Florida Gulf Coast University
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| Florida Gulf Coast University | |
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| Established: | 1991 |
| Type: | Public |
| Endowment: | $39+ million (2006-07) |
| President: | Wilson G. Bradshaw |
| Provost: | Ronald Toll |
| Faculty: | 500, 336 instructional and administrative faculty, 164 adjunct faculty |
| Staff: | 681 |
| Students: | 8,292 |
| Undergraduates: | 6,985 |
| Postgraduates: | 794 |
| Location: | Fort Myers, FL, USA |
| Campus: | Suburban Area 760 acres (3.08 km²) |
| Colors: | Cobalt Blue and Emerald Green, and as an accent, Old Gold |
| Mascot: | Azul the Eagle |
| Athletics: | NCAA Division I; 6 men's varsity teams / 9 women's |
| Website: | http://www.fgcu.edu |
Florida Gulf Coast University is the youngest public four-year university in the U.S. state of Florida, located in Fort Myers. Commonly referred to FGCU or Florida Gulf Coast, the coeducational university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees.
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[edit] About FGCU
[edit] History
The school was established by then-governor Lawton Chiles in 1991, although the site of the university wasn't chosen until 1992, and construction pushed back even further still (until 1995). The school first held classes in August 1997.
The Florida Legislature established governing boards of trustees for state universities in 2001, and 13 members were appointed to the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees. Trustees work closely with the FGCU President to meet the needs of today and the future.
In early 2007, FGCU President William Merwin announced his resignation due to an affair with a faculty member. The FGCU Board of Trustees appointed Richard Pegnetter, the Dean of the Lutgert College of Business, interim President. A search committee was appointed by the board of trustees to recommend candidates to be the permanent President. It was announced on August 25, 2007, that Wilson G. Bradshaw was appointed as the third president of the university. [1]
[edit] Points of Interest
Student enrollment at FGCU has annually increased in double digits since FGCU opened for classes in August 1997, from approximately 2,000 students in its first year to over 8,300 today. Over the next five years undergraduate enrollment is expected to increase to more than 15,000 students. Recently added construction includes Academic Building V and a 500-car parking garage. Lake-front apartment-style student housing offers students watersports and private quarters with their own bath.
Former Secretary of State and retired General Colin Powell spoke to a crowd of 4,000 at FGCU's Alico Arena on March 23, 2007, as a part of the University Lecture Series.[2]
[edit] Campus
FGCU is located on 760 Acres in Southwest Florida. Four hundred acres of the main campus are set aside for environmental preservation. There are four other satellite campus locations (Naples Center, Cape Coral Center and the Charlotte Center in Punta Gorda) which are yet to be expanded.
The university recently purchased a small waterfront parcel of land in Bonita Springs with the intentions of developing a marine research laboratory. The site has 10 boat slips and is located on Estero Bay. In addition, the university has been preparing plans for a research center at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve which is mid-way between Naples and Marco Island. [3]
In October 2006, a 12-person panel (of leading Charlotte County citizens) was tasked with selecting the future location of an FGCU-Charlotte Satellite Center. There were five respondents to the Ivitation to Negotiate (ITN). Each respondent met the minimum criteria of the ITN (although one was later removed from the process for falling short on (2) of the requirements) of 150 acres (0.61 km²) of land, $5M in cash to the University. In a unanimous vote by the panel (notably including Charlotte County Board of Commissioners Chairman, Tom Moore), only one was chosen, Hudson Sun-River. In their proposal to the FGCU, Hudson Sun-River offered $5M in cash, 150ac of land (located within their 2,458ac 'University Village' master-planned development), $750,000 in annual operating funds and up to $70M of built-out infrastructure.
Currently, the lutgert college of business and engineering building are under construction.
[edit] Academics
The University is currently expanding its graduate offerings and is adding to its research capabilities, with an Environmental Forensics Facility or "body farm" in the works. The Division of Justice Studies in the College of Professional Studies is in its first year of offering a Master of Science in Criminal Forensic Studies. Students can choose to become qualified as a Forensic Behavior Analyst, under Dr. Duane Dobbert, or as a Death Investigator.
The Death Investigator concentration prepares students to sit for the St. Louis University School of Medicine’s Medico-Legal Death Investigators Certification Examination. This exam qualifies a person to make the "death call" anywhere in the US. Those in Death Investigations may specialize in Crime Scene Investigations or in Human Identity and Trauma Analysis. The CSI course, under Dr. David Lounsbury, prepares students for laboratory management. The Human and Trauma ID concentration, under the direction of forensic anthropologist Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney, trains students to identify human remains through skeletal attributes.
[edit] Athletics
On May 10, 2006, FGCU gained membership to the NCAA Atlantic Sun Conference effective when FGCU moves to Division I sports starting in the 2007-2008 academic year. Athletic teams at FGCU include baseball, men's cross country, men's basketball, men's golf, men's soccer, men's tennis, softball, volleyball, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's soccer, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis. On March 24 2007, FGCU women's basketball team ended their 35-1 season with a loss in the Division II National Championship to Southern Connecticut State University.[4] In 2008, the Women's Basketball team qualified for the WNIT, becoming the first team to qualify for the WNIT in its first season of Division I sports. [5] During the 2008 WNIT Tourney, the team became the first Atlantic Sun conference team to win a post-season game since 1998, when Florida International won in the Women's NCAA tourney. [6]
FGCU is currently the defendant in a federal lawsuit that charges the school with retaliation against two female coaches after they challenged the school’s compliance with Title IX. Its former General Counsel, Wendy Morris, also filed a lawsuit in federal court in April, 2008, alleging that the university retaliated against her when she expressed concerns about gender discrimination in athletics, and that her employment was terminated as a direct result of her refusal to go along with the school's actions. [1]
[edit] Student Life
[edit] Greek Life
Florida Gulf Coast University has five Sorority Chapters and three Fraternity Chapters currently on campus. The sororities are Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Chi Omega while the fraternities are Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa Alpha Psi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Epsilon Phi Chi, and Sigma Phi Epsilon.
[edit] Media
The university has operated public broadcasting stations WGCU television and WGCU-FM since 1996, when the license was transferred from the University of South Florida in Tampa. WGCU-TV is a PBS member while WGCU-FM is an NPR member and broadcasts news, classical music and jazz.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Florida Gulf Coast University - Official website
- Florida Gulf Coast Athletics - Official Athletics website
- Eagle News - Student Newspaper
- FGCU Press Releases
- WGCU
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