MagazineMagazineFALL 2014 VOLUME 30

22 New provost talks work, parenting twin FIU freshmen13 Setting new standards

for Florida building codes5 FIU doctor on the front lines of Ebola crisis

High tech on displayFIU came on strong at the inaugural eMerge Americas Techweek conference in Miami Beach, a gathering of global technology leaders held in May. From its anchor position on the exhibit floor, FIU showcased its most promising research. Among the big draws: a live conversation between conference participants and two professors stationed on the ocean floor in FIU’s Medina Aquarius Reef Base, the world’s only underwater research facility. FIU researchers and students also demonstrated a prosthetic arm, showed off brain-mapping research and presented the Discovery Lab’s TeleBot, a robot designed to put disabled veterans to work. Even the crop-sniffing dog Buddy, who works in tandem with an FIU-developed drone to ferret out deadly fungi, made an appearance. And during one of the conference’s featured panel discussions, President Mark Rosenberg drove home FIU’s strength when he spoke on the topic of innovation and technology in education reform.

Photo by Doug Hungerford

15ON NATIONAL DISPLAYA replica of FIU’s Wall of Wind wows museumgoers in Washington, D.C.

20On the COVeREXPANSION WITH A PURPOSEFIU seeks additional land as the university looks to meet community needs.

26DESIGN DIVACommercial interior designer Marlene Liriano builds a reputation for style and innovation.

28ALUmNUS Of THE YEARGerald Grant’s rags-to-riches story and generosity inspire the community.

16LEADING THE cHARGE One man’s hard work pays offin a new military museum.

30 TRAINERS mAkE THE DIffERENcEInjured FIU student-athletes get high-tech, high-touch help.

10RHYmE fOR A REASONScott Cunningham invites all of Miami to discover the joy of verse.

FALL 2014 | 1

• ReadanextendedinterviewwithFIUmen’ssoccerheadcoachScottCalabrese,aseasonedveterannewtothe Panther program, at go.fiu.edu/calabrese.

• HearalumnusScottCunninghamrecitehisoriginalpoetryasaninvitationtogetothersthinkingaboutverse.

• ReadaboutFIU’sacademicprogramtotrainthetrainers,amaster’sprograminathletictraining.

Be featured on faceBook! Send us a photo of yourself reading FIU Magazine - at home, at work or on vacation - and we will share it on our Facebook page! Email photos to magazine@fiu.edu.

online-only stories, videos and photos

Whenever you see the play Button, visit magazine.fiu.edu to get more With our online videos and photo galleries

magazine.fiu.edu

panther life gives intellectually challenged young adults a college experiencethathelps them grow and succeed.

On national displayAnexhibitofFIU’sWallofWind at the National Building Museum is capturing the attention of fans from around the country, as seen on our cool video.

graduate architecture students spentsixmonths ensconced in a messy process that, ultimately, ended with a successful, one-of-a-kind multimedia art installation.

Retooling for actionSee for yourself how pro athletic trainers get injured student-athletes through rehab and back onto the active list.

A look backAlumnus Anthony Atwood shares a slide show of artifacts slated for his South Florida-based military museum.

fIU PresidentMark B. Rosenberg

fIU Board of TrusteesAlbert Maury ’96, ’02 (Chair)Michael M. Adler (Vice chair)Sukrit AgrawalCesar L. AlvarezJose J. ArmasJorge L. ArrizurietaRobert T. Barlick, Jr.Alexis CalatayudMarcelo ClaureMayi de la Vega ’81Gerald C. Grant Jr. ’78, MBA ’89Claudia PuigKathleen Wilson

fIU mAGAZINE Division of External Relations

Sandra B. Gonzalez-Levy Senior Vice President

Terry Witherell Vice President

Karen Cochrane Director News and Communications

Deborah O’Neil MA ’09 Editor

Alexandra Pecharich Managing Editor

Aileen Solá-Trautmann Art Director

Doug Garland ’10Senior Multimedia Producer

Angeline EvansDigital Media Manager

Writers JoAnn AdkinsEric BartonJoel Delgado ’12Dan Grech MFA ’12Robyn Nissim

magazine InternRay Boyle

PhotographersDouglas HungerfordTim LongJosh RitchieIvan Santiago ’00Roldan Torres ’85Angel Valentín

copyright 2014, Florida International University. FIU Magazine is published by the Florida International University Division of External Relations and distributed free of charge to alumni, faculty and friends of the university. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. To reach us, call 305-348-7235. Alumni Office: Write to Office of Alumni Relations at MMC MARC 510, Miami, FL 33199 or call 305-348-3334 or toll free at 800-FIU-ALUM. Visit fiualumni.com. change of Address: Please send updated address information to FIU Office of Alumni Relations, MARC 510, Miami, FL, 33199 or by email to alumni@fiu.edu.Letters to the Editor: FIU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via e-mail to alumni@fiu.edu, by fax to 305-348-3247 or mail to FIU Magazine, Division of External Relations, MMC PC 515, Miami, FL, 33199. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. All letters should include the writer’s full name and daytime phone number. Alumni, please include your degree and year of graduation.13970_09/14

FIU Magazine is printed on 30% PCW recycled paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council

In previous issues of FIU Magazine, we brought you the

story of GLOWS, or Global Water for Sustainability, the

largest USAID grant at FIU. This $80 million project set

out a decade ago to make an impact on the global water

crisis by developing a new model of university-directed,

scientifically guided, collaborative development work.

Ten years later, as the work of the GLOWS program

scales down on four continents, FIU has distinguished

itself as a global solution center for one of the most

urgent environmental and public health problems on the

planet. FIU is one of just a handful of universities leading such wide-reaching global

development efforts. The project involved FIU hydrologists, ecologists, biologists,

publichealthandlegalexperts,aswellasgraduatestudentsdoingresearchonwater-

related issues.

Theglobalwatercrisisisacomplex,

multifaceted problem of supply, access and

management. In some places, there is not enough

fresh, clean water. In other places, water is plentiful

but poorly managed.

The solutions delivered by FIU are sustainable,

locally managed and integrated across

communities, regions and governmental organizations.

Thousands of families now have access to safe

drinking water and proper sanitation systems.

Communities are now following customized water

management plans that protect natural resources.

Through targeted educational campaigns, thousands

of schoolchildren now have understanding of basic hygiene, which will reduce the

incidence of deadly waterborne illness. Local men are now trained to build pumps and

can bring their skills to other communities.

The GLOWS program is emblematic of FIU’s growing visibility as a globally engaged

researchuniversity.AsFIUexpandsitsreacharoundtheworld,youcanexpecttoseeus

leading the way as a solutions center for issues that matter most to our children’s future.

Untilnexttime,

Deborah O’Neil MA ’09

P.S. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook: facebook.com/FIUMagazine

FROM THE EDITOR

fIU mAGAZINE Editorial Advisory BoardHeather Bermudez ’06, MS ’12 Marketing Manager South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Gisela Casines ’73 Associate Dean College of Arts and Sciences

Lori-Ann Cox Director of Alumni Advocacy University Advancement

Paul Dodson Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations

Amy Ellis Assistant Director of PR and Marketing Office of Engagement

Stephen Fain Professor Emeritus College of Education

Lazaro Gonzalez Marketing and Branding Strategist Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Susan Jay Assistant Vice President of Development and Assistant Dean for Medical Advancement Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Nicole Kaufman Assistant Vice President for Engagement

Andra Parrish Liwag Campaign Communications Director University Advancement

Larry Lunsford Vice President for Student Affairs University Ombudsman

Maureen Pelham Director of Clinical Trials Division of Research

Rafael Paz, Esq. Associate General Counsel

Mary Sudasassi Director of Public Relations Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Duane Wiles Executive Director Alumni Association

Mark Williams Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management Stempel College of Public Health

Emmett Young Assistant Director Marketing & Communications Frost Art Museum

Watch our mini-documentary to learn about FIU’s role in solving

the global water crisis

FROM THE EDITOR

FALL 2014 | 3

Ninth-graders do the honors at the opening of a public high school at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. President Mark B. Rosenberg, center, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, left, in blue tie, joined the community to celebrate MAST@FIU, a magnet school in the tradition of the highly respected Maritime and Science Technology Academy on Key Biscayne.

Photo by Kristen M. Rubio ’11

Be WorldsAhead

PRESIDENT’S CORNERMARK B. ROSENBERG

Dick Ortega, center, receives his College of Law degree in May while flanked by, from left, faculty member Michele Anglade, President Mark Rosenberg, College of Law Dean Alexander Acosta and faculty member Christine Rickard. Having overcome tremendous struggles as a youngster, the two-time FIU alumnus represents the kind of high-potential students that FIU serves every day.

OnSeptember12,1962,atRiceUniversity,PresidentJohnF.

Kennedy announced his goal to put a man on the moon by the end of

the decade:

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other

things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,

because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our

energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing

to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we

intend to win,” he said.

With these words, President Kennedy led the charge and was able to

turn the impossible into the inevitable.

At FIU, we too have our “moon,” the challenge we must take on, for

the betterment of ourselves and our community.

Asyoumayknow,wearelookingtoexpandModestoA.Maidique

Campus into the adjacent land currently occupied by the Miami-Dade

CountyFair.Thecurrentcampusfootprintwillbebuilt-outinthenext

three to five years.

We have many students and alumni whose successes underscore the

important role we play in providing opportunities to make their dreams

reality.JustlookatrecentFIUCollegeofLawgraduateDickOrtega.In

1994, 6-year-old Dick, his mom and his sister boarded a raft in hopes

of making it from Cuba to the United States. The family was rescued by

the U.S. Coast Guard and taken to Guantanamo U.S. naval base, where

Dick celebrated his seventh birthday.

HisfamilyeventuallycametotheU.S.Dick’smomworkeddayand

night to give her children a chance at a better life. Today, Dick is a

double FIU alumnus. In 2011 he received his undergraduate degree

in criminal justice, and in May he was salutatorian of his law school

graduating class. Dick has a job waiting for him in Washington, D.C.

That is what FIU is about. We are a beacon of hope for our

community. We are a solutions center. To continue contributing to the

prosperity of our community, we must grow.

Compared to our sister state universities, our FIU has the smallest

main campus. Yet, by enrollment, we’re the second largest public

university in Florida with 53,000 students.

Since Fall of 2010, we have been working with Miami-Dade County

and The Fair leaders looking for a win-win-win solution so that the Fair

can move and we can put those 64 acres to work for the future of our

youth and our community.

Thisexpansionwouldmeananestimated$900millioninconstruction

with an economic impact of $1.8 billion. We anticipate $541 million in

annual recurring economic impact. It also would mean thousands of

new jobs created in our community.

On that land we would promote the academic and research missions

of the university. In short, we will do what we have always done but with

potentially greater capacity to achieve our goals: provide a world-class

education to a growing number of South Floridians and serve as a

solutions-center for our local community and beyond.

Today, we need you, our Panthers, to help us get to our “moon” as

we strive to continue to be a beacon of hope and opportunity. We need

youtobeouradvocatesforexpansionbytellingyourFIUstoryandthe

storiesofourextraordinarystudents.Bethevoiceforthegoodwork

FIU is doing in our region.

Now is the time!

P.S. For more information, see pages 20-21.

4 | FALL 2014

On The PROwl

In Nigeria, where Marty was assigned, international health

expertsmovedquicklytopreventthediseasefromspreading

intothedenselypopulated,urbanimpoverishedareas.Hertask

astheWorldHealthOrganization’sleadontheinternationalPoints

of Entry team was to empower Nigeria to secure air, land and

seaportstoensurenooneinfectedwithEbolaenteredorexited.

Working from dawn to almost midnight every day in challenging

conditions, Marty trained screeners, doctors, nurses and others

to recognize potentially infected persons. She also developed

processesandsecuredneededequipmentandresources.

Marty also worked at the Ebola Emergency Operation Center

contributing to multiple projects including a public awareness

campaign to encourage citizens who might have been infected

to come forward. Treated as soon as possible after becoming

symptomatic, patients can and usually do survive Ebola, she noted.

After a month, Marty felt confident the EOC team had largely

contained the outbreak in Nigeria and helped to create a legacy

thatwillpreventthefutureimportationorexportationofdangerous

diseases in Nigeria. “Even though the numbers weren’t big in

Nigeria, Ebola affected every Nigerian,” said Marty, who added

that efforts there helped stem the disease before it turned into a

national crisis. “I feel very good about the work we did

there. We made a difference.”

On The PROwl

FIU doctor fighting Ebola in Africa

Thenearly2,000-year-oldHeadofBuddhaisanIndianstone

sculpture.TheworkshowsinfluencesofRomanHellenisticideas

about naturalism in art as captured in the smoothness of the skin,

roundness of the cheeks, arched lips, almond-shaped eyes and

Roman-likenose.Theelongatedearlobes,minusearrings,and

cropped hair are representative of Siddhartha’s renouncing of his

palace life. The bump on top of the head symbolizes advanced

spiritual knowledge. The “third eye” centered on his forehead

symbolizeswisdomanddivinevision.Sixteenincheshigh,the

sculpture is part of The Frost Art Museum’s permanent collection

andwasdisplayedthissummeraspartofanexhibitionofworksthat

depictthehumanface.ItwasagiftofMr.andMrs.C.RuxtonLove.

Treasures: Head of Buddha

As FIU prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding—with a year of

festivities and commemorations in 2015—FIU Magazine invites you to share your stories and photos. Go to fiu.edu/memories to tell us in which course you met your spouse, where on campus you hung out with friends, the name of the professor who changed your life and

anything else that left an impression on you as a student. We’d love to hear from you.

FIU College of Medicine Professor Dr. Aileen Marty

crisscrossed Southern Nigeria for 31 days this fall, leading

an international team under the auspices of the Nigerian

governmenttorapidlycontainandextinguishtheEbola

outbreak within the country’s borders.

Marty,aninfectiousdiseaseexpert,wascalledonby

theWorldHealthOrganizationinAugusttojointheGlobal

OutbreakAlertandResponseNetworkteamontheground

in West Africa. The Ebola outbreak is the largest in history,

affecting multiple countries.

FALL 2014 | 5

On The PROwl

This summer FIU’s School of Computer

Science invited local day campers—enrollees

in the local Girls Who Code immersion program,

part of a national organization committed to attracting

women to computing-related fields—for tours of research

labs and a workshop on how to build a web-based mapping

app. And during the school year, FIU faculty and volunteers lead

Sunday afternoon sessions for 8- to 17-year-olds at Miami’s Frost

Museum of Science, where they learn coding basics using a kid-

friendly programming language. Teaching children how to use

programming code at an early age is key to developing their

interest,explainsStevenLuis,adirectorintheschool.“We

need to empower them with the capability to manipulate

the digital world, where information lives, and that

capability is programming,” he says. “’I’ve

seen kids do amazing things with very

little training.”

teaching kids to code

researcher restores endangered orchids

When Florida’s largest and showiest

native orchid began disappearing,

ProfessorHongLiu,oftheDepartmentof

Earth and Environment, joined a national

restoration team working to boost its

population in forested swampland along

20 miles of Florida’s west coast.

