Enhance Your Life

FIU and the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media offer plenty of opportunities for you to get involved and connect with other students.

Here at FIU, we encourage you to get out there and become a member of the FIU family. In addition to the student chapters of professional journalism organizations, there are 300+ student clubs and organizations for you to find your people, share your interests and starting growing at FIU.

As you enter the School of Communication + Journalism, you are assigned an adviser who will stay with you throughout your academic career, helping you select classes and stay on track. Beyond the classroom, through student media and professional organizations, there are increased opportunities to network with professionals, build your portfolio and attend and compete in district, regional and national conferences and competitions.

Student leaders also have a role in School governance through the Student Government Association (SGA). The School has two SGA senators, elected annually, who advocate for the allocation of the Activity & Service Fee, provide an official voice and action on behalf of the student body, ensure that students’ concerns are addressed in governance and policy development of Florida International University at all levels, evaluate and establish student programs and services, and encourage the betterment of educational standards, facilities and services.

PantherNOW is the University-wide student media organization. PantherNOW publishes a weekly newspaper on campus and at panthernow.com, and produces a student radio station, The Roar (WRGP), which operates 24/7 on 95.3 in Miami, 96.9 in North Miami and 88.1 in the Kendall/Homestead area. PantherNOW and the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media share production equipment and lab facilities at both campuses. Members of the SCJ faculty serve on the PantherNow advisory board.

The South Florida Media Network (SFMN) is the flagship student-produced media publication of the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media. The SFMN was awarded the 2020 EPPY for Best College Produced Community website and has won more than 40 national and regional awards. Students from several classes contribute content to the SFMN each semester, and the SFMN trains students in both formal (for-credit) and informal internships. The SFMN has a “Noticias” section for news and multimedia content published in Spanish. New for 2021 students now produce a weekday live morning broadcast, “Newsbreak,” that is published on the SFMN. The SFMN has bureaus in New York City and Washington, D.C., where students may engage in a study away experience. The bureau programs are designed to offer you the opportunity to study in one of the most newsworthy locations and media centers in the world while networking with professional journalists, community leaders, and FIU alumni.

The Hearst Distinguished Lecture Series welcomes a diverse mix of industry leaders each semester to share their experiences, expertise and insightful perspectives on a variety of topics related to communication. Recent speakers have included Carmella Glover, executive director, Diversity Action Alliance, Ricardo Trotti, executive director, Inter American Press Society, Jeff Kosseff, assistant professor of cybersecurity law in the United States Naval Academy’s Cyber Science Department and Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Jon Meacham.

Learn more about FIU’s Biscayne Bay (BBC) and Modesto Maidique (MMC) campuses.