Author: Christie Williams

WCC Executive Director Presents at the 2019 National Communication Association Convention, Earns Award

Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D., Professor and Executive Director of the NSU Writing and Communication Center, presented at the 2019 National Communication Association Convention in Baltimore, November 14-17, 2019. Dvorak presented with colleagues from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro, University of Central Florida, Bellarmine University, and Eastern Kentucky University. Their presentation, entitled “Communication Center as Strategic Partner: Reducing Barriers, Promoting Interdisciplinary Research, and Fostering Best Practices,” earned the 2019 Top-Ranked Paper for the Communication Centers Section of the NCA.

This presentation was based on an article that was published in the 2019 issue of the Carolinas Communication Annual. The article provides readers with 10 best practices for developing and managing university-based communication centers. According to Dvorak, “the conference provided us with a great way to connect with other communication center directors and to discuss new technologies and pedagogies we should be incorporating into our work to meet the evolving needs of our students.”

To learn more about the NSU Writing and Communication Center, visit https://www.nova.edu/wcc/.

 

NSU Wins Two Gold Awards for Fundraising Case Statement

NSU’s Office of Publications and Creative Services (PUB) captured two gold awards for the fundraising case statement it wrote and designed in collaboration with the Halmos College of Oceanography and Natural Sciences. The piece was recognized by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District III both in the Book and Fundraising Publication categories.

The title, Guardians of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape, serves as a rallying cry for donors to join NSU, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, and Tropic Star Lodge in supporting research by NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute that will inform understanding, conservation, and sustainability of an iconic ecosystem. Within four months of the book’s production, NSU secured 14 donors, including NSU President George Hanbury, Ph.D. After all expenses, the university raised $140,000, exceeding its first-year goal by 17 percent, with eight months left in the fiscal year.

PUB Director Bernadette Bruce and Senior Director of Development Alissa Hechter spearheaded the project with Halmos College Dean Richard Dodge, Ph.D., and Guy Harvey Research Institute Director Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D. Randy McCafferty, a PUB senior designer, brought the book to life by combining his original illustrations and graphic design work with art by Guy Harvey, Ph.D., and select photographs provided by Tropic Star Lodge. NSU University Editor Sheryl Koral served as the book’s editor, and Ryan Logan, M.Sc., currently an NSU Halmos College doctoral program student, also contributed. The book format was chosen because the famous sport fishing lodge can display the case statement including in guest rooms. The book can also serve as a shareable keepsake.

“It’s most gratifying to see how collaboration and leveraging everyone’s expertise accomplishes outstanding results,” noted Marc Crocquet, vice president for the Division of Business Services, of which PUB is a part.

NSU’s Office of Publications and Creative Services also won a CASE District III Silver Award for its Shark Fin Folder, used university wide, and was recently recognized by the United Way of Broward for creating the best 80th Anniversary T-Shirt design.

To find more about how you can become involved as a Guardian of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape, please contact Alissa Hechter at guardians@nova.edu or (954) 262-2408.

NSU Student Creates “Shark Speak” Program

A student in NSU’s Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ) has created a program that helps local high school students, who are non-native speakers, develop their English speaking skills. Known as “Shark Speak,” the once-a-week community-based class centers around a curriculum that teaches teenage students everyday words and phrases.

Eloise Nieto, a senior in FCE&SCJ’s elite teacher preparation program The Fischler Academy, launched the program after watching her students in her classroom, where she works as a language interventionist, struggle with common English terms. Shark Speak helps accelerate the learning of the 100 most commonly used English words and ties them together with items the students recognize and use every day.

“Eloise is graduating this year and will be leaving a lasting impact, not only here at NSU, but in the community with this program,” said Luke Williams, director of The Fischler Academy. “She embodies what is means to be a Fischler Academy student and we know that with the skills developed here, she will have an edge as she enters the work force and becomes a full-time educator.”

The Fischler Academy is a unique program to develop highly qualified teachers by allowing students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in four years. It incorporates leading teaching strategies, a mastery-based curriculum and an active learning environment, culminating in a full-time job offer following graduation. During the course work, students become TESOL certified, which awards the students the qualification in the teaching of English for speakers of other languages.

