Elizabeth “Beth” Paul

President, Nazareth College

Years in current role: 1

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Seeing the world through students’ eyes is invigorating and hopeful.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve dealt with over the past year?

Maximizing the learning and growth opportunities in a revolutionary time, while caring for people through challenge, anxiety and loss.

What do you see as the biggest changes in the higher education industry in the next 3-5 years?

Making clear that quality education is imperative to the advancement and health of our society.

Helping students and families with the financial investment in quality education at the institution that is best for them. Student choice should be focused on the institution that will best help them thrive rather than the best bargain.

Ensuring that higher education is accessible, equitable and empowering for all students, so our society can benefit from the beautiful diversity of human talent and contribution.

What community organizations do you support as a volunteer and why?

I am on the board of the Bonner Foundation, dedicated to sustained partnerships between community organizations and higher education institutions to improve the lives of individuals and communities while developing the next generations of citizen leaders. Having only been in Rochester one year and arriving during a pandemic, I’m looking forward to connecting with the many wonderful community organizations in Rochester and supporting the greater Rochester area.

What college class that you haven’t taken would you be most interested in taking and why?

So many of Naz’s courses fascinate me! Here are two that caught my eye today:

• Environmental Sociology, exploring the relationship between society and the natural environment.
• Artificial Intelligence and Data Ethics, exploring social consequences of technologies.