Posted November 17, 2003.

Florida Joint-Use Facility Plans Hispanic/Latino Center

Broward County Mayor Diana Wasserman-Rubin announced November 6 that she will form a task force to explore the creation of a Hispanic/Latino Cultural and Educational Center at Florida’s Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. Envisioned as a showcase for the literature, history, and cultures of Central and South America, Mexico, Spain, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, the center will offer books, audio, video, and electronic materials for adults and children, as well as cultural and historical programs, exhibits, and activities, the mayor said.

NSU President Ray Ferrero Jr. applauded the idea, saying the center “would greatly improve our university’s world-class Library, Research, and Technology Center.” Claimed to be Florida’s largest library building and the only joint-use collaboration of its kind in the nation, the 325,000-square-foot facility serves as both a public library and a private university library.

Ferrero announced in September that the library would be renamed the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Technology Center, in honor of the South Florida real estate developer’s recent $7-million donation to the university’s library. Sherman stipulated, however, that no information be released about how the money would be used.

In accepting what the university characterized as a “landmark gift,” Ferrero said, “Mr. Sherman’s entrepreneurial spirit and track record for business agility mirror the traits that have helped NSU grow to the 10th largest independent, not-for-profit university in the United States. We are grateful for his vision and his wonderful gift.”

Broward County commissioners approved the concept of the Hispanic/Latino Center at their November 3 meeting.

Posted November 17, 2003.