OPT Visionary - Summer 2014

1964 – 2014 PAGE # 1993 – On October 26, Nova University and Southeastern University of the Health Sciences sign what will soon become an historic South Florida education merger. 1994 – On January 11, 1994, the state of Florida officially sanctions the merger between Nova University and Southeastern University of the Health Sciences, creating the educational powerhouse Nova Southeastern University. 1995 – The College of Medical Sciences, which began educating students in 1995, offers a Master of Biomedical Sciences degree for those seeking careers in health care and higher education. Courses in anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, and physiology equip students with the basic scientific training to ensure their success in careers as health care providers. 1997 – When NSU’s College of Dental Medicine opened in 1997, it became the first new dental college in the United States in 24 years. It now runs the largest community dental clinics in Florida. Each year, the college receives approximately 3,500 applicants for 110 seats. 1998 – Ray Ferrero, Jr., J.D., is named president and CEO—a position he holds until 2010. A longtime member of the board of trustees and its chairman from 1988– 1995, Ferrero sparks NSU’s technological advances and ensures that almost two- million square feet of facilities are built, including the Don Taft University Center. In 2011, he was named NSU chancellor. 2003 – The Carl DeSantis Building, which houses the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship and the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences, opens. 2008 – On July 1, the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale becomes part of NSU’s expanded creative campus when the two institutions agree to merge. 2010 – George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., is named NSU’s sixth president. During his investiture, Dr. Hanbury introduces his Vision 2020, which has become a cornerstone for progress as NSU moves forward in the 21 st century. 2012 – Initially a component of what used to known as the College of Allied Health and Nursing, the College of Nursing was established as a separate school— becoming the Health Professions Division’s seventh college. 2012 – The Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research opens at the Oceanographic Center near Port Everglades, becoming the largest facility in the United States dedicated to studying coral reef ecosystems throughout the world. NSU received the largest grant in its history to build the center—a $15-million grant from the U.S. Department of Com- merce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology. NSU contributed an additional $35 million to build and furnish the center. 2014 – On February 13, the Center for Collaborative Research—an $80- million training research facility with full-service laboratories—has its official groundbreaking. (Editor’s note: A significant portion of the timeline information was originally published in the fall 2013 issue of NSU’s Horizons magazine.)