University loses a top administrator

Florida Gulf Coast University seems to be fertile recruiting grounds for academia.

The latest departure from the Fort Myers university: Joseph Shepard, FGCU's vice-president for administrative services and finance. He recently accepted a position as president of Western New Mexico University. He starts there July 5.

Shephard joined FGCU in 1995, when the newly created university in Fort Myers created the division of student affairs under his leadership. He was promoted to his current position in 2003.

Shepard's departure comes on the heels of another high-profile departure by Howard Finch, the Alico Chair of Financial Management and Planning at the Lutgert School of Business. Finch is leaving this summer to become dean of the Brock School of Management at Samford University, the largest privately funded university in Alabama.