FIU celebrates its 50th anniversary with cider and doughnuts outside first building
A few hundred people gathered outside Florida International University’s first building Monday afternoon, holding champagne coupes filled with Martinelli’s sparkling cider and clutching Salty Donut boxes, for the university’s 50th birthday party.
“Turning 50 is indeed a big deal, and I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity today to be with you celebrating,” said Interim President Kenneth Jessell, who wore a blue-and-gold striped tie.
Jessell stood on the steps outside Primera Casa on the university’s main Modesto A. Maidique Campus in West Miami-Dade, with a huge FIU sign made out of white balloons as a backdrop and flanked by a dozen cheerleaders who shook blue and gold pom-poms.
Established in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, FIU first held classes on September 19, 1972. The university opened with 5,667 students. Five decades later, the largest public university in South Florida serves about 56,600 students.
Last Wednesday, Sept. 14, marked the 50th anniversary of the university’s first day open. Some buildings around Miami-Dade County lit up to observe the occasion.
In the past 10 years, the university has jumped 62 spots in a list of national rankings put together by US News and World Report. This year it scored No. 72 among public universities in the U.S.; No. 1 is the best. FIU’s next goal is to break into the top 50.
“FIU is the finest university in the universe and our rankings prove it,” Jessell said Monday.
Yareen Cohen, 22, stood at the far back of the event Monday. He was initially drawn to it because he saw an Instagram flier advertising the free doughnuts. But he said once he got there, he enjoyed witnessing history.
“It’s a fun experience,” said Cohen, a computer engineering major who will graduate this fall. “I can clearly see that FIU is becoming more of a quality university, so it’s pretty exciting that I’m here kind of before it gets up there in regards to other universities.”
But for Angel Vega, 87, and Jose Selma, 93 — two of the first few FIU graduates from the Class of 1974 who also attended the toast Monday — FIU has already grown a lot.
Vega, a hospitality major, still remembers when he arrived for his evening classes at FIU as an adult back on Sept. 19, 1972. He recalls a single, small building.
On Monday, he lifted his hands to the sky and looked around with wide eyes: “It’s like a city,” said Vega, giggling in amazement.
Selma, a business administration major and accounting minor, agreed: “It’s incredible.”
Both snapped photos with Roary, the university’s mascot who didn’t even exist when they were students. Up until 1987, FIU’s official mascot was the “Sunblazer,” later replaced by the Panther because it was more relatable.
“We’re both excited,” Vega said.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 5:29 PM.
