FGCU: Inspiring Next-Gen Educators with Diane Kratt

A Symphony of Growth: The Arts at FGCU with Krzysztof Biernacki

Today, on Your University: The FGCU Podcast, host Katie Cribbs takes an audience with Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki, Director of the Bower School of Music & the Arts at FGCU.  Krzysztof shares his path from childhood singing in Poland to an international opera and recital career, immigration to Canada, university training and teaching, and leadership roles at UNF and FGCU. He describes Bower’s scale and momentum—planning 150–178 annual events across music, art, theater and the Wasmer Art Gallery—alongside strong community support and sold-out performances. Katie asks about the 2026–27 addition of Digital Media Design (about 350–370 students and eight faculty), and Krzysztof highlights some recent student competition successes and details some exciting partnerships including the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation and Opera Naples International Voice Competition hosted partly on campus. He also spotlights outreach favorites like Joyful and Triumphant, the Naples Botanical Garden jazz series Rhythm and Blooms, growth in the accredited music therapy program, summer camps, America 250 programming, and Bower’s upcoming 20th anniversary season with alumni and guest artists. Your University: The FGCU Podcast is produced by University FM. [https://university.fm/] Episode Guide: * 01:05 Early Singing Roots * 02:21 Poland to Canada Training * 03:07 Performing Career and UNF * 06:16 Bower School Growth * 07:19 Digital Media Design Expansion * 09:53 Pavarotti Competition Partnership * 15:13 Community Concert Series * 18:09 Music Therapy Spotlight * 19:44 Summer Camps and Outreach * 20:32 America 250 Season Planning * 23:06 AI and the Arts Future * 24:35 Final Invitation and Wrap Up Episode Quotes: Southwest Florida is an arts destination 27:20: That's what's so special about Southwest Florida. This is the arts destination. And, you know, when I moved here in 2019, I couldn't believe that we're selling out events. You know, other universities across the nation do not have that problem.  The human touch will always matter 23:47: What we do as artists, as the creative types, will become that much more valuable, right? It will become the human touch. It will be the paint on the brush. It will be the student at the piano. It will be a dance movement. It will be human-generated content as opposed to machine-generated content. Changing lives through the power of the arts 27:20: Attend as many events as you possibly can. There's so much to experience here, so much to learn and grow. We are changing lives through the power of the arts. We truly are. We are still a little bit of a well-kept secret in Southwest Florida.  Show Links: * Krzysztof Biernacki | FGCU Profile [https://www.fgcu.edu/directory/kbiernacki] * Krzysztof Biernacki | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/krzysztof-biernacki-171069165/] * Bower School of Music & the Arts | FGCU [https://www.fgcu.edu/cas/bsma/] * FGCU360: Music Therapy [https://fgcu360.com/2026/03/31/a-decade-later-fgcu-music-therapy-program-strikes-a-major-chord/] * FGCU360 | America 250 [https://fgcu360.com/2025/11/06/theatrelab-presents-four-plays-in-celebration-of-americas-250th-birthday/] * FGCU360| Pianist [https://fgcu360.com/2024/12/19/pianist-from-vietnam-earning-kudos-in-state-international-competitions/] * Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition [https://operanaples.org/international-voice-competition-2026/] * Rhythm & Blooms | Naples Botanical Garden [https://www.naplesgarden.org/events/rhythm-blooms/2026-05-06/] * FGCU | Website [https://www.fgcu.edu/] * FGCU | Your University [https://www.fgcu.edu/your-university/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transforming Healthcare in Southwest Florida with Dean Shawn Felton

