The FAU National Alumni Association recently received a $1 million gift from philanthropists Marleen and Harold Forkas (pictured above with President Brogan) in support of FAU’s first-ever alumni center (above photo).
The Marleen and Harold Forkas Alumni Center will provide a permanent venue on the Boca Raton campus for a variety of events and programs for alumni, students, faculty and staff, community friends and corporate partners. With construction slated to start in the fall of 2006, the $3.2 million, two-floor, 9,000 square-foot-structure has been designed to complement the tropical style of the Boca Raton campus.

A tree was planted last month by the butterfly garden outside the Davie Science and Education Building in memory of FAU student Ghaleb Tayfour. Tayfour died last year when he was run over by a boat while snorkeling. He was close to completing his master's degree in biology and planned on becoming a physician.

Dr. Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke University (pictured at center, with Dr. Dale Gawlick of the Department of Biological Sciences, left, and Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Dean Nathan Dean, right), kicked off the Spring 2006 Frontiers in Science lecture series last month with an address exploring species extinction, its geographical ranges and human impact. More than 130 people attended the event.