A note from Provost Rieger...

Colleagues – Happy New Year! I hope the holiday season was all you hoped it would be, and you had time to relax with family and friends. I am looking forward to a great year ahead, and had time to reflect on 2024 over the break. Among the many things we will accomplish together are:

• Strategic plan implementation. The FGCU 2024-2029 strategic plan is finalized and will be officially approved by the Florida Board of Governors this month, so it is time to work on implementation. While scores of people participated in the drafting of the plan, now we need every college, school and individual to define their contribution to making it come to life. Deans will be leading efforts to revise or draft unit-level plans that align with the FGCU plan. I’ve heard a lot of great ideas over the last couple of years, and certainly hope to see them expressed in the college and school plans – don’t hold back!
• Faculty hiring. By August 7, 2024, FGCU will employ over 600 full-time faculty, an all-time high for the university and roughly a 20% increase since 2020. Many of you are likely tapped to serve on a search committee, and I thank you for your service. Even if you’re not on a committee, your best thoughts on candidates that will be interviewed in the coming weeks are essential to the future of the university. We’ll also close three leadership searches in the first half of 2024 – Director of the School of Entrepreneurship, Dean of the Marieb College, and Dean of the Honors College. Please participate!
• COACHE survey implementation. Last year, most of you participated in the COACHE survey of faculty job satisfaction (Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education). We actually had much higher participation than any of our peer institutions that engaged COACHE in 2023. A task force has prioritized two items for improvement this year, 1) the culture of leadership and 2) resources and support. This ties back to the 2024-2029 FGCU Strategic Plan, specifically to the theme of strengthening organizational culture and commitment to employees. Another task force will be working on implementation this spring and they’ll be reaching out to you.

Best wishes for a great spring semester!