Presidential Perspective: the Blog of Nazareth College's Daan Braveman

Commencement: An Ending and a Beginning

As we approach the 2011 Commencement ceremony, I am reminded that the word “commencement” is an interesting and fitting word to describe the event. Commencement actually has two meanings—it is a ceremony at the end of an academic year. But, it also refers to a beginning and in this regard it is a most appropriate word to describe the graduation event.

Students are ending their academic programs and beginning the next phase of their lives - whether it is work, or more school, or travel, or some other experience.  They, however, leave Nazareth with links that enable them to connect the experience that is ending to the new experiences that are now beginning. 

The College’s mission statement is a forward looking declaration that connects the educational experience here with the future. The statement declares that it is our goal to provide a learning environment that fosters commitment to a life informed by intellectual, ethical, spiritual, and aesthetic values.  These are not simply words but our very purpose, and our students end their academic careers with the understandings and abilities to foster that kind of commitment in the future.

The mission statement also provides that it is our goal to inspire in our students a dedication to the ideal of service to their communities and to making a difference in their own world and the world around them. Many of the graduates have been engaged with the community while at Nazareth. This year alone our students devoted 553,000 hours of service to the community. I am confident that they will remain committed to the ideal of service.

I want to mention another link between the phase of life that is ending and the excitement for the future, and that link includes their fellow graduates. Many of the students at this time of year experience mixed emotions—happy to have reached this significant milestone but at the same time concerned about the future of close friendships made over the past years.

Let me offer a personal observation about those friends. I recently spoke on the phone to a friend in New York City. We met during our college orientation more years ago than I want to say, and we roomed together our junior and senior years. We went to different law schools and he has lived in NYC since his graduation from law school while I have lived upstate. Nevertheless, we have stayed close, attending each other’s weddings, watching our respective families grow, and generally sharing our career and life experiences.  We speak regularly on the phone and see each other often.

I mention this story to illustrate that as the graduates begin new phases in their lives, they too will maintain the close friendships developed over the years at Naz. In this respect the past and future remain connected.

Commencement may be an ending and a beginning, but the experience that is ending and the future that is beginning are permanently linked together.

 

Connecting with the World

The growing interconnectedness of the world makes it more important than ever that we expose students to different cultures. Nazareth College partners with over 30 institutions around the world, allowing for our international programs to continue expanding and increasing the number of our students and faculty traveling to other countries. At the same time, we increased the number of international students who study here at the College. During the year we had students from 31 countries, including Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, and Mongolia, to name a few.

In a month our American Language Institute will host students from countries around the globe for study during the summer months. And, the U.S. Department of State’s Study of U.S. Institute for Pluralism is bringing 20 students from five African countries to campus from June 26 through July 28.

It is interesting to note that both parents and employers recognize the need to prepare students to engage with people who are different from them. Eduventures conducted a national survey of parents and found that 72% identified the ability to "communicate with different people" as an "absolutely essential" outcome of a college education. The Association of American Colleges and Universities conducted a survey of employers and found that 71% thought that colleges should place more emphasis on “teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse groups."

Similarly, in upholding the University of Michigan Law School’s affirmative action policy, the Supreme Court found that the benefits derived from student body diversity “are not theoretical but real, as major businesses have made clear that the skills needed in today’s increasingly global marketplace can only be developed through exposure to widely diverse cultures, ideas, and viewpoints.”

Take a look at the following video to learn more about our efforts to prepare students as global citizens.

 

For the Love of the Game

I am not sure I can describe adequately the excitement and tension in our gym last Saturday night (April 16, 2011). We were hosting the finals of the Division III men’s volleyball tournament. The place was packed with enthusiastic, screaming fans. Naz was in the finals after having an extraordinary year with a 31-3  record. While we are in only our 7th season, we were playing Springfield, a  perennial volleyball powerhouse. 

To get to the finals Nazareth played an amazingly close and exciting match against a team from Carthage College in Wisconsin. In this semi-final match, Nazareth was down 2-1 in games and losing 22-19 in the fourth game. We came back to win that game and then win the fifth and deciding game to qualify for the finals.

The final match against Springfield was well played by both teams and quite tense, with the lead changing back and forth. Nazareth won the first game but lost the second. Not to be denied, the Nazareth team fought back and won the final two games.  The students rushed onto court to congratulate the Division III men’s volleyball national champions, the Nazareth Golden Flyers!!

As I watched the event I was reminded of why I so enjoy Division III sports. Students play not because they expect to get pro contracts but out of love for the sport. They fully understand, however, that their academic pursuits are more important and, in this regard are truly scholar athletes. Through the experience, they make life-long friends and they learn life skills—team work, time management, leadership, and the ability to deal with disappointment as well as success.

It was a great night for the players, the coaches, and the entire Nazareth community.  

Record Number of Fulbright Awards

We received wonderful news that five of our students were selected for the prestigious Fulbright Program. Established by Congress in 1946, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." The program is the largest U.S. international exchange program, offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. As the Fulbright web site states, the Program is now the “most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange program in the world.”

The five Nazareth Fulbright award winners selected this year will be teaching English in other countries. Jeri Beckens and Daniel Simmons will teach in Germany. Alyssa Pantano will teach in Argentina; Amanda Poppe in Spain, and Amber Powers in Nepal.  

The Fulbright Program is an important part of a long-standing tradition of academic excellence at Nazareth College. Since 2007, twelve of our students have been selected as Fulbrights. The number of Fulbright awards granted to Nazareth students puts us on par with the top colleges our size in the country. We are very proud of the members of our College who have taken part in the Fulbright Program. We send our congratulations and best wishes to the most recently selected Fulbright award winners.