Nazareth University

At the request of Thomas Francis Hickey, Bishop of Rochester, five Sisters of St. Joseph founded Nazareth College of Rochester in 1924 to provide undergraduate education to young women. The first class was composed of 25 young women who began their studies in a large mansion on Lake Avenue in Rochester, New York. The original mansion that housed the college was known as "the Glass House." At that time, the college offered Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, each with a liberal arts core. In response to increasing enrollment, the college moved to a larger facility in 1928 at 402 Augustine Street.

In January 1942, the college moved to its present campus on East Avenue in Pittsford. In the 1950s, the college responded to the need for graduate study by adding majors and by the 1970s offered programs in teacher education and social work. Study abroad programs and intercollegiate sports were also added in the 1970s. During this time, the college became co-educational and independent of the Roman Catholic Church.

Nazareth competed in men's intercollegiate athletics for the first time in 1977. The official nickname of the sports teams became the Golden Flyers — golden for the Nazareth color, and flyers for the bird-like symbol that is part of the old Nazareth logo. Today, Nazareth supports 25 varsity teams. The most recently introduced sport, which began competition in 2019, is men's rugby.[4]

In the early 2000s, the college purchased adjacent land from the Sisters of St. Joseph, including the former Motherhouse and Infirmary. This acquisition doubled the campus size to its current 150 acres. As a result of support from college benefactors (including Tom Golisano, the founder of Paychex), the Motherhouse became the Golisano Academic Center. The Infirmary became George Hall, a residence hall that also houses a coffeehouse and late night study area. The decade of the 2000s also saw the construction of additional student housing, including Portka Hall, Clock Tower Commons, and the Lyons and Breen apartment buildings.

In 2003, 30 years after becoming religiously independent, Nazareth College was removed from The Official Catholic Directory, having been declared no longer a Catholic institution by Rochester Bishop Matthew H. Clark. It was the second time since Pope John Paul II issued Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the apostolic constitution on Catholic universities in 1990, that a bishop declared a formerly Catholic college or university to be not Catholic.[5]

In 2012, Nazareth added Peckham Hall, the Integrated Center for Math and Science, to its campus. Named after lead donors Nancy and Larry Peckham, the $30 million facility supports majors in math and science fields, as well as education programs. It also provides important learning facilities for students in health and human services programs.

Students work in a study area in Peckham Hall

In 2015, the York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute opened after an extensive renovation/expansion of Carroll Hall. The institute consolidated and doubled the size of the clinics associated with the college's School of Health and Human Services and added collaboration space.

From 2009 to 2018, 30 Nazareth students were accepted to the Fulbright Program. The Chronicle of Higher Education placed Nazareth in the #1 spot (in the Master's Institutions category) of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Top Producers of U.S. Fulbright Students, 2012–13 list.[9] Since 1990, Nazareth graduates have been granted Fulbright awards for study in Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, France, Finland, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, India, Israel, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Venezuela, and Yemen.[10]

Nazareth University offers a unique interdisciplinary honors minor to provide its academically-strongest and most intellectually-curious students with opportunities and challenges appropriate to their abilities and motivation. The goal of the program is to encourage academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, independent scholarship, and community connection. Honors scholars complete the honors foundation courses and then select one of three tracks to pursue: research, engagement, or global. Scholars complete a capstone project which they defend at Nazareth's Creative Activity and Research Showcase (CARS) Symposium.[11]

In fall 2013, Nazareth University joined the Clinton Global Initiative University Network (CGI U), a consortium of colleges and universities that support, mentor, and provide seed funding to student leaders who are developing solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.[12] From 2014 to 2018, CGI U selected a total of 31 students from Nazareth University to attend its three-day international conference, based on the strength of the projects they proposed in health, education, youth empowerment, and the environment.[13]

Bend and Snap, a contemporary dance performance at the unveiling of the Nazareth College Arts Center, September 26, 2009

Renovated in 2009, the Nazareth University Arts Center is a campus venue with spaces including:

• Sands Family Pavilion, featuring a grand staircase leading to Callahan Theater
• Jayne Summers Hall, a space for gathering before performances and during intermission
• Fine Arts Gallery, a large space for Nazareth College, greater Rochester, and national exhibitions
• Lipson Patrons Lounge
• Wegman Family Sculpture Garden, a four-season garden featuring three-dimensional artwork by Nazareth College faculty
• Master's Family Community Theater, a smaller space for community performances and events
• Callahan Theater, a theater that seats approximately 800
• Performance Studio, a space for dance and theater rehearsals, instruction, and creation
• Margaret Colacino Gallery, a space for student and faculty art shows, as well as national art exhibitions
• Peace Theater, a second smaller space similar to Master's for community performances and events

The Nazareth University Arts Center is the home of Bach Children's Chorus as well as the performance home of Rochester City Ballet and Garth Fagan Dance. The Arts Center houses the Nazareth University departments of Art, Music, and Theatre & Dance.

The Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue (CISD) at Nazareth University was founded in 2005. In 2011, International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) of Herndon, Virginia offered Nazareth a major gift, provided it was matched by local donors. Brian and Jean Hickey matched this gift, resulting in renaming the center of the Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue at Nazareth University. The endowed chair of the center was left to the IIIT, and they selected Muhammad Shafiq, who was the imam of the Islamic Center of Rochester, the Rochester metropolitan area's largest mosque. The center is part of Nazareth's College of Arts and Sciences and located in the Golisano Academic Center. Muhammad Shafiq is the executive director of the Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue and a professor of Islamic and religious studies at the college.

The Casa Italiana (Italian House)[14] is a center of Italian language, literature, and culture. It serves as a cultural center for the university and the Rochester metropolitan area. Built with the help of the Italian-American community of greater Rochester in 1978, the Casa promotes traditional and contemporary Italian culture, explores the Italian-American experience, and seeks to enhance exchanges between the United States and Italy. The reading room at the Casa provides the university and the community with language and culture resources, and the classroom provides an environment in which students and community members can study the Italian language. Cultural events[15] organized by the Casa include lectures, cooking and language classes, film nights, conferences, concerts, seminars, symposia, bocce tournaments, art shows, and trips to Italy.

French House at Nazareth College

La Maison Française (French House) is a home converted into a cultural center[16] and residence hall[17] for 13 selected foreign language majors. The French House offers a living environment and resource center for students who wish to immerse themselves in French culture and practice speaking French. La Maison Française also offers a line-up of cultural events throughout the year. Such gatherings, which include French film nights, cultural and historical lectures, reader's theater showcases, Francophone regional dinners, and campus diversity dinners, occur on Thursday evenings and are prepared by the French department[18] and the house residents.

At the heart of the Spanish program[19] is the Casa Hispana,[14] a place where students and community members enjoy films, conversation, art exhibitions, and a variety of events relating to the culture of Spain and the Latin American countries. The Casa also houses the offices of the Spanish program faculty, a library, and classrooms.