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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

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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 2008
January 2007 | March 2007 | May 2007 | September 2007
January 2006 | March 2006 | May 2006 | June 2006 | September 2006 | November 2006

March 2007

Faculty, students and staff in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences continue to prepare and present strong and diverse programs serving the academic mission of the College and reaching broad segments of the community. In addition, faculty continue to work to strengthen the curriculum through assessment of existing degree programs and proposals for new courses and programs of study.

Of particular note, the bachelor’s degree program in Athletic Training has been granted
accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
(CAATE).

The following report summarizes highlights of recent programs and activity.

Distinguished Speaker Series:

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak spoke as part of the college’s Distinguished Speakers Series on Wednesday, February 14, 2007. Barak served as the tenth Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. During his tenure, Israel withdrew its forces from South Lebanon and the Al_ Aqsa Intifada erupted. Barak also took part in peace negotiations with Syria and the Palestinian Authority while in office, with the active participation of Bill Clinton and his administration. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Barak completed a 36_year career in the Israeli Defense Forces as the most decorated soldier in Israeli history. Prime Minister Barak’s political, educational, and military backgrounds give him a unique perspective for assessing the key challenges of world terror, international diplomacy, globalization, and the free world in the 21st century.

The Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences presented a lecture by Alex Cuc, Ph.D., assistant professor, on Monday, February 12, followed by a question and answer session. “Memory, Holocaust, and National Identity: The Case of Romania and the Republic of Moldova” focused on how nations often repress memories of traumatic historical events from their past and how this collective amnesia affects one’s sense of national identity. The talk served as a companion event to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s February 15th visit to NSU.

In conjunction with Barak’s visit, the Division of Math, Science, and Technology hosted a
student debate titled “Nature versus Nurture” on February 13. The student debate teams asked whether people acquire their personal identity by pre_determined genetic factors or through experiences and environment. Using data from modern psychological, sociological, and genetic studies, the two groups of students discussed how people acquire sexual orientation, physical appearance and abilities, and a sense of spirituality. Faculty judges included: Timothy Dixon, J.D, Division of Humanities; Vic Shanbhag, Ph.D., Division of Math, Science, and Technology; and Michael Reiter, Ph.D., Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Oliver Sacks, M.D., will speak at NSU, on Thursday, April 19, 2007. Sacks is 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. He has transformed our understanding of the human mind and restored narrative to a central place in the practice of medicine. Dubbed “the poet laureate of medicine” by The New York Times, Sacks’ writing demonstrates “the freedom and potential of the human spirit against a physiological fate.” 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.

College News:

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences honored participants in its Clinical Exploration
Program (CEP) on January 11, bestowing them with the program’s signature blue lab jackets. Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., dean of the college, and Robert Oller, D.O., executive director of NSU Clinics, welcomed participants, while Robin Sherman, Ph.D., assistant director, and Naomi D’Alessio, Ph.D., associate dean, jacketed the student participants. Any undergraduate student can take part in the CEP, regardless of major or professional experience. Program participants are given a special blue lab jacket to wear during clinical experiences and are assigned a clinic for one or two rotations a semester to shadow medical professionals on the job in many of NSU’s clinics.

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences’ Division of Math, Science, and Technology hosted its Forensic Science Symposium on January 19_20. The keynote speaker for the event was Dayle Hinman, host of Court TV’s hit show Body of Evidence, From the Case Files of Dayle Hinman. The symposium was held at the Health Professions Division’s Steele Auditorium on NSU’s main campus.

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale welcomed Bruce Feiler to Nova Southeastern University on January 30, 2007. Feiler gave a lecture in the Miniaci Performing Arts Center on “The Holy Land: A Look at the Role of the Fertile Crescent in the Shared History of Judaism, Christianity, And Islam.” Author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Walking the Bible, Feiler discussed the central role that interfaith dialogue plays in quelling friction between religions. He recounted his inspiring and hazardous journeys through the Middle East and North Africa in search of the geographical roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Feiler’s lecture served as a companion event to the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale’s Cradle of Christianity: Jewish and Christian Treasures from the Holy Land exhibit, now on display until April 15.

Frank Casale, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences’ Division of Humanities, discussed “Benjamin Franklin and the Culture of the American Revolution” on February 5 in the Southwest Regional Public Library. This event was part of a community outreach program, organized by the Southwest Regional Library, which features professors from the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences.

Sex Talk, an ongoing series sponsored by the Division of Humanities, event, has presented a semester’s lineup of events, including

• “Sex Talk: Telling Stories,” on Thursday, February 8, a frank discussion about sexual identity – heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual. The panel included straight and gay students, faculty, community members, and an NSU administrator who answered
  questions about experiences with sexual identity in contemporary U.S. culture.
• “Sex Talk: Homophobic Violence in Contemporary U.S. Culture,” on Tuesday, February 20, in conjunction with the play The Laramie Project. This event explored the connection between violence and sexual identity. Attendees viewed the film Soldier’s Girl, which deals with violence against transgendered people, and participated in a discussion following the film.
• “Sex Talk: Laramie Project Talkback,” on Sunday, February 25, followed NSU Theatre’s production of The Laramie Project. Cast and faculty members answered questions and stimulated further discussion about the performance and issues related to the events depicted in the performance.

