Florida International University

Florida International University was established by the Florida Legislature in 1965 in response to the growing need for public higher education in Miami-Dade County, an effort initially championed by state senator Ernest 'Cap' Graham in 1943 . Charles "Chuck" Perry was appointed as the founding president in 1969 at age 32, becoming the youngest university president in the country at the time . The founders selected the site of the abandoned Tamiami Airport along the Tamiami Trail (U.S. Route 41) for the campus, with the former airport's air traffic control tower becoming FIU's first building .

In September 1972, FIU opened its doors to 5,667 students, the largest opening-day enrollment of any American higher education institution in history at that time . The university originally operated as an upper-division institution (serving only junior, senior, and graduate students) and added lower-division classes nine years later . The first commencement was held in June 1973 with 191 graduates .

Under President Modesto A. Maidique (1986–2009), FIU experienced unprecedented growth, tripling in physical size and enrollment, establishing the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the College of Law, and the School of Architecture, and achieving Carnegie "Doctoral/Research University-Extensive" status in 2000 . In 2009, Mark B. Rosenberg became FIU's fifth president, serving until 2022 . Jeanette Nuñez was appointed as interim president in February 2025 and later confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors in June 2025 . Throughout its history, FIU has evolved from a small upper-division institution into a major public research university serving as an anchor institution for South Florida's academic and economic community