The biggest story in 2016 was that the University started the search for its fourth president with the pending retirement ofDr. Wilson G. Bradshawon June 30, 2017. The Presidential Search Advisory Committee was chaired by TrusteeKen Smithduring the process that would culminate with the FGCU Board of Trustees selecting the University’s next leader, pending approval by the Board of Governors. Trustees electedDudley Goodlettethe board’s chair this year, succeedingRobbie Roepstorff,whileDr. Shawn Feltonis vice chair.
FGCU continued to be a leader in making higher education affordable, with the University again earning positive recognition from Gov. Rick Scott and the Board of Governors for not increasing the cost of tuition, fees and housing for a number of consecutive years. FGCU also earned praise for its innovative idea to increase four-year graduation rates by creating the Soar in 4 program, which effective with the 2015-16 academic year gives freshmen the chance to get reimbursed for out-of-pocket tuition costs from their first year if they graduate in four years and meet certain criteria.
Academic Building 7 was renamed Seidler Hall, dedicated to the generosity of Sanibel residentsLeeandGene Seidler, and Lee Seidler’s daughter,Laurie, who created a fund that will strengthen the College of Arts & Sciences.
Two students became the first in FGCU history to be chosen for prestigious Fulbright grants to study or teach abroad.Emilio Feijooof Naples, who graduated from FGCU in December 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and English, was selected for a Fulbright Study/Research Grant to pursue graduate studies in comparative literature at the University of Essex in Colchester, England.Lori Boegershausen of Palm Harbor, an Honors Program history graduate, was offered a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grant to teach in Germany for a year. Both students are the first in their families to earn college degrees and completed their undergraduate programs with the help of FGCU Foundation scholarships.
The University’s inaugural Give Day — held April 26 — was a resounding success, with 207 supporters giving $1.18 million to benefit students and university programs. The one-day fundraiser, expected to become an annual event, was an effort to build enthusiasm and giving among the growing alumni base as well as faculty, staff and the many members of the community with ties to the university. A $1 million gift came from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous but wanted to make an impact.
On May 9, FGCU joined nine other state universities in Florida and more than 1,500 other campuses nationwide to become smoke- and tobacco-free.
Dr. Elaine Nicpon Mariebof Sarasota, for whom Marieb Hall is named, was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by the University on May 1 in recognition of her significant contributions to the education of nursing and healthcare professionals throughout her career, and for her long-term involvement in, and support of, FGCU. The honorary doctoral degree is only the sixth to be awarded in the institution’s history. The College of Health Professions and Social Work was in the news again in the summer whenDavid W.andDr. Alise G. Bartleyof Ohio, soon to be residents of Bonita Springs, pledged $1 million to the college.
Dr. John Woolschlager加入FGCU，担任可再生能源的首席执行官和新兴技术研究所所长，该研究所于今年开业，占地2.4万平方英尺，位于阿利科路附近的6.5英亩土地上，其中包括一个2.5英亩的能源公园。Woolschlager, a professor of environmental engineering and the director of engineering graduate programs, succeeded the inaugural Backe Chair,Dr. Joseph Simmons, who retired.
FGCU’s continuing support for those who served — and some who still serve — our country manifested itself in a new program to help military veterans get started in business. The University was one of five institutions in the state to pilot the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program, which provided online and hands-on tutoring, instruction and training through the spring and into summer, with finalists getting the chance to pitch their business models to potential investors at FGCU’s new Emergent Technologies Institute, located just northeast of campus.Amy Ridgwaycoordinated the program, which was implemented by faculty membersDr. Sandra Kauanui, director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and chair of the management department in the Lutgert College of Business, who helped craft the statewide curriculum; along withDr. Eric Arseneau, assistant professor of entrepreneurship; andDr. Joseph Cuiffi,assistant professor of Renewable Energy Engineering.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Entrepreneurship launched the new Runway Program — a startup incubator exclusive to FGCU’s aspiring student entrepreneurs at no cost to them. Students can work on building new companies with help from entrepreneurship faculty and mentors.
Basketball was a blast at FGCU in 2016 as both the men’s and women’s teams achieved postseason success. The men captured the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament title to make the NCAA Tournament First Four game, where they destroyed Fairleigh Dickinson by 31 points before losing to No. 1 national seed North Carolina in a game that stayed close into the second half.
The women — upset in the A-Sun Tournament championship game to miss out on another shot in the NCAAs — turned the disappointment into delight for the Southwest Florida community by winning five consecutive WNIT Tournament games at Alico Arena. A loss on the road to South Dakota in the WNIT title game ended the season, but not before the team won 33 games and earned CoachKarl Smeskohis sixth consecutive A-Sun Coach of the Year Award and the distinction as espnW Mid-Major Coach of the Year.
The FGCU Effect reached the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with three athletes who wore the Blue and Green competing against the greatest competitors from around the world.Lani Cabreraswam for Barbados in the 400-meter freestyle, whileEvita Leterwas on苏里南队参加了100米蛙泳比赛。Those two joined another athlete at the Games with FGCU ties — former volleyball starBrooke (Youngquist) Sweat, who teamed with Lauren Fendrick to compete in sand volleyball.