The NSU basketball games versus Eckerd College on February 10, 2007, were designated
Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences Night. Students, faculty, and staff in the College came to show support for the basketball teams. Participants were served food and drink and wore tiedyed college t_shirts.

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences sponsored health and fitness seminars during the A1A Marathon:

• The college sponsored a free Educational Expo on Saturday, February 17, at the Broward County Convention Center. The Expo featured a lecture series on strength training and nutrition, designed by Elizabeth Swann, director of the Athletic Training Education Program in the Division of Math, Science, and Technology.
• NSU athletic training student volunteers distributed race packets at the Expo and helped to facilitate other aspects of race check_in. During the marathon on Sunday, February 18, student and faculty volunteers staffed stations providing runners with water and encouragement.

The college offered NSU undergraduate students its annual Graduate Schools Planning Day on February 22, in the University Center Lobby. This event provided a convenient opportunity to meet representatives of graduate schools in and beyond South Florida who spoke about admissions requirements, volunteer work, and research prospects. NSU students were also able to establish important graduate school contacts.

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences offered a series of workshops, beginning in February and continuing in March, to help students write academic papers. These workshops provide an overview of the ins and outs of two types of documentation standards commonly used in academic research: American Psychological Association (APA) and Modern Language Association (MLA). Workshops, held at the Office of Academic Services, are open to all NSU students.

On Tuesday, February 7, students in Spanish language classes attended a live taping of the new TV hit, Calando Fuerte, a variety show in Spanish that features interviews, guest artists, and contests. The students joined the audience after taking a tour of the television station, Channel 41, and met the host of the show, Ismael Cala. Delmarie Martinez, Ph.D., and Julie Lirot, Ph.D., complemented the visit to the show with a series of assignments for the students.

The Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), the College of Optometry, and the Shepard Broad Law Center all collaborated on a mock trial on Wednesday, March 14. The trial features an
optometry_related case in which law students act as lawyers, optometry students serve as witnesses, and selected LLI members act as jurors. This project is supported by a President’s Grant.

The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) has officially
accredited the Nova Southeastern University Athletic Training Education Program.
Throughout March, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), along with NSU’s
Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) and Athletic Training Student Organization
(ATSO), celebrates National Athletic Training Month with the theme, “Quality Healthcare and Wellness.” Athletic Training is a major within the Division of Math, Science, and Technology. National Athletic Training Month honors certified athletic trainers (ATCs) and engages the community in promoting quality healthcare and wellness. NSU’s ATEP is committed to advancing the profession of athletic training through education and research in the prevention, evaluation, management, and rehabilitation of injuries. The Athletic Training program will manage a first aid tent at Ruggerfest 2007, participate in a high school athletic training workshop, host a study abroad trip to Italy, and present the 2nd Annual Athletic Training Olympics.

Applications are currently being accepted for the Undergraduate Student Symposium, which showcases the outstanding scholarship of undergraduate students at NSU. The event presents student projects and performances through oral presentations, paper submissions, and poster displays. Symposium projects cover 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 Undergraduate Student Symposium will take place on Friday, March 30, in the Miniaci Performing Arts Center and the Alvin Sherman Library.

Kate Waites, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Humanities, was a featured author at Broward Literary Live 2007, an event organized by the Broward County Library and presented on NSU’s Main Campus. A professor in the Division of Humanities, Waites is the author of the recently published book, Particular Friendships; A Convent Memoir.

Faculty Lecture Series:

This series explores the college faculty’s diverse areas of interest in the humanities, biology, physical science, and social and behavioral sciences. Recent presentations included:

• “Mediamorphs: Media, Youth, and Identity” featured Allison Brimmer, Ph.D., assistant professor; Chetachi Egwu, Ph.D., assistant professor; and Kate Waites, Ph.D., professor, on January 23. This project_in_progress utilizes video, interviews with NSU students and other young adults, and the expertise of NSU faculty to create an educational device exploring society’s body ideals. In what started as an honors student project, “Mediamorphs” has grown into an interactive presentation, promoting critical thinking and self_reflection among college and high school audiences.
• “Pioneer Voices: Identity, Place and the Land of Zion” featured Eileen Smith_Cavros, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology in the Division of Humanities, on February 13. Smith_Cavros discussed an oral history project from Zion National Park, examining the lives of Mormon pioneer settlers and their relationships with the land in southern Utah from 1910_1930. An example of environmental sociology, this project explored land use, ethnobotany, and people and plant use.

