FGCU celebrated its largest philanthropic donation courtesy of the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation on Friday afternoon. The $22 million donation will be used to fund instructional technology for the Marieb College of Health & Human Services over the span of nine years.
“This is yet another example of the legacy and philanthropic spirit of Dr. Elaine Marieb,” Katherine Green, Vice President of University Advancement said. “We see her name on this building and soon we will see it displayed on academic building 10.”
The latest donation also secures naming rights for Academic Building 10, an expansion of Marieb College.
Dr. Elaine Marieb was a scholar, educator and philanthropist who has made many contributions to higher education through donations and through her textbooks. She focused on anatomy and was involved in the creation of over 10 best-selling textbooks.
Dr. Marieb began developing a relationship with FGCU in 2012 when she donated $15 million to establish the Marieb college.
“I feel FGCU offers a teaching style that was similar to my own, a style that connects lessons to examples and to things the students would remember so the lesson would stick,” Marieb said in an interview with FGCU 360.
Marieb died in 2018 in Naples, but her legacy is carried on in the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable foundation. Now, the foundation hopes this new donation will bring new life into FGCU’s medical program.
“We kind of know it’s somewhat of a desert here in Southwest Florida, so the more we can produce really educated top notch healthcare professionals, the better off we all are,” Marieb Foundation representative Elizabeth McHugh said.
The majority of the donated money will go to purchasing new learning aids for FGCU medical students. These learning aids take the form of simulators and labs for FGCU’s medical students to hone their skills.
“We’re able to come in here and we can practice, which is so nice because we go and we do this on patients, which is nerve wracking,” Lauren Fontes, a FGCU graduate student said.
At the celebration, Fontes demonstrated a simulation of an oral bronchoscope, a procedure done to check a patient’s windpipe and lungs.
Students also showcased their use of other training aids such as mannequins which can be controlled remotely by instructors to simulate ailments which students must diagnose.
“The faculty members sit in the little booth. You’ll see it’s kind of where the magic happens,” School of Nursing director Brenda Hage said. “They control what’s happening and it gives a live kind of situation.”
FGCU plans to complete construction on Academic Building 10, which will bear the Marieb name, by late 2028.
