Mitch Cordova Profile

Dr. Cordova currently serves as the Founding Vice President for Student Success & Enrollment Management & Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). He has held this position since March 2018 after serving nearly 7 years as Professor & Dean of the Marieb College of Health & Human Services. In his capacity as Vice President for Student Success & Enrollment Management, Dr. Cordova leads comprehensive division comprising three units containing 13 departments all aimed towards optimizing and maximizing FGCU’s efforts in: admitting best-fit students to FGCU, enhancing student engagement and campus life, improving student retention, persistence, and 4-yr graduation rates, as well as decreasing the cost of attendance while enhancing the employability of students following graduation.

Prior to his arrival at FGCU, Dr. Cordova served as Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Kinesiology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte for 6 years where he also served as Founding Director of the Biodynamics Research Laboratory and Research Faculty in the Center for Bioengineering Systems. Before joining the faculty at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Cordova was on faculty at Indiana State University for 8 years, serving in many capacities, including: Department Chair, Director of the MS and PhD programs in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine, and Director of the Sports Injury Research Laboratory. An accomplished scholar, Dr. Cordova’s research endeavors have culminated in more than 65 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, textbook chapters, and textbook reviews. He has also delivered over 130 professional research presentations, symposia, and invited lectures at the national and international levels. Dr. Cordova has been recognized nationally for his research accomplishments and is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, and the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions.

Active in Southwest Florida, Dr. Cordova serves on many community boards and committees including: Board of Directors – Moorings Park; Board of Directors – Naples Botanical Garden; Past-President, Board of Trustees – Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer’s Resource Center; SWFL Market American Heart Association Board and immediate past Chair; and American Heart Association Lee County Heart Walk Executive Leadership Team. Dr. Cordova is also a proud graduate of the Leadership Collier Class of 2016. He has also completed the Crisis Leadership in Higher Education certificate program from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.