Liuisconductingexperimentsto

determine the optimal conditions for the

survival and growth of transplanted cyrtopodium punctatum, or cigar orchids.

That information is critical to the work of botanists at the Atlanta Botanical

Garden, which began cultivating the species in 2006. Mature plants are now being

transported to Fakahatchee State Park in hopes they will take root on cypress and

ash trees and reproduce. Survival rates have ranged between 50 and 85 percent.

“Orchids are one of the most beautiful elements of our biodiversity,” Liu said.

“Some orchids you see for sale at markets and flower shops were nourished

artificially in nurseries, but others are collected directly from the wild. Many are

over-harvested and become endangered in nature.”

fiu earns top ranking for giving to the communityFIU was recently named among the top universities in the

country in terms of engagement and contributions to its

community.

According to recently released rankings of national

universities by Washington Monthly, Florida International

University placed 24th out of 277 higher education

institutions. The university also ranked 38th in federal

work-study funds allocated to service, 47th in graduation

rate and 16th in community service participation and

hours served. This marks a steady climb since 2009

when the university ranked 177.

The publications’ rankings take into account:

Social mobility: graduating low-income students

Research: producing cutting-edge scholarship

and Ph.D. graduates

Service: encouraging students to give back

“It gives me great satisfaction to see FIU being

recognized for the work we do in our community,” FIU

PresidentMarkB.Rosenbergsaid.“FIUisauniversity

with a soul. We are a solutions center and a beacon of

hope for our community.”

Liu, right, with student JasonDowning

6 | FALL 2014

5Questionswith The New CoachByJoelDelgado’12|PhotobyDougGarland’10

As the World Cup dominated television screens around the globe this summer, FIU Magazine caught up with new men’s soccer coach Scott Calabrese. He was introduced as the sixth head coach of FIU men’s soccer, but the program has been on his radar for years – since 1996, to be exact. That was when Calabrese, playing professionally at the time, made a trip to Richmond, Va. to watch the NCAA Tournament Men’s Soccer Final Four, featuring an FIU team that came up one win shy of a national championship. As East Tennessee State’s head coach for the last six years, he helped lead the Buccaneers to two conference championships and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Now he will try to do the same at FIU.

1. What are you enjoying the most about life in miami? I like that Miami has a high level of diversity. Soccer is such a diverse sport in and of itself. It’s an international game, this is an international city and FIU is an international university.

2. How have you seen the game of soccer grow in the United States? When I was growing up there was no professional league and there was very little attention and coverage given to soccer. In my 30-plus years of involvement with the sport, things have changed drastically. I went to a national team game when I was around 12 or 13 years old, got the tickets the same day and there were about 10,000 people watching. Now they are packing stadiums with 80,000 people in them. The U.S. Men’s National Team is a huge focus of attention for this country to rally around. The quality of the players we produce has also improved and we have gained respect worldwide from other soccer-playing countries that are more established.

3. What should fans expect from fIU men’s soccer on the field this fall? We have quite a few South Florida players so the style we play will be conducive to their talents. We’re going to be an attacking team, trying to take chances and score goals. One thing I would like to see is a blue-collar mentality behind the technical and attack-based aspects of our game.

4. What makes soccer the “beautiful game” for you? Ultimately, there has to be passion in it. One of the things that attracts people to any sport, and soccer is no different, is that when people play with passion and emotion, it’s inspiring.

5. What have you learned about coaching over the years? Coaching is much more about human beings than Xs and Os.

FALL 2014 | 7

Eighteen students and four FIU architecture professors

spent two weeks in Toyko and nearby Yokohama this past

summertoexperiencecontemporarydesignintheworld’smostpopulous

metropolitan area. The group visited both single-family dwellings and skyscrapers

to better appreciate current trends, which include technological innovation even

whileharkeningbacktotraditionalJapanesetechniquesandforms.

“TheJapanesehaveaverydifferentwayoflookingatspace,”explains

ProfessorAlfredoAndia,“andanewwaytolookatwhatthehumanexperience

is.” The approach emphasizes customization over standardized floor plans and a

strong interest in how the individual moves his or her body through space. “It’s a

completely different concept of architecture and how people interact,” Andia says.

MuchofthehousingthegrouptouredwasextremelytightbyWesternstandardsbut

still functional and serene, he recalls. “It was crowded but peaceful.”

#1The fIU college of Law’s ranking on the

2014BestLawSchoolsforHispanicslist,byHispanicBusiness

The center for Leadership’s ranking among leadership

development programs at educational institutions, by the

publicationLeadershipExcellence

neighborhoodhelp honored for improving health care system

FIU’s Green Family Foundation

NeighborhoodHELPinitiativerecentlywon

$60,000 and a Sapphire Award from the Florida

Blue Foundation, a recognition of its proven

success in helping the most underserved

members of the community.

A recent study published in the Southern

MedicalJournalreportedthatamonghouseholds

that participated in the program there was an

increased use of preventive health measures such

as blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, Pap

smears, mammograms and colonoscopies. The

report also showed a 35 percent decrease among

those same households in use of the emergency

room on a regular basis.

NeighborhoodHELP,whichstandsforHealth

Education Learning Program, is the cornerstone

ofthemedicalcurriculumoftheHerbertWertheim

College of Medicine, which sends student teams

to visit patients in their homes. The program offers

a range of services including education, support

and primary health care provided through a Mobile

HealthCareCenterthatisstaffedbyphysicians

and nurses from the medical school.

Grant to help fIU make STEm intro courses more interactive

FIUhasreceiveda$1.5milliongrantfromtheHowardHughesMedicalInstituteto

develop strategies to improve the graduation completion rates of science, technology,

engineering and math majors. About 60 percent of all U.S. undergraduates in those majors

do not complete their degrees. Among minorities, the number jumps to 80 percent.

Because most dropouts occur in the first two years of college, when students are taking

introductory courses in chemistry, math and biology, FIU will use the dollars to reform its

foundational courses.

“Our project will establish a culture of best teaching practices across the science and

mathematics areas,” said Laird Kramer, director of the FIU STEM Transformation Institute.

“This means that professors will incorporate active learning in their courses, where

students engage in activities during class instead of learning by themselves at two in

the morning.”

Travels: Japan

8 | FALL 2014

Library collection links two miami legendsThe death this year of Miami historian Carmen Petsoules

reminded the FIU community that the civic activist and

tenacious researcher several years ago made a priceless

donation to the university. The Mary Brickell Collection

comprises architectural plans, estate and property records,

leases, photographs and other material related to the woman

whom many consider an underappreciated founder of Miami and one who

wielded more power than often recognized. Petsoules made it her mission to

champion the overlooked Brickell, who bucked early-20th-century convention

by taking on the traditional male roles of landowner and developer while

promoting business and tourism and supporting the rights of

the public.

Perhaps influenced by her idol, Petsoules over the years

worked to save Miami’s historic banyan trees from the chainsaw and stop local

officials’ talk of altering the pedestrian-friendly nature of the neighborhood

Brickellherselfdesigned.SaidFIULibrariesSpecialCollectionsHeadAlthea

Silvera of the determined Petsoules, whom she befriended, “We used to tease

that she was channeling Mary Brickell.”

Left: Mary BrickellRight:CarmenPetsoulesholdingaphotoofBrickell

Lessons in LIfEfor three weeks in may, 14 college-aged young people with intellectual disabilities came together to live

at fIU’s modesto A. maidique campus. Enrolled in the first Panther LIfE Residential Program, they settled in at the University Tower residence hall and participated in classroom discussions and activities designed to help them develop independent living skills. They studied nutrition, fitness, resumé writing, communication styles and relationship issues. Guided by fIU staff, among them fIU students who serve throughout the year as dormitory resident assistants, the young adults learned to create budgets and shopping lists, accomplished chores and cooked their own meals. They even tackled the infamous Team Ropes Adventure challenge at Biscayne Bay campus. fiu magazine accompanied the group and documented its journey. Watch a video of the Panther LIfE program at magazine.fiu.edu.

Photos by Tim Long

Krystal Bury

Adam Petrillo

Carolina Puig

TyroneHarris

Nicholas Espinosa Vanessa Suazo

FALL 2014 | 9

Love is everything though ocourse, love dies leaving you in agony and then you dieand worms crawl in and out oyour skull.But the alternative is worse—mope around, hateyourself and then die. Wormwill still crawl in and out oyour skullwhether or not you stood on top of the WhiteMountains to watch the sunexplode into the Sea of Cretor tasted the skin of a womsoaked in sweat and wine.

LITERARY UPRISING

ona

Alumnus turns miami

into a hip poetry hub.

ODEHe’sthrowingan“old-fashionedbookparty”inhonorofpoet

Adrian Matejka, and you’re invited. If you didn’t know Cunningham,

you might read “old-fashioned” and think this was a poetry reading

straight out of Downton Abbey, with cocktails served by coattailed

waiters surrounded by leather-bound books. What Scott meant by

“old-fashioned” was the opposite: hip, retro, and not to be missed.

Respondsoon,Scottsuggestedintheinvite.“Theguestlistis

pretty tight.”

“The Big Book Party” last November did not disappoint. It was

held in the backyard of a 1920s home near the Wynwood and

DesigndistrictsthathavedrivenMiami’sartsexplosion.

Some of Miami’s top literary lights wandered under the tree

canopy,munchingonboxesofCrackerJacks.Theygathered

aroundanoutdoorboxingringforthemainevent:Twoprofessional

boxerssluggeditout,Scottandhisfiancéreadapoemtheywrote

together, then Matejka took the ring to read from The Big Smoke,

hispoeticdramatizationofJimCrow-eraheavyweightchampion

JackJohnson.

MacArthur “genius” grant-winning poet Campbell McGrath,

Scott’s teacher and mentor at FIU, marveled from the sidelines.

“This is not something I taught him,” he said.

That night someone offered McGrath the perfect description of

Cunningham’s body of work, which ranges from whimsical poetry

journals to over-the-top literary events to a month-long poetry

extravaganzaeveryAprilcalledO,Miami:“Scotthasthesoulofa

Broadway producer trapped in the body of a poet.”

The story of how P. Scott Cunningham, 35, went from FIU

graduate student to Miami poetry impresario dates back to 2006,

when Scott and some classmates from FIU’s Creative Writing MFA

programmetCampbellMcGrathforbeersonLincolnRoadin

Miami Beach.

“As soon as we all sat down, Campbell, out of nowhere, declared

that it was the first meeting of the ‘Miami Poetry Collective,’ ”

Cunningham said. “By naming it, he gave us a kind of permission to

go do stuff.”

Do stuff, they did. The Miami Poetry Collective began setting up

on street corners to write improvised poems-to-order on manual

typewriters. They hawked a self-published zine of the collective’s

work for a few pennies. They hosted readings at bars and

collaborated with anyone that was game.

In some ways, Cunningham has pursued the traditional route

towardbecomingaprofessionalpoet.HegothisMFA.He’slanded

agoodtwodozenpoemsinliteraryjournals.He’snowlookingfora

publisher for his first book of poems.

By Dan Grech YR

5

Love is everything though ocourse, love dies leaving you in agony and then you dieand worms crawl in and out oyour skull.But the alternative is worse—mope around, hateyourself and then die. Wormwill still crawl in and out oyour skullwhether or not you stood on top of the WhiteMountains to watch the sunexplode into the Sea of Cretor tasted the skin of a womsoaked in sweat and wine.

LITERARY UPRISING

on a

Alumnus turns miami

into a hip poetry hub

ODEThe invitation, in true P. Scott Cunningham style, was irresistible.

He’sthrowingan“old-fashionedbookparty”inhonorofpoet

Adrian Matejka, and you’re invited. If you didn’t know Cunningham,

you might read “old-fashioned” and think this was a poetry reading

straight out of Downton Abbey, with cocktails served by coattailed

waiters surrounded by leather-bound books. What Scott, 35, meant by

“old-fashioned” was the opposite: hip, retro and not to be missed.

Respondsoon,Scottsuggestedintheinvite.“Theguestlistis

pretty tight.”

“The Big Book Party” last November did not disappoint. It was

held in the backyard of a 1920s home near the Wynwood and Design

districtsthathavedrivenMiami’sartsexplosion.

Some of Miami’s top literary lights wandered under the tree

canopy,munchingonboxesofCrackerJacks.Theygatheredaround

anoutdoorboxingringforthemainevent:Twoprofessionalboxers

slugged it out, Scott and his fiancee read a poem they wrote together,

then Matejka took the ring to read from The Big Smoke, his poetic

dramatizationofJimCrow-eraheavyweightchampionJackJohnson.

MacArthur “genius” grant-winning poet Campbell McGrath,

Scott’s teacher and mentor at FIU, marveled from the sidelines. “This

is not something I taught him,” he said.

That night someone offered McGrath the perfect description of

Cunningham’s body of work, which ranges from whimsical poetry

journals to over-the-top literary events to a month-long poetry

extravaganzaeveryAprilcalledO,Miami:“Scotthasthesoulofa

Broadway producer trapped in the body of a poet.”

The story of how P. Scott Cunningham MFA ’08 went from FIU

graduate student to Miami poetry impresario dates back to 2006,

when Scott and some classmates from FIU’s Creative Writing MFA

programmetCampbellMcGrathforbeersonLincolnRoadin

Miami Beach.

“As soon as we all sat down, Campbell, out of nowhere, declared

that it was the first meeting of the ‘Miami Poetry Collective,’ ”

Cunningham said. “By naming it, he gave us a kind of permission to

go do stuff.”

Do stuff, they did. The Miami Poetry Collective began setting up

on street corners to write improvised poems-to-order on manual

typewriters. They hawked a self-published zine of the collective’s

work for a few pennies. They hosted readings at bars and

collaborated with anyone that was game.

In some ways, Cunningham has pursued the traditional route

towardbecomingaprofessionalpoet.HegothisMFA.He’slanded

agoodtwodozenpoemsinliteraryjournals.He’snowlookingfora

publisher for his first book of poems.

