US Sen. Marco Rubio To Teach Part-Time At FIU
MIAMI (CBS4)- Freshman U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is sharing his expertise with students at Florida International University as a visiting fellow at the university's School of International and Public Affairs, the school announced Thursday.
The GOP senator will co-teach four courses on Florida politics, together with two full-time FIU professors. He will draw on his tenure in the Florida House of Representatives, where he rose to Speaker of the House.
"I am always excited to see young people who are interested in politics and public service. I enjoy providing them real world insights on elections and policy making," Rubio said in an emailed statement.
Rubio, who began teaching in May for the summer trimester, will teach Monday and Friday when the Senate is not in session, spokesman Alex Burgos said.
He will earn $24,000 a year, less than the roughly $27,000 limit senators are allowed for outside work.
After he was termed out of the state legislature, Rubio taught a similar course part-time from 2008 to 2010, for which he earned $69,000 a year while working as an attorney in Miami. He faced some criticism at the time for the salary, as the school faced a budget shortfall and the job was not advertised to other candidates.
Rubio is not the first member of Congress to teach. As senator, Vice President Joe Biden taught constitutional law at Widener Law School in Delaware, though he'd been in the Senate for a number of terms before he began moonlighting.
Burgos said Thursday the extra work would not interfere with Rubio's responsibilities, including his work as a member of the committees on Commerce, Science and Transportation; Foreign Relations; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
"During his run for U.S. Senate, Rubio effectively managed the demands on his time that stemmed from his commitments as a husband, father of four, primary caregiver for his elderly parents, attorney, FIU lecturer and successful U.S. Senate candidate," Burgos said.
Rubio is among several visiting fellows at FIU, including former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and Martin Palous, who most recently served as the Czech Republic's ambassador to the United Nations.
"These fellows each bring unique access, expertise and personal experiences to the classroom that will expand opportunities for our students," said John Stack, director of the School of International and Public Affairs. "We hope their insights will really make our students' time at FIU much more robust and even more fulfilling."
Rubio gave FIU's commencement speech Friday.
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