Cala Joins Nazareth's School of Education, Feb. 1

February 1, 2008

Nazareth College is honored to announce that William C. Cala, Ed.D., former interim Rochester City School District Superintendent, is joining Nazareth College’s School of Education as a visiting professor of education. Cala’s primary focus will be to lead efforts to analyze the feasibility of a Metro School at Nazareth, a dream of Cala’s that would bring city and suburban students together to study. He will also play an integral role in implementing the plans for Nazareth’s Center for Urban Education, which is funded by the Frontier Endowment for Urban Education that was established in 1998. Cala’s first day on the job at Nazareth College is Friday, February 1.

“Bill Cala, one of Rochester’s most recognized names in education, is a perfect fit for Nazareth, and the College is extremely excited to have him join the ranks in the School of Education,” said Nazareth President Daan Braveman. “His experience and his views on urban education will be an asset as Nazareth continues to be a well-known and respected institution for a career in education.”

Cala, who just completed an eight-month stint as the interim superintendent of Rochester City Schools, is anxiously awaiting his new assignment. “I wouldn’t take this position with any other local institution. Nazareth is keeping my vision of a Metro School alive,” said Cala. “We need to make schools look like the world, allowing urban and suburban children to learn together and from each other, and Nazareth has the tools and faculty to help make it happen.”

Nazareth College’s School of Education is also in the development stages for the new Frontier Center for Urban Education on campus, and Cala’s position will allow him to help the committee plan and launch the center’s opening, hopefully within the next year.

“After leading the Rochester City Schools for most of the past year, we are honored that Bill chose Nazareth as his next stop,” said Timothy Glander, Dean of Nazareth’s School of Education. “I’m confident that he had his pick of many offers, and the fact that he is coming to Nazareth speaks highly of our talented faculty and staff, and that the College’s vision mirrors his own.”

Before his assignment with Rochester City Schools, Cala was the superintendent of the Fairport Central School District. He is the president of Joining Hearts and Hands, a non-profit organization working to fight AIDS and poverty in Kenya. Joining Hearts and Hands is rebuilding schools and providing scholarships for secondary school students. Born and raised in Rochester, N.Y., and a graduate of Bishop Kearney High School, Cala received his bachelor’s in Spanish education from St. John Fisher College. He holds a Spanish Language Certificate from the University of Madrid, Spain. He completed his master’s degree in education at SUNY at Buffalo, where he also earned his doctorate in curriculum planning and instructional design.

Nazareth College is an independent, coeducational college with studies in the liberal arts and sciences, and professional programs in health and human services, education, and management at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Since its founding in 1924, Nazareth has a long and distinguished history of preparing outstanding teachers. The College is committed to experiential learning, civic responsibility, and student/faculty engagement. In the past decade, twelve Nazareth students and eight professors have been awarded highly competitive Fulbright scholarships. For updated information on the College and its initiatives and programs, visit www.naz.edu.

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