Nazareth College is committed to providing an on-campus experience this fall. Nazareth, like many colleges, has been providing classes online during the coronavirus pandemic.
Officials said that protocols will be in place this fall to protect the health and safety of students, employees and the larger community.
Some changes already in progress include ordering touchless faucets and personal protective equipment, reducing density in classrooms, and evaluating apps to help screen and trace contact.
President Daan Braveman said historic moments are not defined by the crisis but by how you respond to it. "We would like our parents and students, along with our faculty and staff, to feel confidence in all the protocols put in place to feel safe and secure on campus, and that is our mission. We are working harder than ever."
Incoming President Beth Paul, who begins at Nazareth on July 1, said that, "I have shifted from thinking about 'reopening' or 'going back' to thinking about how we will 'emerge.' We are full speed ahead with the mission and learning experience of Nazareth College, and we will make it work whatever way we have to make it work," said Paul. "So much has changed and must change so that we can again live, learn, and work in community, and Nazareth has the strengths and creativity needed to move beyond this. I am energized by the possibilities and how we will evolve."
Incoming first-year students will have the option to take one of two 3-credit classes this summer at no cost. Nazareth officials said that will give them a jump-start on a core curriculum or elective requirement and another opportunity to start building community.
The college said its plans to transition to on-campus operations are guided by the expertise of health and safety agencies and are subject to the mandates of the state and federal government.
