Florida International University
W100 Representative
Anthony Rionda
Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications, Government and External Affairs
Anthony Rionda serves as FIU’s Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications, Government and External Affairs, where he works to support the University’s agenda at the local, state and federal level. In his role, he has helped develop innovative advocacy strategies and campaigns, advocacy communications initiatives, and innovative academic and student initiatives. In 2015 Professor Rionda was appointed a Fellow of the FIU Honors College where he teaches two courses on government and leadership. He is actively engaged in the South Florida community and serves as a member of the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board. Rionda is a Miami native and a three-time FIU graduate, holding a B.A. in Political Science, an M.P.A. from the Green School of International and Public Affairs, and a J.D. from the College of Law.
FIU is Miami’s public research university. Offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, both on campus and fully online. FIU is worlds ahead in its service to the academic and local community.
Designated a Preeminent State Research University, FIU emphasizes research as a major component in the university’s mission. The Robert Stempel School of Public Health and Social Work and the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences’ Discovery Lab are just two of many colleges, schools and setting new standards through research initiatives.
For more than 50 years, FIU has positioned itself as one of South Florida’s anchor institutions by solving some of the greatest challenges of our time. We are dedicated to enriching the lives of the local and global community. With a student body of more than 56,000, we are among the largest universities in the nation and have collectively graduated more than 300,000 alumni, 165,000 of whom live and work in South Florida.
The Latest from Florida International University
FIU Researcher Dr. Tana Carson created an evidence-based program at FIU that prepares graduate students, future physical, occupational and recreational therapists, to teach swimming and water safety to children with autism, giving them the skills and confidence to thrive in the
FIU is expanding its campuses to meet growing student demand and boost research, all part of its goal to become a Top 30 public university by 2030. ✨
Read more:
Excellence elevated: New buildings to transform campus, accelerate FIU's bold vision for 2030
Learn more about these projects and get a sneak peek of what MMC will look like in the future.
news.fiu.edu
Great hammerhead sharks keep hunting at full speed, even as ocean temperatures shift. Florida International University (FIU) scientists, led by alumna Erin Spencer and co-author Yannis Papastamatiou, discovered that these predators stay near peak performance across a wide range
FIU research is driving real impact in healthcare. A new study from FIU Business found that short, structured “progression-of-care huddles” can speed up diagnosis by 14% and reduce discharge times by nearly 40%, all without compromising patient safety.
Led by FIU professor Paulo
Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Birutė Galdikas went alone into remote forests to study primates and forever changed how we see our place in the natural world.
FIU science communicator and National Geographic explorer @mireyamayor reflects on what we lost with Galdikas' passing
A new kind of battery could change how we power electric vehicles. @FIU_CEC researcher Bilal El-Zahab shares a breakthrough in beyond lithium-ion technology that could improve convenience and performance on @AcademicMinute.
Learn more: https://academicminute.substack.com/p/bilal-el-zahab-florida-international
From classroom to operating room 🏥
FIU medical student Natasha Mazinani went from her first year of classes to observing robotic heart surgery in just a few months, working alongside surgeons like Makoto Hashimoto and Tom C. Nguyen.
A real look at what learning at the cutting
FIU secured major federal support in 2026 to address Florida’s toughest challenges, from hurricanes and infrastructure to semiconductor innovation. The university received $9.3 million in direct earmarks and benefited from over $16 million in federal program funding,
Down 4 heading into the 9th and @FIUBaseball walks it off on a GRAND SLAM 🔥
@Mj17Trivella
FIU’s core values encompass teamwork, excellence, innovation, and service.
“Half sprawling city, half tropical wilderness, all progress. We’re proud to call Miami our home. It’s a dynamic hotspot for innovation and creation. This multilingual, multinational city puts the “I” in FIU.
Where others see challenges, we see opportunity. Our research and service efforts take aim at the unique issues Miami faces in climate change, globalizing economy, major population shifts and more.”
Mission and vision
- Mission
FIU's mission is to provide high-quality teaching, research, and creative activities while engaging with both local and global communities. FIU also seeks to create pathways for underrepresented students to access higher education. - Vision
FIU’s vision focuses on student-centred learning, economic mobility, research, creative activities, and transformative innovations. The university also aims to be recognised as a top 50 public university.
FIU is classified as a Carnegie Very High Research institution.
Florida International University (FIU) aspires to be recognised as a top 50 public university by excelling in student-centred learning and promoting upward economic mobility. The university is committed to producing socially impactful research and fostering creativity while driving transformative innovations on both local and global scales. FIU’s Next Horizon 2025 strategic plan builds on the achievements of previous initiatives, continuing the dedication to exceptional learner success and maintaining the highest standards of university research and innovation.
As South Florida’s only public R1: Doctoral University—Highest Research Activity, FIU is proud of its strong record of service to the community and its students. The university’s research agenda enriches both the intellectual and material aspects of life for students, their families, and the wider community. Building on its BeyondPossible2020 strategic plan, FIU’s Next Horizon 2025 offers a clear path to amplify its research impact, providing solutions to real-world challenges.
