MIAMI (Sept. 16, 2016) – President Mark B. Rosenberg announced the extension of employment of FIU Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment
Pete Garcia to July 31, 2018.
Garcia indicated that he will not continue as Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment beyond July 31, 2018 and that during his remaining time at FIU he plans to focus on completing approximately $14 million in renovations and upgrades to facilities including the football and soccer stadiums, the convocation center, and completion of the softball and golf complex.
"Leading FIU Athletics has been one of my most rewarding and exciting experiences," said Garcia. "However, after months of personal reflection, I believe it is important to explore new professional challenges."
Garcia took the helm of FIU Athletics in 2006 and oversaw the program's transition from the Sunbelt Conference to Conference USA in 2012, as well as major enhancement to the athletic facilities. During Garcia's tenure, FIU teams have enjoyed 16 conference championships, 20 post-season appearances and more than two dozen student-athletes have garnered All-America selection.
FIU student-athletes have made significant gains in the classroom as well: For 2015-16, FIU recorded its highest overall grade-point average (3.1) on record, while increasing its Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) 19 percentage points. During the spring of 2016, 273 student-athletes registered GPAs of 3.0-or-better and 143 Panthers were named to the FIU Dean's List.
"Pete has led our athletic program during a pivotal decade in its development, said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. "I thank Pete for his leadership and the commitment he brought to the job."
Rosenberg indicated that at the appropriate time, FIU will begin the search for a new athletic director.
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute. FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
