Connie & Martin Silver
Inspiring Creativity and Supporting Education in Interior Architecture
It is nearly impossible to pass the Paul L. Cejas School of Architecture Building without being drawn to the colorful, 10-foot sculpture located in the courtyard. Her name is Whoopee, and in the words of her creator, Connie Silver (or Connie McSilver in the art world), “She is a glorious, happy creature who is just delighted to be here.” Whoopee was put in place to inspire creativity, and with that, Connie advises everyone to offer their own interpretation of Whoopee, stating, “She is whatever you want her to be.”
Connie and her husband, Martin, similarly encourage all students to be whatever they want to be and believe the best way to achieve this is by first attaining an education. The Silvers’ manifesto consistently stresses the importance and relevance of education: “No one can improve or understand life without education. It is important to continue your education no matter the obstacles. It has the ability to change the whole trajectory of your life.”
These very sentiments are what the couple hopes to expose to the recipients of the Martin and Connie Silver Scholarship. The scholarship fund will assist interior architecture students who may be struggling with the financial aspect of receiving an education, and afford several students the opportunity to study abroad.
While the Silvers have only recently become involved in the FIU culture, they are no strangers to some of our FIU leadership. In fact, they have been snowbird neighbors of former U.S. ambassador to Belgium and the College of Architecture + The Arts building’s namesake, Paul L. Cejas, for more than 40 years. They have also had the opportunity to watch Biscayne Bay Campus, one of FIU’s two major campuses, expand over the years.
Yet, it is Kemo Duddle (MIA ’14), an interior architecture professor, who Connie credits with the beginning of her involvement with FIU. After attending one of Professor Duddle’s classes, she was quickly blown away by the magnitude that is FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus, and, of course, the impressive rankings of its interior architecture program.
According to DesignIntelligence, FIU’s Department of Interior Architecture was recently ranked among the top 10 U.S. graduate programs in interior design. The program is known for its quality of students, excellent faculty and strong relationship with Miami design professionals.
“We believe in the importance of an education, and because of that, the only philanthropy we believe worth investing in is in education,” Connie said.
Help FIU’s College of Architecture + The Arts become even better as FIU heads into its next 50 years forward. Learn more by visiting http://carta.fiu.edu/. Or, give today at https://give.fiu.edu/give-now/college-of-architecture-the-arts/.