NSU Horizons Fall 2006

NSU and Other Local entities Receive National Award for Innovations in Urban Education horizons 5 N SU, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), and three other South Florida institutions received national recognition for addressing the acute teacher shortage and improving the quality of education for all local students. The Urban Academies Program—a six-year- old collaboration between NSU, BCPS, Broward Community College, Florida Atlantic University, and Barry University—was awarded the 2006 Innovations in American Government Award, granted by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. NSU President Ray Ferrero, Jr., accompa- nied other local education leaders to Washington, D.C., to accept the prestigious award, which included a price of $100,000 to support the program. Based on a “Grow Your Own Teachers” premise, the program takes a multipronged approach to identifying potential teachers and assisting them with their education. The Urban Academies has already placed 360 teachers in hard-to-staff schools; 91 percent of whom have remained in their positions for more than three years. n Back row (l–r): Sara Rogers, director of Urban Academies; Larry Calderon, former president of BCC; Frank T. Brogan, president of FAU; Robert Parks, member of the School Board of Broward County; Frank Till, former superin- tendent of Broward County Public Schools; and Ray Ferrero, Jr., president of Nova Southeastern University. Front row: Alexandra Ishmael and Bonnie stacy, students in the Urban Academies program for Stranahan High School Shakespeare and the Laramie Project Anchor NSU Theatre’s Second Season T he arts are coming of age at NSU. The second season of NSU Theatre includes one of Shakespeare’s enduring comedies, a dynamic dance production, and a compelling docudrama examining identity in a small town following a fatal hate-crime against a college student. The season begins with the much-anticipated production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream —a timeless tale of mistaken identities, scorned lovers, rebellion, fairies, and magic—in the Rose and AlfredMiniaci Performing Arts Center, November 2–5. The program then moves to the more intimate Mailman- Hollywood auditorium, December 2–3, for Groove: A Movement and Identity Journey —eight vibrant pieces that incorporate African and modern dance, contact improvisa- tion, hip-hop, and step moves to explore various aspects of human identity. The Laramie Project is a thought-provoking docu- drama based on testimony compiled in Laramie, Wyoming, following the widely publicized murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man. The production will be showcased February 22–25. The season closes in April with the Director’s Festival of One-Acts, an entertaining series of student-directed works. n