Wells Fargo awards StartUP FIU Food grant to help local food entrepreneurs recover from pandemic

More than 1,000 small business owners will receive assistance Wells Fargo today awarded an Open for Business Fund grant to Florida International University (FIU) to launch a robust, virtual platform at StartUP FIU Food, a small business incubator that serves food and beverage micro-entrepreneurs in South Florida. The $750,000 grant is projected to offer online […]

Alumnus John McKibbon ’75 makes $5M gift to FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

–By Ivonne Amor John McKibbon and his wife Letitia have made a $5 million gift to the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management that will enhance alumni outreach, implement formal integration of technology and innovation into the curriculum, and create student scholarships at the top-10 U.S. public hospitality school from which he graduated. The McKibbon ’75 […]

MacKenzie Scott makes a $40 million gift to FIU that will transform the student experience

Philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott and husband Dan Jewett have announced a $40 million gift to FIU. The gift is unrestricted and will be used to support student success programs. “Higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity, so we looked for 2 and 4-year institutions successfully educating students who come from communities that have […]

Mellon Foundation grants address inequities of vulnerable, marginalized communities

Vulnerable communities are often disproportionately impacted by disasters such as hurricanes, floods and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, these same communities’ voices have been silenced or marginalized when history is preserved.   Now, thanks to major grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Florida International University is addressing these inequities through two innovative programs that draw upon the talent and expertise of multiple academic areas […]

A local MD’s journey and efforts to increase Black presence in the medical profession

Dr. Seth Crapp
–By Nina Rose “Do I belong here?”  Look around the classroom. Few of the students look like you, and many come from families of doctors. The faculty don’t look like you, and the school’s culture may communicate that you don’t belong. How are you going to find mentors, build a network? Only a tiny percentage […]

VIDEO: Knight Foundation, FIU to accelerate growth of Miami’s tech ecosystem

Building on South Florida’s momentum around technology and entrepreneurship, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation made a $10 million gift to FIU’s School of Computing and Information Sciences to develop technical talent at scale to meet the demands of industry and Miamians seeking to advance their tech skills. The investment will catalyze the […]

Knight Foundation investment sparks anticipation among FIU students, alumni

Knight School students
When the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invested $10 million in the newly renamed Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, students and alumni across the country – like Cesar Villa Garcia ’18, Jose Maldonado ’17, and Ph.D. candidate Mireya Jurado – were ecstatic. The value of their degrees had just received an important boost. The College of Engineering & Computing, which houses the Knight School, is […]

Jorge Mas and family make $5 million lead gift to CasaCuba at FIU

On behalf of the Mas family, Jorge Mas, one of the most prominent Cuban American business leaders in the United States, has made a $5 million lead gift to CasaCuba at Florida International University. A founding member of the CasaCuba Board of Advisors and chairman of the Board and co-founder of MasTec, his gift will support the mission and […]

Following gift from Maurice A. Ferré Foundation, FIU celebrates launch of Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership

Public policy professor Agatha Caraballo named inaugural director –By Amy Ellis for FIU News Widely regarded as the father of modern-day Miami, Mayor Maurice A. Ferré led the city through some of its most challenging times – the McDuffie riots, the Mariel boatlift and the drug wars. His early vision of Miami as the gateway […]

Young alum joins Pathway to Philanthropist program with gift to establish scholarship for first-generation students

With a recent gift to establish the Ruth Andrade – Jose Alberto Maldonado Zavala Scholarship Endowment, computer science alumnus and first-generation college graduate Jose Maldonado ’17 has become one of the first members of FIU’s Pathway to Philanthropist program. The scholarship will benefit first-generation students in the Honors College, of which Maldonado is a graduate, […]