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Canisius in the News

In an article in Crain’s New York Business on October 9, Peter J. Galie, PhD, professor emeritus of political science, discussed how New York State voters will have the chance to approve the creation of a constitutional convention on November 7. If approved the ballot initiative could set in motion a do-it-yourself lawmaking process.

Read the article here.

Town Hall Meeting

If you were unable to attend President Hurley’s Town Hall meeting on Thursday, October 12, you can read the recap below.

President Hurley provided an update regarding the Excelsior Scholarship Program noting that there was no question that it had an impact on the college’s enrollment.  Of the more than 75,000 applicants, he reported that 22,000 students received scholarships, including 299 to ECC, 488 to Buffalo State, 517 to Geneseo, 553 to Fredonia and 1,571 to UB.  Another 23,000 students have their tuition covered by TAP and Pell.

The president summarized his recent meeting with Rep. Chris Collins during which he discussed protection of federal student aid programs like PELL and SEOG, regulation of higher education by the federal government and DACA reform.  President Hurley reiterated the college’s support for the protection of Dreamers, the nearly 800,000 foreign born young people who are currently residing in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

He noted that as part of larger community advocacy efforts, October 16-20 has been designated as Protect Dreamers Higher Education week and encouraged the Canisius community to contact members of Congress and engage in advocacy activities that celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of Dreamers on college and university campuses, inform our communities about the issues, and let our political leaders know where we stand.

President Hurley praised everyone who worked to successfully announce Excellence Within Reach. President Hurley noted that everywhere he goes in the city people are talking about the tuition reduction initiative.  Many, he said, have seen the TV commercial, which he played for the group.  He also shared some analytics noting that the Excellence Within Reach video was viewed more than 7,500 times in the first few days following the announcement.  In addition, there was a 52 percent increase in traffic to the website and traffic from social media was up an amazing 572 percent!

President Hurley admitted the hard work of recruiting the freshman class is still ahead.

He finished the Town Hall by reviewing the faculty and staff engagement items being instituted as a result of the work of the engagement teams, including recognition and appreciation initiatives and increased communication.

In response to a question submitted about the status of the 403(b) retirement plan reduction and concern for the time frame of this adjustment, President Hurley acknowledged that it was originally presented to the Board of Trustees as a one year adjustment. But at a special meeting in June, the Board did not feel comfortable that it could commit to that timeline.  As such, the Board moved to temporarily suspend the 8 percent contribution to the employee retirement plan and reduce it to 4 percent for FY 2018 and prioritize the restoration of the contribution as circumstances allow.  President Hurley said this is a top priority as we develop and monitor the annual operating budget.  He has asked the college Budget Committee to address this issue specifically with every draft budget that is prepared.

Submitted by: College Communications

 

United Way Campaign Prize Winners Announced!

United Way Campaign Weekly Prize Winners Announced!

It’s not too late to give

The United Way committee will feature a basket raffle each Friday. When you donate to the 2017 campaign, your name will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of the baskets listed below.  You will be eligible to win the first week you pledge and throughout the campaign, so pledge early!

Congratulations to our first United Way basket winner, Allyson Backstrom, PhD, pictured left.

And congratulations to Mary Ann Langlois, pictured right, who was a United Way challenge winner. The United Way of Western New York has a daily prize drawing for the winner of the United Way challenge.

Four remaining prize baskets include:

  • Donated by Linda Walleshauser – “grateful” bowl set, leaf serving dish, (2) hand painted mugs, fall table runner, (4) fall kitchen towels, “thanks” sign
  • Donated by ROTC – cooler on wheels, water bottle, tumbler, mug, padfolio, nylon drawstring bag
  • Donated by Student Records – “A” parking pass
  • Donated by Athletics – XL t-shirt, large Nike pullover, large Dri-Fit polo, scarf, (4) tickets to men’s basketball

When you give to the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, not only does your gift help those in need in our community, it also allows the United Way to do the work that no one nonprofit can do alone. Thanks to you, the United Way can identify the areas of most need, tackle those issues head on, and promote volunteerism and engagement throughout the community. Please consider giving a gift this year.

