September 29, 2025

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Celebrating excellence in sustainability with University Colloquium

Colloquium Team: Left to right, Marco Acosta (Colloquium Director), Rachel Sheffey (Coordinator), and Joe Ross (Undergraduate Studies Director) in front of a burgeoning papaya tree in the FGCU Food Forest.

For nearly 25 years, University Colloquium has been empowering students to examine environmental challenges, become engaged citizens, and apply sustainability practices in their personal and professional lives.

It was one of the first sustainability courses in the nation to be a graduation requirement, reflecting FGCU’s lasting commitment to environmental education and civic responsibility.

Since 2024, the sustainability course graduation requirement (SCGR) has expanded to include a growing list of courses across the University, spanning disciplines as diverse as Entrepreneurship, Health Sciences, Philosophy, and Theatre.

Naturalists: Left to right, Vania Azevedo, Ani Harutyuyan, Marco Acosta, Allison Goodwin, Chad Evers, Iris Brown, Alessia Leathers, and Sebastian Aspron caught in a downpour during training at Vester Marine.

Colloquium features a variety of field experiences to engage students in the practical applications of course concepts, each led by experienced Campus Naturalists, community partners, or instructors.

Classes have visited sites like FGCU’s Food Forest, Lee County’s Waste-to-Energy Plant, Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, and Lovers Key State Park. This hands-on learning highlights our local community and invigorates FGCU’s deep connection to Southwest Florida.

Through Colloquium and other SCGR courses, FGCU demonstrates its leadership in uniting student success with sustainability and global responsibility.

Students from every program emerge better equipped to become engaged, informed professionals and citizens, ready to address the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

For additional information, visit: fgcu.edu/colloquium

APPLAUSE

FGCU celebrates faculty achievements at 2025 Promotion & Grants Reception

On September 17, 2025, the 2025 Promotion & Grants Reception recognized faculty and staff who were promoted or awarded grants in the 2024-2025 academic year.

The following individuals were awarded grants:

The celebration took place at Cohen Student Union for an afternoon that highlighted how our faculty and staff are making impactful and transformative investments in students, research and scholarship, and the entire FGCU community.



Help us congratulate these colleagues for their commitment to academic excellence and student success!

TOP NEWS

Now Open! Faculty Excellence Award Nominations Due November 21

Dear Eagle Family,

It is the time of year that we are given the opportunity to recognize the excellent work of our adjuncts, advisors, instructors, librarians and professors.

FGCU faculty, staff and students are encouraged to submit nominations for the Advising, Librarianship, Scholarship, Service and Teaching Excellence Awards. The Faculty Senate-approved guidelines, which outline the nomination process and characteristics for each award, are available on the Faculty Senate Awards webpage. 

All nomination forms must be received by 5 p.m. November 21. Please consider participating in this very important process!

Stay tuned for future announcements about additional award opportunities.

Award winners will be announced at the Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony Wednesday, April 22, 2026, and will be kept confidential until that time. More information on this exciting event will be sent to the university community as we get closer to the date.

Debbie M. Thorne, Ph.D. | Executive Vice President and Provost

Provost's Seminar Series - SAVE THE DATE

Friday, December 5, 2025

Location: Seidler Hall, Room 114

Click the Eagle Link for additional details

The series kicks off with Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy Research and Innovation Office, University of Minnesota, discussing pandemic preparedness.

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

Have you seen a faculty member or academic team exhibiting academic excellence and going the extra mile for student success? Email us: academicaffairs@fgcu.edu.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Career Advancement Assistance Program

The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to announce the Career Advancement Assistance Program. The purpose of the Career Advancement Assistance Program is to provide time for faculty members to engage meaningfully in activities that yield outputs and impacts enhancing FGCU’s scholarly impact and timely promotion of faculty members. 

• Faculty categories included in this initiative are those on the professor and instructor tracks. The Career Advancement Assistance Program partially relieves teaching obligations to provide time for scholarly, research, or career development endeavors. During the Career Advancement Assistance Program, faculty teaching load and/or other assignments will be reduced, and no overload teaching will be permitted. 
• The number of awards is contingent on the availability of funding through the Provost’s office.
• The deadline for the Spring 2026 Career Advancement semester is Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Please submit your application in its entirety to Julie Leyden (jleyden@fgcu.edu).
• The deadline for the Summer 2026 Career Advancement semester is Monday, November 17, 2025. Summer semester is now available for 12-month AND 9-month faculty. Please see the guidelines for details. For 9-month faculty, if selected, they will receive 25% of their base salary as additional summer pay. No summer teaching will be allowed for those in the program during the summer career advancement semester.

