18
COM Outlook . Fall 2013
NSU Earns Perfect Financial
Responsibility Score
Nova Southeastern University
earned a perfect financial respon-
sibility composite score of 3.0 from the U.S. Department of Education
(DOE), confirming that NSU is “considered financially responsible.”
The recently released annual report is based on the 2011 fiscal year
and evaluates all nonprofit and for-profit institutions to ensure they are
maintaining the financial standards necessary to participate in Title IV
federal student-aid programs.
One of several standards used by the DOE to measure the financial
responsibility of a university or college is a composite score based on
three ratios derived from the institution’s audited financial statements—
a primary-reserve ratio, an equity ratio, and a net-income ratio. The
composite score, ranging from negative 1.0 to positive 3.0, measures
the fundamental elements of the financial health of each institution.
NSU scored a perfect 3.0. Within the state of Florida, 25 percent of the
172 colleges and universities reviewed earned a perfect score.
Dr. Ralph Rogers Named NSU
Provost and Executive V.P.
Ralph V. Rogers, Jr., Ph.D
.
, who
previously served as vice chancellor
for academic affairs and provost at
Purdue University Calumet in Indi-
ana, has been named as NSU’s new
provost and executive vice president
for academic affairs.
In previous professional incarna-
tions, Dr. Rogers held administrative
positions as founding dean and profes-
sor at East Carolina University College of Technology and Computer Sci-
ence and chair and professor at Old Dominion University’s Department of
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering. He previously held
faculty positions at the University of Central Florida and Ohio University.
Welcoming New Administrators...NSU
Alumna Grabs Golf Glory...Fiscally Fit
Linda Smelser Appointed Vice
President for Clinical Operations
Linda Smelser, B.S.
, who was previously affiliated with the Uni-
versity of Central Florida’s College of Medicine, has been appointed
NSU vice president for clinical operations. In this role, Smelser will
report directly to Jacqueline Travisano, M.B.A., CPA, NSU’s execu-
tive vice president and chief operating officer, and be responsible for
the oversight and centralization of the university’s Division of Clinical
Operations, which consists of 25 health care centers in Broward and
Miami-Dade counties.
Dr. Ronald Chenail Assumes
Associate Provost Post
Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D.
, who
previously served as NSU’s vice presi-
dent of institutional effectiveness, was
appointed associate provost for the
university’s Division of Applied Inter-
disciplinary Studies (DAIS) in August.
As associate provost, Dr. Chenail will
provide leadership for the division’s
Center for Psychological Studies,
Graduate School of Humanities and
Social Sciences, Mailman Segal Center for Human Development, and
Institute for the Study of Human Service, Health, and Justice. He also
will be responsible for furthering the DAIS’ efforts to achieve its goals as
part of the university’s Vision 2020 business plan, with special focus on
collaboration, fiscal performance, extramural research, fund-raising, and
student recruitment. Since becoming a faculty member at the university
in 1989, Dr. Chenail has secured 12 grants and contracts for NSU totaling
over $1 million and produced over 120 publications, including four books.
