FGCU trustees hear progress on student-success plan as university rolls out pathways, 24/7 tutoring and new case-management system

Florida Gulf Coast University leaders updated the Board of Trustees on Jan. 14 about a set of coordinated measures intended to raise the university's Performance-Based Funding (PBF) scores. Interim Provost Tony Barringer and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff Eileen DeLuca said the Student Success Plan (SSP) focuses on four PBF metrics where targeted actions can most quickly improve FGCU's overall standing.

Barringer said the SSP was built by FGCU's Student Success Council, informed by national and State University System (SUS) best practices, and aligned to the accountability and resources of Academic Affairs and Student Success & Enrollment Management. "After a situation is stabilized, it is time to devise a plan to prevent the crisis from happening again," Barringer said, framing the SSP as a strategic shift from reaction to planned improvement.

DeLuca described several concrete deliverables: a five-pathway Student Success Pathways model for first-time-in-college (FTIC) students (placement by incoming GPA and curated summer on-ramps), implementation of collaborative benchmark advising (piloted in the College of Education and slated for expansion to other colleges), targeted faculty hires and course-section increases to expand seat availability, 24/7 online tutoring through Pear Deck beginning this month, and the adoption of Slate's "Wings Up for Student Success" as a single early-alert and case-management platform.

DeLuca said early operational indicators were positive: students placed in summer-start pathways showed higher fall enrollment and fall-to-spring retention, and a high proportion returned with at least a 2.0 GPA. She described Wings Up as a "game-changer" because it provides a single case manager and a unified way to identify and coordinate help for at-risk students, including academic and nonacademic supports.

Trustees pressed for specifics. Trustee Richard Eide asked which institutions informed the best-practice review; Barringer cited the University of South Florida, the University of North Florida and the University of West Florida, and DeLuca added national examples such as the University of South Carolina and the Gardner Institute. Trustees questioned how attendance and faculty workload changes would be implemented and measured; DeLuca said calling roll and Canvas-based attendance tools were being explored and that any workload changes would be developed collaboratively with deans and faculty, consistent with collective-bargaining requirements.

Board members also sought timing and impact estimates. DeLuca said Metric 5 improvements were likely by fall 2026 and other metrics could take longer; she emphasized these were multi-year strategies supported by recent legislative budget request funding. President Aysegul Timur confirmed that Metric 4 (FTIC four-year graduation rate) currently referenced the 2020 cohort and reiterated that the university was investing resources, including faculty salary lines, in the areas the data indicate will most improve on-path progression.

The presentation included a live scorecard demonstration showing in-progress metric trajectories. DeLuca told trustees the in-progress score for Metric 4 rose compared with the prior year and Metric 5 also showed year-over-year improvement.

The trustees did not vote on policy changes at this meeting; they were asked to continue supporting the multi-year strategy and to expect further updates as the initiatives roll out and data mature.