NSU is Student Centered
NSU's Student Educational Centers Expand with Increased Enrollment
SEC’s Create a College and Academic Experience Similar to the Main Campus
When Jacqueline Lacal receives her Pharm. D. from Nova Southeastern University's College of Pharmacy in June 2012, her educational experience will have been just a bit different, yet just as rewarding, as those of her classmates at the main campus in Davie. By the time she graduates, Lacal will have attended classes, participated in student government, enjoyed extracurricular activities, and gathered her collegiate memories from the Palm Beach Student Educational Center, one of NSU's seven centers.
Drive on any major interstate in Florida and you'll see signs pointing to NSU's Student Educational Centers (SECs) in Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa. NSU also has an SEC in Nassau, Bahamas. Enrollment at each SEC ranges from 500 to 3,000 students who are pursuing bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees. Courses are offered in anesthesiologist assistant, pharmacy, business, education, mental health counseling, psychology, nursing, criminal justice, physician assistant, interdisciplinary arts, and more.
"What we've done is create a college and academic experience that is as close as possible to our main campus," said Joe Pepe, Ed.D., interim executive director for NSU's Student Educational Centers and the regional director of the Fort Myers SEC. The SECs serve students using microcomputer and simulation labs, plus videoconferencing equipment. Course offerings are presented either in a classroom with a full-time or adjunct faculty member, via interactive video connected to the main campus, or online. Some courses are a blend of all three course-delivery types. Tutoring also is available.
In addition, the centers are staffed with academic advisors and full-time employees to help with registration, enrollment, and financial aid. State-of-the-art fitness centers and student lounges provide places to work out, study, socialize, and network.
"We do a good job of bringing the main campus experience and services to our distance-education students," said Pepe. "The best part is that the centers are convenient and accessible."
Students are encouraged to join organizations specific to their SEC, and also be part of groups that are active on the main campus. Lacal is president of the Palm Beach Student Government Association and vice president of the Alpha Zeta Omega Pharmaceutical Fraternity (AZO), where she is active in developing programming and events to help foster student engagement with peers and faculty and staff members.
"There are so many leadership opportunities here and ways to get involved because you're basically attending a smaller campus. It really is a great experience," Lacal said.
The SEC locations were established where the "need for academic programs was the greatest," according to Frank DePiano, NSU provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. Demand, especially for undergraduate programs, continues to increase. To accommodate an ever increasing student enrollment, the Palm Beach center was recently relocated and expanded with the construction of a 75,000-square foot facility. The new four-story building features 26 classrooms, four labs, a student lounge, a fitness area, a pharmacy library, and administrative offices.
The SEC in Miami's Kendall area stays ahead of demand in the medical profession by offering numerous programs and providing nursing students with a competitive edge—they can apply for a scholarship from Baptist Health South Florida. A perk for these students is a job at one of Baptist Health's hospitals for a minimum of three years. Nursing students also have access to the on-site nursing laboratory, which offers students hands-on experience.
In anticipation of a greater need in the area of health services in Jacksonville, the SEC there recently added a robust Master of Medical Science (M.M.S.) degree in Physician Assistant and also is offering a Bachelor of Health Science (B.H.Sc.).
Additionally, the SEC celebrated a milestone when its first class of physician assistants graduated in August 2011.
To learn more about NSU's student educational centers, visit our Off-Campus Locations page.