Departments Success in Numbers
One of the departments at Florida International University that has changed the life of many students is the Office of Engagement, created in 2010. Their focus is to partner with private organizations in theMiami community to create solutions to local challenges.“They are abridge between the community and the school that helps companies recruit students and students gain experience.”They have some statistics that show how they helped students, but not a definite number of how many they helped. Within the Office of Engagement, there are many sub departments. One of the departments that helps students is Talent Development Program(TDN). They engage with students and the community members. FIU’s department brings in opportunities by collaborating with other universities. They work with six universities in South Florida which include FIU, Barry University, MDC, UM, Florida Memorial, St Thomas University, and Miami Dade Public Schools. They create paid internship opportunities and provide professional development for students. More than 60% of paid internships become full time opportunities.There is no definite number as to how many opportunities they have given too. Another program within the Office of Engagement, there is UPLabs. They are a program that involves community members in giving them healthcare opportunities. It isa 14-week program that gets the students up to date on their skills to get them on their healthcare journey. After the 14 weeks, students volunteer their work by doing 100 hours in hospitals and clinics throughout all South Florida. 90 percent of the students after completing the 100 hours get hired on the spot. Some of their partners include Memorial, Baptist, Health South Florida, HCA, Mercy, Kendall Regional, and Larkin. Overall, with those programs within the department there is no specific number as to how many students they have given opportunities too. “They have helped a variety of students and are not exactly sure of the amount of students with hospital jobs, but we helped a lot of students.”
Another department that has the same goal with a variety of data is the Ratcliffe Art + DesignIncubator, created in 2017. They have helped 51 students so far. They are a bridge that connects students and companies to create success within the innovative art + design community. They motivate students and push them to think out of the box with creativity which leads to innovation. The program is 1 to 2 years residency where the students turn their creative ideas into business successful ones. They have helped put various students. The selection process consists of application in July, where a rigorous selection will be done by panel experts, designees of the department, dean’s office, department of Art, South Florida entrepreneurs, and funding experts. After that selection, the student will get the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator Scholarship that is $3,750 each semester (Fall and Spring). In year 2022–2021 they had a total of 15 students (fellows) in the program. Also, in 2020 the department was awarded $2.5 million from the Philip E. & Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation to create leaders in the creative department. They have the amount and information of the students they have helped each year since the program started plus more statistics/numbers available in their website.Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator and the Office of Engagement are just some of the departments that have helped students out in connecting them with other partners. That way they can succeed while working in their field of choice. In conclusion it is important to see numbers of how many students were helped within each department across FIU that gives us a chance to succeed. That way we can see about the department and how successful it has been.
By Nicole Sellas
