No room at the Real Scandal Inn, Palm Beach Post

By Jac Wilder VerSteeg
December 6, 2008


How do you get people to care about higher education? Kill off Santa Claus. Or the Baby Jesus.

Florida Gulf Coast University President Wilson Bradshaw found this out the hard way. On Nov. 20, he decreed that Christmas decorations would not be allowed on any common areas of the Fort Myers campus. No menorahs, either. Employees could decorate their desks, but not outside doors. A greeting card decorating contest was canceled. The "Giving Tree" that collected gifts for needy preschoolers was renamed the "Giving Garden." President Bradshaw said this was the best way "to observe the season in ways that honor and respect all traditions."

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Edison-FGCU partnership to propel higher education in Charlotte County

December 3, 2008


PUNTA GORDA -- Charlotte County residents will have greater access to higher education opportunities thanks to a partnership between Edison State College and Florida Gulf Coast University.

The partnership, which was announced Tuesday morning during a press conference, will expand course offerings at Edison's Charlotte Campus by adding 12 bachelor's degree programs and two master's degree programs within five years.

As Edison's District President Kenneth P. Walker explained, he and FGCU President Wilson G. Bradshaw created the plan in the hopes of improving educational opportunities for the people of Charlotte County, supporting future economic development in the area and saving the money of students and state taxpayers.

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Santa ban reversed at Florida University, Palm Beach Post

By Kimberly Miller
December 1, 2008

Florida Gulf Coast University President Wilson Bradshaw said he was just trying to do the right thing when he asked that no holiday decorations appear in common use areas of the Fort Myers school’s campus.

In a Nov. 20 letter to employees he said people were free to decorate their cubicles and desks, but wanted to respect all holiday traditions by not having public areas draped in Christmas regalia _ or any regalia that is connected to religious holidays celebrated in December.

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Attorney for FGCU warned it would likely lose discrimination suit, News-Press (Ft. Myers)

By Dave Breitenstein
October 21, 2008

FGCU settled two federal lawsuits after its attorney warned that key witnesses weren’t credible and a jury would see through holes in the defense, according to transcripts released by Florida Gulf Coast University.

That attorney, Aaron Behar of Miami, was upfront in recommending FGCU settle gender equity lawsuits with two former coaches and a former general counsel.

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Editorial: Local higher education institutions' success fueling region's economy, Naples News

August 30, 2008

Let’s see now.
Enrollment is up at Ave Maria University. The university has welcomed more than 330 new students and seven new professors. Undergraduate enrollment at Ave Maria now stands at more than 600 compared to 426 last fall.

Enrollment for the fall term at Florida Gulf Coast University is up. Despite a freshmen enrollment freeze due to budget restraints, FGCU reports a startup student body for the fall term of 10,366 compared to 9,496 on the first day last fall. Plus, FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw looks forward with confidence to growing the student body at the same rate since 1997, to 15,000 within five years. (We trust the Florida Legislature is listening. That is going to mean living up to its funding commitment.)

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FGCU president: Rapid growth at university is a positive, Naples Daily News

By Brad Kane
August 21, 2008

ESTERO — After growing from nothing to a bustling Southwest Florida university in 10 years, Florida Gulf Coast University enters its second decade of existence on Monday with more than 10,000 students for the first time ever.

FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw welcomed back staff and faculty with his State of the University address on Thursday as the university’s newest students moved into their new homes.

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Classroom space gets tighter at FGCU, News-Press (Ft. Myers)

By Dave Breitenstein
July 28, 2008

FGCU touts its small classes and individualized attention as a recruiting pitch that has won over many students in past years.

Admissions officers, however, can no longer make that claim.

In the fall 2007, Florida Gulf Coast University’s 30-student per class average was the third highest among Florida’s 10 traditional public universities. Just three years ago,
FGCU had the state’s smallest classes at 22 students each.

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FGCU boasts freshman wait list, News-Press (Ft. Myers)

By Dave Breitenstein
July 3, 2008

Two years ago, Kristina Drake completed eighth grade.
Now, she's touring colleges.

Drake, 16, spent Wednesday on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University, learning about its history and academic programs. She's young, part of an emerging trend in Florida's university system in which prospective students scour college campuses long before they're forced to settle on one school.

"It's good to be prepared," said Drake, who'll be a junior at Lyman High School in Central Florida in the fall. "I'd really like to know ahead of time what I will be doing."

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Editorial: Freshman cap cuts too deep, Naples News

June 19, 2008

We have grown accustomed to hearing about budget cuts in the public sector. We watch to see which services are going to be eliminated or postponed.

When the affected government entity is Florida Gulf Coast University and student enrollment is on the chopping block, that really gets our attention.

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Cutting back on college admissions, Naples Daily News

By Candace Braun
June 13, 2008

For months, they waited. They checked their mailboxes, e-mail inboxes and their egos, as statewide budget cuts caused Florida’s public universities to stall their admissions notifications to thousands of students, leaving them wondering whether they’d be admitted in the fall.
Now that the 2008 legislative session has ended, the State University System has learned how deep their cuts will be. At Florida Gulf Coast University, this means turning away otherwise qualified students for the first time in the university’s 11-year history. State-mandated enrollment caps forced FGCU to stick to its fall 2007 enrollment, whittling the 2,300 students the university anticipated to 1,850, said FGCU Chief of Staff Susan Evans.

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