But those three aren’t the only student athletes who have excelled. At May’s games of a different sort — the Invictus Games in Orlando for those injured serving in the military — junior exercise-science majorJosh Wegewon a gold medal competing for the U.S. team in the 400-meter race. Recently graduated women’s golferSara Detlefsenmade history in July as the first Eagle to compete in an LPGA event, the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.
Also, some former FGCU athletes signed professional contracts this year.Whitney Knight —a two-time A-Sun Player of the Year, three-time First Team All-Conference pick and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American — became the first Eagle drafted by the WNBA, going 15thoverall to the Los Angeles Sparks. Others who are competing at the next level areRodrigo SaraviaandAaron Guillenin Major League Soccer andJake Nollin baseball. Noll ended his FGCU baseball career by joiningChris Sale作为唯一一名获得全美第一阵容认可的鹰队球员，也是唯一一名在不同赛季入选全美最佳阵容的球员，他得到了DI Baseball的认可。诺尔在FGCU历史上几乎所有进攻项目都排名前十，他还被大学棒球队和美国棒球队评为全美第二阵容。
As for club sports, the DII Hockey Club beat Liberty, 4-1, in West Chester, Pa., in April to capture its second National Club Championship.
FGCU was recognized by Sustainable Florida for its comprehensive efforts to promote and practice sustainability in operations and education. The university received the 2016 Sustainable Florida Best Practices Award in the universities and colleges competition category on Sept. 15 at the Working on the Green Sustainability Summit in Fort Lauderdale. FGCU was also a finalist in the government and leadership categories.
FGCU的家庭资源中心获得了全国幼儿教育协会(NAEYC)的认证，该协会是世界上最大的为幼儿服务的组织。为了获得NAEYC的认证，家庭资源中心经历了广泛的自学和质量改进过程，随后由NAEYC的评估人员进行现场核查，以确保该项目符合10项研究型项目标准中的每一项，以及数百项相应的标准。
The 25th Annual Founder’s Cup Golf Tournament hosted by the FGCU Foundation broke previous records for participation and fundraising, netting more than $135,000 for scholarships and programs that advance the university’s mission. The tournament, held Oct. 21 at Quail Creek Golf Club in Naples, drew 61 teams of golfers and raised more than ever before.
ILLUMITIZE, a student startup business, announced a partnership with Lee Health’s HealthPark Medical Center to beta test its product. ILLUMITIZE is a visual-alert system designed to increase hand hygiene compliance in hospitals and other health-care facilities. The ILLUMTIZE team consisted of students from FGCU’s U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering, includingBrian Bradley, David Fleck Joseph Mukuvi, Allison Sundermeierand FGCU alumDixibeth Villarraga.
The university earned a 2016 Horizon Council Healthy Workplace Wellness Award in recognition of its comprehensive efforts to promote wellness among its employees.The award was presented Oct. 28 at the Horizon Council general membership meeting, where employers were honored in three size levels. FGCU, which employs more than 1,200 faculty and staff, was recognized in the large-business category along with LeeSar Inc.
The Bower School of Music & the Arts accepted a gift of great significance made in December byMaurizioandLaura Nisita三角湾。他们的音乐杰出奖的一半将被指定为奖学金，其余的将被设立为捐赠基金，以支持音乐家的客串演出系列。为了感谢他们的慷慨，FGCU将该系列音乐会命名为“Nisita音乐会系列”，于2017年秋季生效。
Jeffrey Perry, visiting assistant professor of history, was awarded a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Library Company of Philadelphia. The fellowship enabled Perry to do more extensive research on a book manuscript he’s writing about the role of churches as judicial tribunals in the early days of the American West.
FGCU was awarded Most Engaged Campus of the Year in the State University System for the third time in eight years, but Eagles also were recognized with four individual Campus Compact honors at a November ceremony in Tampa — most notably FGCU PresidentDr. Wilson G. Bradshaw’slifetime achievement award for a legacy of service. FGCU has been a member of Florida Campus Compact since 2000 and won Engaged Campus of the Year in 2008 and 2011. Besides Dr. Bradshaw’s receipt of the Thomas E. Gamble Service Legacy Award, named in honor of the late president of Brevard Community College (now Eastern Florida State College), other FGCU honorees announced earlier this year were:Lauren Morimanno,the 2016 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow;Noelle Stone获“优秀学生服务奖”;andKatharine O’Connor,honored with the Community Engagement Educator Award.
University virologists and researchersSharon IsernandScott Michaeldeveloped a treatment for dengue virus expected to reach human clinical trials that also could be effective against Zika virus. On the Miami-Dade battlefront where Zika was discovered in the U.S., FGCU graduateDarrel Bagiotti(’14 Environmental Studies) led a team of about 140 employees of Clarke, an Illinois-based global producer of environmental products and services, in that company’s ground fight against Zika-spreading mosquitoes.
