May 2024 Inside FGCU

IN THIS ISSUE

2

• Years of Service

• FGCU Night Details

• Did You Know?

3

• Community Counseling Center

• Retirements

4

• Celebration of Excellence

SCENE IT WINNERS

Congratulations to the April 2024 Scene It photo contest winners:

• Santiago Luaces, Office of Scholarly Innovation & Student Research

• Frances Elmore, Advising – Lutgert College of Business

• Danielle Galipeau, Housing & Residence Life

For those who are still guessing, the image highlighted the Lutgert College of Business study pods that overlook the courtyard. Thanks to James Greco of University Marketing & Communications for supplying the photo!

FGCU is discussing how to improve the Scene It photo contest, and we will have more information about it in August. Stay tuned!

GET INVOLVED

We are recruiting employees to serve on the 2024-25 Inside FGCU Newsletter Advisory Committee.

The committee consists of five to seven FGCU employees who have the ability to meet monthly as a team to review story pitches, create newsletter content and guide the future of the publication for the 2024-25 academic year. No past communications experience is required.

If interested, please fill out the Formstack application on the Inside FGCU website (fgcu.edu/inside) by June 1, 2024. The Newsletter Editorial Executive Committee will be in touch with applicants about next steps by July 15.

Contact newsletter@fgcu.edu with any questions.

Your Campus. Your News.

Remodeled Spa Lab to become home for Research & Sponsored Programs

The Spa Lab in Sugden Hall will have a new occupant soon just don’t expect any facials, massages or manicures. Instead, the growing unit of Research & Sponsored Programs is moving into this space, creating better access to faculty who are in need of their services.

The move is pragmatic.

Since its closure in 2019, the Spa Lab has sat vacant the exceptions being when it served as the temporary locations for Emergency Management and the Small Business Development Center. Now that the spa equipment has been removed and a space refresh is underway, it was ideal for an academic unit that was experiencing growth and in need of access to the main corridor.

Research & Sponsored Programs checked those boxes.

Over the past two years, the office has grown from five to 13 people, with more positions to fill. This is attributed to FGCU nearly tripling its award funding since 2020, hitting $44 million in faculty awards in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Dr. Rose Higgins, associate vice president of this unit, attributes the growth to several factors, including hiring more faculty, hard-working faculty focusing on scholarly activities that increase outside funding, and the growth of environment,

workforce, education, health, STEM and hurricane response projects.

As this has occurred, there has been a need to amplify the administration and infrastructure of these endeavors.

Research & Sponsored Programs provides direct assistance to faculty, ranging from pre-award to post-award support. This includes grant preparation and managing awards; research compliance for projects involving human and animal subjects; and providing assistance in the areas of export control, foreign influence and contracts and agreements.

The growth in sponsored research and projects is also helping fund future projects for faculty, colleges, units and centers through the recovery of indirect or facilities and administrative costs. In May of last year, about $200,000 was redistributed in this fashion, with another $125,000 in August.

Research & Sponsored Programs will move into the space during the summer term. Faculty should be on the lookout for future workshops, held in partnership with the Lucas Center, that will explain exactly how this office can help their work. For compliance questions, email research@fgcu.edu. Contact orsp_srbi@ fgcu.edu for general assistance.

Renderings show how The Spa Lab in Sugden Hall is being remodeled for Research & Sponsored Programs.

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YEARS OF SERVICE

Celebrate your fellow Eagles who have reached new career milestones in May. Information in this list was provided by Human Resources.

15 Years

• Emma S. Reeners | Assistant Director, Aquatics

• Norman Lewis Walker Jr. | Assistant Director, Business Operations

• Kimberly Ann Wallace | Senior Director, Alumni Relations

10 Years

• Mike Padilla | Budget Manager II, Innovative Education & Partnerships

• Demica Marie Mattia | Accounting Specialist II, Travel Operations

• Gillian Mayglothling | Assistant Director, Exploratory Advising

• Vicki A. Brody | Administrative Specialist, Advising-College of Business

5 Years

• David E. Oquendo | Broadcast Programming Manager, WGCU

• Logan Michael Crawford | Coordinator II, Environmental Health & Safety

ABOVE: The Evelyn Egan Astronomical Observatory houses a 16-inch telescope.

TOP RIGHT: Dr. Derek Buzasi is the director and coordinator of the observatory. RIGHT: FGCU students George Alenchery and Jorge Valdez study in the observatory.

Chances are that you have seen the domeshaped roof crowning the white, cylindrical building situated behind Whitaker Hall. This is the Evelyn Egan Astronomical Observatory, named after the late Evelyn Egan, a Fort Myers resident who funded the design and construction of the facility.

An extension of Whitaker Hall, the observatory houses the 16-inch Ritchey Chretien reflection telescope, which is a small replica of the Hubble Space Telescope. Dr. Derek Buzasi, astronomer and Whitaker Center’s Eminent Scholar, serves as director and coordinator of the observatory. He welcomes visitors inside the observatory, where a small classroom is equipped with a whiteboard, computers, desks and chairs.

To the left, there is a spiral staircase leading to the second level, where the telescope sits under the dome. Through a remotecontrolled system, Buzasi can open a slit on the rotating roof for telescope observation.

The innovative facility provides a mini-observatory and laboratory research experience to students majoring in physics, taking “Intro to Astronomy” or enrolled in research-based courses. It is a quiet and stimulating study space where students can engage in research and exploratory work about the stars and the universe, or simply hangout with like-minded peers to complete schoolwork. With a growing number of students majoring in physics, the facility will likely support more classes in the future.

Employees can schedule a visit to the observatory by emailing dbuzasi@fgcu.edu.

