2014
School of International and Public Affairs
Year in Review
Building a just, peaceful
and prosperous world
SIPA was honored with a Gold Award for Sustainable Design at the 2013 American Institute of Architects (AIA)-Florida’s Annual Convention for excellence in the design and environmental performance of sustainable projects. The building boasts South Florida’s largest green roof and photovoltaic solar panels. SIPA is FIU’s second LEED-certified building and the first to receive a gold certification.
In a year that experienced expansive global economic and political changes — some for better and some for worse — 2014 was a year for academic discovery. The FIU School of International and Public Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences contributed to broad-based dialogues, promoted greater understanding and expanded research on topics that touch nearly every region of the globe. As one of the largest schools of its kind in the world, SIPA fosters scholarship that seeks to understand the world we live in and the challenges we face collectively as one human family. Through innovative teaching, research and outreach programs, SIPA brings this understanding to its students, faculty and the community. If we are to build a just, peaceful and prosperous world, we must first understand the global forces that advance and curtail these ideals. SIPA hosted more than 400 events in 2014 including lectures, teach-ins, concerts, art exhibits and more — all with the goals of sharing ideas, fostering understanding and igniting people’s passions to create a better world. In 2014, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and marked the centennial anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. These anniversaries call us to reflect as a global society on where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. As a university, we celebrated new partnerships, launched new initiatives and secured grants to expand our academic and research agendas. SIPA launched the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness in 2014, which is advancing education in international disaster preparedness, humanitarian assistance, emergency management and homeland security. The year’s highlight came in October, when both our Latin American and Caribbean Center and African and African Diaspora Studies Program received prestigious Title VI grants from the U.S. Department of Education, solidifying their places among the most elite international programs in the country. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships — the ability of all people, of all kinds, to live together, in the world at peace.” For students in the School of International and Public Affairs, 2014 was a year of hands-on learning, leadership development and inspiration designed to transform their capability to address global challenges.
Diplomacy for the
Here and Now
Václav Havel Initiative for Human Rights and Diplomacy
T
he loss of basic human rights leads to suffering, profound economic decline and negative political and social ramifications. This is the reality Václav Havel lived during
the communist rule of his native Czechoslovakia. In 1989, Havel became the leader of the Velvet Revolution, freeing his country and leading it on a path to democracy. The revolution ultimately inspired other Warsaw Pact nations to do the same. He was elected the first president of a democratic Czechoslovakia, and later became president of the Czech Republic. Havel left office after 14 years, spending the rest of his life as a staunch advocate for human rights worldwide.
“We live in the post-modern world, where everything is possible and almost nothing is certain.” —Václav Havel, 1994 In 2002, during his last official presidential visit to the United States, Havel visited FIU where he spoke at a forum devoted to the problems of post-communist transitions and the re-opening of societies closed by totalitarian rule. On that day, his words gave rise to a desire at FIU to do more. Twelve years later, that desire is being realized with SIPA’s initiative to create and endow the Václav Havel Center for Human Rights and Diplomacy. The initiative is designed to help preserve human dignity through partnerships, international dialogue and greater exchange of ideas pertaining to the role of human rights in international relations and democratization. Our students and our community do not have to look far to understand the need for the Havel Center. In the spring, the Knight Foundation awarded FIU a grant to create a new program within the initiative — Preparing Miami for Democratic Transition in Cuba. Both a challenge and a goal, the project is designed to instill a general understanding among Cuban Americans and the South Florida community about the realities of the process of peaceful transition including timing, risks and opportunities. For Miami’s diverse citizenry, the pilot program will hopefully inspire a broad desire to support a changing Cuba. The groundwork was laid with four events in 2014 including a panel discussion, A Conversation on the Economics of Transition in Cuba; a seminar, International Human Rights and Cuba in 2014, that brought together academia, civil society and diplomacy experts; a town hall forum, The Power of International Solidarity; and a presentation, The Spanish Transition 35 Years Later: Insights for Cuba, in collaboration with SIPA’s Initiative for Spanish and Mediterranean Studies and Cuban Research Institute. Based on the principle of peaceful solutions, the initiative to create the Václav Havel Center for Human Rights and Diplomacy, led by former Czech ambassador to the U.S. and U.N. Dr. Martin Palous, is inspiring people to understand the need and methods for change while helping to give power to the powerless.
