Nova Southeastern University (NSU) President Dr. George Hanbury  presented the President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service to the Miniaci Family at the university’s annual Celebration of Excellence gala on Jan. 30, 2016. NSU & also to announced the public phase of its major philanthropic campaign, Realizing Potential, as part of the festivities.

Established in 1997, the President’s Excellence in Community Service Award recognizes extraordinary professional engagement activities by members of the South Florida community who have and continue to “give back” to the community and make a difference in the lives of others. The award encourages the ongoing pursuit of service and exemplifies NSU’s “community” core value.

“The Miniaci Family represents generations of commitment to important causes throughout our community,” said President Hanbury. “Their philanthropic support and volunteer leadership has helped guide Nova Southeastern University to where it is today. In addition, they have helped countless individuals and other not-for-profit agencies throughout the staterealize their potential.”

The Miniaci family matriarch, Rose and her late husband, Alfred inspired their family to lead through their generous and instrumental support of NSU and the South Florida community. The family’s generous contribution to NSU helped create the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center. In addition, just to name a few, the Alfred and Rose Miniaci Foundation, Inc. provides assistance to children and adults in the fields of art and music, health care and hospitals, preservation of history, religious organizations, scientific research, sports organizations and cultural organizations.

Started by Rose and Alfred’s older son, Albert J. Miniaci and his wife, Beatriz, the Albert and Beatriz Miniaci Family Foundation offers educational scholarships and supports local organizations pertaining to children, families and cancer research. The Miniaci family’s philanthropy includes an endowment fund for the Broward County Public Schools’ Student Enrichment through the Arts program and the Rose Miniaci Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward.

Albert serves as a NSU Trustee and an Ambassadors Board member.He and Beatriz are both Fellows Society members and frequent visitors to NSU’s Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. They created NSU’s Albert & Beatriz Miniaci Razor’s Edge Endowed Scholarship and personally donated to the university a handcrafted Buddhist Prayer Wheel blessed by the 14th Dalai Lama in 2004.

Rose and Alfred’s younger son, Dominick F. Miniaci is currently a member of the St. Thomas University Board of Trustees and is co-chairman of its Athletics Advisory Board. He is also a board member of the Jack and Jill Children’s Center, the Saint Anthony Foundation, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science, the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, and serves in leadership roles for various other organizations. He has received numerous awards for his volunteerism, including being named Man of the Year by Saint Anthony Catholic School Foundation for Education in 2008, Man of the Year by City of Hope in 1990 and was recognized for 35 years of service and dedication to the Fraternal Order of Police in 2011. His wife, MeikeMiniaci is a former Board of Trustees member of the Miami City Ballet, among other leadership and volunteer roles.

The Miniaci family has been widely recognized for civic mindedness. In 2003, Rose was named Outstanding Philanthropist by the Fort Lauderdale/Broward Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In 2004, the American Diabetes Association honored Rose with the Valor Award. In 2005, she and her son Albert received the Humanitarian of the Year Award for their contributions to educational, performing arts, and service organizations. She also received a 2007 Patron of the Arts Award. Albert was the 2012 winner of the Sun Sentinel’s Excalibur Award for Small Business Leader in Broward County, and he was inducted into NSU’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

Community sponsors of the event include*: Mako Sponsors: Mrs. Lorraine Thomas,Grycon, LLC., and The Sun Sentinel; Champion Sponsors: ACAI, AT&T, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and JM Family Enterprises; and Leader Sponsors: Barnes & Noble and FahlgrenMortine.

About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 24,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.