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Florida International University has ranked first for four consecutive years under Florida’s performance-based funding model, according to President Jeanette Nuñez, who said the institution is now focused on expanding research, growing campus housing and preparing students for an AI-driven economy.
The Florida Board of Governors recently named FIU the top performer among the state’s 12 public universities under Florida’s university performance-based funding for the fourth year in a row. The model distributes state dollars based on measures such as graduation rates, academic progress and workforce outcomes, making the rankings an important source of operating revenue for public universities.
FIU earned 97 out of a possible 100 points in the Board of Governors’ latest performance evaluation and will receive $73.9 million in performance-based funding from the state.
“I would say the university is doing great,” Ms. Nuñez said. “We’ve got a lot of excitement, a lot of momentum building, both on the academic side, but just generally speaking, in the community, with our athletic programs.
“We’re seeing a lot of renewed interest, if you will, in getting engaged and getting involved, particularly on the alumni front… I think that’s an important piece that for a while had been missing here, but when you look at what is the most important thing that FIU needs to do, which is ensure that our students are getting a high quality education, I think the results speak to the level of excellence that we have here at FIU.”
She said those results demonstrate the university’s focus on helping students graduate and enter the workforce with strong career prospects.
“It speaks to our faculty, the caliber of our students and the fact that we’ve been very intentional about ensuring that while you’re here, we’re going to guide you through that path, that journey with success on the other side of that,” Ms. Nuñez said.
She credited much of FIU’s success to an approach centered on early intervention and student support. She said the university has strengthened academic advising and created systems to identify students who may be struggling before problems become barriers to graduation.
“We’ve been, like I said, very intentional and very strategic about advising,” Ms. Nuñez said, “about ensuring that … you flag issues for students, you help them get through those, you provide additional support, you ensure that faculty is aligned with the administration in providing our students with, you know, plenty of opportunities to ensure that they’re going to succeed, so I think that’s working really well.”
Despite those gains, she said, one area where FIU can improve is fundraising for scholarships.
“I think one of the areas that we could possibly improve is making sure that we do a much better job on fundraising for additional scholarships. As you know, the state of Florida is the lowest tuition in the entire country, but even with that, even with how affordable it is, some of our students have challenges in financially being able to take a full load, for example, to take 12 credits,” President Nuñez said.
This year, the university raised $95.6 million in philanthropic support, much of which will fund scholarships, but she believes the university should do even more.
“There are some other universities in the state that do a better job of raising funds for scholarships, and they have more availability of scholarships, generally speaking, for their students,” Ms. Nuñez said. “So, if there was an area I’d say we’d like to improve on, it is additional scholarship funding for our students.”
Looking ahead, she said research excellence – one of the pillars of FIU’s strategic plan – will remain a major focus. President Nuñez highlighted research areas like medicine, nursing, the environment and technology.
“You can’t have a conversation on higher ed without talking about AI, technology, disruption, innovation,” she said, “and those are just some of the key things we’re working on from an academic, if you will, an academic project.”
Beyond academics, FIU is undergoing significant physical expansion, with several major construction projects underway. Among the largest is a new academic clinical facility being developed in partnership with Baptist Health South Florida. The seven-story, 163,000-square-foot facility will allow medical students to work alongside physicians while expanding access to health care for the surrounding community. The academic medical center is expected to open in 2028.
Ms. Nuñez also noted the construction of Sunblazer Hall, a 17-story residence hall that will add 1,174 beds. Sunblazer Hall is expected to open in the fall of 2028. Combined with additional on-campus housing and affiliated residential developments in the City of Sweetwater, the university expects to provide housing for 12,000 to 13,000 students by 2030.
She said expanding campus housing is about more than adding beds.
“You know, some people are like, ‘Okay, you’re going to build new dorms. How is that going to improve your outcomes?’ Well, I would say that having that student experience, which is also another one of our pillars in our strategic plan, has been something that the community has been longing for, our students have been longing for,” Ms. Nuñez said. “They want to have that full-on campus experience.”
While optimistic about FIU’s future, Ms. Nuñez said higher education faces one of its most significant turning points as artificial intelligence rapidly transforms learning and the workforce.
She acknowledged the growing national debate over whether a college degree is still worth the investment but argued FIU has largely avoided those concerns because of its affordability and close partnerships with employers that help keep academic programs aligned with workforce needs.
“At the end of the day, AI is here. It’s not going anywhere,” Ms. Nuñez said. “The speed is only going to increase and those universities that don’t take an AI-first approach are not going to survive, I think, plain and simple in the long-term.”
She said universities will continue grappling with questions about appropriate AI use in coursework and concerns over academic integrity. However, she said she believes institutions should focus equally on teaching the skills that technology can’t replace.
“I think it’s a challenge because it’s so quickly evolving, but I think it is a huge opportunity to pivot and to make sure that we’re providing our students with not just, you know, AI proficiency, of course, they’ll be able to do that, but how you think critically, how do you maintain that human connection, how do you ensure that you’re navigating ambiguity and not just solely relying on technology,” President Nuñez said.
Additionally, she said, universities should prepare students to engage respectfully with differing viewpoints. She also said FIU’s presidential speaker series has sought to expose students to people with differing perspectives while modeling civil dialogue.
“I think we also need to encourage our students to have more willingness to engage in debate,” she said. “Throw yourselves in the arena, have those debates, argue back and forth in a way that’s both respectful and civil, and expose yourself to thoughts that are going to allow for you to challenge even your own assertions.”
She added that colleges must also help address broader societal challenges, including antisemitism and racism, while partnering with K-12 schools to strengthen civic education before students reach college.
“I think universities, we have a responsibility not just to educate our students,” Ms. Nuñez said, “to provide them with an opportunity for a great degree, a great career, but I think we want our students to be good citizens, good human beings. So where does the responsibility fall, and whose shoulders is that?”
Kelly Sanchez
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