But his grassroots encounters from the Miami Poetry Collective

By Dan Grech MFA ’12

Photos by Angel Valentín

5

Continues

HearScottCunnigham recite original verse at

magazine.fiu.edu

10 | FALL 2014

h of you in

out of e alternative is

orms out of

ou

e sun Crete woman

h of you in

out of e alternative is

ormsof ou

e sun Crete woman

“I really wanted to create the literary community that was in my head. I

wanted to do things that were community-based

and right for miami.”

FALL 2014 | 11

– such as the time he was asked to write a

personalized poem for a couple to read at

their wedding – permanently altered the way

Cunningham thought about his poetic project.

“What’s cooler? Getting published in a

literary journal or writing something for two

people that will be part of their lives forever?”

Cunningham said. “It made me realize that

trying to impress people who already love

poetry is not important to me. We are creating

a new audience.”

In 2008, Scott was nearing graduation, and

as so often happens in Miami, members of the

collective began peeling off to pursue careers

in writing or teaching in other cities.

“When I was graduating, I knew I wasn’t

leaving Miami,” said Cunningham, who grew

upinBocaRaton.“Ireallywantedtocreate

the literary community that was in my head

in Miami. I wanted to do things here that

were community-based and that were right

for Miami.”

Then Cunningham caught a break.

Alberto Ibargüen, president of the Knight

Foundation and a fellow alumnus of

Wesleyan, had seen Cunningham selling

poems around town and asked if he wanted

to put together a poetry festival.

“My thought is we’d have readings by

SeamusHeaneyandgetrepetitivestress

injury patting ourselves on the back,”

Ibargüen said. “Scott said poetry is part of life

and should be out in the community. I had a

conventional notion, and he blew it up.”

That spark grew into O, Miami, a Knight-

funded annual poetry festival held every

April since 2011. It has the modest goal of

exposingall2.5millionpeopleinMiami-

Dade County to a poem during National

Poetry Month.

O, Miami has featured its share of big

names,suchasactor-poetJamesFranco,

singer-poet Patti Smith, and Obama

inaugurationpoetandFIUalumnusRichard

Blanco ’91, MFA ’97. It has sponsored

crowdsourced poetry contests with The Miami

HeraldandlocalNPRstationWLRN.This

year’s festival kicked off with readings from

formerU.S.PoetLaureateRobertHassand

National Book Award-winner Nikky Finney.

But O, Miami distinguishes itself with

the unconventional and the buzzworthy.

Cunningham and his collaborators have

sewn poems into thrift-store threads, flown

poetry banners behind planes, snuck poems

onto drink coasters and placed poetry

parkingticketsoncars.Herainedpoems

written in vegetable ink on biodegradable

paperfromahelicopter.Heevenbeltedout

poems using a bullhorn while driving a red

convertible Lamborghini on Ocean Drive in

South Beach.

“Scott capitalizes on the absurd, flashy Miami

image and projects it onto something that’s

completelywithoutflash,”saidArloHaskell,

incomingexecutivedirectoroftheKeyWest

Literary Seminar. “Scott is a genius marketer.

Hemakespoetryandliteraturefun.Hemakes

itacollectiveexperience.”

“Scott doesn’t believe that poetry is bound

by the borders of the page it’s written on,”

said Campbell McGrath. “Scott can write a

traditional poem, but he’s also interested in

whatelseitcouldbe.He’salwayspushingthe

boundaries.”

“Anyone selling poems for four cents on

a street corner and shouting poems from a

Lamborghini on Ocean Drive and dropping

poems from the sky has a little bit of P.T.

Barnum in them,” said Ibargüen. “But it’s

all in the service of this cause, which is art

and poetry.”

Cunningham said his mission is simple:

“O, Miami has taught Miami that poetry is not

dead. It’s a living genre, and it’s more dynamic

than people give it credit for.”

Cunningham has these words tattooed in

a cursive script on his arm. “I will die in Miami

in the sun.”

They’re the opening lines of a poem by

Miami-bornDonaldJustice,oneofthepoets

that has most influenced Cunningham.

Cunningham’s published poems evince

a verbal flair and a wry humor. They can

take a nostalgic tone. They reflect some

of his obsessions, such as his ode to NBA

basketball player Zydrunas Ilgauskas, or the

series he’s written about composer Morton

Feldman.

But he has yet to capture his greatest

obsession and his muse on paper.

“I’ve really failed as a Miami poet so far, in

my opinion,” he said. “I think of my own tiny

Miami poems and I get depressed.

“But here’s the thing,” he added. “Even

though I grew up in Boca, so South Florida

is in my DNA, I’ve only lived in Miami since

2005. So to me, my Miami-ness is still in

formation. I still have time to write an epic

about the Venetian Causeway.” n

5

Continued

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast El Niño conditions

in the Atlantic this year, predicting fewer than average hurricanes in 2014. But the

overwhelming consensus among scientists worldwide is that storms are still going to keep

increasing in both frequency and severity over the middle and long runs. And even a small

storm can inflict huge losses if structures are not strong enough.

FIU research enhances Miami-Dade building codes ByRobynNissim

A tougher Code

Continues

FALL 2014 | 13

Since the code mainly targets mid-level

hazards, like a Category 3 hurricane, this

means buildings and homes are inherently

atriskfromanythingstronger.Justbecause

something is “built to code” doesn’t mean

that it’s necessarily going to be safe or

secure in a higher intensity event. And, as a

hurricane is so often a “multi-hazard event,”

it is the combination of wind and storm surge

that has the most devastating impact.

“The second part of the problem is that the

events appear to be changing,” Olson notes.

“So that basically means you’re getting sliced

from two sides of the same sword. Code isn’t

what people think it is and the hazards are

increasing. So the code either has to increase

or we have to have a moving target so that

‘code plus’ evolves upward.

Miami-DadeCountyofficialJaimeGascon

recognized the level of uncertainty even

in brand-new construction so he began

workingwithIHRCandtheWOWtocreatean

enhanced building code “isolating the products

and the conditions that people will face.”

“We want to see what is working and

Building code provisions, particularly for

theMiami-DadeHighVelocityHurricane

Zone, have been revised and tightened in

the last two decades based on lessons

learned from previous storms. But until FIU’s

InternationalHurricaneResearchCenter

(IHRC)introducedtheWallofWind(WOW),

the largest and most powerful university

storm research facility, it was impossible to

gauge just how South Florida construction

would fare in the face of a major storm. By

the fall of 2014, the Wall of Wind and Miami-

Dade County will have completed tests on

how well different building products hold up

under different natural disaster scenarios.

Currently there is a mandatory building

code, a negotiated, consensus–based

minimum for the level of hazards and risk that

acommunityfaces,explainsRichardOlson,

directorofFIU’sExtremeEventsInstituteand

theIHRC.Theproblemisinthe“minimum.”

And “the general public thinks they’re safe

if the building or their home is built to code.

Butthatbegsthequestion:safeagainst

what?” Olson asks.

Not a Winning formula:

H (hazards) + E (exposures) x V (vulnerability)= Risks

Add more exposure in terms of the number of people and economic assets that are subject to hazards, and the equation becomes:

Risk + Time = 1. At the least, an emergency2. Potentially a disaster3. Or, worst case scenario—a catastrophe

where we need to tweak things,” says

Gascon. “This is the science and the research

to show where it is necessary.”

ArindamChowdhury,directorofIHRC’s

LaboratoryforWindEngineeringResearch,

says WOW is testing new ways to ensure

that structures survive natural catastrophes.

“It is not enough to test winds straight on,”

he says. “We are looking at different wind

directions combined with wind-driven rain

to see where there are vulnerabilities in a

building and whether prescriptive code

guidelines are actually effective.”

These distinctions will be critical in the

many storm seasons to come.

After all, South Florida knows well that the

NOAA 2014 forecast does not necessarily

equatetocalmconditionsinthistropical

climate. There were El Niño conditions in

1992whenHurricaneAndrewblewthrough

the region and led to a new building code

inMiami-DadeCounty.Aquietseasoncan

morph into a disastrous one virtually overnight.

As the saying goes in hurricane country, “It

only takes one storm if it’s a direct hit.” n

Continued

14 | FALL 2014

increase the wind speeds and, literally, try to

blow the roof off the house.

“To have our FIU Wall of Wind so

prominently featured brings home to every

visitor our university’s cutting-edge research

capabilities,”saidRichardOlson,director

ofFIU’sExtremeEventsInstituteandthe

InternationalHurricaneResearchCenter.

“Theexhibitisstrikingandhighlightsthatwe

need not be passive in confronting risks of all

kinds, including hurricanes. We are honored

to be contributing to the Museum’s public

awareness efforts.”

TheNationalBuildingMuseumisuniquely

positioned to bring a message of disaster

mitigation awareness to the general public,

saidExecutiveDirectorChaseRynd.

“We are the neutral forum that can bring

togethertheexperts—fromengineers,

to architects, to teachers,” he said. “The

museum provides the public a look at the

best practices and best thinking that’s out

there on how to make our world safer and

stronger.” n

of Wind, or WOW, is a prominent feature

ofanewexhibitinWashington,D.C.,at

the country’s largest museum dedicated to

engineering and design.

The15-monthexhibitionDesigning for

Disasters, on display through Aug. 2, 2015,

attheNationalBuildingMuseum,examines

solutions, innovations and historical

responses to national disasters that strike the

UnitedStates.TheWOWexhibitspotlights

FIU’s role as a national leader in hurricane

mitigation research.

FIU’s WOW is the only research facility in

the world capable of generating wind speeds

of Category 5 hurricanes, like Katrina and

Andrew. FIU wind engineering researchers

are advancing the understanding of hurricane

impacts on buildings and other structures,

while also developing innovative damage

mitigationproductsandtechniques.

Museum visitors will see firsthand how the

WOW works through an interactive replica

that generates five wind speeds directed at

a small-scale residential building. They can

By Deborah O’Neil MA ’09

California braces for inevitable and all-too-

suddenearthquakes.

Colorado,ArizonaandNewMexicobattle

seemingly unstoppable wildfires.

Texas,OklahomaandKansasseekrefuge

against the unpredictable wrath of tornadoes.

And in Florida, South Carolina and North

Carolina,JunetoNovemberisspentonthe

lookout for hurricanes.

No state on the U.S. map is immune to

natural disasters. That point is underscored

inthe2014WhiteHouseNationalClimate

Assessment, which documents a significant

riseinextremeweatheraroundthecountry.

Among other hazard dynamics, the report

projects an increased number of the

strongest hurricanes, Categories 4 and 5, in

thenextseveraldecades.

As the conversation on disasters

increasingly centers on mitigation and

preparation at every level, FIU is taking the

national stage. The university’s one-of-a-kind

hurricane mitigation technology, the Wall

WALL Of WIND

TAkES NATIONAL STAGE IN WASHINGTON, D.c.

Takeatouroftheexhibitat magazine.fiu.edu

FALL 2014 | 15

Alumnus leads effort to open the South Florida Military MuseumByEricBarton|PhotobyJoshRitchie

LOVE WAR&

New museum a labor of

The U.S. airship K-74 spotted a dot on its radar just after midnight onJuly18,1943.Itwasalmostcertainly a German submarine

thousands of miles from home, cutting through the Florida Keys.

The K-74 was one of about 200 zeppelins the U.S. military used to patrol coastlines during World War II. It had arrived days earlier from the Goodyear factory in Ohio. That night it would be one of two blimps patrolling the South Florida coast. They were searching for German subs that had been sinking merchant ships.

Lt. Nelson Grills, the K-74’s pilot, ordered his 10-man crew to battle stations. Built for scouting, Blimps weren’t supposed to start a fight. But there were merchant ships nearby, and Grills figured he had to act.

The moon was half full, and the pilot neededtouseittocoverhisapproach.Heangled the blimp to keep the moon in front of him so that they wouldn’t be silhouetted inthesky.Hepresseddownonthehelm,and the 250-foot airship went nose first toward the mysterious ship. The dot on the radar was eight miles out.

There wasn’t much to protect the blimp. It had a .50-caliber machine gun, but the bullets would bounce off the reinforced deck of a German U-boat. Grills also had a .45-caliber handgun under his seat.

Petty Officer Isadore Stessel manned a handle that would release 500-pound bombs. They were set to go off after sinking 50 feet in the water, right where U-boats usually traveled.

Stessel wasn’t supposed to be there that night. Before the blimp set off from its base south of Miami, Stessel had been a last-minute replacement for a regular crewman. The bombs he controlled were the only chance they had to sink a U-boat, so the whole mission now rested on a substitute bombardier.

As the zeppelin dipped down to 250 feet above the calm waters, the crew could see the sub was riding on the surface. Moonlight lit up its wake. Grills told his crew to sit tight. If the vessel ended up being one of theirs, it wouldn’t fire at the passing blimp. If it began shooting, they’d know they were in for a fight.

The crew saw the muzzle flashes before theyheardthem,brightyellowexplosionslike blinking lights on the deck of the sub.

See what’s inside the museum

at magazine.fiu.edu

16 | FALL 2014

One struck the K-74’s windshield, others peppered the balloon above them.

It was almost surely a suicide mission now. Blimps had no chance of surviving a fight with a U-boat, which had a pair of anti-aircraft guns on its deck.

The K-74 returned fire from its .50-caliber machine gun. Grills ordered Stessel to begin dropping bombs. But nothing happened.

The petty officer may not have heard the pilot over the blasting machine gun. Grills repeated the order. Drop the bombs, now.

That encounter, at just about midnight off the Florida coast, is the only known battle between a submarine and a zeppelin. It made headlines in papers across the globe, but it was soon just another forgotten battle between two mismatched crews.

Then came Anthony Atwood, a historian and Navy veteran, who earned a Ph.D. in history from FIU in 2012 writing his dissertation on the history of World War II in Florida. When he found out about the battle with the U-boat—and the harrowing and ghastly night the crew spent afterward—he became obsessed.First,hisfixationwastodocument

the battle, to put it down on paper like never before. The forgotten piece of history eventually became his master’s thesis. Then he took inspiration from the fight to do something bigger. It became his starting point for an effort that should’ve been done a long time ago.

Anthony Atwood looks the part of career Navy. The 53-year-old is stocky, with a mess of gray hair that matches a thick moustache. Hespeakslikehe’sgivinganordertoapettyofficer, with short, declarative sentences that you can hear down the hall.HejoinedtheNavyaftergraduating

from the University of Miami in 1981, climbed the enlisted ranks to chief yeoman or E7, and then earned a promotion to chiefwarrantofficer,orofficergrade.Hespent plenty of time at sea and part of his service as a recruiter. “I handed out fliers

at airshows,” he likes to say. It’s modesty, considering he also served during Desert StormontheUSSBlueRidgecommandship as it patrolled the Indian Ocean.Hegotoutin1998andenteredthe

NavyReserves.Itwasn’tlonguntilhefoundwhathe’dbedoingnext.Hewasata Veteran’s Day event at the Gold Coast RailroadMuseum,nextdoortoZooMiamisouthwestofKendall.Hewasstanding

at the edge of the property when a fellow veteran pointed through a chain link fence.

