Facts at a Glance

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Florida International University is Miami–Dade County’s first public, four–year university. Our powerful record of innovation and research continues to improve the quality of life in our communities.

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 38,000 students, 1,000+ full‐time faculty and more than 134,000 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 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 2006‐2007 totaled approximately $108 million.

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

NATIONAL RECOGNITION:    
FIU ranked first in the nation among four‐year colleges for awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to Hispanic students in the 2008 survey conducted by the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine.

FIU senior track star Ronald Forbes qualified in June to compete in the 110‐meter hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. He competed for his native Cayman Islands and carried his country’s flag during the opening ceremonies.

FIU’s College of Medicine, South Florida’s only public medical school, received more than 3,000 applications from 45 states in the first month it began accepting applications for the inaugural 2009 class of medical school students.

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 in June. He is the 97th Golden Panther to be drafted.

Professor Akin Ogundiran, director of African‐New World Studies, has received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, signed by Congressman Kendrick Meek, “in recognition of outstanding and invaluable service to the community.”

FIU alumnus Janet Dacal played a lead role in the 2008 Tony Award‐winner for Best Musical on Broadway, “In the Heights.”Creative writing alumnus and novelist Dennis Lehane will see two more of his novels adapted for the silver screen. This summer, Martin Scorsese directed actor Leonardo DiCaprio in an adaptation of Lehane’s 2003 novel “Shutter Island.” Most recently, “Spider‐Man” director Sam Raimi was tapped to bring Lehane’s 2008 historical novel “The Given Day” to the big screen.

Professor Ellen Brown in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences was named an Exceptional Reviewer for the journal Medical Care, one of the top journals in health care administration. This designation is given to the top 5 percent of all Medical Care peer reviewers chosen on the basis of quality and timeliness of reviews, as well as the number of reviews conducted.

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 latest Florida Bar Exam, according to results released in April. Almost 95 percent of FIU graduates who took the Florida Bar Exam in February passed, 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.

The University offers more than 200 bachelors, master's and doctoral programs in its colleges and schools:

COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS:    

WHO WE SERVE:
Of the 38,000 students who currently attend FIU, approximately 35,000 are residents of Florida, of which 77% 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 
• 56% female

In addition to its diverse ethnic groups, the University serves a large percentage of economically disadvantaged students. Nearly 50% of all undergraduate students at FIU receive financial aid, and nearly 60% of those financial aid recipients come from families with annual household incomes under $30,000. Approximately 77% 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%) is enrolled full time and approximately 70% 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. Seventeen sports programs are offered, including football (Division I‐A), basketball, track and cross‐country, soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball.

BUDGET & ECONOMIC IMPACT:
The University’s 2007‐2008 operating budget was $648.9 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 its programs are nationally renowned for their excellence.

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum will celebrate the grand opening of its new facility on the University Park campus this Fall. 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 helps present the annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival, one of the major culinary events in the nation.

CAMPUSES:
FIU has two campuses, the 344‐acre University Park 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 University Park campus. The Downtown Center, located in downtown Miami, offers graduate level business
courses for busy professionals.

March 2009