Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell plan to pursue joint educational and research opportunities that would benefit students, faculty and other stakeholders at both institutions.

A five-year agreement signed March 17 outlined cooperative goals between the two on shared strategic learning and career-enhancing activities. These include faculty and student exchanges, dual degree programs, summer undergraduate experiences, paid internships, team-taught courses and joint grant proposals and research.

Key initiatives include research focused on water, energy and sustainability; exploring artificial intelligence and advanced technology through FGCU’s Dendritic Institute; and advancing clinical care, support services and workforce transitions for veterans.

“This significant partnership with UMass Lowell will pave the way for a variety of joint initiatives in education, research and student experiences,” said Huzefa Kagdi, professor and dean of U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering, who is leading the cooperative effort on FGCU’s behalf.

Innovating for sustainability

Initiating the partnership, FGCU’s Water School and Whitaker College will collaborate with UMass Lowell’s Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy. The universities will seek research and career opportunities for students to develop sustainable materials and chemicals that don’t harm water resources — an initiative already underway at UMass Lowell.

The two will also collaborate through Home Base, a national nonprofit agency that provides support services for veterans and operates programs at both universities. Home Base aims to improve the lives of veterans and their families through free clinical care, education and wellness services. FGCU and UMass Lowell will cooperate on research benefiting veterans, while building career paths for their students with Home Base.

They will also leverage their expertise and relationships with public and private industry to bring innovations in veterans’ care from the drawing board to the marketplace.

“UMass Lowell is excited to establish collaborative research and innovation teams with Florida Gulf Coast University to create new knowledge, solve challenges and foster opportunities for both institutions, our students and our communities,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. “Great things happen when leaders in education, government and industry come together for the benefit of all.”

The Lowell campus, a Carnegie Research 1 university, also can facilitate relationships between FGCU and other institutions in the UMass system.

A common connection

Brian Rist, founder of the hurricane-protection products company Storm Smart and a major supporter of both universities, helped facilitate bringing the two institutions together. He and his wife, Kim, are UMass Lowell alumni.

In 2021, The Rist Family Foundation donated $4 million to the Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship; the Rist Family Foundation Institute for Entrepreneurship, named in recognition of the gift, oversees the school’s Runway Program and the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program. The foundation also helped fund construction of the entrepreneurship school’s building, Lucas Hall.

“As a first-generation college student in Lowell in the ’70s, I saw firsthand the transformative impact that higher education can have. That’s why I am so happy to support both UMass Lowell and Florida Gulf Coast University today — major economic engines in Massachusetts and Southwest Florida,” Brian Rist said.

“With a focus on sustainability and business innovation in partnership with industry and government, this collaboration will lead to great things. The fact that both universities are also collaborating with Home Base in support of our nation’s incredible veterans and their families means so much. I couldn’t be prouder.”