Tag: H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship

College of Business and Entrepreneurship Honors New Hall of Famers

The H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship held its 35th annual Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame on Oct. 27 at the Rick Case Arena, celebrating the entrepreneurial prowess of three additional “movers and shakers” in the South Florida regional business community.

This year’s honorees reflect South Florida’s incredible business vitality, driven by wealth migration, a strong job market, profitable businesses, and promising startups. Through this event and numerous academic and research efforts, the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship provides its students with meaningful exposure to business leaders, mentors, and alumni that can help them grow into effective leaders.

The Hall of Fame has historically celebrated the achievements and contributions of influential business leaders. Among its past recipients have been Rita Case, Guy Harvey, Terry Stiles, and H. Wayne Huizenga.

This year’s inductees:

Thomas M. McDonald moved from Ohio to Florida in 1979 and began his career at Craven Thompson & Associates, Inc. as its chief financial officer. In 1986, McDonald became president of the firm, which engages in a various land development projects including commercial, industrial, and residential projects, as well as public infrastructure projects. McDonald and his wife, Vickie, founded the McDonald Family Foundation, which supports charities associated with children’s issues and disadvantaged people in our community. The McDonalds established “The McDonald Family Endowed Scholarship Fund” in 2013 at NSU.

John E. Miller moved to South Florida from New York in 1973 and attended the University of Florida from 1980 to 1983, focusing on broadcast journalism, advertising, and business administration. In 2005, John founded Hutton Miller, LLC, a brand-building marketing firm that would achieve more than $4 billion in worldwide product sales, consistently awarded for its creativity, and hit campaigns for a diversity of clients. Miller supports charities such as the Boca West Foundation, Bound for College, Place of Hope, and the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Daniella Ortiz first came to the U.S. in 1999 from Argentina to pursue her MBA at NSU. She and her husband, Alfredo, started Daniella Ortiz, a high-end handbag and jewelry line, in 2005. Since opening their flagship boutique on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Daniella has partnered with more than 100 nonprofits around the country and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, American Cancer Association, JAFCO, several hospitals, and shelters for abused women and children.

Monthly Hispanic Celebration Comes to Life Through Alumna’s Personal Story

Amanda Conde

Alumna Amanda Conde at graduation

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month is a time of pride for Nova Southeastern University – the largest private university in the U.S. that meets the U.S. Department of Education criteria as a Hispanic-serving institution. It’s also a time of reflection for NSU alumna Amanda Conde, a first-generation American.

“This month is a celebration of who I am and where I come from,” said Conde, a graduate of the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship. “It holds special meaning, symbolizing my culture and the resilience it has instilled in me.”

To mark the month, NSU’s Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council is promoting several Hispanic-themed events featuring music, dance, food, and guest lectures being offered across the university community. Among them:

  • Sept. 1-Oct. 20: “Figuration in Latino American Art” exhibit at Sherman Library
  • Sept. 30:  The Future of Spanglish – A roundtable presentation and discussion
  • Oct. 10: Marinera Forever – Peruvian Dance and Cultural Fest at Sherman Library
Amanda with her mother and father

Amanda with her mother and father

Calling herself a “tri-citizen” born in Cuba, moving to Spain during her early childhood, then coming to the United States, Amanda sees this month as a time to reflect on the importance of her family and their support.

“Being an immigrant family, we never had a lot, but my parents made sure to give me everything they had and more,” Amanda said. “They worked extremely hard to guarantee we had a home, food, clothes, and a good education.”

That same work ethic was instilled in Amanda, who put herself through NSU with the help of scholarships and a full-time job. She earned her finance degree in 2023, her MBA in 2024, and was recently offered a job at Morgan Stanley.

“My parents told me to always give 100% in anything I did because no one else would do it for me,” she said. “I was able to get this done because of them.”

Student Develops Appetite for Business Based on Dips

When it comes to personal heroes, role models or mentors, NSU finance student Sean Mungin reaches into a grab bag of influences.