Preparing Students to
Understand, Innovate and Lead Master of Arts in Global Governance
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IPA’s Master of Arts in Global Governance (MAGG) prepares students to tackle some of the world’s toughest security challenges including transnational crime, cyber security, human rights, surveillance and intelligence gathering, religious conflict, immigration and refugee flows, global terrorism, business risk and more. For Belinda Sardiñas, the degree program is fueling her desire for a career in civil-military relations. The second-year MAGG student has always had an interest in international relations, but an internship at the Spanish Consulate and encouragement by Consul General Cristina Barrios led her to the innovative degree program. During her first year in the professional M.A. program, Sardiñas landed an internship in the Partnering Directorate at U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida. Housed under the Department of Defense, SOUTHCOM is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to graduating from the program, Sardiñas has already accepted a position in the Advisory Department of Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Through the MAGG program, Sardiñas and her fellow students are learning to work in a globalized world, utilizing essential critical thinking and negotiation skills that successfully translate across societies and borders. The program’s Capstone Project is an important component of the students’ learning experience and training, offering hands-on work with a professional organization or agency on a topic of policy relevance. In addition to SOUTHCOM, these include the United States Department of Agriculture, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, among others. Internship opportunities within MAGG also open doors for exceptional career prospects. MAGG alumna Kristy Wright secured an internship at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, D.C., where she worked on projects related to energy and the environment. Wright helped set up hearings on candidates’ testimonials for potential honorary positions and helped arrange the hearing with Secretary of State John Kerry on the rebel group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Wright has become a strong advocate for the environment, human rights and international law. Her internship has given her hands-on experience and the determination to make a difference in the world. The second cohort of MAGG students received their degrees last spring, the third cohort is in its second year, and the fourth cohort enrolled this past fall.
Model UN Ranks 5th in North America
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ith several victories from competitions this past year, the FIU Model United Nations team secured a fifth place ranking in North America by BestDelegate.com and is the top rated team in of Florida. The FIU Model UN team started the fall semester by winning “Best Small Delegation” at Columbia Model United Nations New York. It then contended for a delegation award at Georgetown University’s National Collegiate Security Conference where it tied for third with West Point. Finally, it finished fourth at University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference in terms of weighted score, just behind the University of Chicago, Georgetown University, and Harvard University, but ahead of “Outstanding Large Delegation” award winner Yale University. FIU’s Model UN is an interactive 3-credit course in diplomacy and international affairs that helps students hone their public speaking, negotiating, analytical writing, critical thinking and research skills. The program offers a platform for students to debate issues that confront today’s world leaders and collaborate with others passionate about global matters. In addition to being a fun and energizing experience, the skills taught through the program give our alumni a competitive edge in the workplace.
2014 MUN North American Rankings by Bestdelegate.com 1. University of Chicago 2. Harvard University 3. Georgetown University 4. New York University
5. Florida International University 6. West Point 7. Columbia University 8. Yale University 9. McGill University 10. University of California Berkeley
Cultivating Non-Violence Jain Studies Program
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IPA’s Jain Studies Program is the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The program explores the spiritual, philosophical and cultural traditions of Jainism, while examining how key Jain principles can address contemporary global challenges including the environment, social conflicts, poverty and economic development. Rooted in scholarship on the history, scriptures, doctrines, art, practices and literature of Jainism, the program extends key Jain concepts of Ahimsa (non-harm), Aparigraha (non-possession) and Anekantavada (non-absolutism) to a range of fields such as business, law, environmental studies, economics, development and international relations, among others. The program also offers support for student and faculty research, exchange programs, and extracurricular activities such as Preksha meditation and hosts events in conjunction with the South Florida Jain community. In April, the program hosted one of the world’s leading scholars of Jainism, Paul Dundas, professor of Sanskrit and head of Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Dundas presented a lively lecture on 12th century allegorical tales and their relevance to modern Jainism. In November, the Jain Studies Program hosted “Acharya Tulsi and the Making of Modern Jainism,” an international conference to honor the centenary of the birth of Acharya Tulsi. An important spiritual leader of the Jain faith, Tulsi (1914-1997) served for 59 years as supreme teacher of the Jain Svetambar Terapanth Order. He guided his order into the modern world and instituted the Anuvrat Movement, which was dedicated to educating spiritual teachers and reinvigorating the saman and samani Jain monastic orders. Tulsi is credited for giving a new and contemporary direction to the high ideals of Jainism, including the principle of non-violence, which influenced leaders such as Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela. The conference included themes such as Modern Jainism, Jain Religious Movements, Jainism and the Wider World, and the Anuvrat Movement, among others. The panel comprised Jain scholars that work on the intersection of Dharma traditions and disciplines from around the world, including Peter Flügel, Manju Nahata, Chris Chapple, Steven Vose, Ranu Jung, Samani Unnata Pragya and Prem Jain.
