A Message from Provost Bejar

Welcome to another promising year at FIU. This is an auspicious time in the university’s history, marked by a healthy mix of reflection, pride, and innovation, as FIU marks 50 years since opening its doors to students in 1972. We are delighted to welcome 88 new faculty this Fall. Joining us this year are colleagues engaged in innovative and meaningful work across a broad spectrum of research, pedagogic, library, creative, and clinical expertise. We now have 1,865 total full-time faculty.

We cannot overstate our gratitude to you our faculty, for your deep commitment to research and creative excellence and impact, meaningful student engagement and support, and substantive community engagement aligned with our FIU values. We recognize that even as we begin this new semester with genuine excitement in welcoming our students and beginning our engagement with them as they chart their professional and career paths, there are some questions and clarifications you may need in order to launch a seamless and successful semester. Please know that we are here to support you.

Important Updates and Information:

• FIU Panthers Protecting Panthers. In order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, FIU will be adhering to updated guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The university will no longer be using the P3 app to report COVID symptoms or infections. The P3 app and the Panthers Protecting Panthers webpage are being updated and will continue to serve as a resource with relevant information for the university community on the importance of Healthy Living.
• Faculty Ombudsperson Dr. Lauren Christos, University Research Librarian, serves as the FIU Faculty Ombudsperson and can be reached at ombudsfiu@gmail.com. The role of the Faculty Ombudsperson is to serve as a knowledgeable, informal, confidential, and independent resource that assists faculty with exploring best options to resolve conflicts, issues, or concerns and offers a level of support in navigating through university policies, processes, and regulations.
• Syllabus Guidance. Your syllabi are your most critical tool for communicating early and often in the semester with your students on an array of important issues. To that end:
  • Please remove the mention of the P3 app from your syllabus and follow your established attendance and makeup policies as they relate to excused absences.
  • We ask faculty to continue to review their course materials and seek support from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching as appropriate. CAT has important information, recommendations and sample syllabi related to House Bill 7 (which informs the BOG Regulation 10.005). On August 19th, Tallahassee U.S. District Judge Mark Walker temporarily blocked HB 7. However, the judgment is not applicable to FIU.
• Conflict of Interest forms. Each academic year, all faculty are required to complete and submit an Outside Activity/Conflict of Interest (OA/COI) disclosure.  This disclosure is to be completed whether there is an activity to report or not.  You are required to input all activity in the PantherSoft HR system and you must regularly update if you have additional submissions after the annual filing. Failure to disclose is a violation of state law. Please access the updated online reporting system.  There are helpful training sessions on FIU Develop for further reference and link to the FAQs: Outside Activity and Conflict of Interest Frequently Asked Questions – FIU Human Resources

Kick off and Events. This semester we are welcoming 10,448 new students to their first fall semester. On Saturday, August 20^th we will celebrate first-year students as well as their friends and family at Panther Convocation. Next week, the Division of Academic & Student Affairs is hosting a Week of Welcome filled with events to kick off the fall semester. Throughout the year we encourage you to attend one of the many home athletic events to support our students.

Faculty Convocation Award Ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 13, 2022 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in the Student Academic Success Center (SASC), room 160. The ceremony will recognize and celebrate the many accomplishments of faculty receiving awards in various categories. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Deanne Butchey, Faculty Senate Chair, Teaching Professor in the Department of Finance, and member of the Board of Trustees, has agreed to give this year’s keynote address.

The coming academic year will be filled with triumphs, challenges, and changes, which we will both celebrate and navigate. We remain committed to our FIU values of truth, freedom, respect, responsibility and excellence. In this regard, FIU endorses the Florida Board of Governor’s Statement of Free Expression to support and encourage full and open discourse and the robust exchange of ideas and perspectives on our campuses. In addition to supporting this legal right, we view this as an integral part of our ability to deliver a high-quality academic experience for our students, engage in meaningful and productive research, and provide valuable public service.

Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to our students and FIU. We look forward to an outstanding new year.