Graduate Orientation

Welcome New Graduate Students!

We are excited to have you join the NSU College of Psychology! Please see below for information about the New Student Orientation schedule, as well as departmental contact information and important links. (NOTE: THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED FREQUENTLY.)

Summer & Fall 2024 Orientation TBD.
Continue to check back for updated details.

New Student Orientation

Your onboarding to the College is very important to us. So we have designed a process that consists of the following sessions:

Date / Time (Eastern Time)	Sessions / Topics
Complete prior to Tuesday, August 15, 2023.	Self-paced canvas course. All confirmed students have been enrolled in this course. To access this course, go to sharklink.nova.edu. After logging into the site, select "Canvas" and then "College of Psychology New Student Orientation Fall 2023".
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm	Induction Ceremony (Doctoral and Specialist students only.) All incoming doctoral and specialist students are welcomed to attend an induction ceremony at the NSU Grande Oaks Golf Club. Due to space restrictions, this event to limited to incoming students. Additional information is listed below.
Wed, August 16, 2023 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm	Pinning Ceremony (Master's students only) As part of the mandatory master's orientation session, on the Fort Lauderdale-Davie Campus, all incoming master's students will be participating in a pinning ceremony. The event will be in the Maxwell Maltz Building MAP. More information is listed below.
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. (Online programs/Regional Campus)	Mandatory for online and regional campus Counseling, Forensic Psychology, and General Psychology students only. NSU and program specific information Zoom session (Session will be recorded.) The schedule will be emailed to you.
Wednesday, August 16, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 pm (Doctoral & Specialist) AND 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. (Master's programs)	Mandatory for Clinical Psychology, Counseling (Fort Lauderdale-Davie campus), Experimental Psychology, and School Psychology students only. NSU and program specific information Maxwell Maltz Building MAP. Lunch will be provided. The schedule will be emailed to you.
Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.	Social event All new students are welcome to attend a social at the NSU Carl DeSantis Hall of Fame (Fort Lauderdale-Davie Campus). Light refreshments and beverages will be provided.

Date	Recommended Pre-Sessions (via Zoom)
Wed, July 5, 2023	A Quick Introduction to Technology (at NSU)
Wed, July 12, 2023	Naked History (NSU)
Wed, July 19, 2023	Campus Life, Student Organizations, and Local Know-how
Wed, July 26, 2023	Meet Your Support Team
Wed, Aug 2, 2023	Professional Expectations \| Faculty & Staff Panel
Wed, Aug 9, 2023	Meet the Dean and Department Chairpersons

College of Psychology Induction Ceremony

As a way to formally acknowledge our new doctoral and specialist students as they start their graduate journey with us, the College will be having an induction ceremony during the graduate student orientation. This ceremony is similar to the “white coat ceremony”, which is traditional in many clinical and medical programs.

This event will be held on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm at the NSU Grande Oaks Golf Club (3201 West Rolling Hills Circle, Davie, FL 33328) MAP

The induction ceremony will serve as a rite of passage and emphasize the importance of compassionate, collaborative, evidence-based care as incoming students mark their transition from undergraduate to emerging professional.

New students will be asked to commit to self-care and to care for each other, their future clients, and the communities they serve. While advised that training will be tough, they will be surrounded by faculty and others who will serve as their mentors and role models through the completion of their training.

During the ceremony, College of Psychology faculty will present a College of Psychology cardigan to each student. (Due to space restrictions, the ceremony is limited to incoming students.)

College of Psychology Pinning Ceremony

To symbolize the start of the academic journey of our master’s students, College of Psychology faculty will be awarding a specially designed lapel pin to each student during the orientation session. This pin is engraved with the following words, “Semper Discentes et Adservientes” which means “Always learning and serving”.

After accepting their College of Psychology lapel pin, students will start their training and accept the responsibility of becoming a competent, compassionate, and ethical professional. The pins will serve as a reminder for students to strive for excellence.

Things to Note

In order to participate in the mandatory graduate orientation sessions, please refer to the email sent to you from psychology@nova.edu.
You will also be receiving a separate email from your academic program inviting you to their mandatory orientation session. Please register for that session as well.

Departmental Contacts

Department of Clinical and School Psychology
- Clinical Psychology (Ph.D. & Psy.D.): Wendy Burrion psychaffairs@nova.edu; (954) 262-5726
- School Psychology (Psy.D. & Psy.S.): Suzanne O'Sullivan osulliva@nova.edu; (954) 262-5826
Department of Counseling
- Pat Zawoyski zawoyski@nova.edu; counseling@nova.edu (954) 262-5720
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
- Experimental, Forensic, and General Psychology: Regina Schenck rschenck@nova.edu; (954) 262-5757

Presentation Documents

Important links for the event are listed below.

College of Psychology	Directions to the campus
Student Financial Assistance	SharkLink
Bookstore	Residence Life
Parking	Alvin Sherman Library
College of Psychology Student Resources Page	COVID-19