Access the application cover page and detailed information about the program here:

• Career Advancement Assistance Program Guidelines
• Cover Page - Career Advancement Assistance Program

Service-Learning & Civic Engagement

CALLING ALL FACULTY! The Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement is looking for full-time and adjunct faculty members to join the FGCU Fall 2025 Cohort for the Service-Learning Faculty Academy.

Service-Learning is excited to announce that applications are open for the Fall 2025 Service-Learning Faculty Academy, a distinguished program with thirty-one active faculty alumni. Through this campus-wide invitation, ten participants will be selected from the pool of applicants. This semi-annual cohort invites both full-time and adjunct faculty who are currently incorporating Service-Learning into their courses—or are interested in doing so—to engage in a collaborative, enriching experience. New this year - we will also be partnering with Career Development Services to offer additional course-integration opportunities!

 APPLY TODAY: Fall 2025 Service-Learning Faculty Academy Information coming soon!

The Fall 2025 Cohort will be held November 7, 14, and December 5. Faculty must apply by October 7, 2025.

Participants will receive monetary compensation of $1000 for attending all in-person sessions along with integrating an approved Service-Learning assignment within their course.

Mandatory Meeting Dates:

Fall 2025 Cohort will be held November 7, 14, and December 5

Questions and application materials can be sent to Jamie Wilson, Coordinator of Faculty and Community Partnerships at jawilson@fgcu.edu by November 1st to be considered for the Fall 2024 Service-Learning Academy.

Roots of Compassion & Kindness (ROCK) Center

Questions? Email rock@fgcu.edu

Digital Learning Online Workshop

Integrating GEN AI In Your Course

Scan the QR Code to Enroll

Digital Learning EDUBITES

Scan the QR Code to register or contact kiconroy@fgcu.edu

Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (ORSP)

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Deadlines

There are posted deadlines for ORSP applications. For time-sensitive opportunities, ORSP will attempt to accommodate requests but cannot guarantee submission unless the following are met:

For FGCU to meet sponsor requirements and provide added value to each proposal, the following standard internal deadlines have been established for electronic and paper submissions (these lead times do not include time required by the relevant unit(s) for their review/approval):

1. A proposal must be initiated in Streamlyne. Streamlyne is FGCU’s internal proposal routing/approval process. Work with ORSP’s pre-award team if you need assistance.



2. Three (3) business days (days when FGCU business operations are open) prior to submission deadline: The final complete budget, additional administrative materials, and draft narrative are due to ORSP.

2. Ten (10) business days are required for subrecipient documentation when FGCU is the prime for the proposal.

The deadlines are in place so that last minute errors/warnings can be addressed in advance of the sponsor’s deadlines. If error/warnings are received close to the sponsor deadline and cannot be adjusted, applications may not be submitted if we are not able to remedy the issue(s).

More information can be found at:

https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/research/#ProposalPreparationPreAward

THIS WEEK

The Office of Internships & Cooperative Programs is proud to launch our very first Internship Week—a series of events dedicated to helping all Eagles succeed.



Whether you're looking for your first internship, building your team, or ready to mentor the next generation, this week has something for you.

• For Students: Find your internship connection, connect directly with employers, and discover resources to launch your career.

• For Faculty & Staff: Learn to create meaningful internship experiences and network with colleagues who are helping to guide our students' futures.



CONTACT: 239-745-4423 | icp@fgcu.edu

SAVE THE DATE!

October 7, 2025

The Lucas Center for Faculty Development invites faculty & students to join us for a conversation about

The Student Faculty Partnership Program

The Student-Faculty Partnership Program (SFPP) at FGCU places one student and one faculty member in dialogue with each other for an entire semester. Students work up to 6.5 hours per week in the paid role of teaching consultant to a faculty member, earning approximately $1,560 per semester.

