• Florida Gulf Coast University’s Board of Trustees has selected Dr. Aysegul Timur to be the institution’s next president, succeeding outgoing president Mike Martin.
• Timur, currently Vice President and Vice Provost of Strategy and Program Innovation for FGCU since 2019, was voted in by a one-vote margin over fellow finalist Dr. Henry Mack.
• Timur outlined a roadmap for enhancing the university’s regional presence in Southwest Florida through entrepreneurial partnerships and continued research.
• In 2021, She played a role in accruing nearly $23 million in federal funding for the university to enhance systems for coordinated regional workforce development.

Following a year-long candidate search that saw its selection process rebooted in November, Florida Gulf Coast University’s (FGCU) Board of Trustees selected Dr. Aysegul Timur on Thursday to serve as the institution’s next president.

Timur, the current Vice President and Vice Provost of Strategy and Program Innovation for FGCU since 2019, was voted to succeed outgoing president Mike Martin by a one-vote margin over fellow finalist Dr. Henry Mack.

In her cover letter, she outlined a university roadmap predicated upon enhancing its regional presence within Southwest Florida through entrepeneureal partnership and continued research.

“FGCU is not a system unto itself; rather, it is a key driver of the region’s – and the state’s – inter-related educational, economic, and cultural systems,” wrote Timur. “Our job is to provide expertise and educational opportunities to everyone, because education is a long-term investment in human capital, and human capital will drive economic prosperity and sustainability in the region and beyond.”

Timur notably played a role in accruing nearly $23 million in federal funding for the university to enhance systems for coordinated regional workforce development.

Earlier this month, FGCU announced the four finalist candidates as Mack, Timur, Augusta University Provost Neil J. MacKinnon, and Morehead State University President Joseph A. Morgan.

The FGCU Board of Trustees decided to reopen its presidential candidate search on Nov. 17th after two of the three original finalists — Tod A. Laursen and Susana V. Rivera-Mills — withdrew from consideration.

Consequentially, the lone remaining finalist in FGCU’s search, Robert G. Gregerson, recused himself, leaving the university without a standing candidate.

When the school publicly launched its search in June it claimed that interest among candidates was high, garnering between 20 and 30 potential successors to Martin.

This is a developing story.