[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1721-E1722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 10, 1997

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Florida 
International University for 25 years of academic excellence and 
exciting growth.
  Florida International University [FIU] has distinguished itself by 
becoming a center for intellectual inquiry and research that emphasizes 
the link between basic and applied scholarship. The university's 
interdisciplinary centers have acted as a catalyst for creativity in 
the arts, the sciences, and the professions by encouraging interaction 
among its students, faculty, staff, and the communities it serves.
  Florida International University is ranked among the top 10 public 
commuter colleges in the United States by Money Magazine and is also 
cited in several leading college guides, including Barron's Guide to 
the Most Prestigious Colleges; and U.S. News & World Report's annual 
survey of America's Best Colleges.
  Under the tenure of Dr. Modesto Mitch Madique, the university has 
made tremendous inroads. Dr. Madique, the first Cuban-American to be 
president of a 4-year college, became president in 1986. He has had the 
vision and the initiative to push the institution toward the 21st 
century.

[[Page E1722]]

  When it opened its doors in 1972, FIU had an enrollment of 6,000 
students. Today, with 13 schools and colleges, FIU has grown to over 
28,000 students from all 50 States and 120 countries. As a major center 
of international education, FIU prides itself on the cultural and 
ethnic diversity of its students and faculty. It is, indeed, as many of 
its faculty and students like to say, ``a gateway of the Americas.''
  FIU's College of Engineering and Design bears witness to the 
university's overall success. Under Dean Gordon R. Hopkins, the college 
of engineering has earned international recognition for its research 
programs, drawing scholars from all over the world. Similarly, in the 
College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Dario Moreno, associate professor of 
political science, helped create a Ph.D. program in this discipline 
which works in conjunction with the university's renowned Latin 
American and Caribbean Center [LACC] and the Cuban Research Institute 
[CRI] to produce first-rate research in these areas of such great 
interest to our region.
  The people of the 21st Congressional District are proud to claim 
Florida International University as our own. We look forward to the 
university's bright future of intellectual achievement built upon a 
foundation of integrity, creativity, and openness to the exploration of 
new ideas.

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