Univerity Colloquium Demers

We have made a commitment as a university to make environmental education an integral part of our identity. One of our university-wide outcomes is that all students will develop “an ecological perspective.” A way to accomplish this perspective is to devise a course, or group of experiences, with an environmental focus that all FGCU undergraduate students must complete, and in which faculty from all five colleges would be involved. Because “ecology” applies to our total living space and interrelationships, human and natural, it is relevant to all our disciplines and professions. Thus, an ecology course would touch on all nine of the university-wide goals and outcomes, and more. Students would not be introduced to FGCU values, they would participate in them.

Welcome! The University Colloquium is one of my favorite courses to teach. The class is a combination of field trips and sustained discussions. This public portal showcases this unique opportunity for our students as presented by me, one of many faculty that teachers the University Colloquium course. At FGCU there is a QEP office (created in 2005) that is redeveloping the course. Try these links to my home page to learn about my Philosophy and Activities. Follow one of my favorite Southwest Florida Journalist Craig Pittman at the Tampa Bay Times His 2006 Special series Vanishing Wetlands Here is another great journalist: Michael Grunwald (author of The Swamp) with a 4-part series on the Everglades at the Washington Post THE EVERGLADES resource		Nora Egan Demers Associate Professor of Biology and Interdisciplinary Studies Florida Gulf Coast University Telephone: (239) 590-7211 or (239) 246-4537 (cell) Email: ndemers@fgcu.edu Office location: Whitaker Hall, 218
Historical documents about FGCU's journey: See a powerpoint about the 2004 Fire on FGCU Campus! Check here for other Campus monitoring locations Know your plants- FGCU virtual tours WGCU's UNIVERSITY COLLOQUIUM STORY see it here! Introduction to the Colloquium (WGCU production)- comments from former students FGCU Mission, Vision and Guiding Principles FGCU Student learning outcomes The Arnold Committee Report from the ABM (see below) Poster: Florida Gulf Coast University: Founded and Established at the Crossroads of Science and Policy
Estero River - Poinciana was in Full bloom June 2010 (photo credit Sam Seitz) Issues for sustability- Subscribe to Environmental Health News for daily updates. Plastic Pollution Coalition Environmental Working Group Should the EPA be exempting 'green power' facilities from legal requirements for Agency review? BIG WETLANDS LOSSES PLOTTED FOR GREEN POWER — Corps Prepares Broad Exemptions for Solar, Wind, Geothermal & Tidal Facilities Fracking for Natural Gas-- National Geographic Special report Energy: The Pros and Cons of Shale Gas Drilling (60 minutes, Nov 14, 2010) Gasland the movie PCB's, BPA and other plastics as endocrine disruptors Pesticides in food the Big Ag side of the story or the Environmental Working Group issue-- Foodnews.org Assessing Children’s Dietary Pesticide Exposure – Direct Measurement of Pesticide Residues in 24-Hour Duplicate Food Samples Drugs in our waterways	Now all Colloquium sections has a course-based service learning (SL) component. Instructors may select projects, or have students select their own projects at EAGLES CONNECT, the Center for Civic Engagement at FGCU. Click here to see the SL project on Habitat Restoration in San Carlos Park	Learn more about Rachel Carson and her impact Fooducate (barcode app) The story of Stuff project The story of electronics The story of cosmetics Challenge Yourself: Try this World Clock site to open your eyes on what is going on in the world! Species Test Take your ecological footprint Take your water footprint Global Footprint Network 2010 Atlas Watch Fred Pearce about his 2008 book Confessions of an Eco-sinner (90 minutes) William McDonough: The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle What is all this fuss about American consumption? Have a look at this site called World Mappers for some amazing examples! Looking for an environmental film? Try this amazing resource- dozens of films released each year!
	Course Artifacts: Fall, 2012 Summer 2012 Spring, 2011 Summer 2010 resources Summer 2008 student presentations, current issues, etc Summer 2007 student presentations Some of my favorite student presentations: Summer 2010 Group 'Waitin' on the world to change at FGCU' Recycle for Kids, By Kids a video produced with the Children's Theatre by Rachel Carden Summer 2007 A video for appreciating sense of place- through the University Colloquium lens- a view of Miami-Dade County by Carlos Calante Summer 2007 University Colloquium Service Learning at Calusa Nature Center Christina Severo (Summer 2011)

Welcome! The University Colloquium is one of my favorite courses to teach. The class is a combination of field trips and sustained discussions.

This public portal showcases this unique opportunity for our students as presented by me, one of many faculty that teachers the University Colloquium course. At FGCU there is a QEP office (created in 2005) that is redeveloping the course.

Try these links to my home page to learn about my Philosophy and Activities.

Follow one of my favorite Southwest Florida Journalist Craig Pittman at the Tampa Bay Times

His 2006 Special series Vanishing Wetlands

Here is another great journalist:

Michael Grunwald (author of The Swamp)

with a 4-part series on the Everglades at the

Washington Post THE EVERGLADES resource