Two of Southwest Florida’s largest educational institutions, Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), have come together to form a new partnership to benefit students. FSW President Dr. Jeff Allbritten and FGCU President Dr. Michael Martin formally signed the partnership agreement during a ceremony on Sept. 28, officially launching “Destination FGCU.”
Under the state’s 2+2 articulation agreement, students who complete an associate degree at a Florida college already have the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree at a state university or college offering four-year degrees. The “Destination FGCU” partnership will strengthen the 2+2 agreement between the two institutions by creating a cooperative program among the admissions, advising, and registration offices of both schools that will allow for the seamless transfer of students graduating from FSW who wish to earn a bachelor’s degree from FGCU.
“Destination FGCU provides a clear and concise path for all students who want to take advantage of the 2+2 statewide articulation agreement in our primary service areas,” Allbritten said. “It also strengthens the relationship between FSW and FGCU, which in turn strengthens our region.”
The partnership will also allow for a reverse transfer option so FSW students who are transferring to FGCU will be able to apply their FGCU coursework toward an eligible associate degree at FSW.
Additionally, the partnership agreement provides students in FSW’s Honors Scholar Program a pathway into FGCU’s Honor’s College, and it creates a scholarship program for students graduating from FSW’s collegiate high schools who wish to earn a bachelor’s degree from FGCU.
“This agreement represents a shared commitment to student access, affordability and success,” Martin said. “It allows us to tailor make a pathway to a degree based on each student’s needs and aspirations. Through this collaboration, emphasizing each institution’s unique strengths, we will be both more effective and more efficient.”
“We look forward to working alongside our FGCU counterparts in providing our local students with the educational opportunities and degrees they desire while keeping them where they are needed the most, in our southwest Florida region,” Allbritten said.