Just 10 days into his presidency, Mark Rosenberg, president, Florida International University (FIU), has already connected with an important group in the College of Business Administration: the Dean’s Alumni Circle.

The meeting, arranged by Joyce Elam, executive dean of the business school, brought Rosenberg to the building complex for a two-hour session with Circle members during which he shared his vision about alumni, and began an important dialogue.

“It was amazing,” said Sheila Shedd (EMBA ’09), the city clerk of Homestead, who was attending her first event as a Circle member. “I’m more and more impressed each time I hear about his ideas.”

Among a number of ideas specifically geared toward alumni—the university’s “secret weapon” according to him—“He explained that we must be about win-win partnerships and that he looks to alumni for ideas and opportunities to find these partnerships,” said Monique Catoggio (EMBA ’03), director, advancement, alumni and corporate relations.

Notion of community involvement resonates with Shedd.

“That day, he was going to a failing school in north Miami-Dade to see what FIU can do to help,” said Shedd, who is president of Miami-Dade County Municipal Clerks Association. “We have a similar problem in Homestead and I am talking to our city manager and council to see what Homestead needs that FIU might be able to help with. Also, I can be a liaison with other city clerks in the area.”

According to Catoggio, “Having him in this private setting provided us with the opportunity to not only hear directly from him how important we are to the college and FIU as alumni, but also to have his ear on significant  issues that he is requesting to hear about and plans to act on.”

The event, held on August 13, 2009 in the Dean’s Conference Room was the second program in a Leadership Forum series for Circle members.