Category: Featured

Thank You Faculty, Staff for Making Vax Max a Success

In July, I announced a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all NSU employees to ensure the health of all NSU students, faculty, and staff in the face of the continued threat from COVID-19. I am pleased to provide you with this update on our progress.

I am happy to share that 100% of full- and part-time faculty have been vaccinated or granted an exemption, as have 99.7% of full- and part-time staff. Adding our adjuncts and temporary employees, this means that 4,552 of you reported in Vax Max – a monumental achievement in such a short amount of time.

I want to publicly say THANK YOU for stepping up. The response from the NSU Community truly shows your dedication to not only your health, but that of those around you. I also want to thank all the deans, vice presidents, and the Office of Human Resources for coordinating this massive effort. The leadership and integrity demonstrated were second to none.

Many organizations have required COVID-19 vaccinations for employees, but few have achieved what NSU has—and so smoothly and efficiently.

Even as we celebrate this success, we must recognize that the pandemic is still a threat, and I know that everyone in the NSU community will continue to ensure that we create the safest possible environment.

Thank you again for your dedication to achieving this goal. I am proud – as always – to be a Shark today.

FINS UP!

George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D.
President/CEO
Nova Southeastern University

Mock-Injury Workshop Connects Theatre, Healthcare

During the Winter 2021 semester, B.A. in Theatre Technical Director and Adjunct Faculty Member Alexandra “Calypso” Hernandez taught an interdisciplinary workshop for students in THEA 2500: Healthcare Theatre, offered through the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, that brought together elements of medicine, theatre and humanity. The workshop offered students the opportunity to learn the art of moulage – the use of makeup to create mock injuries such as bruises, scars, and other skin abrasions for use in the training of healthcare professionals.

“The moulage workshop is not only fun and interactive but it integrates arts and sciences helping the college accomplish its mission,” said Bill Adams, professor and program director for the music and theatre programs.

Moulage provides a realistic instructional environment for students studying to become standardized patients (SP) in healthcare simulations. Students in the workshop learned how to provide essential feedback to the healthcare student rather than needing to imagine the pathology being examined in the simulation. This innovative approach using applied theatre is foundational in current healthcare training methodologies. Student standardized patients develop empathy for the patients they portray, and healthcare students benefit from the analytical focus on critical thinking skills observable in simulations.

For more information about THEA 2500: Healthcare Theatre and other courses offered through the B.A. in Theatre program, click here.

Thank You Sharks for Keeping Our Community Safe This Fall

NSU has been busy all summer readying our campus locations for the “Return of the Sharks.” To prepare you for a healthier fall, I wanted to share the latest information on NSU policies related to the ever-evolving landscape of COVID-19.
Medical and health policy experts agree that the safest path forward is to be vaccinated against COVID-19, so I continue to encourage all students to get vaccinated and I have mandated that all employees be fully vaccinated by Sept. 20. Students on the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus can receive a vaccine on our campus, and everyone can find a location by visiting: www.vaccines.gov. For mandatory staff vaccinations, Sept. 6 is the deadline to get your final Pfizer/Moderna shot or the one shot of Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be fully vaccinated by the Sept. 20 deadline.

  • Because of the emergence of new highly contagious variants and the fact that we have not yet reached the desired threshold of vaccination rates at our various locations, everybody at NSU will be required to wear masks in classrooms, at approved events, and while indoors at any NSU facility, whether you are vaccinated for COVID-19 or not. (On the positive note, Orlando and Jacksonville have both exceeded 70% in Vax Max reporting.)
  • All classes that are scheduled to be face-to-face this fall will be held face-to-face in the assigned NSU classroom, with everyone required to wear a mask. According to medical sources and our own records, high vaccination rates combined with safety protocols like mandatory face coverings and air quality measures result in classroom transmission rates being extremely low.
  • To help us return to a more normal campus experience, please register your vaccination status at nova.edu.
  • Any individual who is exposed to or tests positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate or quarantine off campus, and as such, we highly encourage everyone to have a plan in place ahead of time. Those individuals must report and coordinate with the COVID-19 office (covidcase@nova.edu) and should also consult with the Student Medical Center or their own health care provider.
  • In the case that a student must quarantine, they should contact their College COVID Coordinatorto receive guidance on ways to remain current with their coursework.

