Dear Nazareth students;
As
we approach just 30 days before the start of our fall semester, I’d
like to share some important feedback from a recent town hall
conversation we had with families and students about our plan to return
to campus.
First and foremost, we discussed the extensive pandemic protocols and procedures in place as part of Our Way Forward: Fall 2020 to protect the health and safety of our community and that it remains our top priority. We are drawing upon the most current professional and scientific guidance, and continually updating protocols and practices. We are on it!
We also heard variations of this question: What is the value of an educational experience that is filled with change and unknowns? Should we be hitting pause?
Our consensus is no: The pandemic is an opportunity to innovate and expand in the ways we teach and the ways our students learn, live, and thrive at Nazareth. Now is our opportunity to drive innovation and an opportunity for all students to practice the learning virtue of versatility in the face of great change. Our society and our learning environments have changed because of this pandemic. As we contemplate our shared future, Nazareth students see this as something to embrace, to build on, and to participate in, and you are the students who belong at Nazareth, together, right now. This is not a time for pause; it is a time for participation.
Creating the way forward as individuals, as an institution, and as a society requires participation. It requires jumping in, taking measured risks, and asking hard questions. That is why learning in a college environment is so crucial right now. We need to be together, connected, and immersed in dialogue and discussions, particularly the difficult discussions.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only thing happening in society right now; it is not the only engine of social change. The Black Lives Matter movement is advancing, in vital ways, substantive societal change. To enact meaningful change, we need YOU, the future leaders, health care workers, artists, educators — students in all fields. We need your ideas and we need you to take part now so that as you pursue your life’s work you put into action the principles of equality and justice for all peoples, which are foundational, and unwaveringly supported here at Nazareth. The time is now. It is time for your participation and action.
The college experience is too essential to the intellectual and social development of you, our students; too pivotal in the path of your life’s work; too important especially now during this time of activism and social transformation; and too vital to the fabric of society and its future to be postponed, set aside, or shied away from.
Another hard question worth answering: Does the addition of online learning diminish the college experience or its value? And what is “online learning,” anyway?
Learning happens in many ways. Innovation and ingenuity in learning have been hallmarks of a Nazareth education since its founding. Our founders defined Nazareth as a learning community that would continually push boundaries and engage students in different ways so graduates are ready to go out into the contemporary world and be passionate and purposeful agents of change. The world is constantly evolving, and so must we.
What is constant is the significance of the Nazareth degree; the access to and involvement and commitment of the accomplished Nazareth faculty; the enjoyment of campus life and social interaction and the College’s state-of-the-art learning environments; real-world experiential learning opportunities in collaboration with communities near and far; the combined power of thought and purpose of the Nazareth student body; and the active commitment of the entire Nazareth community to the success of each and every individual student.
Chief among the changes our students will experience this fall is the diversification of learning experiences, including virtual learning and creative blends of in-person and virtual experiences. Colleges and universities worldwide have adopted online learning as part of their curriculum necessitated by the measures needed to keep communities safe and so has Nazareth. But Nazareth is approaching this shift as an opportunity for advancing our students’ engagement and learning, not as a lesser fall-back option. The need for workers to seamlessly shift between in-person and virtual environments is here to stay. The goal of our innovations is not to adapt until we can return to “normal,” because we are moving forward with our eyes on your future.
We’ve heard the feedback as students and parents see the label “online” on some of the courses — some of it supportive, some of it critical. This is expected when wide-reaching change is introduced. Developing new learning experiences is always a work in progress. And the participation of our students — as they experience new approaches, weigh in, and, with typical passion, make suggestions for betterment — is vital to our collective progress. We are eager for your input!
Virtual learning this fall will not look the same as remote learning did this past spring. You gave so much thoughtful feedback this spring after the emergency pivot to remote learning so your semester could continue. Thank you for overwhelmingly supporting our faculty’s efforts, and providing thoughtful ideas for continued advancement of learning experiences. Our faculty’s commitment to innovation — and to YOU — has motivated them to work diligently over the summer to learn new skills to augment their teaching and classroom experiences, both virtual and in-person. Digital learning will not be the easy default. It’s an additional landscape on which we are innovating. Our faculty always choose the learning approaches that are best for course-learning goals. Now they have more tools to engage you in meaningful learning.
I am also proud of and inspired by our faculty and staff for thinking about opportunities to educate students about the dynamics of racism and injustice. For example, the divisions of Community and Belonging and Academic Affairs are collaborating to implement a number of recommendations from the Diversity in the Curriculum Task Force in the coming months. Additionally, all first-year students will have new ongoing diversity and inclusion education as part of orientation and throughout their first semester in their Academic and College Success (ACS) class.
In sum, this fall is about your education and your participation in it. Nazareth’s small student body size and ongoing pledge to the success of each and every individual student will ensure that your voices will be solicited and encouraged in regards to your learning. Let them be loud and frequent! I assure you that they will be not just heard, but acted upon. Our ears are open. And our way forward means be here, belong, be part of the change.
