GRDC News - March 2005
 

Nazareth Recognizes Outstanding Student, Faculty and Staff with the 2005 MLK Award

Nazareth College congratulates this year's recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award. This award recognizes the campus community, faculty, staff, students or department that exemplify the life and works of MLK.

This year's student recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Award is Gloria Calderon of Bronx, N.Y. Calderon is a freshman and majors in business administration. She was nominated by Tina Pereda, a foreign language department professor, for her leadership qualities and involvement with the Latino community in Rochester. She is an active member of the Inter-ethnic Nazareth Coalition and was elected secretary of Nazareth's Club Cervantes. "Gloria is at all times ready to help others and is compassionate and tolerant of individuals who come from different cultural backgrounds," said Pereda.

This year's staff recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Award is Pamela Douglas of Irondequoit, N.Y. Douglas is a multicultural recruiter in the human resources department of Nazareth College. She was nominated by Hilda Chacon, a foreign language department assistant professor, for an outstanding job at attracting and retaining minority staff members at the College. In a Nazareth College senior staff evaluation for 2001-2002, employee diversity increased from five percent to ten percent in just over a year. "That accomplishment was all due to the great task carried out by Mrs. Douglas who has been proactive in fulfilling an important part of the college mission statement," said Chacon. "Her commitment to peace and justice guide her in her daily decision-making process... People like Mrs. Douglas are indispensable to accomplishing Dr. Martin Luther King's dream."

This year's faculty recipient is Susan Nowak of Rochester, N.Y. Nowak is an associate professor of religious studies, director of the honors program and faculty advisor to the Nazareth College Equestrian team. She was nominated by Mary Van Keuren, assistant director of marketing and communications, for being a person of compassion and kindness, as well as someone who truly exemplifies the best of what Nazareth College offers to both its own community and the greater Rochester community as a whole. "Like Dr. King, she understands the need to reach out to those with different beliefs and explore that which joins us together rather than that which divides us," said Van Keuren.