At the same time that the FCE&SCJ students were beginning their TESOL coursework, Daryl Hulce, supervisor of Shark Speak, met a family in the community that spoke no English but had students in school.   They had just arrived from Venezuela and asked Hulce if NSU had anything to help people in their situation learn English.

“I presented the idea to our dean and asked if I could hire our students to practice teaching and help people in the community learn English, said Hulce. “That conversation took about three minutes before I was given the green light to proceed.”

When Hulce presented the idea to Nieto, she said she had a group of students that she wanted to help and Shark Speak was launched. Now, she is able to utilize her TESOL certification and put into practice what she had learned to help out her current students.

At the beginning of the four-week program, students are assessed and an individualized plan is developed for them. By playing games and engaging in dialogue aimed at increasing their vocabulary and reducing their accents, students are learning English while also gaining life skills that build confidence, self-esteem and relationships with their peers.

“When I saw these students struggling to communicate in the classroom, I knew I needed to do something to help them,” said Nieto. “It has been so fulfilling to watch them grow, not only in how they speak to each other, but how they open up and become self-assured in who they are.”

The course is a model community service program supported by NSU and is available at no cost for anyone who wishes to enroll. It aims to serve students and families in the process of learning English, at-risk youth, and those who can read and write but struggle to read fluently.

For more information, or to enroll in the next Shark Speak class, contact Daryl Hulce at hulce@nova.edu.

CAHSS Alum is Program Director of Criminal Justice at Keiser University

Pamela K. Mertens, Ph.D.

Pamela K. Mertens, Ph.D., doctoral graduate of the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) is the Program Director of Criminal Justice at Keiser University, West Palm Beach, and a member of its faculty. She is also the campus’ Student Veterans Association advisor.

In addition to her doctoral degree from NSU, Mertens earned an M.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida, and a B.A. Sc. in Criminology from the University of South Florida. She also attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. She is a former US Marine and Naval Reservist, with over 14 years combined service. Mertens has been an adjunct at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Wilmington University, and Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Education.

NSU is Looking for the Next Wonder Woman

Do you know a student that embodies all the qualities that make up a Wonder Woman?

Nominate a current NSU student today, students can nominate their peers that have developed and displayed traits that embody a Wonder Woman:

  1. Leadership
  2. Academic Excellence & Career Focus
  3. Community Service
  4. Integrity/Ethics
  5. Women’s Empowerment

The winning student will receive a $500 scholarship and a picture with all of our Wonder Women Panelist. The NSU Wonder Woman award is open to all undergraduate students.

The winner will be announced at our Wonder Women Panelist event on Wednesday, March 24, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The event will feature a panel of women in different industries who are considered Wonder Woman for their accomplishments.

To submit your nominations, visit http://www.nova.edu/wonderwomennominations

Panel Moderator:  Dr. Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, Ph.D., Vice President for Advancement and Community Relations – NSU

Register for event:: https://nova.joinhandshake.com/events/412243/share_preview

 This event is hosted by Career Development and the Office of Student Leadership in partnership with H.  Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship

Undergraduate Consultants Inducted into Farquhar Honors College Honor Society

NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) undergraduate consultants from multiple colleges were inducted into the Alpha Chi National College Honors Society on Nov 14, 2019 at the Performance Theatre in the University Center. The Alpha Chi National College Honors Society is a coeducational academic honor society whose purpose is to promote academic excellence and exemplary character and to honor those students who achieve this distinction. Students invited to join Alpha Chi must hold academic grades that place them in the top of all upper-class students.

The 2019 inductees included Genesis Alverez (CAHSS, Legal Studies major) Melissa Vaz-Ayes (Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Biology major), and Bianca Oliviera (NSU Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, English & Secondary English Education major). Along with being active members of the Honors College, these students also work as consultants at the NSU Writing & Communication Center.

Mikayla Ruiz (CAHSS, Human Development and Family Studies major), WCC undergraduate consultant, who was inducted into the honors society last year, and now serves as an officer stated, “Through my involvement in the Honors College, I have been able to explore other avenues as an undergraduate, such as at the WCC. Here, I have been able to use my new perspectives from the Honors College to influence my approach as a writing consultant and help students develop themselves into competent writers. The Honors College has provided me with a truly enriching experience, which has allowed me to gain new global perspectives and view my college years through a multidisciplinary lens.”