Today on Your University: The FGCU Podcast, our host Katie Cribbs talks with Shawn Felton, Dean for the Marieb College of Health and Human Services at Florida Gulf Coast University. They talk about Marieb College’s growth, community impacts, and emerging technology during Shawn’s tenure. Dr. Felton explains how textbook author Dr. Elaine Nicpon Marieb connected with FGCU, gave $5 million for scholarships in 2012 that led to Marieb Hall, and later a $10 million endowment in 2017 that renamed the college. Her legacy is honored annually through Marieb Day, featuring over 130 student pieces of medical illustration art and tied to a new medical illustration minor.  He discusses FGCU’s largest gift, $22 million from the Marieb Foundation, supporting emerging technology and naming the future AB 10 Marieb Hall South which will include a 22,000-square-foot interprofessional simulation center. Shawn also tells Katie about FGCU’s Disaster Day simulation, where they employed ‘moulage,’ and his athletic training and sports science research background. Your University: The FGCU Podcast is produced by University FM. [https://university.fm/] Episode Guide: * 02:21 How Marieb College Got Its Name * 06:04 Record Gift and AB10 * 08:43 New Building Expansion * 11:01 Community Clinical Partnerships * 14:39 Labs and Simulation Growth * 16:51 Holograms and New Immersive Tech * 18:59 Disaster Day Simulation * 23:09 Shawn’s Background in Sports Science * 24:26 Final Takeaways and Visit Episode Quotes: Training the workforce Southwest Florida needs 12:11: We have built that relationship, but I think we've also listened. If you look at all of our programs that we offer, it is in what is needed in Southwest Florida to fulfill the workforce needs. You know, nursing is an obvious one, but physical therapy, occupational therapy…We have built the programs that is needed by the workforce here. On FGCU’s growing regional and national impact 13:02: As a regional comprehensive institution, we serve our region, our five-county region. We're doing great things here, and now we're becoming more statewide known and nationally known for what we're doing. And, it's just a beautiful opportunity. On growing together with the community 13:18: The relationship that this university has with its local community is one that,  I don't think is paralleled anywhere. And, to your point, individuals knew we needed a higher education institution here, and we've grown together with our community, and it's been exciting to see that connection. Show Links: * Shawn Felton | FGCU Profile [https://www.fgcu.edu/directory/sfelton] * Shawn Felton | LinkedIn Profile [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-felton-58705a34/] * Marieb College of Health & Human Services | FGCU [https://www.fgcu.edu/mariebcollege/] * ‘Road of Excellence’ | FGCU360 Article [https://fgcu360.com/2024/06/20/as-marieb-dean-felton-continues-on-road-of-excellence/] * Marieb Hall South Groundbreaking | FGCU360 Article [https://fgcu360.com/2026/04/16/with-marieb-hall-south-fgcu-breaks-new-ground-in-healthcare-education/] * Disaster Day 2025 | FGCU Event Profile [https://www.fgcu.edu/inside/news/disaster-day-2025-volunteers-needed-1] * FGCU | Website [https://www.fgcu.edu/] * FGCU | Your University [https://www.fgcu.edu/your-university/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

FGCU: Inspiring Next-Gen Educators with Diane Kratt

Today on Your University: The FGCU Podcast, our host Katie Cribbs meets with Diane Kratt, Assistant Dean for the College of Education at Florida Gulf Coast University, with a special interest in advancing the expansion of school-based mental health. Diane, a Fort Myers native and first-generation college graduate who worked full-time while earning her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees, reflects on Southwest Florida’s growth from the dirt road days of Daniels Parkway to the rise of FGCU as an environmentally conscious university. Diane shares how supportive teachers and mentors were instrumental in shaping her path from K–12 educator to FGCU’s College of Education, her home for nearly 18 years now, and joined the Ed.D. program once it became feasible as a working mom.  Katie and Diane cover the need for regional access to higher education, and College of Ed initiatives addressing teacher shortages, including paid internships through the STAR Program and the Flyers Program and the School Support Personnel Pathway for school employees completing degrees. Diane also discusses exploring AI while still emphasizing teaching’s human element.  Your University: The FGCU Podcast is produced by University FM. [https://university.fm/] EPISODE GUIDE: * 02:11 FGCU Arrives in SW Florida * 03:01 Working Through School * 05:51 Why Teaching Chose Diane * 07:09 Mentors Who Changed Everything * 08:51 From K-12 to Higher Ed * 11:46 Community Connections and Environment * 17:14 Teacher Shortage Solutions * 18:13 Paid Internship Options * 21:55 Getting Students Hired Quickly * 22:50 Classroom Tech and AI * 25:04 Traditional Teacher Prep vs Alternative Pathways * 27:22 Why Teachers Matter * 28:03 Support and Get Involved * 29:44 Final Thoughts and Conclusion EPISODE QUOTES: Educators matters 07:49: I've never found anybody who can't name their favorite teacher. It may not be all of them, I wish it were, but everyone has somebody that they really enjoyed being around and felt valued by and cared for by, and it's usually one of their teachers. Connecting everybody together through the university 12:59:  The community is all pieced together, and the university is now going to be something that could possibly be a hub one day. And all of us are connected. There's so many different people that, over this time period, that I have connected with, from the time I was in K-12 myself to the time I taught in K-12 to the time I became an employee here at the university. There's just so many people that all connect together that it's incredible. Effective happy teachers are the backbone of the society 30:29: Effective, happy teachers, I believe, are the backbone of society. Just as in my story, I was shaped by educators, and education has shaped me into being able to be an administrator for the College of Ed and help all these other students.  SHOW LINKS: * Diane Kratt | FGCU Profile [https://www.fgcu.edu/directory/dkratt] * Diane Kratt | Google Scholar Research [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dyLDCTIAAAAJ&hl=en] * Diane Kratt | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-kratt-57593a39/] * Student Teachers and Mental Health | Qualitative Study [https://scholarscommons.fgcu.edu/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/Student-Teachers-and-Mental-Health-A/99383433021106570] * WINK News: Flyers Program [https://www.winknews.com/news/lee/fgcu-program-hopes-to-alleviate-teacher-drought-in-lee-county/article_8b6f4bab-d39b-5105-ac7d-2f23a0e875d4.html] * Gulf Coast News: School Support Personnel Pathway program combats teacher shortages [https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/school-support-personnel-pathway-program-teacher-shortages/60753361] * FGCU360: STAR program [https://fgcu360.com/2026/04/30/college-of-educations-star-program-prepares-teachers-to-lead/] * FGCU | Website [https://www.fgcu.edu/] * FGCU | Your University [https://www.fgcu.edu/your-university/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Art of Diving Deep with Super Student Macy Noll

