FIU Athletics Case Statement

FIU ATHLETICS

THE CAMPAIGN FOR FIU Next Horizon—The Campaign for FIU is the University’s groundbreaking fundraising effort. The campaign’s $750 million fundraising goal is ambitious and representative of just how high FIU has set its sights. FIU Athletics plays a critical role in achieving this goal.

Through the campaign, we will secure the investment necessary to improve the future of every FIU student, our Miami home, and those we reach across the world through our teaching and research, and through pride and passion for the Panthers.

The Next Horizon of discovery and innovation; health and society; environment and resilience; influence and enterprise; and community, arts, and culture will be achieved by focusing on two pillars—student success and research excellence—and attracting investments in the following campaign objectives:

• INCREASE SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT SUPPORT • OPTIMIZE 21

-CENTURY TEACHING

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• ADVANCE A VIBRANT, HEALTHY MIAMI • ACCELERATE RESEARCH AND DISCOVERIES • ESCALATE DISCOVERY TO ENTERPRISE

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WE WILL UNLEASH THE POWER OF THE BLUE AND GOLD, GIVING OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES WHAT THEY NEED TO COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. At FIU Athletics, we are raising our sights and our expectations.

We are driven. We demand the best from our coaches and our program, while insisting on winning the right way: by focusing on the academic success, physical well-being, and character of our student-athletes. Through our success in athletics, our goal is to build Panther Pride and become a rallying point for students, alumni, and fans from Miami-Dade and Broward counties and far beyond.

FIU’s $750 million Next Horizon campaign will help fuel these ambitions. By investing in our programs and facilities, FIU Athletics will become one of the most competitive and respected programs in the region and the nation.

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NCAA Division I sports, seven men’s teams, and eleven women’s teams

400+

Student-athletes, representing 30 different nations

$30M FIU Athletics Next Horizon Goal

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FIU ATHLETICS Headquarters for Panther Pride, FIU Athletics brings together the determination and talent of more than 400 student-athletes on 18 NCAA Division I teams. Our program has a proud history: since the University’s founding in 1965, the Panthers have made 45 NCAA tournament appearances, while 116 student-athletes have earned All-American honors. FIU Athletics has also produced scores of professional and Olympic athletes. These include current athletes in Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Football League, and the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Today’s Panthers are in a position of strength. In the past decade, FIU has transitioned from the Sun Belt Conference to Conference USA and completed major facilities enhancements. These include football adding two practice fields, a player’s lounge, new scoreboard, and state-of-the-art field turf. Baseball gained indoor batting cages and an updated locker room. Softball has received a dedicated building that has new coaches’ offices, coach and team locker rooms, and a player’s lounge. Tennis and golf have renovated their team locker rooms and lounge.

In the classroom, student-athletes have also been performing at the top of their game, posting grade point averages of 3.0 or better for eight straight semesters. Outside of the classroom, student-athletes have been generous with their time, volunteering with youth and community organizations.

Now we seek partners who will help FIU Athletics capitalize on this progress. Your support through the campaign will strengthen our tri-part mission of academic excellence, educational leadership, and athletic distinction.

Your philanthropy will build Panther programs and facilities that will catapult FIU to athletic preeminence.

“Our student-athletes dedicate themselves to excellence in the classroom, in the community, and on the field of competition. At FIU, we work hard to ensure that our student-athletes graduate and become the future leaders of our community. The Next Horizon campaign will help us identify the next generation of donors to our department, which will help us enhance the FIU student-athlete experience. Every dollar donated is an investment in our community fabric.”

— PETE GARCIA FIU Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment

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PRIORITY INITIATIVES ATHLETICS FACILITIES Elite college athletics programs have one common element: state-of-the-art facilities. Up-to-date playing spaces along with weight rooms, recovery zones, nutrition stations, medical facilities, and the StudentAthlete Academic Center give our Panthers a competitive edge. They send a message to top recruits that FIU Athletics is committed to excellence in all that we do.

While recent investments in football and baseball facilities are already paying dividends with strong recruiting classes in both sports, we always have a need to up our game. We now must turn our attention to the next phase of improvements.

TRACK AND FIELD Both men’s and women’s programs are chockful of outstanding athletes who regularly compete at the national level. These accomplishments are all the more impressive considering that FIU has no on-campus track. Campaign support can help build this critical facility, giving the Panthers a permanent home and saving travel time to and from community tracks.