History, Politics and Judaism in the 21st Century Jewish Studies Initiatives
U
nderstanding Judaism is understanding a vital aspect of global history, politics, economics and culture. One of the world’s oldest religions, it has a history spanning more than 3,000 years, and is practiced today by 14 million people worldwide. But more significantly, Jews comprise one of the most dynamic and influential global diasporas in human history. The School of International and Public Affairs’ Jewish Studies Initiatives support the study of Jewish religion, culture, history and politics through research, academic programming and community outreach. As a cuttingedge interdisciplinary program, it has signature research agendas and engagement activities in the areas of Holocaust Studies, Muslim-Jewish Relations, Sephardi-Mizrahi Studies and Latin American Jewry. To broaden the conversation, SIPA has launched the Initiative for Global Jewish Communities. Led by Professor Tudor Parfitt, the initiative hosted a robust slate of programming for students and the community in 2014 including lectures about Jewish communities in Yemen, Greece, Cochin, Morocco, Ethiopia, the Iberian Peninsula and the American Southwest. The highlight of the year was a two-month art exhibit at the FIU Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum featuring native art from Papua New Guinea produced by the Gogodala people, who claim Jewish ancestry. The art was brought back from a recent research trip by Parfitt and a group of students who are studying the Lost Tribes of Israel. Jewish Studies Initiatives offer students and researchers countless resources, including workshops, library collections, community partnerships and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU (JMOF-FIU) among others. JMOFFIU’s exhibits, collections and lectures focus on Jewish history in Florida and the ways in which Florida Jews influence national and global dynamics. In May, FIU commemorated the 75th anniversary of the sailing of the MS St. Louis with a lecture by Scott Miller, director of curatorial affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The transatlantic liner carried more than 900 Jews out of Germany in 1939 in the hopes of finding them refuge elsewhere. They were denied entry into Cuba, the U.S. and Canada before docking in Belgium. Many of the passengers later perished in Nazi death camps. Through the Jewish Studies Initiatives’ dynamic programming, FIU is committed to examining the critical global issues facing the world’s Jewish communities, promoting international dialogue among Jews and non-Jews, and training the next generation of citizens to understand the Jewish experience in all its manifestations.
Artwork from the Gogodola tribe in Papua New Guinea went on display at the Patricia and Phillip Frost art museum in October
A Season of Change in the Muslim World A
region of economic, cultural and political importance, the Middle East is experiencing broad-based change and influencing international policy in the U.S. and elsewhere. Creating greater understanding of this dynamic region is the foundation of FIU’s Middle East Studies Program. Today, much of the conversation centers around Israel — a conversation that brought Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat, chief representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization to the U.S., to FIU in February. Areikat spoke before an audience representing both sides of the conflict, telling them the Palestinian people are ready for a two-state solution. In newly democratic Tunisia, the desire for a peaceful and just society is also at the forefront of civil society. The nation’s revolution was the catalyst for the Arab Spring and created the foundation for the most successful transition to democracy in the region to date. Tunisian Ambassador to the U.S. Mohamed Ezzine Chelaifa, discussed the current state of Tunisia during a lecture in September that was part of the Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series. But to fully understand conflicts such as those in the Middle East, the conversation must begin with the origin of conflict. FIU hosted two panel discussions in 2014 exploring the conflicts in Iraq and Gaza, discussing their origins and the ramifications for regional security. This academic programming is broadening the understanding of the critical linkages which define the Middle East including politics, religion and great power interests.
