Author: iharrell

Art + Design Students Partner with MD Lab to Draw Cadavers

 

Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts collaborated with the Department of Medical Education on a special assignment – drawing cadavers. Students had the opportunity to tour the MD lab and were introduced to 16 cadavers and skeletal and muscular models.

“It is one of my favorite field trips in the semester, because it is life changing,” said Associate Professor of Art + Design Kandy Lopez-Moreno. “Not only are they trying to replicate what they are seeing, but they are also questioning their existence as human beings.”

Lopez-Moreno collaborated with Professor Vijay Rajput, M.D., chair for the Department of Medical Education, to coordinate the visit to the lab. Students were required to take the NSU Environmental Health and Safety Education course module on Canvas prior to the visit.

Learn more about NSU’s B.A. in Art + Design.

Posted 01/30/22

Honors College Grant to Aid Underprivileged High-Schoolers

Andrea Nevins, Ph.D.

The Farquhar Honors College has been awarded a planning grant for $25,000 from the Teagle Foundation to support a new initiative that helps underserved high school students realize their full potential through the humanities. This Knowledge for Freedom program will feature a three-week symposium titled “One Person Can Change the World” for underprivileged high school juniors in Broward County.

The program aims to open the door to higher education to those who have been historically neglected, allowing them to engage with the humanities on a college level as they probe the processes and contexts of change. With an improved understanding of how change occurs, students will put theory into practice by conceiving an actionable project to facilitate change on an issue important to them.

Along with this project, the program will provide students with important resources to aid in the college application process such as recommendation letters, writing aid, and general support.

The program is helmed by Andrea Nevins, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar Honors College, who is the Principle Investigator (PI).
Robin Cooper, Ph.D., assistant dean for Research and Strategic Initiatives in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS), and Melissa Dore, Ph.D., director of Academic Support and Administration in HCAS, will serve as Co-PIs. Aileen Farrar, Ph.D., associate chair and associate professor in the Department of Humanities and Politics in HCAS, will serve as the lead faculty.

“The Honors College is excited about the opportunity to collaborate with NSU faculty and staff across the campus, including several colleagues in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences on this important project,” said Dean Nevins. “We believe that the tremendous curiosity Honors College students have about the world is what leads to positive change, which is what this project hopes to accomplish in our local community.”

Once the planning stage is complete, the Honors College could be awarded an implementation grant of up to $300,000 to support the execution of the program.

Theatre Alumna Lands Internship at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

 

B.A. in Theatre alumna Kaeleigh Sturgeon

B.A. in Theatre alumna Kaeleigh Sturgeon is taking her talents to the most magical place on Earth with her role working in attractions for Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. As an intern for the Disney College Program, Sturgeon works as an attractions hostess and cast member for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Hollywood Studios’ newest attraction.

“The skills I built as a theatre major, including public speaking, memorization, creative problem solving and initiative, have greatly prepared me for my safety-critical and guest-facing role at Disney,” said Sturgeon, a recent graduate of the B.A. in Theatre program in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences. “Additionally, working as an ensemble in the many shows I had the privilege to be a part of in my time at NSU has helped me better work as a team with my fellow cast members.”

Sturgeon, who also minored in marketing, graphic design and strategic communication, started her internship with Walt Disney World this fall.

Learn more about the B.A. in Theatre program and its concentrations here.

Posted 01/30/22

NSU Florida Wins Education Digital Marketing Awards

Nova Southeastern University’s business advertising campaigns, new undergraduate admissions website and digital advertising campaigns, and its COVID-19 VaxMax/Return of Sharks campaign all recently received national honors from Education Digital Marketing Awards.

NSU’s Division of Public Relations, Marketing, and Creative Services collaborated with colleges and colleagues to garner two Silver awards for the university’s undergraduate admissions website and digital marketing program and two Silver awards for its business video and digital marketing campaigns. NSU also received a Bronze award for its business “Difference Maker” video, and a Merit award for its university-wide COVID-19 response efforts.

