Legacy 2014 South Florida: Education Issue | Page 6

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AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2014

Florida Atlantic University – Proud to be the Most Diverse University in the State of Florida
Written by Dr. Mia Y. Merritt
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is one
of the fastest growing universities in South
Florida with a rich 50-year history that
serves a diverse student body population in race, culture and age. Dr. John W.
Kelly, who was unanimously named the
7th President/CEO of FAU in January of
this year (2014), has a large vision for the
university and brings with him a plethora of
experience in higher education.
Prior to FAU, Dr. Kelly was Vice President for over 17 years having wide-ranging
responsibilities that included policy setting,
strategic planning, hiring strategies, communication and budgeting. He oversaw 12
campuses and centers in a variety of South
Carolina locations and supervised more
than 900 employees with an annual budget
of $90 million. He was also co-leader of the
Clemson University Center for Workforce
Development. Needless-to-say, Dr. Kelly is
no stranger to higher education.
He proudly boasts of Florida Atlantic
University being one of the fastest moving
colleges in the State of Florida serving a diverse audience of over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students providing

Dr. John W. Kelly, President/CEO FAU

degrees for bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral
and postdoctoral levels. The university
has campuses in Boca Raton, Davie, Dania

Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter and Fort
Pierce and offers more than 180 degree
programs. FAU ranks as the most racially,
ethnically and culturally diverse institution
in Florida’s State University System and
is ranked 27th for diversity in the United
States according to U.S. News & World
Report. Forty-nine percent of the students are members of minority groups or
have come from abroad, creating a richly
varied college community that offers great
benefits to everyone. Dr. Kelly also takes
pride in the fact that FAU is classified as a
“High Research Activity University” by the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching.
Dr. Kelly and the FAU staff work very
closely with the school system and high
schools and are dedicated to the multifaceted mission of delivering the best in higher
education, research, creative activities and
community service. In an effort to prepare
high school students for college, FAU has
implemented a summer ‘Get Ready for College’ Program called Jump Start designed to
prepare and pre-enroll borderline students.
The program teaches fundamental, yet
pivotal “soft” skills needed to be successful in college and in life, including but not

limited to study skills, time management,
choosing a major, effective writing, prioritysetting, etc. As long as students maintain a
C average and pass the program, they can
transition to becoming part of the academic student body at FAU. The program has
proven to be a successful one with around
80% of the students completing and transitioning to college.
FAU is not only concerned with ensuring
that students graduate, but that they secure good jobs that turn into good careers
after graduation. Dr. Kelly understands that
soft skills are just as important as technical skills in order to be successful on a job.
In other words, can the individual work in
teams? Do they know when to lead and
when to follow? Do they have the wherewithal to fail, but still persevere? Do they
have good time management? Do they
understand diversity in terms of people and
where they come from? FAU remains cognizant that their students learn, are exposed
to, and are able to effectively apply these
skills appropriately, which is why they cater
to the “whole” student.
To learn more about Florida Atlantic
University, visit www.fau.edu.

Nova President/CEO is Leaving a Legacy
By Dr. Mia Y. Merritt
As the sixth President/CEO of Nova
Southeastern University (NSU), Dr. George
L. Hanbury II makes it widely known that
his goal throughout his career has always
been to leave a legacy. He quotes, “At NSU,
that legacy will be, realizing the Vision 2020
promise to be recognized by accrediting
agencies, the academic community, and
the general public as a premier, private,
not-for-profit university of quality and
distinction that engages all students and
produces alumni who serve with integrity
in their lives, fields of study, and resulting
careers.”
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is
the largest private not-for-profit university in South Florida with 26,000 students
and a beautiful 314-acre main campus in
suburban Fort Lauderdale; but quality is
about more than size. College readiness is
a challenge that all universities face today,
so NSU has raised its academic standards
in recent years, which has resulted in a
better prepared class of students who
will