News Desk
- 'Frazzled' Fruit Flies Help Unravel How Neural Circuits Stay WiredFAU scientists have discovered that the protein Frazzled (DCC in humans) fine-tunes neuron connections, keeping signals fast and precise - key to a fruit fly's rapid escape reflex and healthy nervous system.
- FAU Innovation Pilot Awards Drive Faculty Research from Lab to MarketThe FAU pilot program offers $500 to $15,000 in seed funding to help researchers turn early discoveries into market-ready technologies, fostering prototypes, industry partnerships and real-world impact.
Academic & Campus Life
- FAU to Celebrate 'Homecoming: Paradise Island'Florida Atlantic University will celebrate "Homecoming: Paradise Island" beginning Thursday, Oct. 30 through Saturday, Nov. 8.
- Notice of Proposed Changes to Non-Resident Tuition FeesFlorida Atlantic now considering a tuition adjustment for non-resident students to begin in Fall 2026.
Arts & Culture
- FAU Establishes Professorship in Jain StudiesThe Department of Philosophy recently announced the establishment of the Bhagavan Sambhavnath Endowed Professorship in Jain Studies.
- FAU Hosts 'The Florida Jewish Experience' SymposiumThe Jewish Studies Program in Florida Atlantic University's Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters presents "The Florida Jewish Experience" symposium.
FAU Athletics
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Parking & Transportation
- Welcome to the Fall 2023 Semester!Business Services- Parking & Transportation Services FACULTY AND STAFF ePermits for Faculty and Staff will be available starting August 3rd. Click Here and follow the prompts to register. License plate numbers serve as the vehicle identifier (license plates do not have the letter… Read more ›
- Important AnnouncementTo the FAU Community, We are excited about the new academic year for our residential communities. Fall 2023 move-in will occur from Tuesday, Aug. 15 through Saturday, Aug. 19, from 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. · First-Year Students: Aug. 15… Read more ›
Research
- 'Frazzled' Fruit Flies Help Unravel How Neural Circuits Stay WiredFAU scientists have discovered that the protein Frazzled (DCC in humans) fine-tunes neuron connections, keeping signals fast and precise - key to a fruit fly's rapid escape reflex and healthy nervous system.
- FAU Innovation Pilot Awards Drive Faculty Research from Lab to MarketThe FAU pilot program offers $500 to $15,000 in seed funding to help researchers turn early discoveries into market-ready technologies, fostering prototypes, industry partnerships and real-world impact.
Student Announcements
- RSVP for Expedition Science: A Photographer’s Journey to the World’s Wildest Places with award-winning photographer and NatGeo Explorer Dr. Gabby SalazarTravel the globe with award-winning photographer and National Geographic Explorer Gabby Salazar, Ph.D. From a Guatemalan volcano to the savannas of Zimbabwe, join her for an inspiring evening of thrilling adventures, surprising discoveries, and stories of critical work being done… Read more ›
- Pirates of PenzanceThe Department of Theatre presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera that continues to delight audiences with its whimsical tale of duty, love and piracy. Musical is in the Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatre, Nov. 14-23. Discounted faculty, staff and student… Read more ›
Owl Central News
Holy Hypocrisy, Fresh Laughs: FAU’s ‘Tartuffe’ Opens The Season With Bite | Review“Tartuffe” opened FAU’s Theatre & Dance 2025-26 production season, and the company set the bar high for a successful year. The production takes a modern spin on Molière’s timeless comedy “Tartuffe,” and the choice pays off. The audience follows the titular character, Tartuffe, a con artist posing as a “holy man” who takes advantage of the aristocratic family that takes him in, hiding behind his supposed piety. Between the speeches of each character, their costumes, and the set design, the production allows the problems of the world in “Tartuffe” to come to life in ways that feel immediate and recognizable, especially when compared to modern politics. Read our full overview and preview here. Modern Spin | 5 / 5 The show’s modern twist on the original classic makes the text easier to understand without sanding down the edge of Molière’s satire. By drawing clear comparisons to current U.S. politics, the updates make consistent sense and take a sharp jab at those who hide behind hypocrisy and religion. The lesson is pointed but not preachy: do not allow religion—your own or anyone else’s—to cloud judgment or excuse harmful behavior. The dramaturgical choices, from language rhythm to visual motifs, work in concert to keep the audience anchored in the plot