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Campus Candids

Canisius President John J. Hurley presided over his final commencement ceremonies this past weekend, as his tenure at the college comes to a close on June 30. (Click here to read President Hurley’s commencement address.) The series of celebrations kicked off on Wednesday, May 18 with graduate commencement ceremonies, at which time approximately 180 degrees were conferred. Canisius also conferred honorary degrees upon Nancy Nielsen, MD, PhD, clinical professor at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and George Scott ’80, president of the Colored Musicians Club.

(Above, l-r) Nancy Nielsen, MD, PhD, President John J. Hurley and George Scott

(Above) Baccalaureate Mass, held Friday, May 20 in Christ the King Chapel

Graduates, their families and friends gathered at Christ the King Chapel on Friday, May 20 for the Baccalaureate Mass. The liturgical ceremony dates back to 1760 in the U.S. and is offered in thanksgiving for the blessings God has bestowed upon graduates and their growth in wisdom.

Commencement ceremonies continued on Saturday, May 21, with the college hosting two separate ceremonies.  Commencement for the College of Arts and Sciences took place at 10:30 a.m.  Ceremonies for the School of Education and Human Services and the Richard J. Wehle School of Business followed at 1:30 p.m.  An estimated 345 degrees were conferred between the two ceremonies. 

President John Hurley presents Aaron Salter III, the son of fallen Tops Markets security officer, a posthumous bachelor’s degree, during 2022 commencement ceremonies.

Among those receiving degrees during undergraduate ceremonies on Saturday was Aaron Salter Jr.

Salter was the security guard working at the Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue May 14 when a gunman entered the store and killed 10 Black people, including Salter, in a race-filled hate crime. Canisius posthumously awarded Salter a bachelor’s degree, during undergraduate commencement ceremonies on May 21.  He attended Canisius from 1984 – 1988 but put his education on hold because of work and family.  Salter was just three credits (or one class) shy from finishing his degree in communications.  His son, Aaron Salter III, accepted the degree from President Hurley on stage, at which time graduates, family members and faculty gave an emotional standing ovation.

(Above): Canisius confers an honorary degree upon Robert J. Butler, PhD, professor emeritus of English and longtime director of the All-College Honors Program, during undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 21.

Canisius also conferred honorary degrees upon Erik Brady ’76, retired sportswriter for USA Today and contributing columnist for The Buffalo News; Robert J. Butler, PhD, professor emeritus of English and longtime director of the All-College Honors program at Canisius; Myron, MD and Joyce Glick, founders of the Jericho Road Community Health Center in Buffalo, a Federally Qualified Health Center; and Hon. Shirley Troutman, associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals. 

In addition to the conferral of honorary degrees, the Canisius College Alumni Association bestowed its LaSalle Medal upon two graduates: Lee C. Wortham ’79, who recently concluded seven years as a member of the Board of Trustees, including four (2017 – 2021) as chair and Anthony M. Masiello ’69, HON ’96, former mayor of Buffalo and member of the Canisius College Board of Trustees.

Submitted by: College Communications

Annual Shredding Event

It’s time to start thinking about the annual shredding event.  Materials will be collected between June 13  – 24.  All materials identified to be shredded must be placed in boxes with the top secured with tape and clearly marked “SHRED”.  When the boxes are ready, please submit a Facilities Work Order to schedule a pick-up.  The Facilities Work Order form (not to be confused with a Facilities Project Request) is located on the portal under the Applications menu.

Shredding is reserved for materials that are confidential, sensitive or private in nature.  Materials that are not considered confidential, sensitive or private in nature should be placed in recycle bins located throughout the campus.  This event is for College related materials only.  Personal material will not be accepted.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Facilities office.  Facilities Work Orders will not be taken over the phone.  A Facilities Work Order must be submitted identifying the location and number of boxes to be picked-up.  We ask for your help with managing our precious resources.  Please collect all of your shredding materials before submitting the work order so we can efficiently plan our pick-ups.

Submitted by: Tom Ciminelli, director, Facilities Management

Joshua Russell Awarded Research Fellowship

Joshua Russell, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation and program director of the Anthrozoology graduate program was awarded a $4,000 research fellowship at North Carolina State University for summer 2022. The fellowship is named after Tom Regan, animal rights scholar and author of The Case for Animal Rights (1983). Supported by the Culture & Animals Foundation, recipients are granted access to NCSU’s Animal Rights Archive—the largest scholarly archive of animal rights collections in the country.

Russell’s project will focus on animal rights and humane education materials in the archives that are aimed at children as well as parents, families and educators. In particular, the research will emphasize the history of discourses around children’s moral responsibility to other animals through practices such as the keeping of companion animals, hunting and fishing, animal-based agriculture and husbandry and more. This historical context supports Russell’s long-term qualitative research project focusing on children’s experiences of animal death and loss.

The fellowship will also aid in providing historical grounding for Russell’s undergraduate and graduate coursework, including courses such as Introduction to Anthrozoology, Children and Animals, and Humane Education.

Submitted by: Joshua Russell, associate professor, Animal Behavior, Ecology & Conservation

Call for Proposals

The Office of Student Life is excited to announce that it will be hosting a leadership conference for our student leaders from August 21 -23!

We are now seeking proposals for 50-minute breakout sessions. For more information or to submit a proposal please click here.

Submitted by: Jason Francey, Director of Student Engagement, Office of Student Life

 

Canisius in the News

Canisius College honored the life of Aaron Salter Jr. during undergraduate commencement ceremonies this past weekend, when it, posthumously, conferred a bachelor of arts degree upon the Tops Market security guard who lost his life in the racially motivated shooting. Salter fired multiple times at the shooter before being shot and killed himself. Salter’s son, Aaron Salter III, accepted the Canisius diploma from the college on Saturday. His father needed only three credit hours – or one class – to complete his degree. All the local media outlets attended commencement ceremonies to report on the degree conferral:

The Buffalo News

WGRZ-TV Channel 2

WIVB-TV Channel 4

WKBW-TV Channel 7

Submitted by: College Communications