Time for a new episode of Your University: The FGCU Podcast. This time, our host Katie Cribbs talks with Macy Noll, a fifth-year dual degree Art and Biology student at FGCU dedicated to uniting scientific inquiry with artistic expression to advocate for a revitalization of ecological identity. Macy describes how she dove into campus life as a campus naturalist, public artist, research assistant, master diver and dive instructor, and volunteer. She also explains the interesting path that led her from an FGCU ceramics class to a Vester Marine Field Station project creating 62 biomimetic clay sculptures (earthenware and stoneware) to install on Kimberly’s Reef, an artificial reef about eight nautical miles off Bonita Beach, to allow marine biologists to study benthic settlement and encourage reef growth. That experience sparked her path into scientific diving and two years of reef research, including documenting early coral colony growth. Macy discusses how art and science overlap in observing and interpreting nature, using creativity as environmental education, and shares her “Knowledge in Motion” mural in the FGCU library, which was inspired by her fieldwork, and actionable advice to students about seeking opportunities through relationships and campus resources.  Your University: The FGCU Podcast is produced by University FM. [https://university.fm/]   EPISODE GUIDE: * 01:42 Campus Roles and Diving Life * 02:37 Vester and Kimberly’s Reef * 04:28 Benthic Art Project Origins * 06:07 Ceramics as Reef Material * 08:08 Installing Sculptures Underwater * 09:14 First Dives and Coral Discovery * 12:10 Art First Then Science * 14:23 Art Class Turning Point * 17:02 Science in Every Piece of Art * 18:26 Library Mural Story * 22:08 Why Choose FGCU * 23:36 Campus Naturalist Life * 25:53 Advice And Community Access * 26:55 Closing Thoughts EPISODE QUOTES: Art isn't based on talent alone 12:41: The reason you draw like a five-year-old, is because you stopped drawing when you were five. Everyone has the ability to develop that skill. I think people sometimes have this idea that art is based on talent alone, and it's just something that you're, kind of, born with. Why diving makes Macy more creative 19:39: You are just completely weightless and suspended in the water column and surrounded. It's a totally immersive experience, literally and figuratively. And you see the most amazing things. And you can have, at least my experience has been a much closer interaction with wildlife than you can on land. The fish will swim all around you, and you can get really close up to the corals and everything. And so, it's such just an up-close and personal experience. But even besides the amazing wildlife, for me, like, as an artist, it's the colors and, like, the light filtering through the water. And it almost feels like to me swimming in a painting, so. Experiencing the natural Florida in FGCU 24:29: You don't have to leave campus to experience natural Florida…[27:23] Even in the middle of Estero, on campus, you can experience beautifully pristine nature and be surrounded by cypress trees. SHOW LINKS: * Macy Noll | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/macy-noll-7a2670251/] * Macy Noll | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ekphrasia_studios/] * Library Mural Project | FGCU 2026 [https://library.fgcu.edu/c.php?g=1493409&p=11265699] * Macy Noll’s Underwater World | FGCU Library Mural [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjT7wT9vdmQ] * The Depths of Creativity |FGCU360 Article [https://fgcu360.com/2023/07/24/the-depths-of-creativity-art-meets-science-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/] * What is a Cypress Dome? | FGCU Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl5wge5oZdQ] * FGCU | Vester Field Station [https://www.fgcu.edu/thewaterschool/facilities/vester-field-station/] * FGCU | Website [https://www.fgcu.edu/] * FGCU | Your University [https://www.fgcu.edu/your-university/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

