FGCU student success on display at the Florida Board of Governors meeting

October 06, 2026

FGCU recently had a unique opportunity to showcase the university, its students and employees when leaders from across Florida gathered on campus for the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) meeting Sept. 2-3 at the Cohen Student Union. Student research, interactive demonstrations and internship success stories highlighted how FGCU students are excelling and making a real-world impact.

A large group of FGCU employees pose together in the lobby of the Cohen Student Union and give the “Wings Up” salute. The group is arranged in several rows in front of a green, blue and white wall featuring the words “Hall of Fame” in blue, a “Welcome Board of Governors” sign.

While students took center stage during the Florida Board of Governors meeting, months of planning and coordination by faculty and staff across the university helped make FGCU’s student success showcase possible.

As part of the Sept. 3 opening ceremony, student Juliana Shryock sang the National Anthem, Andre Tetrault, ITS client services specialist III, led the Pledge of Allegiance, Dr. Joseph Buhain, assistant vice president for Veteran and Military Programs, participated in the presentation of colors along with studentsTristan Chavez, Bryleigh Contreras, Bryan Herrera and Madison Kelley, and Dr. John Roth, adjunct faculty coordinator with the Lucas Center for Faculty Development, gave the invocation.

During the Academic Affairs committee meeting, three students shared their internship experiences: Brianna Martinez (Arthrex in Germany), Ashley Fearday (Federal Reserve Bank of New York) and Mya Finney (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh). Alexis Figueroa-Baltazar was also recognized during the meeting’s Mission Moment for his accomplishments at FGCU.

“Whether participating in a single internship or several, close to home or abroad, each student showed how the knowledge and skills developed within the classroom prepared them to contribute confidently and successfully alongside professional colleagues,” said Dr. Charles (Billy) Gunnels, associate provost for Academic Excellence & Innovation.

Throughout both days, the lobby featured displays from various academic programs.

Students from the Gulf Scholars program talked about their research on improving tropical cyclone predictions and the importance of prosthetic arm simulators for medicine, agriculture, military and biomechanical research.

Students and faculty from The Water School shared data on the impacts of hurricanes and sea-level rise on mangroves. Faculty, students and staff are planting mangroves from the campus nursery along a portion of the local coastline devastated by Hurricane Ian in 2022.

Interactive displays from Marieb College of Health & Human Services included a computerized cognitive assessment measuring users’ attention, memory, visual processing and problem-solving. Administered throughout Southwest Florida, the test results help guide discussion between patients and healthcare providers.

Students from the Professional Golf Management program invited guests to practice on a putting green and learn about the program, one of only 16 PGA-accredited programs in the country and the only one in Florida.