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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 2008May 2007
Distinguished Speaker Series:
Oliver Sacks, M.D., spoke at NSU, on Thursday, April 19, 2007, about the relationship between the brain and identity. A distinguished neurologist, Sacks is also the author of numerous bestselling books, including Awakenings, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, and An Anthropologist on Mars. His memoir, Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood, was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review. Sacks transformed our understanding of the human mind and restored narrative to a central place in the practice of medicine, demonstrating “the freedom and potential of the human spirit against a physiological fate,” according to The New York Times. In his stories of individual patients adapting to and surviving various neurological conditions, and in his brilliant explorations of the nature of perception, memory, consciousness and creativity, Sacks enlarges our understanding of the complexities of the human mind.
The college presented two events in connection with Sacks’ visit to campus:
The 2007 Commencement Speaker will be Antonia Novello, M.D., the first Hispanic and first
woman to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. Her tenure included providing new opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Americans to participate in health issues, raising national awareness about domestic violence, and elevating public consciousness about underage drinking and alcohol abuse. Her work has taken her around the globe to bring attention to many pressing issues, particularly those regarding AIDS research and children’s health. After serving as Surgeon General, Novello was appointed Special Representative for Health and Nutrition for UNICEF, the United Nations' children's health organization. In 1999, she was appointed Commissioner of Health for the State of New York. One of her guiding principles has been, "Service is the rent you pay for living, and that service is what sets you apart." At Commencement, Novello will be awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters, as approved by the NSU Board of Trustees.
College News:
The college hosted an art exhibit, titled “Expressions of Identity: Faculty, Family, and Art,”
through April 12 in the Library Gallery on the second floor of the Alvin Sherman Library. The exhibit featured original artwork, photography, and sculptures created by college faculty, staff, and their family members. The show corresponded with the 2006–2007 academic theme of “Identity.” Eileen Smith_Cavros, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, coordinated the event.
The American Studies program in the Division of Humanities screened the iconic film,
Apocalypse Now, on March 14 in the Mailman_Hollywood Building. The showing was followed by a discussion with Frank Casale, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Humanities.
Beta Beta Beta, the national Biological Sciences Honor Society, held an induction ceremony on March 16 in the University Center. The ceremony welcomed 48 new regular members and 9 new associate members, as well as Beta Beta Beta’s new student officers and faculty advisor, Joshua Loomis, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences’ Division of Math, Science, and Technology. Edye Groseclose, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Medical Sciences, gave the keynote address. Dean Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., and Matthew He, Ph.D., director of the college’s Division of Math, Science, and Technology, also welcomed new members into the society.
The Division of Math, Science, and Technology presented a lecture by Jeffrey Doyle, Ph.D.,
professor of biology at Cornell University, on March 21 in the Carl DeSantis Building. In
“Molecular Evolution: More than Monkeys with Typewriters,” Doyle discussed the important role that simians play in the public’s perception of biological evolution.
The Athletic Training Student Organization (ATSO) hosted the 2nd Annual Athletic Training
Olympics on March 22. Athletic Training students from all levels demonstrated their skills in
treating athletic training injuries with on_campus competitions, including a blindfolded ankle taping, pre_wrap mummy, and a crutch race. The Athletic Training Olympics engaged the NSU community and promoted awareness of National Athletic Training Month, held each year in March.
Andrea Shaw, Ph.D., assistant professor and assistant director of the Division of Humanities, was invited by the Caribbean Literary Studies program at the University of Miami to speak on March 23 about writing, and then publishing, her dissertation. The book, The Embodiment of Disobedience: Fat Black Women’s Unruly Political Bodies, was published by Lexington Books in 2006. This event was sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies.
The college sponsored two presentations on James Dean—actor, film star, and symbol of 1950s teen alienation—by Gerd Hurm, Ph.D. He discussed the paradoxical status that American cultural icons acquire, as well as the role that the media plays in both elevating and tearing down public figures. Hurm explored Dean’s innovative acting style and film performances, the distinct forces that nourished the Dean cult in the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies, and the actor’s rebel status within the context of Cold War American cultural identity. Hurm spoke at the Lifelong Learning Institute and the Alvin Sherman Library on March 27.
