FSU wins 2026 Gartner Eye on Innovation Award for Education

By Angelina Madera, Anna Prentiss

Florida State University has been named a 2026 Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for Education winner, standing out among a record number of submissions from organizations worldwide for its use of emerging technology to enhance the academic experience. 

The university was recognized for “Feedback Loop AI,” developed by Dr. Mark McNees, director of the Social and Sustainable Enterprises master’s program and sustainability entrepreneur in residence at FSU’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. 

The Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards recognize organizations that turn technology investments into tangible outcomes. The award also adds to FSU’s recent recognition as a global finalist for the 2024 Gartner Eye on Innovation Award. 

Jonathan Fozard, vice president and chief information officer for FSU’s Information Technology Services (ITS), accepted the award on behalf of the university. 

“Dr. McNees and the FBLAI pilot demonstrate how professor-voiced feedback, rubric-aligned guidance and accessibility review can help students improve from one attempt to the next,” Fozard said. “This award reflects the talent and dedication across Florida State and reinforces something I believe in: that technology’s greatest value lies not in the tools themselves, but in how we use them to strengthen teaching, learning and discovery.” 

As emerging tools continue to shape the educational landscape, ITS stands ready to support academic and research technology, digital learning, cybersecurity, communications, administrative systems and statewide services. Together, these capabilities form a trusted foundation that enables the university community to teach, learn, discover and achieve measurable impact.  

For more information, visit its.fsu.edu.