CSI: FGCU – Real-Life Forensics with Heather Walsh-Haney

It’s time to check back in with Your University: The FGCU Podcast. Today, host Katie Cribbs comes to the table with Heather Walsh-Haney, professor of Forensic Anthropology at FGCU, teaching, assisting medical examiners and Law Enforcement with the discovery, recovery, and analysis of human remains.  Heather brings us in close to explain forensic anthropology as the scientific, empathetic analysis of human skeletal and dental remains to help medical examiners and law enforcement determine identity, appearance, cause and timing of death, and to support families and human rights. She describes how her early influences shaped her path, and why she joined FGCU in 2005 to help build one of the country’s first forensic studies programs emphasizing experiential learning, storytelling, and applied science. Heather details long-standing community partnerships, including a dedicated forensic anthropology space in the medical examiner’s office, and her consulting work for agencies across Florida. She outlines student training through competencies and controlled work with python necropsies and decomposition research using dermestid beetles that clean a body down to the bones.  Heather also explains about how FGCU’s private human remains donation program works and the Buckingham Environmental Forensics Facility (BEFF) and notes Florida’s subtropical, sandy, watery environment easily destroys bone, teeth, and DNA, making her all the more needed. Your University: The FGCU Podcast is produced by University FM. [https://university.fm/] EPISODE GUIDE: * 01:20 Forensic Anthropology 101: Reading Bones for Answers * 04:03 Why FGCU & Southwest Florida: Building a Forensic Studies Program * 07:03 Board Certification & What a Consultant Actually Does * 08:19 Training the Field Team: Competencies, Callouts, and Real Casework Prep * 09:59 From Pythons to Beetle Colonies: Hands-On Decomposition & Lab Skills * 12:19 Donating Your Body to Science: FGCU’s Human Remains Donation Program * 14:09 Inside the Buckingham Environmental Forensics Facility (BEFF) * 20:25 Florida’s Environment vs. Evidence: Why DNA Isn’t Always There * 22:29 Heart First, Science Always: Ethics, Reports, and Testifying in Court * 25:16 The FGCU Legacy: Graduates in the Field and Bridges Across the State * 26:34 Final Takeaways & How to Get Involved (Donations, Auditing, Contact Info EPISODE QUOTES: Stories that live beyond bones 28:44: We all have stories to tell, and whether it's from the bones and teeth that I examine, or from the words that are capturing who you are as a person from your family members, those stories go on and on. And that's the important part. And that’s the most important message, is, as long as there’s breath within me, I will work to educate people to make sure that this career continues. And I'll work with medical examiners and law enforcement to know how important it is to employ people with my training, because families need us. Heart first forensic science 23:12: I brought my personal experiences to forensic anthropology, which I think helped shape the program that I have, which is heart first and logic, science, and intelligence paving the way that we investigate a crime. And if we always think of the victims first, then everything should fall into place. And of course, what underscores all of that is transparency and honesty and knowing that I cannot exceed the bounds of science. The truth about DNA in forensic cases 20:10 [Katie Cribbs]: That surprised me because we watch all of these CSI shows and true crime. And there's always DNA. So, when you told me there are times when there is none, and I was like, ″Get out. I watch TV."  20:22 [Heather Walsh-Haney]: Well, there's a lot to unpack with the TV part. But the environment here with our sandy soils, our watery environment, it's subtropical, it destroys bone. And even teeth, which are our hardest substance in our body, they get scattered.  Our single-rooted teeth, like our front teeth, those are going to fall out postmortem. And if we haven't taken care of our teeth, you have cavities or what we call caries, that can sometimes make the teeth unusable. But as we think about anthropology and as we think about the  process of human evolution, you don't find fossils in tropical environments. Where do you find them? You find them in dry arid environments. And so, the subtropical environment of Florida wreaks havoc on human remains. That means that discovery of the remains quickly, excavating them with the latest technologies, and being able to tease out as much information as possible from the skeletal and dental tissues makes our job even more vitally important. SHOW LINKS: * Heather Walsh-Haney | FGCU Profile [https://www.fgcu.edu/directory/hwalsh] * Heather Walsh-Haney | Google Scholar Research [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=shUtgrAAAAAJ&hl=en] * Heather Walsh-Haney | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-walsh-haney-a5860579/] * Article about Heather | Tampa Bay Times [https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2025/10/18/florida-gulf-coast-university-bones-professor/] * From Scene to Lab: Human Identity & Trauma Analysis at FGCU [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FwoyiWeFpSfI&data=05%7C02%7Ckcribbs%40fgcu.edu%7C8a202fc2b6da432ba7cc08de8ff4a2f0%7Cf7a5a4ef4ffa4c80bfb3c12e28872099%7C0%7C0%7C639106478057931159%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6g2DqnIWP65TvcgrRTjPBOO2G61fxyAe5ECrb9CbjO4%3D&reserved=0] * FGCU | Website [https://www.fgcu.edu/] * FGCU | Your University [https://www.fgcu.edu/your-university/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.