More than 1,000 entries were received from colleges, universities, and secondary schools across the country and judged by a national panel of education marketers, advertising creative directors, and marketing and advertising professionals.

We’re proud to continue telling, and celebrating, the NSU Florida story!

Posted 01/25/22

Scholarship Winners Meet Mother of Award’s Namesake

From left, Brittany Hendrix, Lisa Hess-Depalo, Amanda D’Augustino, M.S., CCC/SLP, NSU alumni and scholarship committee member, and Rachel Edrich, holding Ashley’s memorial quilt.

On December 10, 2021, Brittany Hendrix, M.S. CCC-SLP, NSU alumni, 2020 scholarship winner, and Rachel Edrich, B.S., SLP graduate student, 2021 scholarship winner, had the opportunity to meet with Lisa Hess-Depalo, M.Ed., the mother of the late Ashley Kaye Hess, whose memorial scholarship they won.

Hess-Depalo shared beautiful memories and stories of her daughter’s life with the winners, scholarship committee and a small group of faculty and students. This scholarship is provided in memory of Ashley Kaye Hess, who was a treasured part of the NSU SLP student body in 2015-2016.  Many people knew and loved Ashley Kaye Hess, a cheerleader, dancer, and NSU speech-language pathology master’s candidate, before she was killed in a tragic car accident on May 14, 2016, at the age of 28.

The winners of the scholarship also shared their future goals in speech-language pathology and how they will continue to remember and honor Ashley. The scholarship information is available at https://healthsciences.nova.edu/studentaffairs/scholarships/scholarships.html, and if you are considering donating to this scholarship, information can be found under Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences­–Make the Most of the Dash/Ashley Kaye Hess Changing Lives Scholarship at https://www.nova.edu/give/index.html.

Contributed by Tambi Braun, SLP.D., CCC/SLP, is an associate professor and NSSLHA mentor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology.

Posted 01/30/22

Alpha, Alpha, Zeta Invites Applications for Membership

Alpha, Alpha Zeta, the NSU Chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma, National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society, housed in the Department of Humanities and Politics in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center is inviting applications for membership. Alpha, Alpha, Zeta was established in 2019.

Alpha Mu Gamma was founded in 1931, and is the oldest and largest national collegiate foreign language honor society in the US. AMG is dedicated to promoting languages studies, cultural events, and community outreach. There are many scholarships offered through and provides opportunities for networking.

We invite all students to apply. You do not need to be a language major or minor to qualify. The requirements for full student membership include:

  • Two semesters of college completed
  • Two grades of “A” (i.e., A, A-) in two college level courses (each at least 3 semester units) of the same foreign language or American Sign Language (ASL). Please note that candidates, who are natives of a non-English speaking country, may offer two final course grades of “A” in college level English or English as a Second Language (ESL).
  • Overall GPA of 3.0 (B average)
  • One-time National dues of $30. One-time NSU chapter dues of $25.

Students who meet the requirements and wish to apply, should fill out the application found on the AMG webpage https://www.amgnational.org/membership.html and email with an unofficial copy of transcript to Dr. Yvette Fuentes (yf60@nova.edu), Faculty Advisor.

Once your application has been reviewed and approved, you will receive instructions on how to submit your $55 membership dues.

Deadline for application submission is Monday, March 7, 2022.

Posted 01/30/22

Presidential Scholars Impacting the NSU Community

The Presidential Scholars program at Nova Southeastern University features a prestigious group of diverse students who represent academic excellence and are engaged inside and outside of the classroom. Over the past two years, Saul Sztam, Assistant Dean for the College of Undergraduate Studies, has developed a new vision for our Presidential Scholars and as a result the program has been further defined as well as evolved to create additional avenues to impact the NSU community. In May 2021, Emilio Lorenzo, Director of Student Success, joined the team and has helped expand and implement this vision.

