FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class

Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.

Few in the crowd were more proud than Dr. Aysegul Timur, because it was a graduation for her, too, as she closed out her first academic year as president of the university.

Lois Thome sat down with her to reflect on the momentous occasion.

“Truly, students are giving me the energy, what I do all day, every day,” she said.

Walk the campus any day of the week, and you’ll see Timur taking a break from meetings at FGCU to recharge her battery.

“I walk around, and now students know. They give me high fives, and even they’re like, ‘Hi, President Timur how are you today?'” she said. “I get back to my office, I get all my energy, I can do anything.”

It’s part of what makes the fifth president of FGCU so popular among students. She attends sporting events and academic events all over campus.

“And they tell me everything, what’s happening around the campus from corner to corner,” Timur said.

It’s what motivates her to keep FGCU moving forward.

The university has come a long way in 27 years, from its first year of classes to a school that has a new strategic plan, the roadmap for where the university goes in the next five years.

“Very focused on student success,” she said, “very focused on timely graduation of our students and connect them to workforce opportunities.”

Every student who graduates from FGCU will have at least two work-based learning opportunities.

The university has partnered with some of SWFL’s largest employers, like Arthrex. “Four years ago, maybe we had 50 alumni working at Arthrex. Today, we exceeded more than 500 FGCU alumni working at Arthrex.”

Earning micro-credentials from corporations like Hertz, NeoGenomics, and other large employers to keep students who are learning here working here.

“So that is, to me intentional, that is strategic, and that is how FGCU is really committed to the growth of this region,” said Timur.

And when it comes to college debt, a topic that is a hot-button issue politically, 59 percent of students at FGCU graduate with no debt.

Timur wants to grow that number to 65 percent by making sure all students apply for all the scholarships out there.

The FGCU Foundation provided over $6 million in scholarships this past year, and tuition rates at FGCU have remained steady since 2013 despite the rising costs of everything else.

Another way Timur hopes to take FGCU to the next level is making the Eagles soar higher than ever before.

“And I am so proud of and so honored to be the president of Florida Gulf Coast University,” she said, “and as always, wings up and Go Eagles.”

To read FGCU’s Strategic Plan Initiative, click here.