Florida Gulf Coast University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Established | 1991 |
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| Type | Public |
| Endowment | 18+ million |
| President | Dr. William C. Merwin |
| Faculty | 283 |
| Undergraduates | 7,176 |
| Postgraduates | 937 |
| Location | Fort Myers, Florida |
| Campus | 760 acres (3.08 km²) |
| Colors | Blue, Green |
| Mascot | Eagles |
| Website | www.fgcu.edu |
Florida Gulf Coast University is a public, four-year college located in Fort Myers, Florida.
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[edit] History
The newest university in the State University System of Florida, the school was established by then-governor Lawton Chiles in 1991, although the site of the university wasn't chosen until 1992, and construction pushed back even further still (until 1995). The school first held classes in August 1997.
[edit] Campus
FGCU is located on 760 Acres in Southwest Florida. Four hundred acres of the main campus are set aside for environmental preservation. There are four other satellite campus locations which are yet to be expanded. They currently have 8,300 students in attendance at the University.
[edit] Athletics
On May 10, 2006, FGCU gained membership to the Atlantic Sun Conference for when it moves to Division I sports starting in the 2007-2008 academic year. Athletic teams at FGCU include Baseball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Softball, Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Tennis. FGCU also has a club Hockey team who moved up to Division 2 in ACHA this year.
[edit] Greek Life
Florida Gulf Coast University has four Sorortiy Chapters and three Fraternity Chapters currently on campus. Sorority Chapters- Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Tau Alpha.
Fraternity Chapters- Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa Alpha Psi, Pi Kappa Alpha.
After having been kicked off of campus two years ago, Sigma Phi Epsilon has recently been allowed to return to FGCU despite the objections of some community members.
[edit] Growth
FGCU has expanded in recent years, with enrollment rising from approximately 2,000 students in its first year to over 8,000 today. Over the next five years undergraduate enrollment is expected to increase to more than 15,000 students. In order to deal with this aggressive expansion plan, the finishing touches are currently being added to Academic Building V. In addition, FGCU is currently undertaking a library expansion project to more than double the size of its library. The new library annex opened in the Summer of 2006 and renovations to the existing library building will be complete in 2007. In December of 2005, the University received a 150 acre land donation from Stock Development and Private Equity Group LLC in order to build a satellite campus in neighboring Charlotte County. The land developer has also pledged $5 million which can be matched by an equal sized donation from the state. The development company plans to donate an additional $6 million over the coming years.
A five hundred car parking garage is being built on the campus to try and allieviate the current parking crisis.
Colin Powell is now scheduled to speak at the university lecture series.
The University is currently expanding its graduate offerings and is adding to its research capabilities, with an Environmental Forensics Facility or "body farm" in the works. The Division of Justice Studies in the College of Professional Studies is in its first year of offering a Master of Science in Criminal Forensic Studies. Students can choose to become qualified as a Forensic Behavior Analyst, under Dr. Duane Dobbert (www.drduanedobbert.com), or as a Death Investigator. The Death Investigator concentration prepares students to sit for the St. Louis University School of Medicine’s Medico-Legal Death Investigators Certification Examination. This exam qualifies a person to make the "death call" anywhere in the US. Those in Death Investigations may specialize in Crime Scene Investigations or in Human Identity and Trauma Analysis. The CSI course, under Dr. David Lounsbury, prepares students for laboratory management. The Human and Trauma ID concentration, under the direction of forensic anthropologist Heather Walsh-Haney, PhD candidate, trains students to identify human remains through skeletal attributes.
FGCU recently became admitted into the NCAA Division I basketball association in 2006. The 2007-2008 season will be their official first NCAA Division I year.
[edit] External link
| Atlantic Sun Conference |
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| Belmont • Campbell • ETSU • Florida Gulf Coast* • Gardner–Webb • Jacksonville Kennesaw State • Lipscomb • Mercer • North Florida • South Carolina Upstate* • Stetson * Future member effective 2007-2008 academic year |
