Graduate Studies: Elevating Excellence through Collaboration and Innovation

Graduate Studies: Elevating Excellence through Collaboration and Innovation

October 21, 2025 

At FGCU, Graduate Studies serves as a driving force for academic excellence, student success, and institutional innovation. We champion graduate education by streamlining processes, fostering collaboration, and elevating significant experiences for students and faculty.

We partner across campus to support high-impact programs that inspire personal and professional growth. For example, the upcoming October 28 Graduate & Professional School Fair—FGCU’s first in eight years—co-hosted with Career Development Services and Graduate Admissions, showcases FGCU’s graduate and professional programs alongside others from across the state. The fair offers our students direct access to faculty, staff, and admissions and career experts, a rich opportunity to explore advanced academic and professional pathways.

Graduate Studies also leads the following initiatives that simplify operations and enhance the graduate experience:

• Publishing comprehensive Graduate Student and Graduate Faculty handbooks,

• Streamlining graduate tuition waiver and graduate assistantship processes, and

• Extending Withdrawal for Extenuating Circumstances and Grade Forgiveness to graduate students, expanding their opportunities for academic success.

Graduate and Professional School Fair Planning Committee: L to R: Shannon Acosta (Graduate Studies), Dawn Kirby (Academic Programs & Curriculum Development), Zachry Gelow (Marieb College of Health and Human Services), Monika Caraballo (U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering), Vivek Bhargava (Lutgert College of Business), Diane Kratt (College of Education), Dimitrios Dermisis (U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering), Tanya Benford (Lutgert College of Business), Menaka Navaratna (College of Arts & Sciences), Brian Bovard (The Water School), Jessica Rhea (Experiential Learning & Career Development), Melissa Perez (Office of the Provost), Jason Lortie (Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship), Mary Larkin (Career Development Services). Not pictured: Lindsey Demarest (College of Education), Jazzmine Santiago (Graduate Admissions), Rosario Welle (Office of the Provost)

Our commitment to continuous improvement is reflected in current efforts to integrate Wings Up! as an advising tool and to strengthen collaboration among Graduate Program Coordinators to clarify admissions and operational processes.

Graduate Studies is a strategic partner in FGCU’s academic and career mission.

We champion excellence through graduate education by focusing on students’ academic success and engaging in continuous improvements, which is an investment in FGCU’s long-term impact.