Provost’s Seminar Series is hosting Brian Fonseca, Ph. D., Director of the Jack Gordon Institute for Public Policy and the Executive Director of Cybersecurity@FIU at Florida International University. Dr. Fonseca will lead the discussion “Securing the Digital Future: Threat Landscape, AI Workforce, Cyberhygiene, and Geopolitics,” on Thursday, January 29, 2026, 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m., in AB9 (The Water School), Room 106. More about the speaker: Dr. Fonseca is Director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy and an adjunct professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University’s (FIU) Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs. He is the founding Executive Director of Cybersecurity@FIU, FIU’s university-wide interdisciplinary emerging preeminent program. Brian also serves as a Cybersecurity Policy Fellow and International Security Fellow at the D.C.-based think tank New America. His analysis has been featured in local, national, and international media and he serves as the on-air political analyst for South Florida’s WSVN-Fox News. Brian has testified before the U.S. Congress in 2019 and 2021. His recent publications include two edited volumes titled Culture and National Security in the Americas (Lexington Books, 2017) with Eduardo A. Gamarra and Democracy and Security in Latin America (Routledge, 2021) with Orlando Perez and Gabriel Marcella, and he is co-author of The New US Security Agenda: Trends and Emerging Threats (Palgrave, 2017) with Jonathan Rosen. Brian’s technical expertise and publications focus largely on U.S. and Latin American governance, national security, and foreign policies, with particular focus on Venezuela, China, Russia, and cyberspace. Brian joined FIU after serving as the Senior Research Manager for Socio-Cultural Analysis at United States Southern Command’s Joint Intelligence Operations Center South (JIOC-S). Brian holds degrees in International Business and International Relations from Florida International University in Miami, Florida, and attended Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, and National Defense University in Washington D.C. From 1997 to 2004, he served in the United States Marine Corps and facilitated the training of foreign military forces in both hostile theaters and during peacetime operations. Hosted by: Office of the Provost Additional Information can be found at: https://getinvolved.fgcu.edu/event/11697835

A session for FGCU faculty to learn how to complete their Annual Professional Development Report (APDR) in Interfolio. To sign up, click “Sign In to RSVP”, or if you are already signed in, click “I will be attending” and then “RSVP YES”. You will then get a confirmation email from EagleLink and can add the event to your calendar. Hosted by: Academic & Faculty Affairs Online Location: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZmU5NmZkNGEtOGE5ZC00M2UwLTg2N2ItNDRmOTkzNGVjNTk3%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22f7a5a4ef-4ffa-4c80-bfb3-c12e28872099%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%221e00e0e4-5062-4691-9aaf-a2bb5ff26cac%22%7d Additional Information can be found at: https://getinvolved.fgcu.edu/event/11733235

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A TWO-DAY EVENT! PLEASE ENSURE YOU ATTEND BOTH DAYS OR YOU WILL MISS OUT ON CONTENT.- Tuesday, February 10th: 3-5PM- Thursday, February 12th: 3-5PM Goal:Equip learners with enough understanding to confidently use and critically evaluate AI tools.Level:BasicTarget Audience:Students, Staff, and Faculty from FGCU. IMPORTANT NOTE: Topics are sequenced, please have the asynchronous portions completed by the start date of the synchronous events (February 10th). Class Structure: This program is administered through Canvas. Please be patient as you will be granted access to the classroom as soon as possible. Be sure to check your email for your invitation to the Canvas Classroom. Topics: Asynchronous 1. A Brief History of AI 2. What is AI and Its Many Branches 3. How Machines Learn 4. Generative AI & LLMs Synchronous            February 10 (3-5 PM)                5. Fundamentals of Prompt Engineering 6. Context Engineering            February 12 (3-5 PM)                7. Foundational Models and Tools                8. Sample Use Cases Hosted by: Dendritic Institute Additional Information can be found at: https://getinvolved.fgcu.edu/event/11844055

Provost’s Seminar Series is hosting Dr. Steve Knott, Emeritus Professor of History, US Naval War College. Dr. Knott will lead the "Conspirator-In-Chief: Conspiracy Theories and the American Presidency" seminar on Thursday, February 12, 2026, 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m., in AB9 (The Water School), Room 106. More about the speaker: Stephen Knott, Ph.D., recently retired as a Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. Prior to accepting his position at the Naval War College, Knott was Co-Chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. He is the author or co-author of eleven books dealing with the American presidency, the early republic, and American foreign policy. His most recent book, Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy, was published in October, 2022. Hosted by: Office of the Provost Additional Information can be found at: https://getinvolved.fgcu.edu/event/11698140