President Braveman was featured in the "Q4" section this week's Rochester Business Journal, talking about Nazareth College being added to the Princeton Review's "Best 368 Colleges." Read on to see what he had to say.
RBJ: Nazareth College was one of four in the nation to be added to The Princeton Review’s 2009 edition of The Best 368 Colleges. What does that accomplishment mean for the school?
Braveman: It is a wonderful accomplishment for the school and it is extremely gratifying to be one of four schools in the country selected for addition. It confirms what many of us have known for a long time – this is a great school that provides a great education and prepares you for a great career. You only have to look at the numbers – in a recent survey 91% of our alumni said they would choose Nazareth again if they had it to do all over. 93% of our undergraduates are either employed or in enrolled in graduate school within one year of graduation and 88% of our graduate students are employed within a year of graduation. What I am especially proud of is that is truly a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff who make this College the extraordinary place it is.
RBJ: Is there importance that The Princeton Review uses results from student surveys to determine what schools make the list?
Braveman: think that’s what makes the Princeton Review such a valued college guide – the rankings come from the student themselves – they are the ones who can speak most honestly about their experience here. While we are passionately committed to ensuring that our students have the highest quality educational experience, it is very satisfying and rewarding to see that they recognize and appreciate that commitment. Our overall student satisfaction is reflected in other ways as well. We have high retention rates which means our students stay here – we don’t have a lot of students transferring to other schools which is a big problem for some colleges. And the vast majority of our students complete their studies in a shorter time than many other schools. The regional six-year graduation rate is 62 percent, our rate is 72 percent.
RBJ: What insight did you get from the student comments included in the review?
Braveman: There were many important insights but there are several that really resonated with me. The students stressed the high quality of teaching and the commitment to the students' success. As one student summarized, "Professors care about how you are doing." Also, the students mentioned that the academic program is challenging. An English literature major captured it well: "I would say that our academic program is rigorous but not mental-illness producing. I count this as a strength." The students commented that the administrative staff is student-centered, which also contributes to overall student success. And finally, they pointed out that the campus is "gorgeous" and located in the safe and beautiful area of Pittsford – anyone who has visited our campus knows how beautiful it is.
RBJ: In a separate list of theater programs on campus, Nazareth ranked No. 9. What can you say about Nazareth’s commitment to its arts program, especially in light of ongoing renovations to the Arts Center?
Braveman: It is thrilling to be ranked ninth on a top-20 list of theater programs, especially with schools that have an outstanding reputation for theater like Yale, Vassar, and Carnegie Mellon, among others. This high ranking not only reflects the quality of our academic programs in the performing and visual arts, but also the fact that these programs have grown tremendously in the last few years and have become much more competitive. I am pleased that many students in these programs not only enrich our lives through their creative work but many enter jobs that serve the community as well, such as art and music education and creative arts therapy. In addition, nearly 75,000 people a year attend the wonderful programming we offer at the Arts Center, including over 20,000 children in the region. As most of your readers know, it’s a very exciting time at the Arts Center, as we are move forward with our renovations which will allow us to expand and enhance our program offerings and establish a summer dance festival. Construction will start in the next several weeks with a grand re-opening scheduled for September 2009. In the meantime, we will hold our 2008-09 season in alternative venues during the renovations.