Office of the Provost and Division of Academic Affairs
The Office of the Provost at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is committed to supporting our faculty and staff with the resources that will enable them to provide our students with an academic experience that focuses on developing every aspect of their lives. During their time at FGCU, faculty and students have access to innovative teaching methods, state-of-the-art technology, and diverse co-curricular activities designed to respond to their unique needs.
Dr. Tony A. Barringer is the Interim Provost and Associate Provost/Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. As interim provost, Dr. Barringer oversees the daily administrative operations for the division of Academic Affairs. Over his tenure at Florida Gulf Coast University, he has also served as Interim Dean, Associate Dean, and Division Chair. Prior to joining FGCU in 1997, he taught at the College of Lake County and Southeast Missouri State University. He has over twenty years of practical experience in criminal justice and has taught in higher education for nearly as long.
Dr. Barringer has presented nationally and internationally, served as a consultant to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice, and, because of the impact of his research and practice, served as a guest discussant at the Florida Department of Corrections’ Re-entry Summit. He has acted as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator for approximately $1 million in funded state and federal grants in juvenile justice and wraparound services and has published widely on the subject of minorities’ experiences with the criminal justice system.
Dr. Barringer earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a M.S. in Public Administration from Southeast Missouri State University and a doctorate from Northern Illinois University.
Academic Affairs Information
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Office of the Provost
Toggle More InfoWho We Are
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Director, Academic Affairs, Administration, and BudgetEH 0314B![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
DeLuca, EileenInterim Chief Strategy and Program Innovation Officer & Acting Vice President, Student Success & Enrollment ManagementEH 0319F![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
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Associate Vice President, Research and Sponsored ProgramsSRHM 0201J![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
Associate Provost, Academic Programs and Curriculum DevelopmentEH 0214A![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs for International Programs and Chief International OfficerREED 0124![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
Assistant Vice President, Planning & Institutional PerformanceEH 0314C![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
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Academic Leadership
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Associate Vice President, Research and Sponsored ProgramsSRHM 0201J![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
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Dean, U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering, ProfessorHOLMES 0209Higher Education Leadership, Computer Science, and Software Engineering![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
McDowell, WilliamDean, Daveler and Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship and Mark Ain Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship![Faculty Staff Default Avatar]()
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Explore Academic Affairs
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Communications to Employees and Students
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August 2024
Toggle More InfoAugust 16
Documenting Academic Activity - Fall 2024 Courses
Access attachment: Verification of Attendance with Canvas 08 2024
Dear Colleagues:
A reminder that federal financial aid regulations require the confirmation of attendance in order for students to receive financial aid. The confirmation of attendance for fall 2024 courses is achieved by students completing an academic activity through the Canvas Learning Management System. The activity must be completed for each course in which they are enrolled prior to the disbursement of their financial aid. The attached document provides options on how to create an academic activity using Canvas to comply with the financial aid regulation.
Examples of acceptable evidence of attendance through an academically related activity include:
- Submitting an academic assignment
- Taking an exam/quiz
- Submission of an academic assignment or exam
- Documented participation in an interactive tutorial
- Post by the student showing participation in an online study group assigned by the instructor
- Post by the student in a discussion forum showing participation in an online discussion about academic matters
This assignment or academic activity should be listed as due by August 25 but should remain open throughout the term. This will allow students to complete the assignment and receive a late disbursement without causing extra work for the faculty member.
The confirmation of attendance via an academically related activity is required for all students, as this facilitates the receiving of aid throughout the academic year should the students’ eligibility change. This is required for all classes, including internships, dissertations and clinicals.
We thank you for your cooperation and effort with this process. Please direct any questions to Victoria Hartley, associate director of Financial Aid, at vhartley@fgcu.edu.
Mark Rieger, Ph.D. | Executive Vice President and Provost
August 27
Passing of Dr. Joe Wisdom
Dear Colleagues,
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Joe Wisdom. Dr. Wisdom joined FGCU in 1997 as an inaugural faculty member and served the FGCU community until he retired in 2012. In addition to his role as associate professor of English, his positions included two years as associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and 12 years as chair of the Department of Language & Literature. Throughout his 15 years at FGCU, he was always a devoted colleague, mentor and teacher.