Leading the pack, says the budding entrepreneur at the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, are his father, John, a project management consultant, and mother, Stacey, a sales operation/administrative services manager.

“If life is a ladder, then both my parents started fairly close to the bottom and have made a climb that has allowed me to start closer to the top,” he said. “I want to do the same for my children.”

Mungin is the owner and operator of “Dips4You,” a company he developed through the Huizenga Business and Innovation Academy. Dips4You offers dips that combine the flavors of appetizers, entrees and desserts. It’s essentially a full-course dipping experience. Among his flavors are buffalo and garlic parmesan chicken, cheesecake (Oreo, pumpkin, strawberry), garlic hummus and spinach dip. Mungin sells his product at NSU’s Shark Cage on Fridays. He also does some catering.

The vision for Dips4You began in February 2023, when Mungin handed out samples in his dorm room. Once he found a few loyal foodies, he officially started the business in September 2023. Since then, sales have been solid.

“Dips4You generated $6,000 in revenue in its first semester and has preorders for $6,000 in its second semester,” he said.

The academy has proved an unexpected plus for Mungin, who had been searching for a major that would fuel his desire to create a business.

“I was never a big fan of school, so I knew I did not want to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer or computer scientist,” he said. “I chose my major with the knowledge that the entire world runs on business as well as finance. I realized that the only way I could sustain my life with my passions was by monetizing them through businesses.”

Mungin ultimately wants to start selling his product at farmer’s markets, then food trucks at festivals, nightclubs and sporting events. He wants his brand to be recognized by all major sports leagues and business schools across America and major festivals such as Art Basel and Coachella,

Mungin says he wants to be a serial entrepreneur and innovator. He wants to position himself where he can develop ideas and form teams of experts to execute them. He acknowledges it’s a big dream, but that’s part of the process – turning ambitions into accomplishments.

Wonder Women Hold Annual Panel and Scholarship Event

Yabsera Negussie

Yabsera Negussie

To close out Women’s History Month, on March 25, the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business & Entrepreneurship’s Women’s Success Series in partnership with the NSU Center for Academic and Professional Success and Office of Student Success held its fifth annual NSU Wonder Women panel and scholarship award program in the Alvin Sherman Library’s Cotilla Gallery.

An inspiring panel of female business leaders in a variety of industries was moderated by NSU’s Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing, and Creative Services Kyle Fisher. The panelists were:

  • Katina Brown-Burgess, D.O., obstetrician/gynecologist and assistant professor in NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine.
  • Tamara Chase, roofing contractor, chief executive officer of Chase Roofing and owner of Shine Fort Lauderdale Window Cleaning.
  • Carmen Rodriguez, director of NSU’s Marine Environmental Education Center.

The panel spoke about a variety of topics and offered students advice on the challenges of work-life balance, power dynamics, and being one’s authentic self. The event concluded with networking.

From left, Carmen Rodriguez and Tamara Chase, Wonder Woman awardee Yabsera Negussie, Katina Brown-Burgess, Kyle Fisher and Niemah Butler

Panelists Carmen Rodriguez and Tamara Chase, Wonder Woman awardee Yabsera Negussie, Katina Brown-Burgess, Kyle Fisher and Niemah Butler. The highlight of the evening was the naming of the 2024 undergraduate wonder woman scholarship winner, Yabsera Negussie, a behavioral neuroscience major, an Honors College student, and a first-year Razor’s Edge Leadership scholar.

In second place was Alexandra Hernandez, an international studies major with minors in medical humanities, communication and business. Third place went to Sanjana Anathula, a biology major and Honors College student who is on the Honors College Advisory Board.

The winner of the Wonder Women Award received a $500 scholarship. Second- and third-place winners received a $300 and $200 scholarship, respectively.