FGCU PHOTOS

FGCU's Community Counseling Center available to employees, family

TheCommunity Counseling Center at FGCU provides access to low-cost, affordable mental and behavioral health counseling in Southwest Florida.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The center is open to FGCU staff, faculty, graduates and their family members. The following are some of the types of counseling services offered: Managing stress

• Grief

• Family conflict

• Marital conflict

• Bullying

• Learned coping skills

• Depression Anxiety

• Trauma

• Career and work-related stress

• Life transitions

• Low self-esteem

• Parenting concerns

• Child/adolescent behavioral issues

Kristen Valus, administrative specialist, is the first contact for client inquiries.

“We have found that there is a real need for our services,” Valus said. “Clients who are looking for affordable counseling care in Southwest Florida and either don’t have health insurance or cannot get a timely appointment in network and can’t afford out-of-network prices are thrilled to have the CCC (Community Counseling Center) as an alternative, low-cost option.”

Counseling instructor Julieta Wenk and coordinator Eileen Cherbini provide supervision to graduate-level students in FGCU’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. The students provide counseling services to clients in both English and Spanish through in-person or telehealth/ telecounseling visits.

To ensure the best possible care for clients, supervisors review recorded counseling sessions and meet with the student counselors for discussion.

Clients are prescreened during an intake phone call to determine the level of care needed before providing an appointment.

“We are not a crisis center,” said Wenk.

Diane McTygue, an administrative assistant in Student Health Services, retires May 10. She has worked at FGCU for 22 years.

“For immediate crisis care, we provide resource information. We offer referrals when clients’ counseling needs are beyond the scope of practice and experience of our student counselors. In addition, our student counselors do not have the expertise to assist with any court-related cases, DCF cases, custody issues, and social security or disability cases.”

Client confidentiality and privacy are top priorities at the center.

“We are meticulous about client privacy and all clients, including FGCU employees, who choose to enlist our counselor’s services can trust that their information and attendance are confidential following HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) laws,” Valus said.

According to Valus, “It’s nice to be able to come to one place to have access to distinct types of counseling services including individual, child, family, couples and group. For instance, clients may want both individual and family counseling, and we can accommodate that based on appointment availability. These clients would meet with two different counselors for each type of session to avoid any conflict of interest or privacy issues.”

Eileen Cherbini and Julieta Wenk work in FGCU's Community Counseling Center, which provides low-cost, affordable mental and behavioral health counseling in Southwest Florida.

FGCU's Community Counseling Center has a playroom for children between the ages of 4 and 11.

The center does not accept insurance. Instead, they offer a sliding scale fee ranging from $5 to $25, depending on the client’s income. Payment is made in advance of the appointment via cash, debit or credit card.

Along with individual session rooms, the center has a play therapy room designed to assist children from ages 4 to 11 to freely express thoughts and emotions through play. The facility also has a group therapy room.

Cherbini said, “I feel honored and love the opportunity to guide the future mental health counselors of our community. The service we provide is so necessary, and we strive for high quality to meet the mental health needs of the community while guiding and educating them.”

Dr. Lirio K. Negroni of the Department of Social Work retires May 7. She joined FGCU in 2016 as an associate professor and was promoted to professor in 2021. She has earned Professor Emeritus status.

The center is located on the second floor of the Student and Community Counseling Center. The third floor is for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which is the main source of free mental health support and therapy services for FGCU students.

Call the Community Counseling Center at 239-745-4777 to make an appointment.

LEARN MORE fgcu.edu/communitycounseling

Jim Slapp retires May 10 from FGCU after 16 years with the University Police Department. He most recently served as police chief.

FGCU PHOTOS

FGCU PHOTOS

Celebration of Excellence

Student Government Association Awards: Staff Member of the Year Award: Travell Oakes; McTarnaghan Teaching Award: Brian McGinnis.

Mentoring Award Recipients: Sherri Emer, Alberto Condori, Kelly Cosgrove and Travell Oakes.

Grant-in-Aid Educational Leave Program Recipients: Debra Boucher and Melissa “Missy” Berkley.

Staff Advisory Council Outstanding Staff Awards: Support Personnel Staff Member: Betsy Rodriguez; Administrative & Professional Staff Member: Stormie Pruskauer; Other Professional Services staff member: Rita Rubin; Gabor Staff Champion Award: Eric Balmer.

Student Success Champions: Maria Roca, Michael Baron, Katheryn Knutson, Allison Bacigalupi, Martha “Marty” Hall and Saül Laguerre.

Faculty Excellence Awards: John Herman Award for Excellence in General Education: Win Everham; President’s Award for Exemplary Online Teaching: Charles Wang; Chair Excellence: Tanya Benford. Advising Excellence: Junior Advisor: Michelle Leaver; Senior Advisor: Jeannine Gamble-Francis. Scholarship Excellence: Senior Faculty: Hasan Aydin and Alejandro Bugarin. Service Excellence: Junior Faculty Individual: Peter Ndiang’ui and Valerie Weiss; Senior Faculty Individual: Anna Carlin and Serge Thomas; Faculty Team Service: UFF 2022-23 Bargaining Team — Kara Winton, Stefan Carpenter, Win Everham, Jennifer Fulwider, Carolynne Gischel, Michelle Leaver, Rachel Tait, Serge Thomas and Judy Wilkerson Teaching Excellence: Adjunct Faculty: Hanna Lipsey and David Poisson; Junior Instructor: Brittany Eichler and Melissa Thompson; Junior Faculty: Christina Anaya and Kevin Minner; Senior Faculty: Ashraf Badir and Alberto Condori.

COMMITTEE FAREWELL

arts and crafts. From left are Lori Zallie, Rosario Welle, I’Riel Williams, Tami Tassler and Lexi Velte. Not pictured was Emily Helm.

FGCU PHOTOS