“Wouldn’t that make a great history museum,” the man said.

Atwood considered the fact that there isn’t a museum recognizing the sacrifice of soldiers anywhere in South Florida. “Bottom line, I was called to this project,” Atwood says. “I was motivated to pay it forward for those who didn’t come back.”

Atwood looked out over the weeds poking through an old parking lot. Beyond it was a two-story, colonial-style building that looked ready to collapse. Part of it had been burned off and large sections of the siding were missing.

But the building also had Navy in its DNA, with large columned entranceways

and three stately dormers looking out from the roof.

Atwood researched the building and discovered that it had served as the CIA base for training anti-Castro fighters, an ArmyReservecenter,andaMarineCorpsReservecenter.Allofthatcameafteritsoriginalpurpose,asheadquartersofNavalAirStationRichmond.DuringWorldWarII, three colossal hangars stood behind it,

each one long enough to hold ten football fields. In them, blimps were prepped for their scouting missions.

So it was right there, where Atwood had been standing that Veteran’s Day, that the K-74 had launched for its night-time patrol.

Atwood formed a nonprofit and began raising funds for a first-ever South Florida military history museum. In 2000, the Florida Legislature gave his organization $41,000 in seed money.Thenextyear,Atwoodenrolled

at FIU to get his master’s degree in history, irrevocably intertwining the twin efforts to document one of the war’s forgotten battles and to open a new museum to tell that story and many more from Florida military history.

As the K-74 lumbered its way down to the ocean below, the U-boat’sgunswentoddlyquiet.

The zeppelin had been spraying the deck with machine gun fire. The airship’s gunner had already gone through an entire belt of ammunition and reloaded the .50-caliber for another volley. And while the U-boat’s hull was thick enough to stop the rounds, there was no protection for the men manning the guns on the deck. It’s likely the K-74 had taken out a couple of them.

As the zeppelin passed directly above the U-boat, Grills shouted again for his replacement bombardier to pull the handle. Thistime,Stesselheardhispilot.Hereleased one bomb. Then another. Two drum-shaped cannisters dropped into the waterbelowandexploded50feetdown.

The U-boat’s guns opened fire again. They struck the blimp’s engine and sliced

Continues

FALL 2014 | 17

– the largest historic preservation project underway in the state.

Once in place, the work was really just beginning. Atwood needed to have a crew rip out asbestos. The entire interior would need to be gutted. And then every inch of the building would be refurbished. Healsohadabigjobbeforehecould

getthemuseumopened.Heneededtofigure out how to raise another $3 million.

While the K-74’s pilot swam to shore, the other nine crewmen held hands so that they wouldn’t drift apart. The flat seas that they had seen when they set out at dusk were being replaced by whitecaps. And among the waves, they spotted dorsal fins.

The blood from Stessel’s wound was likely attracting the sharks. The men had three pocket knives among them, and they pointed the blades out in front of them, even though they knew they would do little to fight off the predators.

At 7:45 in the morning, a Navy seaplane spotted them bobbing in the water. In response, a World War I-era destroyer tied upnearMallorySquareinKeyWestfiredup its steam engines. The USS Dahlgren wasbeingusedfortrainingexercises.Ifthe U-boat spotted it, the destroyer would have little chance to fight back.

It had taken the zeppelin the entire night to deflate. By about 8 that morning, it finally sunk. When it reached a depth of 50 feet, its final two bombs burst. By then, the men had drifted far enough from the wreckagetoavoidtheexplosions.

It was about then that Stessel lost his grip.Hedriftedawayfromtheothermen.They shouted for him to swim back. But hewaspulledunder.Hesurfacedoncemore before the sharks dragged him down for good.

The rest of them huddled, back to back, clutching the pocket knives.

The Dahlgren reached them at 9:45. They had been in the water for nearly 10 hours. The destroyer’s crew spotted dorsal fins circling. The captain steamed forward, dangerously swamping the sailors in the boat’s wake, chasing off the sharks. The Dahlgren’s crew pulled up some of the men, while another boat nearby saved the others.

Eight of them were safe, but their pilot was still missing.

that led to it and the aftermath.In 2007, Atwood convinced the

Department of Defense to sell the old airbasebuildingnexttothezoofor$1. Then he got Miami-Dade County government to chip in $3 million, and the state later added $500,000, part of a Building Better Communities initiative to improve Zoo Miami into a world-class destination. At that point, he was halfway to the $6 million he would need to open the South Florida Military Museum.

“At that point, they were so sick of me coming around asking for money,” Atwood jokes. “They were calling me Mad Mr. Atwood. Now that I have a Ph.D., they will have to call me Mad Dr. Atwood.”

Atwood needed to get the building off U.S. government property. So in 2010, the historic building was fitted with 96 airplane tires. Workers then slowly moved the building a half mile to where it sits now, justnexttothetrainmuseumoncounty-owned land. A host of dignitaries were there, including Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and Miami-Dade Commissioner José“Pepe”Diaz,whohelpedpullontheropes. The building is the biggest historic structure ever moved in Florida, Atwood notes. It has become an engineering feat

through the balloon. Fuel cells came dislodged and dropped to the ocean. The change in weight sent the blimp skyward, straight up. The crew was tossed around the cabin.

They climbed to 2,500 feet before the K-74 had enough. Luckily for the crew, it had enough helium left in the balloon to make a slow, gentle landing on the ocean.

Grills ordered his crew to inflate the life raft. But nobody was holding the rope as they threw it from the cabin; they watched itquicklydriftoutofreach.Theydoveintothe Florida Straits. Stessel misjudged the jump and gashed his leg on the way out.

Grills placed classified documents into aweightedboxandtosseditoverboard.Waterfilledthecabin.Hewasalmostready to jump when he remembered the gun under his chair. If the U-boat returned, they may need to fight to keep from becomingprisonersofwar.Hesloshedthrough the ankle-high water and pulled the .45 from its hiding place.

By the time Grills returned to the door, hiscrewhadfloatedaway.Heshoutedbutheard nothing in response. The airship was sinking, and he could wait no longer. The pilot jumped in. Alone, he decided the only thing he could do was swim to shore.

Islamorada was 25 miles away.

InJanuary2002,AnthonyAtwoodfound himself in his own little corner of theCaribbean.Justasthingshadbeenheating up on his military history museum project, and most of the way through his master’s thesis, the Navy called up the NavalReservistforfull-timeduty.

They sent him to Gitmo, that prison on the island of Cuba for the War on Terror’s worst. Atwood, a chief yeoman, patrolled the waters in case al Qaeda decided to come for a rescue mission. “Most of the time, we were just telling French tourists in sailboats to stay away,” he says, that modesty coming through again. “Luckily, al Qaeda never showed up.”

When he returned in October 2002, Atwood went headlong into his master’s thesis.OnJuly18,2003,hepublishedAn incident at sea: The historic combat between U.S. Navy Blimp K-74 and U-Boat 134. In 130 pages, he documented not only the battle, but the circumstances

Isadore Stessel was bombadier on the K-74 blimp. A one-time civil engineering major at Clemson University, he dropped out to serve his country and died in action in 1943.

Continued

18 | FALL 2014

on this virtual tour of his space, is when he trulybecomesanimated.Hegesticulatesto the future display cases and offices. Heimaginesamuseumwithseveralstaffmembers, including a professor, a librarian and a secretary. Maybe they’ll add a post-graduate FIU fellow and a team of interns.

To get there, he’ll need more money. This year, the Legislature sent Atwood

another $1 million. But he’ll still need another $1.4 million to get the doors open. “Where am I going to get that from?” Atwood says. “I don’t know where. I have a lot of things in the fire and a lot of pledges, so we’ll see. We’ll see who comes through.” Hedoesn’tworry,though.“No, I don’t lose sleep,” he says,

finishingthetourwithaquickdashdownthe temporary stairwell. “I’ve already died and went to heaven so many times out of worry. So I don’t die anymore.

“It’s a freaking hoot to see this come together.”

Downstairs, Atwood has a makeshift office set up with picture books laid out. They include photos of the building when it servedasaheadquartersforzeppelins.

When he worries if he’ll have the money to finish construction, Atwood just needs to look at the photos of the airfield that once held the K-74 and imagine when it set off on its final flight.

After all, Atwood did all of this for guys like Grills, who swam 12 miles in shark-infested waters. And Stessel, that backup bombardier who never returned from the ocean.

That memory is enough to keep Mad Dr. Atwood going. n

battle embodies military sacrifice. “Its crew made a hopeless sacrifice attack, knowing they would go down. What bigger, easier target is there than a blimp at point-blank range? Where less inviting to enter than into mid-ocean at midnight? Still they went into the crucible of combat.”

Atwood stood on the temporary plywoodfloorofthefuture12,000-squarefoot South Florida Military Museum recently and began an imaginary tour. “You’re standing where a person comes in, and they’re directed right here, into the gift shop,” he said, moving through a two-by-four frame that will one day be a doorway.

Inside, the building was still nothing more than plywood and studs. But outside, workers had reconstructed the intricate wooden entranceways and patched the termite-eaten siding. Signs of the fire were gone, and the asbestos had long ago been removed. Newly installed windows still have tags on them.Hecontinuedthroughtheroomsto

come, each dedicated to a war in which South Floridians served.

“This picture,” he said, presenting a portrait in the future Vietnam room, “this is BruceCarter.HewaskilledinVietnam.Fellonagrenadeandsavedfourothers.Hegot the medal of honor.”

Upstairs will be the Cold War and Cuban MissileCrisisrooms.Acrossthehall,Iraqand Afghanistan. It’s those young veterans Atwood thinks about most. “This is for them,” he says again and again.Atwoodalwaysexudesenergy,buthere,

The Navy diverted a small flotilla in an effort to find Grills, pulling ships from as far asthecoastofCuba.Hewasspottedjustbefore nightfall, 12 miles from the sight of thecrash.Hehadmadeitnearlyhalfwayto Islamorada. Sharks had circled him thewholeway.Hislifejackethadcutintohim as he swam, causing a severe slash onthebackofhisneck.Hewasdazed,sunburned, and dehydrated.

Things didn’t get better for the crew. A navalinquirystoppedshortofconcludingthat Grills erred in attacking the sub, but none of the men were commended for their actions. The report also incorrectly claimed that the crew failed to drop bombs. In the official record, it was as if their attack had done nothing but lead to the destruction of a blimp and the gruesome death of Stessel.

The K-74 finally found deserved credit from an unlikely place. German military records released more than a decade after the war included communications sent from U-boat No. 134. They reported a battle with a zeppelin off the coast of the Florida Keys. The blimp had dropped bombs on the U-boat and caused damage to the sub’s ballast tanks. It was proof that the K-74’s crew had done its job that night by inflicting damage to the U-boat.

Allied ships chased U-boat 134 for the rest of that summer. Nobody can say for sure, but the K-74’s bombs likely weakened the sub. By September 1943, the German Navy declared U-boat 134 missing in action. It was never heard from again.

In 1960, the United States Board for the CorrectionofNavalRecordsreopenedtheinquiryintothebattle.Theboardamended the official record to show that the crew dropped two bombs on the U-boat. The Navy awarded Grills, who had become a lawyer in Indianapolis, a Distinguished Flying Cross. The surviving members of his crew received a Navy Commendation Medal.

But the board overlooked the crew’s substitute bombardier. Stessel, the crewman who had been eaten by sharks, received no credit. After a petition from his cousin, the Navy in 1996 finally awardedStesselaPurpleHeart,theNavyCommendation Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

In his thesis, Atwood writes that the

Circa 1946: A blimp lands at the airbase that today is the site of the South Florida Military Museum. The structures pictured here are what remained following a fire the year before.

FALL 2014 | 19

fIU seeks strategic growth to meet community needs: To continue to serve the ever-growing South Florida community,

FIU is looking at ways to expand its physical space and grow strategically. One option currently under consideration involves adding the

fairground land immediately adjacent to the Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

no cost to county and students:

FiU has been meeting regularly for nearly five years with Miami-Dade County and the Fair to help identify and secure a new location that respects the legacy of the annual community event. More than 20 potential sites have been identified, and FiU will cover the $45-50 million in anticipated relocation costs.

new location for the Fair:

$0 $0FiU will finance the Fair’s move; Miami-Dade County funding will not be used.

FiU will not raise tuition to cover the cost of expansion.

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20 | FALL 2014

IU seeks strategic growth to meet community needs: To continue to serve the ever-growing South Florida community,

FIU is looking at ways to expand its physical space and grow strategically. One option currently under consideration involves adding the

fairground land immediately adjacent to the Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

Proposed uses of 64 acres:

FiU has less than half the footprint of any other Florida public university with comparable enrollment.

The proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Miami-Dade County and FiU sets a deadline of March 2015 to select a site for the Fair relocation. Other highlights of the MOU include:

Boost local economy:

a win-win-win for the community:

*FIU 584 Acres

53K Students

*USF 1,642 Acres

48K Students

*UCF 1,766 Acres

60K Students

* Includes all campuses

an independent consultant estimates the FiU expansion will have a recurring economic benefit of $541 million a year and create thousands of jobs. This is in addition to the $8.9 billion in annual impact FiU currently provides to the local economy.

$$1.8 billioninitial economic impact

What the county could gain• 320-acre Bird Basin for a passive park

• 22 acres remaining with the county or Fair/park for exposition space (see “B” on map)

• 26 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the Fair site would become available for park development (see “C” on map)

• $20 million from FiU, which the county will use for Tamiami Park improvements (see “D” on map)

What FIU could gain•64acrescurrentlyoccupied

by the Fair following relocation (see “a” on map)

•Opportunityforjointprogramming at Tamiami Park

•SupportfromthecountyinfavorofFiU’s expansion as a state legislative funding priority

vision of the futureacademic and research space

• classrooms,teachingandtechnology labs, faculty and staff offices

• wetanddryresearchlaboratories

• emphasisonfacilitiesthatsupportandexpandprogramsin science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)

• expansionofresearchcapacitywithintheHerbertWertheimCollege of Medicine, the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & HealthSciencesandtheRobertStempel College of Public Health&SocialWork (AcademicHealthCenter)

incubator, entrepreneurshipand data center

• innovationandentrepreneurship space to focus on community economic development

• universityresearchincubator

• datacentertosupportuniversity research and teaching technology

undergraduate studenthousing facilities

• approximately2,000beds

• studentmeeting,studyandrecreation space

support space

• studentservices

• exercise,health,wellnessand recreational facilities for students

• foodservicefacilities

• administrativesupportandmeeting space

• parkinggarages

• pedestrianpathwaysand green space

FALL 2014 | 21

A research scientist and father of two fIU students, ken furton aims to enhance the value of an fIU degree

ByJoAnnAdkins|PhotobyDougGarland’10

MeetThe new Provost

22 | FALL 2014

a s a young chemist in 1988, Kenneth G. Furton faced a career-defining

decision. After completing post-doctoral research work in nuclear science at Swansea University in Wales, Furton returned to the United States where he was recruited by industry and academia. Two job offers were of particular interest. The first was Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical company. The second was FIU.

