The Farquhar Honors College is the place where curiosity creates change. This motto was developed under the leadership of Andrea Shaw Nevins, M.F.A., Ph.D., who was appointed to the position of dean of the Farquhar Honors College in 2021. Nevins’ NSU journey began nearly 17 years ago when she accepted a job as the coordinator of writing programs. At the time, she was looking for a position in Florida where she could teach classes and take on a role in college administration.
Her trajectory at NSU has followed the growth and restructuring of the university. Prior to her latest appointment, Nevins served as the assistant director for the Division of Humanities; chair for Department of History and Political Science; assistant dean of academic affairs in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and the interim dean for the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences. Colleagues, students, and a sense of comfort have made NSU feel like home.
“I feel like I fit in. I feel like I belong,” Nevins said. “There’s been a lot of movement in the last few years, but I think I’m in place for a while with this current position. This is my college—the place where curiosity creates change.”
The Farquhar Honors College offers unique and engaging learning opportunities, resources, and events for highly motivated and high achieving undergraduate students. The students who participate in the honors program make Nevins most proud of her college. They are also a source of inspiration for her vision for the future of the Honors College.
“The students are fantastic. They are prepping from the moment they get here for whatever comes next. And that is amazing, but what has been really inspiring for me is their interest in their community,” she explained. “Yes, they have their personal, professional, and academic goals, but they are very concerned about what is happening in the world around them, and they want to have an impact in a way that makes things better.”
To facilitate that goal, Nevins’ vision is to expand the community footprint of the college. She hopes to increase the philanthropic service work of the college, as well as provide additional experiential opportunities for students.
On the service front, Nevins applied for funding from the Teagle Foundation to develop a program for high school students to learn about humanities. The Honors College was awarded a planning grant to develop a three-week curriculum for students at the end of their junior year to gain college experience—learning about the application process, taking courses, interacting with the library, and even living at the dorms. NSU humanities honors students would serve as peer mentors. Nevins is now working on securing the implementation grant, and hopefully funding for this and similar projects will follow.
For students currently enrolled in the honors program, one of the programs Nevins hopes to expand and improve is the Passport Project. Nevins, who is originally from Jamaica, feels that international travel is a valuable experience for all students-especially for those in the Honors College.
“I think of it as being particularly targeted at students who have not held passports,” Nevins explained. “This project would help them with getting the passport and traveling to somewhere of interest with an academic component. That is something I would really love to see come into being.”
In addition to her administrative roles, Nevins has taught courses in international studies, literature, writing, and film. She is the author of several books, most recently Working Juju: Fantastical Imaginings of the Caribbean, from the University of Georgia Press.
“I’m from the Caribbean, and my Ph.D. studies kind of focused on the African diaspora in general, but specifically looking at Caribbean literature and Caribbean cultural studies,” she said. “This book explores the way in which the Caribbean is represented in relation to the fantastic—the supernatural, ghost stories, mythology, folklore.”
Her Caribbean roots can also be seen in her joy for entertaining, specifically in attending or hosting high teas. She also has a passion for gardening and has cultivated a talent for planning and caring for her own oasis. Nevins is also helping others find a home at NSU by establishing a Changing Lives Scholarship.
“South Florida has a large immigrant community, and I’m part of that community,” she said. “We also have a significant number of first-generation students across South Florida. For some of those families being able to afford college is a challenge. The real aim with the scholarship is to provide support for anyone in need who wants to come to NSU.”
For more information on how to support the NSU Farquhar Honors College, please contact Diane Klein, director of development , at (954) 262-2171 or via email at kdiane@nova.edu.