Joe Wisdom, as his name itself suggests, was both an “everyman” in the literary sense and full of insights. His area of expertise was 20th century American literature, and he had a particular love for William Faulkner’s works. His students will remember him for not only what he knew about the literature and underlying contexts of what he taught, but also for the way he could direct and manage a classroom discussion to keep it interesting and on track.
“Doctor Doctor,” as his close friends called him, spent his retirement here in Fort Myers surrounded by family and friends, many of whom would frequently gather under the chickee on the canal in his back yard, where he was always ready to talk about the last book he read.
I thank Conan Griffin for crafting this message in his honor. Dr. Wisdom’s obituary may be found at gendronfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Joe-Wisdom/ - !/Obituary.
Mark Rieger, Ph.D. | Executive Vice President and Provost
August 29
The Skills Advantage - FGCU"s Quality Enhancement Plan
Dear Colleagues,
This fall marks the launch of The Skills Advantage: From Campus to Career - FGCU's new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). You'll be seeing and hearing information about The Skills Advantage all term, but we want to make sure you know about opportunities for faculty and staff to find out more and get involved.
What are the goals?
- Elevate the role of transferable skills as part of FGCU’s undergraduate education, and help faculty embed skills-forward teaching in their disciplines.
- Make the core skills that students are already learning visible by growing our portfolio-based transferable skill badging program.
- Build a skills-to-careers pipeline connecting students with employers, empowering students across all majors and helping them achieve workplace success after graduation.
Where can I find more information?
- Website: www.fgcu.edu/theskillsadvantage
- Faculty/staff Information Sessions: Click here to register!
- Thursday, Sept. 5 | noon – 1 p.m. | Reed Hall, 249
- Wednesday, Nov. 13 |10 a.m. – 11a.m. | Lutgert Hall, 1202
If you are planning to make transferable skill badging a part of your course, it's important that you complete at least one of these faculty training programs:
- Canvas course: For full-time or part-time faculty who are self-implementing a badgeable assignment in their course. To be added to the course, contact Patricia Rice at price@fgcu.edu.
- Assignment workshops: For full-time or part-time faculty who are modifying an existing
assignment to make it badgeable. Registration required (limited seating): Click here
to sign up.
- Thursday, Sept. 19 | noon – 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 19 | 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Faculty cohort: A deeper dive into skills pedagogy, skills-forward teaching and skill badging. Faculty
will design new badgeable assignments for their courses and become Skills Advantage
faculty champions.
- Open to full-time faculty teaching undergraduates in any academic unit.
- Semester-long (biweekly meetings), compensated, spring cohort applications open in October.
- For more information, contact Patricia Rice at price@fgcu.edu
The core skills team is happy to talk with you further about The Skills Advantage.
- Dr. Glenn Whitehouse, director of core skills: gwhiteho@fgcu.edu (239) 590-7218
- Patricia Rice, coordinator of core skills: price@fgcu.edu (239) 590-7205
Mark Rieger, Ph.D. | Executive Vice President and Provost
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September 2024
Toggle More InfoSeptember 5
Reporting Structure Change: Scholarly Innovation and Student Research (SISR) to Honors College
The Office of Scholarly Innovation and Student Research (SISR) is now part of the Honors College. Previously, it was under the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
The Honors College closely aligns with SISR’s mission of cultivating scholarly excellence, mentoring, and student success. SISR offices will remain in Edwards Hall, Suite 213, at present.
SISR offers gateway research experiences for FGCU undergraduate and graduate students:
- Through the Work in Scholarly and Experiential Learning (WiSER) program, students can be hired to work with faculty members on their research
- Through an application for research funds, students can travel to present their research at a conference or purchase supplies for research projects.
To help students make the most of these opportunities, SISR provides professionalization workshops (e.g. “How to Make a Research Poster” and “Crafting Your Elevator Pitch for Conferences”), assists with publication opportunities, and administers an undergraduate research badge.
For more information on SISR, please visit www.fgcu.edu/sisr or contact Dr. Megan Norcia, director of Student Innovation and Scholarly Research, at mnorcia@fgcu.edu.
We congratulate SISR on its new home in the Honors College.
