Canisius’ commitment to environmental responsibility goes beyond campus borders.
This past weekend, faculty, staff and students from the Sustainability Committee rolled up their sleeves for an Earth Day cleanup in our neighboring Masten District.
Thank you to all who volunteered. Your efforts have a tangible impact on keeping our Canisius community – and the planet – clean and green.
Patrick W. Finucane ’83, chief financial officer for Glendale Realty Services Group and Glendale Development, will be honored as the Accountant of the Year at the 67th annual Canisius University Accounting Society banquet on Thursday, April 25 at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens. Cocktails are at 5:30 p.m.; dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.
The Canisius College Accounting Society will also recognize Myles M. Abbott ’03, MBA ’04, CPA. A partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Abbott will receive the Dr. Joseph R. Coppola ’40 Award, which recognizes the exceptional achievements of a Canisius University accounting alumnus.
Dr. Ian J. Redpath, chair of the Canisius University Accounting Department, will present student awards during the event.
Click here to read more about both Patrick Finucane and Myles Abbott.
Submitted by: Kimberly Walkow, Executive Administrative Assistant, Wehle School of Business
The Human Resources Department is pleased to announce that Samantha Brennan is the Canisius University Employee of Distinction for March 2024! Samantha was nominated for the award by Malini Suchak.
At Canisius for 22 years, Samantha currently works as the assistant registrar for the Office of Student Records and Financial Services.
This is what Malini wrote about Sam in her nomination:
“I don’t know how this happens but every time I try to use Courseleaf to do anything, I somehow mess it up. Sam is always so kind and helpful and just gets everything straightened out. I am sure I am not the only one and it must get frustrating for her but she always just focuses on making it right (and not making me feel like an idiot for messing it up in the first place)”.
Please join the Human Resources Department in congratulating Grant on this achievement!
Submitted by: Lynn Incardona, Associate, Human Resources
The Office of University Communications is inviting faculty and staff to elevate their influence by sharing their insights and expertise with a broader audience.
Specifically, our team is developing a database of Canisius individuals who have expertise on topics that may be of interest to local, regional and national media outlets.
To participate, simply complete the brief questionnaire (link below) detailing your areas of expertise and scholarship. Responses will be compiled into a database that will serve as a resource for journalists seeking knowledgeable sources for their stories.
And no worries if you’re new to media interviews.
The Office of University Communications is here to provide media tips and training so you can feel confident and prepared to share your expertise.
Don’t miss this opportunity to amplify your impact and contribute to public discourse! Fill out the Media Expert questionnaire.
Buffalo News Higher Education Reporter Janet Gramza interviewed James Nowak about recent reports that New York State is proposing a budget increase to TAP for the first time in 24 years. The associate director of enrollment and financial aid explains if passed, it will unlock small TAP awards for more people and increase per-person awards. Click here to read the story.
Happy Earth Week! The USA Sustainability Committee is excited to unveil our lineup of events dedicated to celebrating our planet and fostering a greener, more sustainable campus community!
Get ready to dive into a week filled with inspiring activities and initiatives aimed at promoting environmental consciousness and action. From educational workshops to hands-on volunteer opportunities, there’s something for everyone to get involved in.
So, grab your calendars and mark these dates because together, we’re taking meaningful steps towards creating an Earth-friendly campus:
Monday 4/22:
New Buffalo Institute Mission Mondays: 3-5 Commuter Lounge
Earth Week Extravaganza (Seed Paper Making, Jean Edit): 6-8PM Palisano Basement
Friday 4/26:
Earth Week Morning Meditation: 10-11AM Quad
Saturday 4/27:
Re-tree Planting: KAC 9:00AM
Let’s join forces as a community to make a positive impact and pave the way for a brighter, more sustainable future. We can’t wait to see you there, ready to make a difference!
Submitted by: Genevieve Fontana, USA Sustainability President
Please join us as we celebrate the talents of our student ensembles! Here is the listing of upcoming concerts:
Jazz Ensemble, Russell Scarbrough director
Friday, April 26, 2024 7:30 PM Montante Cultural Center
Chamber Orchestra, Ansgarius Aylward, director
Sunday, April 28, 2024 7:30 PM Montante Cultural Center*
*A reception will follow this concert as we celebrate the Chamber Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary!
Canisius University Chorale, Bradley Wingert, director
Monday, April 29, 2024 7:30 PM Christ-the-King Chapel**
**Please note that this concert will be held in the the Chapel.
All of these concerts are free and open to the public. We are grateful for the support of our campus community for these concerts and all ArtsCanisius events and look forward to seeing you there! Please contact Yvonne Widenor, director of ArtsCanisius, at widenory@canisius.edu with any questions.