At the start of the Fall 2021 semester, Presidential Scholars were tasked with participating in new avenues to impact students and the campus culture. These initiatives included their involvement in the Student Success Mentorship program and the launch of the Presidential Scholar committees. Through the mentorship program, Presidential Scholars and Razor’s Edge students were matched with incoming freshman students (Student Success Scholars) to provide avenues for mentees to transition into college life, overcome obstacles, and reach desired goals.

In addition, to their role in mentoring other students, Presidential Scholars serve on one of five committees, each with its own focus area that aims to impact the NSU community.

Committee #1: Presidential Scholars Landing Page & Premier Program Recognition

This committee created the Presidential Scholars Program landing page in order to recognize outstanding students and to highlight the achievements of Premier Program Scholars.

Committee #2: Newsletters & Social Media Outlets

This committee maintains a quarterly newsletter and manages the Presidential Scholar social media accounts to highlight the accomplishments and events of Premier Program Scholars.

Committee #3: Public Outreach & Advisory Board

Members of this committee compose a student advisory board that seeks to reach key university partners to promote the role of the Presidential Scholars Program.

Committee #4: Transformational Leadership & Campus Impact

This committee focuses on identifying areas of improvement on campus and works towards creating and implementing strategies to make positive changes within the student body. This committee is currently collaborating with Student Government, Nature Club, and the Green Sharks Club to host a Carnival event to promote sustainability and creating a more environmentally friendly local community.

Committee #5: Prospective Students & Families Support

This committee represents the Presidential Scholars in their efforts to connect with prospective students and parents through both on and off campus events, such as Shark Preview Weekends, Hometown Sharks, targeted outreach campaigns, and additional programs.

The efforts made by our Scholars through these new initiatives showcases their passion to impact the NSU community and the pride they take in representing the values of the university. To learn more about the impact made by our Scholars, follow our Instagram page at @presidential_scholars_nsu.

Posted 01/30/22

NSU Partners With TAO Connect for Mental Health Services

TAO Connect, a digital platform designed to make behavioral health therapy more accessible and effective, announces its partnership with Nova Southeastern University (NSU). All NSU students, faculty and staff now have 24/7 access via mobile app or Web browser to TAO Connect’s suite of evidence-based, self-guided mental health and wellness exercises through the NSU Center for Student Counseling and Wellbeing by Henderson Behavioral Health.

“Access to mental health services is an obstacle that many college students face, especially as pandemic-related closures, isolations and general uncertainty prevail for yet another semester,” said Sherry Benton, Ph.D., ABPP, chief science officer and founder of TAO Connect. “TAO Connect’s mission from day one has been to increase accessibility to mental health care to those that need it most, and we are thrilled to partner with Nova Southeastern University to care for their students.”

Since the pandemic, NSU has seen an increase in counseling services among students but has faced challenges with scheduling availability to meet the growing demand. Now, NSU students, faculty and staff at all university locations have 24/7 access to TAO Connect’s V3 platform, which contains more than 150 interactive sessions on anxiety, depression, sleep, sexual violence, substance abuse and more. The partnership also includes access to the platform’s various mental health exercises, such as a library of mindfulness meditations, exercises and journal prompts. Users can also access TAO Connect’s AI chatbot, TAO Assistant, which guides them through the platform to find a plan specific to the individual’s mental health needs.

“NSU’S Center for Student Counseling and Wellbeing is proud to integrate TAO Connect and its evidence-based digital programming to the university’s comprehensive mental health and wellness offering to our staff and student population,” said Suzelle Guinart, Director, Henderson Student Counseling Services at Nova Southeastern University. “The value of our students and faculty having 24/7 access to an online library of mental health resources that can be accessed in the palm of their hands, whenever they need and wherever they are is a priceless component of any full-service mental health and wellness support plan. TAO Connect compliments this strategy perfectly.”

