WINTER 2011-12 VolumE 23

m a g a z I N E

FIU, JPMorgan Chase and Miami-Dade County Public Schools come together to transform lives at Miami Northwestern Senior High

II | WINTER 2011-12

Winter 2011-12 VOLUME 23

WINTER 2011-12 | 1

16 On The Cover: THE EDUCATION EFFECT

With a $1 million grant from JPmorgan Chase, FIu

and miami-Dade County Public Schools are working

to improve learning and college readiness at miami

Northwestern Senior High School in liberty City.

Through the new partnership, called “The Education

Effect,” Miami Northwestern becomes FIU’s first

university-assisted community school. The Education

Effect will expand opportunities for students like

Northwestern sophomore marcus Postell, on the

cover. Postell is an FIu dual enrollment student and

is already making plans for college. The partnership

will increase the number of dual enrollment classes at

miami Northwestern, create an aquaponics science

lab and bring Northwestern students to FIu to learn

about college life.

Doctors of TomorrowThe Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Class of 2015 was selected from 3,816 applicants and is the largest since the college opened in 2009. The 82 students have an average GPA of 3.6, and attended colleges across the country, including FIU. Jennifer Chen (front) from Walnut, Calif.; Rhea Chattopadhyay (middle) from Daytona Beach; and Louis Carrillo from Pembroke Pines were among the students welcomed into the college during the 2011 White Coat Ceremony, which marks the beginning of their medical education. Photo by Ivan Santiago ’00

8 The Law of Life and Death College of law professor Elizabeth Price Foley

poses provocative questions about life and death in

her new book.

14 A Beautiful Mess miami-Dade County’s Teacher of the Year agustin

Grana ’00 fulfills his higher calling teaching special

needs children.

24 Solar Decathlon 2011 Team FIu goes to Washington and brings back high

marks for its eco-friendly home design.

26 The Karatassos Kitchen Hospitality and Tourism management alumni siblings

Pano Jr., Niko and ann Karatassos make the

restaurant business a family affair.

2 | WINTER 2011-12

The Education Effect

This fall, FIU Magazine writer Sissi Aguila

and I both had the chance to spend some

time in local public high schools. I followed

sophomore Marcus Postell to his classes at

Miami Northwestern Senior High School in

Liberty City so that I could write about the new

FIU partnership called “The Education Effect.”

Aguila went to Southwest Miami High to profile

Miami-Dade County’s Teacher of the Year

and FIU alumnus Agustin Grana, who teaches

intellectually disabled students.

We were inspired.

Agustin is giving skills and confidence to students who many have said are not

teachable. “What I saw was a teacher who cares deeply about his students and

is completely invested in them,” Aguila said. “It was remarkable to see how much

his students trust him and enjoy being in school.”

At Miami Northwestern, the teachers I met are pushing their students

academically and reinforcing a college-bound message at every opportunity. In

Frederick Hyppolite’s biology class, students are divided into teams, each named

for a university – Team FIU, Team Yale, Team NYU, Team Harvard. The teams earn

points for participation and answering questions correctly.

The day I visited, Team FIU won :) . When another team member grumbled

about them knowing all the answers, Team FIU’s Wilfred Changeux told him, “If

you want to know, study.”

The Education Effect is the name of the FIU partnership, but truly, the

education effect is at work throughout the FIU community. You will find the

education effect in FIU’s community arts projects, the Solar Decathlon and in

Grana’s classroom. Hope, innovation, transformation – that’s the powerful effect

of education.

Deborah O’Neil MA ’09

from The eDiTor

Copyright 2012, Florida International University. FIU Magazine is published by the Florida International University Division of External Relations and distributed free of charge to alumni, faculty and friends of the university. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. To reach us call: 305-348-7235. Alumni Office: Write to Office of Alumni Relations at MMC MARC 510, Miami, FL 33199 or call 305-348-3334 or toll free at 800-FIU-ALUM. Visit fiualumni.com. Change of Address: Please send updated address information to FIU Office of Alumni Relations, MARC 510, Miami, FL, 33199 or by email to alumni@fiu.edu.WRGP Radiate FM: FIU Student Radio is broadcast north of Kendall on 95.3 FM, south of Kendall on 88.1 FM and 96.9 FM in North Miami and South Broward.Letters to the Editor: FIU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via e-mail to alumni@fiu.edu, by fax to 305-348-3247 or mail to FIU Magazine, Division of External Relations, MMC PC 515, Miami, FL, 33199. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. All letters should include the writer’s full name and daytime phone number. Alumni, please include your degree and year of graduation.11971_11/11

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FIU Magazine Editorial Advisory BoardLourdes Balepogi ’00 President ofChispa marketing

fred Blevenshonors College fellowand ProfessorSchool of Journalism and mass Communication

Gisela CasinesAssociate Dean,College of Arts and Sciences

Carol DamianProfessor of Art historyDirector and Chief Curator, frost Art museum

Paul DodsonAssistant Athletic Director for media relations

Stephen fainProfessor emeritus, College of education

Susan Jay Director of Development College of engineering and Computing

Nicole Kaufman mS ’06Director of Corporate & foundation relationsDivision of University Advancement

Larry LunsfordAssociate Vice President for Student AffairsUniversity ombudsman

Nilda Pedrosa, esq.Assistant Dean of Development & external Affairs,College of Law

maureen PelhamDirector of Clinical Trials,Division of research

rafael Paz, esq.Associate General Counsel

heather radi-Bermudez ’06 marketing Coordinator,School of Journalism andmass Communication

mary SudasassiDirector of Public relations,College of Nursing and health Sciences

Duane Wilesinterim executive Director,fiU Alumni Association

FIU MAGAZINEDivision of External Relations

Sandra B. Gonzalez-Levy Senior Vice President External Relations

Terry Witherell Vice President External Relations

Karen Cochrane Director News and Communications

Deborah o’Neil mA ’09 Editor, FIU Magazine

martin haro ’05 associate Editor

Aileen Solá-Trautmann art Director

mariel De moya Designer

WritersSissi aguila ’99, ma ’08Blanca morales Pete Pelegrin ’96melia Sandler

PhotographersDoug garland ’10gloria o’ConnellIvan Santiago ’00ann Statesangel Valentin

FIU Board of Trusteesmichael m. adlerSukrit agrawalCesar l. alvarezJose J. armasJorge l. arrizurietaThomas a. BreslinJoseph l. Caruncho ’81marcelo Clauregerald C. grant Jr. ’78, mBa ’89mayi de la Vega ’81albert maury ’96, ’02Patrick o’KeefeClaudia Puig

fiU magazine is printed on 30% PCW recycled paper that is certified

by the forest Stewardship Council ♻

WINTER 2011-12 | 3

Pantherized in WashingtonI read thoroughly the Fall 2011 issue and enjoyed it plentifully. It is so

gratifying to update oneself with the so many accomplishments by the FIU community.

One item left me with a question. In the President’s Corner by Mark B. Rosenberg, the picture shows U.S Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen holding in her hands an ítem by which she shows off her FIU pride. Supposedly, the item represents our Golden Panther, which is what it says on the item’s yellow shirt. But to me, that ítem looks more like a teddy bear instead of a Panther.Jesús escobar mS ’98, mS ’99

Editor’s ResponseDear Jesus,

I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the FIU Magazine. You are correct about the photo of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ’75, MS ’87. The teddy bear belongs to the congresswoman, but we wondered if our alumna in the U.S. Congress is properly outfitted with FIU gear. So, with the

help of Carlos Becerra ’98, MPA ’01 on our Federal Relations team, we took care of that.

A Paw in the SkyI’d like to share what a wonderful

experience I had at the first FIU Panther football game on Sept. 1. As an Alumni Association member I attended the tailgate at the association tent and enjoyed the package dinner, meeting new people and receiving a

foam Panther paw glove.In the meantime, my daughter, Desiree Sielaff, a freshman sports

and fitness major, met her friend, David Martinez, a freshman political science major, and both enjoyed free hot dogs and brownies sponsored by the Crusade for Christ stand. We joined each other after the band and cheerleaders marched through, and as the band played, we asked to take our picture with Roary. The three of us were excited and anticipating the first football game.

While we sat high up in the bleachers under the soft, steady rain, I was touched to see our players taking a moment to kneel and pray before the game began. Moments after they prayed, I surprisingly saw a paw in the sky. I couldn’t believe my eyes and immediately pointed it out to Desiree and David. In my excitement, I grabbed my camera and snapped

several pictures! I felt this was a heavenly sign from God above giving His blessing to our Panther players who acknowledged Him before the game. As it was, they beat North Texas 41-16!!! A Panther Paw in the sky or just another cloud? Vivian Sielaff, Proud FIU Panther Parent

How Far We Have ComeI had the honor of being awarded an athletic

scholarship to be part of FIU’s inaugural football signing class back in 2001. I have been back to campus recently and have attended games at the renovated stadium. Wow! I think back to the early days and cannot help but be proud of how far the school has come with FIU’s epic victory over Toledo at the Little Caesars Bowl last December.

FIU football back then was much different. We spent an entire year practicing and scrimmaging games with each other. Weeks of practice led to game scrimmages between the defense and the offense. Months of practice culminated with our first Blue & Gold Game. We used to dress in the fieldhouse and walk the trail between the baseball field and nature preserve, past the soccer field and arena to what is now the intramural field for practice.

I remember training all summer the following year in preparation for our first real season. Playing an actual game against another opponent was all we could look forward to. That inaugural game against St. Peter’s was like a Super Bowl for us. Temporary bleachers were set up to fill the corners and ends of the field. Coming out for stretches and hearing Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” is something I’ll never forget. Running out of the fieldhouse, in between the bleacher section and onto the field for the first time was a rush I haven’t felt since. The stadium was packed and the energy was intense. We came out and capped the night off with the first ever win in program history.

After the game, I remember me and my roommates (Carlos Ruiz, Vic Cernius and Ed Wenger) were all excited and watched a copy of the game broadcast that we had recorded.

