4
COM Outlook . Winter 2014
HPD
Chancellor’s
Communiqué
...Fred Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D.
In 2014, Nova Southeastern Univer-
sity will be commemorating its 50
th
anni-
versary with a diverse array of celebratory
activities. As I reflect on this milestone
accomplishment, it brings back a flood
of memories for a number of reasons.
I am currently in my 28
th
year as a
pioneer administrator from Southeastern
University of the Health Sciences, which
is the precursor to what is now known
as the NSU Health Professions Division.
When I look back at what has transpired
at NSU over the years, I am filled with
a true sense of wonderment in regard to
how prominent and vast our educational
influence has become in a relatively
short 50-year timeframe.
Reviewing the numerous educational
institutions such as my alma mater
Columbia University, which is over 200
years old, you realize that the formal
higher education system in this na-
tion stretches back to the 1800s. It also
makes you recognize and appreciate how
complex and complete NSU has become
in such a short period of time.
In my opinion, NSU’s far-reaching
achievements are a consequence of some
amazing individuals who served as the
pioneers throughout its evolution. I could
list a multitude of names, but some
specific examples that immediately spring
to mind are Dr. Morton Terry, Dr. Abra-
ham Fischler, Robert Steele, Hamilton C.
Forman, and Royal Flagg Jonas. None of
these individuals, with the exception of
Dr. Fischler, were in the field of formal ed-
ucation, yet they possessed the instinctive
humanistic and community-driven values
needed to establish and then continually
build a unified institution that continues
to be enhanced on a daily basis.
When you examine the university’s
growth and the specific areas of edu-
cational presentation currently being
offered, it’s easy to see how NSU has
become preeminent in providing innova-
tive ideas to other sectors of the educa-
tional world. As an example, NSU was
one of the pioneers in regard to present-
ing distance-education opportunities via
the Internet. The university was also one
of the first educational entities to house
multiple and individually accredited
health professions programs that are not
branch campuses, but are part of the
Health Professions Division and located
on our Davie campus as well as at what
are now called regional campuses.
In terms of our curriculum, we have
always made sure it remains a fluid and
ever-evolving product. In addition, we are
consistently and diligently working on the
pedagogy changes—the responsibilities we
have to not only anticipate and meet the
needs of the community both in the world
of health care and knowledge, but also in
the area of providing the systems method-
ology to effectively present education.
And then there is technology, which
has changed the way education is
presented whether it’s in our bricks-
and-mortar university or externally.
We’ve been very proactive when it
comes to making changes, not just for
the sake of change, but for the better-
ment of the educational experience.
It’s really something to marvel about
when you reflect on the fact that NSU
is only 50 years old yet has been able
to make such dramatic modifications in
the presentation of some of the most
standardized educational units such as
law, medicine, pharmacy, etc.
As 2014 unfolds, it’s going to pro-
vide the university with an excellent op-
portunity to educate not only the com-
munity at large but the vast education
community about how pioneering NSU
has been over the past five decades. As
we present all the highlights of what
has occurred at NSU during the last 50
years, the “wow” factor of our excep-
tional university will be transmitted to a
greater audience.
Our forward-thinking president, Dr.
George Hanbury, has some significant
views concerning the importance of
NSU’s 50
th
anniversary for the same
reasons. I believe there is a general feel-
ing that many people both locally and
nationally possess little, if any, knowl-
edge about our university. NSU’s 50
th
anniversary commemoration will allow
us to showcase just how special Nova
Southeastern University really is.
As you can tell, I’m extremely proud
to be part of this great university.
