Terry Waite

Humanitarian Terry Waite will deliver the keynote talk at Commencement. Waite garnered international recognition in the 1980’s when, as a special envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, he successfully negotiated the release of hostages in Iran and Libya. In 1987, while negotiating the release of hostages in Beirut, Waite was himself taken hostage and held in captivity for 1,763 days, four years of which he spent in solitary confinement. Waite was able to return home harboring no resentment toward his captors. In 2005, he made headlines by returning to Lebanon for the first time since his release to visit refugee camps and research the effects of war on the young.

Waite now devotes most of his time to intercultural relations, conflict resolution, and humanitarian causes around the world. He is the president of Emmaus UK (an international charitable movement), as well as founder and president of Y Care International, and the U.K. Ambassador for the Lifeline Energy Foundation.

The candidates will also hear from Jonathan Sanz, a double major in theatre and music from New York City. Sanz was recognized this spring as the recipient of the 2011-2012 James Farquhar Award­. Selected by a committee composed of faculty and staff members, the award is presented to one graduating undergraduate student, in recognition of their all-around achievement in scholarship, service, and leadership.

Jonathan Sanz

During the past four years, Sanz a student at the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences has acted, directed, and worked behind the scenes in almost every capacity––lighting, scenery, stage management, and at the box office. Since his first performance in Opening Night––the inaugural production at the university’s 250-seat Performance Theatre––Sanz has been featured in every musical performed at the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. More recently, Sanz performed a leading role in the college’s production of Tartuffe. Sanz also served as the associate director of An Evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber, NSU’s first musical theatre scenes production.

Sanz will take the stage one last time as a NSU student when he speaks on behalf of this year’s graduating class at the 2012 Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies.

The NSU community is invited and encouraged to attend the ceremonies as NSU celebrates and honors the achievements of its graduating students. Tickets are not required for admission.

What:          Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony

When:         Saturday, May 12
Time:          4:00 p.m.
Location:   BankAtlantic Center | Sunrise, Florida

Media Contact:
Felecia Henderson | NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5315 (office) | 954-383-4695 (cell) | fhenders@nova.edu

Hanbury said that in addition to NSU’s regional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), this means NSU’s education programs have been vetted at the highest levels for quality and the ability to produce effective, high-achieving educators.

“Excellent teaching is both an art and a science. Now more than ever there is a need for great educators,” Hanbury said. “NSU is proud to receive NCATE accreditation because it is a testament to the high quality of our educational offerings and our top-notch graduates who will ultimately benefit generations of students to come.”

NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as a professional accrediting body for teacher preparation. Including NSU, NCATE currently accredits more than 650 colleges of education. NCATE also represents more than 3 million teachers, teacher educators, content specialists, and local and state policy makers committed to quality teaching.

Hanbury said NSU reached NCATE accreditation through the guidance of Fischler School Dean H. Wells Singleton, Ph.D., with the help of Fischler School faculty and staff members, and by the support and collaboration provided by NSU’s Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and Center for Psychological Studies.

He also said this collaboration and resulting achievement embodies NSU’s Core Values of Academic Excellence and Scholarship/Research, as well as NSU’s Vision 2020 statement that:

“By 2020, through excellence and innovations in teaching, research, service and learning, Nova Southeastern University will be recognized by accrediting agencies, the academic community, and the general public, as a premier private not-for-profit university of quality and distinction that engages all students and produces alumni who serve with integrity in their lives, fields of study, and resulting careers.”

Through its Abraham S. Fischler School of Education, NSU has helped develop the careers of more than 60,000 teachers, administrators, trainers, and other educational professionals who are now teaching across the nation and beyond.

In addition, there are also approximately 300 current superintendents and 33 current college presidents across the nation who hold doctorate degrees from NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education.

For more information about NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education, please visit www.fischlerschool.nova.edu. For more information about NCATE, please visit www.ncate.org.

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) President and Chief Executive Officer George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., has announced that the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) recently granted accreditation without qualifications to NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education.

Hanbury said that in addition to NSU’s regional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), this means NSU’s education programs have been vetted at the highest levels for quality and the ability to produce effective, high-achieving educators.

“Excellent teaching is both an art and a science. Now more than ever there is a need for great educators,” Hanbury said. “NSU is proud to receive NCATE accreditation because it is a testament to the high quality of our educational offerings and our top-notch graduates who will ultimately benefit generations of students to come.”

NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as a professional accrediting body for teacher preparation. Including NSU, NCATE currently accredits more than 650 colleges of education. NCATE also represents more than 3 million teachers, teacher educators, content specialists, and local and state policy makers committed to quality teaching.

Hanbury said NSU reached NCATE accreditation through the guidance of Fischler School Dean H. Wells Singleton, Ph.D., with the help of Fischler School faculty and staff members, and by the support and collaboration provided by NSU’s Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and Center for Psychological Studies.

He also said this collaboration and resulting achievement embodies NSU’s Core Values of Academic Excellence and Scholarship/Research, as well as NSU’s Vision 2020 statement that:

“By 2020, through excellence and innovations in teaching, research, service and learning, Nova Southeastern University will be recognized by accrediting agencies, the academic community, and the general public, as a premier private not-for-profit university of quality and distinction that engages all students and produces alumni who serve with integrity in their lives, fields of study, and resulting careers.”

Through its Abraham S. Fischler School of Education, NSU has helped develop the careers of more than 60,000 teachers, administrators, trainers, and other educational professionals who are now teaching across the nation and beyond.

In addition, there are also approximately 300 current superintendents and 33 current college presidents across the nation who hold doctorate degrees from NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education.

For more information about NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education, please visit www.fischlerschool.nova.edu. For more information about NCATE, please visit www.ncate.org.

About Nova Southeastern University: Located in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited Florida University dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs of distinction from preschool through the professional and doctoral levels. NSU has more than 28,000 students and is the eighth largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally. The University awards associate’s, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, specialist, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, early childhood, psychology and other social sciences.  Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU was also awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification in 2010 for the University’s significant commitment to and demonstration of community engagement.   For more information about NSU visit www.nova.edu.

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Media Contact:
Andra Liwag, NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5309 office, 954-873-8494 cell, andrali@nova.edu

The Sagemont School’s Award Winning Drama Club is proud to present a modern adaptation of “The Trojan Women,” by Euripides. Often called the greatest “anti-war” play ever written, this powerful tragedy explores a dark vision of what war does to victims and victors alike.

“The Trojan Women” was first performed in 415 B.C. The setting is the ruins of Troy. After nine years of fighting, the Greeks have defeated the Trojans. Eight battered women wait to confront their destiny while their city burns to the ground around them. Their stories are all but unbearable – but also timeless. The tales could be modern reports from Afghanistan or Kurdistan, El Salvador or Rwanda, Palestine or Cambodia. Through the universal power of music, theatre, dance, and film, this new adaptation explores the universal wrongs of war.

Tickets are available at www.miniacipac.org or by calling 954-462-0222. Tickets are $15. A reduced price preview will be held March 20 for $10.

For more information, please contact David Spangler at 800-986-3223, ext. 8363 or davids@nova.edu.

NSU recently hosted the annual Celebration of Excellence banquet at the Signature Grand where philanthropists and business leaders Ron and Kathy Assaf were awarded the university’s highest honor, the President’s Community Award.

“Through their professional achievements and dedication to numerous civic causes, Ron and Kathy Assaf, together and individually, have made a profound impact on the South Florida community,” said NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D.  “Ron and Kathy are inspirations to this community. Through their leadership and philanthropic gifts, they have enriched the lives of thousands by assisting them in fulfilling their aspirations and dreams.  They truly exemplify the core values of Nova Southeastern University.”

Members of the President's 64 pose with Dr. Hanbury.

Since 1997, the Celebration of Excellence has brought together NSU students, alumni, community leaders and industry pioneers who have made significant contributions to their studies, professions and our community. Several members of the President’s 64, an elite group of student leaders, attended this year’s event.

During the banquet, outstanding students were recognized and the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards were presented to graduates of the university’s schools, colleges and centers.   Honorees are:

College of Health Care Sciences– Teresa Murphy-Price, M.M.S., ’99,- Physician Assistant to Haiti Health Ministries Clinic.

Institute for the Study of Human Service, Health, and Justice – Dennis Plaska, M.S., ’10, Crime Scene Detective, Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

Center for Psychological Studies – Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., ’02, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry; Program Director, Smoking Cessation Service at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven

Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences – Daniel Hatton, Ph.D., ’91, Self-employed business and IT consultant; and an NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine Adjunct Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics.  Highly decorated veteran attaining the rank of Colonel.

Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences – Chad Bobik, B.S., ’99, Physician Account Manager for Conficare Home Health Solutions in Hobe Sound, FL.

Abraham S. Fischler School of Education- Cathy Areu, M.S., ’95, founder owner and publisher of CATALINA, the largest Hispanic women’s magazine targeting U.S. Latinas.  Areu, located in NYC, makes frequent appearances as an expert on entertainment, pop culture, politics, and women’s issues on national cable news programs including HLN, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX.

College of Dental Medicine – Michael Roseff, D.M.D.,’04, Dentist and owner of Roseff Pediatric Dentistry.  Provides dental care for infants, children, adolescents and those with special health care needs.

College of Optometry -  Briana Shelton, O.D., ’01, owner, president and optometrist of Briana Shelton, O.D., P.A., Professional Vision Center in Marion, North Carolina.

College of Osteopathic Medicine – Ronald Renuart, D.O., ’90, practices internal medicine in the Jacksonville Beaches area.  In June 2010 he retired after 20 years of decorated service as a Colonel in the Florida Army National Guard.  Renuart has served in the Florida House of Representatives since 2008.

College of Pharmacy – Venessa Price, Pharm.D., ’98, Director of Pharmacy Services, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami.

Shepard Broad Law Center – Yale Galanter, J.D., ’83, attorney and nationally recognized authority in the field of criminal litigation.

MOA|FL AutoNation Academy of Art and Design- Kristopher Keimel – Lead Teacher’s Assistant at the museum. He is a junior at Florida Atlantic University.

Mailman Segal Center for Human Development – Casey Stewart, front-end clerk at Publix grocery store and appointed in 2006 by Gov. Bush as a Florida Developmental Disabilities Council member.  Casey is also a Best Buddies Ambassador for Broward County.

Oceanographic Center- Clay Beauregard, M.S.,’97, Principal Scientist at Alcon Laboratories in Fort Worth, Texas. His research has led to new drug discoveries and treatments in ocular allergic and inflammatory diseases.

H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship – Audrey Marks, M.B.A., ’91, Jamaica’s 10th Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States.  Founder of Paymaster, Limited.

Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Cherise James, M.S., ‘09, Residence Life Coordinator – South Campus at Wake Forest University.

University School ’93 – Keith Poliakoff, J.D., practicing attorney with Becker & Poliakoff’s Government Law Group.

Judith Stein, executive director of the National Institute for Educational Options at NSU and former executive director of Magnet Schools of America, Inc.

What Will the K-12 School of the Future Look Like?

Inaugural International School Choice and Reform Academic Conference will be hosted in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. from Jan. 14-17, 2012

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Most parents don’t realize that they have more control over their child’s education and more education options available than just their neighborhood-zoned school. Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) National Institute for Educational Options (NIEO) sheds light on these opportunities, educating parents about all the options to get their child the best education possible.

NIEO, established by NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education, will also be hosting its Inaugural International School Choice and Reform Academic Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. from Jan. 14-17, 2012 to bring together international experts in the areas of school choice, charter schools, school reform and more, including:

• Judith Stein, executive director of the National Institute for Educational Options at NSU and former executive director of Magnet Schools of America, Inc.
• Robert Fox, professor emeritus of University of Hawaii;
• Nelson Smith, former president, CEO and senior advisor of the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools;
• and Patrick Wolf, Professor and 21st Century Endowed Chair in School Choice at University of Arkansas;

These experts will report on the latest trends in school choice accountability, the burgeoning business of charter schools, issues of religion and government in school choice and reform, and school choice options such as magnet schools and virtual education.

The ultimate goal of the conference is to share research, which can then be used as a solid platform for creating school choice recommendations, influencing governmental education policies, and ultimately shaping the international school choice movement.

The conference keynote speakers will be:

• Kevin Donnelly, director of the Melbourne, Australia based Education Standards Institute;
• Frederick M. Hess, resident scholar and director of education policy studies at the Washington D.C. based American Enterprise Institute;
• Terry M. Moe, the William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution;
• and Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson.

