Florida News
NSU's New 311,000-square-foot Tampa Bay Regional Campus NOW Open!
They said it couldn’t be done. What was deemed a mission impossible turned out to be possible through hard work, dedication and perseverance.
Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) new Tampa Bay Regional Campus has debuted in Clearwater. The 311,000-square-foot facility at 3400 Gulf to Bay Blvd. features cutting-edge classrooms, expansive common areas and a two-story fitness center.
“We are immensely proud of this beautiful and state-of-the-art campus, a true Herculean effort by Moss, Baker Barrios, ACAI, all of our contractors, and of course, our dedicated NSU team,” said Dr. George Hanbury, President and CEO of NSU. “However, none of this would have been possible without Drs. Patel and their generous contributions of their time, their talent and their fortune.”
In celebration of its arrival and NSU’s expanded footprint in Florida, the university in collaboration with Drs. Kiran C. and Pallavi Patel held a ribbon cutting to mark this significant occasion. More than 500 attendees, including Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, and Congressman Gus Bilirakis, among other dignitaries participated in the revelry. This new campus was made possible through a generous donation by Drs. Patel of $230 million to NSU – $80 million in gifts and a $150 investment in real estate and facilities to build the new campus.
NSU has been providing a wide range of educational programs in the Tampa Bay area since 1991. The new campus offers a broader curriculum and when fully occupied, it will have about 2,000 students and 125 faculty and staff.
The Tampa Bay Regional Campus is home to several educational programs, including serving as a branch site for NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. It welcomed its first class of 150 students in August 2019.
Drs. Pallavi and Kiran Patel
The Tampa Bay Area holds a special place in the Patels’ hearts, said Dr. K. “And now, with our investment on this 27-acre property and for the creation of Nova’s Clearwater Campus, the Tampa Bay area holds a special place in our dreams. A dream that the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Medicine and the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences will become world-class medical, nursing and paramedical colleges that will attract top academicians, clinicians and students; both domestic and international who now prefer schools in Gainesville, Miami or maybe the East Coast or West Coast of the USA …”
Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” She strongly believed in the beauty of her own dreams, Dr. K pointed out. “She believed in helping other people’s dreams come true, as she did with the Tuskegee Airmen. And I think her example can serve the Tampa Bay and Clearwater communities today. Let us choose our dreams. Believe in their beauty. Articulate them carefully. And then let us work together to make them come true.”
The campus is home to the Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing, the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, NSU’s College of Psychology and the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Some of the areas of study include cardiovascular sonography and speech language communication disorders programs, master’s degree candidates in anesthesia, clinical mental health counseling, criminal justice, family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health, school counseling, etc.
For more information, visit www.nova.edu/tampa