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Projects

Florida Gulf Coast University: Organizing for Strategic Impact

Summary

NCHEMS began working with Florida Gulf Coast University in January 2024. Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is undergoing significant transformations to better meet the needs of its students, employers, and the state of Florida. These changes include a new university president, the creation of a five-year strategic plan, the addition of new programs and credentials aligned with workforce needs, and efforts to expand enrollment and service areas. Among these changes, FGCU is working to align its ambitious strategic plan goals and the State University System’s performance funding formula structure with initiatives for long-term success and continuous improvement.

NCHEMS provided qualitative and quantitative analyses to evaluate FGCU’s current status and provide actionable recommendations. This work focused on identifying areas for improvement, especially regarding the State University System’s performance metrics that impact FGCU’s funding directly. Through data-driven insights and structural recommendations, NCHEMS supports FGCU in achieving its strategic goals, improving organizational effectiveness, and maximizing its impact on students and the broader community.

Topics Approach Resources

Topics

During the evaluation of Florida Gulf Coast University, NCHEMS completed analysis of:

  • Student Enrollment
    • NCHEMS explored FGCU’s enrollment compared to identified peer institutions and analyzed which schools within FGCU had experienced significant enrollment changes at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Expenditures & Instructional Expenditures
    • NCHEMS investigated FGCU’s expenditures for full-time equivalent students compared to identified peer institutions and expenditure differences across FGCU programs.
  • Faculty and Staffing Trends
    • NCHEMS examined the number of FGCU’s employees based on enrollment changes, through time, and the student-to-faculty ratio compared to institutional peers.
  • Performance-Based Funding Metrics
    • NCHEMS evaluated each of FGCU’s colleges’ first-year retention GPAs, retention rates for full-time and part-time students, and graduation rates at each program.

Approach

In this project, NCHEMS visited Florida Gulf Coast University several times and hosted three virtual town halls. Those engagements allowed NCHEMS to share information about the project and meet with important stakeholders including institutional leadership, faculty, staff, and students. NCHEMS also identified a group of peer institutions and compared IPEDS enrollment, retention, expenditure, and other data.

Resources