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

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

Welcome to the blog of President Daan Braveman, Nazareth College's ninth president.  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.

Kids Club: Making a Difference

At this time of the year, it is important to reflect on how we make a difference in the community. Nazareth College is committed to improving the quality of lives of those in the greater Rochester area in many different ways with programs such as Kids Club.

Kids Club is a program for children ages 5-10 who have a physical or communication disorder. It was started because children with such disabilities rarely have an opportunity to participate in recreationally focused health and wellness activities. To fill this gap, faculty and students from Nazareth’s School of Health and Human Services developed Kids Club. It began as a week long program during the children’s spring break from school. It has evolved into an after school program that spans eight weeks in each semester. The children come to Nazareth’s campus two afternoons a week for activities that are supervised by faculty and students from our physical therapy, communication sciences and disorders, art therapy, and music therapy programs.  About 30 children currently participate. But, with additional funding we could grow the program and even expand it into the summer months.

Last year, Nazareth College was one of 190 colleges and universities in the country to be selected by the Carnegie Foundation for its community engagement classification. Kids Club is one more example of our commitment to that kind of engagement and to taking steps to improve the quality of lives of people throughout the region.      

Nazareth in New York City

Last week I was in New York City and had the opportunity to see Garth Fagan Dance Company at the Joyce Theater. Garth Fagan Dance is a world-renowned company that is based in Rochester and has performed regularly at the Nazareth College Arts Center for more than three decades. Each year it also spends a week performing at the Joyce.

The works Garth Fagan Dance performed in New York City were outstanding and received very favorable reviews in the New York Times. One of the dances that the company performed in New York City—indeed, a dance that a reviewer said was one of Mr. Fagan’s finest works—was first performed at the recent opening gala at our renovated Arts Center. I was most proud of the fact that Nazareth College received some attention in the Joyce Theater program which specifically noted that the dance was commissioned for our Arts Center opening. For the entire week, capacity crowds at the Joyce Theater enjoyed “our” dance. As I watched a wonderful performance, I could not help but reflect proudly that Nazareth College’s commitment to the arts is impacting even the prestigious arts scene in New York City!

The Benches are Delivered

On a very warm day this past August, we announced the Benches on Parade project, a community arts project that will provide functional art designed by local artists. Next spring these benches will be displayed throughout the area, in parks, on streets and at businesses. After the benches have been on parade, they will be auctioned off and the proceeds will benefit the Nazareth College Arts Center and other non-profit groups in the community.

The other day was a bit cooler -- in fact, a much cooler fall day -- as we stood in front of the Democrat and Chronicle headquarters to announce that the benches have arrived! A truckload of about 15 of the more than 100 unadorned benches were on display. Over the next months, artists from throughout the region will have their opportunities to dress up the benches with all kinds of fun art.

In a few days we will have a session at our Arts Center for the artists to learn about how to work with the fiberglass benches. The art work will be completed by next summer when the benches will be displayed throughout the region. Nazareth College agreed to sponsor this project because it brings together the community, highlights the importance of art and culture in the Rochester region, and ultimately will benefit the Arts Center and nonprofit groups in the community. It’s an exciting project, and we’re very proud to take part.

Opening Night

What a weekend!! The opening of the new Nazareth Arts Center was billed as the “event of the season” for the Rochester community. In every respect it lived up to this billing. On Friday, September 25, 2009 over five hundred people - many more than the three hundred we expected - attended the opening of the new Art Gallery at the Nazareth College Arts Center. They were in for a real treat. The artwork by Bill Stewart and Nazareth faculty member Kathy Calderwood is spectacular. With its hardwood floors, curved walls and open ceiling, the gallery space itself is a perfect setting for displaying the art.    

The black-tie gala on Saturday night was an extraordinary evening. Six hundred guests filled the Jayne Summers Hall, the Lipson Lounge and the lobby off the Sands Pavilion. Musical entertainment throughout the building added to the enjoyment during the reception. Channel 10 televised live, interviewing a number of guests and bringing the gala into the homes of thousands in the area.

The program for the evening could not have been better. Rochester Children’s Theatre opened with a delightful recap of the Arts Center project from beginning to end. Following a showing of Channel 10’s production on the history of the Arts Center, Rochester City Ballet treated the audience to two beautiful pieces. The highlight was Garth Fagan Dance’s world premiere of a dance with live music by the Ying Quartet. Following the concert the artistic directors and performers joined the guests for a dessert reception.

Throughout the entire evening it was clear that the opening was a celebration not only for the College but for the larger Rochester community as well. Indeed, many local leaders joined the hundreds of local residents in recognizing the importance of the Arts Center to the area. Everyone who has seen the new Arts Center agrees that Nazareth now has the finest visual and performing arts venue in the region. This is wonderful for the College’s theater, music and art programs. And, it is equally terrific for the thousands of people in the area who will enjoy programs at the Arts Center for years to come. As Mayor Duffy shared in a note to me, “the Arts Center is a jewel for our community.”

Click here to see multimedia of the event, including photo galleries and local coverage.