Initiative Explores Rich Diversity of Islam Center for Muslim World Studies FIU has embarked on an endeavor as timely as it is ambitious — to establish an endowed Center for Muslim World Studies in the School of International and Public Affairs. Perhaps never in history has the need been greater to understand the nature of present day Islam and the Muslim contributions within communities throughout the world. The initiative to launch the center is a direct response to the South Florida Muslim community, which sought out FIU to lead the way in establishing an academic center dedicated to the study of the diversity of Islam along with the relations between Islamic societies and the Western world. Last fall, the initiative hosted a lecture by Dr. Peter M. Lewis, director of the African Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University, where he discussed the radical Islamic group Boko Haram, its impact on Nigerian society and its political arena, and the broader ramifications for West Africa. The initiative also hosted Dr. Robert G. Rabil, professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Florida Atlantic University, who discussed the Salafist movement in Lebanon. The Center for Muslim World Studies will highlight the connections between Islam and globalization, concentrating on three strategic themes — Global Muslim Diaspora, Interfaith Dialogue and Islam and Security.
Through the Eyes of the Diaspora African and African Diaspora Studies Program
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hen Jean Muteba Rahier teaches his African Civilizations course, he already knows the common stereotypes he
will have to break down throughout the semester. Africa is more than a continent of desert, safaris and poverty. It is a continent of historic civilizations and modern metropolitan cities. And in the 21st century, it is a continent poised for phenomenal economic and academic growth. The anthropology professor’s mission is to help impart knowledge on the realities of African society. A member of the African diaspora himself, Rahier was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and educated in Belgium and France. His interests in the African diaspora in Latin America led him to conduct extensive research on Afro-Ecuadorian communities and teach at the Catholic University of Ecuador. Looking for an institution that encouraged innovation in academic programming, Rahier came to FIU in 1998. He created the first master’s degree in African studies. And in 2008, Rahier was named director of the African and African Diaspora Studies Program. The program features a robust curriculum, cutting-edge research, outreach programs and a life-changing study abroad program in Senegal and The Gambia. Its signature event is the Eric Williams Memorial Lecture, which focuses on Caribbean political and diaspora-related issues. In 2014, St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Davis Anthony delivered the 16th annual lecture, focusing on the Caribbean people’s stance on slave trade reparations. African and African Diaspora Studies also hosts the annual Chris Gray Memorial Lecture, which welcomed Hanna Forster, executive director of the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, to campus this year to discuss gender equality in Africa. Under Rahier’s leadership, FIU recently entered into a collaborative agreement with the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar in Ecuador to develop joint programs in African diaspora studies and Latin American cultural studies. And back on campus, the program welcomed 25 African scholars to FIU as part of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative to empower young leaders through academic coursework, mentoring and networking. Through his knowledge, passion and determination, Rahier has broadened the conversation about Africa and its diaspora through education and outreach. These efforts were recently recognized by the U.S. Department of State, which awarded FIU a $187,000 Title VI grant to further the program’s initiatives. Those funds will be used to develop courses in Wolof and Swahili as well as other academic offerings and expanded library collections.
