FIWho? FIU defines itself

Article written by: Sisi Aguila, FIU, Office of External Relations

The Worlds Ahead message will be woven into FIU's communication from here forward.

Nearly 700 faculty and staff members packed the Graham Center ballrooms March 2 curious to hear what FIU's new branding campaign was all about. Those who'd been here for years seemed sure they'd be underwhelmed.

Then President Rosenberg asked the audience, "How many of you have heard FIWho?" Almost everyone raised their hands.

"Don't you think FIU is way too big and far too good for that question?" he added. The audience cheered and yelled "Yes."

"The Worlds Ahead campaign is how we are going to tell the FIU story," he said.

For the first time in its history, FIU is launching a branding campaign called "Worlds Ahead." It is an affirmation of where the university is today and an aspiration for the future. Worlds Ahead is built on six attributes that define FIU: entrepreneurial, international/global, accessible, community focused, vibrant and ideally located.

To develop the brand, FIU's Division of External Relations worked with Stamats, one of the country's top education marketing firms. They surveyed more than 3,500 prospective students, current students, parents, alumni, supporters, donors, faculty/staff, administrators and community leaders; held focus groups; and conducted in-depth interviews. What they found underscored the importance of a branding campaign. There is a disconnect between FIU's academic excellence and its academic reputation. People are unaware of just how good FIU is.

"The Worlds Ahead campaign will change that," said Rosenberg. "Worlds Ahead asks you for some FIU swagger. Wear your blue and gold and tell people what we're all about."

As part of the campaign's launch, guest speakers Troy Elder, associate clinical professor from the College of Law; Bianny Fernandez, a senior advisor in FIU's Academic Advising Center; and Derek Capo, an alumnus from the College of Business Administration that started his own business in China shared how they are Worlds Ahead.

The live Skype chat between President Rosenberg and Capo in Beijing was a hit with the packed house and an online audience, which crashed FIU's homepage momentarily because of the large demand.

Today's event was just the beginning. The Worlds Ahead message will be woven into FIU's communication from here forward. This spring the university will unveil a new Web site that affirms FIU as a vibrant, innovative and creative community of students and scholars.

You can also share your Worlds Ahead story or the story of someone you know by visiting worldsahead.fiu.edu. In the coming weeks you'll also be able to read the stories of other members of the FIU family.