Posted 04/09/24

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

Student Social Entrepreneurs Support Project in Nigeria

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:

  • CEO Maria Asimopoulou, an entrepreneurship major from Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Rohalio Krigger, an entrepreneurship major from Lauderhill, Fla.
  • Marlyn Santana Rosa, a finance major from the Dominican Republic
  • Alma Rivera-Brizo, a finance major from Miami, Fla.
  • Amanda Levy, a business management major from New York
  • Simbarashe Mtasa, a business management major from Harare, Zimbabwe

“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

NSU Online Programs Climb in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Several of NSU’s online programs moved up in this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The Master’s in Information Technology program jumped 14 spots to rank 27th out of 92 programs surveyed. The Master’s in Nursing program ranks 86th out of 186 programs surveyed across the nation.

Other programs climbed in the Best Online Program rankings:

  • The MBA program moved up 19 spots, from No. 220 to No. 201.
  • The Master’s in Business program jumped 10 spots, from No. 144 to No. 134.
  • The Master’s in Criminal Justice program gained five places, moving from No. 54 to No. 49.

An early adopter of online education, NSU has had programs annually recognized as among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. Programs are evaluated on factors such as services and technologies, student engagement, and faculty credentials.

Find out more on the 2024 rankings.

Posted 02/18/24

NSU Celebrates Legacy of Carl DeSantis at Anniversary Event

Carl DeSantis’ son Damon address the crowd at the anniversary ceremony.

The H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship paid a special tribute on Dec. 16 to the late Carl DeSantis during a 20th anniversary celebration of the Nova Southeastern University building named in his honor.

For more than two decades, DeSantis was instrumental in moving NSU forward as a highly respected higher education institution when it comes to educating future business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Born in Massachusetts and raised in Florida, DeSantis was a lifelong entrepreneur with a natural flair for business and marketing. He launched Sundown Vitamins in his garage and built it from a mail order company into the world’s largest vitamin manufacturer. The company would later become Rexall Sundown, growing into a Fortune 100 company while revolutionizing the health supplements industry.

In 2000, Rexall Sundown was sold for $1.8 billion. DeSantis immediately began to invest in—and pioneer—a series of companies while also continuing to be a passionate philanthropist. DeSantis was inducted into NSU’s Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2002, DeSantis pledged a leading gift to the campaign to relocate NSU’s business college from a small off-site space to a 261,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility on the NSU Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus. In January 2004, the Carl DeSantis Building was opened as the home of the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship (HCBE).

Among those on hand for the anniversary celebration were HCBE Dean Andrew Rosman, NSU President George L. Hanbury II, Provost Ronald J. Chenail, Dean Emeritus Randy Pohlman, Carl’s son Damon, Carl’s daughter Debbie, event co-chair Arlene Pecora of the Signature Grand, and Jeff Perlman of CDS International Holdings.

Posted 01/14/24

Business Professor Receives Fulbright Specialist Award to Indonesia

The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have announced that NSU’s Rita Shea-Van Fossen has received a Fulbright Specialist Program award. Shea-Van Fossen will complete a project at Universitas Katolik Santo Agustinus Hippo in Indonesia that aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions and communities in the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities within Business Administration

Rita Shea-Van Fossen, Ph.D.

Shea-Van Fossen is one of more than 400 U.S. citizens who share expertise with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program each year. Recipients of Fulbright Specialist awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbrighters address critical global issues in all disciplines, while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 60 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 88 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 39 who have served as a head of state or government.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.

Posted 01/14/24

NSU Receives Approval by Top University Accrediting Body

Dr. Belle Wheelan, President of SACSCOC with NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II

Nova Southeastern University received notification from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) that our Fifth-Year Interim Report has been successfully accepted with no additional reporting requested.

SACSCOC is the body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices primarily among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees.

The Commission also accepts applications for membership from domestic institutions in the other 39 states, as well as international institutions of higher education around the world.

Congratulations to all for this recognition of NSU as a preeminent university of quality and distinction!

Posted 12/05/23

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