November 28, 2007
Media Contacts:
Lourdes Rodriguez-Barrera
Nova Southeastern University
Office of Public Affairs
Phone: 954-262-5309
Email: rodrlour@nova.edu
Cindy Schutt PR
Broward Community College Foundation
Phone: 954-757-2622
Nova Southeastern University Donates $500,000 for Scholarships to Broward Community College Foundation
Fort Lauderdale – Davie, Fla. - Nova Southeastern University (NSU) announced today a gift in the amount of $500,000 to the Broward Community College Foundation. Funds from the donation will be used to establish scholarships for selected high achieving students who complete their associate’s degree at Broward Community College (BCC) and then transfer to NSU.
The gift, which sets the tone for a unique partnership agreement between NSU and BCC, represents NSU President Ray Ferrero’s commitment to reducing the financial obstacles for students that are associated with college tuition, and make graduation from a four-year private university attainable. The agreement, known as the NSU Transfer Scholarship Fund, will be administered by BCC’s Office of Student Financial Services and will be awarded on an annual basis to selected students who are accepted and enroll at NSU.
“As an independent, not-for-profit institution of higher learning, NSU strives to provide equal access to quality education for deserving students,” said NSU President Ray Ferrero, Jr., JD. “It gives me great pleasure to make it possible to enhance the educational opportunities for students who might otherwise be unable to meet their educational goals due to financial road blocks. This agreement opens the doors for approximately 50 BCC students graduating this spring who dream of obtaining a four-year college degree.”
To qualify for the transfer scholarship consideration, students must complete their associate’s degree entirely at BCC with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and be accepted to a bachelor’s program at NSU. Additionally, these students must have applied for federal, state and other student financial aid, and the Florida Resident Access Grant and still demonstrate a supplemental financial need to pay for tuition. Preference is given to qualifying honors students who are Florida residents, Bright Futures scholars, and those who are pursuing degrees in nursing, sciences, education and other professions with critical shortages.
“More than 70 percent of BCC students face financial barriers, which make it difficult for them to cover tuition expenses to complete a four-year degree,” said Nancy Botero, executive director of the BCC Foundation. “The gift from NSU will make it possible for many students to overcome these financial hurdles. The partnership also enables NSU to recruit our Honors Institute students and prepare them to step into critical shortage professions. This is a win for BCC, NSU and the community. We applaud NSU for its entrepreneurial excellence and NSU President Ferrero for his vision.”
Botero added that the gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Florida’s Dr. Phillip Benjamin Matching Program increasing the transfer scholarship fund significantly.
The first graduates to benefit from this grant will begin at NSU in the fall of 2008.
About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University is a dynamic fully accredited institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs of distinction from preschool through the professional and doctoral levels. NSU has more than 26,000 students and is the sixth largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally. The university awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, early childhood, psychology and other social sciences. For more information, visit www.nova.edu.
About the BCC Foundation: The mission of the Broward Community College Foundation is to support the college by providing advocacy, community awareness, financial support to the college, its students, faculty, and staff. Led by its Board of Directors, the Foundation raises funds, conducts programs and practices stewardship that increases the effectiveness of the college in meeting community, student, faculty, and staff needs. For more information or to make a donation, call 954-201-7414.
About Broward Community College: Broward Community College is a large urban higher education institution serving a diverse population of more than 55,000 students annually. For more than 40 years the mission of the college has been to change lives through education by providing county residents with quality education programs that are affordable and accessible. The college offers two-year university-transfer Associate in Arts degrees, two-year technical/career Associate in Science degrees, and certificate programs in several technical specialties. For more information, visit www.broward.edu.
