The Buffalo News wrote an editorial piece on The Movement to Restore Trust, the group of nine Catholic lay people in the Diocese of Buffalo, on their mission to reinstate faith in the Catholic Church. The group issued a report with nine fundamental recommendations that they hope to be put into effect. Read more here.
Submitted by: College Communications
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Margaret C. McCarthy, PhD has announced that Thomas A. Chambers, PhD, is the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Canisius. A professor of history at Niagara University, Chambers also serves as faculty director of Strategic Enrollment Management for Graduate Studies and director of the Liberal Arts Program at the university.
A member of the Niagara University faculty since 2003, Chambers has served as director of Graduate Studies, chair of the History Department and director of the Master’s Program in Interdisciplinary Studies. He served as the university’s associate vice president for Academic Affairs from 2013-15.
“Dr. Chambers has considerable experience in academia, as a faculty member and administrator, which makes him a strong fit for our Jesuit tradition of academic excellence,” says McCarthy. “He also brings a commitment to liberal arts and sciences as a cornerstone of higher education, and a collaborative leadership style.”
Responsible for enhancing the academic profile of Canisius, he will manage the implementation of new academic programs, and lead the faculty to further academic excellence in teaching, research and in service to their departments and programs. He will strengthen assessment measures to improve student learning, and develop and implement student support systems that improve retention. Additional responsibilities include fostering interdisciplinary learning and scholarship and promoting service opportunities and service-learning components of academic courses.
Chambers currently serves as president of the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, Niagara Frontier State Park, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Commission, and has served on Governor Cuomo’s Path Through History Task Force, and helped to lead the War of 1812 Bicentennial commemorations in Western New York. The recipient of three National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks in American History and Culture grants, his most recent book is Memories of War: Visiting Battlegrounds and Bonefields in the Early American Republic (Cornell University Press, 2012; paperback 2018). In 2016 Chambers was elected to the New York Academy of History. He sits on the Editorial Board of The Hudson River Valley Review.
Chambers holds a BA in history from Middlebury College and an MA in history and a PhD in American history from the College of William & Mary.
Submitted by: College Communications
Join the Women & Gender Studies program and the award winners of the 2019 Lorch Awards for a ceremony and happy hour on Wednesday, March 27 at 5:00 p.m. in Grupp Fireside Lounge. The program will run as follows:
5:00 p.m. – drinks and appetizers (all offerings are vegan or vegetarian)
– “Welcome” from Johanna Fisher, PhD, instructor of Modern Languages, co-founder of Women & Gender Studies and Tanya Loughead, PhD, professor of Philosophy, co-founder of Women & Gender Studies
5:15 p.m. – “Blessing” from Sister Pat Brady
(1) Presentation of the STUDENT awards
Reading of the citation – Melissa Mosko, PhD, associate professor of Philosophy
Award winner’s speech – Joy Riso ’18, MBA ’19
Reading of the citation – Johanna Fisher, PhD
Award winner’s speech – Margaret Treichler ’19
(2) Presentation of the COLLEAGUE award
Reading of the citation – Rebecca Krawiec, PhD, chair and professor of Religious Studies & Theology
Award winner’s speech – Jennifer Desiderio, PhD, associate professor of English
(3) Presentation of the COMMUNITY award
Reading of the citation – Tanya Loughead, PhD
Award winner’s speech – Betty Jean Grant
After the ceremony, join the award winners for camaraderie, feminist solidarity and cake!
Click here to add this event to your calendar.
Submitted by: Tanya Loughead, professor, Philosophy
Pictured (l-r): Monica Wrobel (Open Buffalo); Aye Min Thant (WEDI Buffalo); Morgan Morris; Rachel Joachimi; Erden Ertorer, PhD, clinical instructor of Physics and Mathematics; Richard Reitsma, PhD, chair and associate professor of Modern Languages and Secil Ertorer, PhD, associate professor of Sociology,
On Friday, March 1, members of the Canisius community attended Hilbert College’s service-learning and community engagement conference entitled “Unlocking Impact: Keys to Successful Partnerships.”
Hosted by the Western New York Service Learning Coalition, the panel session included Secil Ertorer, PhD, associate professor of Sociology, Erden Ertorer, PhD, clinical instructor of Physics and Mathematics, Richard Reitsma, PhD, chair and associate professor of Modern Languages, Morgan Morris, Rachel Joachimi, Aye Min Thant (WEDI Buffalo), and Monica Wrobel (Open Buffalo).
This panel session brought students, faculty and community practitioners together to talk about college-community partnership projects. Panelists explained the nature and outcome of the partnerships they have engaged in (collaborative research, service learning, internships) from their own and institutional perspectives. The panelists engaged in discussions on the benefits and challenges of these partnerships and student experiences of community engagement.
The presentations made by the student panelists were exceptional, dynamic, engaging and inspiring. The professors illustrated their own personal involvement and engagement in the power of experiential education.
Submitted by: Sr. Pat Brady, director, Center for Service-Learning; Secil Ertorer, PhD, associate professor, Sociology
The Institute for Autism Research and Department of Psychology recently received a $379,731 federal grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging to examine the relationship between aging and aspects of ASD in older adults.
We are asking for your help in this new program of research. Please reach out to older friends and family members who might be willing to participate in this study. You can also participate yourself.
The focus of this grant is on individuals age 65 and older. However, participants are not required to be 65 and older and they do not need a diagnosis of ASD to participate in this study. An important component of this research project is the assessment of adults of all ages with varying degrees of ASD characteristics from none – high.
To participate, simply go to:canisius.edu/iar_aging.
Study participants will complete approximately 30-90 minutes of internet based questionnaires and tasks. The timing will depend on your preferred pacing. Participants will be characterized on multiple domains of aging including physical health, cognitive performance, characteristics of ASD and psychological well-being.
Please be aware that you are under no obligation to participate. Your participation in this research will in no way impact your relationship with Canisius or the services you could receive in the future from the IAR or community-based ASD service programs.
If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Lodi-Smith, associate professor of psychology, at lodismij@canisius.edu or (716) 888-2513.
Submitted by: Jennifer Lodi-Smith, associate professor, Psychology/IAR
