FIU News Update

[Guest FIU_Panther_Fan]

Article regarding the stadium (Miami Herald):

FIU FOOTBALL STADIUM

Construction to begin next year

BY PETE PELEGRIN

ppelegrin@MiamiHerald.com

Florida International athletic director Rick Mello met with the university's board of trustees Tuesday to present a rendering of the Golden Panthers' new football stadium, and the school will begin construction on the stadium in January 2007.

FIU will play all its home games this season at FIU Stadium. Originally, the Golden Panthers were going to play this season's home games at the Orange Bowl. The dates for the home games will remain the same.

''The stadium consultants did not want to rush and put ourselves in too tight of a construction schedule,'' said Mello, who had planned for construction to begin this summer. ``Our 2007 home games are likely to be at the Orange Bowl, with the new stadium opening in 2008 for our home opener against South Florida.''

The stadium will have a seating capacity of 25,500 with the plan of eventually expanding up to 50,000 seats.

The stadium also will have 13 luxury suites, 1,400 club seats, a new press box, new lighting, a jumbotron scoreboard and new coaches offices, locker rooms and expansion of the weight room.

Mello said the luxury suites will double as graduate school classrooms.

The estimated cost is $31 million, which Mello said will be funded through private money and guaranteed money from out-of-conference road games.

Mello added that, ``no state monies or monies earmarked for academics will be put into the stadium.''

The stadium is also expected to play home to high school football games, concerts and possibly FIU soccer.

Article on FIU MED School (Miami Herald Editorial)

FIU makes strong case for new facilities

OUR OPINION: MEDICAL SCHOOLS CAN HELP STAVE OFF DOCTOR SHORTAGE

Tomorrow, the state Board of Governors will consider long-discussed proposals for building two new medical schools, one at Florida International University and the other at the University of Central Florida. The board should say Yes to both.

There are many good reasons for approving these new facilities, but several stand out. The schools are needed to counteract a projected shortage of doctors in Florida in coming years. They are excellent investments that will produce jobs, economic development and delivery of much-needed healthcare services in return for relatively modest contributions from the state.

A medical complex

Recent studies show that Florida has 201 doctors for every 100,000 residents, a ratio that places our state 23rd in the nation in that category. Without help, the shortage will worsen because of retiring baby boomers, Florida's fast-growing population and an out-migration of doctors to other states. The medical schools will improve the retention rate of Florida doctors, the studies show.

FIU proposes to build a School of Medicine, a research center and medical clinics by 2015 and add a 150-bed clinical facility by 2025. FIU already has raised $78.5 million in private pledges and commitments, which would be equaled with matching dollars from the state. The school is asking the Legislature for a total of $46.5 million over the first five years and about $20 million per year for its operating budget. Considering the potential return in jobs, economic development and medical services, state funding would be a bargain.

An economic-impact study commissioned by FIU shows that a medical school would produce thousands of high-paying jobs, many of them from spinoff biomedical and biotech businesses. After 20 years, the state would have a return of $30 for every dollar it invests, the study shows. FIU President Modesto ''Mitch'' Maidique says that the estimates are conservative and that the actual results likely will be better. Even if the estimates are exaggerated, the financial impact would be significant.

To partner with hospitals

Equally important, though, would be the doctors, medical professionals and research generated by the medical complex. FIU's facilities would be designed to complement but not compete with existing facilities at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the University of Miami and other hospitals, Mr. Maidique said. The new medical school also would partner with other local hospitals, including Jackson, in providing indigent care to the estimated 700,000 South Floridians who have no health insurance.

Florida has much to gain at comparatively little risk with the two new schools. Investing in these schools would pay big dividends.

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[Brad]

25K in seating for an opener with South Florida?

That is a definite sellout.

[smazza]

pretty funny

a 25k stadium

why wouldnt exisitng med schools double enrollment

talk about wasting money

[FIUPantherFan]

1.  That's 25K bigger than your on-campus stadium.  

2.  Because the existing schools don't have $75MM in existing PRIVATE donations which will be $150MM once the state matches them (as they are required for ANY public university who privately raises the money).  If the existing Universities can economically afford to double their class sizes by 2008 then they should try it.  No one is stopping any of the current universities from proposing it, but guess what, they aren't.  Both FIU and UCF are taking advantage of that fact, as they should since they are COMPETING with the other institution.  

[South_Florida_Flip]

1.  That's 25K bigger than your on-campus stadium.  

Nice try with the pot shot. The fact of the matter is that however big and whatever your stadium looks like it will never compare to Raymond James Stadium. We're fortunate to have the opportunity to play in such a ncie stadium. When the time comes for our on campus stadium I'm pretty sure it would look something along the lines of what Louisville has (40,000+ seating capacity (non bleachers) with luxury boxes and room for expansion).

I highly doubt you'll ever need 50,000 seats.

[DawgPound]

I gotta side with the Bulls on this one.  RJS is one hell of a nice play to play.  Until it becomes advantageous for USF to have an on-campus stadium(like UCF over the Citrus Bowl), they will stay there.

While it kills that "homey" feel of having your ads and your logo always there, the technological and capacity perks are too good to ignore.

[goodknightfl]

25 k will meet their needs right now... and as long as it is designed to be enlarged it will be fine... build it and add 10 to 12 k as soon as they are needed.  it still will be good for the school to have its own stadium.

[ucfknights04]

I thought DIA stadiums had to be 35K + capacity? (I thought this was a dumb rule with the attendance requirement being 15K but it was a rule nonetheless)

[ucfknights04]

By the way, congrats FIU - we both got approved for our med schools today.

[DawgPound]

04, that rule was dropped.  Also, hooray for UCF and FIU getting state approval for medical schools.