Did you know that as a donor to the United Way, you have the opportunity to help your favorite charitable organization? You have the option within the online pledge form to search a 501 C-3 of your choice and designate all or a portion of your total pledge to them. This allows you to make all of your charitable giving in one place, then have it deducted from your bi-weekly pay. Its so easy!
Congratulations to Lynn Incardona, Human Resources Associate and Karl Kozlowski, Professor of Kinesiology (pictured above), two recent winners of the United Way pledge campaign prize drawing. Remember, when you donate to the 2023 Canisius campaign, your name will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a prize basket. The united way is also giving away prizes each week to donors who pledge just $1 a week; the grand prize is a pair of 2024 Buffalo Bills Season Tickets!
Please consider making a pledge today! Here’s how:
Go to uwbec.unitedwayepledge.org
Click [FORGOT USER ID OR PASSWORD?]
Type in your Work Email
Click [E-MAIL MY INFORMATION] (only make one request)
Check your Work Email inbox for an email from donotreply@uwbec.org
Click the reset password e-Pledge link in the email (will expire within 24 hours)
Mark your calendars for these holiday performances by singer, musician, performer and recording artists Nan Hoffman, accompanied by Joe Tumino, Kathy DeLoughry. Performances will take place at various locations around the community. The full list of holiday performances, dates and locations can be found by clicking here.
Submitted by: Erik Schneider ’25 – Housekeeping Foreman – Facilities
The AI and Society Initiative and the College of Arts and Sciences are sponsoring a faculty discussion on AI in our courses, assignments, pedagogy and plans. Please join us today at 3:00 p.m. in the Old Main Faculty and Staff Lounge.
Please register here: tinyurl.com/2yk4m27h\
Submitted by: Dr. Jennifer Desiderio, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
We are delighted to announce a valuable addition to the President’s Office: Denise Flannery is now the new executive associate to President Stoute.
We eagerly anticipate Denise’s contributions to the President’s Office and are confident that she will prove to be an invaluable asset to the team.
Denise joined Canisius in January 2020 as an accounts payable associate in the Controller’s Office, and has since shown unwavering professionalism, work ethic and an innate ability to infuse positivity into every aspect of her job.
Please join us in welcoming Denise Flannery to her new role in the President’s Office!
Submitted by: Mary Braun, Employment Manager, Human Resources
November 13 – 17 is the annual International Education Week. Please try to attend one or more of the various programs and events that have been scheduled.
Submitted by: Brian Smith, Director, Center for International Education
The AI and Society Initiative and the College of Arts and Sciences are sponsoring an opportunity for faculty to take stock of where we are so far with generative artificial intelligence in our courses, assignments, pedagogy and plans. The discussion will be held on Thursday, November 16, in the Old Main Faculty/Staff Lounge at 3:00 PM.
Please RSVP at tinyurl.com/2yk4m27h
Submitted by: Dr. Jennifer Desiderio, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences,
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-courseprepares 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. This semester, we are offering one starting November 13th and ending on December 16th. Stay tuned to the COLI Blog and the Dome for more sessions! To RSVP, please check out the COLI faculty development events here.
The first workshop Panopto & D2L, where we dive deep into how to use Panopto to easily record, edit, and upload right to your D2L course– all without ever needing to sign into another account!
The second workshop is on using Hypothes.is, a Social Annotation Tool, as an interactive replacement for course discussions. We will discuss how to set up a Hypothes.is Assignment as well as some of the advanced features.
Both workshops are on November 16th. The Panopto & D2L workshop is at 9AM. The Hypothes.is & D2L workshop is at 11AM.
Ahead of Veterans Day tomorrow, Saturday, November 11, Canisius University would like to extend a sincere “thank you” to the brave men and women of our campus community – and beyond – who are serving or have served our country.
As many of you know, Chief Kim Beaty will depart Canisius to assume a new role at the University at Buffalo next week. Please join me in wishing Chief Beaty well in her future endeavors on Monday, November 13, 2023, from 3:30 -4:30 p.m. in the faculty lounge in Old Main. We are appreciative of Chief Beaty’s service to the Canisius.
The search for our next Director of Public Safety has commenced. The search committee is being chaired by Shana Richardson, director of the New Buffalo Institute and Mark Piatkowski, associate director of student life.
In the interim, Public Safety will be led by Lt. John Hach. Lt. Richard Miller will assume oversight of parking enforcement efforts. We appreciate their willingness to support their colleagues and our campus during this transition.
Submitted by: Dr. Harold Fields, Vice President, Student Affairs
Please join us and celebrate the musical talents of our students, faculty, and staff as our traditional end-of-semester ensemble concerts begin on Friday, November 17 with the Jazz Ensemble directed by Russell Scarbrough.
Next up will be the Chamber Orchestra on Sunday, December 3 led by Director Ansgarius Aylward.
Finally, the Canisius University Chorale, under the direction of Brad Wingert, will perform on Monday, December 4.