Looking East Asian Studies Program
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y the time Jennifer Garcia was ready for college she knew she wanted to study Asia, and specifically Japan. She found all she wanted and much more at FIU, eventually earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Asian Studies. What made her FIU education particularly rewarding, she says, were the opportunities Asian Studies provided for her to live and study in Japan. Many are drawn to FIU’s popular Asian Studies degree programs for one of two reasons: they want to study Japan for its culture or they want to study China for its economy. They can do both in SIPA’s Asian Studies Program, a robust contribution to FIU’s international offerings that boasts undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary degrees, established study abroad and internship opportunities, comprehensive foreign language study, the publication of an academic journal, numerous conferences, workshops and community events. The program continues to expand based on student demand. The growth of Asian Studies has been supported with more than $2 million in grants from the Japan Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. Department of Education and the Freeman Foundation. A $275,000, four-year grant from the Japan Foundation has enabled FIU to fund faculty research and travel in Asia, the expansion of the Asian studies collection at the library, workshops and guest speakers. Topics covered in 2014 lectures included Confucian influences on Japanese society and values, Japanese literature and culture, issues in translation and interpretation, and Japanese philosophy. The grant also helps support the Japan Studies Review, a peer-reviewed academic journal published jointly by Asian Studies and the Southern Japan Seminar. Graduates of the program are working in a variety of places from the Japanese consulate to museums to U.S. federal agencies that seek multi-lingual area studies graduates. Garcia spent two years living and working in Japan as an English teacher. As the center of global economic power shifts and as interest in understanding other cultures expands on both sides of the Pacific, FIU has stepped up to create new opportunities for learning. From study abroad programs to places such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan and India to language programs, SIPA has found numerous and innovative ways to meet the needs of U.S. and Asian students.
Europe Today:
Beyond the Turmoil T
he European continent, which has long seemed stable and predictable, is again facing uncertain times. The European Union member states have been shaken by tensions in the wake of the financial crisis, increasing immigration and the rise of radical right wing politics. Likewise, since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the countries of formerly communist Eastern Europe and Eurasia have undergone a series of upheavals. Perhaps most alarming, the Russian Federation has embraced an aggressive foreign policy, reviving political tensions that have fueled armed conflict. In 2014, SIPA’s European Studies Program and Miami-Florida European Union Center of Excellence (funded by the European Commission) explored many of these themes starting with a faculty roundtable discussion addressing the crisis in Ukraine. That panel was followed in April with a lecture by Hannes Adomeit, a fellow of the German Academic Exchange Service, who discussed Russia’s aggressive foreign policy and how it affects Europe, and more specifically Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Ironically, the backdrop to the conversations about the contemporary challenges facing Europe and Eurasia were the commemoration of a number of milestone anniversaries. 2014 marked the centennial anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. SIPA commemorated the anniversary with a series of academic and cultural events attempting to explain why Europe and the world still live in the shadow of the Great War. The eight-month series, World War I Commemoration: One Hundred Years After, featured a symposium, panel discussion, film series, visual arts exhibit at the Wolfsonian-FIU in Miami Beach and more. The fall of the Berlin Wall marked one of the most important watershed moments of the 20th century and the subsequent end of communism in Central and Eastern Europe. Twenty-five years later, the Honorable Jürgen Borsch, Consul General of Germany, visited FIU to commemorate the anniversary with a discussion on the remarkable transformation of Europe since that historic moment and the challenges the continent faces from the vestiges of the Cold War. In collaboration with the Václav Havel Initiative for Human Rights and Diplomacy and the Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series, the EU Center hosted Polish journalist and political activist Adam Michnik. Havel and Michnik together formulated the intellectual framework that would spawn the peaceful revolutions that transformed Central and Eastern Europe. The remarkable democratization of the vast majority of the former Warsaw Pact countries and their ability to foster viable free market economies allowed the European Union to expand in an unprecedented manner. In November, SIPA marked the 10th anniversary of the EU “Big Bang” expansion with a panel presentation by FIU experts, who discussed how the 2004 enlargement of the European Union has impacted Europe’s political climate, economy, legislative process as well as the Union’s overall decision-making process. Given the importance of Europe to global peace, stability and prosperity, SIPA has launched an ambitious strategic initiative to create and endow a Center for European and Eurasian Studies. The center would expand the research, teaching and outreach of the European Studies Program and create new interdisciplinary synergies with the Miami-Florida European Union Center of Excellence.
