Florida Governor Charlie Crist flanked by student ambassadors Angelina Troff, left, and Sashle Eslaquit, right

FIU Day, an annual event held in the state capital—Tallahassee, Florida—gives representatives from Florida International University(FIU) a chance to showcase the university’s programs and services as well as to meet with key state legislators and their staffs at the start of the legislative session.

This year, the spotlight was on the College of Business Administration, invited by the university’s Government Relations Office to be the featured college to exhibit in the exposition area set up in the Capitol Rotunda on March 8, 2007.

College’s students and staff join university leaders for Tallahassee events.

President Modesto Maidique and his senior management team headed the FIU delegation, which also included representatives from the Student Government Affairs Office, Alumni Relations, and the Hurricane Center, among others.

Florida International University President Modesto Maidique with student ambasssadors Angelina Troff, left, and Sashle Eslaquit, right

Three members of the business school’s  staff also made the trip to Tallahassee: Natalia Echeverría-Sol, director, Corporate Relations; Robert Garcia (EMBA ’97), director, Executive and Professional Education; and Lourdes Herrero-Matus (BBA ’98), program manager, Downtown MBA program.

Another important participant: Joseph L. Caruncho (BBA ’81), CEO, Preferred Care Partners; chair of the college’s Dean’s Council, and director, FIU Foundation.

“Accompanying President Maidique and fellow board members to FIU Day was a unique opportunity to share our many successes with our legislators and Governor Charlie Crist,” Caruncho said. “It also was an important forum for educating our elected leaders about the priorities and needs of the university for the coming year so that we can continue to achieve those successes in the future.”

The Florida International University delegation to FIU Day

Two of the college’s students, finance major Cristian Bossa and current graduate student Sashle Eslaquit (BBA ’05, ’06), joined eighteen other “super-star” students for the event. Personally selected to represent the university, they had the opportunity to meet with legislators one-on-one while lobbying for priority issues such as student enrollment and faculty retention.

“I was honored to get this chance to represent my school and to speak on behalf of my fellow students regarding these important topics,” said Eslaquit, who holds bachelor’s degrees in finance and management and is slated to receive her MBA in December, 2007. “The legislators and their aides were very attentive. They took the time to speak directly with student representatives to hear firsthand what we believe needs to be done to ensure the ongoing betterment of the university and to strengthen the value of the degrees we earn here.”

The FIU delegation attended a reception at the Governor’s Club on the evening of March 7, 2007.

From left: Student ambassadors Sashle Eslaquit and Angelina Troff

“At the reception, we were able to meet and mingle with members of the legislative community on a more personal level,” Eslaquit said. “The next day, we were all ready to get down to business.”

College has a great story to tell to a very receptive audience.

The college’s FIU Day booth definitely was the center of attention, complete with banners and marketing materials that painted a colorful picture of the business school’s programs and impressive achievements.

“This was the first time the FIU Day event was opened up to showcase a particular college,” Echeverría-Sol said. “We were very pleased to represent the college and to share our accomplishments.”

Garcia added that a number of legislators and their staff members visited the college’s booth.

“They were impressed by our Executive and Professional Education programs, by our MBA for Public Managers program, and by the fact that our Executive MBA program is ranked number one in Florida,” he said.