All of these concerts take place at 7:30 PM in Montante Cultural Center and are free and open to the public. For more information about these and other ArtsCanisius events, please visit canisius.edu/artscanisiusor Email Yvonne Widenor, director of ArtsCanisius at widenory@canisius.edu.
Submitted by: Yvonne K. Widenor, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Art History and Music Programs, MLLC Department, Director and Studio Art Galleries Director, ArtsCanisius
Please join us on November 14, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. for session three of our professional development series hosted by Career Partners International. The series is open to all faculty and staff.
Session 3: Resolving Conflict and Mastering Difficult Conversations
Program Description:
While conflict in the workplace is inevitable, healthy conflict is good for organizations and unhealthy conflict can be very damaging. Some people are conflict avoiders, and some are conflict seekers. This training will help you identify the common causes of conflict, different types of conflict, and five strategies for effectively resolving conflict. In addition, this training will uncover the fundamentals of a difficult conversation including when it is time to have one and how to overcome some of the common challenges that arise. You will learn a framework to prepare for any difficult conversation, as well as research based best practices on when, where, and how to have that difficult conversation. After this training you will have the tools to better navigate conflict and tackle difficult conversations.
The zoom information is below:
Lindsey Zajac is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
If you missed the deadline for the Department of Education’s (ED) Limited Waiver, you’ll have one more chance to get PSLF credit under the rules of the Limited Waiver.
Borrowers can apply for a one-time credit adjustment that temporarily waives many of the traditional rules for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. To qualify for the one-time credit adjustment, you’ll need to consolidate your
loans by the end of 2023. Adjustments will automatically be made by your loan servicer in 2024. You don’t want to miss out on this opportunity!
Here are some key things that you should know:
● Payments typically considered as “non-qualifying” can now be credited towards PSLF.
● Qualifying/eligible employment and having Direct Loans (or obtaining Direct Loans through
consolidation) is still required.
● Certain periods of forbearance and deferment will also be credited towards PSLF.
● If you have previously received forgiveness through the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program, you
cannot count those years of employment towards your PSLF credit.
● Any consolidations must be completed by the end of 2023.
● If you do not receive full forgiveness under the one-time credit adjustment, and have not yet
applied for PSLF, you must repay loans on an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan
and meet the traditional PSLF requirements for qualifying repayment and employment.
As an employee of Canisius University you and your family members have access to a financial wellness benefit, brought to you by TIAA and provided by Savi, that helps you navigate the
complexities of the Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
Savi provides a free assessment to help you find the best repayment plans to reduce your monthly payments and search more than 150 state and federal forgiveness programs based on your financial
situation.
For $60 per year, you can upgrade to the Essential service to let Savi administer all the program’s paperwork, E-filing, employment certifications and ongoing monitoring to put you on track and
create a path to loan forgiveness. You’ll also receive customized support from Savi’s team of experts.
To learn more about preparing for the one-time credit adjustment and PSLF, visit www.TIAA.org/canisius/student to register for a free webinar hosted by the student loan experts at Savi.
Submitted by: Dawn Rotterman, Benefits/HRIS Manager, Human Resources
The first workshop Panopto & D2L, where we dive deep into how to use Panopto to easily record, edit, and upload right to your D2L course– all without ever needing to sign into another account!
Hypothes.is and D2L
The second workshop is on using Hypothes.is, a Social Annotation Tool, as an interactive replacement for course discussions. We will discuss how to set up a Hypothes.is Assignment as well as some of the advanced features.
Both workshops are on November 16th. The Panopto & D2L workshop is at 9AM. The Hypothes.is & D2L workshop is at 11AM.
If you are teaching an online course, the Lightboard Studio might be for you. The Studio may also be useful to instructors that are teaching a flipped classroomor instructors that want to give more context to a previous or upcoming lecture.
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:
If you are interested in using the Lightboard Studio, send an email to the COLI staff: coli@canisius.edu.
Canisius students joined a growing movement to plant new trees throughout the city. With help from the university’s facilities team and grounds crews, students from USA’s Sustainability Committee, Phi Sigma Sigma and Laudato Si’ planed a dozen Honey Locust trees at various locations on campus.
The planting is part of a larger, collaborative project with Re-Tree WNY, a volunteer organization that is working to replace approximately 30,000 trees in Western New York.
Recent events in Israel and Gaza have led to significant loss of life and increased tensions in our community. This panel will engage the Canisius community and members of the Western New York Jewish community in a dialog about the larger historical context of the current crisis and its impact on the region’s Jewish community.
Panelists were identified by Rob Goldberg, CEO of the Buffalo Jewish Federation, with assistance from Nancy Rosenbloom, professor of History.
The panel, moderated by Tom Chambers, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and professor of history, will include an overview of how scholars come to understand contentious modern issues and the complexity of international relations. At least half of the time will be devoted to dialog with the audience.
Click here to add this event to your digital calendar.