Submitted by: Yvonne K. Widenor, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Art History and Music Programs, MLLC Department, Director and Studio Art Galleries Director, ArtsCanisius
Did you know? Canisius alumnus Alex Sidare’s award-winning Honors thesis estimated that 700,000 to more than 2.5 million birds die annually in Western New York (WNY) alone from residential window collisions. When commercial buildings are included in estimates, this would at least double. Recent research suggests these numbers may be underestimates.
One of the ways that our community can be more bird-friendly is by taking part in the national Lights Outeffort.
VisitBirdCast (co-developed by Canisius alumnus Kyle Horton!) to see peak migration times when these actions are most important but consider adopting them year-round to protect our local birds as well as those visiting on their migration journey.
Turn off all non-essential (don’t compromise safety) lights and close window blinds between 10:00 pm and dawn from April 15-May 31 and August 15-November 15.
The OFDC (Online Faculty Development Course) offered by COLI is for full-time and part-time faculty, whether new to D2L, or experienced with technology for teaching. This five-week mini-course prepares instructors to teach online and hybrid courses. The OFDC provides many practical tips for teaching online but more importantly, helps faculty explore new pedagogies for active learning, social presence, and community in courses on the internet.
Additionally, the updated OFDC offers insights on what Regular and Substantive Interactions (RSI) are and how to incorporate RSI into your courses. It also includes information on Panopto, Canisius’s new video content management system, how it works, and how to best fit Panopto into your courses.
The OFDC can help professors craft engaging, interactive online experiences for students, either for all-online courses, or hybrid courses that feature limited use of the classroom.
Please note that if you allow automatic grading of your exam, D2L will not automatically grade written responses. Those need to be graded manually. Inform your students that the grade they have immediately after completing the exam is not reflective of their overall grade. If you want to see all of the tutorials on the D2L Quiz tool that COLI has compiled, check the Online Quizzes and Exams in the Quizzes Tool Section.
Due to cost and reliability concerns, the Center for Online Learning and Innovation is not renewing ScreenPal at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. The last day faculty or staff can use Screenpal is May 14th, 2024.
In the last decade ScreenPal, or previously Screencast-O-Matic, has been a great toolset to help faculty easily record and edit screencast videos. However, since we acquired Screencast-O-Matic, a variety of new video tools have appeared that are more capable and reliable, and are better integrated into our daily web platforms, such as D2L. Plus, ScreenPal has been problematic for users in the past two years due to an awkward licensing procedure. Over the last year, usage of our license has declined. It simply no longer is the best option for Canisius faculty who record screencast videos.
Faculty can record videos using a variety of options:
Panopto is built into D2L, and provides a web-based recorder and simple editor for making cuts. We find this is the most efficient solution for most faculty and staff, and it can even be available to students in classes.
Mac users have QuickTime and iMovie.
PC users can try Clipchamp, a Microsoft Product.
OBS and Adobe Premiere Pro are advanced options for recording and editing, respectively.
Canisius students took center stage on Wednesday, April 17 for Ignatian Scholarship Day.
The annual event showcases the academic research and creative works of undergraduate and graduate students.
From exploring national threats to pioneering solutions in telemedicine for rural areas, their work reflects the university’s commitment to academic excellence and innovation.
Presentations were held within a conference environment similar to that of a learned society or organization, using the following forms of expression:
WKBW-TV Channel 7 interviewed Liz Caffee, director of Academic Talent Search, about the program’s mentoring and support services made available to students in the Buffalo Public School district. Click here to read the story.
Ignatian Scholarship Day maybe over, but poster sessions aren’t!
Please join the students in Bio322, conservation biology, for their annual poster session on May 2, from 10:00 – 11:20 a.m. in the Science Hall atrium. You are guaranteed to learn something new to help you make a difference for the environment.
Submitted by: Sue Margulis, professor, ABEC and Biology
Please join us today for the 17th annualIgnatian Scholarship Day (ISD). Artistic displays and performances, paper and multimedia presentations, and poster sessions will take place 9am-4:30pm at various locations.
As a reminder, classes that normally meet on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday pattern do not meet today. Classes that normally meet on Wednesday only or on a Monday and Wednesday pattern will still meet on April 17.
We look forward to seeing you today at ISD!
To add this event to your digital calendar, click here.
