The Prez Paul Podcast

Mental Health Across Campus

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.
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• John Rigney is assistant director for wellness outreach & education in Health and Counseling Services.

Dance with Impact

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 framework.

Guests: 

• Kyra Green  is majoring in dance studies and theater and has a minor in acting. She’s passionate about dance theater and has found ways to use her passion to advocate for children in the education department and also perform dance and theater on and off the Nazareth College campus.

• Heather Roffe is the director of Nazareth’s undergraduate dance program, and has performed nationally and internationally with the Garth Fagan Dance Company and the Bill Evans Dance Company to name only a few. Her choreography has been presented globally, and she is an active scholar in the field of dance presenting on pedagogy, somatics, and dance and feminism.

 

Removing Fear of the Unknown from AI

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 Society — an AI expert and psychologist with two decades of experience at Fortune 500 companies and Silicon Valley startups, and a proponent of “responsible AI.”
• Travis Steffen is a Silicon Valley strategist, best-selling author, Inc. magazine top 500 CEO, and eight-time successful startup founder who’s on campus April 26 for a presentation revealing the secrets to excel in the dynamic world of AI-driven marketing.

Changemaker Series: Access to Education Includes Inmates

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 social justice. 

Guests on the podcast:

Ed Wiltse, Ph.D., professor of English and communication, who has been teaching at Nazareth for 23 years, and in a variety of local jail and prison settings for 20 years.

Three current students and one past student enrolled in the Hitting the Road course:

Alec Goldammer  is a May 2022 Nazareth graduate with bachelor’s degrees in education and English literature. He is also a part of the student-veteran community, spending five-years in active duty in the United States Marine Corps before coming to Nazareth.

Emily Denzler is a May 2022 Nazareth graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business with a communications minor. She was a social media coordinator for the Center For Life's Work located on campus and is always reading in her spare time. 

Joe Rossi is a former Rochester Education Justice Initiative student who was part of the first combined class in Fall 2020. He was working towards his associate’s degree before being incarcerated. Upon re-entry, he earned his associate's degree from SUNY Herkimer in January 2021. He is now set to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in historical studies from SUNY Empire, and plans on pursuing his master's from SUNY Empire in the near future.

Madeline Dovi is a May 2022 Nazareth graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication and media major with an English minor. She is a freelance journalist, artist, barista, and founding member of the Nazareth PRSSA Chapter. Dovi recently accepted a full time reporting position with the Daily Caller News Foundation, covering the U.S. Justice Department.

 

Changemaker Series: How legislation like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill impacts teaching and learning in the classroom

This episode will focus on the topic of gender and sexuality and the school classroom. This issue continues to make headlines around the country, made visible by the recent passage of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida  which states “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur.” Other states around the country have introduced similar bills. 

How do bills like this impact teaching and learning? I sit down with School of Education professors and some current students to discuss this important issue so crucial to current and future educators.

Guests on the podcast:

Rachel Bailey Jones, Ph.D., is a professor in the School of Education and co-director of the Honors program at Naz. She has long-standing teaching and research interests in the field of gender and sexuality in education. She regularly teaches “Gender in Education,” where the class dives deeply into the complexities of gender and sexuality. 

Cuthbert Rowland-Storm, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the undergraduate and graduate inclusive education (childhood & early childhood) programs at Naz. A Florida native, he formerly taught public school in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington.

Amanda Heron is a sophomore studying communication and media, with a focus on writing and editing. She has a passion for examining the representation of different groups of people in American media, with specific attention to the Asian American community and the intersectionality of race and gender. 

Taylor Coonelly is a senior sociology major and honors student who is pursuing a master's degree in library & information science in the fall. She works at the Rochester Public Library to share multicultural and diverse children's literature. 

Claudia Steblen is a sophomore earning her bachelor's degree in women and gender studies. She transferred to Nazareth in spring 2022 and is excited to be a part of the Naz community.

Changemaker Series: Mental health focus at Nazareth

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 other about mental health, peer-to-peer —  evidence shows this can help significantly to overcome barriers and address mental health challenges. Naz senior Amanda Foster worked hard to bring the nonprofit organization, Morgan's Message, to Nazareth this spring, with the goal of supporting the well-being of Golden Flyers of the present and future. 

 

Guests on the podcast:

Amanda Foster is a senior psychology major with minors in human resources and business. She’s a four-year member of the swimming and diving team, co-chair of the class of 2022's senior class gift campaign, and a talent development intern at a leading energy company. 

