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Workforce Development Initiative: Industry-Employer and Other Organizational Partnerships
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
All five county district superintendents are part of the College of Education Advisory Board for continuous input and feedback to support the needs of the region.
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
Awarded
$455,000
Grant to support workforce and economic development
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
Awarded
$1 Million Grant to support workforce and economic development
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
Awarded
$23 Million
Grant to support workforce and economic development
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
• $450K contract with the Lee Board of County Commissioners to study COVID19 epidemiology
• FGCU is the site for the Thomas Alva Edison Regional Science Fair and supplies many of the judges and the safety oversight
• The Roots of Compassion and Kindness Initiative partners FGCU students with local schoolchildren to promote deeper understanding of compassion and empathy
• More than 200 teachers from the five-county area have attended the Schulze Summer STEM Institute for K-12 teachers since 2013
• Wings of Hope serves over 5,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students annually with environmental education programming
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
• The Watershed Teacher Leadership Academy (WeTLAnd) connects university researchers and Lee County K-12 teachers
• The Noyce Teacher Scholarship program and the Schulze Future Teacher scholarships support the training of STEM majors who will become middle and high school STEM teachers upon graduation
• The Environmental Education Alliance of Southwest Florida – a partnership with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida – hosts an annual conference serving K-12 teachers and paraprofessionals from across the region.
• The FGCU Cancer Research Program has developed an educational program for high schoolers in the five-county area to explain the biology of cancer
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
• Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science (GEMS) works with the Glades Education Foundation; New Horizons of SW Florida; Pace Center for Girls, Collier; and Grace Place to bring girls to FGCU for educational enhancement in STEM areas
• Environmental Education and Outreach partnership with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida expands and enhances environmental-education efforts in a five-county area and includes an FGCU liaison that shares time 50-50 with FGCU and the Conservancy
• Growing Climate Solutions-Path to Positive Southwest Florida, a collaboration among FGCU, the Conservancy, the Community Foundation of Collier County, and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation
• Memorandum of Understanding with Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation to support mutual interests in research and environmental education
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
• Memorandum of Understanding with Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve supports mutual interests in research and conservation.
• Water Steward Partnership with City of Bonita Springs is an FGCU position funded by the city to help monitor water quality in Estero Bay and provide guidance.
• Collier County School District students visit Vester Marine Field Station to collect and analyze samples from Estero Bay.
• RESTART SWFL is a joint initiative of the Lutgert College of Business and the Marieb College of Health & Human Services to help local businesses rebound from the pandemic.
• Seven major publications of the Regional Economic Research Institute help businesses plan for growth and use scarce resources more efficiently and sustainably.
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
• Contract with Collier County to run the Naples Accelerator
• Entrepreneurship partnership with Lee County Horizon Council
• Contract with Veterans Florida to help veterans learn entrepreneurship
• Annual high school entrepreneurship competition with 250 students
• Partnership with Junior Achievement for CEO Academy
• Marieb College provides mental health services to the community through its Community Counseling Center
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
Example: FGCU teams up with The Immokalee Foundation on educating kids about different careers
OBJECTIVE 3:
Focus on building partnerships and relationships with our five school districts, area businesses and organizations to optimize opportunities to put FGCU expertise to work to support the region’s economy, model innovative and sustainable practices, and advance the community
“The hundreds of hours of service learning I’ve earned are not just digits on a screen. They represent hours upon hours of watchdog journalism, tear-jerking interviews, long nights, career growth, self-motivation, mentorship, and a community support. They also represent the hundreds of hours my mentors have contributed, making sure the fine print was perfect, the lead wasn’t buried and the soundbites I chose were powerful. FGCU fostered my potential in journalism, and for that I will be eternally grateful.”
Samantha Romero Journalism Major
OBJECTIVE 4:
Focus on engaging and building loyalty among our alumni and strengthening fundraising efforts
Engagement:
• Expanded Alumni Chapters to 21 cities across the country. These chapters are volunteer-led.
• The relaunch of the Future Eagles Club resulted in over 135 children joining the program. This program builds loyalty to the university.
• The Alumni Awards ceremony was transitioned to a hybrid model which included a virtual awards presentation to announce the recipients and hosted the largest Homecoming tailgate to date with over 600 attendees, including alumni, students, faculty/staff and community members.
• The annual Alumni Association Scholarship Fundraiser raised $30,000, and students were awarded $7,800 in FY22, the highest amount yet.
OBJECTIVE 4:
Focus on engaging and building loyalty among our alumni and strengthening fundraising efforts
• The Eagle Mentor Program links alumni volunteers with students to provide career advice. A new online platform allows students to find alumni based on their career aspirations and has approximately 300 users.
• Alumni Relations provides career resources through professional development webinars and partnership with Career Development Services. Alumni have access to exclusive online webinars featuring best-selling authors and career coaches. Our graduates also had access to short courses aimed at providing a unique opportunity to grow their skillsets.
• Host a wide variety of signature events, including fundraisers (Strikes for Scholarships, the FGCU Fishing Invitational) and socials such as Homecoming and Summer Brunch.
OBJECTIVE 4:
Focus on engaging and building loyalty among our alumni and strengthening fundraising efforts
Fundraising:
• It will take time to develop significant giving capacity from Alumni. In FY22, 784 Alumni donors contributed just over $200,000.
• Efforts focus on participation rather than dollars, establishing the habit of giving.
• Primary alumni fundraisers include Strikes/Strides for Scholarships, Fishing Tournament, Forever an Eagle memberships, and brick paver purchases.
• We intentionally ask alumni to support FGCU only once a year during the alumni campaign. At this stage of the university’s life, we need to show that we are consistently supporting them before we ask them to significantly support us.
In 25 years, FGCU has made a cultural, intellectual, and economic impact on southwest Florida.
That’s the FGCU Effect.