Black History Month:
Events for February included:

• Just Us: From Bean Pickers to Presidents, an original historical drama with music about the early Black history of Fort Lauderdale, was presented Saturday, February 3, in the Mailman_Hollywood Building, 2nd Floor Auditorium. It was written and directed by Tony Thompson, and performed by the Metropolitan Diversity Theater Company.
• A workshop with Tony Thompson, Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Diversity
  Theatre Company, was held on Monday, February 5, in the Mailman_Hollywood
  Building, Room 309.This workshop appealed to students in a range of majors, including Theatre, Writing, English, and History. Mr. Thompson discussed the process of collecting the personal narratives and historical data that inspired his play, Just Us: From Bean Pickers to Presidents, and the creative steps for transforming this material into a play.
• Civil Brand, a film that tells the story of women prisoners who take over a prison, was shown on Friday, February 16, in the Knight Auditorium, Carl DeSantis Building. The cast included Mos Def, Lisa Ray, Tichina Arnold, and MC Lyte. The showing was
  followed by a panel discussion of issues raised by the film, such as race, gender, and the justice system. Civil Brand was directed by a woman, Neema Barnette. This event is cosponsored by the Women’s International Film Festival, which coordinates a yearly South Florida film and arts festival to “bring together women artists from all over the world.”

Faculty Achievements:

Jason Rosenzweig, Ph.D., visiting professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences'
Division of Math, Science, and Technology, recently published several works about the
microbial pathogenesis of the virulent yersiniae species, which includes the etiological agents of bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, and a self_limiting gastro_intestinal disease. His research, featured in the upcoming book, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, and the Federation for European Microbiological Societies’ (FEMS) journal, FEMS Microbiology Letter, uncovered a new virulence_associated gene pnp. His discoveries have paved the way for a new subfield of molecular pathogenesis, investigating how RNA metabolism impacts virulence in the ever_changing dynamics of host_pathogen interactions. Rosenzweig has taught at NSU for over one year, with previous teaching experience at the University of Miami and Broward Community College.

Theatre:

During NSU Homecoming, January 27, theatre students and Mark Duncan, M.F.A., NSU
Theatre artistic director and coordinator of performing arts, gave walk_through tours of the University Arts Center, which includes a 100_seat black box theatre as well as costume and set design shops.

NSU Theatre performed a 20_minute rendition of the timeless classic The Wizard of Oz, titled There’s No Place Like Home, on January 31 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Annual Banquet. The production illustrated how needy families could apply for housing with the organization and the process in which Habitat for Humanity helps local communities. The banquet honored volunteers, board members, and donors, as well as raising money on behalf of Habitat for Humanity.

NSU Theatre at Nova Southeastern University presented three performances of The Laramie Project, by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, from February 22_25, in the Mailman_Hollywood Building, Second Floor Auditorium. A docudrama, this play was written as a collage of testimony compiled from local residents in Laramie, Wyoming after the beating death of college student Matthew Shepard. The final performance was followed by an installment in the ongoing Sex Talk series, titled “Laramie Project Talkback.”

The final theatre production of the academic year will be the Director’s Festival of One_Acts, a group of student_directed works, from April 26_29.

Ars Flores
The college’s orchestra in residence, The Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra, provided three
opportunities for the community to hear and learn about classical music at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 3.

• 11:00 a.m.: “Music for Munchkins,” a free, 30_minute mini_concert geared toward
  children and their families, featured orchestral music, instrument demonstrations,
  interactive discussion, and treats.
• 6:30 p.m.: Christine Jackson, Ph.D., professor in Farquhar College’s Division of
  Humanities, delivered a pre_concert lecture that included biographical information on the composers featured in the concert and highlighted key listening moments for audience members.
• 7:30 p.m.: The orchestra and violin virtuoso brothers, Marc and Jeff Thayer, presented double_violin concertos by Bach and Mozart. The Orchestra also performed the “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein.

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, Live in Color showcased two culturally rich performances 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, will present four performances of the acclaimed play, A Number, 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 will be directed by Margaret M. Ledford. The production was the winner of the 2002 Evening Standard Award for Best New Play.

The Lifelong Learning Institute:

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences’ Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) hosted
Occupational Therapy students from NSU’s Health Professions Division on January 25, as part of its focus on intergenerational learning. Students were able to apply techniques learned in their classes and gain first_hand practical experience, while LLI members benefited from the opportunity to share parts of their life stories and to help combat the stereotypes of older adults. The LLI provides opportunities for NSU students to interact with and learn from South Florida’s older adults in a warm, friendly setting that is conducive to openness and listening. Other recent classes and events include:

• “Japan and the West,” a series with Laura Nenzi, Ph.D.
• Previews of local opera presentations of La Sonnambula and Samson and Delilah with David Yuen and Douglas Kinney Frost
• “Comparative and International Law” with Stephen Levitt, L.L.B., L.L.M.
• Radiant Maiden, a one_man show about Edgar Allen Poe with Arthur Berger, J.D.
• “Baudelaire’s Flowers of Evil: France’s Greatest Poetry,” with Arnold Ages, Ph.D.