According to Section 3.1.1 of FGCU’s Comprehensive Standards, the institutional mission of the university is to

 

“continuously pursue academic excellence, practice and promote environmental sustainability, embrace diversity, nurture community partnerships, value public service, encourage civic responsibility, cultivate habits of lifelong learning, and keep the advancement of knowledge and pursuit of truth as noble ideals at the heart of the university’s purpose.”

 

 But does the University’s pursuit of a site well outside the boundaries of Charlotte County’s urban growth plan fall within the limits of that mission?  And is FGCU’s pursuit of the Hudson-Sun River Ranch site despite the wishes of Charlotte County Commissioner a blatant disregard of its own purpose?

 

·        There is little doubt FGCU must construct a satellite campus:

 

It is a FACT that Southwest Florida’s population continues

         to escalate and is projected to reach 2 million within the

         next 25 years.

It is a FACT that a decrease in area age groups creates a 

          demand for better access to institutes of higher education

It is a FACT that FGCU’s main campus cannot handle the growth projected over the next 10-15 years.

It is a FACT that satellite centers serve as an answer to the

            growth problem

It is a FACT that a location within Charlotte County offers a

            potential solution to this problem.

 

            However........

 

•         There may be a heavy price to pay

 

Ø      The possible spread of urban sprawl to undesignated areas jeopardizes the environment and threatens the sustainability of the region. Development well outside urban growth management plans adds to the already fragile infrastructure in place within these structures.  This runs counter to the University’s mission statement that FGCU should “promote environmental sustainability”

Ø      There exists a possible loss of integrity with the community if FGCU continues to pursue sites outside the county’s urban growth plans. The committee’s failure to cooperate with elected county officials and the community as a whole represents a loss of value to the University’s statement that it needs to “nurture community partnerships [and]…. encourage civic responsibility”.

Ø      Finally, pursuit of sites such as the Hudson-Sun River Ranch development threatens to debase the University’s truths.  FGCU encourages “the advancement of knowledge and pursuit of truth as noble ideals at the heart of the university’s purpose.”  Yet motivations for the Charlotte Center in the NE quadrant of the county remain questionable. Are FGCU’s motives altruistic? Or has the University ‘gotten into bed’ with developers as it places economic gains ahead of principles?

Ø      It remains up to us as students, staff and residents of Southwest Florida to seek the truth and hold the University accountable for its principals.