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鈥淚 chose to come here for two reasons,鈥� notes Andrea Talentino, Ph.D., Nazareth鈥檚 new vice president of academic affairs. The first, she says, was that Nazareth鈥檚 on-campus commitments, for example to the Center for Life鈥檚 Work, global leadership, and civic engagement, 鈥渇it with what I think is important for students.鈥�

The second, Talentino continues, was 鈥渢he community鈥檚 investment in constantly building excellence.鈥� Part of building excellence is 鈥渆ngaging students in meaningful exploration,鈥� she notes. 鈥淢any institutions employ practices known to engage students; the difference is that at Nazareth, those practices are integrated, mutually reinforcing, and complementary to shape a student鈥檚 future and sense of self.鈥�

This desire to offer meaningfully overlapping components fits with Talentino鈥檚 own vision for students, which began to take shape as she pursued a B.A. in political science at Yale and then an M.A. and Ph.D. in the same subject at UCLA. Her focus was honed during her work at several universities, including Drew, Tulane, Norwich, and Princeton, and she鈥檚 ready to apply it at Nazareth.

Although Talentino has been at the college only since March, Nazareth President Daan Braveman reports that 鈥淎ndrea鈥檚 leadership style is impressive.鈥� That style is collaborative. Talentino elicits ideas and responses from faculty; then, together, they flesh out the vision. 鈥淓verything we do has to be developed in conjunction with the Nazareth community as a whole,鈥� Talentino says. Her approach involves building an integrated faculty leadership that supports an integrated student experience.

鈥淩ather than giving students a bunch of ad hoc, discrete experiences,鈥� Talentino says, 鈥渨e鈥檙e unifying the components.鈥� That way, she notes, 鈥渆ach connection will enrich the next.鈥� She cites study abroad, internships, classes, and student research as examples of the building blocks that lead to that next connection and provide an integrated educational experience. Her goal, she says, is to 鈥渢ie together the curricular and the co-curricular in a way that鈥檚 engaging.鈥� She explains, 鈥淟inking those experiences is a way to help students define what they want to achieve and how they want to achieve it, while giving them the necessary skills.鈥�

Another link emphasized in Talentino鈥檚 plan is the one between students and faculty. A good way to keep professors available to students, Talentino suggests, is to avoid exhausting the teachers. 鈥淚鈥檓 invested in looking at reorganizing the faculty teaching load, which is heavy,鈥� she says, 鈥渟o that faculty will have more time to invest in scholarship or their own creative work.鈥� She notes that as the school slightly reduces teaching loads, the bond between teachers and students can be fostered in other ways, by increasing activities faculty already engage in, such as mentoring, student research, service-learning, and internships.

Other staff members will also participate in the new vision. 鈥淥ne of our goals is to work closely with the communications and marketing side, and with admissions, to ensure that we can attract students and provide them with a high-quality experience that makes them want to stay,鈥� Talentino says. The plan includes strengthening links with alumni, adding further opportunities for experiential learning, and connecting students with alumni mentors and internships. 鈥淭he more we can do to engage students, the more they will want to be here,鈥� Talentino observes. For that reason, her plan also includes developing funding to make sure rewarding activities are available to all students.

鈥淢y goal is to make Nazareth nationally recognized and desired for the extraordinary quality of the experience it gives students,鈥� Talentino says. Identified by Talentino and shaped by thoughtful contributions from faculty, staff, and students, that goal is on its way to becoming a reality.

Joanie Eppinga is a writer and editor in Spokane, Washington.