College of Arts & Sciences
The college is planning for the move of the digital media design degree program to the Bower School of Music & the Arts. This effectively doubles the number of students in Bower and adds six new faculty. University Colloquium also will be moving to the college.
Lutgert College of Business
The Buckingham Golf Learning Center debuted as a premier training facility that prepares professional golf management students to lead and succeed in the workforce. FGCU’s program is one of only 16 in the nation accredited by the PGA — and the only one in Florida. The center features a dedicated driving range and short-game training space, enabling future golf professionals to fine-tune their skills while refining their coaching and teaching technique.
College of Education
With a grant from the Florida Department of Education, the college’s School Support Personnel Pathway and Grow Your Own apprenticeship program collaborated with school district partners to address the teacher workforce pipeline in practical and meaningful ways. Advancing its scholarly identity and reach, the college also became home to two peer-reviewed journals this year — the Journal of Education Finance & Law, and Leading & Managing.
Marieb College of Health & Human Services
U.S. News & World Report ranked two graduate programs in the top 100: Occupational therapy tied at No. 84 and nursing-anesthesia tied at No. 91. Of the non-nursing programs, two achieved overall licensure pass rates of 100% for 2025: occupational therapy and physician assistant studies. The physical therapy program achieved a first-time pass rate of 100%.
The college also launched the School of Behavioral Health & Social Services to address growing demand for integrated behavioral health education and services by unifying counseling and social work programs with Counseling & Psychological Services. This integration enhances student success by connecting academic training with direct student support while also positioning the university to better meet regional workforce needs and behavioral health outcomes.
Honors College
In the spring semester, Honors students Lizbeth Mendez, Rebecca Smith and Brooke Yantorn, along with students Callie Gilmore and Kathryn Smith, presented research studies at the Eastern Educational Research Association Annual Conference in Clearwater. These presentations demonstrate the value of student research experiences made possible through participation in collaborative faculty-led projects and through Honors-embedded courses that extend classroom learning into scholarly work. Two Honors students received Gilman Scholarships.
U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering
The college hosted about 50 leaders from industry, higher education, utilities, transportation, water and policy for the Critical Infrastructure Resilient Communities Summit. The primary goal was to define challenges concerning critical infrastructure, increased weather-related events and the insurance industry. Throughout May, the AI Summer Academy offered by Dendritic: A Human-Centered AI and Data Science Institute presented 31 expert-led sessions and over 130 hours of instruction designed to bridge academic research with real-world industry practices.
Bower School of Music & the Arts
The Bower School welcomed exceptional young talent to campus and further strengthened its global artistic connections by hosting the Second International Luciano Pavarotti Voice Competition in partnership with the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation and Opera Naples. This year’s Creative Career Showcase also brought 26 arts organizations from across Southwest Florida to campus, creating meaningful professional connections. In honor of the U.S. semiquincentennial, the theatre program produced an entire season of plays by American playwrights. Off campus, the Chamber Choir embarked on its triennial international tour, traveling to Italy, Croatia and Slovenia over spring break.
School of Nursing
The new psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner graduate program graduated its first cohort in May with 100% first-time licensure pass rates. The nurse anesthesiology program (BSN to DNP) also received a 100% first-time licensure pass rate. The school has also been preparing for new post-graduate advanced practice registered nursing certificate programs in family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, which will begin in the fall. They will provide experienced nurse practitioner clinicians with opportunities to expand their clinical focus.
Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship
Princeton Review ranked FGCU No. 44 in its Entrepreneurship Top 50 list and No. 10 for Entrepreneurship in the South. Students in two FGCU groups were selected from among 170 teams as top-25 finalists at the e-Fest Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Competition in Minnesota. An interdisciplinary group from the Runway Program, GG Entertainment, became the first FGCU team to place in the top 5 e-Fest final championship round and won the third-place prize of $20,000. In academics, the school received curriculum approval for new specialized programs in blockchain entrepreneurship, family enterprise, creator entrepreneurship and sustainability entrepreneurship.
School of Resort & Hospitality Management
FGCU students participated in the Florida Senate Foodie Frolic in Tallahassee during the legislative session. The event highlights Florida’s hospitality and tourism industry and brings together state senators, staff and industry leaders. Students had the opportunity to connect with state leaders and demonstrate their professionalism.
The Water School
“The William J. Mitsch Moonlight on the Marsh Lecture Series” opened with an evening honoring the late professor’s legacy of wetland scholarship, mentorship and public engagement. The relaunch of the lecture series featured presentations on indigenous people’s connections to wetland resources, environmental issues and FGCU research that is shaping Everglades restoration efforts.
