About FIU

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Florida International University is Miami-Dade County's first public, four-year university. One of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU has been locally and globally engaged for more than four decades finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time.

HISTORY AND GROWTH:
FIU opened for classes in 1972 with 5,667 students - the largest opening day enrollment in U.S. collegiate history. Today it has more than 39,000 students, 1,000+ full-time faculty, 7,000+ employees and more than 135,000 alumni. FIU is one of the 25 largest universities in the nation, based on enrollment.

FACULTY:
Ninety-six percent of the university’s full-time faculty hold doctorates or the highest degree attainable in their field. (This statistic reflects tenured or tenure-seeking faculty.)

RESEARCH:
FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. Sponsored research funding (grants and contracts) from external sources for the year 2008-2009 totaled approximately $101 million.

ALUMNI:
With more than 135,000 alumni, Golden Panthers constitute the fastest-growing university alumni group in Miami-Dade County. With nearly 8,000 students graduating annually from FIU, the university confers approximately half of all degrees now awarded by universities in Miami-Dade County.

POINTS OF PRIDE:    
According to U.S. News & World Report, FIU’s 2008 graduates lead the nation among public university grads for having the least amount of debt.

FIU ranked first in the nation among four-year colleges for awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to Hispanic students, according to a 2008 survey conducted by Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine.

FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, South Florida’s only public medical school, welcomed its inaugural class of 43 students in August. More than 3,000 students applied for the 43 seats.

Nearly half of all teachers employed in the Miami-Dade County Public School System, the nation's fourth largest public school system, have an FIU degree.

FIU Board of Trustees member Cesar L. Alvarez was recognized as one of "The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America" by the National Law Journal. Alvarez is the chief executive officer of Greenberg Traurig LLP in Miami.

Senior first baseman Jorge Castillo was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 26th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball First Year Player draft. He is the 97th Golden Panther to be drafted.

FIU alumna and 2008 “American Idol” finalist Syesha Mercado has been tapped to play the role of Deena Jones in a new production of “Dreamgirls” set to open at the Apollo in New York City this fall before going on the road.

Two more of creative writing alumnus and novelist Dennis Lehane’s ('01) novels are being adapted for the silver screen. Martin Scorsese recently directed actor Leonardo DiCaprio in an adaptation of Lehane’s 2003 novel Shutter Island, set for release in February 2010. Most recently, Spider-Man director Sam Raimi was tapped to bring Lehane’s 2008 historical novel The Given Day to the big screen.

FIU is the youngest university to have been awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most distinguished academic honor society.

U.S. News & World Report ranks FIU’s undergraduate international business programs among the top 15 in the nation and their graduate programs among the top 25.

FIU has been named one of the “10 Cool Colleges for Entrepreneurs” by Fortune Small Business magazine.

Graduates of FIU’s College of Law led the state with their pass rate on the February 2009 Florida Bar Exam. Almost 82 percent of FIU graduates who took the Florida Bar Exam in February 2009 passed, compared with a state-wide pass rate of 70.7%, continuing a trend among FIU graduates to score higher on the Bar Exam than the state average since our graduates began taking the test in 2005.

Dr. Pedro Jose´ Greer, Jr., assistant dean of academic affairs at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and founder of Camillus Health Concern, was one of 16 Americans recognized by President Barack Obama in August 2009 with the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Golden Panthers women's volleyball team captured the SBC East Division title and an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in the 21-year Division I history of the program.

The university offers more than 200 bachelor's, master’s and doctoral programs in its colleges and schools:

WHO WE SERVE:
Of the 39,499 students who currently attend FIU, approximately 35,000 are residents of Florida, of which 77 percent are from Miami-Dade County. A perfect fit for South Floridians who wish to stay close to home while earning an affordable, high-quality degree, FIU has established its reputation as Miami’s premier public research university. FIU’s dynamic student body reflects the vibrant diversity of South Florida:

• 59% Hispanic
• 17% White Non-Hispanic
• 13% Black
• 4% Asian or Pacific Islander
• 7% other minority groups 
• 57% female

In addition to its diverse ethnic groups, the university serves a large percentage of economically disadvantaged students. Nearly 50 percent of all undergraduate students at FIU receive financial aid, and nearly 60 percent of those financial aid recipients come from families with annual household incomes under $30,000. Approximately 77 percent of students at FIU are undergraduates with the majority enrolled in the Colleges of Business Administration, Arts & Sciences, and Engineering.

The majority of the student body (60 percent) is enrolled full time and approximately 70 percent are between the ages of 17 and 25.

ATHLETICS:
FIU’s intercollegiate athletic teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, the nation’s most competitive college sports division, the Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA. Sports programs offered include football (Division I-A), basketball, track and cross country, soccer, volleyball, softball, baseball, golf, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball.

BUDGET & ECONOMIC IMPACT:
The university’s 2008-2009 operating budget was $631.7 million. FIU has more than 4,000 employees. The university has an economic impact of more than $1.7 billion on the South Florida economy.

ARTS & CULTURE:
In recent years, FIU has emerged as one of South Florida’s major cultural assets, offering programs to both students and the local community. Several of our programs are nationally renowned for their excellence. The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum was designed by internationally recognized architect Yann Weymouth of Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum. The 46,000-square-foot facility opened to the community in November 2008. The Wolfsonian-FIU museum, located in Miami Beach, promotes the collection, preservation and understanding of decorative art and design from the period 1885-1945.

The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management presents the annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival, one of the nation's major culinary events.

CAMPUSES:
FIU has two campuses, the 344-acre Modesto A. Maidique Campus in western Miami-Dade County, and the 200-acre Biscayne Bay Campus in northeast Miami-Dade County. The university also has an academic site in Broward County, FIU Broward Pines Center in Pembroke Pines.

A major research facility, the 40-acre Engineering Center is located near the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. The Downtown Center, located in downtown Miami, offers graduate level business courses for busy professionals.

FALL 2009