Faculty & Staff News
NSU Drs. Harold Menchel and Divya Kohli, professors in the College of Dental Medicine, were interviewed by NBC 6 reporter Trina Robinson about their work on alleviating and eliminating facial pain.
Posted 02/23/24
Are you passionate about health care and looking for exciting career opportunities at NSU Health? Look no further. We’re thrilled to announce multiple job openings in the health-care industry.
Positions Available:
Date: Saturday, March 9
Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Carl DeSantis Building: 3050 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd.
Parking: Library Parking Structure: 3051 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd.
Click on the link to RSVP – https://nsucareers.nova.edu/en-us/job/505304/nsu-health-jobs
Why Attend:
Bring your resume and dress for success. Don’t miss this opportunity to take your health care career to the next level.
Posted 02/23/24
The Farquhar Honors College and the Alvin Sherman Library present “The Open Classroom: History and Memory.”
Join us for a discussion about the differences between history and memory and the rise of censorship in education when talking about the past.
David Kilroy, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Humanities and Politics and professor at the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, will be the speaker at the event.
The Open Classroom series features conversations with scholars from various disciplines who share their expertise on important issues and provide insightful perspectives rarely seen in the media.
Posted 02/23/24
Shane Hunter led the second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks men’s basketball team to victory over Barry University.
Led by a double-double (26 points, 14 rebounds) from Shane Hunter, the second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks men’s basketball team defeated the Barry University Buccaneers 88-80 on Wednesday night, Feb. 21, at the Rick Case Arena.
The victory marks the Sharks’ 56th consecutive home win, dating back to February 2020.
The Sharks improved to 21-2 overall and 15-2 in the Sunshine State Conference. They’ve won 13 consecutive games against the Buccaneers, dating back to November 2018.
The women’s basketball team has been on a run of its own, taking down the Barry Buccaneers 89-55 at the Rick Case Arena on Wednesday afternoon and pushing their win streak to 19 consecutive games. The women are 21-3 overall and 16-1 in the Sunshine State Conference.
Get the breakdown of the game.
Posted 02/23/24
NSU students Rohalio Trigger, Simbarashe Mtasa, and Maria Asimopoulou at the Mission Munchies’ Trail Mix product launch.
Students in NSU’s Huizenga Business Innovation Academy in the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship set out a couple of years ago on a mission dedicated to helping underserved people. They wanted to develop a product or service that could generate revenue they would then donate to a struggling community.
The students connected with South Florida resident Don Campion, owner of Banyan Air Service, an airline that flies to the Bahamas, the Caribbean and South America. Campion and his wife, Sueanne, are revitalizing a 100-bed hospital and a 300-student college of nursing in the rural town of Egbe, Nigeria, in southwest Africa. Campion was also inducted into the College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame in 2021.
In collaboration with the Campions, the students created a peanut-based snack they could sell first on NSU’s campus, then market off-campus. After the students established their product’s manufacturing and packaging, Mission Munchies was born in September 2023.
The venture is committed to supporting the hospital revitalization project and economic growth in Egbe by donating 100 percent of its profits from its Nigerian-inspired product sales. Their efforts resulted in a $3,000 donation to the Egbe cause last December.
Heading up the project are:
“Just think, as the Mission Munchies snack grows and as students continue to innovate with other products the impact their class can make a world away,” Campion said. “As this product grows, students will be researching what product or service could be mentored at Egbe to employ villagers and bring a level of commerce to the town.”
NSU students Amanda, Marlyn, Maria and Alma cook some of the Mission Munchies ingredients.
Mission Munchies is a trail mix made of peanuts, raisins, banana chips, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chocolate and Kuli Kuli, a West African snack. The students buy their products from a trusted wholesaler and mix them altogether. They make their Kuli Kuli from scratch using peanuts, ginger, cinnamon, sugar and salt.
Don Campion, CEO of Banyan Air Service, hosts Huizenga Business Innovation Academy students Maria Asimopoulou and Nicholas Wiseman at the Egbe Medical Mission Gala.
The project has had its ups and downs, Asimopoulou said.
