Building Block

Horine's article also quotes R.E. LeMon, the head of program reviews for the Board of Regents, as saying, "In my mind FIU was better positioned [than FAU] because they have the guts program that could become professional. The problem is that neither the president nor provost would get onto that, make it a priority." (LeMon also failed to return phone calls this past week.)

Provost Mau argues that one reason FIU's top officials haven't made architecture a priority recently is that previous requests to establish a master's program have been rebuffed. "We felt we would be firing a blank, in essence," Mau says.

Perla Hantman, a local member of the Board of Regents, disagrees. "Based on the study we commissioned, FIU would be the number-one site we would approve, if any site is approved," she says. "I can't speak for my fellow regents, but with the budget as tight as it is, the emphasis would always be geared towards building on a program that already exists. At the same time, we can only go by what each school requests.