University Priorities

Scholarships are an investment in the training and education of tomorrow’s business leaders, accountants, teachers and other professionals – the people who make up our communities and touch our lives every day. At FGCU, 84 percent of our students apply for financial aid but only 60 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some form of assistance. Scholarships are crucial to opening the doors to the opportunity for students who otherwise would be unable to afford a university education.

Scholarships change lives – those of the students who receive them and of their families as well. Your investment in scholarships ensures that students will continue to have access to a high-quality education that prepares them to lead successful lives. Investment opportunities include:

• First Generation scholarships that make a university education possible for students who demonstrate a financial need and whose parents have not earned university degrees
• Endowed scholarships that provide student support in perpetuity – a wonderful way to leave a lasting impact on generations of students
• Performance scholarships that prepare gifted students for successful careers in athletics, theater, art, performance and music education

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FGCU is dedicated to excellence in teaching and learning and to generating new knowledge to share with its students and the world. Since the University opened in 1997, our faculty has generated more than $175 million in external research grants. From 2008 to 2013, FGCU increased the number of degrees it awarded in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) by 142 percent, the greatest increase among major universities in Florida’s State University System; our students are well prepared for graduate study and employment in these fields, which are projected to show strong job growth for years to come.

To sustain efforts to build relevant programs and attract and retain the best faculty and students, the University needs your financial support to help us invest in strategic priorities such as these:

• Faculty endowments and training programs like the New Faculty Academy that enhance teaching techniques
• Scholarly research by faculty and students that positively impacts the environment of Southwest Florida and improves the lives of its residents
• Timely new degree programs which are responsive to the needs of Southwest Florida

Investing in academic excellence represents an opportunity to transform students’ lives and enrich the whole community – the heart of FGCU’s mission. 

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FGCU has developed a reputation for excellence as evidenced by accolades from accrediting agencies and the success of our graduates. Extraordinary increases in enrollment have resulted.

Eminent scholars and professorships attract and retain the finest faculty by providing the funding to pursue independent research and other scholarly activities.

A minimum gift of $1.5 million is required to endow an eminent scholar chair. Eminent scholars are the internationally renowned authorities in their chosen fields. Their leadership, knowledge and cutting-edge research enhance the education received by FGCU students and bring prominence to FGCU.

A minimum gift of $500,000 is required to endow a professorship. Individuals named to professorships must have demonstrated excellence in research and scholarly activities, published widely and shown a commitment to using their own achievements to give to their students the most stimulating and up-to-date education available in their fields.

It is a great honor for a professor to hold the position of a named eminent scholar chair or professorship. Earnings from these endowed funds are used to supplement the professors' salaries and may be used for laboratory equipment, travel and library materials to support their research.

Endowed eminent scholar chairs and professorships honor the person or group for whom the chair or professorship is named.

When a donor chooses not to specify a gift's purpose, it is considered an unrestricted gift. These gifts are vital to the university because they allow us to fund our most immediate needs, from providing a small amount in scholarship money that a student needs to finish a degree to replacing equipment in a classroom that allows innovation and research to continue. Such needs arise with a moment’s notice. Unrestricted gifts also provide seed funding for new ideas and strategic initiatives.

 

Donors like you can help us meet those challenges and change lives.