NSU Horizons Spring/Summer 2009

we have a solid foundation and a dedication to providing our students with an exemplary education.” During a recent interview on NSU’s sprawling, 300-acre cam- pus, Fischler talked about the early brick and mortar days at NSU. He pointed to a large button that he had proudly pinned to his jacket. It said “I Believe in NSU.” “In the early days, there were only a few of us who believed, just a few,” he said. “We had noth- ing but sand and potential. Now, look at us. I never thought we’d have a library like the one we have or our beautiful Don Taft Uni- versity Center.” Fischler says the beauty of the campus is something that he is astounded by every day. But, he also recognizes that the true spirit of NSU permeates far beyond the classroom walls—and even be- yond the campus boundaries. One day, while walking with Nathan M. Pusey, then president of Harvard University, the prominent educator pointed to the hal- lowed buildings of Harvard and said, “If all these buildings burned down, Abe, there would still be a Harvard. A university is about the interaction between professors and students.” “It was some- thing I never forgot,” Fischler said. H. Wells Singleton, Ph.D., education provost and dean of the Fischler School of Education and Human Services, said the cul- ture instilled by Fischler and his spirit of innovation continues to flourish throughout all branches of NSU and, most notably, at the school that bears the for- mer president’s name. At the Fischler School of Education and Human Services, “we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 initiatives ranging from an exclusive agreement with the National As- sociation of Elementary School Principals to a small, innovative, husband-and-wife team that workshops on brain research. We are very en- trepreneurial here,” Singleton said. “The en- tire university is the envy of the industry, and it is because of Abe Fischler.” After his retirement as president of NSU, the educator served on the Broward County School Board from 1994 to 1998. He has been a consultant to the Ford Foundation, various state Departments of Education, and school districts in a number of states. He has also written many articles and publications dealing with science education and advanced teaching methods. Fischler’s motivation to make a difference is still at the forefront of his mind and his efforts. Only days after Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, Fischler submitted a presentation to the White House regarding the need for change in the country’s current K through 12 structure. It’s a subject he has been writing about on his blog, www.TheStudentIsTheClass.com , and one that has become the focus of his energy. Fischler said he opened his presentation to the President by saying “if you really want to produce change in education, I am willing to come and help. But, I’m not interested in main- taining the status quo.” He is awaiting an an- swer to his offer. “There’s so much out there that needs to be done,” he said. As a testament to Fischler’s belief that education is the cor- nerstone of opportunity, it was at his suggestion that his wife, Shir- ley, began studying law in 1974 at what is now NSU’s Shepard Broad Law Center. She graduated three years later in the center’s charter class. The couple celebrated 60 years of marriage together on April 9. “My son, Michael, graduated from the NSU Law Center one year behind his mother,” Fischler said. His other son, Bruce, has a master’s degree from NSU. His daughter, Lori, is an international lawyer and business consultant who lives in London. “She’s the entrepreneur of the family,” he said. His grandson, Kenneth, attends the medical school at the University of Miami; granddaughter Danielle is a junior at the University of Central Florida; and granddaughter Mikaela is en- joying classes offered through NSU’s Family Center Parenting Place at the Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies. In addition to spending time with his family and remaining an active advocate for education reform, Fischler continues to serve NSU in his roles as president emeritus, professor, and— above all—caring friend. His vision for the next half century of NSU is for the university to honor its original mission, while con- tinuing to move forward. n 27 horizons Abe Fischler (left), showing off Nova University’s first license plate to a colleague, circa 1973 Photos courtesy of NSU Archives