OPT Visionary - Summer 2014

NSU TIMELINE 1964 – Nova University is chartered by the state of Florida as Nova University of Advanced Technology. Interestingly, the first structure on Nova’s main campus was a mailbox. 1965 – The facilities for Nova are built in Davie, Florida, on what had been Forman Field—a training field for naval aviators during WWII, which was designated by President John F. Kennedy for educational use only in 1961. 1967 – Classes at Nova University formally begin. There are 17 faculty members and 38 staff members on hand to teach the 17 students. 1970 – Five of the original 17 Ph.D. students graduate, and Abraham S. Fischler, Ed.D., is appointed president of Nova University of Advanced Technology— a position he will hold until 1992. Dr. Fischler initiates the first doctoral distance education program in the nation, which is considered the forerunner of today’s online education model. 1975 – NSU introduces its graduate computer science program. 1976 – Nova College is established on the main campus and is renamed the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences in 1989. Today, the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences offers 35 undergraduate majors, 53 undergraduate minors, 3 certificate programs, and 2 graduate degree programs. 1979 – The College of Osteopathic Medicine—formerly known as Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine—is established, becoming the 15 th osteopathic college in the nation. Thirty-five students graduate in the inaugural class of 1985. 1983 – NSU begins offering online graduate programs, creating the first electronic classroom in 1985. In 1989, the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences (GSCIS) is established, offering courses that are an effective blend of theory and practice. All programs enable working professionals to earn a master’s or doctoral degree without interrupting their careers. 1987 – The College of Pharmacy enrolls 49 students in its entering class. The college continues to be recognized for its students’ passing rates on pharmacy licensing exams, which are greater than 97 percent, exceeding national averages. 1989 – When NSU’s College of Optometry began in 1989, it was the only college of optometry in Florida— and it still is. The college offers the only online Master of Science degree in Clinical Vision Research and the only five-year extended optometry and one- year preparatory optometry programs in the United States. 1993 – The College of Allied Health—now known as the College of Health Care Sciences—was established in 1993 and has been educating entry- and advanced-level clinicians through both online and campus education programs. Students who graduate enter the fields of occupational therapy, physician assistant, vascular and cardiovascular sonography, anesthesiologist assistant, audiology, and physical therapy.