22
COM Outlook . Spring 2014
in Clinical Vision Research and the
only five-year extended optometry
and one-year preparatory optometry
programs in the United States.
1993
– The College of Allied
Health—now known as the College
of Health Care Sciences—was estab-
lished in 1993. Students who gradu-
ate enter the fields of occupational
therapy, physician assistant, vascular
and cardiovascular sonography, anes-
thesiology assistant, audiology, and
physical therapy.
1993
– On October 26, Nova
University and Southeastern Univer-
sity of the Health Sciences sign what
will soon become an historic South
Florida education merger.
1994
– On January 11, 1994, the
state of Florida officially sanctions the
merger between Nova University and
Southeastern University of the Health
Sciences, creating the educational pow-
erhouse Nova Southeastern University.
1995
– The College of Medical
Sciences, which began educating
students in 1995, offers a Master of
Biomedical Sciences degree for those
seeking careers in health care and
higher education. Courses in anatomy,
biochemistry, microbiology, pathol-
ogy, pharmacology, and physiology
equip students with the basic scientific
training to ensure their success in
careers as health care providers.
1997
– When NSU’s College of
Dental Medicine opened in 1997, it
became the first new dental college in
the United States in 24 years. It now
runs the largest community dental
clinics in Florida. Each year, the col-
lege receives approximately 3,500
applicants for 110 seats.
1998
– Ray Ferrero, Jr., J.D., is
named president and CEO—a posi-
tion he holds until 2010. A longtime
member of the board of trustees and
its chairman from 1988–1995, Ferrero
sparks NSU’s technological advances
and ensures that almost two million
square feet of facilities are built, includ-
ing the Don Taft University Center.
2003
– The Carl DeSantis Building,
which houses the H. Wayne Huizenga
School of Business and Entrepreneur-
ship and the Graduate School of Com-
puter and Information Sciences, opens.
2008
– On July 1, the Museum of
Art / Fort Lauderdale becomes part of
NSU’s expanded creative campus when
the two institutions agree to merge.
2010
– George L. Hanbury II,
Ph.D., is named NSU’s sixth president.
During his investiture, Dr. Hanbury
introduces his Vision 2020, which has
become a cornerstone for progress as
NSU moves forward in the 21
st
century.
2012
– Initially a component of
what used to known as the College of
Allied Health and Nursing, the College
of Nursing was established as a sepa-
rate school—becoming the Health
Professions Division’s seventh college.
2012
– The Center of Excellence
for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research
opens at the Oceanographic Center
near Port Everglades, becoming the
largest facility in the United States
dedicated to studying coral reef
ecosystems throughout the world.
NSU received the largest grant in its
history to build the center—a $15-mil-
lion grant from the U.S. Department
of Commerce’s National Institute of
Standards and Technology. NSU con-
tributed an additional $35 million to
build and furnish the center.
2014
– On February 13, the Cen-
ter for Collaborative Research—an
$80-million training research facility
with full-service laboratories—has its
official groundbreaking.
(Editor’s note: A significant portion of
the timeline information was origi-
nally published in the fall 2013 issue
of NSU’s Horizons magazine.)
In 2008, Forbes magazine included NSU in
its gallery of luxurious college campuses,
focusing on university buildings that
combine style and function.