Historic Lessons of a Modern Society Initiative for Spanish and Mediterranean Studies
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he U.S. is rediscovering its Hispanic past as well as confronting a present that is
witnessing growing Hispanic political, cultural and economic clout. The School of International and Public Affairs has launched an Initiative for Spanish and Mediterranean Studies, which honors five centuries of Spanish cultural influence in the United States and the Americas. Our geographical location provides FIU unique opportunities to increase the strength, visibility and significance of Spanish culture and heritage in a predominantly Hispanic-serving institution. Our proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean and a critical mass of outstanding faculty enable us to explore the variety of relationships that exist between the Americas and Spain and the Mediterranean.
In November, we welcomed Spanish
countries of the EU (Portugal, Italy,
historian and author Miguel Barroso
Ireland, Greece and Spain) played their
and prolific journalist Carlos
part in bringing about the problem,
Alberto Montaner to campus for a
ultimately the crisis was the offspring
conversation about democracy and
of irresponsible neoliberal economic
hope for Cuba. Titled, The Spanish
practices — the seeds of which
Transition 35 Years Later: Insights for
were sown by Reaganomics and
Cuba, the speakers offered insights
Thatcherism of the 1980s.
on how Spain was able to free itself of fascism after the death of Francisco Franco and what lessons this process could offer Cuba. The initiative also hosted Spanish economist and statesman Diego López Garrido, who presented a unique perspective on the global financial crisis from one of the EU countries most affected by the Eurozone debacle. Garrido argued that, while the heavily indebted
Spain, the Iberian Peninsula and the broader Mediterranean constitute more than just a geopolitical space — they represent a regional locus connecting a variety of cultures and globalizing forces. Our vision is to establish an endowed Center for Spanish and Mediterranean Studies that would expand teaching, research and outreach related to this dynamic region.
Gateway to the Americas Latin American and Caribbean Center
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ecognized as a national resource for area studies, FIU’s Latin American and Caribbean Center is forging linkages across the Americas through research, education and outreach.
The center was recently awarded two Title VI grants by the U.S. Department of Education to foster global engagement in areas of strategic importance to the U.S. These grants will enable FIU to expand language training, study abroad opportunities and its teacher training programs in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and other minority-serving institutions. With more than 200 scholars, LACC features one of the highest concentrations of Latin American and Caribbean scholars in the country. In 2014, Portuguese Instructor Augusta Vono was awarded a prestigious Order of Rio Branco Award from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for her service in promoting Brazilian culture and Portuguese language — just one example of our faculty excelling in the classroom, the community and internationally. Committed to its role as a solutions center to address themes of hemispheric and global consequence, LACC offers academic and outreach programming to advance discussions on topics of importance within the region. Last year, the annual Journalists & Editors Workshop explored the current state of freedom of the press. Students had the opportunity to participate in a forum with Haitian-born filmmaker Raoul Peck followed by a screening of his film, Fatal Assistance, which documents rebuilding efforts following the 2010 earthquake. Earlier in the year, LACC welcomed former Peruvian President Alan Garcia, who discussed the current economic and political trends in the hemisphere.
Cuban Research Institute
T
he end of 2014 saw a major shift in foreign policy with Cuba when President Obama announced the United States was initiating plans to rebuild its relationship with the island nation. With the establishment of embassies, easing of travel restrictions, and building of relationships between American and Cuban banks, the need for scholars to promote an understanding among Cuban Americans about the realities of the process of peaceful transition is critical. FIU’s Cuban Research Institute (CRI) resides amidst the largest Cuban diaspora in the world, and serves as the nation’s leading center for research, teaching and outreach programs on Cuban and Cuban-American issues. CRI draws upon the expertise of more than 40 faculty members to create and disseminate new knowledge about Cuba and its diaspora. Obama’s announcement came in December, but months before, CRI issued its biennial FIU Cuba Poll which found a growing desire for change in U.S. policy by Miami’s Cuban-American population. First conducted in 1991, the poll is the longest-running research project tracking the opinions of the Cuban-American community in South Florida and was designed to measure the views of Cuban Americans about U.S. policy toward Cuba. The consistency of some of the responses, as well as the shift in others, provides the most complete picture of Cuban-American political attitudes over time. CRI has organized hundreds of academic and cultural events since its inception, including lectures, conferences, book presentations and concerts. This year, the 10th Annual Classically Cuban Concert featured internationally renowned pianist Enrique Chía performing a selection of classic boleros and habaneras, among others. With the holistic desire to not only view Cuba from economic and political perspectives, FIU’s Cuban Research Institute is fostering dialogues that celebrate Cuba’s historical traditions while offering hope for a democratic and prosperous Cuba with strong ties to South Florida and the U.S.