I was actually reminiscing about those days and that game with my old roommate and still close friend Carlos Ruiz, who started at center that game.

I’m proud to be one of the first Panthers and excited about the future of the university.Lazaro “Larry” Leon ‘07

from oUr reADerS

Letters to the Editor: FIU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via email to alumni@fiu.edu, by fax to 305-348-3247 or mail to FIU Magazine, Division of External Rela-tions, MMC PC 515, Miami, FL, 33199. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. All letters should include the writer’s full name and daytime phone number. Alumni, please include your degree and year of graduation.

Give Back.

Connect.

Enjoy.

fiualumni.com/join • 305-FIU-ALUM

Build something larger than yourself. This is what it means to be a member of the fiU Alumni Association.

4 | WINTER 2011-12

August was a Worlds Ahead month for FIU.

We began the month by welcoming our newest – and largest – class of

future doctors at the third White Coat Ceremony for the Herbert Wertheim

College of medicine on aug. 5. That day, 82 medical students formally began

their journey toward becoming physicians who will practice medicine in a

compassionate and comprehensive manner in their communities, many of

them right here in South Florida.

We then celebrated our first-ever Summer Commencement on Aug. 13 and

had the honor of conferring a Ph.D. in history to the oldest graduate in FIu

history, Richard m. Smith. Dr. Smith, who just turned 88, is a decorated World

War II veteran, successful businessman, and a dedicated father, grandfather

and great grandfather. Dr. Smith, who started his doctoral studies in his 80s,

was part of the crew of a four-engine B-24 liberator aircraft. and he was

one of thousands of young brave men and women, including my father, who

were part of what Tom Brokaw called the “greatest generation.” Dr. Smith

and his fellow soldiers saved the world and today, Dr. Smith serves as a

shining example of determination and passion for learning. We are proud to have him among our newest alumni.

Shortly after celebrating the accomplishments of Dr. Smith and more than 3,400 new graduates, on aug. 22 we welcomed our largest student

body ever – 46,000 students. What a way to kick off the fall semester! our record number of students brought with them more Panther pride than

ever, energizing student life. FIu’s Panhellenic sororities had record recruitment with more than 750 students applying, 595 participating during

recruitment week and 390 receiving bids to join. our sororities and fraternities are highly involved in university life and in our community and

are among the campus organizations that develop leaders at FIu. Hundreds of students and their parents also came to the Reagan House for a

welcome reception for our new students. our students also joined other FIu fans in packing alfonso Field at FIu Stadium for our home football

games and this FIu pride carried through Homecoming – our biggest and best yet!

all of these august accomplishments set the stage for a groundbreaking academic year for FIu, one that is focused on student learning,

innovation and collaboration. I know I can count on your support to make this year Worlds ahead

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg welcomes Alpha Phi Alpha brothers Yorman Sanchez, Allen Pierre-Louis, Marcus Thompkins, Stephen Portee, Jareem Forbes, Jamal Cabroll and Kameel Lettsome who performed for incoming freshmen at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential House in August.

PreSiDeNT’S CorNermArK B. roSeNBerG

Be WorldsAhead

TREASURES: VINTAGE VACUUM

The Wolfsonian-FIu in miami Beach has a vast

collection of more than 120,000 objects, rare books, ephemeral

items and precious archives of mostly

North american and European origin from 1885-1945. one of the themes of the museum’s permanent collection celebrates american Industrial Design (1915-1940), and features artifacts such as this vacuum. Conceived late in this pioneering era of industrial design circa 1945 by Harley J. mcallister, this vintage household appliance was manufactured by Fairfax Industries in Washington, D.C., and made in Wellend, Canada. This vacuum was made of chrome, plastic and rubber and is on display at The Wolfsonian-FIu as a giftfrom martin K. Webb and Charles l. Venable.

Photo by Silvia Ros

87-Year-Old Graduate Makes History

The FIU Mobile app is now live for

iPhone, Android and Blackberry, providing

access to a wide array of university services

from anywhere.

You can use it to see what’s happening

on campus, read FIU news, check class

schedules and financial aid, enroll in

courses, access interactive campus

maps, watch FIU videos, connect to FIU

Facebook and Twitter, read the latest news

and much more.

Reviews of the app have been five-star

thus far after more than 9,800 downloads of

the iPhone app.

To get the FIU Mobile app visit:

fiu.edu/mobile

On The PrOwl

WINTER 2011-12 | 5

Richard Smith became FIU’s oldest graduate last August, earning a Ph.D.

in history at age 87. FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg described the World

War II veteran as “a true American hero.”

Smith’s academic achievement made headlines in print, television and

online news around the country. Here are some highlights from the media:

“When Richard Smith started college, Bing Crosby was all the rage. When he finished his Ph.D., it was Lil Wayne.”—AOL Jobs.com

Smith on why he pursued a doctorate

“I got my master’s at FAU and decided to keep going….I believe the most important thing for seniors like myself is keeping their brain going.”—Huffington Post

“Smith handwrote his entire dissertation, chapter by chapter, on the Civil War era politician John Sherman, then typed it up and sent it to his advisor, American history professor Darden Asbury Pyron.”—The Miami Herald

Smith talking about professor Pyron

“I couldn’t write three sentences he didn’t correct. There were times I wanted to kick his a#$.”—CBS 4 Miami

Professor Pyron discussing the irrelevance of a student’s age

“The very first conversation I had with him, I said, ‘I’m not going to make any allowances for you.’ I told him I’d treat him like everyone else on one condition: that he promise not to die on me. And, bless him, he didn’t.”—Chronicle of Higher Education

“He believes continued learning is the best way to stay healthy, and with a mind as sharp as his, who can argue?”—WSVN TV 7

Religious Studies professor Whitney Bauman spent six weeks in India studying the ancient Jain religion last summer as a Bhagwan Mahavir Junior Faculty Fellow. His fellowship was provided by the FIU Bhagwan Mahavir Professorship, the only endowed Jain professorship in the Western Hemisphere. Bauman’s travel was also supported by an Anita Broad Research Grant.

Bauman visited Jain communities and universities in Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur, Indore and Ladnun to explore the Jain doctrine that not only humans and animals, but also plants, rivers, mountains and all of nature possess life, or jiva.

As a result of examining three doctrines within Jainism – the ensoulment of all life, ahimsa or nonviolence, and the doctrine of Jain relativity/non-absolutism – Bauman is constructing a bio-ethic for what he calls “planetary technologies.” Modern, Western science and its technologies have tended to be centered on the human being, in such a way that the rest of the natural world is only understood as an instrument

toward human ends. A Jain-influenced science and technology might offer a planetary perspective of science: scientific and technological development for the future thriving of the entire planet (rivers, trees, mountains, etc.), rather than the thriving of human beings alone.

During his travels, Bauman visited many temples and cultural sites including the Nagaur Fort near Jodhpur, shown in the top photo. He also gave a guest lecture at the Institute of Jain Studies and at the Government Autonomous Holkar Science College, both in Indore, India, shown in the middle photo.

On The PrOwl

TRAVELS: INDIA

Alumnus joins FIU Board of Trustees

alumnus gerald grant, Jr. ’78,

mBa ’89, is the newest member of

the FIu Board of Trustees. grant

is the branch director of financial

planning for aXa advisors, llC –

South Florida Branch.

He is an active member of the South Florida community,

serving on the Foundation Board of Directors for both FIu

and Florida a&m university. He is a past president of the FIu

alumni association and also serves on the advisory board

for FIu’s Honors College. grant is the author of the book

Bold Moves to Creating Financial Wealth.

Two events raise $350,000 for First Generation scholarships

Two events held last fall sponsored by the FIu President’s

Council and FIu men’s Basketball Coach Isiah Thomas

raised a combined $350,000 for student scholarships.

The early october South Florida all-Star Classic charity

basketball game was held at the u.S. Century Bank arena at

modesto a. maidique Campus and featured leBron James,

Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. It was organized to benefit

FIu men’s Basketball Coach Isiah Thomas’ mary’s Court

Foundation. Coach Thomas pledged $50,000 from the sold-

out event to First gen, a gift that will be matched by the

state for a total impact of $100,000.

In late September, more than 150 community leaders

attended the FIu President’s Council First generation

Scholarship Fund Dreammakers Breakfast at the Biltmore

Hotel, where they heard from FIu students who have

benefited from the First Gen program. Among the university

supporters in attendance was Wells Fargo Senior Vice

President Jorge Villacampa. He presented a check for

$50,000 on behalf of the bank, one of the fund’s leading

corporate sponsors for the past three years.

In all, the breakfast raised $122,000, resulting in a total

impact of almost $250,000 including state match.

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg and President’s Council Chair Victor Balestra with FIU First Generation scholarship recipients.

6 | WINTER 2011-12

By Pete Pelegrin ’96

The old north-side bleachers at FIu Stadium are history. Bulldozing

of those bleachers began after the last home game of the season so

that FIu Stadium can be enclosed by the time the 2012 FIu Football

season rolls around.

Phase III of FIu Stadium construction will enclose the north side of

the stadium so it mirrors the south side. New suites and a larger, new

stadium club are being designed for the north side of the stadium. So,

there will be two stadium clubs at FIu Stadium.

You could walk three-fourths of FIu Stadium on the old concourse.

Next season, you will be able to go around the entire stadium on the

concourse. When the stadium is enclosed, the capacity is expected to

be 20,000-plus; an exact number will be determined later.

Construction of the north side begins January 2012 and with no

weather delays, the project is expected to be completed by early

September in time for the first home game of 2012.

Phase IV, the final stage in FIU Stadium’s construction, will be the

upper deck of the stadium, at a date later to be determined. The final

seating capacity for FIu Stadium with the upper deck will make it a

45,000-seat stadium.

