In the '80's, Florida International University had a tiny, non-accredited department of communications. We didn't like that situation at all. So we set out to change it.

In 1991, we stood for accreditation and passed with flying colors --- at all three levels of review, on all 12 standards. That's about the year we became a free-standing school within FIU.

This spring, when the Pulitzer Prize awards were announced, six of our graduates turned up on The Miami Herald team that won the Pulitzer for breaking-news coverage of the Elian Gonzales seizure: Liz Balmaseda ('82); Manny Garcia ('90); Johnny Diaz ('96); Mireidy Fernandez ('98); Eunice Ponce ('00); and Jasmine Kripalani ('01).

Jasmine's win was especially satisfying - she was still an undergraduate when she worked on the Elian story. More satisfying still is that two of this year's winners had done it before. Liz Balmaseda won the Pulitzer for commentary in 1993. Manny Garcia shared the 1999 prize with a Miami Herald team for its investigative reporting of Miami election fraud.

That's eight Pulitzers in whole or in part won by our graduates.