Nova Southeastern University 2011-2012 Commencement Schedule

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is pleased to announce its Spring Commencement schedule for the 2011-2012 academic year. NSU will award approximately 2,500 Baccalaureate, Master’s and Doctoral degrees during Commencement ceremonies in a wide range of fields, including biology, business, counseling, computer engineering, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, public health, marine sciences, early childhood, human services, sales, psychology and other social sciences.

Details about NSU Commencement ceremonies are as follows:

Saturday, May 12 – Shepard Broad Law Center Commencement, 11:00 a.m.

Speaker – Honorable Alan S. Gold, J.D.

The Honorable Alan S. Gold, J.D., judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida will present the keynote address during the Law Center Commencement Ceremony. Judge Gold has dedicated his life to the honorable practice of law since receiving his Jurist Doctorate degree from the Duke University School of Law in 1969. Prior to his nomination by President William J. Clinton and confirmation in 1997, he served as a judge in the family division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Lawton Chiles in 1992, where he served in the family division and then the criminal division. As United States District Court judge, he has presided over a number of high-profile civil and criminal cases of importance to our society and the state of Florida.

Saturday, May 12 – Baccalaureate Commencement, 4:00 p.m.

Speaker – Humanitarian 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.

Sunday, May 27 – NSU Health Professions Division (HPD) Commencement, 1:00 p.m.

Speaker – Jonathan Cohn

Jonathan Cohn is a journalist, author, and nationally recognized analyst of health care policy. He is a senior editor at The New Republic, where he covers domestic policy and politics, and the author of Sick: The Untold Story of America’s Health Care Crisis—and the People Who Pay the Price. Jonathan has been called “one of the nation’s leading experts on health care policy” by the Washington Post and “one of the best health care writers out there” by New York Times. Sick was a finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Award, and named one of the year’s best books by the Chicago Tribune. Jonathan has written for many national publications, including the Times, the Post, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Self, and Slate. He is also a regular commentator on politics and policy in the media, appearing on such shows as NPR’s “Fresh Air,” MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” and Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” Jonathan is presently a senior fellow at the think-tank Demos and member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.

Saturday, June 9  – Abraham S. Fischler School of Education and Center for Psychological Studies, 11:00 a.m.

Speaker – TBA

Saturday, June 9  – NSU Graduate Schools Commencement, 4:00 p.m.

Speaker – TBA

Each Commencement ceremony will take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, FL. The NSU community is invited and encouraged to attend each Commencement ceremony as NSU celebrates and honors the achievements of its graduating students. Tickets are not required for admission to the ceremony.

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About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is the eighth largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally with more than 28,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification.  www.nova.edu

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

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