“This is a huge step forward,” head football coach mario Cristobal

said. “It keeps us on pace with everyone else in the country in terms

of the facilities race. The most important thing is that it’s the continued

growth of our program, continued growth of the university, continued

growth of our stadium and of our facilities. FIu is committed to

building a big-time football program in every sense.”

A founding faculty member

of the Herbert Wertheim

College of Medicine is FIU’s

2011-12 President’s Council

Worlds Ahead Faculty Award recipient. Molecular

microbiologist Kalai Mathee

accepted the honor, which comes with a

$12,500 award, during Faculty Convocation

in September.

Mathee is the founding chair of the

Department of Molecular Microbiology and

Infectious Diseases in the College of Medicine.

She joined FIU’s Department of Biological

Sciences in 1999 and established a multi-

faceted research program focused on the

organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is

responsible for the high morbidity and mortality

in cystic fibrosis patients. She has published

more than 50 journal articles and was a 2004

recipient of the FIU Excellence in Research

Award. In addition, Mathee is a highly regarded

teacher, mentoring dozens of students in her

laboratory.

Runners-up for the prize were physics

professor James Webb and engineering

professor Shu-Ching Chen. Both received

$2,000 awards.

An extragalactic astrophysicist, Webb

has led the university’s drive to build an

observatory on campus and is the director of

the Southeastern Association for Research in

Astronomy Kitt Peak Observatory. He’s well

known on campus for his popular Star Parties

and his guitar playing.

Chen is co-principal investigator of the

Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model, which is

the first public model to assess hurricane risk.

He also leads the 3D Hurricane Storm Surge

Animation and Visualization project, which

enables residents to see a 3D animation of their

homes or businesses under projected storm

surge conditions.

The President’s Council received more than

20 nominations from nearly every college

and school for this year’s newly redesigned

award. The award criteria were aligned with

the Worlds Ahead brand and strategic plan.

The award now recognizes faculty who are

student-centered, make an impact through

research, partnerships or creative activities,

and exceed expectations through innovations

in the classroom, service to the university

or leadership.

SCIENTIST WINS PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL WORLDS AHEAD FACULTY AWARD

Photo by Doug Garland ’10FIU STADIUM EXPANSION SET TO BEGIN

WINTER 2011-12 | 7

8 | WINTER 2011-12

Are you alive? What makes you so sure?

These strange questions are the opening lines of a new book by College of Law professor elizabeth Price foley. The

law of life and Death uses stories of real people – some of whom, like Terri Schiavo, readers are sure to recognize – to

examine the laws that govern life and death questions.

The book journeys through a range of provocative issues like abortion, in-vitro fertilization, life support and physician-

assisted suicide. in her discussion of cryogenics, foley poses troubling questions for the future. The law deems those

cryogenically preserved to be dead, but what if science one day succeeds in resurrecting them? “Would such a person

become un-dead?”

Case by case, the book reveals the complexities of answering life and death questions, both legally and personally.

readers will find themselves turning those questions inward. What is the essence of being a person? if it is more than

just eating and breathing, what does that mean for those in a vegetative state?

Like the opening lines, The law of life and Death will give you pause. FIU Magazine caught up with foley recently to

talk about the book.

What motivated you to write this book?

My father died in the summer of 2004,

when I was writing my first book about

constitutional law. His death wasn’t a “good”

death, and it raised a lot of issues in my mind

about the meaning of life and death. Beyond

the basic philosophical questions raised by

these types of moments, I became intrigued

– as a lawyer – with the specific question of

how the law defines life and death, and how

those definitions relate (or don’t relate) to

each other.

Life and death would seem to be the most

straightforward of antonyms. But that’s not

so in the law. Why the ambiguity?

Life and death, in the eyes of the law, aren’t

opposites. In fact, my research revealed that

the two concepts don’t relate to each other at

all, legally speaking. The law has a pretty well

defined definition of death, but no definition

at all of life. I think this is due to the fact that

defining life is laden with moral judgments

and has implications for controversial issues

such as abortion. And while there are certainly

controversies surrounding the definition of

death – something I spend a good deal of

time exploring in the book – the law simply

cannot, pragmatically, punt on defining death.

Everyone will die, and this necessitates a

relatively clear and stable legal definition of

death so that wills can be probated, insurance

proceeds can be distributed and crimes can

be prosecuted. The law simply cannot afford

to equivocate on the definition of death in the

same way it can with the definition of life.

What do U.S. laws reveal about our

relationship to death and dying?

They reveal something I find fascinating

and relatively unexpected: That the law

of life and death is much more fluid and

multifaceted than one might expect. While

this may seem initially disturbing, I became

convinced, while writing the book, that

this was a good thing. It’s good because it

allows the law to accommodate a diverse

array of viewpoints on issues that are

intensely personal and vary wildly by things

such as religion and culture. This is one

area of the law where a one-size-fits-all

8 | WINTER 2011-12

WINTER 2011-12 | 9

approach would be counterproductive and

unnecessarily divisive.

Most people might be surprised to learn

there’s such a thing as “wrongful life”

and “wrongful conception” and “wrongful

birth.” What is the purpose of these laws?

Wrongful life, wrongful conception, and

wrongful birth are all tort claims – in other

words, private lawsuits that seek money

damages. In each of these torts, the

basic idea is that a child has been born or

conceived, and this birth or

conception has resulted in

harm, either to the parents

(who didn’t want to become

parents) or to the child (who

was born with disabilities).

These are all relatively

“new” torts – cropping

up in the last 30 or 40

years – and they are quite

controversial, as you can

imagine, because they acknowledge that life

isn’t always a good thing, but a harm to be

compensated for.

States have a surprising amount of

authority over life and death legal

questions. Where does the State of Florida

fall in the spectrum of laws regarding life

and death?

In general, Florida is relatively conservative

on its legal approach to life and death issues.

In the realm of death, for example, Florida

law requires “clear and convincing evidence”

to terminate life support – an issue that was

hotly debated in the Terri Schiavo case.

We just marked the death of Dr. Jack

Kevorkian in June 2011. Did his crusade

make any difference in the right-to-die

versus right-to-life movements?

Certainly. Dr. Kevorkian brought the

issue of physician-assisted suicide to the

forefront of the American public’s mind.

His methods were crude and often offensive,

but he forced American society to debate

the desirability of physician-assisted suicide

and shed light on longstanding practices that

were occurring regularly, albeit behind the

scenes. His crusade was undoubtedly a big

impetus behind passage of laws in Oregon

and Washington that have legalized physician-

assisted suicide. But it was also a backstory

in the Supreme Court’s decisions in 1997

denying recognition of a constitutional right to

physician-assisted suicide.

You write about heads cryogenically

preserved in the hopes that they may one

day be reattached to a clone or robotic

body. Can you talk about some of the

issues society will face in the future if

science manages to resurrect these

human body pieces?

If this ever becomes reality, all bets are off.

If the essence of our “personhood” is defined

by a functioning brain, then the successful

unfreezing of a cryogenically preserved

head (or just brain) would imply that the

person previously declared legally dead is

no longer so. How the law would be able to

accommodate such a resurrection is an

open question.

Presumably, once declared legally dead, all

of one’s assets dissipate and are distributed

to others. Once resurrected, those assets

could no longer be reclaimed and the

“person” would literally have to start over, in

terms of personal and professional identity.

All of these questions can be worked out,

but it certainly won’t be easy, and I think

the inevitable answer will be that, once a

certain number of years have passed under

cryopreservation, the resurrected individual

would be a ward of the state until such time

as he/she could support him/herself. The laws

could devise ways around these pragmatic

financial problems, of course, such as

through the establishment of special trusts or

the like. But legal relationships – for example,

between the resurrected individual and their

lineal descendants – would be tricky and

require a good deal of thought.

For better or worse, how likely is it

that we will continue to see erosion or

even the overturning of Roe v. Wade?

I think Roe v. Wade has already

been significantly eroded. It’s not quite

accurate to characterize abortion as a

“fundamental” right any longer, after the

Supreme Court’s decisions in Planned

Parenthood v. Casey and Gonzales v.

Carhart. Abortion is still a recognized

liberty interest under the Constitution, but

the Supreme Court has shown greater

willingness over the years to sustain laws

that regulate abortion, and even prohibit

some types of abortion, such as “partial

birth” abortions.

I was horrified by the story of Zach

Dunlap. Can you share that story and its

implications?

Yeah, the Zach Dunlap story made me

lose some sleep. The 21-year-old suffered

a traumatic brain injury in 2008. He was

declared brain dead in the hospital and

doctors began preparing to harvest his

organs. Zach heard all of it because he was

conscious but unable to speak. Fortunately

for Zach, two of his cousins, both nurses,

were in the room and able to demonstrate

that he was responding to pain. The

WINTER 2011-12 | 9

Continues next page

“The law of life and death is much

more fluid and multifaceted than one may expect.”

preparations for harvesting were stopped.

Forty-eight days later, Zach went home,

substantially recovered.

As the book shows, Zach’s story isn’t

isolated. Misdiagnoses of brain death are

more common than the medical profession

admits — since they don’t really admit to

any misdiagnoses at all. And although still

relatively rare, they do occur, and the potential

consequences are obviously devastating.

The implication of Zach’s story is that there

needs to be greater understanding of brain

death – both by healthcare professionals

and the general public. There needs to be

an awareness of its subtlety, complexity and

the need to have highly trained professionals

(such as neurologists) make the diagnosis

over a period of time. The pressure to obtain

harvestable organs reinforces the impression

that an abundance of caution is warranted in

making these diagnoses.

In your book, doctors don’t come across

as the best advocates for people facing

life and death questions. Who, then, is?

The patients and the patients’ loved ones

are the best advocates, by far. They are in

the best position to be objective and have

appropriate knowledge about the patient’s

values and preferences.

As well-meaning as doctors and other

healthcare professionals may be, they

don’t have the same degree of objectivity

and understanding of the patient. I’m a

huge advocate of advanced directives

such as living wills and durable healthcare

powers of attorney, but they must be

drafted with the goal of effectuating the

patient’s own wishes, and without any

pressure whatsoever.