Designed similarly to how users choose movies or series on streaming platforms, TAO’s Learner Dashboard is customized to offer specific titles by category, special interest, or by learning what the user has previously selected, giving users a more familiar and highly personalized experience. Some of TAO’s more popular titles are topics like Understanding Depression, Sources of Wellbeing and Getting Stuck in Our Thoughts.

NSU students can register for TAO online (https://us.taoconnect.org/register). To learn more about TAO and its technology, please visit www.TAOConnect.org.

Posted 01/30/22

University School Students Win 2022 Pinnacle Awards

NSU University School is proud to congratulate three of our exemplary students – Zoe Rodriguez, Jeffrey Zhang, and Madison Davis – on being named Pinnacle Award winners by the Broward County Non-Public School Association!

This award is given to students who set an example for others to follow in their actions at school, home, or in the community. They excel in one or more of these areas: academics, community service, citizenship, fine arts, athletics, student activities, perseverance, effort, dedication, commitment to positive goals, improvement in performance, and attitude.

Posted 01/30/22

College Spotlights Doctor of Education Graduate

Marquita S. Blades Ed.D.

Marquita S. Blades, Ed.D, is an award-winning educator, international speaker, author, and education consultant with 16 years of experience as a high school science teacher and manager of national STEM programs for high-achieving high school students. Blades saves schools and school districts time and money by teaching them how to increase student engagement and collaboration through rigorous and meaningful learning experiences, using the resources they currently have on hand.

In 2018, Blades created the POWARRful Teaching Strategies® framework to help students build their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, based on recurring themes in her teaching practices. She found that she was constantly teaching the same six-core POWARR skills: Predict, Observe, Write, Analyze, Research, Report. Since releasing POWARRful Teaching Strategies®, she has shared the framework with thousands of educators across the US, giving them the tools and confidence, they need to put it into practice and build more student-centered classrooms immediately. Blades is also the founder of The Mediocre Teacher Project, which helps teachers avoid and battle through burnout by incorporating their unique gifts and talents into their daily practice.

Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards, including the Elizabeth Allen Alford Overcomer’s Award (2017), Teachers of Atlanta Honoree (2017), Eta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Rising Star in Education (2017), National Celebrity Educators™-Georgia Celebrity Educator of the Year (2018), and Women of Strength Honoree (2018). Most recently, she was nominated for the 2019 Community Engagement R.I.C.E. Award and was selected to be included in the 2019 Edition of Who’s Who in Black Atlanta.

Blades earned a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Broad Field Science from Georgia State University, a Master of Science in Technical and Professional Communication from Southern Polytechnic State University, and a Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Blades said that earning her doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University has been one of the best decisions in her professional career. Since earning her doctoral degree, her career as an educator has taken off. She’s doing what she intended to do: become an instructional leader! She has conducted hundreds of national presentations, held workshops and seminars all providing professional development to thousands of educators, sharing best practices she learned through classroom experience and doctoral research. In addition, she has become a published author, editor and publisher and gained the respect of colleagues who were once professors that she held in high esteem. Her degree has opened doors she could not have imagined walking through and earned her seats at tables where she could not imagine sitting. She is very grateful for her NSU education.

Recently, Blades established the “The Dr. Marquita S. Blades POWARRful Changing Lives Scholarship” at Nova Southeastern University to help provide scholarships to NSU students pursuing a graduate degree at the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. The Changing Lives scholarship, first-hand, touches student’s lives. We are beyond grateful for Blades’ generosity. Because of her newly established scholarship, the college will support students fulfill their dreams by continuing their education.

When she is not teaching or public speaking, Blades works as a Realtor alongside her husband Virgil Blades. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and exploring life in Panama, where she and her husband reside part-time.

For any questions regarding POWARRful Teaching Strategies® please contact Marquita at drblades@drmarquitablades.com and follow her on social media at @powarrfulteaching.

Posted 01/30/22

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