“Iaskedmymentor,ProfessorHowardPurnell, what he thought I should do. There wasnodoubtinhismind,”Furtonsaid.“Heknew I would want the freedom to dream big and pursue my own research. Once I realized he was right, the decision became easy.”

When Furton arrived on campus, FIU had eightbuildingsand17,000students.Hehelped to grow the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, first as an educator, later as department chairman. All along, his true passion has been his research. Furton found a niche in forensic chemistry and,inparticular,scentdetection.Hiscareer’s work has produced more than 700 journal articles and presentations on drugs, explosivesandhumanscentdetectionwhile guiding the careers of more than 100 studentswhohaveworkedinhislab.Hisfindings have influenced policies worldwide involving canines in law enforcement. Along the way, he founded the International ForensicResearchInstituteatFIU,thefirstapproved by the State of Florida to assist law enforcement.

By 2001, the seasoned chemist moved into the administrative offices of the College ofArts&Sciences.Sixyearslater,hewasnamed dean. Without hesitation, he changed the face of FIU’s largest and most diverse college, organizing it into three thematic schools that address some of the most critical issues facing society today.

And now, Furton will lead the academic future of the university that recruited him nearly 26 years ago. In April of this year, PresidentMarkB.RosenbergappointedFurtonFIU’snewprovost.WriterJoAnnAdkins sat down with Furton to talk about his new role as FIU’s chief academic officer.

As provost, what are some of your big ideas for fIU?

My top priority is to lead the development and implementation of a bold new strategic plan for the university. There are four focus areas— improving student success, highlighting preeminentprograms,expandingFIU’sfinancialbase and attaining the top Carnegie research classification. My overarching goal is to ensure thatthequalityofanFIUeducationandthevalue of an FIU degree constantly improve.

What plans do you have to expand fIU’s research agenda?

I believe strongly that FIU should strive for CarnegieVeryHighResearchclassification,the premier classification in academia. Our scientists are already performing cutting-edge research. If you look at what we’re doing withsealevelrise,nanotechnology,ADHDin children and transportation, you realize FIU takes its role as Miami’s public research university very seriously.

Nationally, much focus has been put on STEm [science, technology, engineering and math] education. What does that mean for fIU? for the social sciences and humanities?

STEM education is critical to America’s innovation success, but the U.S. is being outperformed by other countries. As a result, it’s become a national priority, which creates a real opportunity for FIU. We’ve made an effort to develop more innovative STEM courses and educational programs to help students excel.Plus,thediversityofourstudentpopulation is a generation ahead of most of the rest of the country, so FIU can serve as a national lab for STEM transformation.

Havingsaidthat,thehumanitiesandsocial sciences are more important than ever, because employers want well-rounded employees. We split the College of Arts & Sciences into three schools to ensure the humanities and social sciences were integrated with the natural sciences so we could provide innovative interdisciplinary programs. The integration of these disciplines is the key to graduating critical thinkers, team workers and effective communicators.

With your twins, Robert and courtney, entering their sophomore year at fIU, what insights on fIU have you gained as a parent?

It’s been very insightful, actually. Through their eyes, I’ve seen areas where I know we can improve as a university. It’s helped me to think more about the actual student experienceandhowwecandothingstogivethe students a clearer roadmap to success. You think you really know everything you need to know about a job, but as a father, I’m learning new things about FIU every day.

Are people surprised when they find out you are still a practicing forensic scientist?

Probably.Ihavetestifiedasanexpertwitness dozens of times including in high profile capital murder trials. My research was also recently cited in the Supreme Court decision affirming the use of drug dogs for probable cause to search vehicles. I’ve actually expandedmyfocustoincludebirdsandelephants in recent years. It’s definitely been a challenge to maintain an active research group and be dean, but it’s also very satisfying.

You’re often sporting some unusual neckties. Just how many do you own?

It’s definitely in the hundreds. My favorite is myRollingStonestie.Iactuallyproposedtomywife,Debby,ataRollingStonesconcert.

What is something about our new provost that might surprise the fIU community?

I was a thespian in high school. I actually joined the drama club because my older sister, Karen, was a thespian and we were very competitive. My favorite performance was playing Anne Sullivan’s dead brother in “MiracleWorker.”AnneSullivanwasHelenKeller’sgoverness.KarenplayedHelenKeller.Playing a spirit, I had to deliver all my lines offstage. I thought I gave the performance of a lifetime but to this day, my parents and two other sisters still rave about Karen’s performance though she didn’t have to deliver a single line! The rivalry still continues.

What is your favorite spot on campus?

The Graham Center, during lunch in front of Bustelo. It captures the essence of FIU. n

FALL 2014 | 23

hat do the mayor of Broward County, the University of South Carolina men’s head basketball coach and a

Univision Network news anchor have in common? Aside from having graduated from FIU and making an

impact on the world, they all received recognition at the 2014 Torch Awards. This year’s winners—15 alumni

andoneprofessor—workintheWhiteHouse,AbuDhabi,theNetherlandsandtheCaymanIslands,amongotherlocales.

Collectively, they reinforce that FIU has graduates making a difference in virtually every corner of the globe.

Alongwiththefunandexcitementofacharitycasinothatraisedscholarshipfunds,theceremonyincludedsomething

new for 2014: the conferral of the first Alumnus of the Year Award, which went to longtime FIU volunteer and donor

GeraldC.GrantJr.’78,MBA’89.Readhisstoryonpage28,andlearnmoreaboutwinnersMarleneLiriano’89onpage

26 and Greg Bossart Ph.D. ’95 on page 41.

W

24 | FALL 2014

Abraham S. Ovadia, Esq. ’09 ShareholderFlorida P.I.P. Law Firm, P.A.College of Law

Pamela Silva Conde ’03, MBA ’12 News AnchorUnivision NetworkSchool of Journalism & Mass Communication

Gregory Bossart, Ph.D. ’95 Senior Vice President and Chief Veterinary OfficerGeorgia AquariumCollege of Arts & Sciences

Carlos A. Duart ’94, MS ’99Chairman and CEODuart Enterprises Inc.College of Engineering & Computing

Gerald C. Grant Jr. ’78, MBA ’89Branch Director of Financial PlanningAXA Advisors, South FloridaCollege of Business Alumnus of the Year

Katherine Vargas ’04Director of Hispanic MediaThe White HouseCollege of Arts & Sciences

Louis Stervinou ’87 Managing Director and PartnerEastdil SecuredChaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg

Ernie Diaz ’89 Florida Regional PresidentTD Bank College of Business

Ana Menéndez ’92 Docent Maastricht UniversityThe Honors College

Gustavo Roig, Ph.D.ProfessorCollege of Engineering & ComputingOutstanding Faculty Award

Dr. Vivian Obeso ’94 Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Medical EducationHerbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Barbara M. Sharief ’97, MS ’00 Mayor and District 8 Commissioner Broward County, Florida Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences

Marlene M. Liriano ’89Vice President and Director of Interior DesignHOK MiamiCollege of Architecture + The Arts

James S. Rosa ’78Director of StaffUnited States Liaison OfficeCollege of Education

Timothy E.D. McLaughlin-Munroe MPH ’02 Public Health Surveillance Officer and Deputy National EpidemiologistPublic Health Department-Health Services AuthorityCollege of Public Health and Social Work

Not pictured:Francisco Martin ’93Head Men’s Basketball CoachUniversity of South CarolinaCollege of Education

Pictured above, from left to right:

FALL 2014 | 25

RoldanTorres’85

A MASTER OF FO R M FUNCTION&Torch honoree Marlene Liriano’s work at FIU showcases contemporary trends in commercial interior design

ByAlexandraPecharich|PhotobyJoshRitchie

Interior designer Marlene Liriano ’89 remembers the lady who

cried at the YMCA.

Liriano and her team had taken a “sick” 40-year-old space—

one that lacked proper ventilation and contained flooring and

furnituretodayknowntobemadewithtoxiccomponents—and

turned it into a multi-functional community center in a low-income

neighborhood. With a concierge-style reception area featuring

podiums instead of a traditional desk, child-centered classrooms

and a dedicated play area, in addition to plenty of natural lighting

and access for the disabled, the end result wowed users.

“Hereentersthiswomanwithtwokids,”Lirianorecallsofthe

grand opening. “She comes in, looks around and drops to her

knees. She was overwhelmed by emotion because, for the first

time, her kids could go to a facility and be safe and be healthy.”

And while not all of her jobs end with such a dramatic display

of approval—Liriano works mostly with corporate clients such

as Sabadell United Bank and Bacardi, as well as FIU—she

recognizes that feeling figures prominently in every project.

“I think most people don't realize the power that we have

as designers to influence the way people learn, the way

they work, the way they live,” says Liriano, today the vice

president and director of interior design for the Miami-based

FloridapracticeofHOK,aglobalarchitectureandengineering

firm. “Whether it's a museum, whether it's a university space,

whether it's an American Airlines Admiral’s Lounge, there’s an

emotion that happens when you walk in.”

And that happens by design. “Most clients want their

physical space to showcase who they are, and it's not just

a sign on the wall,” says Liriano, an Alumni Association

lifetime member.

26 | FALL 2014

Herabilitytogivephysicalexpressiontohowacompany

perceives itself or, more importantly, wants to be perceived,

has propelled her locally within the industry. During her 30-year

career she has landed big projects and developed long-term

relationships that have brought her repeat business.

TODAY’S TRENDSETTERSIn the last several years, Liriano has witnessed the downsizing

of the corporate footprint. More interesting, however, is a trend

that involves those closest to the bottom of the corporate

ladder: millenials, the 20- and early-30-somethings who have

redefined the workplace of today by literally breaking down

walls—for which they have little need in the digital age.

“Baby boomers like me and clients my age still tend to want

enclosed spaces. Millenials want to be able to pick up their

laptops and work anywhere,” says Liriano, 50, who, with a

daughter that graduated from FIU in December, enjoys direct

knowledge of the demographic. (She and her husband also have

asoninhighschool.)“Theywantmuchmoreopen,muchmore

collaborative areas.”

InHOK’sownMiamioffices,onthegroundfloorofa

refurbished warehouse in the Wynwood Arts District, that reality

hitshome:opencubicleswithaccesstodaylightfromexpansive

windows; free-standing work stations available to visitors; walls

covered with architectural plans and design renderings. Nothing

is hidden. And inhabiting the place: young FIU graduates. Fully

half of the 12-person staff hold FIU degrees. Their presence—in

anurbanspacethatalsosportstheexposedbrick,stained-

concrete floors, visible ductwork and clean, modern lines one

mightexpectatsuchafirm—backsupLiriano’sobservations

about what the up-and-coming value in a workplace.

“The younger generation wants vibrant, really cool spaces to

work in,” she says. “If they walk into a space and it looks dreary,

and it's not very attractive, they don't want to work there.”

Emotion rearing its head again.

THE NEW INTERIOR OF FIUWith FIU in the midst of another building boom, Liriano has

had opportunities to develop creative study spaces for young

adults.The$57.5millionAcademicHealthCenter4atMMC,on

which she worked while with her previous company, is a catalog

of the ways in which architecture and interior design have

together responded to the demands of youth.

The structure features floor-to-ceiling windows and,

inside, open interior stairways and transparent office walls

that allow natural light into every corner and views of

virtually all activity.

“Students need daylighting. It's proven,” Liriano says

of the new emphasis on sunshine for all. “The more

daylighting they have, the more they learn, the more

vibrant they are, just their physical being inside the room

is different.”

Upholstered couches and chairs, small meeting tables

and wall-mounted dry-erase boards fill the building’s

common spaces in support of group studying and team

projects.Exteriorstairwaylandingsfeatureoutdoorfurniture

that turns a pass-through into a gathering space. And

throughouttheteachingareas,flexibilityreigns.

“The last is part of what FIU appreciated very much,

to be able to look at a footprint for a classroom and see

how many different ways they can reconfigure that room,”

Liriano says. “Students and professors no longer want

classrooms lined up with tablet armchairs. They want group

learning where students are engaged with their classmates

and professors.”

Now working on the College of Business’ $35.7 million

MANGO building, Liriano talks about “student streets”—

active spaces for meeting friends and interacting with

classmates.Thesewillexistalongopenbridgesthat

connect the two halves of the building. The lack of

enclosure overhead and inclusion of a food court on the

ground floor—an area left to the individual vendors to

outfit—will ensure that the buzz of community fills the air.

“Vibrancy is not just about color. It's also sound,”

Liriano says about what young people appreciate. “I don't

thinkstudentswantquietspacesunlessthey'reinsidea

classroom. They really, really want these student streets

to support who they are and what they're doing. It’s the

learning environment of the future.” n

FALL 2014 | 27

BOLDMovesTorch Alumnus of the Year Gerald Grant Jr. washed dishes, spun records and worked on a loading dock to get through school. He now sits on the Board of Trustees and is FIU’s first African-American graduate to donate $1 million to his alma mater.

It’shardtoimagineGeraldGrantJr.78,MBA’89witha

Jamaicanaccent.Buthehadone,backwhenhewas9,when

his family first moved to Miami. And the kids at school, they were

relentless at making fun of it.

So that summer he gave himself a task: he would lose the

accent.HediditmainlybywatchingTV.He’dmimictheplain

American accent he heard, enunciating every syllable to get it just

right.Whenschoolstartedinthefall,GeraldGrantJr.sounded

just like another American kid.

Buthewasn’t,really.GeraldGrantJr.wasanotherAmerican

kid who also happened to have the drive of ten men. Maybe

thatsoundslikeanexaggeration,butnotifyou’vemetGrant,

the 58-year-old statesman and gentleman FIU named its first

ever Alumnus of the Year at the March 2014 Torch Awards. Not

if you’ve seen the bold persistence that characterizes everything

he does, whether it’s his morning workout or the million dollars he

promised to his alma mater.