“Some of the successes are seeing our donations making an impact on people’s lives,” she said. “Some of the challenges are manufacturing in high demand and bringing customers to the company.”
With the support of Jose Brache, assistant professor and academic director of the Huizenga Business Innovation Academy, College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Dean Andrew Rosman and Campion, the students say they’ve learned the importance of shared goals and objectives as well as the power of collaboration.
Social entrepreneurship endeavors such as Mission Munchies address social and environmental challenges through innovative and sustainable business models, Brache said. They’re increasingly relevant in our economy because they combine the efficiency of free markets with a social purpose that is “Best for Our World,” consistent with the mantra of NSU’s business college.
“In going through the experience of running a business that has a social purpose, our students develop their business vision, leadership, creativity and capacity to take initiative in the contexts of high uncertainty,” he said. “And while they further polish these significant entrepreneurial competencies, they develop an awareness on their own with the potential to make a contribution to humanity.”
Posted 02/20/24
Q: What is the Florida Safety in Private Spaces Act?
A: Florida Statute Section 553.865. law requires that educational institutions (public and private), public buildings, correctional institutions, and detention facilities offering restroom or changing room facilities must restrict those facilities for the exclusive use by females and males as determined by their biological sex. You can review the full text of the law here.
Q: Do the disciplinary sanctions outlined in NSU’s policy apply to individuals using unisex restrooms?
A: No. Single-use, unisex restrooms and changing rooms, which are designated by signs for “unisex,” “gender-neutral” or “family,” are permitted to be used by anyone. The disciplinary action outlined in the policy applies to individuals utilizing exclusive-use restrooms not consistent with their biological sex and who refuse to leave after being instructed to do so. .. An interactive display of NSU’s unisex restrooms can be found on the “Gender Neutral Restrooms “ layer of the interactive campus map here.
Q: Does this apply to NSU’s campuses outside Florida?
A: No. This policy only applies to NSU campuses in Florida. NSU’s Puerto Rico and Denver regional campuses are not covered by the policy.
Q: Do I have to use the restroom corresponding to my biological sex?
A: On NSU’s campuses in Florida, you may choose to use an exclusive-use restroom corresponding to your biological sex or a unisex, single-use facility.
Q: How does the Florida law define biological sex for purposes of appropriate restroom use?
A: The Florida statute provides the following definitions for determining biological sex:
Q: What should faculty and staff do if they receive a complaint from a student, colleague or visitor about a possible violation of the policy?
A: Advise the complainant to report their concern to NSU’s Public Safety Office (954-262-8999). For incidents occurring at NSU University School, their faculty and staff should follow the specific protocol for this institution.
Q: If someone accidentally enters the incorrect exclusive-use restroom, is this a violation of the policy?
A: If someone mistakenly enters the exclusive-use restroom designated for a different biological sex and leaves without delay when requested, it will not be considered a violation of NSU’s policy.
Q: If someone knowingly and intentionally uses an exclusive-use restroom or changing facility that differs from their biological sex, what are the consequences under the policy?
A: A person who knowingly and intentionally uses an exclusive-use restroom or changing facility that differs from their biological sex and refuses to leave when asked to do so by administrative and/or instructional personnel, faculty members, security or law enforcement personnel, may be subject to the following sanctions:
Q: Are there any exceptions to the law permitting someone to enter an exclusive-use restroom or changing facility that is designated for a different biological sex?
A: Yes. Florida law permits someone to access an exclusive-use restroom or changing facility that is designated for a different biological sex under the following circumstances:
Q: If someone has questions about the policy, whom at NSU should they contact?
A: Anyone with questions related to NSU’s policy may contact NSU’s Title IX Office at titleIX@nova.edu. Questions received will be forwarded to the appropriate office for a reply (Student Affairs, Facilities, Public Safety, Human Resources, etc.). Reports of potential policy violations should be directed to NSU Public Safety at 954-262-8999 or to NSU University School administration for incidents occurring at that institution.
Janine Morris, Ph.D., and Eric Mason, Ph.D.
NSU Writing & Communication Center (WCC) faculty coordinators Janine Morris, Ph.D., and Eric Mason, Ph.D., have wrapped up the last of a series of workshops to help faculty in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS) who are planning to apply for promotion in 2024. Morris and Mason are associate professors in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts.
