Academic Affairs Events

Message from Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Debbie Thorne

July 21, 2025 / First and Last Name

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 am eager to learn from your expertise, understand your priorities, and collaborate across the institution to advance our mission. 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

Welcome to the Nest, Dr. Debbie M. Thorne

July 01, 2025

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.

Eight FGCU faculty complete Spring 2025 Service-Learning Academy

June 11, 2025

FGCU’s Office of Service-Learning & Civic Engagement is proud to spotlight eight outstanding faculty members who successfully completed the Spring 2025 Service-Learning Faculty Academy.