Grant says he developed that intense work ethic back in

Kingston, surrounded by a family that talked a lot about working

harderthananybodyelse.Hisdadwasacobblerandhadagood

shoe repair business going. “We were not necessarily wealthy, but

when you don’t realize you don’t have funds, you don’t really

miss it,” Grant said.

Then his mom came back from a visit to Miami with plans

to relocate there. So they moved in with Grant’s aunt and

uncle, and his dad got a job as a security guard. It was a

struggle for a while, but his parents saw that sacrifice as

worthwhile if Grant went to college and did well.

“We came to the United States, and it gave me an

opportunity for a good education. That one thing changed my

life,” Grant says.

Grant began his working life as a dishwasher on the

weekends at Dunes Motel on Miami Beach. Soon, Grant was

theshort-ordercook.Hispay:$2anhour.

ItwasthroughJuniorAchievementinhighschoolthatGrant

met someone from the department store Burdines. Grant took

a part-time job there on the loading dock, and the company

saw they had someone with ambition. They put him in the

managementtrainingprogramandquicklymovedhimup.

It was about that time that Grant’s family had a talk

aboutavoidingdebt.Hisparentsdidn’twanthimtotake

out student loans and walk away from college under water.

ByEricBarton|PhotobyIvanSantiago’00

28 | FALL 2014

When he started at Miami-Dade College, he would figure out a

way to pay as he went.

Grant had a coworker at Burdines who kept talking about her

friend,JenniferAdger,andhowmuchGrantwouldlikeher.Grant

agreedtocallherandtheymetatJennifer’smother’shousefor

their first date. Two years later they were married and eventually

hadtwochildren,Jasmin,27,andGeraldGrantIII,23.

It was during those years at Burdines that Grant picked up a

littlesidebusiness,inadditiontoeverythingelse.Hestartedby

spinning records at friends’ parties, weddings and events, and

sometimes on chartered yachts. Grant built up a party-starting

recordcollectionandevendevelopedaDJname:TheG-man.

Grant earned his associate’s degree at Miami-Dade College,

butheneverconsideredstoppingthere.HemovedontoFIUto

study business. That’s where his upward trajectory, his constant

steps in the right direction, almost ended.

HisfirstsemesteratFIU,Grantjustcouldn’tseemtojuggle

itall.Hisgradeswerehorrible,andhehadnoideahowhewas

goingtofixit.Thiswashiscrossroads,themomentwhere

maybe he failed out or maybe figured out how to get past it.

BusinessprofessorLyndaRaheem,who’snowretired,sathim

downandexplainedhehadoptions.“Shetoldme,‘Lookwe

have resources that can help you.’” Grant signed up for tutoring,

and it changed everything. The fact that Grant was paying for

college himself—working three jobs to do it—meant that every

class had true value. “There was no opportunity for me to take a

class over. I had to do it the first time.”

Meanwhile, Burdines had moved Grant into the finance

division and realized he had a penchant for numbers. It wasn’t

just accounting. By paying his way through college, Grant had

learnedfirsthandhowtobudget,saveandmanagemoney.He

shared what he learned in his first book, published in 2010, Bold

Moves to Creating Financial Wealth.

After earning an MBA at FIU, Grant eventually went to Great

Western Bank and Citibank before landing the job he was

working toward all along.

HestartedatAXAAdvisorsin1995asafinancialplanner,

andmethismentor,RonHicks,aretirementbenefitsspecialist

inBuffalo.“Wehititofflikebrothers,”Hicksrecalls.“Hetook

what I gave him as a mentor and just ran with it. Now he is the

mentor, and the roles are reversed.”

Hickslearnedabouthisfriend’sdedicationtoeverything.Grant

wakes up at 3 or 4 every morning, has a strict workout routine,

and then has his day scheduled to the minute, all the way to

dinnerathomeat9.“Hestartshisdaywhenweareallsnoozing,”

Hickssays.“Geraldisverydriven,andheenjoyswhathedoes.”

Grant also began volunteering for FIU on the Alumni

Association Board of Directors and the Foundation Board

of Directors, and also served as president of the Alumni

Association. When Duane Wiles started 11 years ago in the

alumni office, Grant called to welcome him. Grant told Wiles

he had a plan: he wanted to be the first African-American

alumnus to donate a million dollars to FIU.

“Ultimately, he’s just a good man. Gerald has always

wanted to give back to his alma mater,” says Wiles, now

FIU’sassociatevicepresidentofAlumniRelations.

And give back he has. The Alumni Association lifetime

member sits on the university’s governing board, the

Board of Trustees. This year, he founded and led FIU’s first

Panther Alumni week, successfully bringing more than 100

FIU grads back to campus to speak to students during one

week in February.

The million dollars he spoke of was a bold dream 11

yearsago,butGrantsoonclimbedupwithinAXA.He

became a vice president, in charge of teaching other

financial advisors, and then director of financial planning.

And late last year, just as he had promised more than

a decade ago, Grant became the first African-American

alum to give FIU a million dollars. With the gift, the school

createdtheGeraldC.GrantJr.andJenniferAdgerGrant

Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarships in FIU’s

College of Business.

Grant sees the scholarship helping students just like

him—students who are maybe not A students but the ones

who need some financial help, and the ones willing to work

hard to make that money worthwhile.

Heisn’tslowingdownjustyet,butGranthasaplanfor

afterretirement.He’sgoingtobreakoutthatLPcollection

intheclosetofhishomeoffice.He’sgoingtoreviveThe

G-man.

Occasionally, maybe when he’s playing dominoes in the

back yard or spinning reggae in his office, he lets a bit of

thatJamaicanaccentcomeout.n

FALL 2014 | 29

Assistant athletic trainer Bailey Mintz, right, works with injured soccer player Chelsea Leiva.

30 | FALL 2014

When doctors suggested that Emily Podschweit call it quits from sand

volleyball, she was having none of it.

The sophomore sand volleyball player just underwent her second reconstructive

knee surgery in less than a year, but walking away from the sport she loved was

not a thought she was willing to entertain.

“That wasn’t even an option. The decision was easy,” said Podschweit,

an international business major who is fighting to make a comeback for the

2015 season.

The external pressure facing Podschweit is strong. coaches want her back on

the court as quickly as possible. So do her teammates.

But in order to get back on the sand, she needs to push those pressures aside

and put her rehabilitation in the hands of Head Athletic Trainer Gabe casanova ’02,

mS ’07 and the fIU athletic training staff.

“I need to block out what my coaches, my teammates, and my family want

and focus on what I need,” Podschweit said. “I can see the growth of my rehab

because of my trust in the athletic trainers.”

Led by casanova, a two-time fIU alum who holds a graduate degree in physical

education and a bachelor’s in exercise and sports science, the staff’s main goal

is to get Podschweit and other athletes like her back on the playing field safely

and quickly.

“You can’t take away the drive and work ethic of a person,” casanova said.

“The average person might not be able to get through it, but someone who comes

in twice a day is going to have a different outcome. That person is going to take

themselves to a level where they are not the average person.”

TrainingWINto

ByJoelDelgado’12|PhotobyJoshRitchie

Get a look inside the training room and read an interview with FIU’s

team physician.

Continues

FALL 2014 | 31

For instance, he uses video games to help

recovering athletes.

Hecameupwiththeideaofretrofittinga

Wii controller inside of a baseball bat to help

replicate an actual baseball swing during

a batting practice simulation. It’s useful for

players who injured a part of their body that

affects their swing, like a broken finger.

The Wii Fit can also be used to treat

athletes recovering from concussions by

combiningmentalexercises(suchasworking

outmathquestionsthatflashuponascreen)

with physical activity (raising a barbell to

one of three different heights, each of which

correspondstoamultiple-choiceanswer).

This simultaneously helps student-athletes

work on muscle development while improving

their cognitive function during recovery.

“It’sextremelyimportanttothinkoutsidethe

box.Youwanttocreatetechniquesthatare

realistic and sports-specific for the athletes,”

Casanova says.

The high demands and stresses on the

bodies of student-athletes in their respective

sports,fromquarterbacksgettingsacked

by 290-pound defensive linemen to the

unnatural act of throwing a baseball at

90-miles-per-hour, make them especially

susceptible to injuries.

That’s why a majority of student-athletes

– about 75 percent of them, according to

Casanova – end up receiving treatment at the

facility during their collegiate careers.

“We are as basic as a scraped knee and

sniffles and as complicated as full dehydration

with an IV and post-operative rehabilitation.

We are pretty much the one-stop shop for

healthcare for the athletes,” Casanova says.

“It’s really fun because everything is constantly

changing… it keeps you on your toes.

There are a lot of different opportunities and

challenges that arise.”

Casanova also uses creativity to keep

athletes engaged with the healing process.

EXTENSIVE COVERAGE FIU has made a significant investment into

expandingcareforitsstudent-athletes.

At the heart of their operation is the

4,500square-footathletictrainingcenter,

where athletes from each of FIU’s 18 sports

programs have been receiving treatment since

its completion in 2006.

Nestled toward the back of the FIU

Arena, it features a hydrotherapy room with

underground hot and cold plunge pools

and a therapy pool with an underwater

treadmill, a functional training area where

student athletes can perform various training

exercisesandarehabilitationareawith12

treatment tables.

On the field, they are prepared to deal

with just about any injury. Off the field they

handle nearly every aspect of care for the

athletes – from pre-participation physicals and

preventive care to first response and post-

surgery rehabilitation.

HeadfootballathletictrainerDaveAhouse,inbackground,worksonshouldermobilitywithFIUfootballplayerJonnuSmith.

Continued

32 | FALL 2014

Theathletictrainingstaffincludessixathletic

trainers,includingCasanova,andsixgraduate

assistants who are working toward attaining

a master’s degree at FIU, usually in sport

management or physical education: sports and

fitness studies.

Mick Thompson, a graduate assistant on

staff who works with softball and women’s

soccerplayers,experiencesmanyofthe

demands that come with the profession

every day.

From never knowing when a catastrophic

injurywilloccurtomanagingtheexpectations

of coaches with a manageable recovery time,

the job can take a toll.

“It’s a high stress job, there’s a lot of

pressure to get them back on the field and to

get the athletes healthy,” Thompson says. “The

work ethic of these athletes always impresses

me and pushes me. This is everything to them,

and I want to work just as hard as they do. It

goes both ways.”

BEYOND THE PHYSICAL But athletic trainers are not just there

to tend to sprained ankles or broken

fingers.Theircareoftenextendswell

beyond the physical.

Little can be more devastating for an

athlete than suffering an injury that forces

them to sit on the sidelines and endure an

often painful rehab process – and there

is often an emotional toll that the athletic

trainers witness firsthand.

“We’re not only here just for the physical

therapy or the triage care but we’re here to

help kids balance out their emotions on how

they’re feeling and why they’re not playing

or not healing as fast as they thought,”

Casanova says. “It’s heartbreaking at times.

You’re their rock and you’re what they got. It

can get pretty intense.”

That makes it even more important for the

athletic trainers to be encouraging during the

discouraging moments of a student’s recovery.

“We have to be positive with them, greet

them with a smile and keep rooting them on.

Justasa‘normal’student,wemakesurethey

are going to class, doing their homework,

managing their time well, taking care of their

bodies, making sure they’re eating properly

and staying hydrated properly,” says assistant

athletic trainer Bailey Mintz, who received

her master’s degree in recreation and sport

management from FIU in 2013.

When FIU baseball player Aramis Garcia,

drafted this summer by the San Francisco

Giants,sufferedanoblique-muscleinjury

lateinthe2014season,HeadCoachTurtle

Thomas was hoping to have him back on

the field as soon as possible. But he also

understood that the best thing he could do

was let the athletic trainers do their work.

“They do a great job taking care of them and

they are great at getting players back to us as

fast as they can,” Thomas said. “It’s important

for us to listen to them and work with them.”

Working with Casanova and assistant

athletic trainer Tim Vigue, Garcia received

the help he needed to pull through some of

the frustrating moments of the rehabilitation

process.

“The hardest part of that was not being

able to be there for my teammates at such a

pivotal point during the season,” said Garcia,

who went on to become the Conference USA

Player of the Year. “What they do physically

for us is just a part of what they do. I’d tell

Tim, ‘It sucks not to be out there,’ and he

helped me stay positive throughout the

process. To me, how you help an athlete

mentally is the most important part.”

After sitting almost a month, Garcia was

able to return to the lineup just in time for the

conference tournament and was drafted by the

San Francisco Giants in the second round of

the 2014 MLB First-Player Draft shortly after

the season ended.

Casanova, along with the rest of the

athletic training staff, has earned the trust

of the athletes. They trust him with their

health, with their recoveries and with their

overall wellbeing.

“Gabe always lives up to his word. If he says

something and he guarantees it, it’s going

togetdonenomatterwhat,”saysJessica

Mendoza, a senior sports education major on

the sand volleyball team. “We know he has our

back and that he’s going to look out for us.

He’stryingtobenefitusforourfutureandhelp

us be healthy for life.”

ForCamilaRosado,aseniorpsychology

major on the sand volleyball team, the

personal investment made by Casanova into

their lives is just as important as the skills and

expertisetheypossess.

Rosadosufferedatornlabruminher

shoulder that doctors originally thought

wouldhaveheroutforsixmonths.Working

with Casanova and his team, coming in

twice a day, nearly every single day during

the rehab process got her back on the court

in just three.

“Hecaresabouteverysingleathletehere

and that’s something in the end that’s just as

important as him being good at what he does,”

Rosadosays.

In the decade he has spent treating FIU

athletes, the players have become more than

just patients or part of the job.

“People always ask me ‘Do you have kids?’

I say I have two at home and 434 at school,”

Casanova jokes. “They do things that take

you to the boiling point and then they do

things where you absolutely fall in love with

them. There are athletes here that I would

love for my own kids to be like because

they’re pretty awesome.”

ROAD TO RECOVERY – AND SUCCESS

And while the athletic trainers are often

there for some of the most difficult times in

an athlete’s collegiate journey, they are also

there for the high points as well.

For Casanova, watching his athletes

succeed on the playing field and overcome

doubts due to a serious injury make all the

extrahoursandlongdaysworthwhile.

“Whenever I have someone with a

catastrophic situation and we get them back

from a major surgery or a major injury where

the thought was they might not ever come

back… Every time I see them get back on

the field, my eyes water,” Casanova says.

“That outweighs everything else.”

In 2010, Casanova was on hand to

witness FIU baseball’s magical run through

the Sun Belt Tournament in Murfreesboro,

Tenn., as the team won its first conference

championship in over a decade.

