Mark B. Rosenberg is the fifth president of Florida International University (FIU), one of the 25 largest universities in the nation.
A political scientist specializing in Latin America, Dr. Rosenberg is the first FIU faculty member to ascend to the university’s presidency. He has more than 30 years of higher education experience.
From 2005 to 2008, Dr. Rosenberg served as chancellor for the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida, which enrolls more than 300,000 students, employs 10,000 faculty, and operates an $8 billion budget. As chancellor, Dr. Rosenberg led the system’s strategic development, financial planning, and policy initiatives, working closely with Gov. Charlie Crist and Legislature to secure support for State University System of Florida priorities.
Prior to becoming chancellor, Dr. Rosenberg was integrally involved in the expansion and development of FIU into a major public research university. As provost and executive vice president for academic affairs from 1998 to 2005, Dr. Rosenberg spearheaded the establishment of a law school in 2002 and a medical school in 2006. Under his leadership, FIU increased enrollment to 37,000 students, implemented major campus construction projects, and was invited to join the select national honor society Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Rosenberg was also instrumental in moving FIU into the top tier of Carnegie Foundation research universities.
Dr. Rosenberg’s academic career began at FIU in 1976 as an assistant professor of political science. In 1979, he founded the FIU Latin American and Caribbean Center, which today is one of the nation’s premier federally supported research and teaching centers focusing on the region. Dr. Rosenberg subsequently served as the founding dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs and vice provost for international studies. He has also been a Visiting Distinguished Research Professor at The Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and a Visiting Professor at the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), in Mexico.
Dr. Rosenberg earned a B.A. in 1971 from Miami University of Ohio and a Ph.D. in political science with a graduate certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976. He has written or co-edited seven books and numerous scholarly articles in leading journals. His latest book, "The United States and Central America: Geopolitical Realities and Regional Fragility" (2007), is a Harvard University project co-authored with Luis Guillermo Solis of Costa Rica. Governmental and media organizations have frequently sought Dr. Rosenberg’s expertise on Latin America. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has testified before Congress numerous times, and has served as a consultant to the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Firmly committed to community service, Dr. Rosenberg has also been active with the Jewish Federation of Greater Miami and was a founding contributor to the Organization for Leadership Advancement in Miami. He has been serving on the Board of Governors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and on the South Florida Commission on the Nursing Shortage. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Holocaust Memorial as part of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, and on the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU). Most recently, he was appointed to serve as Treasurer of the President’s League for the Sunbelt Conference, on the Board of Directors of City National Bank of Florida, on the Board of Directors of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), a member of the Florida’s Task Force on Educational Excellence, and on the Executive Committee for the Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative (SMTI) as part of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).
Dr. Rosenberg and his wife Rosalie, are members of Temple Menorah in Miami Beach.