To see pictures of induction ceremony, visit https://honors.nova.edu/news/index.html

To learn more about the Farquhar Honors College, visit, https://honors.nova.edu/index.html

Education Graduate Honored by the Concordia Historical Institute

Robert A. Stevens, Ed.D., graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ), was honored with the 2019 Award of Commendation from Concordia Historical Institute in November in recognition of his excellent publication entitled: Lutheran Fault Lines at Mid-Century.

The Institute recognizes individual service, publications, and projects that advance the study and appreciation of Lutheran archives and history. Stevens was selected from over one hundred participants.

Stevens is a current Graduate Academic Advisor FCE&SCJ. He earned his doctorate degree with FCE in 2015.

NSU Students Learn the Business of Art Though Partnership with From Heart2Art

NSU College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) is providing its art students with a real-world edge by teaching them the business of art. Students in the Methods & Materials class, as part of the winter 2020 semester curriculum, will paint sculptures that will then be sold through From Heart2Art, an online art gallery and boutique that supports emerging artists and social causes.

NSU art students are gaining a real-world edge by learning the business of art.

“Our students have a unique opportunity to experience working on a client-based project prior to graduation,” said Kandy Lopez-Moreno, MFA, associate professor of Art + Design and course instructor. “By partnering with From Heart2Art, our students are able to create a piece of professional art that will be sold and teaches them the business side of our industry.”

This project will give students a business understanding of the art world and the experience of completing a client-based project. Students will be provided with the sculpture and materials and have three weeks to work and transform them into a “self- portrait.” Once finished, they will learn how to professionally photograph 3-dimensional pieces and share them with their “client”.

The pieces will then be sold through From Heart2Art with a percentage of the profits benefitting NSU’s visual arts program. In addition, each art student participating in the project will receive a $250 scholarship as momentum to continue their pursuits in the art world.

The curriculum for this course coincides with NSU’s Experiential Education & Learning (ExEL) initiative. Through this program, students gain hands-on, real-world work experience, help with goal setting and career planning, and are provided with a separate transcript for employers to showcase their portfolio of work while earning their degree.

“When the opportunity to partner with From Heart2Art came about, I knew that the Art + Design course would benefit by gaining that real-world experience and edge that sets NSU apart,” said Shanti Bruce, Ph.D., assistant dean of CAHSS’s School of Communication, Media and the Arts. “I am excited to see how our students will interpret the sculptures and am appreciative of the organization’s support for this project and our program.”

CAHSS Faculty and Graduate Students Publish articles in Communication Center Journal

Faculty from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and the Executive Director of the NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) co-edited and published an article in the fall 2019 issue of Communication Center Journal (CCJ).  Janine Morris, Whitney Lehmann, and Kevin Dvorak wrote, “Social Media and Communication Centers: An Introduction.”

The article introduces the CCJ special section on social media and communication centers by discussing how centers can best use social media to enhance student professional development, cross-campus connections, branding, and center visibility.

To follow up from the introduction, CAHSS Master’s students in Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media and WCC graduate assistant coordinators and administrative staff published “Expanding Professional Development Opportunities for Consultants: How to Incorporate Social Media into a Communication Center,” in the fall 2019 themed section.

Nikki Chasteen, Monique Cole, and Adam DeRoss’s article discusses how communication centers can develop a social media presence to highlight their achievements and services while providing professional development opportunities to staff members. As the three write, “While devoting time and resources to enhancing and engaging students and other institutional members on social media can seem overwhelming, we present implementation strategies that have been successful for our communication center social media growth” (113).

“Taking everything I have learned about social media both academically at NSU and professionally, and applying it to communication centers and specifically the WCC has been rewarding. Writing with my peers collaboratively was such a positive experience,” said Chasteen.

Click here to access the “Social Media and Communication Centers: An Introduction.”

Click here to access the Expanding Professional Development Opportunities for Consultants: How to Incorporate Social Media into a Communication Center.”

To learn more about the Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media Master’s program, visit https://cahss.nova.edu/departments/wc/grad-programs.html

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