You conclude the courts made a wrong

decision in the Terri Schiavo case. Would

it be fair to say that you have a bias for

life when it comes to people in various

states of incapacity?

Incompetent patients – those unable to

make their own healthcare decisions – are

the most vulnerable among us. I do think

it’s a hallmark of a civilized society to have

laws that protect incompetent individuals as

much as possible.

In the specific context of incompetent

individuals for whom life-sustaining care

is being provided, the removal of such

life-sustaining care must be done only with

extreme caution. These patients cannot, by

definition, tell us what they want. So before

making a decision that ends their life – a

decision that by definition is irreversible –

we should do everything possible to ensure

that’s what they would want, if they could

tell us.

Why devote the end of your book to

scientific research and treatment?

Because the research and treatment of

severe neurological disabilities – such as

the persistent vegetative state, the locked-

in syndrome and the newly discovered

minimally conscious state – reveal that our

understanding of the brain is, currently,

rudimentary at best. Because the legal

definition of death has been expanded in

the last 50 years to include brain death, it’s

critically important that we understand what

brain death is and what it isn’t.

As it’s turning out, there are many more

people with some awareness of their

surroundings than previously understood.

In my mind, this urges great caution in

considering proposals to expand the

definition of brain death or loosen its

diagnostic criteria.

You present a mind-boggling number

of variables regarding brain death and

consciousness and the possibilities

of technology. Is there an essential

question we should ask ourselves when

considering an advanced directive?

Boy, that’s a tough question. Death is

such a personal moment and in many

ways, we now have some legal control over

death’s timing and method, in large part

thanks to advance directives.

I think the most important thing for

anyone to think about is this: Would you

rather be extremely disabled and alive, or

dead? It’s actually a much harder question

to answer than you might think, particularly

if (like me), you are aware of data showing

that extremely disabled individuals –

for example, individuals in a locked-in

syndrome state – actually self-report a

relatively high quality of life.

For most people, so long as there are

people who care about you and with whom

you can interact in a rudimentary way

(talking, listening, etc.), life is worth living,

even if extremely disabled. Technology is

now making it possible to communicate

with neurologically disabled individuals in a

manner inconceivable only a decade ago.

As this technology improves, I think

a lot of people will be forced to redefine

their preferences for end-of-life care, in

a manner that expresses preference for

continuation, rather than discontinuation,

of life support. Eventually, this will create

financial pressures that will force American

society to engage in a substantive dialogue

about healthcare rationing. How America

resolves this pressure is anyone’s guess,

and will certainly be related to the extent to

which government pays for our health care.

So stay tuned. I know I will. n

10 | WINTER 2011-12

The Law of Life and DeathHarvard University Press, 2011

Continued

This year, FIU demonstrated its commitment to community engagement through the arts, encouraging students and friends to participate in several creative initiatives. Throughout the summer, FIU worked with hundreds of people of all ages on its Worlds

Ahead Mural and Ship of Tolerance projects, as well as The Art of Giving program.

Artfully Engaged

WINTER 2011-12 | 11

The Worlds Ahead Mural Project was an initiative of the FIU Art &

Art History Department, the Miami Moving the Lives of Kids (MLK) Community Mural Project, Pi

Kappa Alpha and Miami Children’s Hospital. About 50 people took part in the project, including

FIU Art & Art History students and faculty, Pi Kappa Alpha brothers and children in the Frost Art

Museum’s Cultural Arts & Community Service 2011 Youth Summer Camp. They worked on a

large mural that was donated to the hospital’s Urgent Care Center.

The project, which got underway last June, transformed a 9-foot-by-4-foot blank piece of

plywood into a representation of Florida’s official flora and fauna, inspired by the Everglades.

The goal was to evoke hope and healing through FIU’s five strategic values: truth, freedom,

respect, responsibility and excellence.

The mural is permanently – and prominently – displayed in the Urgent Care Center of Miami

Children’s West Kendall Outpatient Center.

Thirty-two students in Art & Art History visiting lecturer Gretchen Scharnagl’s drawing class

produced an additional two murals inspired by a visit to Pinecrest Gardens last spring. Those

murals are on display in the hallways of the first floor at Miami Children’s Hospital’s South

Miami location.

By Martin Haro ’05

Left: Gabriel Velasquez was among the Pi Kappa Alpha brothers who helped the kids in the Frost’s summer camp paint the Worlds Ahead mural in the Graham Center Pit at Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

Middle: Among the key players working on the Miami MLK Community Mural Project were MFA student Edward Rossel De Jongh; project volunteer Alexandry Douyon, a Poinciana Park Elementary art teacher; Katia Danilova Narciso; and project volunteer Luzalma Gonzalez.

Right: St. Timothy Parish School student Victoria Torres works on the mural in the GC Pit. Continues next page

12 | WINTER 2011-12

Top Left: The kids who participated in the Frost’s Cultural Arts & Community Service 2011 Youth Summer Camp were encouraged to express their thoughts on the theme of tolerance on paper before they started painting the ship’s sail.

Top Right: Students painted hundreds of canvas squares such as these.

Bottom: A model of the Ship of Tolerance was on display at the Frost through September. Among the people overseeing the project were Gretchen Scharnagl, a visiting lecturer in the FIU Department of Art + Art History, Dominique Breard, gallery manager at Wolfgang Roth + Partners Fine Art Gallery, and Murdock MacKenzie, thegallery’s director of Sales and Marketing.

FIU’s participation in the Ship of Tolerance project was the result of a

partnership between the university and the Wolfgang Roth + Partners Fine Art Gallery. Children

enrolled in the Frost’s summer camp worked with FIU students, faculty and gallery representatives

on this special endeavor that celebrated our diversity.

These children and other kids from throughout Miami designed and painted hundreds of sailing

canvas squares that were displayed around the city. The colorful squares were shown at the

Conrad Miami on Brickell Avenue and in Miami Beach during Art Basel, at Smith & Wollensky and

The Setai. The ship itself was docked behind the Miami Children’s Museum.

Previous versions of the Ship of Tolerance have been completed in Siwa, Egypt; Venice, Italy;

and St. Moritz, Switzerland. The project was the brainchild of international artists Ilya and Emilia

Kabakov, and its mission is to bring a message of tolerance and peace to the world. Everyone

who participated became an “Ambassador of Tolerance.”

12 | WINTER 2011-12

WINTER 2011-12 | 13 WINTER 2011-12 | 13

The Art of Giving (TAG) initiative was born in professor Jacek

Kolasinski’s art classes last spring during Diversity Week to promote global awareness.

As the new chair of FIU’s Art & Art History Department, Kolasinski reached out to the

Frost Art Museum and took the project into the community.

FIU students and community members gathered at more than a dozen locations

around Miami – in collaboration with the Overtown Youth Center, the Little Haiti Cultural

Center and The Institute of Black Family Life, among others – to decorate hundreds of

donated Converse sneakers with original art. The sneakers were distributed to Haitian

institutions throughout the summer.

Last May, Pilar Martin, a professor in the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine,

delivered some of those sneakers to the children of the Rose Mina de Diegue

Orphanage in Port-Au-Prince. A second trip in July delivered more than 750 pairs of

sneakers to three Haitian orphanages and a pediatric hospital. n

Top Left: This is a small sampling of the more than 750 colorful pairs of Converse sneakers created through the TAG Project and delivered to three orphanages and a pediatric hospital in Haiti over the summer.

Top Right: Approximately 80 pairs of decorated Converse shoes were distributed at a local church in Zanglais, a small rural community in the southern part of Haiti.

Bottom: Andrew Roisman (far right) was among the Pi Kappa Alpha brothers who hosted and participated in a TAG event at the Overtown Youth Center last May. He encouraged kids like Fabian Bell (left) and Harrry DeRolus, both of whom are enrolled in the center’s after-school program, to channel their creativity onto the sneakers.

Photos by Angel Valentin14 | WINTER 2011-12

WINTER 2011-12 | 15

By Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08

After three years of teaching intellectually

disabled children, Agustin Grana ’00 quit.

His students – 14 to 22 years old –

showed little academic progress. He was

frustrated and worn out. Grana, who was

educated in Catholic schools, found himself

asking God why he was wasting his talents.

The Miami native spent the following

year teaching more advanced students at

Southwest Miami High. Every once in a

while he’d run into former students in the

hall. They’d give him a big hug and tell him

how much they missed him. At the end of

the school year, the principal

asked if he would return to his

former position.

Grana realized he missed the

students and had an awakening

about his real purpose as an

educator.

“I was looking at this as a

waste of time when really it’s an

opportunity to serve,” says the

FIU special education graduate.

He returned to the classroom

he had left. His students have a

range of challenges and abilities.

Some hold jobs or are in work-training

programs, others have difficulty taking care

of their own basic needs.

In a ceremony at the Doral Golf Resort

and Spa Feb. 23, Grana was named the

2012 Francisco R. Walker Miami-Dade

County Teacher of the Year. He was chosen

from seven finalists nominated from each

of the district’s five regions, one from the

Education Transformation Office and one

from Alternative Education.

Former Southwest Principal James Haj

called Grana “the voice and advocate” for

his students. “His goal is to ensure that his

students with special needs receive the best

possible education,” Haj said.

The nomination process was extensive.

County employees observed several

classes, and Grana was interviewed multiple

times. When asked to describe himself in

one word, the special ed teacher said he

could do it in two – “beautiful mess.”

“A beautiful mess describes me, as well

as my kids,” he says. “We’re messy, but at

the same time God allows us to participate

in this beautiful task of educating these kids,

loving and caring for them, being almost like

a surrogate parent.”

Grana has now been teaching for more

than 10 years. He carries out his instruction

in a trailer on the west side of the high

school. His lessons are simple: Which way

is north? How much is $5? But they’re

essential for his students to survive in the

real world.