 

John Rigney is assistant director for wellness outreach and education at the Health and Counseling Center. John has worked at Nazareth since 2013 and works very closely with the athletics department.  He ran cross country and track at St. Bonaventure University, in his words  “a long time ago.”  

 

Show links:

• Mental Matchup Podcast: podcast affiliated with Morgan’s Message that Amanda refers to in the podcast

• LINK TO Beth’s op-ed on Mental Health and Colleges

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

• Ways to contact Nazareth Morgan’s Message:
  Instagram: @nazarethmorgansmessage

• Email: morgansmessage@mail.naz.edu

Women in Sports and Title IX, Part Two

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 Christenson, returned for her sixth season as head field hockey coach in 2021.

Women’s Rowing Coach Emily Farrar, returned for her fourth season as the head rowing coach, second season since they became a varsity sport. 

Women’s Basketball Coach Kelly Dunne, a Nazareth alumna, returned for her seventh season this past winter after capturing an Empire 8 title in the 2020-2021 season. 

Women’s Lacrosse Coach Traci Lian, a Nazareth alum, returned for her fourteenth season as head coach this spring, and she serves as senior woman administrator for Athletics. 

Dr. Wayne Hilson, Nazareth’s associate vice president for Community & Belonging 

Taylor Robey, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ambassador, is a graduate music education student, undergrad Naz alumna, and a record-breaking swimmer with the Golden Flyers who just finished 5th overall in the finals of the 50-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships.

Maya Cox, DEI ambassador, is a junior inclusive early childhood education, psychology, and community youth development major returning for her third season on the women’s lacrosse team.

Women in Sports and Title IX, Part One

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 her sixth season as head field hockey coach in 2021.

Women’s Rowing Coach Emily Farrar, returned for her fourth season as the head rowing coach, second season since they became a varsity sport. 

Women’s Basketball Coach Kelly Dunne, a Nazareth alumna, returned for her seventh season this past winter after capturing an Empire 8 title in the 2020-2021 season. 

Women’s Lacrosse Coach Traci Lian, a Nazareth alum, returned for her fourteenth season as head coach this spring, and she serves as senior woman administrator for Athletics. 

Dr. Wayne Hilson, Nazareth’s associate vice president for Community & Belonging 

Taylor Robey, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ambassador, is a graduate music education student, undergrad Naz alumna, and a record-breaking swimmer with the Golden Flyers who just finished 5th overall in the finals of the 50-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships.

Maya Cox, DEI ambassador, is a junior inclusive early childhood education, psychology, and community youth development major returning for her third season on the women’s lacrosse team.

Changemaker Series: COVID-19 Research

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 across the U.S. They also found that geography and state-level political affiliations can predict individuals' risk of testing positive for COVID-19. 

Guests on the podcast:

• Michael Chen is an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing and Public Health. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and public health from Brown University and a Ph.D. in health services research and policy from the University of Rochester. Michael's research interests include maternal and child health, father involvement, and the development of theory-based explanations to inform health practice and public policy. Michael was born in Taiwan, grew up in Toronto, and has lived in Rochester since 2010.
  
• Lauren Brooks is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, primarily teaching courses in clinical laboratory science. She received degrees in biochemistry, biological sciences, and chemistry from Virginia Tech, a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Rochester, and completed her internship for clinical laboratory science at Rochester Regional Health. Lauren worked in the Serology and Microbiology clinical laboratory at the University of Rochester Central Labs before joining Nazareth full time. She was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area and has lived in Rochester since 2009.
  
  
• Tatianna Trojnor-Hill graduated from Nazareth College in the spring of 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health and International Studies. She currently works as a project associate with JSI Research & Training Inc. and will be moving to New Hampshire for work at the end of this year. Tatianna’s interests include nutrition, food accessibility, and global health. She was born and raised in central New York and has lived in Rochester since 2017.

Changemaking through Music

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: 

• Brian Stevens is Director of Choirs in the School of Music at Nazareth College, where he focuses on changing lives through the choral arts by building diverse and inclusive choral communities, providing transformative experiences for his students, and fostering choral excellence through innovative programming. 
• Jonathan Benn is a sophomore music education major heading down a vocal track and is the current President of the Nazareth College Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. He studies voice with Dr. Kimberly Upcraft and is a member of the Nazareth College Chamber Singers.
• Elena Parkins is a graduate student in the music therapy program. She is a member of the Nazareth College Chamber Singers and holds a graduate assistantship with the Center for Student Success.