Office of Engagement welcomed new VP earlier this month

Natalie Alatriste/ Staff Writer

The University’s Office of Engagement will soon welcome a new vice president.

On Wednesday, March 4, President Mark B. Rosenberg and Provost Kenneth G. Furton sent out a University-wide memorandum informing the University community of the appointment of Saif Ishoof.

Ishoof will be begin his term at the University on Sunday, May 3, and serve as a top representative for the School of International and Public Affairs, according to the memorandum.

Amy Ellis, the assistant director for public relations and marketing, said the Office of Engagement was implemented by President Rosenberg to “serve as a catalyst for civic and community engagement, both locally and globally.”

“Engagement provides leadership for the development and coordination of partnerships at the local, state, national and international levels with the goal of aligning FIU’s instructional, research and creative initiatives with local and global needs and priorities,” said Ellis in an email.

Ishoof’s leadership in the Miami community is committed to developing young people. He is the father of two, Rania and Nabeel.

His wife, Amira, who is double majoring in international relations and political science, is currently a student at the University’s Honors College.

“I have a bird’s eye view into the reality of what it’s like for students at FIU because I see it through the journey that my wife goes through, as well as her friends,” Ishoof said.

Ishoof moved to Miami as a youth from Guayana.

Despite being born in the South American country, Ishoof has origins in India, with his religious beliefs being set in Islam. The youngest of four, he was raised in Miami and attended Gulliver Preparatory School.

“I’ve had the opportunity to cross roads with a lot of different cultures because I’m a Miami kid [who has] grown up with a lot of Cuban-American influence, but technically, my family is Indian, culturally from the Caribbean, with a Muslim faith affiliation,” Ishoof said.

He said he always felt deeply connected to Cuban-Americans because of a similar exile experience.

During the time when Ishoof immigrated to Miami, Guayana’s government was exhibiting socialist leanings, a situation which closely ties to reasons that many Cubans have immigrated to the United States from their island nation.

His eldest sister, the first to go to college in his family, attended the University and gave him the opportunity to see the University from a young age.

“As a kid… I remember going to campus with her. We would walk around and she would buy me pizza,” Ishoof said. “I saw that version of FIU almost 30 years ago.”

For college, Ishoof went to study at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, which happens to also be where former President Bill Clinton attended. It was at Georgetown that Ishoof realized his passion to help people.

When he graduated from Georgetown University, he knew he wanted to come back to South Florida.

“Miami is where my heart was… My driving interest was really to be back home in the 3-0-5,” he said.

For about a year, he worked for his dad’s small family business. After that, Ishoof attended the University of Miami’s Law School.

Ishoof’s accomplishments range from a startup entrepreneur to chief executive officer of FCT Technologies Corp., which specializes in international projects that deal with the environment, according to the memorandum.

He is currently the executive director for City Year Miami, which, according to its website, is an organization that strives to reduce the dropout rate by providing mentors to underprivileged communities.

Ishoof has worked with young people his whole life. He said he loves connecting with people and wants students to recognize him as a resource for anything.

“My passion is young people…I want to play a key role for students to the world at large,” Ishoof said. “People ask me what the three letters of FIU mean to me, and I tell them: FIU stands for the ‘Future Is Us.’”

natalie.alatriste@fiusm.com

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