Message from the President-Designate: The start of a new chapter at FIU

Dear FIU family,

With a humble heart and a great sense of Panther pride, I am honored to begin my journey as the sixth president of FIU, an institution that means so much to me and to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community.

Today, as I begin this new chapter, I am grateful to every member of our FIU family for your tireless work and passion for FIU. On a personal note, I thank you for your support and guidance, especially throughout my months of service as Interim President. I am also thankful to the members of our FIU Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee for entrusting me to lead FIU to new heights. I humbly look forward to meeting with the Board of Governors next month as part of the presidential confirmation process and thank its members in advance for their support of FIU.

As a proud member of the Panther family for the last 13 years, I firmly believe in the strength of our university community, one that for 50 years has pushed boundaries, exceeded expectations, and affected change in our city, the state, our nation, and the world. Inspired by our past, and propelled by the hopes and dreams of tomorrow, I am energized and optimistic about all that we will accomplish together.

At FIU, we have a unique opportunity to continue being a leader in solving the most complex problems of our day, all while giving committed and hardworking students in our community the chance to succeed. As your President, I promise to lead FIU with humility, honesty, and integrity, always keeping an open mind and listening to you.

As I mentioned in last week’s community sessions, my presidency will be anchored by four key pillars: student success, research excellence, sustainable resources, and affinity and engagement. Guided by FIU’s Next Horizon 2025 Strategic Plan, I am confident that we will be among the top 50 public universities in the U.S. News & World Report rankings by 2025.

We are well on our way. FIU is the fastest-rising university in U.S. News public rankings in the last 10 years, and we have already achieved many “Top 50” rankings, including those focused on economic mobility, return on investment, innovation, and research expenditure growth, which are so closely aligned to our mission. 

As the largest R1 Hispanic Serving Institution in the country, FIU will continue to invest in our students and their academic and career successes. In addition, we will continue to support and embrace faculty who are pushing the boundaries of research and bringing that knowledge into the classroom as part of evidence-based and inclusive teaching that educates students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.

FIU has always had lofty goals. As President, and with your support, I will work every day to make sure we continue this tradition into our next 50 years.

I look forward to what is next for this university, and I am grateful to all of you for joining me in this new and exciting journey for FIU.

Sincerely,

Kenneth A. Jessell
President-Designate