21
COM Outlook . Spring 2014
versity, a paradigm of educational
excellence called the NSU Health
Professions Division officially opened
on June 22, 1996—and the accolades
have been accruing ever since.
To help commemorate NSU’s 50
th
anniversary,
COM Outlook
invites
you to look back at some of the major
milestones that have played an inte-
gral role in making the university the
progressive and respected educational
entity it is today.
1964
– Nova University is char-
tered by the state of Florida as Nova
University of Advanced Technology.
Interestingly, the first structure on
Nova’s main campus was a mailbox.
1965
– The facilities for Nova are
built in Davie, Florida, on what had
been Forman Field—a training field for
naval aviators during WWII, which was
designated by President John F. Ken-
nedy for educational use only in 1961.
1967
– Classes at Nova University
formally begin. There are 17 faculty
members and 38 staff members on
hand to teach the 17 students.
1970
– Five of the original 17
Ph.D. students graduate, and Abraham
S. Fischler, Ed.D., is appointed presi-
dent of Nova University of Advanced
Technology—a position he will hold
until 1992. Dr. Fischler initiates the
first doctoral distance education pro-
gram in the nation, which is consid-
ered the forerunner of today’s online
education model.
1975
– NSU introduces its gradu-
ate computer science program.
1976
– Nova College is established
on the main campus and is renamed
the Farquhar College of Arts and Sci-
ences in 1989. Today, the Farquhar
College of Arts and Sciences offers 35
undergraduate majors, 53 undergrad-
uate minors, 3 certificate programs,
and 2 graduate degree programs.
1979
– The College of Osteo-
pathic Medicine—formerly known as
Southeastern College of Osteopathic
Medicine—is established, becoming
the 15
th
osteopathic college in the na-
tion. Thirty-five students graduate in
the inaugural class of 1985.
1983
– NSU begins offering on-
line graduate programs, creating the
first electronic classroom in 1985.
In 1989, the Graduate School of
Computer and Information Sciences
is established, offering courses that
are an effective blend of theory and
practice. All programs enable work-
ing professionals to earn a master’s
or doctoral degree without interrupt-
ing their careers.
1987
– The College of Pharmacy
enrolls 49 students in it entering class.
The college continues to be recog-
nized for its students’ passing rates on
pharmacy licensing exams, which are
greater than 97 percent, exceeding
national averages.
1989
– When NSU’s College of
Optometry began in 1989, it was the
only college of optometry in Florida—
and it still is. The college offers the
only online Master of Science degree
First Building on Las Olas Blvd.................Inaugural Class of Ph.D. Students............Southeastern University in the 1980s
EARLY DAYS: THE SPARSE NOVA CAMPUS
