College of Arts, Sciences & Education (CASE) holds inaugural chair and professorship installation

–By Jessica Borsi One of the most powerful applications of a university’s endowment funds is the establishment of endowed chairs and professorships, enabling eminent faculty to pursue research and pedagogical goals that make lasting impacts on their students, in their fields, and in the world at large. Endowed chairs and professorships attract and retain talented […]

CEO Howard Lipman on the FIU Foundation’s pivotal role advancing the university progress

–By Todd Ellenberg MS ’91 In this issue of SOAR, we spoke with FIU Foundation CEO Howard Lipman on the growth of the FIU Foundation and its pivotal role in advancing the university’s progress. How has the FIU Foundation evolved since Next Horizon was launched, and how has it been instrumental to the campaign’s success? […]

Third annual FIU 305 Give Day breaks participation, fundraising records

The third annual FIU 305 Give Day blew past its previous fundraising and participation records, bringing in more than $228,000 from 906 donors in the spirit of “The 305.” 305 Give Day shines a spotlight on the generosity of FIU alumni and encourages grads to give back to their alma mater by supporting scholarships, student organizations, academic programs, research […]

Ignite co-founder Stephen Fain reflects on a decade of impact

In this issue of SOAR, we speak with Stephen Fain, Ed.D., the founding director of Ignite, founding member of the FIU faculty, and professor emeritus in the former College of Education (now the School of Education and Human Development). Since its creation in 2011, Ignite has become the most successful faculty and staff fundraising campaign […]

FIU now accepting donations of Bitcoin, Dogecoin and other cryptocurrency

The FIU Foundation has announced it is now accepting gifts of cryptocurrency, entering a sector of philanthropy that is swiftly gaining traction as the crypto market grows. Through the online platform Engiven, the Foundation can accept 29 forms of virtual currency, including many of the current most popular coins such Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and […]

Generous donors find hundreds of millions of reasons to give to FIU

Beyond the eye-popping numbers, contributions to the university’s $750 million campaign stand out for their intentions –For FIU Magazine From proud alumni to the biggest names in philanthropy and beyond, the public is taking note of FIU’s rapid ascent — and investing hundreds of millions in its future. Recognizing FIU’s role as an anchor institution […]

FIU ranks first among Florida public universities

FIU earned 97 points, the highest score in the history of the Performance-Based Funding Model in Florida FIU has earned the highest score among public universities in the state according to the Florida Board of Governors performance-based funding scores announced today. In Florida, state universities are evaluated on key metrics including four-year graduation rate, retention rate, cost […]

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 […]

Forging the future: Developing personalized treatments for cancer patients

The leading-edge research of FIU faculty member Diana Azzam is advancing the field of personalized cancer treatment. But were it not for a project when she was an undergraduate chemistry student in her native Lebanon, she may not have pursued her current work.  “I got involved in an observational study of incidences of cancer in a mountain area versus the city,” she recounted. “We found there was a higher incidence of […]

FIU is training dogs to detect COVID-19

Trained canines will add to COVID prevention efforts on campus this spring and at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee –By Lourdes Perez for FIU News A team of FIU researchers have trained detector dogs to accurately identify the COVID-19 virus.   FIU’s International Forensic Research Institute (IFRI) is using its decades of experience researching and […]