The following message was delivered in an email to the university community earlier today.
Dear Panther family,
On my first day as Interim President of Florida International University, I write to assure you that my commitment begins and ends with our students, their success, and the overall success of FIU. Together, we will further cement FIU’s position as a leader in higher education in our state and throughout the nation.
In the days and weeks ahead, I will be touring our campuses and meeting with students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences and expectations of FIU.
Our goal must be to continue to ensure FIU provides our students with a high-quality education and an unmatched student experience. To achieve that, we must insist upon academic rigor and educational excellence, the pursuit of knowledge and truth, civil discourse, and diversity of thought. We must also prioritize innovative research, leverage our partnerships to create opportunities for students, and develop a talented workforce for our community and state.
As Interim President, I will lead boldly and courageously because I know what is possible for our students, our university, and our community. FIU has surpassed expectations and achieved great success. Now, it’s time to build on that firm foundation.
FIU’s strategic plan, Experience Impact 2030, lays out a vision for FIU. The three pillars are centered on improving the student experience, ensuring research excellence, and establishing and strengthening strategic alliances.
The FIU Experience
To improve the student experience, FIU must attract the best and brightest students across South Florida, our state, and the country. Once they are on our campuses, it is our responsibility to offer them intellectually challenging curricula, excellent faculty who are excited to teach and help our students think critically, an engaging campus life, and opportunities to create relationships, mentorships, and career paths. We will ensure that when our students graduate, they are well educated, on their way to successful careers, ready to provide for themselves and their families, and become productive members of society. We must also reinvigorate our student athletics programs. Bottom line, we need to win – on and off the field.
Research Excellence
To achieve research excellence, we need to continue to engage in meaningful research. FIU is a preeminent research university because of the faculty and students who have used technology and their talents to find new solutions to existing and ever-changing problems. The strategic plan challenges FIU to focus on research in health care, technology, and the environment.
Strategic Alliances
FIU is stronger when we build strategic alliances. That is why I am excited about our recent partnerships with Baptist Health and Nicklaus Children’s Health System. These partnerships are critical as we seek to elevate the quality of care we provide to patients, address critical shortages in the medical profession, and boost medical research.
In addition to our partnerships in health care, we will create new strategic alliances in technology. Over the last six years, I have served as the Chair of Space Florida and Florida’s Cybersecurity Advisory Council. I intend to use that experience to create opportunities for FIU to partner with these entities and drive research in technology and innovation sectors.
I understand that an important part of our strategic alliances also includes partnering with the public and private sector, as well as individual donors. Beginning today, I will be focused on significantly increasing our fundraising efforts to secure the necessary resources to execute our vision for FIU.
Once again, I am honored to serve as Interim President of FIU. As a two-time alumna, I feel incredibly blessed for this opportunity and I am ready to get to work for FIU.
Go Panthers!
Jeanette Nuñez
Interim President