The Office of Academic Services offered a series of workshops, concluding March 29, to help students write academic papers. These workshops provided an overview of two documentation standards commonly used in academic research: American Psychological Association (APA) and Modern Language Association (MLA).
The year_long Sex Talk series concluded with “Sex Talk: Same Sex Marriage, Law, and
Identity” on March 29 in the Library Gallery on the second floor of the Alvin Sherman Library. This panel discussion featured: Anthony Niedwiecki, L.L..M., director of the first_year Lawyering Skills and Values (LSV) program and assistant professor in the Shepard Broad Law Center; Jennifer O’Gorman, Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences student; and Vicki Toscano, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. Moderated by Matthew Moore, Shepard Broad Law Center student, the panel explored the legal issues currently surrounding same_sex marriage, as well as analyzing the role that the legal right to marry plays in identity formation. Panel members offered alternative views on these topics, and invited audience questions and participation.
The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences partnered with the Fort Lauderdale Branch of the American Association of University Women to present the 2007 International Women’s Day Celebration on Friday, March 30, in the Carl DeSantis Building on NSU’s main campus.
International Women’s Day was established by the United Nations in 1975 to honor women who make significant contributions to their society. Kate Waites, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Humanities, hosted a panel discussion titled, “Education as the Gateway to Women’s Economic Stability and Empowerment.”
The college hosted the Undergraduate Student Symposium on Friday, March 30, in the Alvin Sherman Library. During the symposium, students presented their academic projects through performances, oral presentations, and poster displays. Symposium projects covered diverse areas of student scholarship, such as the biological and physical sciences, humanities, the social and behavioral sciences, computer science, mathematics, education, and business. The symposium also featured an undergraduate student film competition and a keynote address by Charles Messing, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Math, Science, and Technology. The Symposium winners were:
Student Poster Presentations:
1st place: Yi Jey Lin, Fabio Vogel: “Analysis of Interactions between Candida Albicans and Staphyloccus Aureus in Mixed Species Biofilms”—Faculty adviser: Joshua Loomis,
Ph.D.
2nd place: Ambreen Parvez, Frantz Etienne: “Effects of Newly Developed Anticancer Drugs against GI101 Aluc Mammary Tumor Implanted in Athymic Nude Mice”— Faculty Adviser: Appu Rathinavelu, Ph.D.
3rd place: Kathryn Levine: “Leaving A Legacy: Redefining Volunteersim for Older Adults in Broward County”—Faculty adviser: Mark Jaffe, D.P.M.
Science Presentations:
1st place: Lara Murphy, Maureen Green: “The Effect of Academic Stress on Immune Functioning”—Faculty adviser: Jaime Tartar, Ph.D.
2nd place: Allen Furmanski: “Online Professional Basketball Statistics Tracker”—Faculty adviser: Paul Kenison, Ph.D.
Humanities Presentations:
1st place: Liz Harbaugh: “Post Absurdism: Ionesco and the Juxtaposition of Absurdism and Postmodernism”—Faculty adviser: Mark Duncan, M.F.A.
2nd place: Micah Moreno: “Thank God for AIDS: Persistent Stereotypes in U.S. Network Television”—Faculty adviser: Allison Brimmer, Ph.D.
Creative Writing:
1st place: Amy Harvey: “The Ballerina in the Box”—Faculty adviser: James Doan, Ph.D.
Oral Performance:
1st place: Natasha Antonovich: “Analysis of Elie Wiesel’s ‘Perils of Indifference’”— Faculty adviser: Jennifer Reem, M.S.
Film:
1st place: Amrish Ramnarine: “Revisited: A True Story”—Faculty adviser: Chetachi Egwu, Ph.D.
A celebration of the 2007 issue of Digressions, the student literary magazine produced by the Division of Humanities, was held April 9. The magazine's student contributors and staff read excerpts of their poetry and short fiction in the University Arts Center’s Black Box Theatre. Artwork from Digressions was on display in the lobby gallery. A reception, with live music from the Sharkestra, followed on the patio.
