FIU Quickview Spring 2014

Fast Facts Rankings Points of Pride & Latest News

QUICKVIEW SPRING 2014

The world’s only undersea research lab, Aquarius, has come back to life under the direction of FIU.

Our Students Hispanic 63% Black 14% White 13% Other minority groups 6% Asian 4%

Fall 2013 Applicants: 40,445 Acceptances: 19,126 Mean GPA: 3.47 Average SAT: 1517

Be WorldsAhead

Graduation rates going up, awards rolling in FIU’s bold steps to get students on the right academic path have boosted the university’s graduation rate and earned two national awards.

The undergraduate program known as the “Graduation Success Initiative,” or GSI, requires students to declare a major upon admission to the university and gives them 24/7 access to tools and feedback to move them toward their ultimate goal: on-time graduation.

In November 2013, FIU received the MVP Award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities for the success of GSI. Graduation rates have gone up by 9 percent since the program was launched in 2011.

At the graduate level, the university was recognized for successfully recruiting and graduating underrepresented and minority doctoral students in the new program Academy of Graduates for Integrative Learning Experiences.

The December 2013 award was given by the Educational Testing Service Council of Graduate Schools.

FIU reopens undersea research lab Aquarius Reef Base – the world’s only undersea research lab – has come back to life under the direction of FIU. Aquarius, deployed in 1993 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was slated for decommissioning when FIU stepped forward with a plan to keep the reef base operational.

The special diving capability of Aquarius, called saturation diving, allows scientists to work underwater up to nine hours a day without fear of getting the bends, compared to one hour if they were diving from the surface. Increased research time is the key element that enhances scientific productivity beneath the sea. Aquarius is also used by NASA to train astronauts, since the undersea environment is similar to conditions in space.

Since reopening the facility, two missions have been completed, including a NASA training in September and a student research mission in November.

Be WorldsAhead

High schoolers start college early

More and more high school students across South Florida have the opportunity to earn free college credits at FIU. Through the dual enrollment program, high school students take college classes free of charge, saving money and getting a head start on their college education.

In Fall 2013, FIU established the dual enrollment program at Piper High School in Sunrise. In Spring 2014, Coral Springs High School and Plantation High School began providing FIU dual enrollment classes to students on their campuses. The dual enrollment program in Broward County is expected to enroll about 150 students.

In Miami-Dade County, students taking dual enrollment classes have increased to more than 6,000 in FY 2012-2013.

Holy Coley!

Women’s basketball star Jerica Coley—considered by some the greatest student-athlete in FIU history—will have accomplished feats of greatness on and off the court by the time 2014 ends. In January she claimed the title of leading scorer in the nation with an average 30 points per game.

Then in March the senior All-American scored her 3,000th point to join an elite list of only 10 college women to have reached that milestone. The first FIU athlete to have his or her number retired while still actively competing for the university, the point guard attributes her success to “a lot of hard work and a lot of good coaching.” Applying that same hard work to her studies, Coley will graduate in December with a degree in nutrition and dietetics, likely with honors.

Be WorldsAhead

FIU engineers new “smart bridge�

FIU engineers have teamed with the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority to create the first smart highway bridge in South Florida.

The new flyover from eastbound State Road 836 to northbound State Road 826 in Miami has been outfitted with electronic sensors that continuously monitor the health of the bridge.

Be WorldsAhead

FIU Expanding A building boom at FIU is expanding classroom space, adding much-needed laboratories and providing some exciting new amenities. Here’s a look at the newest and upcoming additions:

ACADEMIC HEALTH CENTER 4 (AHC-4) Purpose: Scientific research facility for the College of Medicine, wet and dry labs, classrooms and seminar rooms Size: 136,076 SF Cost: $57.5 million total project Cool feature: A customized mass spectrometer laboratory Opening: March 2013

PARKVIEW HOUSING Purpose: Student living Size: 620 beds with 290-car parking garage Cost: $55 million Cool feature: Floor-to-ceiling, glassed-in common room overlooking FIU Stadium Opening: August 2013

Be WorldsAhead

STUDENT ACADEMIC SUPPORT CENTER (SASC) Purpose: Honors College and University Graduate School offices, Enrollment Services, Student Financials, classrooms Size: 73,173 GSF (Gross Square Feet) Cost: $25.6 million Cool feature: 750-seat auditorium, largest at FIU Opening: Fall 2015

SATELLITE CHILLER PLANT Purpose: Improve campus energy efficiency Size: 14,000 SF Cost: $7.1 million Cool feature: Plant provides chilled water for laboratories when power goes down Opening: April 2013

STOCKER ASTROSCIENCE CENTER Purpose: Astronomy research observatory, classrooms Size: 10,233 SF Cost: $4.4 million Cool feature: Control room inspired by the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” Opening: January 2014

MANAGEMENT AND NEW GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES BUILDING (MANGO) Purpose: College of Business and FIU Online, classrooms Size: 107,912 SF Cost: $35.7 million Cool feature: First floor mall with Starbucks, Panda Express, Taco Bell Opening: July 2014

ACADEMIC HEALTH CENTER 5 (AHC-5) Purpose: Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work and International Hurricane Center, research facilities, classrooms, offices Size: 121,465 SF Cost: $44.9 million Cool feature: Cantilever that houses laboratory space Opening: Summer 2014

AMBULATORY CARE CENTER Purpose: In partnership with MiamiDade County and Miami Children’s Hospital, a health treatment and diagnostic center open to the public Size: 32,023 SF Cost: $8.6 million Cool feature: The new 109th Street bridge spanning 8th Street will lead pedestrians to the center Opening: November 2014

PARKING GARAGE 6 (PG6) Purpose: Parking, bus port, retail and classrooms Size: 2,000 parking spaces, 35,000 SF of retail and classrooms Cost: $42.6 million Cool feature: Pedestrian bridge linking PG6 to Engineering & Computer Science Building Opening: January 2015

BBC RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT LAB Purpose: Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management advanced food production lab and brewing science lab Size: 140 seats Cost: $2 million Cool feature: Two-story wine tower and spirits demonstration bar built with proceeds from Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Opening: September 2013

BBC WOLFE UNIVERSITY CENTER RENOVATION Purpose: Modernize interior and exterior of the Panther Square gathering area with new facades, new seating, and a coffee shop.

Marianne Wolfe Theater in phase two Cost: $2 million Opening: March 2014 Cool feature: A bronze panther statue for Panther Square

54,000 100,000 125,000 180 96 12 18

Spring 2014 enrollment Students will graduate from FIU in the next decade Alumni who live and work in South Florida

Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs

Percent of faculty hold doctoral degrees or highest degree attainable in their field

Colleges and schools including Medicine, Law and Architecture Division 1A sports teams, including football

FIU Division of External Relations Modesto A. Maidique Campus, PC 515 Miami, FL 33199

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