Nova Southeastern University Celebrates its 19th Annual Celebration of Excellence

Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman to be honored at event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dr. George Hanbury, President of NSU, with Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. –Nova Southeastern University (NSU) President and CEO George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., showcased the university and shared its achievements at the 19th annual “Celebration of Excellence” gala on Saturday, January 28 inside the Rick Case Arena at NSU’s Don Taft University Center on the Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus.

Each year Dr. Hanbury presents the President’s Award of Excellence in Community Service to an individual, group, or family whose good works are making the world a better place for people to live.  The 2017 honorees were Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman.

A retired cardiologist, Dr. Goodman spends his mornings in a Fort Lauderdale workshop creating art sculptures. Pearl Goodman, an educator who taught sixth grade in New York City’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood with an affinity for studying language and art, continues to stay active in real estate investment.

Together they share a passion for family, community service, and Latin American art.  The two have made several generous gifts to the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale to establish and maintain the Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman Research and Study Center for Latin American Art.  Their gifts include a bequest that will make the museum home to their prestigious Latin American art collection.

The idea for their collection began when they purchased a small watercolor by Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros in Miami in 1990, “before the glorious days of Basel,’’ according to Mrs. Goodman.

“Dr. And Mrs. Goodman have been instrumental leaders in the community, not just giving back with their time, talent, and treasures, but in broadening our museum’s world class, permanent art collection and encouraging individuals to engage in the research and study of art and culture,”  said Dr. George, L. Hanbury, NSU President.

The featured faculty speaker for the gala was Dr. Mutasem Rawas-Qalaji who invented a new method for delivering epinephrine. The new “game-changing” tablet is advancing to FDA review and provides hope for people of all ages who suffer from allergic reactions and currently only have an expensive injector to turn to as a possible life-saving solution.

The event also served to recognize donors whose cumulative giving to NSU reached $1 million or more. Each of those benefactors was welcomed into the NSU Fellows Society “Shark Circle” and received a limited edition maquette replica of the Kent Ullberg specially commissioned mako shark statue located in front of the Don Taft University Center. This year, 12 donors were welcomed into the Shark Circle.

New Shark Circle members that were recognized included: Annie E. Casey Foundation; Mr. Mitchell and Mrs. Sharon Berger; Mrs. Rita and Mr. Rick Case; R. Douglas and Alice Donn; Mr. Arthur J. and Mrs. Marcy Falcone; The Florida Bar Foundation; Grycon LLC; Carol Harrison Kalagher; Mrs. Susie and Mr. Alan B. Levan; Save Our Seas Foundation; Triangle Community Foundation, Dr. Johannes and LaDonna Vieweg; Zimmer Biomet

Proceeds from the event benefitted the Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman Research and Study Center for Latin American Art. The university recently surpassed the $150 million benchmark of Realizing Potential: The Campaign for Nova Southeastern University.  This is NSU’s and Broward County’s largest fundraising effort to date.  It aims to expand support by $250 million from philanthropy. In addition, the university will raise another $300 million in sponsored research, service, and training projects for a total of $550 million in support.

Sponsors of the gala were: I. Lorraine Thomas, GRYCON LLC, ACAI Associates, JM Family Enterprises, The Brandon Company, ANF Group, Hill York, Barnes & Noble, Fahlgren Mortine, JD Backhoe, The NSU Health Professions Division Foundation, and AutoNation.

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 About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information about NSU and realizingpotential.nova.edu for more information on the largest fundraising campaign in NSU history.

February 3, 2017

Media Contact:
Vera Mandilovitch | Office of Public Relations
954-262-5309 (office) | 954-882-3570 (cell)
vmandilovitch@nova.edu