The responsibility is daunting. “As a

teacher of special ed, there’s not much

homework,” says Grana. “But at the end

of the day, I carry home not just how the

day went, but whether we have prepared

them for what is ahead.”

Work training is critical for his students.

To address their needs, Grana founded

CLAW (Community, Living and Working) –

a student-operated school business that

washes faculty and staff cars during school

hours. The program serves the dual purpose

of reinforcing academic skills learned in the

classroom, as well as promoting both social

and employable skills. Grana also founded

the Southwest Pantry to assist the needy

and impoverished in the Southwest High

School community by providing them with

donated food and clothing.

Javier Gonzalez, 19, has been in Grana’s

class two years. His mom, Yamila, says

Grana is a blessing to her family. “I don’t

have words to express how grateful I am,

nor how good a teacher he is.”

Javier, who arrived from Cuba in 2009,

had previously rejected school completely.

Now he wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to get to

class early. He asked to go to summer

school classes with Grana. And, as a

result, his math skills have improved so

radically that, for the first time, he was

placed in a regular math class.

In 2010, Grana completed a master’s

degree in divinity at Miami International

Seminary. Today he sees his job as

more of a ministry than a paycheck.

“Each and every day is a clean slate.

They accept me the same way I accept

them. It’s given me the opportunity to

look at life differently.

“People have been very patient with

me,” adds Grana, the youngest of six kids.

“They’ve been compassionate with me.

How can I turn around and not be so with

them?”

Grana celebrates the minor victories.

Patience and flexibility are key. You may

have the perfect lesson plan but you need

to adjust based on the circumstances. A

good day is when students are helping each

other and showing respect. “The day may

not go perfectly, but I know progress was

made,” he says.

The 2012 Teacher of the Year hopes

people see his students’ ability rather than

just their disability. He hopes they realize

these kids, regardless of their disability,

deserve the very best education possible. n

Photos by Angel Valentin

Miami-Dade County’s Teacher of the Year is a voice andadvocate for special needs students.

A Beautiful Mess

One of Agustin Grana’s students is Javier Gonzalez, a 19-year-old young man who came from Cuba two years ago.

22 | WINTER 2011-12

Photo by Angel Valentin

WINTER 2011-12 | 23

I determined years ago to write a book that even the most prejudiced reviewers

would have to take seriously – even to the point of revealing their prejudices

and bigotry. B-I-N-G-O. The left-liberal New York Review of Books gave

my Margaret Mitchell biography the lead review and took 2,500 words to explain

how wrong wrong wrong it was. Mission accomplished. More

fancy-pants Manhattanites at the New Yorker? At least

the reviewer there seemed to read the entire Liberace book. Liberace, you ask? The piano player? A book about him? Did I

answer those questions a score of times when I took on that project! If nobody

asks the question about my current project on the Civil War Gen.

William Tecumseh Sherman, just wait until they see my conclusions. This, in

part, is what the academy is about – it is also what tenure is about: to take the time to study things that other folks ignore. It involves

looking at something as familiar as a Las Vegas performer, complicate the matter

properly, and then offer an answer to your own riddles. The cultivation of ideas

lies behind our titles of “doctors of philosophy.” We take things apart and literally “rethink” them back together to make some

new form. Sometimes our theories might come in a flash – Newton and his apple,

the physicist Niels Bohr watching dancing flames of an open fire. More

commonly, we come by our ideas through plodding and hard work and even

mind-numbing investigation of data – we fit this evidence with that, trying this

combination, then another, before the whole begins to make sense. Making sense of the whole is what the enterprise is all about.

MY OWN

Darden PyronProfessor of History and Founding Faculty

RIDDLES

Photo by Angel Valentin

Be WorldsAhead

2011 Solar Decathlon

By Melia Sandler

Two years ago, architecture professor

Marilys Nepomechie and a group of FIU

students conceived a home design perfect

for South Florida – one that could get all its

energy from the sun. Last fall, they traveled to

Washington, D.C., and built that house for a

world-renowned competition: the 2011 U.S.

Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon.

“I’m really excited to represent FIU on such

an international stage,” said Nepomechie,

noting this is the second time FIU has been

invited to compete.

FIU, one of 20 teams from around the

world invited this year, tied for first place for

energy balance, producing all the power the

house used with its solar array. Overall, FIU

placed 11th, defeating Team China, Team

New York and Team New Jersey, among

others. FIU competed on its own, but several

other teams were partnerships among

institutions from a country or state – including

Team Florida, which comprised the University

of Florida, Florida State University, the

University of South Florida and the University

of Central Florida. Team Florida placed last

overall. The University of Maryland won.

During the decathlon, the team saw 2,500

to 4,000 visitors a day. The contest was held

in West Potomac Park near the National Mall

in Washington, D.C., Sept. 23-Oct. 2.

“It was great to see people’s faces light up

when we explained how the house worked,”

said Deana Sritalapat, who invested two

years in the project and earned her master’s

degree in architecture from FIU last summer.

“A lot of people were inspired by it, and

it was nice to see our hard work affecting

somebody like that.”

The Department of Energy first held

the Solar Decathlon in 2002, and FIU first

competed in 2005. The prestigious biennial

competition challenges more than 4,000

students from around the world. The goal is

to prepare and inspire tomorrow’s architects

and engineers and to show the world

comfortable, cost-efficient, “green” housing.

Teams demonstrated “how clean-energy

24 | WINTER 2011-12

Students bring to life a vision for sustainable building at international competition

Team FIU built the perFORM[D]ance House in Washington, D.C., in just five days. Photos by Jim Tetro/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

products and efficient building design can

help families and businesses reduce energy

use and save money,” U.S. Energy Secretary

Steven Chu said.

FIU students put in 10- to 20-hour days

in the final months preparing their home

for competition, said Alvaro Gazo ’09, who

worked on FIU’s house for 18 months.

He graduated with his master’s degree in

architecture last summer but continued to

volunteer until the house was complete.

FIU’s team united several disciplines.

Nepomechie, the team’s faculty advisor, and

student project manager Andy Madonna led

a diverse group of more than 40 architecture,

engineering, interior design, computer

science, landscape architecture and

journalism students.

FIU’s multidisciplinary design and

construction team envisioned and built what

they call the “perFORM[D]ance House.” The

780-square-foot home (with a 1,500-square-

foot porch/pavilion) was designed for a

fictional wheelchair user and her husband.

“It’s named perFORM[D]ance because

the house is able to adapt to the needs

of the user,” said Ryan Reznichek, who

earned his master’s degree in construction

management in May and stayed on to finish

the house. “It actually performs and dances

to the subtropical conditions in Florida,”

complete with customized louvers that

provide shade, security and protection from

hurricane-force winds.

Among its amenities are an edible garden,

lights and electrical systems that can be

controlled by a smart phone, and solar panels

that convert the sun’s energy into electricity

and heat water. Judges ranked the homes

in these 10 categories: architecture, market

appeal, engineering, communications,

maintaining comfortable temperature, hot

water, appliances, home entertainment, energy

balance and – a new category – affordability.

“These are not supposed to be the houses

of the future. They are the houses of today,”

Nepomechie said. Energy-efficient living

“needs to be something that everyone does.

The Solar Decathlon is a way of showing

people that it is possible.”

FIU’s house was designed and built for fast

and easy assembly and disassembly. Each of

the home’s two main areas – a dining room/

living room section and a kitchen/bed/bath/

mechanical module – fit on the back of a

flatbed truck.

Ultimately, it took three months to build

the whole house working in three-hour shifts

with a crew of 10 people, Gazo said. Then the

team took it apart so it could be trucked to

D.C. for the competition. There, the team had

five days to rebuild it.

“It was a good experience,” said Sritalapat.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever been so

exhausted, but I also don’t think we’ve ever

done something so rewarding.”

Following the Solar Decathlon, the

perFORM[D]ance house will continue to

serve as a model for sustainable living at

FIU. It has become the permanent home

of the FIU Office of Sustainability at the

Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

The FIU Solar Decathlon house was made

possible by the open-handed generosity

of many sponsors. Among them were

our consultants —SKANSKA, MC Harry &

Associates, PMM Consulting Engineers,

Project Caine Consulting Engineers and BNI

Consulting Engineers, all of whom provided

their professional services to the project

pro-bono. n

Melia Sandler is a writer who lives in the

Washington, D.C., area.

WINTER 2011-12 | 25

26 | WINTER 2011-12

THE KARATASSOS KITCHEN

ALUMNI PANO JR., ANN AND NIKO KARATASSOSCONTINUE A FAMILY FINE DINING TRADITION

It’s Sunday morning and the Karatassos family kitchen is

prepped. Handpicked herbs and vegetables sit on the counter

waiting to be chopped and diced. Pots crackle over the heat

anticipating the freshest ingredients.

The two boys in this family of five join their father, Pano

Karatassos, Sr., in the kitchen. Sons Pano and Niko will learn

from their father how to prepare a gourmet menu, all from

scratch. Every detail, from the slicing of an onion to the garnish

on the baked fish, is fine-tuned to perfection. Meanwhile the

Karatassos women, mother Georgia and daughter Ann, are busy

in the dining room. They set the table with white linens, fine

china and crystal stemware.

The Karatassos siblings, Pano Jr. ’93, Ann ’92 and Niko ’98, often share good times at the table at home, as well as at the Buckhead Diner, one of their family’s Atlanta restaurants.

By Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08 I Photos by Ann States

WINTER 2011-12 | 27

Reminiscent of the finest restaurants

in Paris, this has been the Karatassos’

Sunday family tradition for more than

30 years.

Today, the Karatassos family is

synonymous with fine dining in Atlanta,

Ga. Pano Sr. is the founder and CEO of

the Buckhead Life Group – 14 restaurants

in the area, each with its own style,

atmosphere and flavor. Pano

Jr., Niko and Ann, all graduates

of FIU’s Chaplin School of

Hospitality and Tourism

Management, each play a role in

Buckhead’s success. Pano Jr. is

the master chef of the renowned

Kyma restaurant. Niko oversees

all the restaurants as Buckhead’s

director of operations, and Ann keeps the

books for the company.

