NSU Horizons Spring 2013

14 HORIZONS SETTING THE PATH NSU’s commitment to the nontraditional student remains evident in the undergraduate student body. The term undergraduate also refers to those who are classified as first-time-in-college students, but who may not be the typical college age. These nontraditional students number about 2,000 in the undergraduate program. Lisa Winings, Psy.D., was one of those nontra- ditional students when she went back to school in her early 30s. When she began her first class at NSU in 1994, she was among the older students there. Winings credits her academic success to the inclu- sive environment fostered by NSU faculty and staff members. “I didn’t feel different as an older student because everything was personal. The faculty members, especially, knew that I had done other things in life and was now ready to devote myself to a career in psy- chology,” said Winings, who is in private practice. Winings received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from NSU. “What stood out for me the most was that the faculty members had real-world experience. They weren’t just teaching academics, but sharing lessons that you wouldn’t read in a book.” For Kimberly Durham, Psy.D., dean of the Institute for the Study of Human Service, Health, and Justice, attending NSU as an undergraduate set the path. Durham began her undergraduate studies at NSU in 1984. “The undergraduate program was really just starting. A lot of people in my class had been out in the world with full-time jobs and decided to go back to school.” Durham grew up in South Florida, attended the University of Denver, and returned to attend the University of Florida. But it wasn’t the right fit. “My father actually told me about this great place, which was then called Nova University. He knew some of the school’s founders. I saw the campus and immedi- ately signed up for classes. I knew this was the place for me. I’ve been here 30 years. I can’t imagine a university that’s grown as much as NSU in such a short amount of time.” n By the end of May, George Hanbury, Nova Southeastern University president and chief executive officer, will have traveled to 11 metropolitan cities in Florida, New York, Illinois, Georgia, and Texas. It’s all part of an ongoing plan for the personable president to meet alumni and current students, but there’s also a second strategy behind the visits. “Perhaps these alumni and existing students have friends, neighbors, or even their own children, who would like to pursue a traditional undergraduate program at Nova Southeastern University,” said Hanbury. Between October 2012 and May 2013, Hanbury, NSU deans, and teams from the NSU Alumni Association and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will have logged thousands of miles for NSU’s first Presidential Alumni and Admissions Tour. Members of the select President’s 64 also attend many of the tour stops as ambassadors. Plans already are in the works for a fall 2013 tour. “It was the president’s vision to conduct targeted alumni and prospective student outreach congruently. We even have alumni bringing their children, and these children are prospective under- graduates,” said Sara M. DuCuennois, senior director of alumni relations and special events. “The visits are also giving alumni a whole new way of looking at the university, since many of them attended NSU as graduate students. They are seeing NSU as a university that is growing into having a robust undergraduate population.” The president is leveraging the school’s multitude of prestigious graduate programs as a draw for prospective first-time-in-college students who may be undecided about where to get their under- graduate degrees. Hanbury believes that when undecided students get introduced to the special programs the university offers, their minds will be made up right away. A recognized undergraduate program also makes a degree more valuable for alumni. “The value of a degree from NSU becomes even greater in the future because of the recognition this school will receive by growing its undergraduate program. I want every student, both past and present, to be proud of NSU,” said Hanbury. ON TOUR WITH THE PRESIDENT