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No Limits: From Here, Anywhere

President John Nicklow, Ph.D.

Military Officers Association of America, Cape Canaveral Chapter / February 20, 2024

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The new guy

  • 25 years in higher ed after serving as Commissioned Officer with USPHS
  • Past President of the Univ. of New Orleans
  • Professional engineer and hydrologist
  • Native of western Pennsylvania
  • B.S. and M.S. Bucknell University, and Ph.D. Arizona State University
  • NCAA Champion of Diversity Award
  • Wife is Dr. Stacy; son Ethan

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Who we are

  • Private, non-profit national research university
  • 65 years of partnership with local industry, starting from the earliest days of the Space Race
  • 9,600+ students across four colleges: Engineering and Science, Business, Psychology and Liberal Arts, and Aeronautics
  • Global Employability University Ranking and Survey placed Florida Tech 17th in the U.S.

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Making the grade

  • 2024 Wall Street Journal College Rankings
  • Top 400 universities in the U.S.
  • 6th in the nation for student experience
  • 1st in Florida for ranked schools
  • Second-highest ranking for all 196 private schools included in the rankings

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Strategic Plan: The Pillars

  • People of Excellence
  • Programs Driven by Innovation
  • Transformative Partnerships
  • Optimized Learning & Social Environments

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New Resources for Students

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Gordon L. Nelson Health Sciences Building

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Mertens Marine Science Center

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Connected to the Community

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Connected with industry: L3Harris

  • Strong relationship dating to the university’s founding
  • On-site master’s degree collaboration
  • Systems Engineering focus
  • 132 graduates; 40 students registered for Fall 2023

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Connected with industry: Northrop Grumman

  • “Level Up” program
  • Collaboratively designed to meet industry needs
  • Classes meet once per week in custom 8-week terms
  • Master’s degrees offered include Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, MBA
  • 256 graduates; 60 students registered last fall

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Engineering & Science Student Design Showcase

  • Student capstone projects
  • Range of STEM disciplines
  • Internships and career opportunities result
  • Expertise of industry

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Across the Space Coast

  • weVENTURE
    • Free business consultations
    • Workshops and seminars
    • Engaging networking events
  • Indian River Lagoon Research Institute
  • Consortium for Aquarium Research and Education (CARE) at IRL

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Students in action

  • Civic Engagement Initiative
  • Brevard Public Schools
  • Children’s Hunger Project
  • Daily Bread

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Focused on the Future

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Where we go next…

  • From good to great!
  • Top choice for STEM students
  • Strengthen research enterprise
  • Preferred partner for business and industry

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Where we go next…

  • Paying it forward
  • Strategic planning and visioning execution
  • Valuing individual perspectives
  • Collaboration
  • Teamwork

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What we can offer industry…

  • Tailored graduate education and professional development
  • A pre-determined number of qualified leads per year
  • Internships/apprenticeships
  • On-site recruiting and access to campus career fairs

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Together is better

  • Expand the talent pipeline
  • Find new opportunities to collaborate
  • Tackle challenges as a team
  • Prepare for the future

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Let’s connect on social media:

@FloridaTechPrez on X/Twitter

@FloridaTechPrez on Instagram

John Nicklow (in/FloridaTechPrez) on LinkedIn

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Thank you!

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