while highlighting how old patterns of manipulation repeat in contemporary life. The clarity of the throughline means first-time viewers can track every scheme while long-time comedy fans catch the layered ironies. Acting | 5 / 5 As someone who has been to shows at award-winning theaters with star actors, including the Kravis Center, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, and The Wick Theatre, I was immersed in the acting of both the undergraduate and graduate student performers and rarely felt like I was at a student-run production. Jonathan Palmer (Tartuffe) does an excellent job showboating the character’s hypocrisy and performative piety, shifting from silky charm to sanctimonious thunder in the space of a line. Paige Rogers (Elmire) delivers with precision and control, fully immersing and mesmerizing in each moment of stage time; her timing helps land both the comedy and the danger in Tartuffe’s advances. Together, Palmer and Rogers execute their “battle of wills” with snap and wit before several passionate moments that escalate the stakes and the laughs. Gustavo Garcia (Orgon) and Jayden Terrell (Damis) project fiery conviction, selling their characters’ anger and dedication so the family’s unraveling feels earned rather than convenient. Altogether, each actor executes their role with intelligence and fervor, and the ensemble consistently finds the heat in the argument while staying truthful to the scene. While every actor must remember lines, the cast’s command of fast-paced speeches and older diction is worth singling out; the delivery is crisp, the diction is clean, and the momentum never stalls. The result is a show that plays with professional confidence, at a pace that keeps the audience leaning forward. Costumes | 3.5 / 5 The costumes are fully expressive and frequently amusing, especially Tartuffe’s costume change into a “holy priest,” which reads instantly and adds a comic jolt. For example, Jayden Terrell’s (Damis) look featured two layers of jeans with a T-shirt and a cropped white hoodie, suggesting a character both armored and impulsive, while Jakari Dozié’s (Cléante) ensemble included a tie knotted around the arm, a white tank top, a Scottish-style skirt, and an old-fashioned men’s jacket drooping off one shoulder. The overall effect broadcasts that this household sits slightly askew from normal, an aesthetic that complements the play’s thematic interest in appearance versus reality. The approach, however, is a double-edged sword. Some characters’ costumes are less expressive than the bolder looks, which can flatten their stage presence by comparison. At times, the maximalism becomes distracting; the sheer variety of silhouettes and textures can pull the eye away from the actors’ line delivery and make the plot a touch harder to follow along with, especially for audience members new to the text. That said, the designs are executed with care, they add a vivid layer of world-building, and each choice plays a unique role in bringing “Tartuffe” to life. If the palette and period-blending were reined in slightly or balanced more evenly across the ensemble, the storytelling clarity would likely improve without sacrificing flair. Stage/Set Design | 4.5 / 5 Following suit with the costumes, the set design immerses the audience in the world of “Tartuffe” while signaling that something is off. The production uses a single primary stage picture with small but meaningful changes throughout the show, and it tells the story with confidence. Crooked and bent lights, askew chandeliers, and discreet religious motifs tucked across the playing space suggest a household where devotion has tipped into idolatry, telegraphing the themes before a word is spoken. Characters walk out of a painting on the wall, and a closet with a hidden door becomes a practical running bit that also advances the plot. A personal favorite element is the religious altar, whose swaying lights and color changes across key scenes feel like a barometer for Tartuffe’s influence. The lighting design does heavy lifting, marking rooms, shifting tone, and underlining reversals—and, paired with the set’s elastic architecture, helps sustain pace. Casey Venema (Dorine) pulling popcorn out of the couch adds another level of humor and grounds the satire in lived-in domestic detail. If there is a limitation, it is that the set relies a bit more on lighting than on physical reconfiguration to create new spaces. Given that the costumes blend time periods, some characters in jeans and hoodies, others in suits or hybrid formalwear, the stage picture might have benefited from a few more tactile elements bridging eras so the visual language reads even more cohesively. Still, the design choices effectively support the performances and