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Nova Southeastern University
Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences
3301 College Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314
Phone: 954-262-8408
Fax: 954-262-3930
www.undergrad.nova.edu
Highlight Reports for the NSU Board of Trustees
The Office of the Dean provides periodic reviews of college activities and initiatives. These Board Highlights are distributed to the Nova Southeastern University Board of Trustees, the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Advisers, and others in the community.
January 2008 | March 2008September 2006
After considerable college-wide discussion among faculty and academic leaders, a new schedule and class format system began in the College of Arts and Sciences with fall semester 2006. This change in calendar will ultimately enhance the quality of undergraduate education. Now, during the fall and winter semesters, first and second term classes will meet for seven weeks, while the eighth week will be reserved for study and final exam days. Semester-length classes will meet for fourteen weeks overall while also benefiting from a study and exam week at the mid-semester and semester’s end. During the summer semester, first and second term classes will meet for six weeks, while the seventh week will include final exam days. Semester-length summer classes will meet for twelve weeks overall with study and exam days at midterm and at the end of the semester. There is no plan to change the withdrawal deadline from its current definition as no later than 50 percent of the term or semester plus one week.
The College of Arts and Sciences has announced its annual theme for 2006–2007. As part of its mission to prepare students for rich professional careers and active citizenship, the college frames programs and activities around a broad annual theme that unites the community in interdisciplinary exploration. For 2006–2007, the theme is “Identity.” Throughout the year, “Identity” will inspire special courses, lectures, and film series. NSU Theatre, the university’s theater company housed in the College of Arts and Science’s Division of Humanities, has scheduled productions to touch on the theme. “Identity” will influence selection of visiting distinguished speakers, inform student-faculty reading group selections, focus faculty lecture series, and orient study travel programs. The College of Arts and Sciences extends an invitation to the community to participate in many of these activities, including theater and distinguished speaker events.
Students and their families united with faculty and staff to welcome the new academic year at September’s Convocation, hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences. Convocation is a tradition for the college, a time for the student body and the faculty to join together at the beginning of the busy year and commit to academic excellence and shared intellectual pursuit.
Convocation was led by Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. NSU president Ray Ferrero, Jr. welcomed students and their families. Keynote speaker for the event was Mark Nerenhausen, president and CEO of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, an important partner for the university and the College of Arts and Sciences. Emily Schmitt, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Math, Science, and Technology, offered advice to students as they dig into the hard work of the fall semester. Schmitt is the recipient of the 2006 Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences Full-Time Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award.
During the ceremony, the college gave special recognition to 2006 Student Orientation Leaders who spent the summer helping new NSU students make the transition to life in the university, and to Dean’s List Scholars, sophomores who earned Dean’s List during both the fall and winter semesters of their first year at NSU.
At Convocation, the College of Arts and Sciences also recognized the first group of Clinic Explorations Program participants through a special jacketing ceremony. The Clinic Explorations Program is a new college partnership with the Health Professions Division in which undergraduates shadow doctors, dentists, physical therapists, and other medical professionals working in HPD’s clinics.
Clinic Explorations Program participants will be assigned three-week rotations in HPD’s clinics, up to four rotations per semester. During the Convocation jacketing ceremony, participants who have completed their training received the blue jacket to be worn during their clinical experiences. The Clinic Explorations Program is open to all NSU undergraduate students and is managed by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Division of Math, Science, and Technology.
Theater Programs
The College of Arts and Sciences offers a rich variety of opportunities in theater and the performing arts. The college’s Division of Humanities offers a bachelor of arts in theatre and also houses NSU Theatre, the university’s theater company. The College of Arts and Sciences also partners with The Promethean Theatre, Nova Southeastern University’s professional theater in residence. This fall, NSU Theatre and The Promethean Theatre will bring three diverse productions to NSU’s main campus. Participation in NSU Theatre is open to all NSU students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the community. For more information about participation and performances, contact NSU Theatre at (954) 262-8179 or visit www.undergrad.nova.edu/nsutheatre.