Mark Rieger, Ph.D. | Executive Vice President and Provost
September 12
Now Open: Adjunct Faculty Workspace Available in FGCU Library
Dear Adjunct Faculty,
We invite you to visit the newly established adjunct faculty workspace located at the Wilson G. Bradshaw Library, fourth floor, room 436. This space was created as a direct response to your requests for dedicated space to prep for classes, meet with students and simply relax comfortably. The space includes several workstations with ethernet cables to connect your laptop, whiteboards, a microwave oven and a Keurig coffee maker. We will soon be adding a refrigerator, and we hope to add a copy machine in the future. All adjunct faculty with an active FGCU ID card will have swipe access to this room.
The adjunct workspace is one way the university is working to ensure you have the resources you need to conduct your business comfortably and effectively. We welcome feedback about additional ways we can augment this space to meet your needs. When you visit the space, you will find a QR code posted on the wall, which will link you to a form to leave feedback and suggestions.
Full-time faculty, staff and administrative colleagues value the service you provide to FGCU. Students benefit tremendously from the experiences and expertise you bring to your teaching.
Thank you for all you do to enhance the educational experience of FGCU students. We look forward to seeing you in the adjunct workspace.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
September 16
Now Open! 2024-25 Excellence Award Nominations - Due November 15
Access attachments: Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards guidelines
Faculty Team Service Excellence Awards guidelines
Excellence in Advising Award guidelines
Excellence in Librarianship Awards guidelines
Individual Faculty Service Excellence Awards guidelines
Faculty Scholarship Excellence Awards guidelinesIt is the time of year that we are given the opportunity to recognize the excellent work of our adjuncts, advisors, instructors, librarians and professors.
FGCU faculty, staff and students are encouraged to submit nominations for the Advising, Librarianship, Scholarship, Service and Teaching Excellence Awards. Attached in this email are the Faculty Senateapproved guidelines outlining the nomination process and characteristics for each award. The categories include:
Advising:
- Senior Advisor Excellence Award
- Junior Advisor Excellence Award
Librarianship:
- Senior Faculty Librarian Excellence Award
- Junior Faculty Librarian Excellence Award
Scholarship:
- Senior Faculty Scholarship Excellence Award
- Junior Faculty Scholarship Excellence Award
Service:
- Team Service Excellence Award
- Senior Faculty Service Excellence Award
- Junior Faculty Service Excellence Award
Teaching:
- Senior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
- Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
- Senior Instructor Teaching Excellence Award
- Junior Instructor Teaching Excellence Award
- Adjunct Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
The Office of the Provost will collect all nominations. Submit nominations to Julie Eacho via interoffice mail or email at jeacho@fgcu.edu by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 15. Please consider participating in this very important process.
Stay tuned for future announcements about additional award opportunities.
Award winners will be announced at the Celebration of Excellence Awards ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, April 23, 2025, and will be kept confidential until that time. More information on this exciting event will be sent to the university community as we get closer to the date.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
September 23
Nominate Now! 2024-25 John Herman Award for Excellence in General Education – Due November 15
Inspired by the late Dr. John Herman and his remarkable ability to engage students from across disciplines, the John Herman Award for Excellence in General Education will recognize one member of the FGCU teaching community for their commitment to enhancing students’ liberal arts experience.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to submit award nominations to Dr. Joseph V. Ross at jvross@fgcu.edu by 5 p.m. November 15. The award winner will be recognized at the Celebration of Excellence Awards ceremony in April.
Please see the attached document for more information, including nomination procedures and documentation guidelines.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
September 24
FACULTY ALERT: FGCU is continuing to monitor Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine
Dear Colleagues,
FGCU is working with weather and emergency management officials to determine Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine’s impact to our campus community. No changes to campus operations have been made at this time, and we will keep you updated should this change.
However, I understand that many of our faculty and students commute to campus from beyond Lee County. Some may be thinking of evacuating from the area or taking steps to protect their homes and property. As students and employees make personal storm-related decisions, I ask that we all lead with flexibility in mind.
- If you decide to transition to a different modality this week, you must communicate the change as soon as possible with your students and ensure that required instructional contact time is met.
- As part of this, it is important for students to be in touch with instructors about their personal plans.
- Employees who plan to take personal leave or work remotely need to follow the university’s
established policies and procedures.
