Florida Gulf Coast University Charlotte Campus

The FGCU Plan
Home
Why the need for a satellite campus?
Attraction of Charlotte County
The FGCU Plan
Pros and Cons of Proposed Sites
The Decision Timeline
VIP's
TDU
Environmental Concerns
Decreasing Animal Habitats Due to Construction and Buildout
Charlotte County Watershed
Possible Sources of Pollution in Charlotte County
Some Environmental Solutions
Environmental References
Conclusion

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The pinpoints reflect the five sites selected by the FGCU Charlotte Site Committee

Sites considered by the site committee:

                                          1.      The Ansin Site

                                          2.      Hudson-Sun River Ranch

                                          3.      Land Solutions

                                          4.      Eagle Site

                                          5.      Crystal Site

 

In September of 2005 FGCU President Dr. William Merwin along with the University’s Board of Trustees initiated plans for a site committee in Charlotte County.  The primary duties of the committee included research of potential sites for a satellite campus, evaluation of all areas using guidelines set forth by the University’s evaluation matrix, and the reporting of these findings to President Merwin along with a recommendation for his consideration. The proposed sites must meet FGCU’s minimum criteria.  These criteria included: donation of 150 continuous acres, donation of $ 5 million in cash to be matched with state funds, and donation of $ 6 million for infrastructure costs plus $ 750,000 per year in operating costs or its equivalent.  The final decision for a site had to be accepted no later than December 31st of 2006 so that the University could take advantage of state funding during 2007.  By July of 2006, Dr. Merwin formed the Charlotte Site Committee for FGCU. Members of the committee included prominent members of the Charlotte County community as well as hand selected representatives of the University.  These were:

Dr. Robert Burns Sr. Executive Director, FGCU-Charlotte

Sheriff John Davenport Charlotte County Sheriff
Mr. David Dunn-Rankin Publisher, Charlotte Sun-Herald
Ms. Maryann Mize Charlotte State Bank
Mr. Thomas Moore Commissioner, Charlotte County
Dr. David Phelen** Councilman, Punta Gorda City Council
Mr. Tom Rice President & CEO, Fawcett Hospital
Dr. Roseann Samson Assistant Superintendent, Charlotte County Schools
Mr. Larry Sandles Sandstar Custom Homes
Dr. Joseph (Joe) Shepard V.P. Administrative Service (CFO)
Ms. Kathy Silverberg Publisher, Charlotte Herald-Tribune

(**Dr. Phelen became ill in late September and resigned his position on the committee.  He later passed away)

 

The University set bid a deadline for September 29th, 2006, at which point they hoped to select a suitable site for development. Dr. Merwin and the Board of Trustees decided to have the site selected prior to the end of October so that they could present the proposals to the Florida Board of Governors no later than mid-November.  At this point in time, five developers offered a bid to negotiate for a possible location within Charlotte County.