Title: Florida Gulf Coast University Day

Summary: Recognizes March 26, 2019, as "Florida Gulf Coast University Day" in Florida.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, FGCU opened its doors to students on August 25, 1997, and held its first commencement in May 1998 with 12 graduates, and WHEREAS, FGCU has been led by four outstanding and dynamic presidents: President Roy McTarnaghan, President William C. Merwin, President Wilson G. Bradshaw, and President Michael V. Martin, and WHEREAS, with the leadership and vision of Dr. Michael V. Martin and the FGCU Board of Trustees, FGCU students have a clear pathway to success and the universi ty is committed to maintaining college affordability, and WHEREAS, FGCU's top priority is student success, which includes a strong focus on providing the necessary academic resources and laboratory facilities to timely complete degrees from one of the fiv ecolleges providing relevant programs with WHEREAS, FGCU has strategically grown into a regional university of 15,000 students and today offers undergraduate, graduate, certificates, and doctoral programs, and WHEREAS, FGCU's pathways to student success have led to achieving national prominence in academics, environmental sustainability, and student service learning, with approximately 2.66 million student service-learning hours contributed to the Southwest Florida community since 1997, and WHEREAS, FGCU emphasizes innovative and interdisciplinary learning, using the region as a living laboratory whil eoffering students diverse opportunities to participate in meaningful research led by their professors, and WHEREAS, FGCU has established the Institute of Entrepreneurship, bringing engineering and business students together to develop products and busin ess plans in a real-world setting and providing learning opportunities that enhance the university's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and sustainability initiatives, and WHEREAS, FGCU is creating, refining and investing i nexisting programs with innovative public-private educational partnerships, and WHEREAS, FGCU serves and engages its surrounding community, offering a wealth of enrichment opportunities that include the FGCU Research Roadshow, visual arts, music, theater,and public radio and television, and WHEREAS, FGCU's athletics programs continue to be a growing source of pride for their loyal fans with student-athletes continuing to demonstrate their academic strengths, and WHEREAS, the collegiate experience conti nues to enrich the lives of FGCU students and serve the surrounding community through "The FGCU Effect" and the university's longstanding commitment to promoting racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity on campus, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Hou se of Representatives of the State of Florida: That March 26, 2019, is recognized as "Florida Gulf Coast University Day" in Florida. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to Michael V. Martin, Ph.D., president of Florida Gulf Coast University as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed herein.