Florida Senate - 2016                            (NP)    SR 1750
       
       
        
       By Senator Richter
       
       23-02450-16                                           20161750__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing January 26, 2016, as “Florida
    3         Gulf Coast University Day” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, in May 1991, the State of Florida authorized the
    6  creation of Florida’s tenth public university to provide higher
    7  education opportunities and workforce development in the
    8  previously underserved region of Southwest Florida, and
    9         WHEREAS, on August 25, 1997, Florida Gulf Coast University
   10  (FGCU) opened its doors to students, holding its first
   11  graduation in May 1998 with 81 graduates, and
   12         WHEREAS, FGCU has grown into a regional university of
   13  nearly 15,000 students and now offers more than 53 undergraduate
   14  degree programs, 24 graduate degree programs, 9 certificate
   15  programs, and 3 doctoral degree programs, and
   16         WHEREAS, FGCU’s top priority is student success, with five
   17  colleges providing relevant programs with an accomplished
   18  faculty, small classes, and extensive individualized attention
   19  to help students prepare for successful careers and meet
   20  regional and statewide workforce needs, and
   21         WHEREAS, FGCU has achieved national prominence in
   22  academics, environmental sustainability, and student service
   23  learning, with 1.5 million student service learning hours
   24  provided to the Southwest Florida community since 1997, and
   25         WHEREAS, FGCU plays a critical role in stimulating the
   26  Southwest Florida economy, creating 3,723 jobs and infusing $422
   27  million into the region annually, and
   28         WHEREAS, half of the FGCU campus, some 400 acres, is
   29  designated as restored and preserved wetlands, and the
   30  university operates a 15-acre solar field that generates 85
   31  percent of the power for three academic buildings, saving
   32  $700,000 in energy costs annually, and
   33         WHEREAS, the Emergent Technologies Institute will open this
   34  year, providing research and learning opportunities that enhance
   35  the university’s STEM and sustainability initiatives, and
   36         WHEREAS, FGCU is focused on college affordability for all
   37  students by maintaining its commitment to cost containment,
   38  holding tuition at the same level for 3 years, and
   39         WHEREAS, FGCU emphasizes innovative and interdisciplinary
   40  learning, using the region as a living laboratory and offering
   41  students diverse opportunities to participate in meaningful
   42  research led by their professors, who have conducted more than
   43  $194 million in research and sponsored programs since 1997, and
   44         WHEREAS, FGCU has established the Institute of
   45  Entrepreneurship, which brings together engineering and business
   46  students to develop products and business plans in a real-world
   47  setting with the help of community mentors, and
   48         WHEREAS, FGCU’s golf-management program is one of only 19
   49  PGA-certified programs in the nation and the largest in this
   50  state, and
   51         WHEREAS, FGCU is a leader in the State University System,
   52  with 74 percent of graduates employed within a year after
   53  graduation, and
   54         WHEREAS, FGCU serves as a cultural hub for the region,
   55  offering a wealth of enrichment opportunities that include the
   56  visual arts, music, theater, and public radio and television,
   57  and
   58         WHEREAS, FGCU’s athletics program is a growing source of
   59  pride, with the women’s basketball team winning the Atlantic Sun
   60  Conference title for five straight seasons and ranking 20th in
   61  the nation in the AP Top-25 poll in March 2015, progressing to
   62  the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
   63  (NCAA) Championship, and
   64         WHEREAS, the FGCU swimming and diving team claimed the
   65  Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Championship for the
   66  sixth time in 7 years and was ranked 19th in the nation on
   67  www.collegeswimming.com in November 2015, and
   68         WHEREAS, the FGCU men’s soccer team captured its sixth
   69  consecutive regular season title in the Atlantic Sun Conference,
   70  and the women’s soccer team has won six consecutive conference
   71  titles and, for the first time, reached the second round of NCAA
   72  competition in 2015, and
   73         WHEREAS, the FGCU collegiate experience continues to enrich
   74  the lives of students through the university’s long-standing
   75  commitment to promote racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity on
   76  campus, NOW, THEREFORE,
   77  
   78  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   79  
   80         That January 26, 2016, is recognized as “Florida Gulf Coast
   81  University Day” in Florida in recognition of the university’s
   82  contributions as an outstanding institution of higher education
   83  focused on student success.
   84         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
   85  the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to Florida Gulf
   86  Coast University President Wilson G. Bradshaw, Ph.D., as a
   87  tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida Senate.