Florida Gulf Coast University is in a unique position to embrace the open source software and methodology. The current software usage and culture of the university is examined with an emphasis on universal principles applicable to nearly all institutions of higher learning: specifically development of an Open Course Ware initiative and the role of Ubuntu along with other complimentary software.

Through innovative uses of selected free software there is an enormous opportunity to add value to those interacting within a university setting. Information has been solicited across the entire spectrum of the university populace ranging from key decision makers down to the end users, including students and faculty. This talk provides a chance to see opportunity within an institution typically considered entrapped in licensing fees of ineffective software because alternatives were never explored. We'll discuss what has worked well along with lessons learned from concepts that have not been effective.

Through an informative dialog with the campus community the university's culture has slowly changed for the better as the software in daily use begins to fall in line with the official guiding principles of the university. An important part of a university's role is giving back to the world and that's exactly what FGCU intends to do through leveraging the benefits of open source.