Remember, according to the CDC and NSU’s medical experts, vaccination is the best way for a safer and interruption-free university experience for all of us. As always, NSU closely monitors the public health conditions in our communities, and we are hopeful that with rising levels of vaccination reporting on the Vax Max portal we will be able to revisit our safety policies and protocols as appropriate.

 

Thank you for doing your part to keep the Shark community healthy this fall.

 

FINS UP!

George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D.
President/CEO
Nova Southeastern University

Help Battle COVID-19 as Fall Semester Quickly Approaches

It is quite apparent that the global and national bout with COVID-19 is far from over. The Delta variant is yet the latest salvo in this pandemic battle, triggering a dramatic rise in cases and hospitalizations – with Florida among the states leading the pack in new cases. August 23, the official start of fall classes, is just around the corner. While Nova Southeastern University looks forward to welcoming students back to campus in person, doing so at the current levels of reported vaccinations will prohibit NSU from abandoning face coverings as well as other safety measures.

As faculty and staff, join the charge to lead by example to make our campus safer and hasten our return to normal. If we’re able to reach our Vax Max goal of 70% for on-campus students, we will be able to return to more normal, mask-free conditions. Recent numbers reflect that currently we are far short of this goal. But with your help we can change that. Registration is simple, non-intrusive, and private. You can do your part at by reporting your vaccination status virtually at NSU Vax Max. And you can also encourage others.

President and CEO George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., recently outlined NSU’s new policy mandating that all faculty and staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 20, 2021. Faculty and staff who have already reported that they have been vaccinated do not need to take any further action. If you have not yet been vaccinated, you need to receive your final dose no later than Sept 6.

If you intend to request an exemption due to either a documented medical condition or a deeply held religious belief, you can find additional information on the process here. Any employees who do not register their completed vaccination status or receive an exemption by September 20, 2021, will be placed on unpaid leave for up to 45 days. Any employees who have not registered their fully vaccinated status in the Vax Max portal by the end of the 45-day period will be consulted with by their supervisor and HR representative regarding next steps.

We are taking this action as a university to ensure the safety of everyone on our campuses as well as allowing us to have an on-campus experience with fewer safety restrictions. Your cooperation is appreciated and essential to accomplishing this goal.

Also, a reminder that if you are feeling sick, even with a case of the sniffles, you should not come to campus and you should get tested for COVID-19. The Department of Health is reporting that people who are vaccinated are presenting mild cold-like symptoms and testing positive for COVID-19.

If you are vaccinated and exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 you should get tested 3-5 days after exposure and wear a mask until you receive negative test result. You do not need to quarantine if you are vaccinated, but you should wear a mask for 3-5 days even if you are symptom-free. If you test positive for COVID-19 or if you develop symptoms of COVID-19 you need to quarantine for 10 days.

Also, if you are exposed to COVID-19 by a person living with you in your house you need to get tested 3-5 days after exposure (when the individual tested positive) and wear a mask and quarantine for 10 days regardless of vaccination status.

Click here for links to the FAQs, policy, and other helpful information.

It is important to remember that we are in this pandemic together and it is in our best interest and the best interest of the greater NSU community that we provide a safe and thriving environment for everyone. Shark Nation deserves it. Do your part today. Fins Up!

NSU Faculty Members Named Top Black Educators of 2021

Désir

Duhart

Nova Southeastern University’s Charlene Desir and Olympia Duhart were recently named among Legacy South Florida magazine’s Top Black Educators of 2021.

Duhart, J.D., serves at the director of legal research and writing and professor of law at NSU’s Shepard Broad College of Law. Duhart, who earned her Juris Doctorate as a magna cum laude at NSU in 2003, was founding member of the Critical Skills Program at NSU before joining the faculty at the university.

Her scholarship focuses on government accountability for historically marginalized groups of people. She has published extensively on Hurricane Katrina survivors, and has most recently written about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among veterans and members of the military.

