FIU President's Contract Extended 3 Months After Tragedy

MIAMI, FL — Florida International University has extended the contract of President Mark B. Rosenberg following a school year that was largely overshadowed by tragedy. The university's Board of Trustees unanimously approved a one-year extension of Rosenberg's contract three months after six people were killed in the collapse of a pedestrian bridge outside the university on March 15. The contract must now be approved by the Florida Board of Governors.

Rosenberg, whose contract extension will run through 2020, received a rating of “superior” for the accomplishments of the 2016-2017 academic year. The Florida Board of Governors limits such contract extensions to one year.

“Our university is an incredible hub of determined, hard-working students, faculty and professionals. It is a privilege and a blessing to be a part of FIU,” said Rosenberg, who became FIU’s fifth president in 2009 after joining the university as a political science professor in 1976. He founded the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, sering both as dean and provost.

FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 56,000 students at its campuses: FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios and Tianjin, China.

"This fall’s entering class has the highest academic qualifications of any freshman class in FIU history," according to university officials. The Board of Trustees also elected Chair Claudia Puig to her second term, and chose Trustee Jose J. Armas as vice chair.

In a preliminary report of the pedestrian bridge collapse, the National Transportation and Safety Board pointed to multiple cracks in the structure but drew no conclusions as to what caused the tragedy. Click here to read the NTSB’s preliminary report.

Eight vehicles that were stopped below the bridge at the time of the collapse were fully or partially crushed; seven of those vehicles were occupied. As a result of the bridge collapse, one bridge worker and five vehicle occupants died. Four bridge workers and four other people were injured, according to the preliminary report.

The lead engineer working on the project reported cracking to state transportation officials two days before the tragedy but felt there was no safety issue. The message was left in a voicemail that was not picked up until one day after the collapse. Florida officials also said they had not received any requests from the FIU design team to completely shut down SW 8th Street in the days after the bridge was spun into place.

“While we still don’t know the ultimate cause of the bridge collapse, it’s reassuring that the NTSB is already laser-focused on the emergence of cracks on the structure,” said Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who serves as the ranking Democrat of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee that oversees the NTSB. “The victims’ families and the public expect nothing less than a thorough examination of this tragic event to prevent it from ever happening again.”

Mark B. Rosenberg photo courtesy Florida International University