For the sixth straight year, the Spanish program will host a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) and Latino Speakers Series. The annual event brings writers, activists, filmmakers, artists and politicians to Canisius to read from their works, show their films or documentaries, conduct workshops and display their art.  This year’s reading will be by Michael Nava, a recently retired lawyer who is known for his Henry Rios series of detective novels. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m. in Old Main 314. Nava’s groundbreaking work introduced the voice of Chicanos into the genre of detective fiction, includes gay protagonists and deals with HIV/AIDS.  He is currently working on a series of historical novels, the first of which, City of Palaces, has garnered him praise.

The speakers are chosen in consultation with the students from the Spanish Honors Society, Sigma Delta Pi.  Spanish faculty and their Canisius Earning Excellence Program (CEEP) students coordinate with Sigma Delta Pi and other organizations for co-sponsorship, including the Fitzpatrick Institute, the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, embraceWNY and other departments such as Political Science/International Relations, Latin American Studies, ArtsCanisius, Fine Arts and Art History, Unity and All-College Honors.

The Spanish Department not only sponsors public lectures but also opportunities for speakers to contribute to Spanish, Political Science and other classes to share their stories with students, demonstrating the Jesuit value of magis.  Some of the notable speakers include Alberto Rey, a Cuban American artist who spoke about his art and its focus on environmental issues in Western New York and about Cuban refugees who flee on rafts.  Rey also paid a visit to the Spanish Introduction to Composition class while discussing Latin American arts.  Another notable speaker was Charlie Vázquez, the director of the Bronx Writing Project.  In addition to a public reading, Vázquez conducted a two-day workshop for students in Spanish Seminar on detective fiction to help students develop their own detective stories. Other past speakers include José Galvez, the first Chicano to receive a Pulitzer Prize in photographic journalism; Benjamin Alire Saenz, a Chicano novelist; Luis Negrón, a prize-winning Puerto Rican short story writer; slam poet Emanuel Xavier; and Buffalo native comic, Bob Smith.

Submitted by: Sara Morris, PhD, associate vice president, academic affairs

The Canisius College Alumni Association will confer its Kenneth L. Koessler Distinguished Faculty Award upon Sara R. Morris, PhD, during Spring Honors Convocation on Friday, May 20. The award, presented annually, recognizes a faculty member for teaching excellence and outstanding contributions to the academic world.

Professor of biology, Morris is beloved by her fellow faculty and students. Morris’ passion for her discipline is immediately apparent in her classroom. Whether she is teaching introductory biology or upper-level classes such as ornithology and field ecology, Morris effectively combines her lectures with engaging images, videos and demonstrations to perfectly convey the subject matter. As a result, she energizes students with her infectious enthusiasm.

Graduates of the Biology Program are grateful for her dedicated mentoring and the unique field experiences and research opportunities she offers. She maintains an active research team of Canisius undergraduate students that studies bird migration and has published 20 scholarly articles with her students or former students. Many of her former research students earned acceptance into top graduate programs and now work as doctors, veterinarians, researchers, college professors or high school biology teachers.

Click here to read more about Morris’ accomplishments and contributions to Canisius College.

Submitted by: Public Relations

Kudos to Canisius College alumni, who ranked first (1^st), overall, in New York State during the 2015 CPA exam cycle, with a 75 percent pass rate, among medium programs (institutions with between 21 – 60 candidates). The 2015 exam is the most recent to be published by the National Association of the State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).  The results are for graduates of bachelor and graduate programs who are first time candidates sitting for the CPA exam within one year of graduation.

On the individual sections of the 2015 CPA exam, Canisius participants ranked first (1^st) in New York State on the auditing portion, among medium programs; first (1^st) on the business environment and concepts portion, among small programs (institutions with between 10 – 20 candidates); and first (1^st) on the regulation portion, among other programs (institutions with less than 10 candidates).

Click here to read more about the 2015 rankings.

Submitted by: Public Relations

The Marist Red Foxes visit Canisius today, April 20, to attempt to knock the Griffs out of first place. The women’s lacrosse contest takes place at 4:00 p.m. at the Demske Sports Complex. Marist enters the game with a 4-1 league mark, while Canisius is a nifty 5-0 in conference action. The game is the final regular season home contest for the Griffs.

Last weekend, your Griffs successfully knocked Monmouth from the unbeaten ranks with a resounding victory at home.

For additional information, visit www.GoGriffs.com.

Submitted by: John Maddock, associate athletic director, external affairs