Florida International University recently launched its Next Horizon campaign, a landmark effort to support key areas of need and opportunity that focuses on the pillars of student success and research.
The $750 million Next Horizon campaign breaks new ground as a comprehensive undertaking to support key areas of achievement of FIU, while raising funds for groundbreaking initiatives.
The multi-year effort has raised $480 million of its $750 million goal. The campaign, led by honorary chair Herbert Wertheim and co-chairs Humberto “Burt” Cabañas, Chad Moss, Debbie Taño, and Dr. Albert Taño, aims to attract support for the following objectives: increase scholarships and student support; optimize 21st Century teaching; advance a vibrant, healthy Miami; accelerate research and discoveries, and bring scientific discoveries to market.
“Our Next Horizon campaign speaks to our confidence in our mission and our belief in the power of an FIU education,” said FIU president Mark B. Rosenberg. “It will provide the critical resources to ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential and will enable us to continue to be a solution center for our community and the world.”
Since opening its doors in 1972 to the largest first-day class in the history of American higher education, FIU has risen rapidly through the ranks and is now counted among the nation’s top 100 public research universities, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. FIU’s research enterprise also has experienced rapid growth in recent years. In 2015, FIU joined the top tier of Carnegie research classification, which includes the top 3 percent of universities in the nation.
FIU is No. 1 in the country in awarding bachelor’s degrees to minorities and bachelor’s and master’s degrees to Hispanic students, making it one of the largest Hispanic-Serving Institutions with the highest six-year Hispanic graduation rate. With 57,000 students, FIU is among the top 10 largest universities in the nation and has graduated more than 225,000 alumni, 115,000 of whom live and work in South Florida. The university is ranked No. 2 among public universities in the state, according to the performance scores released by the Florida Board of Governors, and among the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents.
“FIU has an enormous effect on South Florida, contributing to quality of life, cultural vibrancy, and economic prosperity,” said, Humberto “Burt” Cabañas, a 1976 FIU graduate, campaign co-chair and co-chair of the FIU Foundation Board of Directors. “It prepares students for the 21st Century workforce, producing alumni who are leaders in all fields and professions. We provide programs and services that address health and wellness needs for thousands of families. Next Horizon will strengthen our ability to serve and enrich our community.”
Since the start of the campaign, 144 new endowments have been funded, and the value of the total FIU endowment has more than doubled. Over the last five years, philanthropy has enabled the university to disburse more than $32 million in scholarship funds, impacting more than 8,000 students. Gifts have funded endowed faculty positions and programs that advance research in a broad spectrum of areas, from solutions to environmental and cyber threats to the development of life-saving medical treatments.
“Great universities are shaped by those who provide the vital resources that help them flourish,” said Howard Lipman, CEO of the FIU Foundation Inc. “FIU has made extraordinary progress in its relatively brief history, and Next Horizon is our platform to forge a brighter future for our students, community, and world. We hope all of our FIU family and friends will join us to achieve this noble vision.”
