Someday, maybe, in the distant future, Irving Rosenbaum, D.P.A., will slow down long enough to savor all that he has accomplished in his career.
Just dont bet on that happening anytime soon.
Rosenbaum, vice chancellor and provost of the Health Professions Division of Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale-Davie, is the classic “man on a mission”. And that mission, simply put, is to make his community a better place to live for everyone.
“I get it from my family, from my parents,” Rosenbaum said. “They always encouraged me to try to make the world a better place.”
That encouragement is all the more noble considering that Rosenbaums parents were Nazi concentration camp survivors who eventually immigrated to the United States in 1946 and settled in Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
“My parents suffered through such unfortunate circumstances,” said Rosenbaum, 56. “But my dad would do anything he could to make life better for other people. I guess that attitude rubbed off on me.”
Rosenbaum entered the State University of New York at Buffalo to become an accountant, but that changed after he spent several months in Washington, D.C. participating in a select program, which convinced him to change his major to political science. Upon receiving his bachelors degree in 1971, he took a job with the administration of John Lindsey. New York Citys charismatic mayor; he also taught evening classes at the New York Institute of Technology.
In 1975, a masters degree in public administration from the City University of New Yorks Baruch College in hand, he moved to Broward County to become assistant to the mayor of Lauderhill, a booming city known by golf fans everywhere as the site of the Inverrary Classic and home of Jackie Gleason. Four years later, Rosenbaum became town manager of Davie, a small rural municipality in western Broward County and site of the NSU campus.
“When I arrived, there really wasnt much there, so we built from scratch,” he said. “Davie had been an agricultural township with no property taxes, few paved roads, and meager resources. We had to build a lot of networks to get things done.”
Slowly but surely, Rosenbaum encouraged growth and improvement in Davie. He built a professional staff, which nurtured the development of a full range of municipal services. Davie annexed large tracks of land (including the industry-rich City of Hacienda Village) and attracted new business, which helped its tax base balloon into the billions. Working with Davie mayor and former Miami Dolphin quarterback Earl Morrall, Rosenbaum helped to lure the Dolphins training camp to the NSU campus.
“My work is important, but I enjoy having fun, too,” Rosenbaum said. “Its great to drive past campus and see the Dolphins working out there.”
Perhaps the most noticeable improvement Rosenbaum brought to Davie was his open-space program, where he balanced urban growth with green space. Although the program was met with some reluctance early, today it is applauded.
“We created a different style of development, and today Davie is both vibrant and distinct,” he said. Rosenbaum is still involved in the Town, serving as chair of the Davie Economic Development Council.
Rosenbaum left Davie in 1988 to become city manager of Hollywood, Florida, but returned three years later as town administrator. During this tenure, he helped organize Regent Bank, a successful commercial enterprise based in Davie with branches in Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Pompano Beach, and Boca Raton. He also collected some condominiums and other residential properties in Broward County, started a computer company, and owned for a time Davies first bagel shop.
Since Rosenbaums arrival in Florida and during all his time working in municipal government, he maintained an affiliation with NSU, where he earned a doctorate in public administration in 1984 and also taught part time since 1975. That affiliation became a full-blown relationship in 1994, when Rosenbaum left the public sector to become director of the Center for Entrepreneurship in the School of Business. His responsibilities included administering programs and teaching courses in managerial economics, public finance, and entrepreneurship.
“My interest in the health education field started when I first got involved in the 1970s as both a consumer and a member of the board of an early HMO in Florida,” said Rosenbaum. “To be involved in healthcare education and training future providers is the most exciting place to be. Im a very lucky person to be in the forefront of another challenging place.” Today, he serves on the Board of Palmetto General Hospital and is involved with a variety of health related organizations.
Rosenbaum became assistant vice chancellor for professional affairs at NSUs Health Professions Division in 1997, where he coordinated budgets and other financial concerns such as grants, contracts, and special projects. In 2004, Rosenbaum became vice chancellor and provost following the death of his friend and mentor, Dr. Morton Terry, who founded the division.
“Among my biggest challenges is prioritizing everything we need to do and to move ahead with academic programs while building relations in the health community,” Rosenbaum said. “In this decade, a big issue will be the retirement of baby boomers and the changing demographic of this country. And one of the most exciting aspects is applying innovations occurring through knowledge and the application of technology as well to solve challenges. I just cant imagine a more exciting place to be.”
Rosenbaums responsibilities at NSU would be challenge enough for most. But Rosenbaum drive to improve his community has led him to serve on numerous professional, educational, and civic organizations, while also trying constantly to quench his insatiable thirst for knowledge. Currently he is working on his second doctorate degree at from NSU, in higher education.
“Sometimes I get a little frustrated that I dont have enough time to fit everything in that I want to do,” he said. To me, learning is fun, its not work. But it takes time. Fortunately, my wife, Anne, is a professor of family therapy at NSU. Weve often done presentations together at conferences. So she understands the demands of a rigorous schedule.”
While many individuals with records of success like Rosenbaums might be tempted to reflect often on those accomplishments, he prefers to look forward to the next opportunity, the next challenge.
“A lot of people like to stop and pat themselves on the back, but my attitude is to look to the future,” he said. “I like to make things happen for the better and Im always looking to see what we can do next.
“The people I know who have been successful have been very persistent. A lot of people give up too easily. If you have something you believe in, you must stick with it.”
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