Submitted by: Connie M. Pileri, assistant dean for Student Affairs/director, Event Services
Following on the heels of Ignatian Scholarship Day is the 2024 Celebration of Scholarship, which is also today, April 17, from 4:30 -6:15 p.m. in the Science Hall Atrium!
Come celebrate the scholarship of our colleagues!
Wine, beer, and light appetizers will be provided.
BREAKING NEWS: The Office of University Communications is inviting faculty and staff to elevate their influence by sharing their insights and expertise with a broader audience.
Specifically, our team is developing a database of Canisius individuals who have expertise on topics that may be of interest to local, regional and national media outlets.
To participate, simply complete the brief questionnaire (link below) detailing your areas of expertise and scholarship. Responses will be compiled into a database that will serve as a resource for journalists seeking knowledgeable sources for their stories.
And no worries if you’re new to media interviews.
The Office of University Communications is here to provide media tips and training so you can feel confident and prepared to share your expertise.
Don’t miss this opportunity to amplify your impact and contribute to public discourse! Fill out the Media Expert questionnaire.
The BIPOC Employee Alliance invites the campus community to join us this Thursday, April 18 from 3:00 -5:00 p.m. in the Old Main Faculty Lounge to celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month.
There will be food, educational information and more. We hope to see you there!
To learn more about the national celebration, please visit this link.
Submitted by: Stephanie Masood, Director of Marketing Operations, Marketing
On behalf of the Canisius Earning Excellence Program (CEEP) Review and Recommendation Committee, Yvonne Widenor, assistant vice president for academic affairs, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024-25 CEEP Scholarships.
The scholarships were granted to 67 students with 37 faculty members serving as mentors. The list of this year’s recipients, faculty mentors and their projects are listed above and can also be viewed by clicking here.
CEEP is an exciting learning and earning opportunity that pairs students with Canisius faculty for educational and rewarding experiences. These positions are intellectually demanding, create opportunities for applied learning outside the classroom, are closely related to a career or scholarly field and directly related to faculty scholarship. By working with faculty on research-focused projects, students are able to achieve a high level of preparedness for maintaining professional working relationships and for continued studies at the graduate level.
Congratulations to all the recipients!
Submitted by: Amy Beiter, curriculum and student support project associate, Academic Affairs
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in partnership with the Institute for Autism Research, the departments of Psychology and Student Accessibility Services, will host a DEI workshop titled, Neurodiversity-affirming Reflections and Approaches to Supporting Student Mental Health, on Wednesday, April 24, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. in Regis Room, Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center. The workshop will be presented by Meng-Chuan Lai, MD, PhD, associate professor and co-chair, Advisory Council for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigeneity and Accessibility in Clinical Care in the Department of Psychiatry, and Graduate Faculty at the Institute of Medical Science and Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.
This session will center the voices of neurodiverse students along with research findings to increase awareness of neurodiversity and its implications in post-secondary educational contexts, with a focus on how educational institutions can develop initiatives to support student mental health considering neurodiversity.
Thanks to the incredible support of our alumni, faculty, staff, parents, students and friends, Canisius Giving Day 2024 was a huge success!
A total of 1,814 gifts were made contributing $717,529 in support of the dozens of initiatives submitted by our campus partners!
It is truly incredible to see members of the Canisius community from far and wide coming together and investing in the areas and initiatives that make a Canisius education special. Most of all, Giving Day showcases the power of thousands of Griffins coming together as ONE Canisius!
Join the Sustainability Committee and the New Buffalo Institute for a meaningful Masten District cleanup event!
If you prefer not to participate in trash pickup, there will be engaging campus beautification projects available. We’ll convene in the Student Center lobby, where light refreshments provided by Chartwells will be served before we begin. After the cleanup, don’t miss the community fair upstairs in the Student Center. Looking forward to seeing you there!
The OFDC (Online Faculty Development Course) offered by COLI is for full-time and part-time faculty, whether new to D2L, or experienced with technology for teaching. This five-week mini-course prepares instructors to teach online and hybrid courses. The OFDC provides many practical tips for teaching online but more importantly, helps faculty explore new pedagogies for active learning, social presence, and community in courses on the internet.
Additionally, the updated OFDC offers insights on what Regular and Substantive Interactions (RSI) are and how to incorporate RSI into your courses. It also includes information on Panopto, Canisius’s new video content management system, how it works, and how to best fit Panopto into your courses.
The OFDC can help professors craft engaging, interactive online experiences for students, either for all-online courses, or hybrid courses that feature limited use of the classroom.
