HPD Perspectives Magazine Summer/Fall 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 15 NSU regional campus student affairs programs and student government associations that exist today. Her role as a student-centered administrator also allowed her to develop and shape initiatives that align with her passion and values, including leadership development, spiritual life, multicultural affairs, and civic engage- ment at the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus. Because she is an earnest lifelong learner who believes in providing the best to her students, Morrow Nelson earned a Master of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with an emphasis in college student personnel from NSU in 2005. In 2007, after spending six months as interim director, Morrow Nelson be- came the inaugural director of the renamed Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. Her success in that position led Morrow Nelson to even greater heights, culminating in 2011 when she was named assistant dean of student affairs at the Dr. Pal- lavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences. “One of the first things I did when I took on this role was to create the Student Success Task Force to engage faculty mem- bers from each of our academic programs,” she said. “The goal was to identify the strengths within the college and the opportunities for development and enhancement,” added Morrow Nelson, who earned her Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with an emphasis in organizational conflict from NSU in October 2011. “I knew there were likely best practices and great initiatives happening in each program that could be expanded. As a result, we could do some cross-pollinating of those strengths across the system.” While interacting with her PCHCS colleagues, several areas were identified, including a need to pro- vide students with writing support services. “While there were writing resources on campus for under- graduate students, there was very little support for graduate students,” she said. After initially struggling to acquire writing assistance for PCHCS graduate students, Morrow Nelson fostered a fruitful partner- ship in 2012 with the Martin and Gail Press Health Professions Division Library to establish a writing center for the college. “With a very tiny budget, I pieced together funds, writing coaches, and an infrastructure,” said Morrow Nelson, who watched proudly as the college’s Effective Writing Center grew to accommodate 700 student appointments annually. “This initiative influenced the university’s decision in 2018 to establish a writing center for all NSU students called the Writing and Communication Center.” From left: Terry Morrow Nelson (age 8) with her sisters Amy (age 3) and Kim (age 6) at their aunt and uncle’s farm in Indiana continued on page 16