Changemaker Chat

Dr. Beth Paul, president of Nazareth University, chats with Dr. Kevin Graham, a member of Nazareth's undergraduate class of 2010 and graduate class of 2012, an inspiring change maker and proponent of diversity in the technology field. Since October 2024, Kevin has served as Executive Director of the Engineering Pathway Program for Community College Students, a partnership between the UCLA Samueli...

Nazareth University president Dr. Beth Paul welcomes Norma Fox Kanarek, PhD, a member of Nazareth’s class of 1974 and an inspiring changemaker. Their conversation dives into the details of Norma’s amazing career — which started in Rochester at Highland Family Medicine — as an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. Her research focused on the healt...

Nick Cicero '09 is a social media entrepreneur, who — after starting college at Nazareth as a trumpet-playing music major – was intrigued by the spread of Facebook, Twitter, other social media platforms, and followed his instincts to pursue a career in internet technology and business. Nick’s life's work has focused on building social publishing and analytics tools for publishers and media compani...

As part of its ongoing Centennial Changemaker Chat podcast, Dr. Beth Paul has a conversation with Neal Powless '98, a former member of the Nazareth lacrosse team and three-time All-American, and an inspiring changemaker who has helped bridge Native American ideals and culture all over the world. Neal Powless '98 led the Nazareth team to the 1996 Division III National Championship. He later enjoyed...

In this episode of Changemaker Chat, Nazareth University President Beth Paul, Ph. D. welcomes Alicia Borrachero '90, a graduate of Nazareth's theater arts program. Borrachero is an accomplished actor whose career in Europe has made her a household name there for many —  most notably for nine seasons starring in the hit Spanish television series Periodistas and the Starz historical drama, The Spani...

Changemaker Chat is a special podcast series honoring Nazareth University's Centennial Celebration, featuring engaging conversations with notable individuals who've changed — and continue to change — their industry, their community, and the world for the better, inspired by their personal connection to Nazareth. In this episode of Changemaker Chat, Nazareth University President Beth Paul, Ph. D.,...

Changemaker Chat is a special podcast series honoring Nazareth University's Centennial Celebration, featuring engaging conversations with notable individuals who've changed — and continue to change — their industry, their community, and the world for the better, inspired by their personal connection to Nazareth. The first episode of Changemaker Chat features a conversation between Nazareth Univers...

Nazareth has long made mental health a priority, and a new federal grant is helping the University expand its commitment to student’s mental health and wellness. Today’s podcast focuses on the new initiatives. Guests: Kim Harvey is associate vice president of student life at Naz with 20 years of experience in higher education in the areas of residential life and student success.   John Rigney is a...

Nazareth is a community of changemakers, and senior Kyra Green is a shining example of someone inspiring others every day. Green ‘23 is a dance studies and theater major, and she recently joined President Paul along with Heather Roffe, director of Nazareth’s undergraduate dance program. They discussed the many ways the dance program is a shining example of the Nazareth changemaker education framew...

As ChatGPT makes headlines, how do the latest artificial intelligence breakthroughs affect our lives? Prez Paul talks to Silicon Valley strategist Travis Steffen and Nazareth’s Institute for Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Society Director Jeff Allan. They address fear of the unknown when it comes to AI.   Guests: Jeffrey Allan is director of Nazareth’s Institute for Technology, AI, and S...

Nazareth College Professor Ed Wiltse taught a unique class this past spring semester, Hitting the Road: Journeys in American literature. Half of the students were campus-based here at Nazareth and half were based at Groveland, a men's prison south of Rochester. Wiltse’s work is part of a growing national movement that advocates for access to higher education for all, as a pathway for equity and so...

In this episode, we are focusing on mental health on our campus and beyond. May is Mental Health Awareness month, and given alarming mental health trends, this issue is a year-round priority for our community. Overcoming the stigma of mental health challenges is an important first step, so people can get support and treatment.  One way to overcome this stigma is for students to talk with each othe...

