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New scholarship at Nazareth covers at least half of student’s tuition  

Nazareth recently announced it is now offering 15 Bonner Leader scholarships per year, which include a minimum 50 percent tuition four-year scholarship, leadership training and paid community engagement opportunities for students starting their studies beginning this fall.  

Nazareth is the only New York state higher education institution west of Albany offering the Bonner Leader program and is one of only 75 Bonner Leader institutions nationwide, conducted in partnership with the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation. 

Bonner Leader programs typically attract students who, even in high school, have shown leadership qualities and an interest in social justice, community collaboration and being changemakers in their community.  

“Nazareth attracts students who want to be part of a community that creates a more just, healthy and equitable future,” said Beth Paul, Nazareth president. “The Bonner Leader program is the perfect way for students to develop leadership and changemaking skills around the social issues that they’re passionate about, in collaboration with expert community partners and at a university that appreciates and wants to grow that passion.” 

Applications for the Bonner Leader program will be accepted after Feb. 1, but the application window for Bonner Leader will close once all scholarship slots have been filled. 

Go to https://www2.naz.edu/weider-community-engagement/bonner-leader to apply for the scholarship.  

[email protected] / (585) 653-4021 

Nazareth College of Rochester to require COVID-19 vaccinations

Nazareth College of Rochester has joined a number of local colleges and universities in requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for all students, staff and faculty for the fall 2021 semester.

In a statement Friday, Nazareth officials said the college is “committed to giving its students a connected learning community with in-person educational and social experiences.” To achieve that goal, and to prioritize the health of its campus and the community, Nazareth will require full vaccinations, with limited exceptions such as religious and medical.

The decision was made in accordance with the recommendations of the American College Health Association.

“The American College Health Association recognizes that comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination is the most effective way for institutions of higher education (IHEs) to return to a safe, robust on-campus experience for students in fall semester 2021,” according to a statement from ACHA in April. “Therefore, where state law and available resources allow, ACHA recommends COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all on-campus college and university students for fall semester 2021, in accordance with the IHE’s normal exemption practices, including exemptions for medical contraindications. This recommendation applies to all students who live on campus and/or participate in on-campus classes, studies, research or activities.”

Vaccination requirements for students are not new. A 2018-2019 ACHA Institutional Profile Survey showed that 68 percent of respondent IHEs required measles vaccination for all students, and another 19.7 percent required measles vaccination for some students. Many campuses also require vaccinations against mumps, rubella, varicella and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
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MatchUp Monroe aims to help college students set down roots here

For years, people in Rochester have lamented the “brain drain,” meaning the trend of young people leaving Rochester as soon as they finish college.

Now there’s an app to fight that.

County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo announced on Monday that the county has created a program to link college students in the Rochester area with summer internships at local businesses. The paid internships will come with free housing, transportation, and cultural programs curated to help persuade the students to set down roots in Monroe County.

Job postings and applications for the new MatchUP Monroe program will be found on Handshake, a job-seeking app for recent college graduates.

“MatchUP Monroe is custom designed to link students from our world-class colleges and universities with rewarding internships at some of our community’s most exciting local employers,” Dinolfo said. “Together, we will ‘MatchUP’ our best and brightest students and employers to build a brighter future for all of us.”

Work on the program began in January, Dinolfo said, and will launch for the summer of 2020. The county has partnered with six local colleges to recruit students, and a variety of  companies and cultural institutions.

“Incentive programs like Match Up Monroe provide our students with the opportunity to learn more about the great jobs and rewarding career opportunities that this region has to offer,” said Ian Mortimer, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Rochester Institute of Technology. The other colleges partnering with the program include University of Rochester, Nazareth College, St. John Fisher College, Roberts Wesleyan College and Monroe Community College.

Once students apply to the program, they will be screened by a panel of participating companies and may be interviewed  by individual companies. Some of those companies planning to host interns so far include CloudChekr, Datto, 29 Design Studio, LeFrois Builders & Developers, Unither, eLogic, UR and Innovative Solutions. Additional companies can still apply to participate on the program’s website.

Housing in RIT’s Global Village will be provided for the duration of the internships, which will last eight to 10 weeks. Free bus passes will be provided to help students reach their jobs.

Dinolfo and some of the participants unveiled MatchUP  Monroe at Innovative Solutions Monday.

Justin Copie, CEO of Innovative Solutions, said, “We are so excited to partner with Cheryl and her team to help solve one of the biggest problems in our community — retention. Through this program, we’re excited to usher students into our business so they can begin to develop relationships within the community, and learn what makes this community so great. It is our responsibility to nurture the amazing talent in this community, if we’re to grow this community.”

The cultural component of the program involves coordinating visits to attractions in the county, sharing the off-hours life of Monroe County with students. Institutions including VisitRochester, Geva Theatre Center, the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, Seneca Park Zoo and others have signed on to help with that.

“Monroe County is home to world-class arts and cultural institutions, nationally-recognized museums, a fantastic parks and recreation system and a fabulous food scene,” said Don Jeffries, president and CEO of VisitRochester.

Imagine Monroe, the county’s economic development agency, will cover costs of housing, transportation and some other expenses, while county planning and economic development staff support the program.

Students and companies that would like to participate in the program can learn more at MatchUpMonroe.org.

[email protected]/(585) 363-7275