened her remarks in fearless fashion: “If you are in this room and it’s not about children, you need to vacate the premises.” Then she gave the audience a talking-to about what it will take to make this partnership work — involving clergy, working with parents and spending time in Liberty City neighborhoods.

“Suppose I go out there and knock on doors and ask, ‘How many of you know about this partnership?’” she asked. “We can stand here and talk all day about what we’re doing, but what we do is not going to last beyond 2:30. We have to go out in the community.”

As this partnership unfolds, FIU will have many longtime and passionate Liberty City and Northwestern advocates like Bendross-Mindingall watching.

Liberty City has seen many years of well-intended programs and initiatives that wither after early success, said FIU alumna Alison Austin MS ‘96, who was raised in Liberty City and is now the CEO of the historic Belafonte TACOLCY Center in the heart of Liberty City.

Austin, who was involved in the early planning for the grant, says she is cautiously optimistic about the new partnership. What’s needed, she said, is willingness to honestly confront Liberty City’s problems.

“We are looking at statistics that speak to failure – failure in the home, failure in the academic setting, failure in the final agreement of what the issue is,” she said. “I don’t believe we are being truthful about the root causes of those multiple failures. Real transformation happens when we address the root cause of problems, as opposed to making changes.”

The one thing everyone agrees on is this: The partnership with Miami Northwestern must be for the long term. The progress everyone seeks will take a number of years and the efforts of many.

FIU Human Resources Associate Vice President El Pagnier Hudson, a Northwestern graduate who grew up in Liberty City, has been spending time at her alma mater talking to students about her life, her education and her career. She wants to touch the Northwestern students who aren’t in a magnet program or dual enrollment or AP courses. To reach them, she said, “We need to be in it for the long haul. They need to see us with consistency. I am committed to being present.”

Mentors can make a world of difference for Northwestern students, said FIU alumna and Northwestern reading coach Cheryl White-Lindsey ‘98, who is now earning a doctoral degree at FIU.

“Our students have abilities they don’t even know they have but because they have not been exposed to things, it’s not discovered,” she said. “I hope FIU and all of the other supporters are on board for the long term. Our students are worth it.”

On the right track

There is serious and impressive instruction going on at Miami Northwestern Senior High every day.  You will not slack off in Rachel Hazel’s geometry class. When you walk out, you’ll know the difference between a rhombus and a trapezoid and soon enough, you’ll be solving geometric equations, too.

A 2004 FIU alumna, Hazel warned her students at the beginning of the semester that geometry was going to get harder.

“The math is coming,” she told her sophomores one morning in September. “So I’m preparing you.”

She turned to one student. “When the math comes, Taylor is going to say, ‘I rock on this. I got this.’”

“No, I won’t,” said a dubious Taylor.

Yes, the teacher said. You will.

No one argued with her.

Wallace Aristide has made it his mission to nurture the right learning environment with rules and structure. He left an A school to come to Miami Northwestern as an assistant principal in 2006. He was in charge of discipline. “When I got here, I thought it was a theme park,” he said. “A lot of the youngsters were very challenging. Maybe five percent of the population created havoc at every turn.”

Five years later, Aristide is a first-year principal. Now if the kids are in the hallways, they have a pass. He promotes self-discipline, making good choices.

“Northwestern can go the other way,” Aristide said. “When I came here, it was going the other way. Now we have a strong wind behind us.”

Northwestern teacher Melissa Phillips is all about making good choices. Her 10th grade writing class is FCAT ground zero. On the back wall is a big sign: “BIG GOAL: 100% FCAT Proficiency Rate.” With a goal like that, there’s no time for foolishness in her class. When a student asks what time class is over, she’s quick with a reply.

“Why are you worried about it?” she said. “You should just be hungry for your learning.”

Phillips has a routine that the kids know well. It’s a spoken-word styled lecture, delivered amid a lesson on writing a good essay hook.

“When we come in here we are learning with urgency,” she says. “When you come in here, be ready. I am here to help students who want to learn. Those students will be on a journey to higher education.”

Later, Marcus can recite that lecture nearly word for word. He explained: “She gives us that speech almost every class. Stay focused.  If you are on the right track, that doesn’t mean you can’t get off.”

“I’m not getting off the road,” Marcus added. “I’m focused on my education.”

The $1 million, three-year grant from JPMorgan Chase supports a variety of learning initiatives for Miami Northwestern students:

Aquaponics Laboratory: Students will learn sciences, math and engineering in the new Northwestern aquaponics lab, which cultivates plants and aquatic animals in a symbiotic environment.

Dual Enrollment: Up to 550 Miami Northwestern students will have the opportunity to chose from 11 FIU courses and earn college credits.

Panther Day: FIU will host the entire student body of Miami Northwestern to attend college classes, learn about academic programs and become familiarized with college admissions.

Financial Literacy: The College of Business Administration will expand its program that brings high school students to FIU to learn about finance, credit, savings and investment.

Service Learning: FIU will develop new courses that integrate service learning at Miami Northwestern as part of the curriculum.