President Aysegul Timur has been in office as the fifth president of FGCU for two years now. Since the start of the five-year strategic plan, Timur discussed how the university is progressing on each goal it has set.
The university’s strategic plan has five key goals: innovating academic excellence, student success and wellbeing, establishing partnerships within the community, investing in employees and championing sustainability and resiliency.
Student success is the most important of those goals that Timur and the university staff are trying to address, especially since it is a part of the university’s mission statement.
“My cabinet members and myself, we constantly look at those areas with two important questions: what is the best way to serve our students better every day, [and] what is the best interest of FGCU?” Timur said.
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This aligns with the goal of innovating academic excellence. She wants to see all FGCU students succeed, so the university is working on revising current programs to find the best ways to serve students. She hopes to see students engage more in internships, experiential learning opportunities and capstone courses, which she said will help them in the job market.
“I want to make sure that our students graduate with the knowledge, skills and abilities that they become preferred candidates, and that is big,” Timur said
FGCU has also experienced declines in its four-year graduation rate over the years. To help reverse this trend, she is working carefully every day to ensure that the right courses are available to students promptly. This includes offering more summer classes.
“Last year, we improved three percentage points for our four-year graduation rate, and we’re hoping that we will have another few percentage points this year. So we’re coming close to a 50% four-year graduation rate. It’s a good, good indicator for FGCU. We’re on the right path,” Timur said.
Another part of achieving academic excellence is the expansion of health sciences programs through the implementation of Academic Building 10. It is planned that Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and other forms of counseling will all move into that building once it is built.
In terms of partnerships, the university is continually growing, with community members eager to support FGCU.
The main initiative the Estero campus has been working on for sustainability and resiliency is the inclusion and expansion of Academic Building 11 off-campus at Babcock Ranch.
“The four presidents before me have done a fantastic job [for] our growth, especially on our main campus. Now, we have seen an opportunity to expand our physical presence beyond our main campus,” Timur said.
With the addition of this building, FGCU has now established a presence in all five counties of the Southwest Florida region.
“It is more of an expansion of our programs related to sustainability, resiliency and even our dual enrollment programs,” Timur said. “Babcock Ranch is another living laboratory for sustainable communities, sustainable development, and we have a lot to learn in Babcock Ranch, so it will be a great synergy for FGCU and all other programs that we are offering.”
Although FGCU is progressing in its goals, what matters most to President Timur is connecting with the students, whom she calls the core of the university. Creating a sense of belonging and connection for students is vital to her.
“It is great for me to be part of this transformational experience for our students, and that is the most fun part of my job,” Timur said.
Students can frequently see Timur at various athletic events, arts performances and other campus-organized activities, engaging with students. The best part of her day is seeing the ones that make the university feel alive.
“I want students to know that I am here for you. I am here [so] that you have the best educational experience possible here,” Timur said. “And I want our students to leave here, graduate here with that pride that this is your university.”