Nazareth partners with local employers for new certificate program

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Nazareth College’s School of Business and Leadership has launched a new certificate program with a trio of regional employers aimed at equipping emerging leaders with the necessary skills to grow their businesses and strengthen the community.  

The Next Generation Leadership program was launched at Nazareth late last year with employees from M&T Bank, The Bonadio Group and Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP.  

The firms teamed up with Nazareth to help create the program, recognizing the need to prepare young professionals to build resilient, inclusive teams capable of tackling regional challenges. 

Nazareth School of Business and Leadership Dean Kenneth Rhee said it is helpful for multiple companies to work together when it comes to employee development programs. 

“This is a great example of the college and the business community collaborating,” he said  

There are 27 participants from the three businesses in the current session, which started in November. The group meets in-person once a month over an eight-month period. 

Rhee said Nazareth can work with organizations to provide customized leadership development programs to meet their key needs, adding that the program allows companies to support the success of their employees and their organization by making an investment in employees’ leadership skills. 

One of the objectives of the program is to help employees become competent and emotionally intelligent leaders with outstanding leadership performance, he said. 

Emerging leaders need to be adaptable and flexible, Rhee said, noting the importance of both during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Empathy is also a skill that will be needed more as businesses transition to a new normal and the workforce adjusts accordingly.  

Another focus of the program is on developing, attracting and retaining top talent. 

The timing of the program is fortuitous, he said, noting that the pandemic led to many people leaving their jobs, resulting in many businesses struggling to fill positions.  

Employee retention has become a top priority, as a result, and Rhee said programs such as this one can provide employees with an opportunity to learn and grow within an organization.  

“It can be important when it comes to keeping employees,” Rhee said.  

Dan Burns, M&T’s regional president, said the Nazareth program brings employers together to address workforce needs facing the region. 

For Rochester to be competitive with other markets and secure a talented workforce, business leaders need to work collaboratively to build programs that develop homegrown talent and attract talent new to the region, he added. 

Burns said creating a strong culture and reviewing succession planning became top priorities over the past couple of years as businesses dealt with challenges due to the pandemic. Those challenges ranged from a shift to a virtual workforce to an increased number of people retiring.  

Communication has also been key, he said, not only among colleagues, but with clients and business partners, as well.  

M&T wanted a diverse group to attend the program and included employees from several areas of the business. 

“We wanted to bring people together and give them the tools to succeed,” Burns said, adding the program has been well received. “It’s exceeding our expectations.”  

M&T has a long-standing relationship with Nazareth, as well as Bonadio and Woods Oviatt Gilman, so joining forces for this program was a natural fit.  

He added that the companies have many clients in common and employees from each business often interact. The certificate program could be a way to facilitate new connections among the rising leaders, as well as foster ongoing regional collaboration.  

“The shared experience can help create friendships and business relationships that could last for a lifetime,” he said.  

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