The workshops are one example of how the center serves faculty. They were designed to be an accessible and inspiring opportunity to support faculty as they wrote pieces of their dossier, including a reflective narrative, summary of accomplishments and curriculum vitae. Halmos Dean Holly Lynn Baumgartner, Ph.D., and Charles Zelden, Ph.D., Halmos promotion and sabbatical committee chair, spoke at the workshops about best practices and common pitfalls.
“The HCAS Promotion Workshop series has been a positive way to increase faculty preparedness for the application, understanding of the expectations for review and successful completion of the process, thereby achieving promotion,” Baumgartner said. “The WCC has been instrumental in organizing the myriad pieces that make for a strong dossier. It was important to me to be one of those pieces and inform faculty of what I look for in their materials.”
Students and faculty can come to the WCC to get help on their professional journeys, receiving feedback on their job search documents, professional portfolios and more. To learn more about the NSU Writing and Communication Center, visit nova.edu/wcc
Posted 02/18/24
In honor of Black History Month, the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center are pleased to share the honor bestowed upon Neil Katz, Ph.D., before his appointment at the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies.
During his tenure at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, Katz received one of the highest honors bestowed by Syracuse University and the Syracuse community. He was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Award by Andrew Young, one of King’s chief associates, at a ceremony at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse before a crowd of more than 10,000 guests. The award was “in honor of Dr. Katz’s life’s work in teaching, research, training and consulting on non-violence for community, cultural, religious and educational groups,” and his “commitment to the principles embodied in Dr. King’s life and work.”
In addition to academic and training activities, Katz also led several research and applied projects with community and activists’ groups such as helping to establish the first city of Syracuse New Justice Mediation Center. He also facilitated research projects helping non-violent activist groups such as the Clamshell Alliance who were protesting nuclear power in Seabrook, N.H. He aided groups protesting cruise missiles at the Griffis Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y., He advocated for the use of mediation in the “Great Peace March,” urging expanded use of King’s non-violence principles and strategies.
His areas of teaching and research interests include negotiation theory and practice, group dynamics and organizational conflict.
Katz reflected on his peace work and receiving the award.
“The award was very meaningful to me, my family and all my students and colleagues affiliated with the Program in Nonviolent Conflict and Change (PNCC) at Syracuse University,” he said. “At the time, the award recognized my effort to both initiate and lead PNCC for the past 27 years — as well as my additional efforts to honor and keep alive the principles embodied in Dr. King’s life and work.”
Posted 02/18/24
Nicole Perry
NSU’s B.A. in Theatre program and the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts hosted Certified Intimacy Director and Coordinator Nicole Perry for a workshop with the cast and crew of the theater production “Gruesome Playground Injuries” last Jan. 20.
During the workshop, titled “Protecting the Performance: Boundary and Closure Practices for Cast and Crew,” Perry taught students, faculty and staff supportive practices they can implement during rehearsals and performances.
“How do we create a space where everyone is respected?” Assistant Professor of Theatre Alex Alvarez asked. “Very often in a hierarchical structure, people silence themselves, because they don’t want to be perceived as sensitive or difficult. By providing this workshop, we’re reminding students, faculty and staff that each of us is a full human being even at work, that ‘no’ is a complete sentence and that we can tell people when they’ve crossed a boundary. It’s empowering to us all.”
Learn more about Arts events here.
Posted 02/18/24
NSU’s Alvin Sherman Library will host StoryFest, its signature family literacy event, on Sunday, March 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year’s StoryFest theme is “Reading Rodeo.”
The event will feature a petting zoo, storytellers, face painting and other activities. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with fun barnyard characters and favorites such as South Florida PBS’s Miss Penny.
Free pizza and hot dogs will be served courtesy of Hungry Howies. In addition, families who pre-register for StoryFest will be eligible to win a gift card. As part of the library’s efforts to encourage reading, each child who attends the event will receive a free book while supplies last. Parking for the event will be free.
To RSVP for StoryFest, visit lib.nova.edu/storyfest.
Posted 02/18/24