Women’s and Men’s Soccer Teams Benefit from Pro-Style Stadium

New soccer seasons for the NSU women’s and men’s teams have kicked off, but soon they will be playing on a new, top-notch pitch. Slated to open Oct. 5, the revamped stadium, which includes $7 million in improvements and will seat almost 7,000, is on the site of the former Miami Dolphins football training facility. Check out the women’s schedule and the men’s schedule to support our Sharks.

NSU’s teams will be sharing the field with the new professional women’s soccer team, Fort Lauderdale United FC (FTL UFC) part of the United Soccer Super League.

Through a strategic partnership with the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation, FTL UFC will have offices in the center and will leverage its advanced infrastructure and expertise to accelerate its growth.

FTL UFC team is providing special pricing for the NSU community. You can find those discounts here.

Athletics Features New Leadership, New Alliances

Athletics fans

John Sung, NSU’s new interim director of athletics, says NSU sports fans have a lot to be excited about as the academic year begins.

“Athletics are an exciting part of the NSU spirit,” he said. “It unites our community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and our community neighbors as one family, which makes Shark Nation the exciting community it is.”

Sung said NSU is building on years of championships and dedication.

“This promises to be a thrilling season with new facilities, new partners, new players joining our teams,” he said.

This month, NSU sports teams and fans will enjoy a revamped soccer stadium that will increase its fan capacity from 2,000 to 7,000 seats. The renovations come courtesy of an arrangement with Fort Lauderdale United FC, a new women’s professional soccer team. The team will be leasing the field while sharing it with NSU.

“They scheduled their home games around NSU’s schedule,” said Sung, who is also NSU’s former associate director for external operations. “It’s going to be like an outdoor Rick Case Arena.”

NSU softball also will be getting a new field, Sung said.

The men’s basketball team, which has been on a tear the past few years, will keep the action alive with a couple surprise reunions. Returning to the lineup is national champion point guard Dallas Graziani after a year at Samford University in Alabama. Also returning, as an assistant coach, is former NSU sensation and national champion R.J. Sunahara.

“The team has been putting in the work,” Sung said. “I’m really excited about this next group.”

Sung replaced Michael Mominey, who resigned Aug. 5 as director of athletics and associate vice president after 24 years of leadership. Mominey left NSU to pursue other opportunities in intercollegiate athletics.

During Mominey’s career as athletic director (2002-24), the Sharks won an unprecedented 13 NCAA Division II national championships in seven sports since the program’s transition into the NCAA in 2002.

Shark fans, get the latest on our teams, ticketing, and engaging highlights.

Business Hall of Famers Receive 2024 Horatio Alger Award

James Donnelly

Donnelly

James Donnelly and Ramola Motwani, two of the NSU H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame members, are among 11 recipients of the 2024 Horatio Alger Award.

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., is a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education. It has made the awards annually for the past 77 years for exceptional corporate, civic and cultural trailblazers from across the country who have succeeded despite facing challenges and remained committed to education and philanthropic efforts in their communities and beyond.

The Horatio Alger Association, which is dedicated to preserving and protecting the “American Dream” for future generations, honored Donnelly and Motwani at the Horatio Alger Award induction ceremonies in Washington, D.C., April 4-6.

Romola Matwani

Motwani

“It is our utmost honor to present the Horatio Alger Award to these outstanding leaders who have exemplified perseverance, passion and a deep appreciation for higher education,” said James F. Dicke II, chairman of the Horatio Alger Association and 2015 Horatio Alger Award recipient. “These influential leaders not only spearhead their own businesses, but they give generously to causes, organizations and communities in need. Our 2024 awardees embody the association’s mission and are proof that the American Dream is within reach for anyone who seeks it.”

Donnelly, a member of NSU’s Board of Trustees and major donor to the business college, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. He was instrumental in creating the James Donnelly Property Management and Real Estate Program, the only one of its kind in Florida. Through his giving, NSU has been able to expand the program and provide scholarships to eligible students. His gift to the program brought his total support to NSU to seven figures.

Motwani, a 2015 Hall of Famer, is chairwoman and CEO of Merrimac Ventures, a real estate management, investment and development company with interests in the United States and India. Merrimac Ventures – a family business that was started by the late Ramesh Motwani – has owned several hotels on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Ramola Motwani has been a longtime supporter of NSU students.

Posted 04/07/24

President Announces NSU Compliance with Safety in Private Spaces Act

NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II has informed the university community about a new state policy on use of bathrooms and changing facilities, which will go into effect on April 1. Here is President Hanbury’s email.

In accordance with the Florida statute, known as the Safety in Private Spaces Act (Fla. Statute § 553.865), NSU and NSU University School, as well as all educational institutions in the state, are required to implement a policy restricting the use of restrooms and changing facilities on all their Florida campuses to the exclusive use of males and females as defined by their biological sex. The law does not require educational institutions to restrict the use of unisex single-person occupancy restrooms or changing facilities because such restrooms/changing facilities can be used by anyone. The Safety in Private Spaces Act does not apply to NSU campuses outside Florida.

As required by the law, NSU’s policy states that if someone uses an exclusive-use restroom or changing facility that does not correspond with their biological sex, that individual may be requested by others to exit the facility. It also may be reported to NSU’s Office of Public Safety at (954) 262-8999. If the individual refuses to leave after a request by administrative and/or instructional personnel, faculty members, security or law enforcement personnel, the individual will be subject to sanctions described in NSU’s policy.

You can read the policy here and find Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here. An interactive display of NSU’s unisex restrooms on its Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus can be found on the “Layer” Tab, and “Gender Neutral Restrooms” section of the interactive campus map found here.

Halmos Offers Course on Religion, Politics and Conflict

The Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center invites you to participate in “Understanding the Dynamics between Religion, Politics and Conflict.” This free four-session online course will be offered on Saturdays from March 30 to April 27. It will be offered in English from noon to 2 p.m. and in Creole from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

The course is being offered by the International Center for Leadership and Conflict Studies, a Florida-based non-profit that promotes global leadership development and peaceful conflict resolution.

The lead trainer is Ernst Pierre Vincent, Ph.D., a doctoral graduate of DCRS. Vincent is a global conflict expert, focusing on identity, religious and political conflict, race relations, statelessness, slavery and neo-colonialism. His research with Dominicans of Haitian descent and religious leaders explores challenges faced by stateless individuals. As founder of the center, he investigates the church’s role in racial reconciliation and social justice in the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States.

This course is sponsored by Latin America and The Caribbean Working Group in DCRS, which aims to raise awareness of issues in the region, fostering partnerships among NSU’s community and diverse Latin American nations.

See the flyer for registration information.

Posted 03/17/24

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