The Canisius English Department has established the Tom O’Malley Award, which will be presented annually to the department’s adjunct professor who best embodies the virtues O’Malley displayed during his decades-long service: a deep and passionate commitment to students, to literature, and to the art of writing.
O’Malley retired in May after 40 years of teaching at Canisius, his alma mater. He taught courses in first-year writing and introduction to literature as well as courses in the education department for aspiring teachers. He was a crucial leader of the Western New York Writing Project, helping to inspire and support writing teachers across our region.
He was awarded two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and published his own writing in The English Journal, The Thoreau Society Bulletin, The ChristianScience Monitor, and The Buffalo News.
In 2016, he was awarded the Canisius arts and science adjunct teaching award. The citation read in part:
“O’Malley’s teaching is informed by a philosophy that is consistent with the deepest, humanistic tradition: As he puts it in one of his opinion pieces: ‘Literature matters, now more than ever.’ To understand war, O’Malley suggests we read Homer; to understand our duties as citizens, he suggests we revisit Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience.” O’Malley’s goal as a teacher is always to bring students into the rich and unending conversation these texts open up: ‘The careful reader contributes to that wisdom by participating in the unending dialogue of ideas.’”
If you would like to express your gratitude to Tom O’Malley for his 40 years of distinguished service and to congratulate him on this most recent honor, you can email him here: omalleyt@canisius.edu
Canisius is saddened to report the passing of Sister Virginia Young, SSJ, an adjunct faculty member at the university for nearly a half century. Sr. Virginia died June 19. She was 93.
A mainstay at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf, Sr. Virginia served as a teacher and administrator along with her identical twin sister, Loretta, who passed in 2020. Together, the sisters participated in an affiliation between St. Mary’s and Canisius teaching American Sign Language, the history of deaf education and graduate level courses on methods of teaching the deaf. Sr. Virginia also served as acting director of the Teacher of the Deaf Preparation Program.
Relatives and friends may visit the Sisters of St. Joseph Clarence Residence today, Wednesday, June 26, between 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. The residence is located at 4975 Strickler Road in Clarence.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 27 in Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, located at 8500 Main Street at Harris Hill Road, Clarence.
Teaching an online course? Or teaching using the flipped classroom method? With the Lightboard studio, faculty can create a professional video with just a push of a button!
The Studio allows for a professional quality recording at a simple press of the button. Once the recording is started, you can begin your lecture with professional-grade audio, video, and (if you would like) screen recording. Using a transparent glass board and neon markers, you can write down important facts, diagrams, equations, etc. You can even “draw” over PowerPoints, webpages, and other documents or images.
Click on the image below to see how Dr. Craig Rogers, Associate Professor in Economics and Finance, uses the Lightboard Studio to teach his own class:
Canisius University joins communities across the country today, in commemoration of Juneteenth
On this day in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Galveston, TX, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation and confirming the freedom of the last remaining slaves in the Deep South.
The Canisius community commemorated Juneteenth with a Sankofa celebration on June 13.
Sankofa honors the cultural tradition of bringing wisdom from the past – to make positive progress in the future. To mark the occasion, faculty, staff and students came together for a day of education, solidarity and service.
Combined, they delivered nearly 500 PB&J sandwiches to the Friends of the Night People and Response to Love Center and designed 200+ cards for Compass House and the Community Baby Shower. Canisius volunteers also lent helping hands at Harvest House.
Canisius President Steve Stoute appeared on the Saturday, June 15 episode of “R-House with Peter Hunt,” on WBEN-AM Radio 930. President Stoute discussed a variety of topics during the one-hour interview, including the value of higher education, redefining the traditional college experience, Division 1 athletics, and the future of higher education in Western New York and beyond. Click here to listen to the interview.
Professor Emerita Barb Irwin, PhD, is featured in the June 14 edition of The Buffalo News, which included a story about her new book Creating Reading Rainbow: The Untold Story of a Beloved Children’s Series. The book chronicles the Buffalo origins of “Reading Rainbow,” which remains one of the most successful PBS children’s series in television history. Irwin worked as a project assistant for the WNED-TV program in the early years of the series. She co-authored the new book with Tony Buttino Sr. and Pam Johnson, PhD. In addition to The Buffalo News, the following media outlets have reported on Irwin’s new book:
The Buffalo News reported on Canisius University’s new graduation guarantee in its June 12 edition. The initiative promises that students will complete a bachelor’s degree in four years (eight semesters) or tuition, for up to an additional 15 credit hours, is free. Click here to read the story.
