Equity Mindset
Prepare the Nazareth community to be equity-minded, socially-just leaders.
Goals
- To transparently collect and use data to inform an equity-minded campus
- To educate for an intentional and inclusive campus
- To focus on access, equity, and affordability as an institutional imperative
- To inspire equity-minded action and commitment to social justice in community and beyond
- To fundamentally diversify the campus community (local, national, international)
Wellness for All
Providing fitness screenings and wellness stations during Special Olympics' bocce competition on Nazareth's campus was a win-win, supporting the athletes' health and providing valuable experiences to future occupational therapists and physical therapists.
Progress
What’s happening right now?
- Nazareth is developing our next-generation diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) action plan through a shared equity leadership approach, in partnership with the Urban League of Rochester’s Interrupt Racism Change Team program.
- Nazareth Bias Response & Education Team (NBRET)
- Increased outreach and recruitment of students from underrepresented groups
- The College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, Business, and Education has convened a task force focused on developing new curricular programming focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Next: Develop the Naz LEAP model for equity-minded leadership: Leadership for Equity, Excellence, and Progress.
Seen and Supported
Noheli Ruiz '19G and Jasmine Torres '19G met at Nazareth in the speech-language pathology (SLP) master's program. People of color (POC) account for just 8% of the workforce in the field. With the help of two professors — Carly Maldonado Alicea '12 and Rupert Johnson — they formed the Speech-language Therapy and Audiology Minority Program (STAMP) to provide a safe space for Nazareth students in the CSD programs who identify as POC.
Test dropped to improve access
Graduate teaching degrees and the speech-language pathology master's degree are now more accessible because Nazareth has dropped the graduate record examination (GRE) standardized test requirement for admission.
#NazUnited4CHANGE
Nazareth Athletics launched #NazUnited4Change, a commitment to build and sustain a campus that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. A wall display about the initiative was installed in Golisano Training Center in fall 2021.
Networking for the future
Nazareth's Young Scholars program creates a supportive environment for high-achieving students — like Jessy Dwyer '18 — from urban high schools.
The Center for Life's Work helped Jessy identify internships and leadership experiences to advance his goals in the world of finance.
Golisano Training Center
Equitable Spaces courses
"I think that the first step towards change making is looking at yourself. Recognize your own privilege; recognize your own challenges," says Nicole Engel '24. An Equitable Spaces class "let me explore my own identity," to know how to best help others.
The one-credit courses engage students in practices and discussions about privilege, inclusivity, and difference, to address social and cultural inequalities.