The family’s serious devotion to food

has earned their restaurants wide acclaim:

Food & Wine, Esquire, Gourmet and The

New York Times have all ranked their

restaurants among the best locally and

nationally for more than 20 years. On a

grand scale, they have recreated the same

fine-dining experience for the public that

they have long cherished at home.

From an early age, the Karatassos

children all knew they wanted to be

part of the restaurant company their

father was building. “We talk about the

restaurants as a family,” Ann says. “It’s a

big part of our lives.”

As a youngster, their father Pano Sr.,

worked with his father, a first-generation

Greek immigrant who ran a restaurant

food-import business called Pano’s Food

Shop in Savannah. After working in the

Navy’s food department, Pano Sr. attended

the renowned Culinary Institute of America.

He met chef Paul Albrecht in 1968 while

working in Washington, D.C., and later

worked with him in Missouri. Ten years

later, the friends opened Pano’s & Paul’s,

the flagship fine-dining restaurant that

brought national attention to Atlanta’s

culinary scene.

As a child, Ann enjoyed watching Pano

Sr. work at Pano’s & Paul’s. Her first job

was helping her dad’s assistant confirm

reservations. “I loved everything about the

restaurant business. I never

considered doing anything

else,” she says.

Knowing she would work

in the restaurant industry,

Ann looked for a university

that blended academic

instruction with hands-on

experience. She discovered

FIU after she heard from industry insiders

that FIU’s hospitality program was the

best in the country. Her brothers followed

in her footsteps.

“FIU opened my eyes to the human

resources side of running restaurants,”

says Niko. “It gave me all the facets of the

industry.” After college, each found their

niche within Buckhead.

“FIU opened my eyes to the human resources side of running

a restaurant. It gave me all the facets of the industry.”

Continues next page

Niko enjoys a cup of coffee at Bistro Niko, which serves modern French fare in the heart of Buckhead.

28 | WINTER 2011-12

Pano Jr. and Crystal Hoang plate his herb-crusted white tuna, a popular item on the menu at the renowned Kyma restaurant.

As the eldest son, Pano Jr. first learned

the art of preparing a fine meal from

his father and maternal grandmother,

Athanasia, who came to live with the family

when he was 10. After school, the budding

chef would help grandma cook for the day,

and prep the kitchen for the next day much

like a chef at a restaurant would. At the

local grocery store, she paid close attention

to the freshness of the food, like everyone

did in her homeland of Greece.

“Here we are at Kroger’s,” says Pano.

“She’d ask the bag boy when the fish had

come in or why the price of vegetables

went up. And she’d smell everything!”

In honor of his grandmother, Pano

brings the same attention to detail to his

restaurant, Kyma. “It’s about bringing

everything up to the highest level you can.”

After graduating from FIU, Pano Jr., like

his father, attended the Culinary Institute

of America. He trained one year as saucier

under chef Thomas Keller at the Michelin

3-Star French Laundry in Napa Valley and

two years as saucier under chef Jean-

Georges Vongerichten at the Michelin

3-Star Jean-Georges in New York City.

He also spent two-and-a-half years under

chef Eric Ripert at the Michelin 3-Star Le

Bernardin in Manhattan.

In 2001, Pano Jr. opened Kyma, “wave”

in Greek, to fill a void in Atlanta’s fine dining

scene. Unlike other local Greek restaurants,

Kyma features upscale Greek food

prepared using the techniques of French

culinary masters.

Chef Pano’s cooking has garnered a lot

of attention for the restaurant. Kyma was

named one of the Top 20 restaurants in the

country by Esquire in 2002 and has been

featured in Wine Spectator, Cooking Light,

Gourmet and In Style magazines.

WINTER 2011-12 | 29

The success of Kyma has been echoed

by Bistro Niko, a French neighborhood

restaurant that opened in 2009. Esquire

said, “Any skeptic who questions whether

the south – which of late has come into

its own as a cradle of intensely personal,

adventurous cooking with indigenous

ingredients – is ready for a serious French

bistro should try to get a table on short

notice at Niko.”

Bistro Niko gets its name from the

youngest Karatassos, Niko. He is the

businessman of the family, but you won’t

find him behind a desk. He says you can’t

run a restaurant company from corporate

headquarters. He’s in the restaurants

every day working with the managers

and chefs.

“My role in the restaurants is keeping

everyone excited and working toward

a single goal,” Niko says. “We’re about

impeccable customer service at every

level, from how we prepare the food to

how we serve it.”

The company maintains a family

environment with employees, nurturing

talent, promoting from within and rarely

recruiting from outside. “Our general

managers move up from servers,” he

says. “They’ve been working with us 10,

15, 20 years and get the company culture.

They believe in us.”

For years, it was Ann who worked at the

company’s headquarters as the director

of strategic development. More recently,

she scaled back her work to raise her

two daughters, Georgia and Alexandra,

but she still takes care of the company’s

payroll. She says it offers the perfect

balance. “I still feel included – a part of

the things, a part of the family.”

The Karatassos siblings are passing on

their love of food to the next generation.

Niko carries on the family tradition of

Sunday dinners, cooking for his wife

Bronni and two children, Ignace, 6, and

Christian, 4.

Pano Jr. is teaching his children to cook.

Oldest son Pano, 10, makes a fantastic

omelet; Lucas, 7, makes pasta from

scratch; and Sophia, 4, helps her brother

roll out the dough. “It’s not uncommon

to start the morning out in our house with

a pound of dough on the counter,” Pano

Jr. jokes.

“Growing up in a Greek family there is

serious devotion to food and family get

togethers,” he says. “Food has always

been a big part of our lives.”

They all enjoy getting together in the

family restaurants. Ann’s children often

celebrate birthdays at Kyma. And her

daughters Georgia, 9, and Alexandra, 11,

order their favorite dish – octopus. n

Horiatiki Salad: Tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, peppers, feta cheese.

Spicy Lamb Pie: Kefalograviera cheese baked in filo, baby arugula, kalamata olive salad.

White Tuna: Herb crusted white tuna, quinoa salad, red wine vinaigrette.

PREPARED bY ChEF PANO FROM ThE KYMA MENU

30 | WINTER 2011-12

By Frederico Armando

An analysis of Richard Ellis’s article

“Finding a Place for 9/11 in American

History” reveals that the historical

importance Americans have placed on the

9/11 attacks may have been exaggerated,

as was the reaction to such attacks by the

United States.

Ellis looks at the 9/11 phenomenon

from a historian’s perspective and does

what most Americans haven’t yet been

able to do: to analyze the 9/11 attacks

in an objective manner and put it into an

appropriate historical context. For most in

the United States, those terrorist attacks

still figure prominently in their minds

as the event that changed everything;

the wound that still won’t heal. It is the

event that marked this generation and is

remembered alongside the assassination

of JFK and the Pearl Harbor attacks as

transformative events in U.S. history.

One of the assertions that Ellis makes in

his article is that the 9/11 attacks are not

that important as events that threatened

national security. Although those attacks

clearly showed the vulnerability of a

superpower and practically ended the

erroneous post-Cold War notion that the

United States was somehow impervious

to an attack, it simply did not represent a

serious threat to the survival of the United

States as a country or to the American

way of life.

In as much as it changed the way

Americans viewed national security and

destroyed the old realist ideas of power,

9/11 can indeed be considered a game

changer. Americans suffered an attack

in their own soil and when the wave of

patriotism ended and a response was

called for, there was no state to retaliate

against. The concept of asymmetrical

warfare made itself clear as the United

States scrambled to find an enemy on

which revenge could be sought.

Richard Ellis appropriately places the

response to the 9/11 attacks along such

radical and exaggerated measures as

the internment of Japanese-Americans

during World War II and the McCarthy era

in the 1950s. Perhaps the 9/11 wound

is still too new for Americans to analyze

it objectively. The wave of patriotism

that immediately followed the attacks

united the country in an unprecedented

way, but also had the unforeseen effect

of stifling those opinions that dissented

from the administration’s unilateral

and radical response. All of a sudden,

it became unpatriotic to not want to

bomb Afghanistan or to think of Islam as

anything other than an extremist, hate-

mongering religion.

In many respects, Americans still live

in the shadow of 9/11; it not only has

unnecessarily dictated American foreign

policy for the past ten years, but also

obfuscated the fact that there were – and

still are – real grievances in the Arab

world regarding American actions in the

Middle East. It may be that the actual

game changer was not the 9/11 attacks

themselves, but rather the American

response to them. n

REFLECTING ON 9-11Students examine the historical importance of the 2001 terrorist attacks

In September, FIU’s Global Learning for Global Citizenship initiative

and The New York Times sponsored a student essay contest designed to make

students reflect on and think deeply about the legacy of the 9-11 terrorist

attacks on the United States in 2001. Students were asked to frame their

essays as responses to historian Joseph Ellis’ 2006 New York Times op-ed piece

titled “Finding a Place for 9-11 in American History.” They were asked to

critically analyze Ellis’ contention that 9-11, while significant, was not in the

top tier of truly significant events in history.

The contest yielded more than 50 entries that were reviewed by a panel of

judges including Honors College Fellow and journalism professor Frederick

Blevens, Global Learning Director Hilary Landorf, Global Learning Associate

Director Stephanie Doscher, journalism professor Moses Shumow and FIU

Magazine editor Deborah O’Neil.

First place went to Frederico Armando, an international relations major

born in New York and raised in Brazil. What follows here is Armando’s

winning essay.

Photo from the Arianna Caroli collection of American flag images displayed at FIU to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

WINTER 2011-12 | 31

Dear Friends and Family,

During the last eight years, the FIU Alumni Association has been transformed into one of the fastest growing in the United States under the leadership of Bill Draughon. He’s brought the long-term vision and the patience needed to build a thriving alumni program.

