SHARKS RX Spring 2016 Magazine

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY 22 Scholarships Help Students at Palm Beach Campus By Arnie Rosenberg “ “Your generosity has inspired me to help others and to give back to the community.” —Phuong Huynh (’18) I am very appreciative of your support of my education,” wrote second-year student Phuong Huynh to Raj Mantena, R.Ph., the pharmacist-turned-entrepreneur whose $50,000 contribution recently endowed a second scholarship at the NSU College of Pharmacy’s Palm Beach Campus. “Your generosity has inspired me to help others and to give back to the community,” she said. “I hope one day that I will be able to help students achieve their goals, just as you and Dr. Khanfar have helped me.” That note embodies not only the intent, but also the spirit of the endowed scholarships established specifically for Palm Beach pharmacy students. “Some students come here and experience financial difficulties during the course of their studies,” explained Nile M. Khanfar, Ph.D., M.B.A., assistant dean at the Palm Beach Campus. “We ask the Fort Lau- derdale/Davie Campus to help out, but we live in a very wealthy area. We needed to start doing something, so we started the funds.” Khanfar not only got the scholarship fund established in 2014, but he also made the first contribution—$12,000. With Mantena’s contribution and $25,000 from Jesus Gil, presi- dent of Gil Pharmaceutical Corp., the endowments are well on their way. But Khanfar understands there’s more need, and he has his sights set higher. “We need a minimum of $1 million,” he said. “If we invest that, and get $50,000 a year, that’s five $10,000 scholarships. Then we can help stu- dents and attract students specifically to Palm Beach.” According to the college’s dean, Lisa M. Deziel, Pharm.D., Ph.D., the Palm Beach endowed scholarships serve a dual purpose, as they not only help students in need but also create a new opportunity for giving. “Our distance cam- puses have different needs, and different donors might be