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All eyes are on Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.
But fans are not wagering on the school's basketball team, the Eagles of Dunk City. That game's over. Instead, there's intense speculation as to who might replace Wilson Bradshaw, who is retiring as president of the university next summer.
A pro-business university president is considered critical for economic development of the region and its diversification. In recent years, the university has created a research park and its faculty and staff have taken on greater roles in helping the region's economy recover from the downturn.
The university is now 20 years old and has 15,000 students and more than 22,000 alumni. It has embarked on a campaign to raise $100 million in private contributions to its foundation.
The university's board of trustees has selected a committee to recommend qualified individuals. The committee's first meeting is scheduled for April 5.
The committee includes longtime business leaders such as Ken Smith, president and CEO of Tarpon Blue Resource & Land Management and former chief operating officer of Alico; Robbie Roepstorff, president of Edison National Bank; Ed Morton, principal at Wasmer, Schroeder; David Call, regional president of Fifth Third Bank; and Richard Ackert, retired president and CEO of SouthTrust Bank of Southwest Florida.
There are entrepreneurs on the committee, too. Those include Harry Casimir, chief technology officer of website design and marketing firm Atilus, and Charles Winton, president of Estero Bay Chevrolet.
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