‘Women in Politics’ seminar, hosted by FIU in DC, features prominent alumni

–By Eric Feldman for FIU News Last week’s second annual Women in Politics and Policy Fly-In summer—which kicked off on International Women’s Day and took place virtually this year—featured seven alumni across three days, including former Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27, 1989-2019), the first Latina elected to Congress. The bipartisan, intergenerational group of alumni panelists exemplify […]

305 Give Day 2021 beats last year’s record

The results are in: 673 alumni and other Panther family members from 23 states banded together last week to support our FIU on 305 Give Day 2021! The annual event encourages alumni to give in the spirit of “The 305” on March 5 (3/05) – a day many Miamians affectionately consider Miami’s holiday. The second-annual […]

Alumni turn love of plants into budding business

–By David Drucker for FIU News Whether they are being eaten, gazed upon or used for shade, plants have long held a soft spot in the heart of mankind. Two alumni have capitalized on this fact to create a new business: Dade Plant Co., a company that delivers tropical plants to customers. During the COVID-19 […]

Hundreds of alumni return to campus – virtually – to connect with students during Panther Alumni Week 2021

Panther Alumni Week (PAW) looked a little different this year. For the first time, the annual PAW took place online, as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. But that didn’t stop scores of alumni – 250, to be exact – from joining FIU classes virtually from as far away as London to share their career advice […]

Student Food Pantry at BBC upgrades to new space thanks to generous donation amid pandemic

The BBC Student Food Pantry upgraded to a new space this year, thanks to the support of a lifelong learning student named Herb Gruber and his partner, FIU alumna Donna Steffens ’06. The new pantry, already open for business, is located at Wolfe University Center 256 and, like its MMC counterpart, is open to all […]

Alumna Chanel T. Rowe JD ’14 appointed to FIU Board of Trustees

The Florida Board of Governors has appointed FIU Law alumna Chanel T. Rowe JD ’14 to the Florida International University Board of Trustees for a five-year term. “We are thrilled to have our very own law graduate Chanel Rowe join FIU’s Board of Trustees,” said Board of Trustees Chair Dean C. Colson, who was recently […]

FIU Business alumna’s scholarship endowment will support diverse, female future accountants

FIU College of Business alumna Jacqueline Cecile Williams ’94, CPA, recently made a planned gift to FIU that will establish a scholarship to help bolster the future pipeline of minority, female accountants in South Florida. Inspired by the financial support and guidance she received as a student preparing to break into the accounting industry, Williams […]

Newly graduated Stempel Ph.D. takes on the world as a professor and researcher dedicated to bettering the lives of refugees

Mitra Naseh grew up in Iran and had a first-hand view of what those fleeing neighboring war-torn Afghanistan experienced –By Alexandra Pecharich for FIU News Mitra Naseh this month won a national award for a dissertation that presents “a multidimensional model for understanding poverty among refugees.” But the 2020 graduate of the Stempel College of […]

From singer to paratrooper to mathematician, this alum took a different route to NASA

–By David Drucker for FIU News Michael Lopez ’20 is a bit of a thrill-seeker. In his 20s, he picked up a guitar, started a folk-rock band and moved to Nashville. In his 30s, he became a paratrooper for the U.S. Army in Germany before busting his leg on a jump. Now, using his degree […]

Brian Breittholz named new FIU AVP for alumni relations

–By Clara-Meretan Kiah and Todd Ellenberg for FIU News Brian Breittholz is FIU’s new associate vice president for alumni relations and chief alumni officer. Breittholz, an accomplished higher education leader with a wealth of experience in alumni relations, development, student affairs and communications, joins FIU after serving seven years as Cleveland State University’s (CSU) assistant vice president for alumni affairs and executive […]