NSU Theatre, part of the Division of Humanities, will offer two productions this fall. The first is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare’s timeless tale about mistaken identity, scorned lovers, rebellion, fairies, magic, and rustic characters. The play will be directed by Mark Duncan, M.F.A., assistant professor in the college’s Division of Humanities. Performances for A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be held in the Miniaci Performing Arts Center on NSU’s main campus, November 2-4, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. and November 5 at 2:00 p.m.
NSU Theatre’s second fall production will be Groove: A Movement and Identity Journey, choreographed by Chetachi Egwu, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Humanities. Groove consists of eight pieces related to various aspects of human identity. It incorporates dance aspects from African, modern, contact improvisation, hip-hop, and step into a soul-filled show of meaningful movement. Performances of Groove will take place in the Mailman-Hollywood Building Second Floor Auditorium on NSU’s main campus, December 2, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. and December 3 at 2:00 p.m.
The Promethean Theatre, Nova Southeastern University’s professional theater in residence, will present Lee Blessing’s Two Rooms. The play will be directed by Margaret M. Ledford, resident director of the Promethean Theatre. Performances will take place in the Mailman-Hollywood Building Second Floor Auditorium on NSU’s main campus, October 20–November 5, 2006, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Two Rooms illuminates both the numbing agony of one man taken hostage by political terrorists and also the helpless fury of those who are left behind. The Promethean Theatre seeks daring and creative approaches to classical pieces as well as contemporary and new works that inspire passionate discourse. The College of Arts and Sciences is a proud partner with the Promethean Theatre and other South Florida arts organizations that connect campus and community creative resources.
Faculty News
The Division of Math, Science, and Technology, in collaboration with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), will present a Biotechnology Lecture and Workshop to help researchers tap into the NCBI’s vast resources. One of the driving forces in genomics nationally and internationally, the National Center for Biotechnology Information collects molecular biology and genome data and develops the computer software tools used to understand that data. This lecture and hands-on workshop is for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, principal investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and other scientific staff who work with 3D structural data or who want to incorporate such data into their research. Topics will include GenBank, Entrez, BLAST, and other important databases and search engines, as well as related genomic data resources. The NCBI workshop is scheduled for Friday, October 27, 2006 from 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. in Alvin Sherman Library Rooms 1034/1046. Previous NCBI workshop or prior experience with structural data are not required to benefit from this workshop. Seats are limited. Please R.S.V.P. by Friday, October 6, 2006. For further information, contact Jodi Williamson at jodiw@nsu.nova.edu or (954) 262-8333.
Matthew He, Ph.D., director of the College of Arts and Science Division of Math, Science, and Technology, has been invited to serve as an editor for the International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence (IJCiNi). The IJCiNi publishes papers, technical correspondences, case studies, letters to the editor, book reviews, conference reports, and special issues in cognitive informatics and natural intelligence. Cognitive informatics (CI) is the interdisciplinary study of the processes of humans’ natural intelligence (NI) and its engineering applications in computing and computer information systems. IJCiNi is a forum for global discussion among researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in the field. For more information about the International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence, visit www2.enel.ucalgary.ca/IJCINI.
Matthew He, Ph.D. in June published a CD-ROM series of edited talks with prominent figures from the field of bioinformatics. Using Bioinformatics in the Exploration of Genetic Diversity, published by the Henry Stewart Group, describes how genetic diversity can be explored using bioinformatics. It covers topics such as population selection; sample collecting, storing, and analyzing; biochemistry; similarities and diversity; functional genomics; the relationship these topics with human disease; DNA sequence analysis and DNA structure prediction; genomic variation; as well as the latest theoretical and experimental advances described by eminent researchers in these fields. For more information about the CD-ROM, go to www.henrystewart.com.
Faculty Lecture Series
The College of Arts and Sciences’ Faculty Lecture Series explores the faculty’s diverse areas of interest in the humanities, natural, and social sciences. Come join the college for lively discussions about ideas and issues.
