CHCS Perspectives Summer/Fall 2013

PERSPECTIVES • SUMMER-FALL 2013 – Page 4 CHANCELLOR’S COMMUNIQUÉ C hange is an inevitable part of life, especially at a major uni- versity such as NSU where remaining on the cutting edge requires constant upgrades to everything from curriculum and technology to buildings and other academic infrastructure. As most of you have already noticed as you travel around the Health Professions Division (HPD), a number of construction and roadwork projects have either begun or will be initiated in the com- ing months, creating changes to our normal movement throughout the area. For example, roadwork is being implemented to improve both the ingress and egress to and from our parking garage, along with the creation of new parking areas to the north of the HPD garage. But you can be assured it’s all for a good purpose. The reason for all this heightened activity is to prepare for a transformational building called the Center for Collaborative Re- search (CCR) that is slated to break ground in November 2013 and will positively impact the university on a number of levels. Once the center is built, it will be inhabited by myriad scientists and re- searchers that are already part of the NSU faculty structure throughout the HPD, the Oceanographic Center, and the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. As I’ve listened to and reviewed the comments made by our president, Dr. George Hanbury, over the past year or so, it’s strik- ingly evident that NSU’s future is extremely bright when it comes to the innovation and research that will emanate from this epicenter of exploration. Additionally, the CCR will serve as a wonderful complement to the nationally recognized coral reef preservation research taking place at NSU’s Oceanographic Center and its Cen- ter of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research. As I previously mentioned, this is a transformational moment in the university’s history. For the past several years, we have been preparing for the creation of the CCR by hiring top-notch research faculty in many areas of biological research related to medicine, pharmacy, optometry, dentistry, and the health care sciences. Be- cause this is so perfectly integrated with Dr. Hanbury’s Vision 2020 strategic plan, he has willingly advocated for the budget allocations needed to support the hiring of these nationally and internationally known researchers. The creation of the Center for Collaborative Research will help alert the community throughout not only the state of Florida but throughout the United States—and in some cases the world— to the fact that Nova Southeastern University was recently classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. As we continue to enhance our research reputation and create new knowledge through these efforts, one of the principal benefi- ciaries will be our students, who are the primary reason for our ex- istence. Because our students are individuals of exceptional quality, it’s imperative that we strive to be nationally and internationally known and respected for our quality education. This in turn will provide us with the gravitas we need for our colleagues in the aca- demic community to recognize us as being one of America’s pre- eminent educational institutions. As we move forward with the long-awaited construction of our Center for Collaborative Research, it’s essential for us to give thanks to our academic leadership, which includes the various deans and executive directors of our multidisciplinary programs, for all the hard work that went into creating these esteemed programs that are now being proffered by their colleagues around the country as being programs of excellence. We give sincere thanks to our academic administration and the many other dedicated individuals who have laid the ground- work and provided the ardent work ethic required to assist President Hanbury in making his Vision 2020 not only take root—but blossom. Rendering of the pending Center for Collaborative Research