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Former Canisius Great Bob MacKinnon Passes Away

Bob MacKinnon, a former Canisius College student-athlete, coach and athletic director, passed away Tuesday afternoon at the age of 87. A member of the first induction class to Canisius’ Sports Hall of Fame in 1963 and a member of the Canisius graduating Class of 1950, MacKinnon was the head coach and led the Golden Griffin men’s basketball program from 1959-72, where he posted 142 career wins, ranking second all-time in program history.

Calling hours are scheduled for Thursday, July 9 from 2-8 p.m., at Perna Funeral Home, located at 1671 Maple Road in Williamsville, N.Y. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, July 10 at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church, which is located at 200 St. Gregory Court, Williamsville. A time for the mass will be announced when it is available.

To read more, visit GoGriffs.com as well as the feature in The Buffalo News.

Submitted by: Marketing and Communication

Student Records and Financial Services Center Now Open

The Offices of Student Records, Student Accounts and Financial Aid have been reorganized into the Student Records and Financial Services Center.  The Center is now open and will be led by Kevin Smith, who was promoted to assistant vice president in recognition of his expanding scope of responsibilities. Smith has been at the college for 21 years and previously served as bursar.  In his new role, he will oversee all Student Records and Financial Services operations and supervise its 16 staff members. Smith will report to Kathleen Davis, vice president for enrollment management and Margaret McCarthy, PhD, vice president for academic affairs.

Mary Koehneke was named associate director of Student Records and Financial Services.  At Canisius for 28 years, Koehneke previously served as interim financial aid director. Deborah Whiting Prohn was named assistant director of Student Records and Financial Services & registrar.  Prohn has been at Canisius for 10 years and previously served as associate registrar.

The mission of the Student Records and Financial Services Center is to provide exceptional customer services that will enhance the overall student experience and encourage students to achieve their educational goals.  The Center will provide students, parents, faculty and staff with effective, efficient information with regard to student billing, financial aid and student records services.

This more efficient and comprehensive approach to student records and financial service involved a number of personnel changes.  New titles and responsibilities include:

Kevin Smith                Assistant Vice President/Director

Mary Koehneke          Associate Director of Student Records and Financial Services

Deborah Prohn           Assistant Director of Student Records and Financial Services & Registrar

Cindy Paar                  Student Services Supervisor

Samantha Brennan   Communication Specialist for Student Records and Financial Services

Michelle Rizzo             Assistant Director of Financial Services

Sean Hudson             Assistant Director of Financial Services

Sue Gruttadauria       Student Records Specialist

Marilyn Pietrzak          Student Records Specialist

Laura Zirnheld            Student Records Specialist

Margaret Kraatz          Financial Aid Specialist and Special Projects

Angela Galante           Financial Aid Specialist

Lynn Jones                  Financial Aid Specialist

Eileen Tally                  Student Accounts Specialist

Nancy Christman       Student Services Specialist

Pat Deganis                Student Services Specialist

Laura Moeller              Student Services Specialist

For the coming academic year, the Center will be located in Bagen 106. .

Submitted by Kathleen B. Davis, vice president for enrollment management and Margaret C. McCarthy, PhD, vice president for academic affairs

Attend Campus Ministry’s Summer Picnic

Campus Ministry invites you to its annual summer picnic on Wednesday, July 8.  The event will be held in the Palisano Pavilion from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.  A Mass will be held before the picnic at 5:00 p.m. in Christ the King Chapel.

RSVP to the Campus Ministry Office at Ext. 2420 or at campmin@canisius.edu.

We look forward to seeing you!

Submitted by: Barb Wozniak, administrative associate, campus ministry

Connecting the Dots: Community Solutions for Equity in Education and Health

Local experts will be on campus for the “Connecting the Dots: Community Solutions for Education, Health and Equity” forum tomorrow, Thursday, July 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Science Hall.

Noelle Wiggins, EdD, MSPH, director of the Community Capacitation Center in Portland, OR, and national speaker will join local experts Gale Burstein, MD, MPH, Erie County Commissioner of Health; David Mauricio, EdD, chief of strategic alignment & innovation,

Buffalo Public Schools; Sam Radford, president, District Parent Coordinating Council; and Jessica Bauer Walker, executive director, Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo.

Topics to be discussed in the action-oriented forum include:

  • Strategies to create cross-sector, interdisciplinary approaches.
  • How communities and institutions can partner to achieve equity on multiple levels.
  • Why bottom-up, community-based leadership MUST be utilized for to reform our education and health systems.

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP to Natalie Graham at info@chwbuffalo.org if you plan to attend.

Submitted by: Allyson Backstrom, PhD, director, pre-med

Wish Bob Schaedel Good Luck

All are welcome to a coffee hour in the ITS conference room in Science Hall (SH-002C) on July 10 at 9:00 a.m. to wish Bob Schaedel good luck and farewell. Bob has served Canisius College for more than 22 years and has accepted a position at the New College of Florida in Sarasota, Florida. His last day at Canisius is Friday, July 10.

Submitted by: Larry Deni, interim CIO