Charlene Désir, Ed.D., a full professor at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, received her doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2006. Désir’s academic interest is in the social, psychological, and spiritual adjustment of immigrant students, schools’ social curriculum, and psycho-social trauma occurring in schools.

She was the 2012 president of the Haitian Studies Association. She has developed cultural literacy projects in Haiti, and for immigrant children in the United States.

Legacy South Florida magazine is a publication serving South Florida’s Black community with insightful articles and information on business, careers, politics, education, culture and social commentary. It is published by M•I•A Media Group LLC, one of the nation’s largest Black publishers of its kind, with more than one million readers bi-monthly.

Established in 2004, M•I•A’s publications are distributed through the Miami Herald and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspapers.

NSU Outfielder Adan Fernandez Makes All-Region First Team

The accolades continue to roll in for Nova Southeastern University baseball’s second-year junior outfielder, Adan Fernandez, as officials from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) announced his selection among the association’s ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-Region First Team. This marks the third All-Region nod this season for the Miramar native and second first-team honor – also the first for the Sharks since 2018.

See full story

NSU Research Focuses on Elusive, Vulnerable Big Cat: The Leopard

Credit: Nikolay-Zinoviev

The majestic leopard – the only great cat species (Genus Panthera) to roam about both Africa and Asia today – is classified as highly vulnerable by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). An international team involving scientists from Nova Southeastern University (NSU), Nottingham Trent University, the University of Cambridge, University of Leicester in U.K. and the University of Potsdam in Germany hope to improve that status.

Because of its elusive nature, and its adaptation to multiple landscapes (rain forest, savannah, deserts and mountain sides) an accurate estimation of their global census has not been possible.

Using the latest technologies of population ecology and molecular evolution, researchers sampled the genome DNA sequence of 23 individual leopards from eight geographically separated subspecies locales. Ancient DNA sequences for 18 archival specimens along with five living leopards were combined to refine our understanding of the leopard’s movements, population reductions, divergence and isolation, and over the past half million years.

The new study was published in Current Biology in May.

 “This study changes everything about genetic contributions to conservation management of the world’s leopards, particularly the highly threatened Amur leopard,” said Stephen J. O’Brien, Ph.D., a professor and research scientist in NSU’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, who is a collaborating author and also led the genetic analyses the Florida panther restoration two decades ago.

O’Brien, is also the Chief Scientific Officer at the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, Russia, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

See full story.

A Message from the President: Updates on NSU Vaccination Policies

As always, my main goal and concern is the health, safety, and welfare of NSU students, faculty, and staff. NSU was hoping for the ability to require vaccinations where possible to further protect the NSU community. However, due to a new Florida law, NSU is unable to maintain such a policy. NSU always follows the letter and spirit of the law and we must do that as the law goes into effect on July 1, 2021.

Therefore, we are NOT requiring vaccinations for NSU students, faculty, and staff, as was announced back on April 1, before the legislation was passed. Nonetheless, with additional safeguards in place, NSU has its best opportunity to return to normalcy this fall.

The Florida law permits purely voluntary vaccine programs. In fact, it is the policy of the state to encourage voluntary vaccinations as the governor and the Florida Department of Health (DOH) made millions of doses of all three vaccines available throughout the state so far this year. The governor and DOH made voluntary vaccine dispensing locations very convenient for anyone over 16 years of age to receive the inoculations. More than nine million Floridians (and more than 147 million Americans) have already received at least one dose.

NSU applauds the governor and the state for this mammoth effort to protect so many of our fellow citizens. Additionally, NSU has sites not only on our Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus but also at select regional campuses where you can receive the vaccine easily and conveniently. If you would like to make an appointment to get vaccinated, click here.

Like the state of Florida, we are striving for a high voluntary vaccination rate for the NSU community to enable NSU’s campuses to return to normalcy this fall, which is everyone’s wish. According to recent reports, the higher the vaccination rate, the lower the mitigation measures that are required.