Tom Fagan, Ph.D., an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, presented research at conferences throughout the summer. Fagan has worked as a psychologist and administrator with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 23 years. He served as the bureau’s director of clinical training, where he headed the agency’s mental health training programs. Fagan also served as chief hostage negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Fagan gave presentations this summer at conferences at home, in Louisiana, and in California. In June, Fagan gave a presentation to middle and high school students on crime scene investigation and criminal profiling. The presentation was part of the Lead America Program held on NSU’s main campus. In July, at the National Commission on Correctional Health Care Mental Health Conference in San Diego, California, Fagan gave the presentation “The Soul of the Psychopath” for correctional health care professionals, including physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and prison administrators. In August, Fagan gave two presentations at the American Psychological Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana — “Correctional Psychology: Services, Obstacles, and Future Directions” and “Staying Sane Behind Bars: Orientation for the Correctional Psychologist”
Fuzhen Zhang, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Math, Science, and Technology, was recently appointed as an editor on the editorial board of the international math journal Linear and Multilinear Algebra, a key journal in the field of linear algebra and matrix analysis. His term as editor is five years. Zhang now serves as an editor for five math journals. This summer, Zhang attended and presented at two math meetings in Europe. In July, at the 8th International Workshop on Numerical Range and Numerical Radii in Bremen, Germany, he presented “Why left and right spectral radii are different for quaternionic matrices?” In Amsterdam, also in July, at the 13th International Linear Algebra Society Conference he presented “Matrix and Operator Inequalities Involving |A|.”
Summers are always full of busy travel for Barry Barker, Ph.D., an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Math, Science, and Technology. In connection with NSU and his nonprofit Wild Spots Foundation, the environmental science professor escorts students, educators and photographers to remote areas around the world to learn about and document fragile ecosystems through photography, something he had been doing long before the popularity of ecotourism. These trips provide the centerpiece for photographic exhibits on NSU’s main campus. This summer, Barker traveled more than 58,000 miles, to South America, Africa, and Asia. His itinerary included:
Mark Cavanaugh, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, brought a group of NSU undergraduates to the Czech Republic during the summer for a course in Prague at the Anglo-American College. Cavanaugh taught the course, “The Psychology of Faith and Believing,” which was offered through the Toronto, Canada-based Lessing Institute. The Lessing Institute offers curricula in political development, social structure, art, literature, music, philosophy, and social issues of Western culture. The institute’s mission is to promote understanding about the influences on Western culture of the three Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. After the course, Cavanaugh, who is the conductor of the NSU Commencement Orchestra, also traveled to Zlin in the Czech Republic for three weeks with the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic as part of the International Workshop for Conductors. He has participated in the workshop for nine years.
Eileen M. Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Arts and Science Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, in May spent a week in Zion National Park, Utah through a grant from the George and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation. Smith worked on editing and preparing oral history research materials for publication. Her book related to this research, Pioneer Voices of Zion Canyon, about Mormon pioneers, land-use, and ethnobotany, is slated for publication this fall by the nonprofit Zion Natural History Association. In June she also presented a paper as part of a panel entitled “Race, Ethnicity, and Natural Resources in the United States” at the 12th International Symposium on Society and Natural Resources (ISSRM) in Vancouver, British Columbia. The paper was on the subject of “Spiritual, Social, and Economic Perspectives on Natural Resource Issues from Black Churchgoers in Miami, Florida.
Patricia McGinn, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Math, Science, and Technology, gave an oral presentation about athletic training methods used to evaluate 3-D landing patterns of female athletes at the June National Athletic Trainers’ Association annual meeting in Atlanta. The presentation was part of a session on “Gender, Neuromuscular and Biomechanical Considerations for ACL Injuries,” and the presentation’s abstract was published in the Supplement to the Journal of Athletic Training (Vol 41, #2), April-June 2006.
Jessica Garcia-Brown, J.D., an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, has been appointed by the Florida Bar to serve a three-year term on the Student Education and Admissions to the Bar Committee. The Student Education and Admissions to the Bar Committee determines whether law schools are adequately preparing their students for the practice of law. The committee also monitors and reviews proposed legislation affecting legal education. Garcia-Brown is the coordinator of the college’s Paralegal Studies Program, which awards a bachelor of science in paralegal studies and prepares students for entry-level paralegal positions in the common areas of law practice.
