This Veterans Day, NSU will celebrate the men and women who have served our country with a ceremony at the Military Flags Service Plaza and the dedication of the Forman Field. In addition to honoring our veterans near and far, NSU will unveil the new Forman memorial and military donor plaques on the recently redone pathway leading to the military flags. NSU will also be honoring our student/faculty/staff veterans who continue to go above and beyond with the Nominate a Veteran program.
“The military plaza started as a vision from our veteran staff members to have a preeminent location on campus to proudly display not only the colors of our nation, but also our service flags from each of the military branches,” said Matthew Chenworth, NSU’s senior director of military affairs.
With the support of the administration and donors, including President George Hanbury, Chancellor Ray Ferrero, Jr., Chief of Staff and Vice President of Advancement Terry Mularkey, Vice President of Clinical Operations Leonard Pounds, Vice President of Facilities Daniel Alfonso, and many others, the plaza initially opened in November 2020 outside the Horvitz Administration Center.
“We weren’t done there—the vision was much broader and grander than just the flag poles,” Chenworth added. “We wanted to build a beautiful plaza that includes a scenic walkway, lighting, and space for events with an unbeaten view of the flags.”
Prioritizing that transition is part of the mission statement Chenworth developed when he joined the NSU team in 2018. The NSU Military Affairs team works to ensure veteran and military-affiliated students are engaged both at the university and in the community, so they can attain their degrees and enter the career field of their choice. A former marine himself, Chenworth learned about the position at NSU from his wife, who was attending NSU at the time. He saw the opportunity to help NSU do more to support the veteran and military affiliate population and help to fill the gaps in services for this group.
“Figuring out what our students need has provided me that second wind of direct service I feel like I’ve been missing since leaving the military. I’m able to continue serving by helping these individuals thrive and succeed,” Chenworth explained.
“The Veterans Resource Center is the catalyst to make sure they know our university is proud of them, and we’re not afraid to show it,” Chenworth said. “Our space is the hub for students to become engaged and see the abundance of support that exists for them. The plaza is a physical representation of the support NSU provides for veterans. The university’s commitment to veterans is the reason Military Times named NSU to its Best for Vets Colleges list for 2022.”
On November 11, 2022, which is Veterans Day, The Military Plaza will be formally dedicated as the Forman Field in honor of the Forman Family, who sold land to the U.S. Navy after WWII and then influenced the sale of the land from the Navy for educational purposes. Today, this piece of land is now part of where the NSU Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus sits.
In 2020, NSU also officially opened the Veterans Access Clinic (VAC), which serves not only veterans, but also their immediate families. The VAC is a framework of NSU clinics that serve both physical and mental well-being needs of the community. Veterans and their families have access to such things as dental care, couples counseling, vision, and hearing tests at an on-site location in Davie and throughout the South Florida region. This program is in partnership with the Florida Department of Health and extends NSU’s commitment to those who serve in our community.
NSU’s Center for Academic and Professional Success offers assistance in translating professional military experiences to skills employers hope to see in potential hires. There is also a permanent position in NSU’s Student Government Association for a veteran or military-affiliated student. The university has cultivated close relationships with external organizations such as the Miami VA, United Way of Broward County’s Mission United, and the Dellenbach Foundation to connect students with services outside of NSU.
“NSU also just received the military-friendly award from the Department of Defense for the fourth year in a row,” noted Terry Mularkey, vice president for university advancement and chief of staff. “With 1,000 veteran students at NSU, we want to make sure their transition to a higher education is smooth.”
Chenworth hopes to offer even more resources to veteran and military-affiliated students in the future. An emergency fund for military students in need, future leader scholarships for students and ROTC cadets, and a network of professional mentors are all possibilities for NSU’s Military Affairs team and the Veterans Resource Center.
“As we continue to move forward toward our vision of becoming a premier veteran and military-friendly university, we’re going to need the support of our donors to provide their time, their knowledge, or their dollars to help us build out a robust professional network that will accelerate our students’ future careers in the job market.”
For more information on how to support NSU Military Affairs, including how to become a donor to the Forman Field Service Flag Plaza, please contact Matthew Chenworth, senior director of military affairs, at (954) 262-7473 or via email at mchenwor@nova.edu.
Click here for more information on NSU Military Affairs and the Veterans Resource Center.
Also, please be sure to check out the ART of DUTY exhibit open to the public at the Alvin Sherman Library starting October 20, 2022–January 8, 2023, with a reception on November 1 and an artist panel on November 7.