Dialogue with President Beth Paul

Dear Nazareth students, I hope your travels throughout campus each day have shown all that CAN be done during these unsettling times when COVID still threatens. I hope you’ve seen the many ingenious ways we are now gathering and interacting while adhering to the important safety measures in place. A look at the Nazareth calendar shows outdoor events of all kinds — fitness, advocacy gatherings, social gatherings, games, faith-based gatherings, carnivals, group art events, and more.  I hope you’ve enjoyed learning together once again as we fulfill our academic mission in the innovative environments that have been configured specifically for safety — classes held outdoors, classes in larger spaces, new learning modalities like virtual classes, symphonies practicing with social distancing.  I hope you are empowered to be part of a community that is an agent of social justice in the world. The coronavirus feels all-encompassing, but there are other major th...

Hello!  As I begin my work as Nazareth College’s 10th president, I am pleased to introduce myself to my new Pittsford neighbors.  My husband, Bill, our two daughters, Martha and Sophie, and I are enjoying getting to know our new hometown and we are grateful for the warm welcome.  I value the close relationship between Nazareth College and Pittsford - a relationship that is nearly a century deep.  As an institution founded in 1924 on the heels of the Pandemic of 1918, we have a foundational belief in the positive impact of neighbor-to-neighbor care and empowerment.   It is this commitment that guided Nazareth College in playing such a pivotal role in lifting and shaping the Rochester community nearly 100 years ago.  In my many years in higher education, I have been an active proponent of the importance of place and community in our students’ learning experience. Our students bring a unified spirit of responsibility, caring, and purpose as they join our ...

Dear faculty and staff; I’ve had a bird’s-eye view of what the Nazareth community accomplished this past move-in week and the start of classes, and it was nothing short of astonishing!  Can students come together with an extraordinary spirit of responsibility and care for others? Can parents feel comfortable moving their students in a safe and healthy way, entrusting their care to us with hope and positivity? Can a large group of students move in conscientiously, following the guidelines to protect our entire community? Can faculty and staff bring new and innovative approaches to educating, engaging, and supporting our students? The answer is a resounding YES! Our community accomplished this and more.  And so I extend my heartfelt thanks to ALL who have been involved in making the student move-in process and the start of classes the smoothest I have ever witnessed during the most challenging time we collectively have ever experienced.   This week I have felt students...

Dear students, What a time this is to be a college student! Our collective ability to respond to the call to action in the face of societal injustice, tackle social challenges, partake in the important work of our times, and continue scholarly work in myriad fields that directly affect humankind hinges on our individual actions. It is in this place, during this historic time, that you will develop the character and conviction that will be deeply held as your beacon for behavior and choice in all the days forward.  Over the last few weeks, we have shared information about the important, science-based protocols in place to ensure a safe re-entry to on-campus life. Our goal is to mitigate the danger COVID-19 poses to our fellow students, faculty, staff, and neighbors. Never before has individual decision-making and behavior been so vital to the collective. Our individual behaviors can literally save lives.  We’re in the process of having everyone sign the Nazareth Community Pledg...

You have been on my mind as we finish preparations for welcoming students into our Nazareth community next week. We are living in complex times — a time of challenge and a time of great possibility. I am inspired by your commitment to emerge from Nazareth with an advanced education that will guide you as a transformational leader at this critical time. Our graduate students are particularly special to me as I often reflect on Nazareth’s extraordinary beginnings — a group of committed women with doctorates founded our college, remarkably, during a time of global pandemic. I believe that our graduate students carry on this triumphant legacy — meeting challenges with rigor and ingenuity, embracing change, engaging in the important work of our time, and holding within a strong belief in changing the world for the better.  I also understand that most of our graduate students juggle their studies with many other responsibilities — employment, teaching, caring for family members, and bein...