Future of Florida International University

[PeterSmith]

Over the last few days they have been working on removing the trailer that had occupied the future site of the School of International and Public Affairs building. They conducted a ceremonial groundbreaking a while back, but the site has sat untouched until this. The trailer is almost completely removed and there are two backhoes on the site now too. Nothing is fenced off yet, but maybe this is the start...

[Aceventura]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/brea...ry/954324.html

BY LUISA YANEZ
LYANEZ@MIAMIHERALD.COM
As it awaits a decision for additional state funding, Florida International University said Tuesday its new College of Medicine will create 66,000 new jobs and have an annual economic impact of more than $8.9 billion -- within 16 years. The findings are apart of an economic impact study conducted by Tripp Umbach, a Pittsburg-based company that provides such analyses for academic medical centers. FIU paid for the study. FIU President Modesto A. Maidique said the new school will help repair South Florida's anemic job market in the years to come.

''This medical school is the kind of long term, sustainable economic engine South Florida needs at a time when jobs are disappearing daily,'' Maidique said in a prepared statement.

Maidique is waiting to hear if state legislators will approve and additional $11 million for the medical school, which is set to open in August.

The medical school already has an annual economic impact to the area of more than $100 million and has created approximately 200 new jobs, most of which are high-paying professional positions, FIU said.

The new College of Medicine is part of FIU's ambitious plan to create its Academic Health Sciences Center, which will include the Florida Department of Health, an ambulatory care center, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and other health-related programs. FIU will compete with the University of Miami's medical school and complex.

The new Academic Health Sciences Center will return nearly $12 to the state in direct and indirect tax revenue for every $1 invested by the state in the ongoing operations of the FIU College of Medicine, the study said.

A major component in the total economic impact of the FIU health and science center will come from growth in South Florida's bioscience industry, which is expected to be more than $5.7 billion annually by 2025.

FIU's new medical school is in the northeast corner of FIU-University Park in West Miami-Dade, across the street from the city of Sweetwater.

To read the economic impact study, go to:http://news.fiu.edu/?p=2646.

[kevinkagy]

FIU presidential search enters final phase

FIU's 5th president to be announced April 25th, 2009 and succeed Maidique, who's been FIU President since 1986.
http://news.fiu.edu/?p=2879

[Aceventura]

They should hire me. I promise not to be long winded during commencements.

[spellbound]

Originally Posted by Aceventura

They should hire me. I promise not to be long winded during commencements.

You have my full support.

Regretfully, I had to remove my name from consideration after the Board of Trustees turned down my proposal to name the football stadium 'Bea Arthur Field.' Those people have no vision whatsoever.

[kevinkagy]

Here are the Top 15 candidates for FIU President (no Mark Rosenberg, which I thought was a great candidate):


Mohammad Tahar Attaf, professor of engineering, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

Rodger A. Bates, dean of Clayton State University

Ghassan M. Azar, Ph.D, Laurence Technological University

Paul A. De Jesse, Marketing and Communication

Alan G. Goodridge, Ph.D former provost, Alfaisal University

Dr. M.M. Ebeid, vice president of American e University, ITAC (partner of Florida Atlantic University)

Larry F. Lemanski, senior vice president at Temple University

H. Keith Moo-Young, dean of Cal State Los Angeles’ College of Engineering

Allan S. Myerson, Ph.D, P.E., Illinois Institute of Technology

Dr. Vincent M. Pellegrino, former vice president of Academic Affairs/provost of Southwest Minnesota State University

Simon Priest, Ph.D, acting president of Marco Polo International University

Nabin M. Ramadan, MD, MBA, FAAN, FAHS, clinical professor of neurology at Loyola University Medical Center

Martin Shapiro, professor of marketing at Berkeley Colleges, New York and New Jersey

Norman R. Smith, former president of Richmond the American International University in London

Ronald M. Berkman, provost for Florida International University, executive vice president of Academic Affairs

[Hia-leah JDM]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4067233

Isiah accepts FIU coaching job

MIAMI -- While growing up in Serbia, Florida International forward Nikola Gacesa often heard his father talk about the way Isiah Thomas played basketball.

"He is a big fan," Gacesa said.

Gacesa will soon have his own stories to tell: Thomas is back in coaching, accepting an offer from FIU to revive his career and their program.

Ending a whirlwind courtship, Thomas and FIU agreed on a five-year contract Tuesday -- an out-of-nowhere deal that gives the former Knicks coach and president a chance to restore the reputation he built as a Hall of Fame player and tarnished through a series of embarrassments in New York.

"I'm committed to growing something here, and strongly believe that over time, we'll put a team on the floor that everyone at FIU can be proud of," Thomas said.

Thomas helped the Detroit Pistons win two NBA championships as one of the all-time great point guards, then coached the Indiana Pacers before taking over in New York, where an array of problems marred his tenure.

