Dialogue with President Beth Paul

It is with great excitement that I announce that Frank S. Williams will be joining Nazareth as our new vice president for strategic enrollment management. Frank brings more than 20 years of higher education experience in both enrollment management and student support, with many significant and innovative accomplishments. He has been a transformational collaborator with academic leaders in an array of successful academic initiatives; he has formed local, regional, and national partnerships that opened new pathways of access to higher education; and he is expert (and successful) in data-informed enrollment strategy. As I spoke with Frank’s references and colleagues both at the University of Buffalo and Daemen College, as well as national leaders in strategic enrollment management, I was impressed by how his past work and strengths align so well with Nazareth’s mission and strategic directions. He is described as “entrepreneurial and wanting to do good in the world,” “always looking down ...

  Students, hello from our beautiful Naz campus! I have loved my conversations with you these last several months, as the spring semester wrapped up successfully and we started to look toward fall. You have told me that what you are most looking forward to this fall is learning in person, being together as an inclusive community, engaging in hands-on learning, and enjoying meaningful and fun gatherings. You want to see the impact of your contributions, not through a Zoom filter, but live and in person in the classroom, in our community, and beyond.   As I spend time with you, you also have shared stories of life during the pandemic and the societal dynamics of the last year. It has been a complex emotional time, including feelings of loss, fear, frustration, sadness, and more. As psychologist Karen Munn shares in this recent podcast on the Summer of Healing , college students have been through a lot and it is often AFTER the crisis that we feel the most anxious. As we emerge f...

  Nazareth College joins in the celebration of Pride Month, celebrated each June as an opportunity to educate, increase awareness, and promote inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community. Our Nazareth community is dedicated to recognizing and  valuing diversity in all its various forms  and to recommitting ourselves to being equity-minded learners and leaders.   Today, June 28, is Pride Day, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City and the start of the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement. Today is a day of celebration and reflection; an opportunity for our entire community to affirm and support each other’s freedom to live authentically, to love who we love, and to be seen and valued for who we are and the unique gifts we share with the world.  Progress has been made and  our work continues . Celebrating Pride means raising awareness, challenging structural injustices, and emboldening action towards inclusiveness.  Pride celebrations also serv...

By Beth Paul, President, and Lisa Durant-Jones, Vice President for Community & Belonging Nazareth College is committed to promoting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community as a critical component of the campus experience for our faculty, staff, and students. Our Strategic Framework extends and strengthens this commitment to preparing “the Nazareth community to be equity-minded, socially-just leaders.” This past year has challenged all of us to hold true to our ideals and ensure that we continue to work to create an anti-racist campus, reckoning honestly with our past and proactively building a more just and equitable  future. The trauma, marginalization, and harm that results from systemic racism has had an impact on our Nazareth community, and we must be steadfast with respecting and valuing human difference in all of its forms. On June 19, our country will celebrate Juneteenth. This annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States has been celeb...

Since our spring semester ended just three weeks ago, we’ve continued to reflect on what we’ve learned and what we’ve heard our students say they value in a connected campus learning community. We have heard our students say they need and want engaging, interactive, in-person educational and social experiences — a learning experience at which Nazareth excels. To achieve this and to prioritize the health of our campus and the wider community, for the 2021-2022 academic year, Nazareth College will require all students, faculty, staff and contracted employees to complete COVID-19 vaccination and provide documentation by July 31, 2021. Limited exemptions, such as religious and medical, will be granted, and reasonable accommodations provided under applicable law. Nazareth’s decision is aligned with the recommendations of the American College Health Association, which made a statement recognizing that comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination is the most effective way for institutions o...

I am writing to express my deep gratitude for your participation in our commencement ceremonies over the weekend. We came together safely to celebrate over the course of two days and five ceremonies. Everywhere I looked across campus – around the fountain, on the steps of Golisano, outside GTC I saw happy families, happy graduates, and happy friends celebrating this milestone occasion. The Nazareth campus was resplendent in sunshine and joy! The 2021 graduation was nothing short of a milestone achievement. I am so proud of our graduates — their strength, accomplishments, and vision for the future. And I am so grateful to our staff and faculty for the months of planning and the commitment to an in-person commencement. Indeed it took the participation and cooperation of the entire community. I want to thank everyone, especially our graduates’ families and friends for taking the extra steps and abiding by our health and safety protocols and doing your part to keep the community safe. I wa...

 A message of gratitude from President Beth Paul.

Dear students, I believe in you! As we finish this year of learning and persistence, I hope you feel accomplishment and strength as never before because you’ve been the best example to the world — Nazareth is recognized this year as one of the most resilient and caring college communities in the nation. We have put commitment to community first in protecting family, neighbor, friend, and stranger alike. During a time of struggle and loss, our community also has put our values of equity and inclusion into action — living them and spreading them . Thanks to Community and Belonging and all who've contributed messages. Our Nazareth community has been society’s best example of living and learning together during a time when many found it difficult to heed humanity’s call. This was a combined effort that will forever be marked in our history. What a fitting legacy to cap our first hundred years. Your individual contributions combined to create a force for change and growth against incal...

  Music is alive on the Nazareth College campus.  Hear about the School of Music’s innovations that enabled our students and faculty to continue performing music through the pandemic and beyond, in our latest podcast. See details and listen:  Prez Paul Podcast

An update on our staffing plan and the status of our longer-range planning for the future of work at Nazareth: We will continue our current staffing plan, following the current state guidelines. We plan to update the campus again on May 21. Any changes will be phased in to allow for planning, schedule shifting, and a necessary transition period. We will shift to summer hours beginning the week of May 24. Human Resources will follow up with more details. The  2021-2022 academic calendar  has been set and we will announce the yearly College holiday schedule by April 30. Academic Affairs is developing course delivery guidelines. As we move to longer-range planning and again consider our emergence and making the transition to a post-pandemic campus, I invite you to participate in thinking about what the future of work means for moving our community forward. Our future of work will continue to center around student learning and the student experience. We strive for a community that...