FGCU prides itself on cultivating engaged, thoughtful students who are prepared to contribute meaningfully to their communities. For many of those students, that cultivation ends abruptly at graduation, not because they are ready to leave, but because they are given no reason to stay.
FGCU’s limited number of graduate programs quietly pushes students elsewhere. Expanding graduate programs would not only keep current students loyal to the institution but also attract new admissions and strengthen the university’s academic reputation. Grad school is a natural extension of undergraduate learning, not a luxury add-on. When universities fail to provide that pathway, they invest years in students they ultimately lose. Those who are willing to continue to pay for FGCU for further education should be able to.
This issue is especially glaring within the social sciences. Fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology and philosophy are growing disciplines that shape public policy, education, research, health care and nonprofit leadership. These programs teach students how to understand social systems, inequality and human behavior skills that are increasingly relevant in a rapidly changing world. Yet FGCU offers limited graduate options in these areas and none in the arts. There are currently no Master’s of Fine Art programs at FGCU, leaving creative and interdisciplinary students with no choice but to look elsewhere if they wish to continue their education.
I am one of those students. I am about to earn my bachelor’s degree in sociology at FGCU, a discipline that has fundamentally changed how I see the world and my place in it. I have built relationships with professors who challenged me and developed research interests I am eager to pursue further. I found a community that values my curiosity and critical thought. If given the option, I would remain at FGCU to complete my master’s degree. Instead, I am disheartened to realize that continuing my education requires transferring, not because I want to leave, but because I have to.
Story continues below advertisement
Student loyalty is not automatic. It is built through mentorship and a sense of belonging. When students are forced to uproot themselves to pursue graduate study, that loyalty fractures. The financial, emotional and intellectual costs of transferring disrupt the momentum universities work so hard to foster at the undergraduate level.
Every other member of my family with a college degree earned it from the same university. Guess where I am applying to graduate school? That university fostered loyalty. My family trusts the school, and in the absence of FGCU, so will I.
FGCU has not made public how many of its bachelor’s graduates go on to complete a master’s degree at the university. In 2020, the institution reported that approximately 70% of its graduates were either employed or continuing their education after graduation. That figure is often cited as a success, but it leaves important questions unanswered: How many of those students would have stayed at FGCU if the programs existed? How many of those “employed” students would have continued their education with the inclusion of additional programs?
Universities that grow alongside their students create lasting academic ecosystems. Expanding graduate offerings, particularly in the social sciences and arts, would signal that FGCU is invested in retention, depth and intellectual growth. Not just recruitment. This is not about entitlement. It is about opportunity. If FGCU wants to cultivate lifelong Eagles, it must give them a familiar place to land.