The mission of the Immigration and Ethnicity Institute at Florida International University (FIU) is to advance research and education in Immigration and Ethnic Studies. FIU's location in Miami, Florida's ethnically diverse and largest metropolitan area, places it at the cutting edge of the immigration and ethnic issues that critically determine the future of both Florida and the nation. Over 50 percent of Miami's adults are foreign-born and more than 50 percent speak a language other than English at home. Economically and politically Miami is central to the Caribbean and culturally to all of Latin America. A part of Miami's social context is the ethnic tension and violence that repeatedly erupt. Miami gave birth to America's English Only movement. In spite of evidence to the contrary, many blame local economic difficulties and episodic riots by African Americans on the influx of immigrants. What Miami and the rest of Florida now confront, either already or soon, will challenge the rest of the nation.

 
    As south Florida's public university, FIU initiated the Immigration and Ethnicity Institute (IEI) in response to both the importance of the issues and out of its commitment to the community it serves. FIU is strategically positioned to train scholars from Miami's own ethnic communities and from elsewhere in the field of immigration and ethnicity. FIU has a near majority of Hispanic students and the highest percentage of blacks of any state university campus in Florida, other than the historically black Florida A&M. FIU already has an outstanding faculty who address immigration and ethnic studies issues, as reflected in the recent publication of the edited volume Miami Now! that consists of essays on these topics authored solely by FIU faculty.

    The fundamental goal of IEI is to advance our ability to understand and manage the issues and problems swirling around immigration and ethnicity. IEI intends to achieve this goal through coupling research and training with south Florida's ethnic organizations. IEI has conducted major research projects with funding from the National Science Foundation, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation. The projects have both trained graduate students and produced important scientific papers.

    IEI has also established an internship program in cooperation with many of south Florida's ethnic organizations. These activities not only train students, especially local minorities, but they establish the basis for two kinds of important interactionsCbetween the university and the community and among ethnic organizations. Ethnic organizations frequently need both manpower and technical assistance; IEI offers both. The internship program places trained undergraduate and graduate students in ethnic organizations for one year. IEI will also match the needs of ethnic organizations with the technical expertise of FIU faculty in such areas as evaluation and planning, staff training and grant-writing.

    Miami's immigrant and ethnic organizations have little opportunity for cooperation and constructive interaction. Taking a long-term perspective, IEI intends to establish a foundation for inter-ethnic cooperation through its internship and fellowship programs. A staple of the internship program will be orientations, briefings and discussion among sponsoring organizations about the program. Beginning with the internship program as a shared experience, IEI will be a neutral forum where directors and staff of community organizations can comfortably interact both formally and informally. IEI will promote networking and coalition building among interested organizations as opportunity and interest arise.