Also, please note that your donation can be designated directly back to Canisius College! Help us to achieve our goal to increase participation from 72 to 100 donors!

The campaign will continue through November 10. You can access the donation button on your MyCanisius portal page. Your pledge does not carry over from last year so please take the following steps to make your pledge:

How to make your e-pledge:

  1. https://uwbec.unitedwayepledge.org
    2. Click [Forgot User ID or Password?]
    3. Enter Work Email
    4. Enter Verification Code
    5. Click [Email My Information]
    6. Check your Work Email inbox for an email from donotreply@uwbec.org
    7. Click the reset password e-Pledge link in the email (will expire within 24 hours)
    8. Create a new password and click [Save]
    9. Click the [Continue] button

If you have any questions about the process of making your e-pledge, please contact a member of the United Way committee: Mary Braun, human resources assistant (Ext. 2240), Maggie Burkard, enrollment management and institutional research manager (Ext. 2500), Sharon Federico, assistant to the vice presidents for student affairs and business & finance (Ext. 2130), and Linda Walleshauser, associate vice president for human resources & compliance (Ext 2240).

The United Way Chili Cook-Off is another way you can give to the United Way. The event is just one week away, and tickets are now available! For a $5 cover charge, you can taste all of the entries in the Cook-Off. All proceeds will be donated to this year’s United Way campaign. Purchase tickets here. While there are plenty of chili donations, we are still in need of some side items, such as cheese, oyster crackers, and napkins. If you would like to donate, please contact Mary Braun at Ext. 2240 or braun5@canisius.edu.

Submitted by: Mary Braun, human resources assistant, Human Resources

EVENTS

Canisius welcomes Peter Ahrensdorf, PhD

Davidson College professor to speak on heroes in the ancient world

The All-College Honors Program will host a free public lecture by Peter Ahrensdorf, PhD, on Wednesday, October 18, at 7 p.m. in the Grupp Fireside Lounge. Ahrensdorf is a chaired professor of political science at Davidson College in North Carolina.

The talk is entitled “The Contest between Achilles and David: Homer, the Bible and the Question of Human Excellence.”  This lecture seeks to shed light on the contrast between Classical Greece and the Bible over the question of what constitutes a fully virtuous and admirable human being by comparing Homer’s Achilles, the foundational hero of the Greeks, with David, the heroic poet-king of the Bible.  Through an examination of Achilles and David as men of war, as men of faith, as men of passion and as men of reason, this lecture attempts to clarify the most surprising and thought-provoking features of the contest between Achillean and Davidic excellence.

Light refreshments will be served.

Submitted by: Bruce Dierenfield, PhD, professor of history & director of the All-College Honors Program

 

The Center for Urban Education to Host Jabari Mahiri, PhD

Topic of lecture is “A New Racial Literacy for Educational Equity”

The Center for Urban Education at Canisius College, in partnership with the National Urban Alliance, presents “A New Racial Literacy for Educational Equity,” on Thursday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center.  Jabari Mahiri, PhD, professor of education and William and Mary Jane Brinton Family Chair in Urban Teaching at the University of California, Berkley, will be the keynote speaker. Sandy E. White ᾽77, president of Mustard Seed World Consulting Group, will serve as moderator.

Panelists include:

  • Robert Gioia, president of the John R. Oishei Foundation
  • Yvette Jackson, senior scholar at the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education
  • Jeffrey Lindauer, PhD, dean of the School of Education and Human Services, Canisius College
  • Nadia Nashir, assistant superintendent of multilingual education for Buffalo Public Schools
  • David Rust, executive director for Say Yes to Education, Buffalo
  • Finune O. Shaibi ᾽05, supervisor of multilingual student placement for Buffalo Public Schools

The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call the Center for Urban Education at Ext. 3294.

Submitted by: Jeffrey R. Lindauer, PhD, dean, School of Education and Human Services