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Vigil for Pittsburgh

Members of the Canisius community joined Campus Ministry and Peace Action Canisius on Friday evening, November 2, to mourn the victims of the recent synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Eleven people were killed and several others injured when a gunman walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue and opened fire on Saturday, October 27.

Submitted by: Mike Hayes, director, Campus Ministry

President’s Convocation – Recap

Canisius President John J. Hurley updated the campus community on the state of the college and priorities for the year ahead, during his annual convocation address on Monday, October 1.

Click here to view the convocation address.

President Hurley opened his remarks with a welcome to new faculty and staff at Canisius, including Ian Day, interim vice president for enrollment management and Denise Rotondo, PhD, the new dean for the Wehle School of Business.  President Hurley also bid goodbye and good luck to Terri Mangione, PhD, vice president for student affairs, who leaves Canisius this week after a total of 24 years to become vice president for student affairs at sister Jesuit institution Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

President Hurley continued his convocation address reporting on the state of the college in three critical areas:

Sara E. Signorino, director of mission and identity, opens the President’s Convocation with a prayer

Freshman enrollment, he explained, was below goal although its effects were somewhat mitigated by an improvement in the freshman to sophomore retention rate and higher net tuition revenue per freshman student.  Canisius also recruited more transfer students than last year and graduate enrollment for fall was at 96 percent of goal.  The number of new graduate students is up over last year for each school.

Canisius completed several facilities projects over the summer with an intentional focus on first impression items aimed at improving the way the campus shows to prospective students.  In addition, the college completed several projects in Horan-O’Donnell to improve the Chemistry Department’s laboratories and offices, and the Division of Institutional Advancement moved out of the building on Agassiz Circle and into a newly-renovated George Martin Hall.  The Agassiz property is now on the market to be sold.

President Hurley also updated the campus community on Canisius faculty and the state of the college’s curriculum.  He indicated that 34 faculty members took the retirement incentive offered by the college last year.   Canisius hired 12 new faculty who began this semester and additional hires are expected to be made this year for 2019-20.  Additional good news, President Hurley said, is that departments reported strong candidate pools in their searches.

The process of program review and curriculum revitalization remains a large challenge and a major priority for the college.  President Hurley reported that the Academic Programming Board (APB) discontinued a number of low-enrolled programs but also encouraged such new program development as masters programs in data analytics, sport product development, childhood education/TESOL and childhood/special education. Work continues to gain approval and accreditation for a physician assistant program.

Following his report on the state of the college, President Hurley turned his remarks toward priorities for Canisius in the year ahead.

Cantio Sacra performed prior to and at the conclusion of the President’s Convocation on Monday, October 1

The greatest challenge, he explained, lies in generating more revenue for the college.  While that means recruiting more students, President Hurley emphasized it also means developing new sources of revenue. He encouraged the entire campus community to develop a revenue mindset and consider ways that can help improve the student experience or assist with student recruitment.  Early success stories include this summer’s announcement that the college is making residence hall space available to students from Erie Community College; faculty collaboration with the Center for Professional Development to introduce lifelong learning opportunities for people interested in a wide variety of subjects; and grant-generated revenue similar to that expected as a result of the National Institute on Aging grant awarded to researchers at the Institute for Autism Research and the Department of Psychology.

President Hurley also reported that the Division of Institutional Advancement is implementing the recommendations of a report completed last year by West Wind Consulting.  The recommendations focus on increasing the college’s fundraising capacity; maximizing current year, unrestricted gifts, which can be helpful to the operating budget; and implementing a targeted campaign effort toward the completion of Science Hall.

Though President Hurley’s convocation address was long on challenges, he underscored how the many positive changes happening at Canisius will ultimately be the foundation of the college’s recovery.  He called for resolve among the campus community to “tackle the challenges before us” with new energy, new commitment and a new burst of creativity.  Let us remind ourselves, he continued, that “we are a great college that gets outstanding results.  We have an incredible legacy of providing an extraordinary education for 150 years.”

To keep these positive thoughts top-of-mind, President Hurley announced Canisius Proud – a new internal initiative that summarizes the essential truth about Canisius and the great education provided to students.  As the campaign is rolled in the coming weeks and months, the campus community will see photos of alumni and faculty who are doing great things and statistics about academic outcomes.

“As you see these points of pride around campus,” concluded President Hurley, “commitment them to memory and communicate them to all those you meet whether at Wegmans, at your house of worship, at the park or the gym.”

Let’s tell the world, President Hurley stated, “that Canisius remains the place where leaders are made!”

Submitted by: College Communications 

 

 

ArtsCanisius to Host Rose Ensemble

ArtsCanisius presents The Rose Ensemble’s production of a “Land of Three Faiths: Voices of Ancient Mediterranean Jews, Christians and Muslims” on Thursday, October 4 featuring a public lecture at 10:00 a.m. in the Montante Cultural Center, a presentation of Melissa Thorburn’s “Masterpieces of Music” class at 2:30 p.m. in Lyons 309, and a free performance followed by a reception at 7:30 p.m. in the college’s Montante Center.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a mix of classical and sacred instruments. The production of “Land of Three Faiths” embarks on a captivating journey of language, spirituality and cultural exchange, connecting faiths through extrinsic vocal styles and age-old traditions. The program explores the three religions and the devastating chapters that compose their histories.

To reserve your free tickets today, contact the Fine Arts Department at (716) 888-2542.

This production of The Rose Ensemble is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Submitted by: College Communications

Primatologists Gather at Canisius College

On Friday, September 28 and Saturday, September 29, 75 primatologists converged on the college’s campus for the fourth Northeastern Evolutionary Primatologists (NEEP) meeting. This marks the first time NEEP was held outside of the NY metropolitan area, and the first time it has been held at a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts institution. A keynote address by Dr. Julie Teichroeb, University of Toronto, kicked off the event Friday evening, with a full day Saturday of presentations and posters. NEEP aims to give students, both graduate and undergraduate, an opportunity to present their research in a relatively small venue and interact with prominent researchers in the field. The meeting was hosted by Sue Margulis, professor of ABEC and biology. Margulis’s research students, “Team Ape,” were on hand to volunteer and present.

Submitted by: Sue Margulis, professor, ABEC and Biology

Campus Candid

 

Fall filled the dining hall on Thursday when Chartwells hosted a free “pop-up” for students, faculty and staff to promote local farms and the products they grow. On the menu: fresh apples, candied apples and apple cider.

Submitted by: College Communications

Mind, Body and Spirit

Get ready to give the world some good energy.  Free yoga classes are back at Canisius starting tomorrow, Tuesday, September 25, and continuing every Tuesday for seven weeks, through November 13.  Classes run from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. in the Palisano Pavilion.

Led by Madonna McKernon, executive associate for student life, each one-hour class will relax your body and restore your mind. Mats are provided but to ensure there are enough, please RSVP to Mary Braun at Ext. 2240 or braun5@canisius.edu.

Submitted by: Mary Braun, assistant, Human Resources