2017 Fact Book

27 The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching awarded Nova Southeastern University the Community Engagement Classification, which acknowledges significant commitment to and demonstration of community engagement. NSU was one of 115 colleges and universities in the United States selected for the Community Engagement Classification award in 2010, and one of only 311 colleges and universities nationally to receive the award since inception of the classification. 2011 George L. Hanbury, II, Ph.D., took office as the sixth president and chief executive officer of Nova Southeastern University. He led the university to adopt a single shared Vision 2020 for establishing NSU as a premier, private, not-for-profit university of quality and distinction that engages all students and whose alumni serve with integrity and commitment. In addition to receiving Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, NSU was elevated from Doctoral Research University (DRU) to Research University—high research activity (RU/H) reflecting two of its core values of scholarship and research. NSU is one of 37 universities in the nation with both the Carnegie classification of high research activity and community engagement. 2012 In 2012, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) granted accreditation without qualifications to all degree programs within Nova Southeastern University’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education and to education-related programs within NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies. This means NSU’s education programs have been vetted at the highest levels for quality and the ability to produce effective, high-achieving educators. Including NSU, NCATE currently accredits more than 650 colleges of education. NCATE also represents more than three million teachers, teacher educators, content specialists, and local and state policy makers committed to quality teaching. In September 2012, the Oceanographic Center used a $15-million federal stimulus grant to open the nation’s largest dedicated coral reef research center— the 86,000-square-foot NSU Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research. The completed center cost $50 million. Students, scientists, and faculty and staff members can come to the center from all corners of the globe with the common goal of learning from the ocean’s diverse ecosystem of coral reefs and myriad fish and other marine life. The grand opening celebration included a keynote speech by former Vice President of the United States Al Gore. The building is Silver Leadership in Energy, and Environmental Design certified. 2013 Nova Southeastern University’s financial outlook continues to be strong. The long-term rating of the university’s bonds was upgraded by Moody’s to Baa1 from Baa2 with a positive outlook. According to the announcement made by Moody’s on July 16, 2013, “the rating upgrade is driven by the university’s consistently positive operating performance and reduced liquidity risk due to debt structure modifications.” The new rating came in anticipation of the 2014 groundbreaking of NSU’s Center for Collaborative Research, a 215,000-square-foot, $80-million research center that will significantly expand the university’s research capabilities and further its economic impact in the state. NSU also earned a “Perfect Financial Responsibility Score” from the U.S. Department of Education, confirming that NSU is considered financially responsible. The university opened the nation’s first Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine to treat patients and conduct research in neuro-immune conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and Gulf War illness (GWI). Located at NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus, the institute is the first in the nation to study neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders— such as CFS/ME, GWI, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis—using the newest genomic techniques. By studying individual genes and what they code for, the institute’s scientists will better understand the cause of, and find new ways to treat, these complex disorders. This important basic research will provide answers that will help scientists develop new pharmaceutical medications to treat these illnesses. In 2013, NSU excelled not just in academics, but also in athletics. The rowing team captured the program’s first NCAA Division II National Championship. This is the sixth national championship for NSU athletics, all of which have come in a five-year span.