July 14, 2025

TOP NEWS

Message from Executive Vice President and Provost

Dr. Debbie Thorne

Dear colleagues,

I am thrilled to join the FGCU community as your Executive Vice President and Provost and to be part of our university’s ongoing journey to excellence. From Eagle View Orientation to the Board of Governors, my first days on campus have revealed an enduring passion, dedication, and innovative spirit. Thank you for the warm welcome.

Each one of us has a critical role in the university’s success. Every interaction we have with students, partners, and each other, whether in the classroom, research lab, community site, or office hallway, reflects and reinforces our culture of excellence and care. Together, we will continue to innovate for student success while building upon the strong foundation of collaborative learning, interdisciplinary scholarship, and community engagement that distinguishes FGCU from all other institutions.

I joined FGCU because of its momentum and spirit of place—the remarkable intersection of academic innovation, community engagement, and sustainability that makes our university truly distinctive. As Southwest Florida’s living laboratory, I believe FGCU is uniquely poised to address the challenges and opportunities of our dynamic region and beyond.

As we move forward together in Year 2 of our strategic plan, Innovating for Student Success: FGCU’s Journey to Excellence, my commitment to you is clear: we will elevate academic excellence and student success, accelerate operational excellence, strengthen our partnerships and collective impact, and ensure FGCU remains a destination of choice for outstanding faculty, staff, and students.

I am eager to learn from your expertise, understand your priorities, and collaborate across the institution to advance our mission. In the coming weeks, I will be exploring more of our campus community to better understand how I can facilitate and embolden your important work. I look forward to seeing you at the President's Kickoff, college, school and department meetings, and many other campus events.

Thank you for your dedication to our students and our university. I am honored to be here.

Wings Up & Go Eagles!

Debbie M. Thorne, Executive Vice President and Provost

Faculty Spotlight. Are you a FGCU faculty member who has achieved a recent milestone or an accolade? Email us: academicaffairs@fgcu.edu.

Check out past editions of the Academic Affairs newsletter: Academic Affairs Events

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Take note of the dining hours for July 14-18, 2025

Questions? Contact: Business Services

FREE entrance into the Naples Botanical Garden

At FGCU, faculty and staff enjoy many perks! Through the FGCU and Naples Botanical Garden partnership, FGCU faculty and staff receive free entrance into the Garden.

Scholarly Innovation & Student Research (SISR)

WiSER Program Call for Proposals

SISR invites faculty to submit applications for a WiSER Research Assistant.

The WiSER (Work in Scholarly Experiences & Research) program enables faculty to hire student research assistants for 10 hours per week for Fall and Spring semesters.

WiSER provides students with opportunities to work as paid research assistants to help with faculty research. The program was created to offer high-impact learning experiences to students and to give faculty a chance to mentor future scholars and share best professional practices.

The call will be active all summer with a priority deadline of August 1st, 2025.

Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (ORSP)

Notice of Hanover Grant Academy 2025-2026



The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (OSRP) is soliciting nominations for the Hanover Grant Academy. The goal is for eight faculty to undergo an intensive proposal development plan over a one-year time frame. 

The Academy consists of approximately 4-6 in-person meetings during the year and one-on-one meetings with the Hanover experts. The requested information for application is listed below. A key factor in selection will be the goal of submitting a proposal for extramural funding. 

Hanover will provide grantsmanship training, proposal critique, guidance on project and alignment with grant opportunities, and proposal revision assistance. Faculty selected are expected to submit a proposal for extramural funding at the completion of the grant academy. 

Faculty are permitted to apply for an additional round of intensive proposal development assistance provided an application for extramural funding was submitted during their previous participation. 

The deadline is September 15, 2025, by 5 PM. Please submit the application as a single pdf to Dr. Rosemary Higgins (rhiggins@fgcu.edu). Questions can be referred to Dr. Higgins. 

FGCU continues to use our negotiated Federal Rate Agreement

The indirect rates continue to be 43% for on-campus activities and 19% for off-campus activities. ORSP staff will work with faculty to ensure proper rates are applied.

Please reach out to ORSP if you have questions.

College of Education

JOIN THE MEETING: https://fgcu-edu.zoom.us/j/92625548301?pwd=Phb5zaB3KTGWX7ot1y2OF0HrQxtXVK.1

CONTACT DR. HOUDYSHELL TO REQUEST THE PASSCODE.

Lucas Center for Faculty Development

We invite you to join us for the Lucas Center Dialogues on Culture & Community. Sessions are open to faculty, staff, and students who are interested in thinking together about our individual and collective roles in shaping our community and contributing to the culture of FGCU. 

We encourage and welcome participation from members of all of these groups, and we hope you will bring a friend or student and end your month in dialogue with engaged and committed colleagues.

Click here for more information on the Dialogues on Culture and Community sessions.

This Summer! FGCU Ice Cream

Student Plaza

Wednesdays & Thursdays | 11AM-2PM

Payment Options: Credit Cards & Mobile Tap Payments (Apple Pay)

Why Visit Us? Your purchase supports student entrepreneurs gaining real-world business experience in production, marketing, customer service, and leadership.

About the Creamery



FGCU's student-operated ice cream business offers a unique, hands-on learning experience that empowers students to develop practical skills in all aspects of entrepreneurship.

From sourcing ingredients and overseeing production to crafting marketing strategies and delivering exceptional customer service, students gain firsthand knowledge of managing a business. 

This experience builds expertise in leadership, financial management, teamwork, and innovation while instilling a strong sense of accountability and ownership.  

It’s more than just a business lesson—it’s about applying those lessons in a real-world setting, building confidence, and preparing for future success.

University Library

OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR STUDENTS

Lutgert College of Business

Center for Supply Chain Excellence

FOUR (4) NEW CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Pursuing a certificate at Florida Gulf Coast University is a powerful move to advance your career, not just a resume booster. Our (4) four new Graduate certificates are thoughtfully crafted to equip you with high-demand skills, enhance your professional credibility and support your continued growth.

GETTING STARTED

Applicants must submit an application online per the individual program’s instructions below. Please contact Graduate Admissions at 239-745-GRAD or graduate@fgcu.edu for additional information about the application process.

Satisfaction of minimum University and program requirements does not guarantee admission to a graduate program. Applicants should check with the program for the most up-to-date admission requirements before starting the application process.

• Submit an FGCU Graduate Admissions Application and satisfy all applicable university admissions requirements.
• Create FGCU account; choose non-degree certificate on your application.

Submission requests must be sent to academicaffairs@fgcu.edu by end of business on the Wednesday of the prior week. Submissions received after this deadline will not be shared until the following newsletter.

Please send attachments as either a .PNG or .JPEG file 250kb or less.

.PDFs are NOT accepted.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and content expressed in these programs, events, and materials are those of the author(s)/presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views, positions, or endorsements of Florida Gulf Coast University's Academic Affairs Division.