The Broward Center of Dance and Theatre Arts presented “Fire up the Funk” in June, featuring performances by South Florida’s “Live in Color” dance company. Also participating was Chetachi Egwu, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Humanities. The Broward Center of Dance and Theatre Arts and Live in Color provide education in dance, particularly urban funk. Live in Color has gone on to national attention, winning the FOX Family TV Dance Competition, “Dance Fever.” Performances were at the Hollywood Central Performing Arts Center.
Kate Waites, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Humanities, has published a memoir based on her four years in a Roman Catholic convent in the late 1960s. Particular Friendships: A Convent Memoir is available through XLibris. In Particular Friendships: A Convent Memoir, Waites takes readers back to her early years in a Roman Catholic convent during the turbulent 1960s. In this coming-of-age story, she explores the harshness and secrecy of convent life, where wit and compassion evolved into rebellion against strict rules forbidding expression of joy and intimacy.
Suzanne Ferriss, Ph.D., a literature professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Humanities, published an essay in the May 26 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education on the subject of “Chick Lit.” The essay was co-written with Mallory Young, Ph.D., an English professor at Tarleton State University in Texas. Ferriss and Young are the co-authors of Chick Lit: The New Women’s Fiction, a collection of a range of academic insights about chick lit’s popularity and importance that was published by Routledge Press in October 2005. Last August, Publisher’s Weekly listed Chick Lit as one of five “Titles to Watch” in fall 2005.
College News
The College of Arts and Sciences’ master of arts in writing is in its first semester. The writing program is housed in the Division of Humanities. The master of arts degree in writing gives students a foundation in both professional and creative writing. It allows them to further develop the writing skills they acquired as undergraduate students and to cultivate specialized skills such as business, technical, and journalistic writing. The M.A. in writing will prepare students for careers in publishing, education, public relations, and advertising, as well as for careers as professional writers for magazines, newspapers, and businesses.
College of Arts and Sciences students volunteered at NSU’s annual employee health fair in August. The students shadowed professionals from different healthcare disciplines. It was a great opportunity to interact with graduate students and clinicians in students’ fields of academic and professional interest. The volunteer effort was organized by Mark Jaffe, D.P.M., assistant professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences Division of Math, Science, and Technology, who is now entering his third year of connecting undergraduates with professionals and graduate students in health care outreach activities, performed under the auspices of the NSU Health Professions Division’s Senior Services Team.
Maria Farrell, who graduated in May from the College of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in biology, won first place in the microbiology division for a paper presented in May at the national conference of Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta), the national biology honor society, whose chapter at NSU is supported by the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Math, Science, and Technology. Farrell’s paper was based on genetics research pursued over the last three years through the college’s Undergraduate Honors Program under the supervision of Emily Schmitt, Ph.D., associate professor of biology. At the Undergraduate Research Symposium in April, Farrell won the overall best in show for “The Effects of Aluminum on Gene Expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Admissions News
In July 15, the College of Arts and Sciences held a Rising Senior Day on Main Campus. On Rising Senior Day, students and their parents can explore our main campus and learn about college life at NSU.
In early August, the university hosted Undergraduate Admissions Day in the atrium of the DeSantis Building. At Undergraduate Admissions Day, prospective students could apply on the spot, meet with academic advisers, register for classes, and obtain financial aid and scholarship information.
New Faculty
The College of Arts and Sciences welcomed 18 new faculty members to its ranks this fall. The new faculty members bring research and teaching expertise in diverse fields, from fish ecology and Caribbean literature to computer security, microbiology, psychology of sleep, and writing. The College of Arts and Sciences now includes more than 90 faculty in the college’s three divisions: the Division of Humanities; the Division of Math, Science, and Technology; and Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
New Faculty in the Division of Humanities
New Faculty in the Division of Math, Science and Technology
New Faculty in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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