Nearly 150 student leaders from both campuses attended a leadership retreat, held May 29-31 in Fort Lauderdale. The following organizations were represented: Student Government Association, Student Programming Council, Student Organizations Council, Council for Student Organizations, Black Student Union, Graduate Student Association, Homecoming Council, Panther Rage, and Panther Power.

Campus Life Staff members from both campuses, who also serve as advisors to the student organizations, planned the retreat and facilitated many of the sessions. This was the first time the organizations had all come together for one planning session. Leaders had the opportunity to learn more about important topics such as planning effective meetings, goal setting, diversity, ethics, budgeting, program planning and more. They heard from a panel of administrators, including Dr. Rosa Jones, Vice President for Student Affairs; Dr. Douglas Wartzok, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President; and Dr. Joe West, Vice Provost for the Biscayne Bay Campus and Dean of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Students posed questions to the administrators about the plans for the University and offered feedback about potential improvements for the student experience. For many students, the highlight was hearing from Dr. Mark Rosenberg, President-Designate. Dr. Rosenberg spoke with the students about leadership and about his commitment to making FIU a student-centered University, and also entertained questions from the leaders.

Students also engaged in a goal-setting process, establishing some priorities within their individual organizations for the upcoming year.