February 4, 2004

Contact:
Jennifer Meriam, Director (954) 262-5355
Mara Kiffin, Coordinator, (954) 262-5350
Elizabeth Ninomiya, Writer, (954) 262-5309

NSU Chosen As Site Of New International Headquarters For Distance Education Consortium

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Nova Southeastern University has been chosen as the site for the new international ;headquarters of the Inter-American Distance Education Consortium (CREAD). CREAD, which is relocating from Pennsylvania State University, will now have its offices at NSU's Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services.

"Nova Southeastern University is pleased that CREAD has chosen NSU as its new home," said Ray Ferrero, Jr., president of Nova Southeastern University. "The missions of NSU and CREAD are aligned - ensuring students across the globe have access to quality distance education."
NSU is well known for innovation and quality in both traditional and distance education, offering degree programs in 22 states, in addition to Florida, and 10 foreign countries. The university serves large numbers of adult students, plus a growing population of traditional undergraduates, and is the 10th largest private, not-for-profit university in the U.S. To date, the institution has produced approximately 74,000 alumni.

"It is fitting for other institutions to have the opportunity to host the Consortium, and NSU offers us a wonderful setting for growth," said Patricia Avila, president of CREAD. Since CREAD's establishment as an independent organization in 1994, institutional collaborations have become its keystone. It was created in 1990 by three important international agencies: the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE), and the Organization of American States (OAS).

H. Wells Singleton, Ph.D., Education Provost and University Dean said, "NSU's Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services fully shares CREAD's mission to develop Inter-American distance education through inter-institutional cooperation, resource sharing and partnerships. The close alliance with CREAD complements our commitment to developing international programs."

CREAD is a member-driven and non-governmental, not-for-profit organization and has a membership of 125 institutional and more than 200 individual members. In its relatively short history, CREAD has participated in important projects with organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization of American States, the World Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization. It operates in four official European languages used across the Americas (English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French) and has organized, with the assistance of its members, conferences and training activities in practically all the American countries, as well as in Spain.

Armando Villarroel, Ph.D., CREAD executive director, indicated that CREAD will keep growing and deepening its relationships from its new home at NSU. "We will all continue pursuing our mission and we will be in a strategic location close to Latin America, where many of our members are located," stated Villarroel.

"This strengthened and renewed partnership with NSU enhances the commitment CREAD has to develop and support its membership and provide them with the most current and innovative resources in distance education and professional development," added Villarroel. "It is CREAD's goal to cooperatively share products, processes and learning resources, to develop workshops, and to plan conferences by tapping the quality distance education capabilities and expertise of NSU."
CREAD can be contacted, effective immediately, at:

CREAD Executive Office at Nova Southeastern University
The Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
1750 NE 167th Street
North Miami Beach, FL 33162-7829
Tel: 954-262-7829
Fax: 954-262-3826
E-Mail: villarro@nsu.nova.edu
Internet: www.cread.org

Nova Southeastern University, with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and student educational centers in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, West Palm Beach, and Jacksonville, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada, is the largest independent institution of higher education in the Southeast, and the 10th largest nationally. It awards bachelor's, master's, educational specialist, doctoral, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, psychology, and other social sciences. The university also offers 16 undergraduate majors through the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. For more information about Nova Southeastern University, visit www.nova.edu.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In order to avoid brand confusion, please use "Nova Southeastern University" or "NSU" when referring to the university. Referring to NSU as "Nova" may confuse our school with another university with a similar name and/or with the Nova Public Schools in the Broward County School District. Thank you.