Bill is now taking on a critical new role for FIU that will help the alumni effort progress even further. As an associate vice president in Advancement, Bill will be leading the fundraising campaign for the new Alumni Center and will develop and oversee the Alumni Association’s travel programs.

Duane Wiles will serve as the interim executive director of the Alumni Association as we launch a national search. Duane has worked alongside Bill for the last eight years as the associate executive director, so the Alumni Association remains in good hands. He has the full support of the Alumni Association Board of Directors moving forward.

As Bill transitions into his new role, I would like to thank him for his hard work and recognize his many accomplishments. I would also like to thank him for being a tireless advocate for the importance of alumni engagement. When Bill began as executive director, FIU was just beginning to understand the importance and power of alumni to the university’s future. Bill educated many and helped the university grow. In recognition of his many contributions to FIU, the Alumni Association voted in October to make him an FIU honorary alumnus.

As the executive director of the association, Bill made his mark by developing countless new programs and enhancing existing ones to bring together alumni, family and friends of the university. Among them: the VIP feature in the back of FIU Magazine, the Torch Awards, the Golden Panther Getaways travel programs, the FIU Panther Pit Tailgate. He grew the Alumni Relations staff from three to 11 and has overseen the establishment of new alumni chapters around the world, most recently in China.

What he has always done best, however, is build relationships. Growing the Alumni Association membership from 1,000 to 18,000 involved a lot of handshaking, personal contacts and grassroots engagement. This is where Bill has excelled. He takes a personal interest in everyone he meets. That quality was instrumental in developing the Alumni Association and will continue to serve him well in his fundraising efforts.

I have relied on Bill’s experience and ability to get things done throughout my time as president. I’m pleased that Bill has agreed to take on the next big challenge for the Alumni Association: getting our Alumni Center built. He’s off to a good start. Bill has already raised nearly $1 million for the Alumni Center.

With gratitude and congratulations,

Jack González ’97

from The ALUmNi ASSoCiATioN PreSiDeNT

FIU 2011-’12 Alumni Association Board

Executive Committee

Joaquín “Jack” F. González ’97 President

Gonzalo Acevedo ’91, MBA ’10 Vice President

Ariana Fajardo, Esq. ’93 Secretary

Sharon Fine ’99, MS ’11 Treasurer

Gabriel Albelo ’93 Parliamentarian

Ralph Rosado ’96, MA ’03 Governmental Relations Officer

José M. Pérez de Corcho ’93 Past President

Officers

Gus Alfonso ’02

Chi Ali ’00

Stewart L. Appelrouth MBA ’80

Ricardo C. Cabrera ’94

Lilian T. Chiu ’00

Elizabeth Cross ’89

Isabel C. Díaz, Esq. ’01

Cynthia J. Dienstag, Esq. ’83

Marlon Font ’04

Anastasia García ’89

Jorge F. Hernández ’95

Michael A. Hernández ’04, MPA ’11

Eduardo Hondal ’88, MS ’00

Samuel C. Jackson MPA ’90

Jaime N. Machado ’01, MBA ’10

Michael P. Maher ’97

Ana L. Martínez, CPA MAcc. ’92

Franklin Gentle McCune ’05, MS ’08

Michael R. Méndez ’03, MA ’10

Alberto Padrón ’98, MBA ’09

Frank Javier Peña ’99

Enrique Piñeiro ’03

Alicia María Robles ’98

José Roces ’03

A. Celina Saucedo ’99, MPA ’11

WINTER 2011-12 | 31

The renovations of the U.S. Century Bank Arena will bring renewed life to a facility that has been the scene

of many great moments in FIU history since it opened 25 years ago. Slated to open in early 2012, the newly

modernized U.S. Century Bank Arena will benefit thousands of FIU students for years to come. Through our

partnership with FIU, U.S. Century Bank is proud to support public higher education in South Florida.

Modernizing for the future

S n A p S h o t S I n E x C E l l E n C E F r o M U . S . C E n t U r y B A n k A r E n A

Florida International University and Partners in Education

WINTER 2011-12 | 33

Alumni celebrAte Accomplishments At silver pride reunion

By Blanca Morales ’11When Catherine McManus ’86 played on

FIU’s tennis team 25 years ago, she was not a Panther; she was a Sunblazer.

There is no denying that FIU has changed significantly in the last two decades. Those who graduated in 1986 and earlier marveled at the changes 25-plus years have brought to FIU when they gathered on Homecoming Day, Oct. 1, for the 2011 Silver Pride Reunion.

More than 200 alumni attended the luncheon and Silver Pride induction ceremony. They came from South Florida and as far as Massachussets. Alumni were invited to reminisce, become reacquainted with classmates and journey back to a time when FIU’s potential was in its early stages.

It was 1986 when Modesto Maidique, for whom the south campus is now named, became the university’s fourth president. That year, FIU changed the university’s mascot from the Sunblazer to the more fearsome Golden Panther.

Rocco Angelo, associate dean and professor at the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, recalled how Maidique asked him to find a real panther for the big announcement. Angelo had all but determined that to be impossible when he discovered someone who had a pet panther.

Angelo told the alumni that he is, in fact, Roary’s godfather.

Founding faculty member Stephen Fain encouraged the gathered alumni to “keep the FIU spirit alive.”

“When you leave here today, and people ask who you are, you say, ‘I am FIU.’ Knowing who we are in a community is special,” he said.

He demonstrated his deep-rooted love for FIU by dedicating a song to the university.

Re-wording the lyrics to an old tune, he sang, “Viva la, viva la, viva l’amour…viva la FIU!”

Many of the alumni present spoke of their gratefulness for the university’s contribution to their lives.

Jorge A. Porras, Esq. ’86 is a lawyer who came from Boston for the Silver Pride Reunion. He still fondly remembers all those who supported him during his time at FIU. “I remember professor James Huchingson,” he said. “He was so helpful to me.”

Another alumnus, Howard Cohen ’87, a business major, remembers that writing for FIU’s student newspaper, The Beacon, helped him find his vocation in journalism. Through the Beacon he found out about a job opening at The Miami Herald. He has now been writing for the Herald for 20 years.

“We’re here to bask in the glory of all we’ve accomplished together,” said President Mark B. Rosenberg to the alumni, updating them on FIU’s latest triumphs. Among them: College of Law graduates achieved the highest pass rate in Florida on the July 2011 bar exam.

Catherine McManus ’86, who had just moved back to Florida after living in Maryland, said she particularly looked forward to exploring the campus, which to her seemed like an entirely different place than she remembered.

Fellow-inductee Deann Patterson ’86, who had not returned since graduation, found the campus “unrecognizable.” She remembers when the university began building the residence halls. “Now it’s a whole city,” she said.

Patterson also said that her time at FIU prepared her for her future. With her degree in hospitality management, Patterson went on to become a broker agent, a business owner and volunteer for her community’s citizen’s crime watch and emergency response team.“Having a degree gives you strength,”

she said. n

Writer Blanca Morales graduated from FIU in

December 2011 with a degree in religious studies.

34 | WINTER 2011-12

CLASS NoTeS1970s

Percy L. Ransom Ph.D. ’74, is the pastor of Miami’s Cosmopolitan Baptist Church, where he has served since its inception in 1988. Ransom and his wife, Purnel, have

four children.

Maurice Donovan Taylor ’78, a member of the FIU varsity soccer teams from 1976-’78, is a construction worker with The Power of Faith Ministries. He previously worked with the City of Miami’s Public Works Department.

Raquel M. Roque ’78, a self-described “accidental cook,” recently published her new cookbook, The Cuban Kitchen, a collection of more than 500 recipes she has been amassing since her twenties. It expands on her Spanish-language 2007 tome, Cocina Cubana: 350 Recetas Criollas, and includes recipes for the traditional dishes she grew up enjoying, such as croquetas and arroz con pollo. Roque is the owner of the Downtown Book Store.

1980s

Barbara Y. Debesa, CPA ’82, M.Acc. ’94, joined Sunstate Bank, a Miami-Dade community bank with $173 million in assets, in July as senior vice president and chief operating officer. Debesa was designated a Certified Sarbanes Oxley Expert by the Sarbanes Oxley Compliance Professional Association in March.

Jose Leiman, Esq. ’82, a licensed CPA in Florida, joined PwC US as a partner in PwC’s Miami-based Latin American tax practice.

Abel O. Adekola ’83 recently was named dean of the College of Management at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Adekola, who has taught at UW-Stout since 1995, had been serving as

interim dean for the college, and was hired after a national search, assuming his duties in July. While at the university, he has been a Fulbright scholar, received an Oxford University Roundtable Fellowship and a Wisconsin Teaching Fellowship, and was a senior distinguished fellow of the Academy of World

Business, Marketing and Management Development.

Art Canales ’87 recently published his third book, A Noble Quest: Cultivating Spirituality in Catholic Adolescents. Canales lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and two children.

Joe Mellia ’86 recently was named general manager of the historic Hanover Inn at Dartmouth College. Mellia brings 25 years of service and experience in the hospitality industry to his new position.

Cecilia P. Arboleda ’88 is an award-winning photographer whose work – which focuses heavily on her native Colombia and the country’s mestizo culture – has been featured in solo and group exhibitions, as well as private collections in the United States, Spain and Latin America.

Callum Gibb ’89 recently was appointed to a two-year term on the Coral Gables Board of Architects. The former FIU golf team member is the principal of Callum

Gibb Architect, P.A, which is based in Coral Gables.

Luis Mier ’89 is the new chief financial officer for Navarro Discount Pharmacy. Mier brings more than 20 years of experience in the retail and food and beverage

industries to his role with the largest Hispanic-owned pharmacy chain in the United States.

Joe Rooney MS ’89 recently published his first novel, The Flying Hound, which follows a man’s journey of self-discovery through Ireland. The book is available on iTunes and joerooneybooks.com.

Mercedes Sellek ’89 joined the law firm of Abadin Cook as a partner. She is a transactional attorney who practices commercial and residential real estate law,

development and finance, banking, environmental and land use law, as well as general corporate matters.

