Dr. Harry K. Moon: Nova Southeastern University’s seventh president

By Bryce Johnson •

Avani Kulkarni, senior neuroscience major and member of The President’s 64, looks forward to seeing how NSU President Dr. Harry K. Moon will influence the university.

“I can’t wait to see what new things are going to come to this school. With his background, I’m wondering what changes he’s going to make to the med schools,” Kulkarni said.

Government officials, representatives from other universities, members of the NSU Board of Trustees, students, faculty, staff and community members attended the investiture ceremony on Jan. 31 in the Rick Case Arena. Moon’s friends, family and wife of 41 years watched as he addressed the community as president.

Moon shared how he plans to elevate NSU education, research, health care and community impact.

“We will develop compressed pathways in all of our graduate and professional programs, and we will do this while becoming more selective in our undergraduate admissions and increasing our dual admissions programs. We want to lower the cost and reduce the debt of education,” Moon said.

George L. Hanbury II, former NSU president and CEO, and Charles Palmer, chair of the Board of Trustees, transferred the university mace, a ceremonial staff that symbolizes the authority of a university, to Moon.

“In these meaningful times, the passing of the mace is the first start for the transfer of power from one president to another,” Palmer said.

NSU Provost Ron Chenail was the grand marshal of the investiture. He said he’s worked with six of the seven NSU presidents, including Moon.

“The doctor is in and the prognosis for Nova Southeastern University is excellent,” Chenail said.

Key speakers of the ceremony included Dr. G. Ian Taylor via video and Dr. J. Brian Boyd, plastic surgeons and friends of Moon; Arun Jagarlamudi, senior biology major and executive vice president of the Undergraduate Student Government Association; Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz; and Bill Nelson, former U.S. senator and NASA administrator.

“A new moon is rising,” Nelson said. “ The university’s very beginning is related to and inspired by the U.S. space program. In the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, the first rocket designed to send humans to the moon was the massive Nova rocket.”

The video, “This is What Excellence Looks Like,” was shown, outlining Moon’s plans for NSU.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Kulkarni and other students led a march representing more than 100 student clubs, organizations and athletic teams.  

“It’s rare that you get to see so many student leaders in the same place,” Kulkarni said.  

Olivia Janvier, a student at NSU University School, read one of Moon’s favorite poems, “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.”  

Bill Withem, assistant professor of music in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts, conducted his original composition “Inaugural Fanfare,” which he created for Moon’s investiture. Additionally, Bossa Nova Chorale performed “For the Beauty of the Earth,” directed by Bill Adams, Music and Theatre program director and professor in DCMA. Jihong Adams-Park, associate lecturer in DCMA, accompanied on the piano.  

Aquapella, an a cappella group for upper school students at NSU University School, performed “Until We Meet Again (Irish Blessing).” Francisca Daza, a student at NSU University School and member of Aquapella, appreciated the opportunity to perform at the investiture.  

“It’s my first time actually doing something as big as this. I really like singing,” Daza said.  

Moon is confident that NSU will succeed with the collective strength of the community.  

“There is no limit to what we can achieve together. And this is the key, the word ‘together,’” Moon said. “None of this is about me or simply the beginning of a new presidency. It’s about all of us, all of you, not me.”