State of Florida Tech: Strong and Getting Stronger
In His Biannual Remarks, President John Nicklow Describes a University Abuzz with Plans, Improvements and Its Very Bright Future
Florida Tech President John Nicklow delivered his spring State of the University address on Wednesday, portraying a university on the move with rising enrollment, deepening community partnerships, a long-term plan to reimagine the campus and a solid research program poised for growth.
He spoke for about 35 minutes to hundreds of faculty members and staff at Gleason Performing Arts Center.
“Clear and open communication has been one of my chief goals since Day One,” Nicklow said at the outset. “You hearing directly from me helps us all better understand where we are and most importantly, where we are going—together.”
Enrollment
Where we are going is forward, propelled by strong enrollment numbers and other growth initiatives. Nicklow said undergraduate deposits are up 23% over this time one year ago.
“This is a great sign,” he said.
The university will lean into this positive trend with an eye toward boosting it through the expanded Boundless Opportunity grant program that now includes Indian River, Volusia and Osceola counties.
Graduate campus enrollment, however, is lagging. Nicklow spoke of tactics to remedy that, including offering systems engineering in a hybrid model, exploring new grants for graduate student recruiting and refining the university’s predictive models for graduate recruiting.
“All of these steps should be helpful,” he noted.
Master Plan
Florida Tech recently completed nine campus-wide planning workshops to help inform the school’s evolving master plan. They drew 135 faculty, staff and students, with themes of identity, quality and capacity emerging.
“It was a great opportunity for everyone to stand around a giant 3-D map of the campus and talk about what ‘could’ be,” Nicklow said. He shared takeaways that point to an impactful and smart approach for the next two decades.
New student housing was a big one, including the eventual replacement of the Residence Quad. The need for a better “front door” to campus was another takeaway, as was an interest in bringing Bisk College of Business back to the main campus. Improved traffic flow and parking across campus were also high on the priority list.
The university’s consultant, Credo, will synthesize all of this and provide a final plan in the coming months.
A few other campus improvement tidbits: new landscaping is coming as the university commits to improve campus beautification; new carpet and flooring are being installed in some areas of campus, with painting and pressure washing also happening; and campus water features will be enhanced, including the addition of new fish.
Research
Nicklow reported that Florida Tech’s research and development spending increased 5.3% over the previous year. Steps the university is taking should also enhance research efforts.
A new platform to streamline the proposal process will come online, increasing chances of success, and there are plans to hire a full-time grant writer. He said the new Vertex facility will be a nexus of reestablished industry/community research connections, and the Florida Tech Research Institute to be based there will provide opportunities for classified research and related funding.
“This year, we’ve built a stronger foundation for even greater achievements,” Nicklow said.
Quick Hits
>> Burrell expanding: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, based in the L3Harris Commons building, is expanding and will be leasing additional space for their anesthesiology program at the soon-to-be-renamed Center for Aeronautics and Innovation.
>> Thank you: The recent 37 Hours of Giving raised more than $106,000 for university programs.
>> Major grant: Professor Steven Lazarus and colleagues received a $900,000 Department of Energy grant for their project, Space Coast RESCUE (Resilience Solutions for Climate, Urbanization, and Environment) to study ways to incorporate and strengthen resilience in areas that may be underserved.
>> Greek growth: the Theta Xi Fraternity will be officially chartered next month, expanding Florida Tech’s Greek community. And the establishment of the Professional Fraternity Council introduced three new co-ed organizations, effectively doubling the size of the Greek system and providing students with more avenues for professional development and peer connection.
>> Helping students: The Student Government Association has launched and expanded multiple student-focused initiatives, including a food pantry to address food insecurity and a professional clothing closet to support career readiness contributing to student well-being, engagement, and leadership.
>> Awards presented: Four major faculty awards were presented: Kerry B. Clark Award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching to Natalie Dorfeld, professor in the School of Arts and Communication; Charles E. Helmstetter Award for Faculty Excellence in Research to Nezamoddin Kachouie, associate professor in mathematics and systems engineering; Andrew W. Revay Jr. Award for Faculty Excellence in Service to Andrew Palmer, associate professor in ocean engineering and marine science; Gavel Award to Nakin Suksawang, Faculty Senate president. The Women’s Council at Florida Tech was honored with the inaugural Provost Belonging Award.
Video Highlights