We have developed a voluntary program called NSU Vax Max to encourage the whole NSU community to voluntarily receive the vaccine on or before August 1. The NSU Vax Max program is designed to help us reach a voluntary, aspirational goal of 100% of those who can receive the vaccine. We will set a minimum threshold—based on our best assessments of public health guidelines—of 80% of our on-campus students who have reported that they were voluntarily vaccinated in order to return to normalcy this fall on each of NSU’s campuses. The vaccination rate will be measured for each campus separately.

The NSU Vax Max program will call for purely voluntary disclosure with supporting documentation that the student has been fully vaccinated, so NSU may calculate the percentage of the on-campus NSU student community reaching this goal. Upon achieving this threshold for voluntary vaccination status on or before August 1, we can then return to campus this fall with that feeling of normalcy that everyone wants so desperately.

If we achieve this 80% threshold, a “return to normalcy” means:

  • Safety screening protocols to protect public health require everyone in the NSU community to either wear a mask in class, social gatherings, and at any University event, or provide voluntary admission that they have been vaccinated.
  • In-person classes will return in greater numbers with less need for masks and distancing;
  • Social gatherings and university events can occur much more freely;
  • We can eat together on campus as it was pre-COVID-19;
  • The Taft University Center, our regional campuses, and other NSU facilities and programs will be able to host in-person cultural and educational events and other activities;
  • Your favorite NSU clubs, organizations, and social events will be vibrant and active again; and
  • Intercollegiate, intramural, and club sports will be able to operate more fully.

I believe our NSU Vax Max voluntary program goal is achievable. We can meet this threshold if NSU on-campus students and others in the NSU community—who are able and willing to receive the vaccine—will do so and voluntarily let us know so we can reach the vaccination goal.

Click here to voluntarily report your vaccination status. It is quick and easy.

  • This link will be open to all NSU students, faculty, and staff, but it is the on-campus student community whose voluntary vaccination rate will help us meet the threshold for returning to normalcy this fall. The threshold will be measured at each of our campus locations individually.
  • You can choose to report your voluntary vaccination status. It is your choice if you wish to keep that private, for NSU information only, or to share it more publicly.
  • Once you voluntarily report your vaccination status, it will allow NSU to authorize your N-number for a designation on your SharkCard this fall. It will be that designation (among on-campus students) that will count towards the threshold target of 80% and, once met, allow normalcy to return to greet a new academic year.
  • The NSU Vax Max program does not require you to participate in any way—it is strictly your choice—and no adverse action of any kind will be taken against you if you choose not to participate in this voluntary program to achieve on-campus normalcy through voluntary vaccination.
  • Any NSU student, faculty or staff member choosing on a voluntary basis not to disclose their vaccination status will be assumed by NSU to be unvaccinated.

If NSU does not reach the voluntary threshold goal of 80% through the NSU Vax Max program by August 1, the campus will maintain its current mitigation measures to best protect the health, safety, and welfare of our students, faculty, and staff.

I believe we can do it. We can get to, and even exceed, that 80% threshold of voluntarily vaccinated on-campus students by August 1 and return to the in-person learning environment and on-campus lifestyle we all treasure and miss so much. I will keep you posted should circumstances or regulations change.

 

A Message from the President: Countdown to May Graduations

Our plan to honor our 2021 graduates at the Hard Rock Stadium was designed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our students, families, faculty, and staff members. I am pleased to inform you that we will move forward with the commencement ceremonies and I’m glad that we will be able to celebrate together in-person and online worldwide.
The dates for the ceremonies and access to the day-of livestream via web will be available at: nova.edu/commencement.

Along with this good news, I must also share the bad news, which is that the positivity rates in the state of Florida overall—as well as the individual rates in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties—are ranging between 7 and 8.25 percent, which is well above the 5 percent rate we had all hoped for back in January. The safety of all participants is our paramount concern, so we must limit the number of guests at the in-person commencement ceremonies.

After consulting with our NSU health care experts, we will be capping the maximum number of guests each graduate may invite to up to 4 people and each graduate’s guests will be seated together in their own respective “pod” to maintain social distancing. In line with CDC guidelines, such as wearing a face covering, pods will be spaced out with at least 6 feet of distance between them. Concessions cannot be offered due to the high positivity rate, so all attendees should plan accordingly. We will make complimentary bottled water available, as well as full-length ponchos for the graduates in the event of inclement weather. Access to public areas, such as restrooms, will be carefully managed to allow for social distancing.