Nonetheless, FIU moved quickly to lock up its top choice for the job.

"I know he is a good person," FIU athletic director Pete Garcia said. "Isiah is going to give our fans and alumni a lot of reasons to be excited."

In New York, Thomas endured legal and personal troubles off the court, and more losses than wins on it. His Knicks were 23-59 last season, prompting a firing many fans had long awaited. The Knicks never won a playoff game in his tenure as president or coach, and many of his moves -- like acquiring Stephon Marbury -- didn't work out as planned.

Marbury, whose time with the Knicks also was rocky, offered little reaction over Thomas' new job.

"Good for him," Marbury said before his Boston Celtics played the Philadelphia 76ers.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh, who fired Thomas, wished him luck at FIU.

"I think it's a great thing for him and it's kind of what I wanted for him from the day I let him go," Walsh said.

It was more than losses that doomed Thomas in New York.

In 2007, a jury ordered Knicks owner Madison Square Garden to pay $11.6 million to a former team executive who alleged she was sexually harassed by Thomas, who continually maintained his innocence and was never found personally liable.

This past October, there was more drama.

Officers responded to Thomas' New York-area home after a 911 call reported someone had overdosed on sleeping pills. According to police reports, officers found a man passed out and gave him oxygen until an ambulance arrived.

Authorities never publicly identified Thomas as the victim, but a person familiar with the case confirmed to the AP that it was Thomas.

Still, Thomas' hiring at FIU quickly became a galvanizing story in South Florida.

"This is bigger than basketball and bigger than athletics," said FIU president Modesto A. Maidique. "Having a nationally recognized coach like Isiah at FIU will have a positive impact on our university as a whole, helping us achieve additional national exposure."

With Thomas -- whose career record in the NBA was 187-223 (including three playoff seasons with the Pacers) -- on board, national exposure is certain.

"It's a testament to the direction of FIU athletics," Golden Panthers football coach Mario Cristobal said. "It's a great thing. There's tremendous amounts of excitement here."

Thomas will face some immediate challenges: FIU went 13-20 this past season, its third 20-loss campaign in four years, and has not posted a winning record since 1999-2000. He'll need to move quickly on filling some roster slots, since the spring signing period for Division I players starts Wednesday.

"If you really think about it, some of these kids that are coming out of AAU that are going to go to college for one year, that's a pretty good sell," Walsh said. "'Come down to Miami, spend a year with me.' I think he's positioned to do well with recruiting there."

Miami Heat center Jermaine O'Neal, who played for Thomas at Indiana, said the coach deserved a new opportunity.

"He's a motivator and a teacher and he has some skills that really fit the college level," O'Neal said. "He can take people and make them feel like they have a chance to be anything they want in life."

Thomas replaces Sergio Rouco, who was reassigned Monday after posting a losing record in each of his five seasons as coach.

Thomas' hiring brings another coach with strong New York ties to the Sun Belt Conference's schools in South Florida: Former St. John's coach Mike Jarvis just completed his first year at Florida Atlantic, about an hour north of FIU in Boca Raton.

"I think it is a great day for the league, to be very honest with you," Jarvis said. "Anything that will help bring real media attention to the league, it helps. It helps with recruiting, it helps with perceptions that people have."

Wood Selig, the athletic director at Western Kentucky, said he was "shocked."

"It is quite a coup for FIU," Selig said.

Thomas spent his entire NBA playing career with the Pistons, appeared in 11 All-Star games and was the MVP of the 1990 NBA finals, when Detroit won its second straight title.

His new players, Gacesa said, couldn't be more thrilled.

"It's an incredible feeling," Gacesa said. "I think we're still realizing how big this is for us. We still don't realize how big this is, how much knowledge and skills he can offer us and how much he can help us take this school to another level, take this school to where we are supposed to be."

I thought this was a pretty big deal. Its given FIU more media attention in 2 days than in the last 45 years combined. Lets hope for the best for the team now.

[AddictedToSpace]

Originally Posted by Hia-leah JDM

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4067233


I thought this was a pretty big deal. Its given FIU more media attention in 2 days than in the last 45 years combined. Lets hope for the best for the team now.

Plus he is donating his first year's salary back to the school.

[kevinkagy]

Originally Posted by AddictedToSpace

Plus he is donating his first year's salary back to the school.

Woah, seriously?! I did not know that. I hope he does well for our school, the team could use it. Go Panthers!

[spellbound]

Isiah Thomas is a big name on a decidedly downward career trajectory but FIU had little to lose here. College basketball has never been a big deal in South Florida (to say the least) but there is PLENTY of local talent around and maybe a name like that keeps some of it at home.

I'm definitely in the camp that thinks Thomas was a great player but a lousy coach and GM, but I wish him the best. If nothing else it got FIU some airtime on ESPN for the first time.