After the Panthers won the championship

game,seniorsJuniorArrojoandCorey

Polizzano presented him with the trophy

privately to show their appreciation for the

role he played in helping the team get to

experiencethatmoment.

“For us to be successful as a program,

you have to have your best players on the

field,” Thomas said of the baseball team.

“We wouldn’t be able to do that if it wasn’t

for this staff.” n

FALL 2014 | 33

fIU 2013-’14 Alumni Association Board

Executive committee

Gonzalo Acevedo ’91, mBA ’10

President

frank Javier Peña ’99

Vice President

Elizabeth cross ’89

Secretary

Sharon fine ’99, mSf ’11

Treasurer

Eduardo Hondal ’88, mS ’00

Parliamentarian

Joaquín “Jack” f. González ’97

Past President

Officers

Gabriel Albelo ’93Juan carlos Alexander ’04Gus Alfonso ’02, mSf ’08

Nestor caballero ’95, mS ’97Tony E crapp Jr. ’95

Isabel c. Díaz ’01Anastasia Garcia ’89

maria D. Garcia ’05, JD ’08Jorge f. Hernández ’95

michael A. Hernández ’04, mPA ’11Samuel c. Jackson mPA ’90

miguel Larrea ’96Jaime N. machado ’01, mBA ’10

michael P. maher ’97Gabriela martin-Brown ’96Ana L. martínez mAcc ’92

Alberto Padrón ’98, mBA ’09Pedro Pavón ’04

Enrique Piñeiro ’03Aslynn Rivera-Tigera ’98

colleen christina Robb ’00, ’03Alicia m. Robles de la Lama ’98

Ralph Rosado ’96, mA ’03Benjamin Sardinas ’01

A. celina Saucedo ’99, mPA ’11Sergio Arturo Tigera ’01

Erick Valderrama ’95

_________________________________

Duane Wiles ExecutiveDirector Alumni Association

fIU 2014-’15 Alumni Association Board

Executive committee

frank Peña ’99 President

Eddie Hondal ’88 ’00 Vice President

maria Garcia ’05 ’08 Secretary

Benjamin Sardinas ’01 Treasurer

Enrique Piñeiro ’03 Parliamentarian

Gonzalo Acevedo ’91 ’10 Past President

Officers

Gabriel Albelo ’93

Juan carlos Alexander ’04

Gus Alfonso ’02 ’08

Nicolas Bardoni ’12

Nestor caballero ’95 ’97

Elizabeth cross ’89

Isabel Diaz ’01

Sharon fine ’99 ’11

Anastasia Garcia ’89

Abhishek Hawaldar ’05

Jorge Hernandez ’95

michael Hernandez ’04 ’11

miguel Larrea ’96

Jaime machado ’01’10

michael P. maher ’97

Ana martinez ’92

Gabriela martin-Brown ’96

marcel monnar ’03 ’12

Alberto Padron ’98 ’09

Pedro Pavon ’04

Alex Pereda ’97

Aslynn Rivera-Tigera ’98 ’01

colleen Robb ’00 ’03

Ralph Rosado ’96 ’03

celina Saucedo ’99 ’11

Sergio Tigera ’01

Erick Valderrama ’95

_________________________________

Duane Wiles ExecutiveDirector Alumni Association

That’s a lot. How are you going

to make it all happen?

There are a lot of goals, but we have the team

to do it. The FIU family really believes in who we

are. If it’s one, two or three people wanting to

make all these things happen, it’s never going

to happen. But if it’s 20,000 or 200,000 alumni

saying we really want the FIU footprint to grow

and be a bigger part of South Florida, we can

make it happen.

What kind of leader do you want

to be known as?

I want to be known as a doer, as someone

who doesn’t leave a stone unturned. We can’t sit

around on our laurels. There’s no reason we can’t

accomplish the things we are talking about.

What’s your fIU story?

IgrewupinMiamiandwenttoColumbusHigh.

I wanted to go up north to a big football school

andhaveacollegeexperience.EarlyonatFIU,I

learned that we are the ones that were making FIU

big time. As a student I was on the committee that

voted for a fee increase to establish the football

congratulations! What’s top of mind

as you begin your term?

There are so many opportunities and so many

good things. It’s necessary and it is time that we

rev up. FIU has over 20,000 Alumni Association

members. We are a huge university of 54,000

students. FIU is now the big player here in South

Florida and we need to act that way. People

need to know the services we provide and the

difference we make.

What’s on your agenda as president?

The youth fair is my No. 1 priority. FIU has no

place else to grow. We need it because it’s going

to serve the community. We also need to be very

involved with community events like eMerge or

theJobCreatorsNetwork.Iamalsofocusedon

the capital campaign. First, we really want to see

the alumni center built. The time is now because

I think the right people are going to step up.

First generation scholarships are the second

priority. Over 50 percent of our students are first

generation college students and that speaks

volumes about what we are to South Florida.

Fifteen years ago Frank Peña ’99 was an FIU undergraduate with a big dream to lead the Student

Government Association. So to announce his campaign for SGA president, he landed a helicopter on

ModestoA.MaidiqueCampusinbetweentheGrahamCenterandtheChemistry&Physicsbuilding.

It was an unforgettable spectacle. One that would probably never be allowed today. While it did not win

himtheelection,heisquicktoadd,“ItwasaLOToffun.”

Today, 38-year-old Peña again has high hopes of leading his peers. The new incoming president of

the Alumni Association didn’t rent a helicopter this time, but he still has dreams for the future of the

universityheneverreallyleft.Peña,afranchisedevelopmentmanagerforWyndhamHotels,isoneof

thefourdiehardFIUfansaffectionatelyknownas“TheFourHorsemen.”HeandhiswifeSamantha

Peña’07arealsonewparentstodaughterReagan,whoturnedoneinSeptember.

Soon after his May 2014 installation, he sat down with FIU Magazine editor Deborah O’Neil to talk

goals,communityandexpansion.

new alumni President

sets sights high

Continues34 | FALL 2014

[ ]“There are so many opportunities. People need to know the services FiU provides and the difference we make.”

FALL 2014 | 35

What motivates you

to do so much for fIU?

What motivates me is the opportunity to

build a legacy at FIU and leave something

behind where I’m helping to make our

community a better place.

So in a way you’re doing

it for your daughter?

I am. She will bleed blue and gold. She

was born on Thursday and on Friday, Sept.

6, FIU was playing UCF and the week before

we were in Maryland. I missed both those

games.Iexpecthertobeatleastathletic

director of FIU one day to make up for it.

Look into the future and tell me

how you see fIU. Where are we going?

I answer that by where I see South Florida.

South Florida is already a capital of Latin

America and in the future will be even more

of an economic engine of the Western

Hemisphere.FIUwillbeattheforefrontin

terms of business, trade and what we give

back to the community. If you can balance

being a corporate leader and serving the

poor, you have a great balance. I see it

happening soon. n

team. One day, when FIU is playing in a

national championship, I will be able to say

I was one of the students who helped bring

football to FIU. I had a great time at FIU.

The new Alumni Association vice

president is Eddie Hondal and I know

you two go way back.

Eddie was the director of the Alumni

Association when I was a student here.

Back then, Eddie and I were the only ones

who would call sports radio and want to talk

about FIU sports. Sometimes they would be

nice and let us on the air. Now Eddie and I

are working hand-in-hand to help lead the

Alumni Association once again.

What challenges do you see ahead?

Convincing people that everything I

believe is possible IS possible. If I do my

job, I can convince them that together we

can get a lot done.

What do you think alumni want

from the association?

They want value. FIU is such a diverse place

and we have so many different generations

that value is defined differently for different

people. Everyone is looking for networking

opportunities. I think people are looking for

career development, educational development

and growth and continuing education. I also

think they want a sense of belonging.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

14th AnnuAlChArity GAlA

Honoring FIU’s Most Outstanding Alumni

to reserve a table or to learn about sponsorship opportunities,

please contact Paulina Muñoz at 305-348-4486 or Munozpau@fiu.edu.

SAve the DAte

Fiualumni.com/torch

Alumni Association Board annual meeting:(Lefttoright)AnastasiaGarcia’89, Gabriela Martin-Brown ’96, Celina Saucedo ’99 ’11, Sharon Fine ’99 ’11, Nicolas Bardoni ’12, EddieHondal’88’00(Vice-President),MiguelLarrea’96,DuaneWiles,EnriquePiñeiro’03(Parliamentarian),AlbertoPadron’98’09,FrankPeña’99(President),SergioTigera’01, ElizabethCross’89,ErickValderrama’95,JorgeHernandez’95,GusAlfonso’02’08, JuanCarlosAlexander’04,RalphRosado’96’03,MichaelHernandez’04’11

For more details or questions visit FIUalumni.com/travel or contact Bill Draughon at 305-348-3961 or draughon@fiu.edu.

*pricing based on double occupancy - prices, tours and dates subject to change - fiu host dependent on minimum number of reservations

2015 PanTHeR geTaWaY TOuRSDiscover the world with fellow Panthers and friends by taking part in an Alumni Association Panther Getaway. The trips offer a unique opportunity to extend lifelong learning and create memories for a lifetime.

FIU alumni and friends show their Panther Pride on world tours.

SeeRoarytraveltheworld with our alumni

at Facebook.com/FIUMagazine.

March 12-19, 2015

IrelandFrom $2,524* (air included from Miami)Week in Ireland: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day FIUAA host: Assitant Director Amanda Wood Visits to Galway, Cork and Dublin

aprIl 9-17, 2015

Holland & BelgiumFrom $2,196* ($500 pp promo ends 10/31/14)Tulip Time River Cruise - Avalon Waterways Special beer-tasting departure Visit Amsterdam, Keukenhof Gardens, Veere, Middleburg, Ghent, Antwerp and Maastricht

May 6-12, 2015

Paris, franceFrom $2,794* (air included from Miami)Paris: The City Experience

May 25-JUne 1, 2015

Italy (Archaeology Tour)From $2,495*Pompeii & HerculaneumVisit Naples, Paestum, Pompeii, Pozzuoli, Phlegraean Fields, Cumae, Herculaneum, Summit of Mt. Vesuvius

JUne 27- JUly 4, 2015

Switzerland, france, Germany & HollandFrom 2,646* ($500 pp promo ends 10/31/14) Romantic Rhine river cruise - Avalon WaterwaysFIUAA host/lecturer: Professor David Rifkind Visit Basel, Strasbourg, Speyer, Heidelberg,Mainz, Rüdesheim, Rhine Gorge, Koblenz, Cologne and Amsterdam

JUly 18-24, 2015

Turkey, Greece & Italy cruiseFrom $1,467* (includes taxes)Celebrity Equinox cruise FIUAA host: Assistant VP George CortonVisit Istanbul, Mykonos, Athens, Valletta,Catania, Amalfi Coast and Rome JUly 18-23, 2015

Spain From $2,794* (air included from Miami)Barcelona: The City Experience

aUg. 26-Sept. 3, 2015

ScotlandFrom 2,995*Featuring the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a stunning international musical and cultural performance Visit Edinburgh, Stirling, Loch Lomond, Trossachs, Perth and St. Andrews Sept. 3-12, 2015

Switzerland, Austria & Bavaria From $2,199*Discover Alpine WondersVisit Bern, Chateau de Chillon, Montreux train ride, Gstaad, Lucerne, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Oberammergau

Sept. 16-27, 2015

Utah, colorado, Wyoming & South DakotaFrom $3,119* (air included from Miami) America the Beautiful: Moab to Mt. Rushmore Visit Moab/Canyonlands, Salt Lake City, Jackson/Grand Tetons, Cody/Yellowstone, Sheridan, Rapid City/Mt. Rushmore and Denver

Oct. 6-15, 2015

Italy From $4,395*Tuscany wine, art and architecture tourExclusive to FIU Alumni and friendsFIUAA host: Sr. VP Howard LipmanVisit Florence, Chianti region, Lucca, Siena,San Gimignano, Montalcino, Montepulciano

Dec. 3-10, 2015

czech Republic & Germany land & river cruiseFrom $2,106* ($200 pp promo ends 3/31/15)Christmastime in Germany - Avalon WaterwaysVisit Prague, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Miltenberg and Frankfurt

CLASS NOTES

facebook.com/FIUalumni

@FIUalumni

@FIUalumni

#FIUalumni

FIUalumni.com/linkedin

FIUalumni.com/join

Membership dues help create scholarships and alumni programming, which in turn help build a stronger FIU and ultimately increases the value of your degree.

Plus, members enjoy more than 100,000 discounts from our Panther Perk Partners, a free subscription to our award-winning FIU Magazine, and more.

Don't Don't forget to visit our website, FIUalumni.com, and follow us online so you can learn about exclusive events and special offers. You can also stay in touch with us by texting FIUALUMNI to 313131.

We hope you join the FIU Alumni Association today!

CONNECT. GIVE BACK. ENJOY.

facebook.com/FIUalumni

@FIUalumni

@FIUalumni

#FIUalumni

FIUalumni.com/linkedin

FIUalumni.com/join

Membership dues help create scholarships and alumni programming, which in turn help build a stronger FIU and ultimately increases the value of your degree.

Plus, members enjoy more than 100,000 discounts from our Panther Perk Partners, a free subscription to our award-winning FIU Magazine, and more.

Don't Don't forget to visit our website, FIUalumni.com, and follow us online so you can learn about exclusive events and special offers. You can also stay in touch with us by texting FIUALUMNI to 313131.

We hope you join the FIU Alumni Association today!

CONNECT. GIVE BACK. ENJOY.

1990sMichael Whelan ’92, MS ’94 was named 2014 Engineer of the Year by Northeast Florida Engineer’s Week Committee. Whelan works as the assistant director of waterfront engineering at Taylor Engineering, Inc.

Monica Marulanda ’94 was featured in the article “5 Hispanicshopcreativesyouneed to know” by Digiday, an online magazine for the digital media, marketing and

advertising community.

GregoryR.SingletonMS ’95 received the Alumni Award of Distinction from the North American Interfraternity Conference for his work with the Kappa Alpha Order

National Fraternity and also received the Morlan-Bishop Award from Omicron Delta Kappa for work at Austin Peay State University.

Suria Plante ’96 will be general manageratthesoon-to-openResidenceInn by Marriott at the Fort Lauderdale Airport.

RalphRosado’96MA’03 was appointed assistant city manager for North Miami Beach in April 2014.

1970sDouglas Browne ’78 was promoted to presidentofPeabodyHotelswhilecontinuingto serve as the general manager of the iconic Peabody Memphis.

1980sMaria Elena González ’80 is the newest assistant professor in sculpture at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Keith Pierce ’83 has been appointed to the 2014executivecommitteeoftheAmericanHotel&LodgingAssociation.HeiscurrentlytheexecutivevicepresidentforbrandoperationsatWyndhamHotelGroup.

