Academic Affairs Weekly | June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

TOP NEWS

Welcome to the Nest, Dr. Debbie M. Thorne

The FGCU Family is pleased to welcome Dr. Debbie M. Thorne as our new Executive Vice President and Provost, effective July 1. Dr. Thorne joins us following her American Council on Education Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she has been completing this rigorous program.

Dr. Thorne brings extensive academic leadership experience from Texas State University, her academic home since 2001.

At Texas State, she served as senior vice provost for seven years with responsibilities for academic budgets and resources, faculty recruitment, success, and retention, and shared governance.

Prior to her senior vice provost role, Dr. Thorne became a tenured faculty member in marketing and held various faculty and administrative roles, including Chair of the Department of Marketing and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

As FGCU Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Thorne will provide vision and leadership in all matters relating to academic programs and the pursuit of academic excellence at FGCU. She will work with President Timur and the President’s Cabinet to shape and execute the university’s strategic plan and priorities.

Dr. Thorne earned her doctorate in business administration from the University of Memphis, master’s degree in marketing from Texas A&M University, and bachelor’s degree in business administration from Abilene Christian University.

She is a widely published scholar-teacher, co-author of Business & Society: A Strategic Approach to Social Responsibility, and recipient of multiple teaching and research awards.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Thorne to FGCU as we continue our Journey to Excellence.

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 the week of June 30, 2025

Questions? Contact: Business Services

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.

Click to apply!

Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (ORSP)

NSF 23-1519: Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has a Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, and each year FGCU is limited to the following submissions:

Two proposals for Track 1
One proposal for Track 2
One proposal for Track 3

Due to these submission limits - and the high level of interest last year - faculty interested in applying are asked to notify the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) as soon as possible.

The Sponsor Deadline for the MRI Program is November 15. To be considered, interested faculty must provide the information outlined in the Limited Submissions Instructions to ORSP by August 15.

Details about the Tracks can be found in the RFP. The Grants and Research Team (GRT) will review submissions and select proposals (up to two for Track 1, one for Track 2, and one for Track 3) in accordance with GRT/Faculty Senate bylaws.

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.

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

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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.