Tony Argiz ’74 was named 2011 Alumnus of the Year by the FIU School of Accounting at its 2nd Annual Awards Banquet last spring.

The chairman and CEO of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLC, Argiz is the former chair of the university’s Council of 100 and currently serves on the university’s Foundation Board and the School of Accounting Advisory Board. He was honored as an individual who has achieved distinction in the accounting field and is a significant contributor to the College of Business Administration.

“To be recognized by one’s alma mater is particularly pleasing,” he said. “It strengthens the bonds with my fellow alumni in a special way that other awards don’t.”

Under Argiz’s leadership, Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra has become one of the top 40 accounting firms in the nation and the largest independent Florida-based accounting firm in the state.

Well known for his industry and community leadership, he is a highly respected and nationally recognized practitioner with more than 30 years of experience specializing in litigation support services.

In addition to his contributions to FIU, the 2007 FIU Entrepreneurship Hall-of-Famer gives time to organizations including the Beacon Council, the Orange Bowl Committee and United Way Miami-Dade County.

Alumni Association Member

WINTER 2011-12 | 35

1990s

Yocelyn Galiano Gómez ’90, MS ’95 was unanimously confirmed as Pinecrest’s new village manager in July. She previously served as assistant village manager from 2009-2011

and from 1996-2004, and also has held public-service positions in Doral and Key Biscayne.

Frank González ’90 was appointed president of the South Florida Banking Institute for the 2011-’12 fiscal year. Gonzalez is principal in the Audit Department at Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLC, where he leads financial institutions and SEC practices.

Jason Poblete ’92 was appointed vice chair of the American Bar Association’s International Law National Security Committee for a one-year term that started in August.

Alex Hanna ’94 recently received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for his outstanding service to his community. The Miami-based attorney was honored in Washington, D.C., by fellow Panther U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ’75, MS ’87, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart and Sen. Marco Rubio.

See the world with Golden Panther Getaways The FIU Alumni Association’s Golden Panther Getaways is offering alumni trips

of a lifetime in 2012.The land journeys include nine days in Normandy and Paris and eight days in

Tuscany-Cortona. A 14-day “Treasures of East Africa” getaway will take travelers on safari to Tanzania and Kenya. The “Treasures of India & Nepal” will feature visits to Delhi, the Taj Mahal and Kathmandu. The Peruvian getaway in March will journey to Machu Picchu, Cuzco and the Peruvian market of Chinchero. A variety of departure dates throughout the year are available for the land journeys.

Two river journeys are being offered through the waterways and canals of Holland and Belgium in April and the Rhone River in May. And a land and cruise journey through China and the Yangtzee River is being offered in the fall.

Visit go.fiu.edu/travel2012 for details, departure dates and reservations for these exciting Golden Panther Getaways.

Make a philanthropic investment that will benefit generations to come and secure your legacy

through a planned gift to FIU. Learn about the many ways that you can make a difference, provide

for the future and save taxes. Call us at the FIU Planned Giving Office at 305-348-6298 and visit

us at

Support FIU’s Future. Leave a Legacy.

36 | WINTER 2011-12

Eugene Butler, Jr. MS ’95, an educator for more than two decades, is the principal of Norland Middle School in Miami Gardens. Butler has been a school administrator for more than 15 years and last May, he was selected as the Miami-Dade County Council PTA/PTSA 2010-’11 Paul Bell Principal of the Year. He also was nominated during the last school year for the Florida Art Educators Association’s Outstanding Principal/Administrator Award.

Faith Amon ’96, the owner and creative director of Frecklefoot Creative, a boutique ad agency in Orlando, was selected as one of Orlando’s 40 under 40 by the Orlando

Business Journal in August.

Mireidy Fernandez ’98 has joined Jacobs Engineering in Broward County as a public outreach specialist and planner. Jacobs is one of the world’s largest companies providing a

full spectrum of services including aerospace defense, infrastructure and biotechnology.

Sharon Fine ’99, treasurer of the Alumni Association Board, received her master’s in finance from FIU during the university’s first summer commencement ceremony last August.

Shannon Ford ’99 was crowned Mrs. United States 2011 during the pageant’s silver jubilee last August in Las Vegas. Ford, who lives with Celiac Disease, a lifelong illness that will require her to maintain a gluten-free diet for the rest of her life, is striving to bring more attention to the disease as part of her platform. She is also working for better labeling of the nation’s food supply.

Jacqueline G. Hodes, Esq. ’99, a member of the FIU President’s Council, joined DLA Piper’s corporate and securities Miami-based practice, where she focuses on

private equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters.

Celina Saucedo ’99, an officer of the Alumni Association Board, received her master’s in public administration from FIU last spring.

2000S

Lorri (Camueiras) Lores ’01 was accepted into the MFA program at UCF, where she began her studies last fall.

Lorenzo Cobiella ’02 joined Fowler White Burnett, P.A., as an associate in the full-service law firm’s downtown Miami office. He will focus on wealth preservation, probate of

guardianships, trusts and estates, as well as probate litigation. Cobiella previously worked in the Coral Gables law office of Osvaldo N. Soto and served as a congressional assistant to U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ’75, MS ’87.

Alexander Binelo, CPA ’03, MS ’05 was elected to the Board of Directors of the Family Resource Center of South Florida. Binelo is a senior manager in the audit department at the public accounting firm of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLC.

Katie Clifford ’07 is a health volunteer with the Peace Corps currently on her fourth and final year working, primarily, on malaria prevention activities in the Gambia. Clifford says her experience with the Peace Corps – she is in her second tour with the organization – has given her a better idea of who she is and her place in the world.

Ernesto Alfonso ’11 joined the FIU Federal Relations team in August as an intern for the fall semester.

“On my first day, I wrote a letter to Madame Secretary

Hillary Clinton,” he said. “That same week, I visited congressional offices on my own – I was knocking on senators’ and representatives’ office doors to introduce myself to their staffers. Everyone loves FIU, and they made me feel right at home.”

The first generation Venezuelan-American graduated magna cum laude last May with a degree in international relations and a minor in economics. Among his duties as an intern during the 16-week program were covering the presentation of FIU’s Global Water for Sustainability (GLOWS) Center at Biscayne Bay Campus, as well as the JP Morgan Chase/FIU “Education Effect” partnership at Northwestern Senior High. He also helped coordinate a visit to FIU by the Georgian vice prime minister.

Teresita Fernández ’90 was appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts by President Barack Obama in September.

The 2005 MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient joined a panel of seven members that advises the president, Congress and other governmental agencies on national matters of design and aesthetics. Panel members play a key role in shaping Washington’s architecture by approving the site and design of national memorials and museums.

In her new role, Fernández and her peers also will advise the U.S. Mint on the design of coins and medals, as well as administer the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program, which benefits nonprofit cultural entities that provide arts programming in Washington.

A visual artist best known and recognized for her prominent public sculptures and unconventional use of material, Fernández has received many awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Biennal Award and an American Academy in Rome Affiliated Fellowship. In 2007, she graced the cover of the summer issue of FIU Magazine.

Fernández lives and works in New York and is represented by the Lehmann Maupin Gallery.

WINTER 2011-12 | 37

Albert Maury ’96, ’02

President and CEO of León Medical Centers Health PlansChairman, FIU Board of TrusteesLifetime Member, FIU Alumni AssociationBachelor’s degrees in business administration and accounting

Q. What are your fondest memories of FIU?A. I have many, but one moment that stands out is my second graduation. Seeing my wife and my four kids in the audience cheering me on was great. It was especially significant the second time around because they could see the reward of the sacrifices we made as a family when I was studying late and on weekends and maybe not able to do things with them. My children are all different ages, and some maybe understood more than others at the time, but having them there seeing the culmination of that journey is something that I will always cherish.

Q. What or who has been the strongest influence in shaping you as a leader?A. The credit of my early years goes to my mother who instilled in me the values that I have today. Without a doubt however, the strongest influence in my life – the person who shaped me as a leader – is my father-in-law, Benjamín León, Jr. I’ve been consistently inspired by his work ethic, intelligence, leadership, and his ability to instill trust in people. I owe much of my leadership abilities to his role as my mentor and, more importantly, as my father figure. Q. You are the CEO of a large company, yet you devote a great deal of time to FIU. Why have you chosen to be involved?A. I owe a great deal of who I am to FIU and I feel a sense of responsibility to give back to the school that gave so much to me. I am grateful to the institution and to the professors who worked with me and with every student who works and leads a family while studying. That support made it possible for me to make it, so I have chosen to be involved and offer as much as I can to help build FIU into a world-class university. I want all graduates, past and present, to have the same overwhelming sense of pride that I carry so that they, too, can contribute to the success of this institution. Q. As chairman of the Board of Trustees, what are your top priorities for FIU?A. There’s a number of top priorities for FIU, but I’d say my Top 3 are first, that our professional schools stay on the cutting-edge of their disciplines. As the Board of Trustees we are a push and support to the administration that ensures everyone stays at the top of their game. Second, I want to see FIU emerge as our community’s leading public research institution with an emphasis on the science, technology, engineering and math programs. And third, I want FIU to continue in our pursuits in Latin American, Caribbean and Asian studies, with a particular emphasis in China, and for our students to graduate as leaders in those fields of knowledge. Of course, we need to keep the momentum and upward trajectory of our colleges. And we need to ensure that our campuses continue to expand effectively to meet their potential.

Q. What is your vision for the future of FIU?A. For FIU to be known around the world as a learner’s haven. I want us to be known as the No. 1 resource locally that also attracts top talent from other countries because of our educators, our research and the experience that students get at FIU. Our goal is to continue to help FIU build its brand as a Worlds Ahead institution.

VIP: Very Important Panther

38 | WINTER 2011-12

Division of External RelationsModesto A. Maidique Campus, MARC 510Miami, FL 33199-0001

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