NSU Horizons Spring/Summer 2008

4 horizons T he latest report released by the United States Department of Labor ranked eight occupations in Information Technology (IT) among the top 30 fastest-growing for the peri- od 2006 to 2016. IT spans a diverse series of industries and businesses that promote a thriving job market despite a slowing economy. To meet the demand for a growing skilled work- force that can effectively lead and implement IT-based business solutions, NSU’s Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences (GSCIS) introduced a mas- ter of science in information technology degree program in spring 2008. This graduate program is designed to equip today’s generation of IT working profession- als with the skills and knowledge to manage the massive layers of technology in information systems and information security man- agement. A particular advantage to students enrolled in this 36-credit hour graduate program is that it offers degree seekers the flexibility to focus their learning options in five grow- ing areas: software develop- ment, information system security, educational technol- ogy, information technology management, and informa- tion security management. NSU is one of only two universities in the state designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the U.S. National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The designation gives GSCIS graduates an edge in the workforce by arming them with the certification to administer highly sensitive databases and infrastructures within both private businesses and government entities. ■ Graduate Program Catches the information technology Wave academic notes N ova Southeastern University presented a gift last November in the amount of $500,000 to the Broward Community College Found- ation. Funds from the donation will establish scholar- ships for selected high-achieving students who complete their associate’s degree at Broward Community College (BCC) and then transfer to NSU. The gift, which sets the tone for a unique partner- ship between NSU and BCC, represents the commit- ment of Ray Ferrero, Jr., J.D., NSU president, to reduce students’ financial obstacles associated with college tuition, making graduation from a four-year, private university more attainable. “NSU strives to provide equal access to quality education for deserving students,” said Ferrero. The agreement, known as the NSU Transfer Scholarship Fund, will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Florida’s Dr. Phillip Benjamin Matching Program—increasing the transfer scholarship fund to $1 million. BCC’s Office of Student Financial Services, which is responsible for administering the fund, will award scholarships annually, starting as early as mid-2008. “This partnership opens the doors for approxi- mately 50 BCC students graduating this spring who dream of obtaining a four-year college degree,” said Larry Calderon, Ed.D., NSU’s vice president for com- munity and governmental affairs, who assisted in orchestrating the agreement. ■ $500,000 donated to Scholarships for High-Achieving Transfer Students From left: Jamie Manburg, Ed.D., NSU’s Fischler School of Education and Human Services (FSEHS) dean of undergraduate teacher education; H. Wells Singleton, Ph.D., FSEHS dean and provost; Randolph A. Pohlman, Ph.D., H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship dean; Ronald G. Assaf, NSU Board of Trustee chair; Lloyd Rhodes, Broward Community College Foundation chair; Ray Ferrero, Jr., J.D., NSU president; J. David Armstrong, Jr., Broward Community College president; Frederick Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D., chancellor of NSU’s Health Professions Division; Frank DePiano, Ph.D., NSU vice president for academic af- fairs; Stephanie Brown, Ph.D., NSU associate vice president of Student Financial Services and Registration; Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences dean; Maria Dillard, M.A., NSU director of enrollment management; George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., NSU executive vice president/COO