At the annual NSU Student Life Achievement Awards (The STUEYs) on April 17, Alyssa
Rothman, M.S., director of the Office of Information Services, was selected as Administrator of the Year. Other college nominees included: biology major Crystal Rego for Student of the Year; Mark Jaffe, D.P.M., of the Division of Math, Science, and Technology, and Weylin Sternglanz, Ph.D., of the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, for Cocurricular Adviser of the Year; Kate Waites, Ph.D., of the Division of Humanities, for Professor of the Year; and Candice Carreno, B.S., ‘03, for Alumna of the Year. Alpha Phi Omega, the pre_Dental Society, the Pre_ Medical Society, Psi Chi Honor Society, and Savvy Scrapbookers were nominated for Undergraduate Organization of the Year (Alpha Phi Omega was selected).
On April 19, Delmarie Martínez, Ph.D., associate professor and coordinator of languages and literature in the Division of Humanities, presented, “Religious Codes and Self_Identity in La Batalla de las Vírgenes” at the 67th Annual Convention of the College Language Association in Miami. The theme of the conference was, “Religion and Spirituality in Literature.”
The 2007 Undergraduate Commencement Exercise will be held on May 12 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, FL. This is a time for fellow students and family, as well as NSU’s administration, staff, and faculty, to mark and celebrate the achievements of those graduating from Nova Southeastern University.
Faculty Lecture Series:
This annual series explores the college faculty’s diverse areas of interest in the humanities, physical sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Recent presentations included:
Faculty Achievements:
For the past fourteen years, Barry Barker, Ph.D., associate professor in the college’s Division of Math, Science, and Technology, has taken groups of students and professional nature photographers to document the endangered and threatened species around Baños, Ecuador. The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences’ Environmental Science/Studies Program and the Wild Spots Foundation sponsored a photographic exhibit, BIODIVERSITY: ENDANGERED! from April 14–May 1 in the Miami Center for the Photographic Arts. The exhibit presented the work of students, faculty, and professional wildlife/nature photographers who have gathered photographic data on endangered and threatened species of the Amazonia Cloud Forests, one of the most biodiverse regions on earth.
On April 20, Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences,
announced the Outstanding Teaching Awards. Kate Waites, Ph.D., a professor in the Division of Humanities, was selected as the 2007_2008 Outstanding Full Time Teacher of the Year in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. Ellen Kracoff, Esq., who teaches in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, was selected as the college’s 2007_2008 Outstanding Part Time Teacher of the Year.
Theatre:
The final theatre production of the academic year was the Director’s Festival of One_Acts, a
group of student_directed works, in the new Black Box Theatre in the campus University Arts Center, April 26_29.
The Live in Color Dance Collective
The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the Broward Center of Dance and Theatre Arts, presented the Live in Color Dance Collective’s Fusion of Funk. Directed by Zedric Bembry, these culturally rich performances were showcased at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 10 and Sunday, March 11.
The Promethean Theatre
The Promethean Theatre, NSU’s theatre in residence, presented four performances of A Number from March 16_April 1 in the second_floor theatre of the Mailman_Hollywood Building on NSU’s main campus. Written by Caryl Churchill, A Number was directed by Margaret M. Ledford. Winner of the 2002 Evening Standard Award for Best New Play, this family drama tackles the ethical labyrinth of genetic engineering, following one man’s struggle to understand his personal identity.
The Lifelong Learning Institute:
On March 8, the LLI hosted author Sam Lato, who spoke about his memoir, From Ghetto to
Guerilla. The book relates his experiences in Occupied Poland and participation with Jewish partisans while surviving World War II and the Holocaust.
Author Aina Segal discussed her memoir, Battered Heart, on March 21. The book describes her escape from Latvia and retreat from the front lines of World War II. At the LLI, Segal recounted her experiences of surviving the war and described how her refugee existence has shaped her personal identity.
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