You are the students we want here, actively engaged, pursuing your life’s work. We are ready for you and we are in this together.
First and foremost, we discussed the extensive pandemic protocols and procedures in place as part of Our Way Forward: Fall 2020 to protect the health and safety of our community and that it remains our top priority. We are drawing upon the most current professional and scientific guidance, and continually updating protocols and practices. We are on it!
We also heard variations of this question: What is the value of an educational experience that is filled with change and unknowns? Should we be hitting pause?
Our consensus is no: The pandemic is an opportunity to innovate and expand in the ways we teach and the ways our students learn, live, and thrive at Nazareth. Now is our opportunity to drive innovation and an opportunity for all students to practice the learning virtue of versatility in the face of great change. Our society and our learning environments have changed because of this pandemic. As we contemplate our shared future, Nazareth students see this as something to embrace, to build on, and to participate in, and you are the students who belong at Nazareth, together, right now. This is not a time for pause; it is a time for participation.
Creating the way forward as individuals, as an institution, and as a society requires participation. It requires jumping in, taking measured risks, and asking hard questions. That is why learning in a college environment is so crucial right now. We need to be together, connected, and immersed in dialogue and discussions, particularly the difficult discussions.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only thing happening in society right now; it is not the only engine of social change. The Black Lives Matter movement is advancing, in vital ways, substantive societal change. To enact meaningful change, we need YOU, the future leaders, health care workers, artists, educators — students in all fields. We need your ideas and we need you to take part now so that as you pursue your life’s work you put into action the principles of equality and justice for all peoples, which are foundational, and unwaveringly supported here at Nazareth. The time is now. It is time for your participation and action.
The college experience is too essential to the intellectual and social development of you, our students; too pivotal in the path of your life’s work; too important especially now during this time of activism and social transformation; and too vital to the fabric of society and its future to be postponed, set aside, or shied away from.
Another hard question worth answering: Does the addition of online learning diminish the college experience or its value? And what is “online learning,” anyway?
Learning happens in many ways. Innovation and ingenuity in learning have been hallmarks of a Nazareth education since its founding. Our founders defined Nazareth as a learning community that would continually push boundaries and engage students in different ways so graduates are ready to go out into the contemporary world and be passionate and purposeful agents of change. The world is constantly evolving, and so must we.
What is constant is the significance of the Nazareth degree; the access to and involvement and commitment of the accomplished Nazareth faculty; the enjoyment of campus life and social interaction and the College’s state-of-the-art learning environments; real-world experiential learning opportunities in collaboration with communities near and far; the combined power of thought and purpose of the Nazareth student body; and the active commitment of the entire Nazareth community to the success of each and every individual student.
Chief among the changes our students will experience this fall is the diversification of learning experiences, including virtual learning and creative blends of in-person and virtual experiences. Colleges and universities worldwide have adopted online learning as part of their curriculum necessitated by the measures needed to keep communities safe and so has Nazareth. But Nazareth is approaching this shift as an opportunity for advancing our students’ engagement and learning, not as a lesser fall-back option. The need for workers to seamlessly shift between in-person and virtual environments is here to stay. The goal of our innovations is not to adapt until we can return to “normal,” because we are moving forward with our eyes on your future.
We’ve heard the feedback as students and parents see the label “online” on some of the courses — some of it supportive, some of it critical. This is expected when wide-reaching change is introduced. Developing new learning experiences is always a work in progress. And the participation of our students — as they experience new approaches, weigh in, and, with typical passion, make suggestions for betterment — is vital to our collective progress. We are eager for your input!
Virtual learning this fall will not look the same as remote learning did this past spring. You gave so much thoughtful feedback this spring after the emergency pivot to remote learning so your semester could continue. Thank you for overwhelmingly supporting our faculty’s efforts, and providing thoughtful ideas for continued advancement of learning experiences. Our faculty’s commitment to innovation — and to YOU — has motivated them to work diligently over the summer to learn new skills to augment their teaching and classroom experiences, both virtual and in-person. Digital learning will not be the easy default. It’s an additional landscape on which we are innovating. Our faculty always choose the learning approaches that are best for course-learning goals. Now they have more tools to engage you in meaningful learning.
I am also proud of and inspired by our faculty and staff for thinking about opportunities to educate students about the dynamics of racism and injustice. For example, the divisions of Community and Belonging and Academic Affairs are collaborating to implement a number of recommendations from the Diversity in the Curriculum Task Force in the coming months. Additionally, all first-year students will have new ongoing diversity and inclusion education as part of orientation and throughout their first semester in their Academic and College Success (ACS) class.
In sum, this fall is about your education and your participation in it. Nazareth’s small student body size and ongoing pledge to the success of each and every individual student will ensure that your voices will be solicited and encouraged in regards to your learning. Let them be loud and frequent! I assure you that they will be not just heard, but acted upon. Our ears are open. And our way forward means be here, belong, be part of the change.
You are the students we want here, actively engaged, pursuing your life’s work. We are ready for you and we are in this together.
Beth Paul
President, Nazareth College
President, Nazareth College
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