Nova Southeastern University to Welcome Bestselling Author Rebecca Skloot

Bestselling author Rebecca Skloot, M.F.A.

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla.– March 17, 2014 –

Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences will welcome bestselling author Rebecca Skloot, M.F.A., to campus as part of the college’s Distinguished Speakers Series on March 20.

Skloot penned The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the true story of a young black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951—and left behind an inexplicably immortal line of cells known as “HeLa.”

The book was selected as a best book of 2010 by more than 60 critics and has spent more than three years on the New York Times bestseller list.

Henrietta Lacks’s cells were harvested without her knowledge, but then lived on to contribute to scientific advancements including the polio vaccine, treatments for cancers and viruses, in-vitro fertilization, and the impact of space travel on human cells. Skloot’s book is also about Lacks’s children, who were later used in research without their consent and who have never benefited from the commercialization of HeLa cells, though the cells have helped biotech companies make millions of dollars.

As part of the college’s mission to prepare students for rich professional careers and active citizenship, the college frames co-curricular programs and experiences around a broad annual academic theme that unites our community in interdisciplinary exploration.

The academic theme for the 2013-2014 school year is “Good and Evil.” The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is part real-life detective story, part scientific odyssey, and part family saga. The book also raises questions about race, class, and bioethics in America.

For more information on the Distinguished Speakers Series, contact the Office of the Dean at (954) 262-8236.

Ticket Information

This event is free to attend and open to the public. However, tickets are required for admission.

Tickets are available in the college’s Office of the Dean, located in the Mailman-Hollywood Building, second floor, on NSU’s main campus in Davie at 3301 College Avenue.

Rebecca Skloot, M.F.A. | Distinguished Speakers Series

Thursday, March 20
7 p.m.
Nova Southeastern University
Miniaci Performing Arts Center
3301 College Ave. – Davie, FL. 33314

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About the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences: Set among Nova Southeastern University’s 18 academic centers is the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. Choose from 36 undergraduate majors, 53 undergraduate minors, 3 certificate programs, and 2 graduate degree programs. Customize delivery formats with day, night, or online classes. The academic experience at the college is profound and inspiring. Our smaller class sizes offer you personalized contact with professors, chances for active participation, and individualized support-all to help you achieve academic success. Our outstanding faculty is composed of accomplished scholars committed to academic excellence. Unlike those at many large universities, classes at the college are taught by the faculty members themselves, not teaching assistants. The average class size is 22 students, which means more personal attention from faculty, as well as a greater opportunity to connect with other bright students.

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with 27,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.  Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!

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