ChrisHansen’88 has been tapped to open andmanagethenewLoewsHotelinChicago.

JulioC.Jaramillo’88 is president-elect of The Florida Bar Foundation, a statewide charitable organization with a mission to provide greater access to justice. A founder of the Colombian American Bar Association, JaramillohasservedaspresidentoftheColombian American Service Association and worked pro bono for the Dade County Bar Association’s “Put Something Back” program.

CatherineRodriguez’88,MBA’90,M.Acc ’91 was recently promoted from foreign service specialist to director of the State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions in Miami.

CLASS NOTES

Iris Escarra ’97 has been named co-chair of the Land Development Practice Group at Greenberg Traurig in Miami. She works to develop the firm’s land use, zoning and

real estate development practice in Miami-Dade County.

Patricia Acosta ’98 has been appointed to the board of The Florida Bar Foundation, a statewide charitable organization with a mission to provide greater access to justice. A long-time advocate for the legal rights of the working poor, Acosta has received numerous awards recognizing her commitment to public service and outstanding pro bono legal representation.

2000sNate Delinois ’02 and Diana Contreras ’05 were recently featured by Channel 10NewsandComplexArt+Design Magazine for their muralofJay-ZandBeyonce

atSpeakerBoxxMiamiinCarolCity,FL.

David Monter ’02 has been hired as vice president, controller for Miami-based Professional Bank. In this role, he will manage the accounting department, oversee regulatory reporting and assist the CFO in asset management and financial reporting.

Alumni Association Lifetime Member

2002

2013

facebook.com/FIUalumni

@FIUalumni

@FIUalumni

#FIUalumni

FIUalumni.com/linkedin

FIUalumni.com/join

Membership dues help create scholarships and alumni programming, which in turn help build a stronger FIU and ultimately increases the value of your degree.

Plus, members enjoy more than 100,000 discounts from our Panther Perk Partners, a free subscription to our award-winning FIU Magazine, and more.

Don't Don't forget to visit our website, FIUalumni.com, and follow us online so you can learn about exclusive events and special offers. You can also stay in touch with us by texting FIUALUMNI to 313131.

We hope you join the FIU Alumni Association today!

CONNECT. GIVE BACK. ENJOY.

Natali Aguero ’12 and Allen Feliz ’12weremarriedJanuary17, 2014, in Key West and later celebrated with friends in Cozumel,Mexico.

JacquelineFailerMIA’12 recently presented her paper “Seeking the Spiritual Self within the Interior Environment: Analyzing the Work ofHeideggertoDefinetheHuman-ObjectRelationship”attheArchitecture,CultureandSpirituality Forum at the University of Toronto.

ErinHarrelsonMS’14washiredbyUHZSports Medicine Institute in Miami as an athletic trainerandrecentlytraveledtoCostaRicatoprovide medical care and instruction to children and the elderly.

Austin LaPoten ’14 was accepted into theprestigiousSofitelSchoolofExcellenceManagement Training Program in Munich, Germany.

__________________________In memoriam: William “Bill” Winston ’79 passedawayJuly13,2013,attheageof57.After earning his degree from the Chaplin School ofHospitalityandTourismManagement,hestarteda24-yearcareerwithHiltonWorldwide,firstwiththequalityassuranceandoperationsdepartment and, eventually, in a role that had him supporting affiliate brands. Always passionate, he worked well beyond business hours, including weekends and evenings, to give his all to the team members, customers andotherswithwhomheinteracted–aqualitythat earned him great admiration and the title “KingofCustomerService.”Hewasanactivemember of the Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham, Ala., and a supporter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

HaiZhangM.Arch’02 opened his first soloartexposition,Everywhere–Nowhere,attheLuiseRossGalleryinNewYork.

Michael W. Weissberg MS ’03 was named full professor and director of the associate’s degree program in crime scene and the bachelor’s degree program in forensics at Keiser University.

CristinaRosell’05 married Erik Lyngved on May 30, 2014, in New Orleans. Sisters Carla Rosell’03 and Gabriela Rosell’10 served as bridesmaids during a ceremony

atHolyNameofJesusParish,afterwhichthenewlyweds and some 150 guests feasted on traditional local dishes and danced the night away. Following a honeymoon in Greece, Cristina and her husband are home in Baton Rouge,La.,wheresheiscurrentlyworkingtoward a Ph.D. in English at Louisiana State University.

Diana Beltran ’07isWyndhamHotelGroup’s new Learning and Delivery Manager for Latin America. She previously worked at Wyndham Worldwide Corporate services as the Sustainability and Innovation Manager.

Mary Benevente ’07, MS ’08 was recently promoted to senior vice president and chief financial officer of Professional Bank, a Miami-basedboutiquebanktailored

to business professionals.

Priscilla Anne Ortega ’07 MA ’14 andMichaelJesusBalujaweremarriedinWaterford, Ireland, on March 11, 2014. Their destination wedding was held at Waterford Castle where they were joined by 15 of their closest friends and family while others watched the ceremony in a live-streaming broadcast.

JuanP.Espinosa’08 was honored at the 2014 Florida State Thespian Festival inTampa.Hisoriginalplay“Amygdala”was chosen to represent Florida at the Education Theatre Association’s Thespians Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Eric Anderson MS ’09 and Mengyuan Chen MS ’12, who met in the events management class at the ChaplinSchoolofHospitalityandTourismManagement, were wed in December 2013. EricisatRoyalCaribbeaninGlobalTourOperations and Mengyuan is working for ABTS Convention Services.

Alumni Association Lifetime Member

Jennifer Bound ’14 saw her

spice rub land on grocery store shelves this

summer. As a student in the Chaplin School

ofHospitality&TourismManagementin

December of 2013, she created the winning

recipe for a competition hosted by the Badia

spicecompany.“HolySmokes”debuted

at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival

the following February and hit stores in 86

countries just a few months later. A portion of

allsalesgoesbacktoFIU.Jennifercurrently

worksforFourSeasonsHotelsandResorts.

EvanRosenberg’09 and his wifeKimberlyRosenbergwelcomed their first child on May 20, 2014. Ashlyn Leigh RosenbergwasborninBocaRaton,Florida,andweighed6

pounds, 12 ounces.

Maria Trujillo ’09 self-published her first novel, Lost in the City of Flowers. It is a time-travel adventure for young-adult readers that takes place in 15th century Italy.

2010sLis-Marie Alvarado ’10 participatedinAlJazeeraAmerica’s show Borderland, during which she retraced the steps of migrants who died alongtheU.S.-Mexicoborder.

She is an avid immigrant rights defender and community organizer in Miami with the organization WeCount!

Myka Figueiredo ’10 was named chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s HYPE(HelpingYoungProfessionalsEngage)Committee and will sit on the

chamber’s board of directors.

RebeccaRodriguez’10 was appointed by the American Bar Association as a member of the Steering Group for the Customs Law Committee.

GabrielaRosell’10earned a law degree from the University of Miami in May 2014. She is currently studying for the Florida barexam.

FALL 2014 | 39

Adapted from Trajectory: 7 Career

Strategies to Take You From Where

You Are to Where You Want to Be

©2014DavidL.VanRooy.

All rights reserved.

Published by AMACOM Books

www.amacombooks.org

Division of American Management Association

1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

Think Big, Act Small, move Quick The best path to reach your big goals is

oftenthroughsmallactionsandquickmoves.Over time, you will be able to accomplish what you seek by tackling one mountain at a time. Each mountain will come with challenges, but when you break these into the respective pieces, it will become easier for you to meet and overcome each one—and to dosoquickly.

As you chart your trajectory, you must consider the importance of ensuring that you set goals that are specific and attainable yet difficult. If you have no goals, it will be very hard to have any idea of what you need to work on. If you have a broad goal, such as wanting to open a business, you don’t know where to start. If you have an easy goal, you run the risk of selling yourself short. You therefore need to create a plan that includes a series of goals.

When you follow the BSQ approach, you will feel yourself gaining momentum. You will feel that something that seemed difficult is actually very manageable. You will have the confidence to get there. Your accomplishments will grow, as will your belief in yourself. As this transpires, you will find that you are almost unknowingly thinking bigger and bigger as you take on new challenges in your life and career.

that you have been able to mask because of success in other areas. Seeking the right type of feedback will enable you to solidify your strongest areas and embark on a journey to improve those areas that others deem weaknesses. Think of feedback as a compass—something that when used frequentlyandcorrectlywillkeepyouontrack. And how you react to feedback is critical. Do not rationalize the feedback or explainitaway.Donotgetangry.

Persistence as a DifferentiatorA compelling body of research has

exploredthefactorsthatunderliesuccessfulperformance,whichcanbeexplainedviaastraightforwardequation:AbilityxPersistence= Performance. Persistence will continue to stand the test of time as a differentiating characteristic that the most successful people possess.

The elements underlying the significance of persistence are closely connected to motivation. Motivation, though, can be short-lived if the reasoning behind it is faulty. If you are motivated for the right reasons—driven by what you love doing—it will become much easier to remain persistent, even when confronted with adversity.

Persistencealsorequirespreparation.Morethan2,000yearsagotheRomanphilosopherSeneca said, “Luck is where the crossroads of opportunity and preparation meet.” This reasoning still applies. When opportunity arises, you will become your own worst enemy if you have not prepared for it. You must enter the situation knowing that you have done everything within your power to seize that moment.

ByDavidVanRooy MS ’03, Ph.D. ’05

In my career I have been extremelyfortunatetowork at some of the most recognizable and influential companies in the world,

including Walmart, Marriott International and Burger King. Over time, as I was growing my own career and contributing to these organizations, I was able to identify essential factors that lead either to career prosperity ordisappointment.Iquicklyrealizedthatemployees are most concerned with their currentjobs,andsomeaboutthenextjob.In either case, they focused primarily on the short term.

People often have not considered how theircurrentjobwillpreparethemforthenextone,andthenextone,andsoon.Iknewthatif I wanted to give valuable advice, I would have to address the long term. I want to help people chart their personal and professional coursesinanexciting,invigoratingwaythat’sintuitive. Your trajectory is the path you create for yourself.

The Power of feedback Quite simply, people are not good judges

of their own skills, particularly ones in which they are not strong. In conversations with your boss, focus less on the ratings you receive, and push to get to the deep feedback that you need. When you let go of numbers, you open yourself up to receive substantive feedback that you can actually use.

Do not let success preclude you from seeking feedback. In particular, pay attention to feedback relating to those shortcomings

Thinkingaheadandtakingsmallstepswillleadyoutothebiggoal,explainsalum

Unlocking the keys to a lifetime of career success

Poor grades in high school threatened to sink the hopes of attending college for David Van Rooy. During those days of uncertainty, the value of

planning his future and working incrementally toward his goals began to dawn on him. Twenty years later, the successful human resources professional

not only holds the bachelor’s degree that once seemed so elusive, but he went on to earn a master’s and Ph.D. in organizational psychology from FIU.

While Van Rooy has certainly seen the fruits of his own strategic calculations pay off, he has also interacted with employees and leaders to help

him better understand how some get ahead and why some don’t. He encapsulates what he has learned in the recently published “Trajectory: 7 Career

Strategies to Take You from Where You Are,” brief excerpts of which appear here.

40 | FALL 2014

Photo by Ann States

Gregory Bossart, V.M.D., Ph.D. ’95•SeniorVicePresidentofAnimalHealth,Research

andConservation,GeorgiaAquarium

•FIUDoctorateinBiology(Immunology)

•AlumniAssociationLifetimeMember

•2014FIUTorchAwardRecipient

Q: You’re a man of science, but many might see instead a lucky guy who gets to work with beautiful creatures. Which of these descriptions best fits you?A: Ithinkthesecond.WhetherworkingatGeorgiaAquariumwith

whales or in Florida with our stranded-dolphin program, I feel blessed

to be around these animals, even 30 years into my career.

Q: What started you down this career path? A: My interest in becoming a veterinarian took root at age 3 or 4 while

growing up in rural western Pennsylvania. We had various pets – dogs,

cats, hamsters and, later, raccoons, birds and rattlesnakes – and my

motherencouragedmebytakingmetozoosandaquariums.

Q: And how did you get where you are today? A: As a veterinarian in Miami, I became interested in what causes

diseases in animals. That led to four years of postdoctoral comparative

pathology training at University of Miami School of Medicine as

aNationalInstitutesofHealthFellow.Ithenbecameinterestedin

how disease relates to immune function, which led me to FIU. My

dissertation work there on marine mammals was pivotal in my landing

thejobatGeorgiaAquarium,thelargestintheworld.

Q: Tell us about your research activities.A: Much of my present research involves bottlenose dolphin health

assessmentstudiesintheIndianRiverLagoonofftheAtlanticcoastof

Florida. That work has morphed into using dolphins as sentinels for the

health of oceans and even human health, which is like using dolphins

as the proverbial canary in the coalmine. Frankly, we haven’t been very

good stewards of the ocean environment, and I believe that is starting

to catch up with us. It is in our own best interest to investigate all

wildlife health patterns that could potentially affect our own wellbeing

as three-fourths of all emerging infectious diseases in humans originate

in wildlife.

Q: People often think of aquariums as tourist destinations. Why do we need such places? A: Modernaquariumsandzoosprovidetransformativelifeexperiences

andinspirechildrenandadultsalike.Iamalivingexample.And

besidestheeducationtheyoffer,aquariumsandzoosconductcritical

researchandconservationprograms.Forexample,ourteamatGeorgia

AquariumisworkingwithcoralreefsintheFloridaKeys,whalesharks

inMexicoandendangeredpenguinsincoastalSouthAfrica,among

other projects.

Q: Tell us about your animal friends. A: My favorites include Florida manatees. They are amazing creatures

with a remarkably responsive immune system. My wife and two young

daughters just got a new Labrador puppy called Sunshine. We have a

ball python named Sammy and two macaws, Griffin and Caleb. They all

are important members of our family.

VIp: Very Important panther

VIp: Very Important panther

FALL 2014 | 41

Havingextinguishedhercigarette,librarianGilmaH.Soto in August of 1972 updates by hand theindexcards used to keep track of books in the Athenaeum—today known as the Green Library at the Modesto A. MaidiqueCampus.Morethanfourdecadeslater,theFIU Libraries on both campuses together hold some 1,629,000 printed volumes in addition to nearly 330,000 electronic titles, among them government documents, streaming video and music, images, databases, more than 80,000 journals and more than 140,000 ebooks.

See more images at go.fiu.edu/historyphoto

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