Tech upgrade

Throughout his career, Dr. John Nicklow, Florida Tech’s new president, has stressed the importance of making a difference, one student at a time. FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PHOTOS

New president launches plans to expand FIT’s potential

As Florida Tech’s new ‘campus mom and dad,’ Drs. John and Stacy Nicklow are passionate about being accessible to students, faculty and staff.

He has wrestled a steer to the ground and is a certified professional hydrologist. He worked as a bartender and holds a doctorate in civil engineering from Arizona State University. He delivered pizzas and was the president of the University of New Orleans. He labored in a lumber yard and is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers who holds a diploma from the American Academy of Water Resources. He was a right offensive tackle for an NCAA Division I team, as well as a passionate academician and researcher.

She is a self-proclaimed math geek with a doctorate in American literature. She played NCAA Division I volleyball while completing a five-year, dual-degree program in mechanical engineering and English. She worked as an energy conservation engineer and was the assistant director of the Writing Center at Southern Illinois University.

Drs. John and Stacy Nicklow are not your typical college president and spouse. But then, Florida Institute of Technology is not your average university. The school — launched in 1958 by missile man and nuclear physicist Jerome Keuper for engineers moving into Brevard to join the space program — has always been a unique institution of higher learning. It stands to reason that an extraordinary couple should lead the university through its next chapter. 

With the pomp and circumstance of an investiture ceremony this January, Nicklow was officially ensconced as Florida Tech’s sixth permanent president. When the board of trustees hired him at the beginning of the academic year to succeed T. Dwayne McCay, they scored a two-for-one deal: Nicklow considers his wife an indispensable partner in his job. “Stacy is my sounding board and the hardest working volunteer,” he said. 

As Florida Tech’s new “campus mom and dad,” the couple are passionate about being accessible to students, faculty and staff. Nicklow, who promotes an open-door policy, is always eager to hear from students and those who work for him. The couple frequently dine at the school’s Panther Dining Hall, where they field questions from students and faculty who stop by to chat during dinner. 

“There is a family feel at Florida Tech that I don’t see at other universities,” Nicklow said. Throughout his career, he has stressed the importance of making a difference, one student at a time. Students don’t forget his mentoring, even many years later. “The number of students who stay in touch with me is incredible,” he said. 

Nicklow’s experience, energy and passion for education convinced the school’s board of trustees that he was the man for the job. “His success as a sitting president at the University of New Orleans, his extensive background in academics and research, and his approach to teamwork and collaboration have already strengthened our university and helped us begin to chart Florida Tech’s very bright future,” said Travis Proctor, chair of the Florida Tech board of trustees. “Throughout his 25-year career in higher education, Dr. Nicklow has a proven record of fostering enrollment growth and student success, strengthening campus research enterprises and expanding strategic and philanthropic partnerships, and we are excited about what’s to come at Florida Tech.”

Nicklow discusses the advantages of a Florida Tech education during the filming of an episode of The College Tour. Hosted by Alex Boylan, the show is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

Nicklow congratulates a student during Florida Tech’s commencement exercises.

GREATER IMPACT

With a philosophy of “be everywhere, all the time,” Nicklow wasted no time diving into the many challenges and opportunities facing his new school. He recently released Forward Together, Boundless Potential, a strategic plan that — with input from students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community — provides the framework the school will need to develop initiatives to promote Florida Tech as a leading national research university.

The private, STEM-focused university offers more than 180 degree programs and currently enrolls approximately 10,000 students. Its well-deserved reputation for excellence extends far beyond county lines. “There are people around the world who know Florida Tech better than some people from this area,” said Nicklow, who plans to raise awareness of the school both locally and globally. 

“My priorities are to enhance the visibility of Florida Tech even further by telling the university’s impressive story, wherever and whenever I can, because visibility leads to greater impact. My vision is to make Florida Tech the top choice for STEM fields.”

A recent program drew 2,500 local ninth-graders for a motiva-tional program on campus. “I want those 2,500 students to know Florida Tech is here,” he said. And to make the school more accessible to local, high-achieving students, the newly instituted Brevard Boundless Opportunity Grant will cover the difference between tuition and fees, and the student’s other gift assistance. Eligible students will owe the university zero tuition dollars. 

BUSY MAN

One of Nicklow’s goals at Florida Tech is cultivating the university’s partnerships and upgrading its infrastructure. Among the school’s latest projects is the build-out of the new Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine. An infrastructure master plan is in the works to guide future expansion.

Nicklow’s schedule overflows with engagements that range from speaking at a Space Coast League of Cities meeting to participating in chamber of commerce events throughout the county. Engaging the school’s 68,000 alumni means cementing the support of 68,000 people who can sing the school’s praises and also offer financial support. So, in coming months, the Nicklows will visit alumni groups scattered across the country.

Cultivating partnerships in industry and government is another top goal. Board-approved and in its early operational phase, Florida Tech Research Institute — the applied research arm of the school — will enable the university to engage in collaborative research to benefit government and industry partners, bringing in more funds for the school. 

Upgrading the school’s infrastructure — particularly student housing — looms large on Nicklow’s to-do list. A visit to the school reveals two distinct campuses: a newer, well-designed complex south of University Boulevard, and the older, sprawling campus to the north, a group of buildings that seem plucked from the 1960s. 

“We’re at capacity with housing and that is a bottleneck, as we grow,” Nicklow said. With 155 acres, the university still has room to spread out and reconfigure. An infrastructure master plan — the first in 15 years — is in the works, to ensure growth is well-crafted and not fragmented.

The Nicklows chat with Todd Pokrywa, president of The Viera Company, at a Civilian-Military Council event in Port Canaveral.

PARTNERS

During his first week on campus, Nicklow took time to personally greet faculty and staff. The Nicklows are frequent diners at the university’s Panther Dining Hall.

As he pilots Florida Tech, his wife will be by Nicklow’s side. “I have the best part of Nicklow’s job without having to deal with any problems,” she said. 

Neither of the Nicklows originally envisioned a career in academia. With the help of a football scholarship, Nicklow graduated from Bucknell University, later heading to Arizona State for his doctorate in civil engineering. A stint as an environmental engineering officer with the U.S. Public Health Service left him pining for the teaching and research he had enjoyed at Bucknell — where, by the way, he had met his wife as a sophomore. 

The couple decided she would work to pay the bills while Nicklow finished his terminal degree. The roles were later reversed as she pursued her doctorate in American literature from Southern Illinois University. Nicklow rose quickly through the ranks, serving as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern Illinois University. For seven years, he was president and CEO of the University of New Orleans, the largest public university in the Greater New Orleans region.

Stacy Nicklow also worked in engineering after college. Her job as an energy-conservation engineer required plenty of writing, which she realized she loved. That motivated her to pursue graduate studies in English. As a graduate teaching assistant at Southern Illinois University, she discovered that she loved teaching. She segued to adjunct professor, then assistant director of the Writing Center at SIU and later became part of the tenured faculty at Shawnee Community College in Illinois.

So, the Nicklows are equally passionate about the life-changing possibilities of scholarship. “Education transforms a person, a family and the community,” Nicklow said.

Florida Tech By the Numbers 

Enrollment

Melbourne campus: 4,669 students

Off-Campus Sites: 374

Online programs: 4,613

Total: 9,656

Student Residency

Florida resident: 34.4%

Non-Florida resident: 48.2%

International: 17.4%

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