the story’s “moral chess game.” “Tartuffe” | 4.5 / 5 FAU’s Theatre & Dance is not your run-of-the-mill university theater. The company executes at a high level, with little room for improvement in the areas that most matter to audiences: clear storytelling, precise acting, and a confident directorial hand. This special rendition of “Tartuffe” is well done—smart in its updates, sharp in its satire, and generous in its comedy. Even with occasional distractions in the costume palette and a set that could blend its time cues just a touch more, the production remains engrossing, energetic, and accessible for first-timers and Molière fans alike. As a season opener, it announces ambition. As a night at the theater, it delivered. Sign up to receive the OutFAU newsletter here
NAMIWalk2025 UpdatesGood afternoon everyone, I hope you are all doing well. For those of you who stopped by our table this week, we were very happy to see you, and we are excited to walk with you this year. For those of you who did not, we are doing the NAMIWalk2025 this year in a collaboration event with FAU Thrive, and we would love to have you walk with us. Attached to this announcement will be a QR code for our walk team. We would love for you to join us! The walk this year will be at 8 am at John Prince Park on Saturday, November 1st. On Monday, the 27th, we plan to share more information about the exact details. For those of you attending, we ask that you fill out the travel waiver, which will be in the documents section of our club, and send it to the following emails: lfaerman@fau.edu, dvanpelt@fau.edu, and namifaujupiter@gmail.com. In addition, if you are looking for people to carpool with/ are able to carpool others to the event, please reach out to us at namifaujupiter@gmail.com. Please share this with all of your friends around campus in case they are walking and did not see the announcement. Thank you all so much, and we look forward to walking with you this year! My best, Sam Mittleman
University Press
- Third provost candidate Brian Harfe talks AI and student success at FAU forumUniversity of Florida associate provost Brian Harfe is the third provost candidate to visit Florida Atlantic University and speak with faculty and staff in a Q&A forum. FAU held its third and final open forum on Thursday, moderated by Valery Forbes, dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. In regard to the next...
- FAU student government visits Capitol to push student prioritiesFlorida Atlantic University’s Student Government traveled to Tallahassee from Oct. 13 to 15 for FAU Day at the Capitol to advocate for the university, secure funding, and expand opportunities for FAU’s growing student body. The trip provided student leaders with the opportunity to amplify FAU’s voice in state decisions that directly impact funding, academic growth,...
Staff Announcements
- RSVP for Expedition Science: A Photographer’s Journey to the World’s Wildest Places with award-winning photographer and NatGeo Explorer Dr. Gabby SalazarTravel the globe with award-winning photographer and National Geographic Explorer Gabby Salazar, Ph.D. From a Guatemalan volcano to the savannas of Zimbabwe, join her for an inspiring evening of thrilling adventures, surprising discoveries, and stories of critical work being done… Read more ›
- Pirates of PenzanceThe Department of Theatre presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera that continues to delight audiences with its whimsical tale of duty, love and piracy. Musical is in the Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatre, Nov. 14-23. Discounted faculty, staff and student… Read more ›
System & Network Status
- [Resolved] Forms service outageThe University forms service experienced a temporary outage this morning. The service has been restored and is operating normally. If you encountered an error, please retry submitting your form or logging back into the system.
- [RESOLVED] Microsoft Copilot Service IssuesUpdate 10/30/2025 @ 1:30 am: The issue with Microsoft Copilot has been resolved. Users may experience difficulties accessing Microsoft Copilot Chat, particularly when using a web browser. Microsoft has confirmed this is a widespread issue affecting many users. We will… Read more ›
University Initiatives
- FAU College of Business to Honor Craig ZinnFlorida Atlantic University's College of Business is hosting its 31st "Business Leader of the Year" breakfast to honor the accomplishments of Craig Zinn of Craig Zinn Automotive Group.
- FAU Joins Neuroarts Academic Network to Bridge Art, Brain and HealingFAU will help to lead this global effort to harness aesthetic experiences for brain health, as one of just two Florida universities and about 35 worldwide in the network's initial working group.


