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Florida Gulf Coast University is hosting a virtual debate today on Affirmative Action in University Admissions and the Cost of Higher Education. The debate participants are Dr. Cornel West, he is a progressive professor and author, and currently an Independent candidate for president; and Robert George is a conservative legal scholar and political philosopher, and Founding Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. The debate is moderated by Dr. Christopher Phillips. Dr. Phillips has devoted his life to facilitating thoughtful and inclusive conversations among people of all walks of life, from all around the world, about deep and meaningful issues.

Antisemitism has been on the rise in the United States for about the past two decades – and 2021 was the highest year on record for documented reports of violence, harassment, and vandalism directed toward Jews. That’s according to data from the nonprofit Anti-Defamation League, which has been actively monitoring and documenting incidents of antisemitism and publishing this information since 1979. We go back into history to add some context to the world we find ourselves in, to an incident that unfolded in France in the late 1800s and early 1900s known as The Dreyfus Affair.

While it might be easy to say that we should all be more compassionate and kind, and have empathy for everyone around us, it’s usually not something that comes easily or naturally for most of us, and can even be seen as a sign of weakness in our highly competitive culture. As we start another year, we’re having a conversation about the importance of compassion, kindness, and empathy through the lens of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Center. It's dedicated to teaching college students about compassion, using insights from psychologists, philosophers, neuroscientists, and scholars from across disciplines. We're joined by its Director and two of its faculty members.

Model UNs are academically rigorous simulations that teach students diplomacy, international relations, and how the United Nations works. At Model UN conferences student delegates study a United Nations member country, research topics of global interest, and work to get resolutions passed on that country’s behalf. Our guest today is a past-participant who is now in her first year of medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Daniela Barata Herrera was born in Cuba, and lived in Chile as a young child before her family came to the United States. She first discovered Model UN at Cape Coral High School where she graduated in 2017. She’s in town to give the Keynote address at this year’s competition so we brought her into the studio to talk.

Edward McGovern spent 22 years in local law enforcement with the Hallandale Beach Police Department. He retired as a major in 2020, but as far back as 2017 he began to see the need for law enforcement to bring communication tech into the modern age. So, he founded CERA-Critical Event Response Applications. It’s an app-based system that allows police to see the big picture view of what’s unfolding, and to communicate directly with people who are experiencing the mass shooting event, like students, teachers, or employees.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological condition where a person’s immune system attacks the protective covering of nerve fibers in their central nervous system. MS can greatly impact an individual's life, from just mobility issues making daily activities difficult, to relationships and emotional well-being. Treatment generally focuses on managing symptoms and slowing disease progression through medications, physical therapy, lifestyle modifications, and support services. The Multiple Sclerosis Center of Southwest Florida has been providing support services to people with MS since 2000 — all for free. To learn more we talk with the center’s CEO, Kay Jasso.

A natural part of living in Florida is sometimes interacting with wild animals — including Florida black bears. Wildlife officers trapped and tranquilized a black bear on Monday near downtown Fort Myers. Bears are pretty wily and mostly move around at night so most people have probably never even seen one, or even know that we have black bears in this part of Florida, let alone wandering through our neighborhoods. We talk with a bear expert with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about bears in Florida, how they behave, and what we can do to minimize neighborhood interactions with them.

Here in Florida, when a youth’s bad behavior brings them into contact with law enforcement there is a chance they will be diverted into a program that will keep them out of the juvenile justice system — providing their offense is a misdemeanor and generally non-serious. The goal is basically to address behavioral needs of youth during their first contact with law enforcement in order to try and keep them out of trouble in the future — and keep them from winding up with a criminal record so early in their lives.

Dr. Aysegul Timur officially took the reins in her new role as president of Florida Gulf Coast University on July 1, 2023. Prior to serving as president she was Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Strategy and Program Innovation. Overall, she’s been a part of the FGCU community since 2019. Dr. Timur is the FGCU’s fifth president, and she is the university’s first female president since its founding in 1997. We sit down with her as she approaches her first year as president to get an update on how things are going so far.

The Gulf Coast Citrus Growers Association, which represented growers in Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties, announced it was closing down last month. It’s another sign of the decline of Florida’s citrus industry, which once produced about 80% of the nation’s citrus, but right now produces less than 17%. For context, in 2003–2004, the state's growers had a record crop of more than 240 million 90-pound boxes of oranges. Based on the latest forecast, they'll produce about 18 million boxes this season. We discuss what the Gulf Coast Citrus Growers Association was, and to try and look into the future of Florida’s citrus industry.