History
The College of Law of Nova Southeastern University is named after Shepard Broad, in recognition of his wise counsel, community leadership, and generous financial support.
Shepard Broad
Background and Professional Information
Shepard Broad was born on July 8, 1906 in Pinsk, Russia. He emigrated to New York in 1920. Shepard Broad received his law degree from New York Law School in 1927, and he was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1928. From 1928 through 1940, Mr. Broad practiced law in New York City.
In August 1940, Mr. Broad was admitted to The Florida Bar and opened a law office in Miami Beach the next year. On January 1, 1946, he founded the law firm of Broad and Cassel, which continues to this day with offices throughout Florida.
In 1946, Mr. Broad helped organize the Bank of Hollywood Hills and the North Shore Bank of Miami Beach. The following year, he helped establish the American Savings and Loan Association of Florida. He subsequently served as president of the Mercantile National Bank of Miami Beach. He assisted in founding the Bank of Miramar, Florida.
Civic Activities in South Florida
In April 1947, Mr. Broad founded the town of Bay Harbor Islands, Florida and became its first mayor. On October 14, 1951, traffic began to flow on the Shepard Broad Causeway, which linked Bay Harbor Islands with the city of North Miami.
Shepard Broad's other community activities include serving as a member of the Board of Governors at the Shepard Broad College of Law of Nova Southeastern University, earning honorary degrees from Nova University and Barry University, participating in the leadership of several hospitals, and endowing the Shepard and Ruth Broad Center for the Performing Arts of Barry University.
Leo Goodwin
Background and Commitment to the Community
The College of Law is housed in the Leo Goodwin Sr. Hall, which is named for a generous entrepreneur and visionary who was committed to the advancement of education and research.
Leo Goodwin Sr. was born in 1886 in Lowndes, Missouri, just south of St. Louis, the son of a country doctor who traveled by horse and buggy to treat his patients.
Educated as an accountant, Leo Goodwin Sr. entered the insurance business in San Antonio, Texas. As he became more experienced in the field, Mr. Goodwin came to the remarkable insight that the industry could better serve its customers and reduce costs by eliminating sales commissions to producers of premiums and dealing directly with policyholders. With this precedent-setting vision in mind, he founded the Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO) in 1936.
With his wife, Lillian, Mr. Goodwin worked 12 hours a day for little or no salary for several years to implement his business dream. In 1940, after operating in the red for several years, the company realized its first profit. In 1948, GEICO became publicly owned and today has assets of nearly $7.3 billion.
As the company prospered in the 1960s, the Goodwins moved to Fort Lauderdale. Leo Goodwin Sr. added much to the intellectual and cultural life of his new community through significant charitable contributions. Nova Southeastern University, a young and innovative higher education institution, stirred Goodwin's creative instincts and became a major object of his philanthropy. The Nova Southeastern University College of Law is housed in the beautiful and modern Leo Goodwin Sr. Law Building, and many students live in the attractive Leo Goodwin Sr. Residence Hall.
Goodwin's contributions to the Fort Lauderdale and Nova Southeastern University Law communities continue through a foundation and an endowed scholarship fund.
Although highly idealistic, Mr. Goodwin brought a steady, common sense approach to his business and personal life. He believed in simple virtues like honesty, responsibility in keeping a promise, and the necessity of constant self-improvement and hard work.
Mr. Goodwin took much from life, and he always succeeded in giving a little more than he received. Leo Goodwin Sr. died in 1971 at the age of 84. He will be remembered in the hearts of all those he touched by his vision, warmth, and generosity.
The Leo Goodwin Sr. Chair in Law was established with an initial gift from the late Leo Goodwin Sr. The Goodwin Chair allows the College of Law to invite distinguished legal scholars to spend time in residence, to team-teach a seminar with a member of the College of Law faculty, and to interact with the College of Law faculty, students, and alumni. The publication of a special Goodwin Chair Symposium issue of the Nova Law Review allows the College of Law to share the wisdom and insights of our distinguished visitors with a larger audience.