SWIMMING AND DIVING In the sports world, the word “dynasty” is thrown around often. The FIU swimming and diving team, however, has definitely earned that designation with four straight Conference USA titles. Counted as one of the nation’s top 25 programs, FIU’s “dynasty” sport only has facilities on the north campus. Through the campaign, our aim is to construct a pool and diving well on the main campus, allowing the Panthers to focus on studying and training, rather than commuting.

FOOTBALL FIU is not a typical college football program. Most new teams take decades to rise to the Division I-A level and then even longer to reach a bowl game. Not FIU. Beginning play in 2002, the Panthers joined Division I-A in 2005 and have been to four bowl games in the last eight years. Since 2003, eight Panthers have been drafted into the National Football League. Under Coach Butch Davis, the gridiron Panthers are on a roll. Aggressive recruiting has brought top-caliber players, adding incredible talent to the roster. Campaign support will allow for further enhancements to the program such as a new locker room, a football defensive meeting room, recruiting room, and a trophy/mannequin display case.

SOCCER Appearances at the NCAA Tournament. Conference USA Coach of the Year. The men’s program peaking with a No. 8 national ranking—its highest since 1996. There is a lot to love about Panther soccer, and investment through the campaign will give fans even more reasons. Plans on the drawing board call for upgrading the soccer stadium by renovating the game field, adding new bleachers, concessions, restrooms, and a scoreboard. These improvements will enhance the experience for our Panther fans and visitors alike.

SOFTBALL This is an ultra-competitive program. In 2017, softball set a new university record with 46 wins and earned a trip to the NCAA Regionals for just the third time in program history. Campaign support will bolster softball with improvements to its stadium, including a video scoreboard, an enhanced batting cage, and concessions.

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TENNIS A perennial powerhouse, the FIU Panthers are top seeds on the hardcourt. The team is a regular challenger for both Conference USA and NCAA Championships. We now need to upgrade our Tennis Center to be on par with their level of play. Campaign investment will allow us to undertake renovations, including new courts, seating with canopies, new lights, and a new scoreboard.

BASEBALL On the diamond, the Panthers are making waves in Division I. With a stockpile of talent, depth on the bench, athleticism, and a great coaching staff, the program is in an exciting period in its history. The addition of an indoor batting cage has been a boon for Panther baseball; through the campaign, we will add a new video scoreboard to enhance the game-day experience.

BASKETBALL The men’s and women’s basketball programs are competitive and consistently elevating their level of play.

Campaign investment will catapult these efforts with construction of a new weight training facility in the FIU Arena and a video editing system.

“When it comes to facilities, what we’ve done, we’ve done right. But there is still a lot to do. If we want to recruit and retain the best student-athletes in the world, we need to have the best facilities.”

— PETE GARCIA FIU Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment

HELP US COMPETE ON THE NEXT HORIZON When it comes to college athletics, there is a right way to win and a wrong way to win. We understand this at FIU Athletics, and we are committed to winning the right way. Our coaches and student-athletes hold themselves to this high standard while giving their all for the Blue and Gold. Their efforts create community, uniting Panther fans on our campuses and across the country.

Now we need your passion and philanthropy to take FIU Athletics to the next horizon. Working together— alumni, fans, and friends—we will give our coaches and student-athletes the tools they need to excel on a national level. With your generous support, we will realize our vision of being an elite college athletics department. We will elevate our program, increase our competitiveness across the board, and leave our paw prints from coast to coast.

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CAMPAIGN FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES STUDENT-ATHLETE SUCCESS INVEST IN WINNING FACILITIES

• Soccer Stadium Upgrades • Main Campus Pool and Diving Facilities • Main Campus Track and Field Facilities • Baseball Video Scoreboard • Tennis Center • New Football Locker Rooms • Football Defensive Meeting Room • Football Recruiting Room • Trophy/Mannequin Display Case • Basketball Video Editing System • Weight Training Facility in the Arena • S oftball Stadium Enhancements (in Title IX Plan): • F açade, including Concessions, Video Scoreboard, and Enhanced Batting Cage AND OTHERS

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FIU FOUNDATION, INC. MMC 11200 SW 8th Street, MARC 5th Floor Miami, FL 33199 305-348-6298 NextHorizon.FIU.edu Publication Print Date: March 2019