Messages will be going out shortly to students and all employees stressing these points.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
September 27
Academic Affairs: Friday Operations & Directives
Dear Colleagues,
FGCU is aware that members of our campus community – faculty, staff and students – commute to campus from across the Gulf Coast, and some made the decision to evacuate the area. Knowing this, it is imperative that you lead with flexibility as we return to normal operations.
Students could be without power, and it might not be safe for them to commute to campus, depending on storm conditions.
As we return to normal operations Friday, it is critically important for you to lead with flexibility with students and your colleagues.
- If faculty or instructors decide to transition their modality, they must communicate the change as soon as possible with their students.
- Instructors need to ensure that required instructional contact time is met. Additionally, faculty members will provide guidance on make-up work or other activities as needed.
If you have questions about how to handle a situation, please let me know.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
September 30
Instructional Guidance
Dear Colleagues,
I write you today in appreciation of your flexibility and understanding as FGCU responded to the impacts of Hurricane Helene in our community. As you saw in today’s message, our campus grounds, facilities and utilities were not impacted by the storm, but we know many in our FGCU community were not as fortunate.
There are members of our community who are without power, have experienced home damage or are unable to commute to campus due to roadway conditions. As we move forward with full reopening plans, I want to remind you to be as flexible and reasonable as possible when working with our students.
Instructors need to ensure that required instructional contact time is met. We ask instructors to make all efforts to ensure academic continuity through messaging and assignment updates, modifications and date extensions in the Canvas Learning Management System. We have informed students that they should be in contact with their professors for any guidance that is required regarding make-up work or other activities.
If you have questions about how to handle a situation, please let me know.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
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October 2024
Toggle More InfoOctober 30
Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement
Access attachment: FAQ - Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement
Dear Students,
Since 1997, FGCU has championed sustainability as a core institutional value, building it into the curriculum with a Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement (SCGR).
Although undergraduate degree-seeking students have usually met this requirement by taking a course titled University Colloquium, FGCU started offering a menu of approved courses in fall 2024 to help students meet this graduation requirement. Please note that IDS 3920 University Colloquium is included in the menu of courses.
Attached to this email is an FAQ (frequently asked question) sheet that will help guide you as you select a course to meet the graduation requirement.
If you have questions regarding this graduation requirement or SCGR course selection, please consult with your academic advisor. You can find your academic advisor listed at the top of your Degree Works audit.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
October 30
Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement
Access attachment: FAQ - Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement
Dear Faculty,
The message below has been sent to undergraduate students regarding the Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement (SCGR).
Since 1997, FGCU has championed sustainability as a core institutional value, building it into the curriculum with a Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement (SCGR).
Although undergraduate degree-seeking students have usually met this requirement by taking a course titled University Colloquium, FGCU started offering a menu of approved courses in fall 2024 to help students meet this graduation requirement. Please note that IDS 3920 University Colloquium is included in the menu of courses.
Attached to this email is an FAQ (frequently asked question) sheet that will help guide you as you select a course to meet the graduation requirement.
If you have questions regarding this graduation requirement or SCGR course selection, please consult with your academic advisor. You can find your academic advisor listed at the top of your Degree Works audit.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
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November 2024
Toggle More InfoNovember 1
Reminder! 2024-25 Excellence Award Nominations Due November 15
Access attachments: Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards guidelines
Faculty Team Service Excellence Awards guidelines
Excellence in Advising Award guidelines
Excellence in Librarianship Awards guidelines
Individual Faculty Service Excellence Awards guidelines
Faculty Scholarship Excellence Awards guidelinesFGCU faculty, staff and students are encouraged to submit nominations for the Advising, Librarianship, Scholarship, Service and Teaching Excellence Awards.
Nominations need to be submitted to Julie Eacho (Office of the Provost) via interoffice mail or email at jeacho@fgcu.edu by 5 p.m. Friday, November 15.
Attached in this email are the Faculty Senate-approved guidelines outlining the nomination process and characteristics for each award. The categories include:
Advising:
- Senior Advisor Excellence Award
- Junior Advisor Excellence Award
Librarianship:
- Senior Faculty Librarian Excellence Award
- Junior Faculty Librarian Excellence Award
Scholarship:
- Senior Faculty Scholarship Excellence Award
- Junior Faculty Scholarship Excellence Award
Service:
- Team Service Excellence Award
- Senior Faculty Service Excellence Award
- Junior Faculty Service Excellence Award
Teaching:
- Senior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
- Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
- Senior Instructor Teaching Excellence Award
- Junior Instructor Teaching Excellence Award
- Adjunct Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
This is your opportunity to recognize the excellent work of our adjuncts, advisors, instructors, librarians and professors. Please consider participating in this very important process.