This last year has been difficult, and I look forward to celebrating our new Shark graduates’ accomplishments. While we cannot accommodate unlimited guests as originally intended, I am delighted that we can celebrate your achievements together, in the presence of family and friends worldwide via livestream.

A Message from the President: NSU Sharks Return to Campus This Fall; Vaccinations Required

Because of your continued efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 and the availability of vaccines generally throughout the state and specifically to NSU by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, NSU intends to resume full in-person classroom learning for the fall 2021 semester/term.

We reached this decision after careful planning and consultation with our health care and operational professionals to ensure that we can indeed return to healthy campuses with appropriate safety precautions in place while implementing new guidelines.

As such, we will continue to follow CDC guidelines and our existing rules (modified as stated below) which follow these guidelines, and advice from our own medical professionals and public health experts. In addition, the availability of the vaccine will enable us to return to a “partial pre-pandemic” environment if we adopt a stringent requirement that all be vaccinated.

In summary, the following announcement is for all students, faculty, and staff members:

• ALL NSU STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF RETURNING TO ANY NSU CAMPUS OR NSU SITE FOR THE FALL 2021 SEMESTER/TERM ARE REQUIRED TO BE FULLY VACCINATED FOR COVID-19 EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2021 (effective JULY 1, 2021 for some Health Professions Division programs, please check with your program director). In the next few weeks, we will produce a formal policy to provide for limited exemptions as recognized under law for students or employees with underlying medical conditions that prohibit vaccination or who have sincerely held religious beliefs (not personal beliefs). A detailed policy will follow in advance of the effective dates, outlining a process for providing your proof of vaccination, as well as how to request consideration for a limited exemption.
• With the extra protection of widespread vaccination, the NSU community will be able to resume more activities and operations sooner, leading to a more engaged educational and professional experience. To help everyone learn more about vaccines and have your questions or concerns addressed by NSU medical and health care experts, we will be offering a series of Zoom-based “Shark Talk” sessions beginning this spring and shared through all of NSU’s communications channels.
• To make it even more convenient for the NSU community to receive vaccinations, NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie location is now an official NSU vaccination site, designated and supplied by the Florida Department of Health in Broward County. Any NSU student or employee who is eligible (18+ as of April 5 in Florida) is able to make an appointment online. We continue to cooperate with the State to try to help make vaccinations accessible to NSU students and workers at our regional locations as well, and all NSU students, faculty and staff members are welcome to get their vaccine here at NSU Fort Lauderdale/Davie or through their many local vaccination sites.
• NSU will also keep in place the sanitization protocols that we implemented at the start of the pandemic, including the use of ionization filters that have been installed across our campuses in high-traffic areas.
• NSU dining, sports, and recreation will also resume more of their pre-pandemic, in-person activities and services this fall, while always following the current CDC guidance for safeguarding public health.
• Beginning this fall, BlendFlex capabilities will still exist here at NSU but will no longer be the main “platform” for most classes. Rather, BlendFlex may be an option for some on-ground classes, but only for use under special circumstances or as part of existing hybrid or online program delivery modalities. That said, as was done pre-pandemic, some of our professional undergraduate degrees and many of our graduate programs may continue to offer BlendFlex, hybrid, and/or fully online delivery this fall, while others—particularly those with licensing or clinical requirements—may mandate in-person attendance. Check with your academic adviser if you have questions about your program.
• For NSU employees who may currently be working under the university’s remote work provision, your supervisor will reach out in the weeks ahead to discuss the best arrangements for the summer and fall. Remember: NSU students and employees who will spend any time on our campuses or at our sites beginning this fall are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as of August 1.
The pandemic has presented many challenges over the last year, and we came together to adapt—I am truly proud of the NSU community. It is thanks to your vigilance that we have remained free from significant outbreaks this year.
We have been through a lot together, and I personally look forward to welcoming everyone back to classes and activities on our campuses again this fall.
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