NSU SURPASSES $250 MILLION FUNDRAISING GOAL WITH TWO SIGNIFICANT PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS

NSU Surpasses $250 Million Fundraising Goal with Two Significant Philanthropic Gifts

Donations Support Colleges of Allopathic Medicine and Nursing; Help Position NSU as THE South Florida Destination for Health Care Education

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) recently celebrated the emerald anniversary of its Celebration of Excellence gala at its Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus. This year, NSU President Dr. George Hanbury presented the President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service to Tampa Bay cardiologist, entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist Dr. Kiran C. Patel and his wife, pediatrician and philanthropist Dr. Pallavi Patel. The Patels have joined with NSU to help bring the university closer to fulfilling its vision to become the premier destination for health care education in South Florida.

NSU’s Celebration of Excellence also recognized donors whose cumulative giving to NSU has reached $1 million or more. Each of these benefactors was welcomed into the NSU Fellows Society “Shark Circle” at the event, receiving limited edition maquette replicas of the mako shark statue located in front of the NSU Don Taft University Center. Those recognized included: Dr. Kiran C. Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel; Mr. and Mrs. Walter Banks, Sr.; Mr. Martin R. and Mrs. Gail S. Press; Mr. Frank Buscaglia and the Sansom Foundation; and Mr. Michael Dezer.

Near the end of the evening NSU President Dr. George Hanbury surprised guests with the announcement of two philanthropic gifts which help NSU to surpass its $250 million fundraising goal. One gift will support NSU’s College of Allopathic Medicine, the other will support NSU’s College of Nursing.  Combined, these gifts help the university achieve the $250 million goal for its Realizing Potential campaign three years ahead of schedule.

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is one step closer to fulfilling its vision to be the South Florida destination for health care education thanks to two new gifts. One will support NSU’s College of Allopathic Medicine, the other will support NSU’s College of Nursing. Combined, these gifts help the university achieve the $250 million goal for its Realizing Potential campaign three years ahead of schedule.

The first gift – $25 million from the Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel Family Foundation, Inc. – will rename the NSU College of Allopathic Medicine to the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (M.D.). Their latest gift comes on the heels of their previous financial commitment of $200 million, comprised of a $50 million gift to rename NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and its College of Health Care Sciences, plus an additional $150 million in real estate investment to develop a new site for NSU’s Tampa Bay Regional Campus in Clearwater, Florida, which will provide an additional location for NSU’s osteopathic medicine program for that area.

“The cumulative generosity of the Patels’ contributions and all the other philanthropic gifts we have received since 2016 brought us very close to our $250 million goal,” said NSU President Dr. George Hanbury. “Then the Chairman of our Board of Trustees, Ronald Assaf, and his wife, Kathy, stepped up with their own gift and that put our Realizing Potential campaign over the top three years ahead of our 2020 target date.”

The Assaf’s gift will rename the NSU College of Nursing to the Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing. The Realizing Potential campaign goal of $250 million is the first philanthropic campaign in the university’s 54-year history. It is also, by far, the largest philanthropic campaign of any sort in Broward County.

The Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (M.D.) and the Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing are two of eight distinctive colleges in NSU’s Health Professions Division. The others are: NSU’s College of Dental Medicine, College of Medical Sciences, College of Optometry, College of Pharmacy, the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) and the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences. These colleges, many producing the state’s largest number of graduates in their specialty each year, offer more than 60 degrees and provide a myriad of opportunities for inter-professional interaction at the university.

“The Patels, the Assafs and many of our other supporters share our vision and core values to transform the way we educate our future leaders while simultaneously providing a variety of health care and other services to the community at large,” said Dr. Hanbury. “These generous gifts provide additional resources necessary to build an integrated university-driven health system here in Florida that has worldwide reach.

“NSU currently has an economic impact throughout Florida of $3.5 billion,” Dr. Hanbury said. “And with funded projects currently in the pipeline at the Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus and the Tampa Bay/Clearwater campus, it is expected that by 2020 our economic impact throughout Florida will exceed $5 billion.”

More information on each of these gifts, which were announced at NSU’s annual Celebration of Excellence gala event on January 27, 2018 follows below.

NSU MD

The donation of $25 million from the Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel Family Foundation, Inc. will rename the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine and will provide scholarships for medical students needing financial support to attend medical school.

Upon receiving preliminary accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in October 2017, the college began recruiting students for what is now the eighth M.D. program in Florida and one of only 149 in the United States. The college’s charter class of 50 M.D. candidates will matriculate in August 2018.

“This gift will help attract the best and brightest medical students who have the potential to develop as physician leaders and will elevate NSU’s reputation as a top-tier research university,” said Johannes W. Vieweg, M.D., FACS, founding dean of the college. “Our medical school is built on a partnership model and we are pleased to join forces with the Patels to transform the delivery of health care in our community and beyond. This will further our mission of advancing human health through innovation in medical education, research, patient care and community engagement.”

The Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (M.D.) will serve as an integral part of a 200 bed teaching and research hospital currently being constructed by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) East Florida. The plan includes specialized medical facilities and hospitality services in close proximity to the university’s classrooms and its $100 million, 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research – all within one complex on the university’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus.

The new college’s educational program will be taught in an interdisciplinary fashion in conjunction with the other colleges in NSU’s Health Professions Division, using existing renovated space to accommodate the new M.D. student class and the college’s hybrid case- and problem-based learning curriculum. To meet demands in all of its medical, health care and life science programs as well as the new M.D. program, NSU is planning to build a 250,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art integrated medical education building to complement its health professions facilities and health care centers.

For additional information on NSU MD, please visit www.md.nova.edu.

Additional information on the Patel Family Foundation’s $225 million commitment to NSU, including FAQs, photos and biographical information can be found online at www.nova.edu/patelgift

Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing

In recognition of long-time donors, NSU will rename the nursing college to the Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing. Mr. Assaf is chairman of NSU’s Board of Trustees and he and Kathy have donated more than $5 million to NSU.

Their latest gift has also enabled NSU to surpass its Realizing Potential campaign goal of $250 million that was originally set for completion at the end of 2020.

“We were motivated to support a program that will impact so many people throughout Florida and improve their well-being,” said Mr. Assaf. “Kathy and I have been involved with NSU for many years and appreciate the value this university brings to our communities. We hope our commitment inspires others to join us in supporting NSU.”

The Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing offers B.S.N., M.S.N. and doctoral programs at NSU campuses in Fort Lauderdale/Davie, Miami, Palm Beach, Fort Myers or Tampa.  The unique clinical training provided in each of these programs gives NSU nursing graduates a definite advantage in the clinical workplace.

“As the largest educator of B.S.N. nurses in Florida, this commitment will enable the NSU Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing to continue addressing the growing need for nurses in all health care settings,” said Marcella Rutherford, Ph.D., M.S.N., R.N., dean of the college. “At all levels, we are preparing our nursing graduates to function effectively in the changing health system and to deliver high-quality, cost effective and patient-focused care.”