Nova Southeastern University Again Ranked the Top Producer of African American Doctorates

July 29, 2003

Contact:
Jennifer Meriam, Director (954) 262-5355
Mike Laderman, Associate Director, (954) 262-5354
Mara Kiffin, Coordinator, (954) 262-5350

Beverly Williams Glover, Ed.D., from Macon, Georgia is congratulated during the commencement ceremony. "NSU provided me with the opportunity to attain my advanced degree and offered me the finest technology possible to conduct my research," she said.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—Nova Southeastern University is once again the number one producer of African American doctorates among both traditionally white institutions and historically Black colleges and universities, and the number one producer of African-American doctorates in the discipline of education, based on survey results published in the July 3, 2003 edition of Black Issues in Higher Education. NSU also ranked No. 2 as a producer of Hispanic doctorates in education.

In ranking number one, NSU awarded a total of 89 doctorate degrees to African Americans (all disciplines combined), and Howard University, Washington, D.C., ranked second with a total of 82.

The data, which comes from the U.S. Department of Education, was collected through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) program completers survey conducted by the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The data is based on degrees awarded between July 1, 2001 and July 30, 2002.

According to NSU president Ray Ferrero, Jr., one reason NSU is a leader in educating minorities is because the university provides programs at times and locations that attract working professionals.

“The mission of the university is to provide top quality education at times and places that are convenient for the students,” he explains. “By doing that we provide opportunities for working minority and majority students who otherwise could not further their education. Every time we start a non-traditional program, where it affords opportunities for people who are either place-bound or time-bound because of their jobs or their families, minorities are attracted to those programs. We saw it when we started an evening division of the law school. In the field of graduate teacher education, there's been a significant growth in the number of African Americans and Hispanic Americans who have gone on to get their master's and doctorate degrees because they can continue to work. I think if you afford people the opportunity to learn, they'll respond, they'll do well and then they'll succeed.”

Jamaican-born entrepreneur Allan Cunningham of Sunrise, who received his doctorate of business administration from NSU earlier this year, agrees that the university's flexible program offerings were a factor in his decision to continue his education. As the CEO of his own business consulting company, First Advantage Group, Cunningham wanted a doctoral program that offered practical solutions to real business situations.

“The university has a wide selection of interesting programs, and they offered International Management, which I wanted to specialize in,” he says. “NSU also has a high tech library that made it very easy for me to conduct my research.”

Allan Cunningham, D.B.A.

In addition to ranking the No. 2 producer of Hispanic doctorates in education, NSU was ranked second in three other categories. The university was the No. 2 producer of:

Total minority doctorate degrees in business
Hispanic master's degrees (all disciplines combined)
African-American master's degrees in education.

NSU also ranked as the No. 3 producer of Hispanic master's in two disciplines: business and education. The university also ranked as the No. 4 producer of Hispanic doctorate degrees in health science and related professions, Hispanic first professional degrees (all disciplines combined), and African American master's degrees (all disciplines combined).

Nova Southeastern University, with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale, is the largest independent institution of higher education in the southeast United States, and the 12th largest nationally. It awards associates, 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 NSU, call 800-541-NOVA, or visit www.nova.edu