Dialogues
of Understanding Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series
I
n 2014, nearly 3,000 members of the FIU family and South Florida community attended 30 events hosted by the School of
International and Public Affairs’ flagship speaker series, the Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series. Highlights include Admiral James Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, who discussed the most significant security challenges the world faces today, including radical Islam, transnational crime, climate change and food security. Ambassador William Brownfield, assistant secretary for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs at the U.S. Department of State, discussed U.S. policy for combating the production of illicit drugs in Latin America and the security challenges drug trafficking poses to the hemisphere. Cami Hofstadter, former Honorary Consul of Finland and a scholar of international law and diplomacy, offered insight into the roles the countries of Scandinavia played during the Holocaust. Carrie Hessler-Radelet, national director of the Peace Corps, gave a presentation on the role of the environment in global development during an event inaugurating FIU’s Peace Corps Prep program. Other featured topics included the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Russia’s aggressive foreign policy, the ramifications of World War I, and the end of totalitarianism in Central and Eastern Europe.
U.S. Peace Corps national director Carrie Hessler-Radelet shared with the FIU community why the work of the Peace Corps still matters and how it contributes to sustainable development throughout the world. Hessler-Radelet applauded FIU’s commitment to prepare its students for global citizenship and officially inaugurated FIU Global Learning’s Peace Corps Prep program.
Admiral James Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, presented an eye-opening assessment of the world’s most significant security challenges, from radical Islam to climate change and food scarcity.
U.S.-trained Colombian police personnel spray cocaine field with herbicide. April Merleaux’s research focuses on the environmental history of U.S. international anti-narcotics policies.
Advancing Research,
Expanding Resources Morris and Anita Broad Fellowships
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ach year, the Morris and Anita Broad Fellowship Award offers junior faculty and doctoral students an opportunity to advance and develop
their academic research early in their careers. The fellowship provides funds for diverse projects and allows recipients to supplement other resources to advance their research. In 2014, the School of International and Public Affairs named 16 Broad Fellows including Dimmy Herard, a doctoral student in the Department of Politics and International Relations, who is conducting research at the Schomburg Center in New York to advance his dissertation “The Politics of Democratization: Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the Lavalas Movement in Haiti.” Fellow Micah Oelze, a doctoral student in the Department of History, undertook archival research in São Paulo, Brazil. His work focuses on the strategy and outcomes of a São Paulo Department of Culture project to record the music of Amerindian and Afro-Brazilian communities throughout Brazil. Suzana Mic, a doctoral student in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies, used her award to advance her dissertation, which examines the cultural politics of climate change adaptation in South Florida. History Professor April Merleaux is using the award to expand research for her book-length project on the environmental history of the United States’ international anti-narcotics policies from the 1960s to the beginning of the 21st century. Other research projects funded by the 2014 Broad Fellowships include such topics as 19th century Spanish and Latin American literature, the role of identity politics in Tajikistan, student strikes in Puerto Rico, slave law in Brazil and the United States, Sahrawi nationalism in the Western Sahara, and governance in colonial Peru.
Supporters of the Lavalas Movement wave a banner of their leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Dimmy Herard’s dissertation examines the role of the Lavalas Movement in the democratization process of Haiti.
SIPA by the numbers 6,000 190 250
Students
Faculty
Affiliated faculty
21,110 8
Alumni
72
Departments
22
International centers, institutes, programs and initiatives
35
Certificate programs
Languages spoken
59
Degree programs
430 Events held in 2014
FIU is the largest Hispanic-serving university in the U.S.
Countries of origin represented by our student body
126
48%
44
of SIPA students are international
Global partnerships with universities around the world
FIU is one of the top 100 universities less than 50 years old — Times Higher Education