Here is part two of The Prez Paul Podcast as a group of Nazareth women coaches breakdown women in sports and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a groundbreaking law that helped create gender equity in sports. The roundtable discussion in this episode starts with the question — do male coaches have a responsibility to bring visibility to women’s sports? Guests:  Women’s Field Hockey Coach Tarah Chri...

The Prez Paul Podcast Changemaker series continues as we celebrate Women’s History Month, and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a groundbreaking law that helped create gender equity in sports. We had an excellent roundtable discussion to celebrate Nazareth’s excellence in women’s athletics! Enjoy part one of this two-part podcast. Guests:  Women’s Field Hockey Coach Tarah Christenson, returned for...

The Prez Paul Podcast changemaker series continues with professors Michael Chen and Lauren Brooks, along with research assistant Tatianna Trojnor-Hill '21, sharing their health policy research on COVID-19. They received a data access award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine racial/ethnic disparities in access to laboratory testing and outcomes among more than 2 million patients acr...

It’s our second season, and we are starting a new series on the podcast  — It’s the Prez Paul Podcast Changemaker series!  Nazareth Choirs director Brian Stevens and students Jonathan Benn and Elena Parkins, talking about the choirs’ changemaking mantra “we sing to change lives.” The choirs actively collaborate with living and under-represented composers to bring their music to the world.   Guests...

In this episode of the “Prez Paul Podcast” you'll hear from four Nazareth parents speaking about their children’s perseverance during the pandemic. Our parents discuss positive changes they’ve noticed in their students from their time at Nazareth, why their student chose to become a Golden Flyer, and what they are most proud of their child for while attending Nazareth. Guests on the podcast: Barry...

Music in all its forms has gotten many of us through the pandemic with its power to stir so many emotions and transport us to places near and far. Music is alive on the Nazareth College campus. Hear about the School of Music’s innovations that enabled our students and faculty to continue performing music. Guests on the podcast: David Davies is a composer whose music has been performed at festivals...

The Golden Flyers athletics teams are back competing this spring! After the pandemic hit our world last March, sports, along with everything else, came to a halt. We are happy to welcome all the athletes and coaches back to their competitive seasons, and it is inspiring to see that athletics is managing to combine three seasons into one: all fall, winter, and spring sports. I talked with some Naza...

We shine the light on Nazareth’s Civil Rights Journey, an extraordinary immersive learning experience that we have been offering for several years. Meet guide Reggie Harris, who partners with Nazareth to lead this life-changing trip. Hear from Nazareth students who have attended the journey and their transformative take-aways. Harris also talks about his week-long fellowship at Nazareth that start...

In this episode: Big news from Nazareth College. We’ve formed the Institute for Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Society (ITAS), a pioneering initiative in higher education to train future professionals to guide and develop technology toward equitable and just ends. Guests: Dianne Oliver, Ph. D., is co-director of the Nazareth College Institute for Technology, AI, and Society (ITAS), and s...

This time students and faculty from our social work, nursing, and public health programs join me to discuss the many ways they are continuing to support wellness for people in the Rochester community — despite the pandemic.   Leanne Charlesworth is professor and chair of social work and the director of the undergraduate social work major. She received her bachelor’s from Cornell University, master...

In this episode,  we engage in a fascinating conversation about the innovative ways our students and faculty overcame challenges during the pandemic and are still helping clients maintain their health when they couldn’t visit Nazareth’s on-campus clinics. Guests: Lisa Hiley, assistant professor in communication sciences and disorders; Mary Therese Novak, director of clinical education in physical...

In this episode, I am joined by Tim Kneeland, Ph. D., professor of history and political science and Susan Nowak, Ph. D., SSJ. They help us look forward to the upcoming Nazareth College centennial celebration in 2024, and look back to the lessons our founders can teach us today.

In this special “bonus” episode of the “Prez Paul Podcast,” I share the audio from a virtual forum for the Nazareth community on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. It was a way to connect with faculty, staff, students, and parents to reflect on the events that unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6. I am joined by Dr. Tim Kneeland, Nazareth professor of history and political science; Dr. Devparna Roy, Nazareth as...