Nazareth Founders featured in Rochester museum exhibit about women who changed the world

Nazareth College's founders are some of Rochester's original trailblazers, and they are featured in a new exhibit, Changemakers: Rochester Women Who Changed the World — now open at The Rochester Museum and Science Center. These are stories of women who changed the world right in our own backyard.

The exhibit opened on November 20, unlocking more than 200 inspiring stories of past and present diverse Rochester, Indigenous, and Haudenosaunee women visionaries, trailblazers, inventors, activists, and entrepreneurs who changed Rochester and the world.

The display tells the story of the five women who founded Nazareth, and showcases some special pieces of memorabilia like an official College handbook, a class ring, and a print of the College's original building called The Glass House, which was on Lake Avenue in Rochester.

The exhibit includes:

"In 1924, at the request of Bishop Thomas Hickey of Rochester, five Sisters of St. Joseph founded Nazareth College and inspired a legacy of servant leadership.

The founding Sisters of St. Joseph filled important roles at Nazareth College and supported the first class of 23 women as faculty, each with a Ph.D. Mother Rose Miriam Smyth chaired the chemistry department and taught chemistry, Latin, and mathematics. She also continued to develop Nazareth College's campus through the planning and supervision of construction of new buildings. Sister Teresa Marie O'Connor became Nazareth College's first dean, librarian, and professor of English and Greek. Sister Agnes Patricia Breen served as professor and chair of the French Department. Sister Raphael Lyons was professor of Latin and chair of the classics department, and Sister Rose Marie Carroll was professor and chair of the English department, as well as registrar."

The exhibit is located in the Rochester Museum and Science Center's Riedman Gallery and throughout the third floor of the museum.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2020 November
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