What’s Next:
Award winners will be announced at the Celebration of Excellence Awards ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, April 23, 2025, and will be kept confidential until that time. Stay tuned for announcements about additional award opportunities.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
November 20
Applications Open for FGCU President’s Award for Exemplary Online Teaching
Quality online education is one of the primary elements of the State University System of Florida's 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education. FGCU President’s Award for Exemplary Online Teaching for academic year 2024-25 will recognize one outstanding FGCU online faculty member for their commitment to enhancing the quality of the online education experience of FGCU students.
Faculty with at least two semesters of online teaching at FGCU in the past two years (spring 2023 through fall 2024) will receive an email containing application information. The application deadline is 9 a.m. February 10, 2025. The winner will be recognized at the Celebration of Excellence Awards ceremony in April 2025.
For more information, visit the Digital Learning website. For information on the SUS initiative, visit the SUS President’s Award Program.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
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December 2024
Toggle More InfoDecember 10
Expanding Faculty Use of Canvas for Student Success
Access attachment: Resolution - Canvas Utilization FINAL
Good afternoon,
On behalf of Faculty Senate President Lyndsay Rhodes and I, we hope that each of you are doing well and have had a very productive semester. To foster greater student success, the university has employed our shared governance processes to identify ways to improve the teaching and learning experience at FGCU. As a result of many discussions, it was determined that greater utilization of the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) would benefit students and faculty as we aim for enhanced student success through a more data-driven approach. In a demonstration of collaboration with this initiative, Faculty Senate passed a resolution of support on December 6 (see attached).
What we are asking:
By the fall 2025 semester, all course sections will use their Canvas courses consistently by:
- Posting course syllabi and schedules
- Documenting attendance
- Submitting and grading assignments (gradebook)
This will help us better align our classroom practices with the university’s strategic plan and the student success plan. The process will start in the spring 2025 semester to allow time for additional support for faculty and piloting for backchannel processes (related to the Wings Up Student Success platform).
For the spring 2025 semester, we ask that all faculty utilize Canvas to:
- Grade at least one assignment within the first three weeks (outside of the attendance verification assignment)
- Grade another assignment within the first seven weeks (before the withdrawal date, March 17, 2025)
This will allow us to begin piloting the data flow from Canvas into student success support services. Faculty who are already fully utilizing Canvas gradebook will not need to make any changes as their grades have already historically flowed into our institutional research student support data tables (Tableau).
Background on Support for Canvas Tool Usage:
Over the past year, a variety of shared governance groups identified the need for more purposeful utilization of Canvas to support student outcomes. These groups included the Ad-hoc Quality Online Education Committee, Continuity of Instruction Plan Committee, Gateway Course Coordinators and Student Success Council, among others.Integration for Additional Early Support for Students:
The use of gradebook and attendance tracking will allow for more enhanced student support through the Wings Up Student Success platform. This technology will allow for more effective student tracking and identification of students who may need additional assistance outside the classroom.Our Commitment to Support
We recognize that many faculty already fully utilize Canvas to enhance teaching and learning in their courses, and we thank you. However, to support this transition for faculty who may not be fully utilizing Canvas tools or would like a refresher, Digital Learning is offering drop-in sessions and appointments during December and January. This is in addition to their regular offerings of Canvas and course design support.As always, we welcome feedback on how we can facilitate this process in support of our amazing faculty. We thank you for your continued dedication to our students.
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. | Interim Provost
Learning Assistants Program Director Search
- Thursday, January 9, 2025 @ 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Candidate Interviews via Teams
- Friday, January 10, 2025 @ 12:00-2:00 p.m. | Candidate Interviews via Teams
- Tuesday, December 17, 2024 @ 3:00-4:00 p.m. | Via Teams
Please contact Melissa Perez @mperez@fgcu.edu to request a meeting link.
FGCU in the News
Visit the Office of the Provost
Office of the Provost
Edwards Hall | Office 314
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, Florida 33965
239-590-7000
academicaffairs@fgcu.edu
Mon-Fri: 8:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.
