FAU's Chair Medal Ceremony Honors Its Inaugural Class of Recipients

The Florida Atlantic University Chair’s Medal recently was awarded to its inaugural group of recipients at the Eleanor R. Baldwin House at FAU’s Boca Raton campus.          

Barbara Feingold, FAU Board of Trustees (BOT) vice chair; Scott Adams, FAU BOT emeritus and College of Business alumnus; Michael and Michelle Hagerty, FAU benefactors; Dusty May, FAU men’s basketball coach; Eric Shaw, Ph.D., FAU College of Business emeritus professor and alumnus; and Shane Strum, president and CEO of Broward Health, were all recognized. Jeffrey Feingold, D.D.S., who served on the FAU BOT for 10 years, also was awarded a Chair Medal posthumously.

The Chair’s Medal, given by BOT Chair Brad Levine, is an opportunity to honor those who have helped FAU, the community, as well as the state of Florida by way of their time, talents or benefaction.  

“This group of awardees have committed themselves to making all aspects of FAU a center for excellence and distinction,” Levine said. “With the Chair’s Medal, we recognize their extraordinary contributions and appreciate their dedication to FAU.”

Barbara Feingold is currently the vice chair of FAU’s BOT. A lifetime educator and advocate for children, she spent her early career working with learning disabled elementary school students as a speech pathologist. At that time, she was praised by then Florida Gov. Rick Scott for her work with children and was appointed to the Florida Board of Education. She and her late husband, Dr. Jeffrey Feingold, co-founded the Dentaland organization, one of the first private practices in Florida to combine general dentistry and dental specialties under one roof. Prior to her appointment to the BOT, her husband served for more than 10 years. They provided a significant gift to remodel the BOT room in the Administration building, which is named in their honor. Today, she is continuing their legacy by spearheading an initiative to establish a world-class College of Dentistry on the Boca Raton campus.

“In championing this effort, Barbara has made incredible progress, including a personal commitment to fund the building costs and ensure that our students have access to a state-of-the-art training facility,” Levine said. “This transformational gift will help make Florida Atlantic University the second public school in the state with a College of Dentistry. We are thrilled to have this exciting opportunity ahead of us, and we are grateful for her leadership in driving this project forward.”

Dr. Jeffrey Feingold’s leadership helped propel FAU to new heights. During his time on the board, FAU celebrated many landmark moments, including the launch of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the University being named the top-performing public institution in the state by the Florida Board of Governors, the opening of the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence, and recognition on U.S. News & World Report’s list of the best schools in the nation.

Adams, while playing football at Valdosta State, made the decision to prioritize his academic career and transferred to FAU, later graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1987. An affinity for computers launched him into a highly successful technology career. Most recently, at FAU Tech Runway, he and his partners built a hardware and software platform called “STRAX,” which allows law enforcement, military and security firms to manage real-time intelligence from drones, cameras and other various data sources. Adams established the Adams Center for Entrepreneurship at FAU’s College of Business which invites entrepreneurial initiatives from all disciplines within the university as well as the community at large. Adams also served on FAU’s BOT as vice chair.

The Hagertys recognized that giving to FAU can help student-athletes reach their fullest potential, both in the classroom and on the field. Their legacy began with a $2.5 million gift to name the FAU head football coaching position in perpetuity, now known as the Hagerty Family Head Football Coach. They then deepened their commitment to FAU Athletics with a $5 million transformational gift to the areas housing the majority of FAU’s athletic facilities, now known as the Hagerty Family Athletics Village.

May led FAU to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, while posting a program-best 35-4 record. Under May's guidance, the 2022-23 Owls have the most wins in school history, the most conference wins in school and Conference USA history (18), the longest winning streak in school history and had the third-longest streak in Conference USA history (20 games). May is the Owls’ all-time leader in coaching wins with a record of 101-60, despite having only been on the FAU sidelines for five seasons. FAU has not had a losing season in the five years of the May era. The Owls also captured the Conference USA Tournament and regular season championships, both for the first time in school history. He was named the CBS Sports National Coach of the Year, as well as the NABC All-District 17 Coach of the Year and Conference USA Coach of the Year this season.  

Shaw is a former member of FAU’s BOT and received his B.B.A. in 1972 and M.B.A. in 1973, and then was invited to join the FAU faculty as an instructor of marketing. Shaw earned his Ph.D. at Temple University and has taught on the faculties of Rutgers University and the University of Miami. After returning to FAU in 1982, he served as associate dean of the College of Business, acting director of the School of Industry Studies and as the chairman of the marketing department for 15 years. He also served as the faculty athletics representative to the NCAA for five years. Shaw recently gifted FAU with an estate pledge of more than $2 million, which will benefit various athletics, business, arts and letters, and other university programs. This makes Shaw the largest FAU faculty or staff donor in the university’s history, after former assistant professor Dick Schmidt.  His teaching skills have been widely recognized with many honors, including the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, which he received three times; and the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award in the College of Business, which he received twice. He is inducted in the Florida Atlantic University Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame and is a recipient of FAU’s President Talon Leadership Award.

Strum, president and CEO of Broward Health, oversees one of the 10 largest public health systems in the U.S. The initiatives under his direction have included lowering prescription drug costs, expanding telehealth services, improving transparency and quality in health care, and increasing the awareness of mental health and substance abuse issues throughout the state. Prior to this, he was Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff, leading the implementation of a $90 million budget, overseeing 20 state agencies with more than 100,000 employees, gubernatorial appointments, and cabinet affairs. He also served as the senior vice president for the Memorial Healthcare System. A former leader in higher education, Strum was vice chancellor of Keiser University and director of corporate and government relations at Nova Southeastern University. Currently, he is a member of FAU’s presidential search committee, providing guidance and expertise to help identify its eighth president.

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