25th Anniversary Gala Sees Albert Miniaci and Joel Hochberg Honored with President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Oh, it’s on…like Donkey Kong!
That’s because Joel Hochberg, co-founder of Rare Ltd., a well-known, British video game developer, a pioneer in the gaming industry and developer of the Donkey Kong game, is being honored by Nova Southeastern University (NSU). He (posthumously) is one of two honorees at NSU’s Celebration of Excellence annual gala, joining Albert Miniaci in receiving the 2024 President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service.
“Each year we strive to recognize those individuals who have made a significant difference in the lives of their communities, and this year we couldn’t have picked two better honorees than Albert Miniaci and Joel Hochberg,” said Dr. George Hanbury, NSU’s President and CEO. “Just as the previous honorees during that past 25 years have demonstrated and lived one of NSU’s core values – community, Albert and Joel have given back and made their communities not only better or greater, but more beautiful than when they came.”
The event, which is invitation only (sold out), is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 on campus at the NSU Don Taft University Center, 3300 S University Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
The President’s Award supports NSU’s core value and encourages the ongoing pursuit of community service. Miniaci and Hochberg join an impressive list of honorees that includes Rick and Rita Case, Winifred and Joseph C. Amaturo, Mike Jackson, David Horvitz and Francie Bishop Good, Lorraine Thomas and Guy Harvey.
Albert Miniaci (L) and Joel Hochberg (R) are 2024 President’s Award for Community Service Honorees
BACKGROUND ON PRESIDENT’S AWARD WINNERS
Albert Miniaci, a member of NSU’s Board of Trustees, his wife Beatriz and Joel Hochberg have made multiple gifts to NSU and other community causes. Most recently, the Miniacis and the family of Joel Hochberg have ensured the NSU Razor’s Edge Scholars Program will continue by endowing the Razor’s Edge Scholarship Fund.
Miniaci was chief executive officer and founder of Paramount Companies. As an entrepreneur, he had been an industry leader in South Florida for 50 years in hospitality, entertainment, coffee, payphones, ATMs, amusement and real estate development.
The Miniaci family has had a great philanthropic impact on the South Florida community. As director of the Alfred and Rose Miniaci Foundation, Albert Miniaci continues in the footsteps of his mother and father, funding programs that, among other things, expose local youth to the performing arts. Through his philanthropic endeavors, Miniaci has helped shape the future of Fort Lauderdale and improved the lives of thousands of children and families in need. He and his family have provided major philanthropic support to the Boys & Girls Clubs, Community Foundation of Broward, St. Thomas University, Hispanic Unity, Ann Storck Center, Fort Lauderdale Independence, Training, and Education Center, Slow Burn Theater, Junior Achievement and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Albert Miniaci was inducted into NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 2004.
Hochberg and his wife Marcia have been active philanthropists in the South Florida community and are members of the Shark Circle, NSU’s most elite giving society, made up of Fellows Society members whose lifetime cumulative giving totals $1 million or more. In addition to NSU, organizations Hochberg supported include the Miami Children’s Hospital, Jewish Museum of Florida, American Kidney Fund and the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. He established the Hochberg Preparatory School for children in nursery school (6 months) through grade 8 on the Beth Torah campus in North Miami Beach. The school has expanded to include the Joel and Marcia Hochberg Middle School on the Posnack campus in Davie.
The NSU Razor’s Edge Scholars Program, named after NSU’s mascot and designed to provide participants with the NSU edge, offers unique, experiences inside and beyond the classroom through innovative cocurricular projects and opportunities. The program has five tracks: leadership, research, global affairs, shark teach and shark talent. A maximum of 20 students are recruited each year into each of the five Razor’s Edge tracks for a total of 100 Razor’s Edge students. These four-year residential programs are a complement to any career path. Students say the residential aspect of the program brings everyone in the program closer together. The connections built in Razor’s Edge become a strong career network and help build lifelong friendships. Because every program awards a $25,000 scholarship, participants can focus more on preparing for their future and less on how to pay for it.
SHARK CIRCLE INDUCTEES
Along with the President’s Award winners, NSU’s Celebration of Excellence recognizes donors whose cumulative giving to the university is $1 million or more. Each of these benefactors is welcomed into the NSU Fellows Society “Shark Circle” and receives a limited-edition maquette replica of the mako shark statue in front of the Don Taft University Center.
“In our Vision 2025 plan we will reach a combined $1 billion campaign composed of $500 million in philanthropy and $500 million in external funding through cumulative research grants and contracts,” said Terry Mularkey, Vice President for University Advancement and Chief of Staff. “We are well on our way, at nearly $465 million in philanthropy and $465 million in external funding, and this year’s Shark Circle inductees have played an important part of us reaching that lofty goal.”
This is one of the largest, single incoming classes of Shark Circle inductees in the history of the Celebration of Excellence gala. The inductees are:
| · James and Cathy Donnelly
· Milton and Barbara Jones · Barbara and Michael Landry · Michael and Lainie Zager · David and Cathy Husman · George and Jana Hanbury |
· Scott Colton and Michael Kelly · John and Eileen Doran Esler and family · David and Nancy Muskat · Walgreens · Dentsply Sirona |
Sponsors of the gala include:
- Champion Sponsor: Angelo and Denise Elia and Casa D’Angelo Ristorante
- Leader Sponsors: The Castle Group, Kibler Construction, Memorial Healthcare System, NSU Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing, NSU College of Dental Medicine
- Wine Underwriter: Groth Vineyards and Winery
- Bar Underwriter: Ai media Group
- Photography Underwriter: Perry Ellis International as well as numerous table sponsors
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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): At NSU, students don’t just get an education, they get the competitive edge they need for real careers, real contributions and real life. A dynamic, private research university, NSU is providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels. Established in 1964, the university includes 14 colleges, the “theme park” for start-ups, scale-ups , and entrepreneurs, the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, the private PK1-12 grade University School, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, one of Florida’s largest public libraries. NSU students learn at our campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and online globally. With more than 200,000 alumni across the globe, the reach of the NSU community is worldwide. Classified as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 59 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.
MEDIA CONTACT
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