Hello everyone! I am Ken Jessell, Interim President at FIU. It is great to be here today in the company of so many colleagues and partners, particularly my friends and fellow community leaders, including Miami-Dade County Mayor, Daniella Levine Cava and Miami Dade College President, Madeline Pumariega.
Here in Miami, we are all witnessing a pivotal moment in the history of this city – the rise of tech. And at our places of work, each of us is going above and beyond to meet this moment and prepare a new generation of leaders in tech.
At FIU, the nation’s fourth-largest public research institution, we are engaging in novel ways to ensure that our students are equipped for Miami Tech and the future of this great city.
At our university, we are responding to the demand through tech education, talent development, and community collaboration. With a deep commitment to closing the gap between campus and career, we are blurring the lines between industry and our curriculum, as well as capitalizing on the power of partnerships.
Here’s how.
Our university’s chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon is responsible for the largest hackathon in Florida, ShellHacks, hosting nearly 1,000 students from across the nation to create innovative projects while also implementing interactive programs in career development, tech, coding, and more.
FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) serves as the research and innovation engine of our university, leading impactful research in engineering and computer science. Our research awards at CEC for fiscal year 2021 exceeded $59 million, and our faculty produced 44 innovation patents. CEC ranked #37 for our online master's in engineering programs and #46 in electrical and electronic engineering according to U.S. News and World Report. Nationwide, the college ranks #1 in awarding engineering degrees to Hispanics. And recently, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation made a $10 million gift allowing us to expand our Modesto A. Maidique campus and the College of Engineering with a 125,000-square-foot, $48 million engineering complex.
We have also put a lot of time and effort to foster new partnerships with industry leaders like MITRE, JP Morgan Chase, Moss, Apple, Accelirate Inc., Deloitte, Google, Turner Construction Company, and NASA to expand employment opportunities for our students and prepare them for the jobs of the future.
Our university, and fellow institutions in the region, are cultivating home-grown talent to match the needs of employers. We are working together to ensure that employers across our city, including those here today, are blown away by the creativity and unique Miami talent.
At FIU, we embrace our role in preparing and connecting human capital to the jobs of the future. Together, let’s embrace that spirit to drive our region’s prosperity.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to be here today and to all those who support the important work we do at FIU.