Donnelly established Education Standards Institute as a Melbourne-based education think-tank in 2008. He is one of Australia’s leading education commentators and author of Why Our Schools are Failing (2004), Dumbing Down (2007) and Australia’s Education Revolution: How Kevin Rudd Won and Lost the Education Wars (2009).

Hess has authored influential books on education including The Same Thing Over and Over, Education Unbound, Common Sense School Reform, Revolution at the Margins, and Spinning Wheels, and pens the Education Week blog “Rick Hess Straight Up.”

Moe has written extensively on the politics and reform of American education. His newest book, Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America’s Public Schools (2011), provides the first comprehensive study of this nation’s teachers unions, their exercise of power in collective bargaining and politics, and the vast consequences for kids, schools and genuine reform.

For the last 20 years, Robinson has focused on public policy, research and advocacy to create quality learning opportunities for all students, most recently as Florida’s Education Commissioner. Previously, he served as the Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where his legislative efforts resulted in new laws to support the creation of public charter schools, establish college laboratory schools in partnership with a public college of education, and expand public school virtual learning programs.

Conference sponsors include The Journal of School Choice, the National Institute for Educational Options, and NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education, in collaboration with the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business, and the E.G. West Institute for Effective Schooling.

For more information about the conference, please visit www.fgse.nova.edu/nieo.

About Nova Southeastern University: Located in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited Florida University dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs of distinction from preschool through the professional and doctoral levels. NSU has more than 29,000 students and is the eighth largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally. The University awards associate’s, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, specialist, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, early childhood, psychology and other social sciences.  Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU was also awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification in 2010 for the University’s significant commitment to and demonstration of community engagement.   For more information about NSU visit www.nova.edu.

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Media Contact:
Andra Liwag, NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5309 office, 954-873-8494 cell, andrali@nova.edu

The Association for Psychological Type International, founded in 1979, is an international membership organization whose members come from a variety of backgrounds and professions including business and industry, organization development, religion, education, psychotherapy and counseling. Members seek to extend the development, research, applications and ethical use of MBTI type theory.

Friedman was a 1976 Nobel Prize winner, economics professor, and stalwart crusader for the ideas of individual freedom who formed the basis of today’s school choice theory and practice. Friedman died at age 94, but his birthday is celebrated each year to keep his memory alive, and spread his message.

“His staunch advocacy for the individual rights of parents and children to an array of school choice options funded by the state to ensure equity for all children is gaining greater traction nationally with each passing year – both with lawmakers and the general public,” said Judith Stein, Ed.D., executive director of the National Institute for Educational Options (NIEO) based at NSU’s Fischler School.

The keynote speaker at the “Celebrating Freedom” breakfast was Jim Horne, former Florida State Senator and Commissioner of Education, and current Chair of the Florida Charter School Alliance. Wendy Howard, Chair of the Florida Chapter of the National Coalition for Public School Options, was the morning’s Mistress of Ceremonies.

Additional leaders in Florida’s school choice movement who attended the event included Allison Hertog, attorney and founder of Making School Work and Member of the Step Up for Students Board of Directors; Georgia McKeown, of Advocate for Children and a legislative lobbyist in Florida; Cheri Shannon, CEO and president of the Florida Charter School Alliance; Steven Hicks, head of the McKay Coalition of Private Schools; Michael Benjamin, Vice President of Grassroots Advocacy and Outreach and Executive Director of the Step Up for Students and the Choice Fund; and Nigel Whyte, M.B.A., Assistant Director of NIEO and Business Manager of the Florida Parental School Choice Consortium.

Special guests included Fischler School namesake and NSU President Emeritus Abraham S. Fischler, and Florida Senator Anitere Flores, who championed the fight for school choice legislation in Florida in 2007-2011.

To view a video of the event, please click here.

For more information about the Fischler School, please visit www.fischlerschool.nova.edu.

During the July 25 workshop, retired Colonel Antoine Atouriste, a professor at the State University and Fischler doctoral student, delivered the welcome address. He described the training as “historic” and “highly symbolic” because in the 150 years the university has existed, only French universities were invited to provide training.

Additionally, he described the event as “inaugural” because it is the intent of the School of Economics and Law to forge an ongoing, long term relationship with NSU’s Fischler School of Education in their efforts to open the first research center in the history of the university, with guidance and support from Fischler.

For more information about the Fischler School, please visit www.fischlerschool.nova.edu.