The Blog of Tom DaRin | Nazareth College, Rochester NY

Welcome to the blog of Thomas DaRin, Vice President of Enrollment Management for Nazareth College. Founded in 1924, Nazareth College is a co-ed college with undergraduate and graduate studies in the liberal arts and sciences, and professional programs in health and human services, education, and management. The College is located near Rochester, New York, and currently enrolls approximately 2,800 students. For more information on the College, visit www.naz.edu.

How You Like Them Apples? #1 for Fulbrights!

  I love the movie Good Will Hunting.  In one of my favorite scenes, Will, played by Matt Damon, confronts a Harvard student who failed to get a date with Minnie Driver.  He takes a piece of paper out of his pocket and asks the student if he likes apples.  The student says "yeah, I like apples", to which Will responds "I got her phone number.  How you like them apples?"  The victory is sweet because its unexpected given the odds.  A kid from South Boston vs. the Ivy Leaguer. 

  Yesterday, Naz had its moment to shine in a similar way.  Among the blue bloods of American higher education, it was Nazareth College asking those in the Masters category of the US Fulbright competition, "How you like them apples?"  as we were named the top producer of Fulbright Students for 2012-13.  In a community where our college exists in the higher education media shadow of a major research university, leading technical institute, and NFL-crazed training camp site, I find it refreshing to celebrate the academic achievements of an unsung player in the game.  Great things are happening here, and its about time someone knew about it.  Lets enjoy the moment Naz, and keep working hard to show the competition just how "wicked smart" we can be!

New majors for 2013 freshmen

Nazareth faculty have been hard at work developing new majors that are timely, relevant, and rigorous, with an eye on both career preparation and preparation for study beyond the bachelors degree.  Here's what they've come up with for freshmen entering in 2013:

Chinese: 

Naz's commitment to international education has been enhanced once again with the addition of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese.  Focused on language and culture studies, this program helps meet global demands in both business and diplomatic settings.  Mandarin has been identified by the US government as a critical need.  High school Chinese language instruction is not required for students to enter this program.  Study abroad in China (at Shandong Normal University) will be a requirement for your degree.  Schedule a campus visit or contact Dr. Zhansui Yu at zyu8@naz.edu for more information.

Legal Studies: 

Developed in consultation with Naz students who were seeking a broader program than Pre-Law, this multidisciplinary major has four tracks:  Public Policy, Law, Community Service and Management, and Criminal Justice.  Preparation for work in government, politics, criminal justice, law, business, non profit and community based organizations can be accomplished.  Attend one of our fall open houses or contact Dr. Olena Prokopovych at oprokop@naz.edu for more information.

Asian Studies: 

The growing influence of Asian culture, economics, and politics across the globe makes it a perfect time to consider this new major.  Interdisciplinary by design it will draw upon the strengths of existing Naz majors while adding specializations in East Asia or South Asia.  A language competency in Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, or Arabic will be required.  Schedule a campus tour or contact Dr. Corinne Dempsey at cdempse6@naz.edu for further information.

Visual Communication Design: 

Professional terminology is moving away from graphic design to communciation design, which better reflects that you will be working with an expanding array of media.  If you are interested in branding and advertising, as well as graphic design, this is for you.  As a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree you'll receive significantly more specialized coursework than our previous BS (Bachelor of Science) program in Graphics and Illustration.  A portfolio is required for freshmen admission, and a second portfolio review will occur at the the end of the sophomore year to gain entry to the uppper division of the program.  Naz has a strong reputation in Art, talented faculty, and attractive studios.  Come see us, or contact Cathy Kirby (program director) at ckirby1@naz.edu.

Toxicology: 

You may be asking yourself, what is it?  Toxicologists study the harmful effects of chemicals on biological systems.  For example, a Clincial Toxicologist could help diagnose patients with disease caused by toxic substances.  An Environmental Toxicologist studies how chemical pollution affects people, communities, and environments by conducting lab and field research.  Forensic Toxicologists establish the cause of death or identify toxicological clues that can solve a crime.  And there are other opportunities as well.  Starting salaries are competitve and there is demand right now for trained professionals.  Peckham Hall, our new science facility, is ready to support this exciting new major.  Make sure your high school sciences and math courses are up to speed for this challenging curriculum.  Visit this fall or contact Dr. Stephanie Zamule at szamule5@naz.edu.

Information on each is, or soon will be, on the Nazareth College website, www.naz.edu.  If you can't make it to campus, look for one of our admissions counselors when they visit your area.  Details on where we'll be this fall are found on the Undergraduate Admissions website.

 

 

My unexpected college tour

  A few years ago, my wife and I decided to become serious bike riders.  Mind you, not the occassional Sunday afternoon pedal on the Erie Canal towpath, I'm talking 20 - 60 mile rides on a regular basis.  Honestly, its been great seeing the world from the seat of my Gary Fisher 24 speed. 

  In July we completed a 6 day ride from Albany to Brooklyn through the Hudson Valley.  Without realizing it beforehand, we had the pleasure of visiting nine institutions of higher education during the trip.  In that roughly 200 mile stretch we marveled at the breadth and scope of American post secondary education.  We camped our first night on the campus of the Sage Colleges in Albany and discovered not only their quaint facilities, but also the academic diversity demonstrated by their close neighbors, Albany Law School and Albany College of Pharmacy.  Day two took us to Columbia Greene Community College.  Even though our overnight stay was brief, it was readily apparent they provide major educational, cultural, and social opportunities to the citizens of their region.  The next day, beautiful pennants on lightpoles announced our arrival at Bard College.  We detoured our route a bit to admire its collegiate feel in a lovely pastoral setting.  Day four was a tripleheader as we rode through The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Marist College, and Vassar College.  No trip to CIA is complete without a meal served by their most hospitable students at the Caterina de Medici restaurant.  Marist College caught our eye for their beautiful architecture, well manicured lawns, and ability to keep road noise from nearby Route 9 from being a distraction.  Vassar's library was so inspiring you just felt smarter being inside of it.  We also witnessed one of their campus tours for prospective students - kudos to their tour guide who had a great public speaking voice and a wealth of knowledge about her school. 

  With due respect to all the aforementioned schools, the last college visit took our breath away.  We spent nearly three hours on the campus of the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Their history, tradition, and mission is awe inspiring.  The highlight of our time there was standing outside of the interfaith chapel listening to the organist play America the Beautiful.  I had chills down my spine.  We were so taken with "The Academy" that we're going back in October for a football weekend with twelve of our friends.  Go Knights!

  High school students in our country are blessed to have such an impressive array of choices for their college education, and they don't need a bike helmet and water bottle to experience them.

Job well done

My professional mentor used to say that the secret to success was to hire people smarter than yourself.  I never forgot that sage advice.  It has helped me build a strong team at Nazareth College, and the work that they did this year was proof that the theory is correct.  The incoming cohort of new undergraduates (freshmen and transfer) is the largest in college history.  This is no small feat, especially when one considers the intense competition for students combined with the high costs of a college education.  We didn't employ gimmicks or make promises we couldn't keep.  It was about solid fundamentals carried out by a dedicated group of professionals.  They didn't back down from the challenge, and in fact emerged stronger than ever.  I'm proud to lead them, and extend "job well done" to each and every one.