La Plume – Keystone College recently conducted a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the new Dr. Jay Nathan International Guest House.
The guest house, located on College Avenue, is named in honor of Professor Jay Nathan, Ph.D., who hosts high school students at Keystone each summer through the Professor Jay Nathan, Ph.D. Endowed Cultural Immersion Program.
A longtime resident of Lackawanna County, a Fulbright Scholar, and a member of the Board of Directors of the prestigious Fulbright Association, Dr. Nathan’s goal is to encourage young people to visit other countries and learn new cultures and customs.
“I think the more people learn about other nations and other cultures, the more they may be able to understand each other and come together once they become adults. That’s really the purpose of cultural immersion. It can lead to a greater understanding and the realization that we are all citizens of the world.”
Professor Jay Nathan, Ph.D
During several recent summers, Dr. Nathan has enabled students and their chaperones to come to Keystone from around the world. In 2016, Keystone hosted students of Mongolian heritage. In 2017, the college hosted students of Nepali heritage, and in 2019 students of Hungarian heritage visited campus. They lived in residence halls, participated in a variety of courses for education and enrichment, and visited important sites in the local community and in larger cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.
“We could not have chosen a more appropriate person for whom to name our international residence than Dr. Jay Nathan,” said Keystone College President Tracy L. Brundage, Ph.D. “For so many years, Dr. Nathan has epitomized the very meaning and purpose of international education and cultural immersion.”
Guest speaker for the event was Nancy Neill, a business communication consultant, author, and a Fulbright Association colleague of Dr. Nathan.
Photo: From left: State Representative Karen Boback; guest speaker and Fulbright Association colleague of Dr. Nathan Nancy Neill; Dr. Jay Nathan, Ph.D.; Keystone College President Tracy L. Brundage, Ph.D.; and incoming Keystone College Board Chair Elect Jim Clark
