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Campus Candid

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President John J. Hurley presented Jacob Casell a citation during yesterday’s Town Hall meeting for “promptly and unselfishly rendering aid and assistance to another human being that resulted in saving a life.”

Casell, garage mechanic in Facilities Management, was plowing the upper Koessler Lot last month when he saw a man pull an unresponsive man from a car.  The man was trying to perform CPR on the individual but Jake could see, even from a distance, that he wasn’t doing it correctly.  Casell rushed over and performed CPR.  He called Public Safety for assistance and continued chest compressions until help arrived.

Recalling the CPR instruction he received as an Eagle Scout, Casell’s fast thinking and training kept the individual alive until Public Safety and an ambulance arrived.

During the presentation, President Hurley commended Casell for his actions and said, “We are honored to have such a compassionate and quick thinking person as a member of the Canisius community.  This is another example of how our community animates the Jesuit mission of Canisius College.”

IMG_3128Jacob, pictured with President Hurley, his wife, Caitlin, daughter, Olivia and son, Landon

Casell received a standing ovation as he received the citation.

Submitted by College Communications

 

Town Hall Recap

It was a full house at Thursday’s Town Hall meeting, hosted by President John J. Hurley.

The meeting began with President Hurley conferring a citation of recognition upon Jacob R. Casell (see Campus Candid).  President Hurley commended the facilities management employee for his prompt response to a man he found unconscious and nonresponsive on the Canisius campus in March. Casell’s actions saved the man’s life.

Following the citation conferral, President Hurley addressed New York State’s creation of the Excelsior Scholarship Program which purports to offer New York State students “free tuition” to SUNY and CUNY schools.  President Hurley outlined the conditions of the program, its implications on Canisius (further details are included in his April 18 memo to the campus community) and emphasized “the complexity, variables and uncertainty” that accompany it.  He also reported on some initial steps the college is taking.  The Admissions Office is mailing letters to the parents of admitted students to highlight those qualities that distinguish a Canisius education from a SUNY education. Additionally, the college’s website will launch a FAQ page in the coming days.  The page will provide more details about the Excelsior program.  Finally, President Hurley indicated that he asked the marketing team to tweak the focus of its YOU CAN campaign to further emphasize the tremendous outcomes of a Canisius education.

The second half of President Hurley’s Town Hall focused on the college’s current budget challenges due to decreasing enrollment numbers across New York State (down 20 percent) and the Northeast.  President Hurley presented a brief overview of how the college has reduced operating expenses by $14 million since 2012.  Still, he indicated, New York State projects enrollment trends to hit a low point in 2022.  While “enrollment management efforts continue to soldier on,” President Hurley said a report is being prepared for the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees outlining ways to bring the operating expenses in line with revenues.  “We’ll have a better idea of how things will unfold following the Board of Trustees meeting in May,” President Hurley explained.

President Hurley’s formal remarks were followed by a question-and-answer period. Throughout the presentation, he also answered questions submitted via the college’s new anonymous submission form.

Submitted by College Communications

William H. Fitzpatrick Lecture is Monday

Veteran journalists Cynthia Skrzycki ’76 and Pulitzer Prize winner David Shribman will take a critical look at the fake news phenomenon in a talk on Monday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Grupp Fireside Lounge. Their lecture, “Confused by the News?” will examine the contemporary news scene and help audience members discern truth from untruth, professional from amateur, and the enduring from the ephemeral. The lecture is presented by The William H. Fitzpatrick Chair of Political Science Lecture Series, and is free and open to the public.

Skrzycki is a senior lecturer in the English Department at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was recently selected to receive the 2017 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award. The award recognizes Skrzycki’s outstanding and innovative teaching in undergraduate studies, in the Department of English at the university’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

Shribman is executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He came to the paper from The Boston Globe, where he was assistant managing editor, columnist and Washington bureau chief. Shribman served as a national correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, covered Congress and national politics for The New York Times. He received a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for his coverage of Washington and the American political scene.

To read more, click here.

Submitted by: College Communications

Lend a Paw Dog Walk to Benefit IAR

On Sunday, April 23, the “Lend a Paw” dog walk will be held at Fredonia University. Registration starts at 12:00 p.m. and the walk along Ring Road will begin at 1:00 p.m. A reception with food, raffles and live music will follow at 2:00 p.m. in the Fredonia Amphitheater. All money raised will be donated to the Institute for Autism Research at Canisius College.

Entry fees are $15 prior to the event and will include an autism awareness t-shirt. Entries taken on the day of the event will be $20.

Those wishing to participate can register here: autismdogwalk.eventbrite.com. For more information about the event, click here.

Submitted by: College Communications

Rowing Takes to the Water Saturday Morning

Your final chance to watch the Canisius rowing teams on home water happens this Saturday, April 22 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the West Side Rowing Club. The Griffs first boat in the water will be at 9:10 a.m. with collegiate racing running until 11:00 a.m. After a one hour break, the Black Rock Cup Regatta will conclude with the final events of the day from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Joining both the Canisius women and men will be boats from Fairfield, Jacksonville, Marist, Geneseo, Oswego and University at Buffalo. For more information, visit www.GoGriffs.com.

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