The Past, Present, and Future of NSU
Nova Southeastern University has come a long way from its origins in a downtown Fort Lauderdale storefront in 1964. From those modest beginnings, NSU has grown into a thriving university with locations across Florida, Puerto Rico, and Colorado, with a student body of 22,000 and more than 216,000 alumni globally. Learn more about the innovative leaders who have shaped NSU across six decades.
Harry K. Moon, M.D., FACS, FRCSEd
Harry K. Moon, M.D., FACS, FRCSEd, took office as the university's seventh president on January 1, 2025. Since 2018, he had been executive vice president and chief operating officer, partnering closely with then-President George Hanbury, the NSU Board of Trustees, and the university's leadership and community.
He led the COVID Response Team through the university’s rapid transition to fully online learning during the pandemic, allowing NSU to sustain and increase enrollments. NSU was one of Broward County’s first free vaccine sites.
Moon also led the integration of NSU’s clinical practices to create NSU Health, a university-affiliated health care network. He reorganized the graduate admissions and student service organizations and led building and acquisitions that totaled more than one million square feet.
A distinguished and internationally recognized plastic and reconstructive surgeon, he is the founder and president of Himmarshee Surgical Partners of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Since 2008, Moon has been a clinical associate professor of surgery in NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. In 2024, he was also appointed professor of anatomy in NSU’s Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences.
Past Presidents of Nova Southeastern University
President Emeritus Hanbury led NSU through two decades of extraordinary achievement. During his tenure, NSU set undergraduate enrollment records, elevated its academic stature to new heights, and raised more than $1 billion in research and philanthropic support for the first time in its history.
During Ray Ferrero’s tenure, NSU was awarded provisional membership in NCAA Division II in 1998. That same year, the Board of Trustees approved construction of the Alvin Sherman Library in partnership with Broward County, which opened in 2001. Further major developments included the opening of the Carl DeSantis Building in 2003 and the University Center in 2006. It was later named after philanthropist Don Taft. 
Following the 1994 merger with Southeastern University of the Health Sciences, Dr. Ovid Lewis was selected as president of the newly renamed Nova Southeastern University. The Horvitz Administration Building opened in 1994, followed by the Maxwell Maltz Building in 1996. In 1997, the Health Professions Division relocated from Southeastern’s old facilities in North Miami Beach to NSU’s main campus in Davie. 
Dr. Stephen Feldman oversaw the opening in 1992 of the Leo Goodwin Sr. Hall to house the Shepard Broad Law Center and the Leo Goodwin Sr. Residence Hall as its fifth dorm. In 1993, the Miami Dolphins opened their new training facility on campus. They would occupy it for nearly 30 years.
Nova’s first five graduates earned their Ph.D. degrees. Under Dr. Abraham S. Fischler, Nova began developing new educational programs in subjects like education, business administration, law and computer science. Nova earned full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1971.In 1974, the institution’s name was officially changed to Nova University. Nova introduced online courses for its distance education programs in 1985. By 1992, Nova had created additional new programs and constructed new buildings on campus. 
As the first president of Nova University of Advanced Technology, Dr. Warren Winstead developed the master plan, worked to secure funding, and hired the initial staff. He visited Caltech and UCLA to study their curriculum and administrative model to serve as an example for Nova. Classes began in 1967 with 17 Ph.D. students and 17 faculty members. The university’s first building, the Rosenthal Student Center, opened in 1967, followed by the Parker Physical Sciences Center in 1968. The Physical Oceanographic Laboratory also opened in Fort Lauderdale. The University School opened on campus in 1969.