Through this program, student consultants analyze, affirm, and support the revision of classroom practice in the context of one of the faculty partner's courses with the goal of maximizing engagement and learning for all involved. Overall, student and faculty partners work to develop a dialogue in the interest of improving the course.

The Student Faculty Partnership Program Info Session will feature a panel of current student and faculty partners who will be sharing their experience in the SFPP and answering any questions attendees may have. This session is the starting point for students/faculty members who are interested in participating in the SFPP for the upcoming semester!

*Please share this with students or colleagues who you think may be interested in learning more about the SFPP!*

• Date: Tuesday, October 7
• Time: 11:30a-12:30p
• Modality: In-Person at the Lucas Center (LIB-221) or Virtual via Zoom
• Click here to register to attend in-person
• Click here to register to attend virtually

If you are interested in learning more about the SFPP but cannot make it to the info session, you can read about the program and watch a video in the FGCU 360 feature here!



Questions? Please contact the Lucas Center at lucascenter@fgcu.edu

*Please note that this registration is for the Info Panel only. Applications to participate in the SFPP for SPRING 2026 are forthcoming!*

October 28, 2025

Graduate & Professional School Fair

Academic Building 9, Room 138

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

The entire Eagle community is invited!

This fair is open to all FGCU students interested in exploring graduate and professional school opportunities. Three easy ways you can help:

• Promote the event by adding it to your undergraduate course syllabi as an assignment, a class activity, extra credit, or an announcement. 
• Encourage attendance by highlighting the value of early graduate and professional (law, medicine, etc.) school exploration. 
• Showcase your graduate program by attending the fair and engaging with prospective students who are eager to learn more about FGCU’s graduate offerings. 

Questions? Contact Dr. Dawn Kirby, Shannon Acosta, Jessica Rhea

November 3, 2025

President Aysegul Timur cordially invites you to An Interactive Panel Discussion with Prominent Southwest Florida Entrepreneur, Sandy Stilwell Youngquist. The event takes place on Monday, November 3, 2025 from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at the Water School at FGCU. Details are below.

RSVP HERE by October 20, 2025, or by clicking the invite below. Wings Up and Go Eagles! 

November 4, 2025

How $1,000 Drones

Are Rewriting Superpower Warfare

The Water School, Room 106

Speaker:

Dr. Tom Hamilton

Click to RSVP: fgcu.formstack.com/forms/imagine_solutions_drone_seminar

November 14, 2025

Fall Faculty Fest

Faculty:

join us for food, fun, drinks, and friends!

EagleLink:

getinvolved.fgcu.edu/event/11559895

November 17, 2025

Global Engagement Office

28th Annual International Reception

PAST ANNOUNCEMENTS

Missed an announcement? We've got you covered.

Lucas Center Symposium on Teaching & Learning: A Celebration of Passionate Teaching. The Lucas Center is excited to announce the return of the Lucas Center Symposium on Teaching and Learning, to be held in-person on February 17 and 18 in the Bradshaw Library. Call for Proposals Opens on September 29! | More information here.

FGCU Golisano Intellectual Developmental Disabilities Initiative (GIDDI)| American Sign Language Classes. Expand your communication skills and cultural understanding by joining our beginner American Sign Language (ASL) classes. FGCU GIDDI MOD 2, Wednesdays 1:30 PM- 2:30 PM. No commitment needed. | Click here to join.

FGCU's Office of the Ombuds is here to assist faculty, staff, and students! Employees who may be experiencing a university-related concern or conflict are encouraged to reach out to the Ombuds Office as an informal and confidential resource | Visit the Ombuds’ webpage for more information.

New attendance tool in Canvas | Click here for the complete announcement.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR STUDENTS

Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship

Sustainable Future Challenge

Ideas Centered on Sustainability and Real Impact

Questions?

Email: smkelly@fgcu.edu

Website

fgcu.edu/school-of-entrepreneurship/ife/sustainable_futures_challenge

Tuesday, October 28

Graduate & Professional Students Fair

The Water School (AB9), Room 138

Students will:

• Discover on- and off-campus graduate and professional school programs

• Learn about admission requirements and processes

• Chart their future path!

Encourage your students to attend! Eagle Link

School of Resort & Hospitality Management

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.

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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.