FIU’s research is geared towards addressing scientific, social, and economic challenges both in Florida and across the nation. The research conducted by FIU’s faculty directly contributes to local economic development and problem-solving, while also creating high-skill, high-wage jobs for the community. As an urban research university, FIU is committed to investing in the next generation of scientists and innovators, which is seen as essential for global competitiveness, job creation, economic resilience, and achieving key national goals.
Become a Member
The World 100 Reputation Network is a group of the best universities in the world, delivering research that enhances reputation and offering leaders the chance to develop their own careers on a global stage. Members benefit from events and study tours, training, monthly media monitoring, and unique reputation research to provide institutional advantage.
Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
W100 Representative
Heather DucoteSenior Director of Marketing and Brand Management
Heather Ducote is the Senior Director of Marketing and Brand Management at Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), with responsibility for marketing, brand creative, and licensing and trademarks. Bringing 19 years of experience in higher education and 30 years overall in marketing and communications, Heather’s work is focused on supporting the university’s institutional goals though brand standards, strategy, initiatives, and protection.
At Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), we’re reimagining how education and technology intersect. This approach transforms the ways we teach and learn, perform research, and engage with communities around the world.
The Latest from Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
#VirginiaTech researcher Jiayi Liu analyzed over 300,000 transplant surgeries from 2007–2019, providing causal evidence that task switching—transitioning between cognitively different procedures—can affect patient outcomes.
🔗: https://go.vt.edu/uoIhw
#VirginiaTech's Michael Hochella has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
He is among 120 members and 25 international members newly recognized for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
🔗: http://go.vt.edu/uoQCa
Each year, @VTEngineering student teams partner with industry organizations to gain hands-on experience through senior design projects. 👏
This team worked with Carter Machinery to create a standalone tracking system that helps technicians monitor engine repairs in real time.
History was made one year ago today. 🦃⚡️
Video courtesy of @Metallica
#M72VirginiaTech #Hokies
DesignUp at #VirginiaTech is more than a project, it’s an immersive, hands-on experience where @VT_AAD students collaborate with local nonprofits to build and maintain effective branding. 🎨👏
New #VirginiaTech research brings safer, compostable packaging closer to everyday use. 🙌
🔗: https://go.vt.edu/uorhO
Did you know Virginia Tech has a sheep center? 🐑
Here, students provide around-the-clock care for lambs, gaining hands-on husbandry experience that helps prepare some for the next step at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. 🧡
🎥: https://brnw.ch/21x22TE
New Business Building, future home of Next Gen Pamplin 🧡 @virginia_tech
Sushree Sahoo studies what happens in the critical window between the first genetic changes in blood cells and the development of cancer. 🔬
🔗: https://brnw.ch/21x1YzV
Ut Prosim - That I May Serve
Through research, teaching, and service, Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach in preparing scholars to be leaders and problem solvers. A comprehensive institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity.
Virginia Tech offers the widest range of degree choices in Virginia to more than 38,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on all its campuses. With a main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech has an education and research presence across Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C., metro area.
Virginia Tech is a leading global research institution – externally sponsored research grew by 13.4 percent during the last fiscal year – and boasts seven world-class research institutes. The university has invested in Research Frontiers, bringing together diverse expertise that transcends traditional discipline boundaries. In partnership with industry, government, and foundations, these focus areas address emerging challenges and opportunities that seek to improve the human condition and create a better world for all.
Driven by its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech has a clear vision of how we can serve in our personal, professional, and civic pursuits. The university is committed to making its top-quality education accessible even as we push the boundaries of knowledge to make a difference in the world.
Mission and vision
- Inspired by our land-grant identity and guided by our motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech is an inclusive community of knowledge, discovery, and creativity dedicated to improving the quality of life and the human condition within the Commonwealth of Virginia and throughout the world.
- Virginia Tech has a 2,600-acre main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia; a significant presence across the commonwealth, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, and sites in Newport News and Richmond; educational and research facilities across the state; a study-abroad site in Switzerland; and a 1,800-acre agriculture research farm near the main campus. The campus proper is located in the New River Valley and is 38 miles southwest of Roanoke.
4000+ faculty researchers
38,000
students on and off the main campus
5%
increase in applicants identified as first-generation college students
With locations in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. metro area including the Innovation Campus, Virginia Tech’s research enterprise encompasses over $650 million in annual research expenditures.
Nine colleges and seven research institutes contribute to Virginia Tech’s robust research and innovation ecosystem, with interdisciplinary research capabilities and accomplishments spanning the fields of science, engineering, medicine, social sciences, the arts, and humanities.
The Office of Research and Innovation provides services and support that help faculty, staff, and students to plan, perform, and commercialize groundbreaking research.
Become a Member
The World 100 Reputation Network is a group of the best universities in the world, delivering research that enhances reputation and offering leaders the chance to develop their own careers on a global stage. Members benefit from events and study tours, training, monthly media monitoring, and unique reputation research to provide institutional advantage.
