FIU remembers Virginia Tech fallen

More than 200 FIU students, faculty/staff and administrators attended a ceremony of remembrance in honor of the 33 Virginia Tech University fallen students and faculty in the Graham Center at University Park on April 18. A similar ceremony was held at the Panther Square in the Wolfe University Center of the Biscayne Bay Campus.

Rosa Jones, vice president of Student Affairs and Undergraduate Education, thanked the FIU community for its support and led the vigil with a heartfelt message to the Virginia Tech family.

"We share our compassion and sorrow with everyone at Virginia Tech," Jones said. "If there is a lesson we have learned it is that we must enjoy every moment. Keep those families in your thoughts and prayers."

FIU Provost and Executive Vice President Ronald Berkman, Student Government Association University Park (SGA-UP) President Alfonso Leon and SGA-UP Vice President Providence Okoye also were in attendance.

"We as a student body sympathize with the student body at Virginia Tech," Okoye said. "We sympathize with their families and hope that Virgina Tech will be able to stand strong in a time like this."

After a moment of silence and a prayer, attendees were encouraged to write messages in heart-shaped paper cut-outs, which will be sent to Virginia Tech in the coming days. One of these messages read, "We’re sending blessings your way. FIU loves VT."

A flower arrangement in Virginia Tech’s colors – Chicago maroon and burnt orange – spelled out "We [heart] VT" and votive candles were arranged in the shape of a large "33" to symbolize the loss of the 33 students and faculty.

Health services administration senior Kavina Patel was one of the many students who attended the ceremony.

"I thought the service was touching," she said. "I think it's great the university did this, to let Virgina Tech we're here for them in their time of grief.”

AJ Meyer, a construction management junior and SGA-UP vice president elect, seconded the emotion.

"It means a lot that FIU did this," he said. “Virginia is a long way from Miami, but I hope that they know that we support them."

FIU law students score on bar exam

Graduates from the FIU College of Law scored the highest pass rate in the state on the February 2007 Florida Bar Exam, according to results released in April. Among FIU graduates taking the exam, 94.4 percent passed.

The statewide pass rate for first-time takers was 70.9 percent.

The news is the latest in a series of triumphs for the young law school, which was granted full accreditation last year in the shortest possible time.

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners also reported that FIU College of Law graduates finished second in the state in the March 2007 Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. The statewide pass rate was 86.4 percent.

New physical therapy degree approved

The Board of Governors has approved the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree for implementation in the fall of 2007 in the Department of Physical Therapy. The DPT is for physical therapist clinicians.

Congratulations go to Helen Cornely, former chair of the Department and current associate dean in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, for her leadership and perseverance in shepherding the degree through the bureaucratic process needed to get approval for this program.

SJMC receives grant, opens Writing Center

The Scripps Howard Foundation recently awarded the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) a three-year $150,000 grant for a writing center.

The Writing Center, opened in March, is a free resource offering students coaching and editing support from writing consultants who will be drawn from SJMC instructors and graduate students. It includes one-on-one tutoring, small group workshops, literary resources and a weekly online chat room.

“The center is designed to help students put grammar into action,” said Allan Richards, chair of the SJMC. “We are not here to rewrite students’ papers. People who come to the center will be engaged in discussions on logic, style and technique. This is an exciting new venture for all of us.”

Writing consultants advise in all aspects of non-fiction writing for all SJMC disciplines: print and broadcast journalism and advertising and public relations.

The Writing Center is located in AC II 303 on the Biscayne Bay Campus. For more information or to make an appointment, contact Kate MacMillin at 305.919.4504 or macmilli@fiu.edu.

Wine & Food Festival a delicious success

This year’s Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine magazine raised more than $1.4 million in support of the educational programs at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management while playing host to 30,000 wine and food enthusiasts.

"The students of FIU are the real winners of this festival,” said Lee Schrager, founder and director of the festival. “They provide tireless support for the four-day weekend of events while reaping indispensable real-world experience.”

Plans for the 2008 Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival already are underway. Scheduled for next Feb. 21-24, highlights of the weekend will include a tribute dinner honoring Jean-Georges Vongerichten and a tribute brunch honoring Jamie Oliver, a.k.a. the Naked Chef. For more information, call 1-877-762-3933 or visit www.sobewineandfoodfest.com.

The festival originally started as the Florida Extravaganza – FIU’s wine and food festival to benefit the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. After five years of steady growth, it changed its name and venue and moved to South Beach in 2002.