Education Notes 1-17-20
Garden Club of Cape Coral offering Merit Scholarship Awards
The 2020 application for Merit Scholarship Awards, offered by the Garden Club of Cape Coral is provided at www.gardenclubofcapecoral.com/awards/meritscholarship/. Science teachers, environmental club sponsors, counselors, career specialists at high schools that enroll Cape Coral residents and some youth organizations also have information related to this opportunity. Complete applications must be postmarked or e-mailed by Feb. 19, 2020.
These annual awards were established in 2011 as a civic project for the purpose of assisting eligible graduating seniors to obtain college degrees. Applicants are required to be residents of Cape Coral and to have demonstrated active, ongoing participation related to environmental issues, horticulture, agriculture, natural resources and conservation through classes, extracurricular activities and work or volunteer experience. In 2019 four awards valued up to $1,250 were presented. Career goals compatible with the purpose of the awards, fostering environmental action, can be a factor in that distinction.
Since 2011, 36 awards have been earned by students participating in environmental programs and projects at Bishop Verot, Cape Coral, Canterbury School, Florida Southwestern Collegiate, Ida Baker, Island Coast, Mariner, North Fort Myers, and Oasis Charter high schools. Other schools, which enroll students who reside in Cape Coral, are included on the application distribution list of school contacts.
Yearly success of the club’s annual major fundraiser March in the Park event, a juried plant and garden show and sale held at Jaycee Park since 2009, supports the GCCC Merit Scholarship Awards.
The Garden Club of Cape Coral meets at 6 p.m. on the second Wednesday of September through May at Kiwanis Hall, 360 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral. Guests are welcome! Visit www.gardenclubofcapecoral.com/ for additional information.
DDWS scholarships application deadline March 31
The application deadline for several scholarships from the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 each, is March 31, 2020. High school seniors, college students, and graduate students in or from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties pursuing degrees in environmental-related studies may apply.
DDWS will award the scholarships at a special ceremony at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in June 2020.
Now in its 14th year, the DDWS scholarship program presented its first awards in 2006, donated by Tarpon Bay Explorers, the refuge’s official recreation concession. To date, the program has awarded $138,400.
Interested students can find more information and printable application forms at dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/ student-scholarships.
To learn more about the scholarship program and establishing a permanently endowed scholarship, contact Birgie Miller at 239-472-1100, extension 4, or director@dingdarlingsociety.org.
As a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, DDWS works to support J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s mission of conservation, wildlife and habitat protection, research, and public education through charitable donations and Refuge Nature Shop profits.
To support DDWS and the refuge with a tax-deductible gift, visit dingdarlingsociety.org or contact Birgie Miller at 239-472-1100, extension 4, or director@dingdarlingsociety.org.
Westley named dean of Lutgert College of Business at FGCU
Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lutgert College of Business has a new dean Christopher Westley, Ph.D. Westley has served as interim dean since April 2019. He originally came to FGCU in 2015 as a professor of economics and director of the Regional Economic Research Institute.
While he has been interim dean, the permanent role now gives Westley the opportunity to implement his vision for Lutgert. Of primary importance is the college’s relationship with the community. The new dean wants to enhance the college’s role in Southwest Florida and develop stronger ties among the faculty, students and business community.
Westley said he has been collaborating with Dean Ann Cary, Ph.D., of FGCU’s Marieb College of Health and Human Services on the new master’s program over the last few months.
He also is looking at enrollment opportunities, the college’s ranking and fundraising. He sees online and hybrid education, including more certificate programs, playing a bigger role in the college’s offerings. Plans to strengthen the School of Resort & Hospitality Management, based on input from the industry, are also moving forward.
Throughout his time at FGCU, Westley’s work has focused on Southwest Florida. As director of the Regional Economic Development Institute, he created the Industry Diversification Project. It tracks the Industry Diversification Index that measures how diversified economies are by Florida MSA, workforce region and every U.S. state. The index ranks Florida and Southwest Florida against other regions based on business diversity. He also oversees the creation of the annual Southwest Florida Workforce Overview Study, the quarterly Executive Business Climate Survey, and the monthly Southwest Florida Regional Economic Indicators report.
Westley earned his Ph.D. from Auburn University, and he taught economics at Jacksonville State University prior to joining FGCU. Westley is an associated scholar at the Mises Institute and an adjunct scholar at the Acton Institute. He also serves on many economic-related boards and committees.
For more information about the Lutgert College of Business at FGCU, visit fgcu.edu/cob