[Aceventura]

.......since the footbrawl with UM.

[spellbound]

Originally Posted by Aceventura

.......since the footbrawl with UM.

Touche---you are absolutely right.

For those needing a refresher (or just want to see it again) click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNypD...eature=related

[dave8721]

And of course at the beginning of Thomas' opening press conference with press from all over the country there for what was probably FIU's most high profile event ever, the vice president of the school introduces him as....Isiah "Thompson"

[PeterSmith]

Originally Posted by spellbound

Isiah Thomas is a big name on a decidedly downward career trajectory but FIU had little to lose here. College basketball has never been a big deal in South Florida (to say the least) but there is PLENTY of local talent around and maybe a name like that keeps some of it at home.

I'm definitely in the camp that thinks Thomas was a great player but a lousy coach and GM, but I wish him the best. If nothing else it got FIU some airtime on ESPN for the first time.

I agree. He may not be bring FIU to national prominence in the way that some are anticipating, but the fact remains that our basketball team was going nowhere fast, and even if Isiah isn't a great coach, his presence should cause recruits to check out FIU when otherwise they would have not. Consider you're a high school player and you hear that Isiah Thomas is coming to meet you and watch you play...you'll give him the time of day.

[Prolific_1011]

Here's a rendering of the college of medicine/health sciences complex...WOW!!!

image hosted on flickr


video (including 3-D animation of the complex) regarding the economic impact of FIU's College of Medicine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUfigVz5fSU



More info: http://news.fiu.edu/?p=2646

[Aceventura]

What about poor UPA?

Amazing how the campus will be built out right to the edge of 8th and 107th.

[kevinkagy]

Originally Posted by Aceventura

What about poor UPA?

Amazing how the campus will be built out right to the edge of 8th and 107th.

The UP Apartments are going lol. Poor UPA indeed. It's crazy how dense that corner of campus is going to be. At the rate construction is at FIU with a new academic building every semester, the campus will be built out in like five years lol.

[Meph]

Originally Posted by Prolific_1011

Here's a rendering of the college of medicine/health sciences complex...WOW!!!

image hosted on flickr


video (including 3-D animation of the complex) regarding the economic impact of FIU's College of Medicine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUfigVz5fSU



More info: http://news.fiu.edu/?p=2646

Oh wow

[Hia-leah JDM]

Thats exciting.

[kevinkagy]

The FIU Board of Trustees Presidential Search Committee has announced its 4 finalist candidates for the FIU presidency.

1. Ronald Berkman
2. Brooks Keel
3. Mark Rosenberg
4. Carlos Santiago

Here's the letter they sent out to the FIU community:

"Dear members of the university community:

Our Presidential Search process is progressing and today yielded outstanding finalists. After two full days of consecutive in-person interviews, the FIU Presidential Search Advisory Committee has narrowed the field to four candidates. The committee feels any one of these individuals is qualified to become the fifth president of FIU.

On Tuesday, the Board of Trustees Presidential Search Committee, which I chair, will meet each of these candidates and invite up to three of them to our campuses for interviews later this week.
The candidates who will advance are: Ronald Berkman, Brooks Keel, Mark Rosenberg and Carlos Santiago.

I am proud of the work the committee has done. These 26 members of the university community - including students, faculty, administrators, alumni and business leaders - have selflessly given us more than three full days, including this past Sunday. In a systematic, disciplined manner they have interviewed each candidate, giving each equal consideration. I thank each member of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee for their precious time, commitment to FIU and their willingness to serve in this important role.

As you know, our Presidential Search process was specifically designed to respond to the needs of candidates participating in a public presidential search and to attract high-caliber talent. We have been successful on both counts. Our pool of candidates was exceptional and our finalists should be a source of pride for the entire university community.

On Tuesday, the BOT search committee will meet at the Sofitel Hotel in Miami to interview the candidates and select up to three, each of whom will be invited to participate in day-long campus interviews on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Please review the timeline for the rest of this week and make plans to participate, where appropriate. After each session, participants will be asked to complete a candidate evaluation form.

The final phase of the selection process will take place when the BOT Search Committee meets Saturday morning at University Park to discuss feedback on the candidates who visited both FIU campuses. At that time, the committee will select up to two finalists to recommend to the full board.

The full Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet on Saturday, April 25, at 11:30 a.m. in the Graham Center Ballrooms, FIU-University Park. A new university president is expected to be announced at that meeting. The new president, who will need to be confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors, will succeed Modesto A. Maidique, who is stepping down after serving as president of FIU for 23 years.

You may find more information on the search, including the position description and detailed timeline of events, at the official presidential search site.

I thank you for your interest and participation in this arduous process. Please look for subsequent updates as the rest of the week unfolds.

David Parker
Chair, FIU Board of Trustees"