Speakers:
Ted Steinberg was a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of English at SUNY Fredonia, where he also served as Director of the Honors Program and of the campus Hillel organization. He has published books and articles about Yiddish literature, medieval Hebrew poetry and Jewish life in the Middle Ages. Since his retirement, he has been translating Yizkor Books, records of Jewish communities that were destroyed in the Holocaust, from Yiddish into English for the Jewish Genealogical Society.
Rabbi Sara Rich serves as the Rabbi of Temple Beth Tzedek, a Conservative Jewish congregation in Amherst. Before transitioning to the synagogue, Rabbi Rich worked with Jewish college students, first as the Director of Education at the Princeton University Hillel, and then as Executive Director of Hillel of Buffalo, which serves students from UB, Buff State, Canisius, and all campuses in WNY. Rabbi Rich earned her rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, where she also received a Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature. She has a Certificate in Experiential Jewish Education from Yeshiva University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She has been an active member of many organizations in the Buffalo area, including service as President of the Buffalo Board of Rabbis and Cantors, Secretary of the JCC of Greater Buffalo, and a Girl Scout Troop leader.
Submitted by: Tom Chambers, PhD, dean, College of Arts & Sciences
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Multicultural Student Center would like to invite international faculty and staff to participate in the Global Griff Mentor Program.
The purpose of the Global Griff Mentor Program is to connect new and returning international students with international faculty and staff. Mentors will meet with mentees at least twice a semester and serve as a resource for a graduate or an undergraduate student adjusting to Canisius University and the United States.
If you are interested in serving as a mentor for an international student (undergraduate or graduate) for the 2023-24 academic year, please consider signing up as a Global Griff Mentor. If you have questions, please contact Fatima Rodriguez Johnson, rodrig23@canisius.edu or Bennie Williams, willi100@canisius.edu.
We would like to thank both Peace Action and Women & Gender Studies Clubs for hosting the International Student Panel during the Spring 2023. Your voices have guided this effort!
It’s that time of the year again… time for the Thankful Sit-Down Dinner.
Volunteers are still needed to assist in this great event so if you are available November 16 (4:30pm-7:00pm), please Email Jason Francey to sign up to help.
This year we are bringing back the canned food drive as part of this amazing event. Can donation bins have been set up at the Market at Old Main as well as in the Faculty Lounge on the first floor of Old Main. We are planning on donating the cans from this drive to the Resource Council, Delavan Grider Community Center, and Petey’s Pantry. The Market at Old Main will have nonperishable food available for $1 to be donated. Lets show the community what being a Griff is all about!
Submitted by: Aaron Abruzzino, Marketing Manager, Chartwells Higher Ed
The Career Development Office is hosting several employers on campus this month. Recruiters are available outside the office (Horan O’Donnell 014) and opportunities are available for all majors. Please encourage your students to stop by!
Submitted by: Eileen Abbatoy, Director, Career Development, Griff Center for Student Success
We have a brand new offer from our partners here at DiBella’s subs that you can now all take advantage of.
Dibella’s is offering all Canisius constituents 10% off in-store purchases and 15% off all catering orders when you use the code CANGRIFF. When placing an online order, use the promo code when ordering through catering.dibellas.com.
Dibella’s is a proud sponsor of Canisius Athletics and is happy to offer the campus community this special offer. For more exclusive perks and benefits provided by our corporate sponsors, please visit our Benefits of Being a Griff page on gogriffs.com. Click below for more!
In collaboration with the Resource Council of WNY, the New Buffalo Institute will be collecting donations for Toys for Tots. The toys will be given to local children and families who attend the Resource Council; families will be able to choose toys for their children from all the donations received, free of charge!
Toys must be new and in their original packaging, but can be of any size or price. Donations can be made from now until December 11th, and can be placed in any of the marked boxes in the following locations:
• Old Main vestibule
• Outside the library
• Student Center 1st floor lobby
This is a great opportunity for individuals or groups to help make the holiday season special for children in the community! Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Shana Richardson at willia23@canisius.edu or 716-888-2128.
Submitted by: Shana Richardson, Director, New Buffalo Institute
President Steve Stoute of Canisius University is enthusiastic about the institution’s sustainable change makers. As the President of the University, his main responsibility is to provide support to the faculty, staff, and students. He considers spending time with the Canisius students as a source of energy and always prioritizes it on his to-do list. The theme of his presidency calls upon the entire Canisius community to RISE: Renew its commitment to justice; Inspire a new generation of leaders who challenge the status quo; Serve every person with love; and Empower others to act the same.
Stoute referenced Pedro Arrupe, S.J., “Men and Women for and with others” which is a core principle in Jesuit education. It expresses the idea that the purpose of education is not solely about individual achievement or personal success. Instead, it emphasizes the responsibility of educated individuals to use their knowledge, talents, and skills to serve others and make a positive impact on the world.
When it comes to the environment, Stoute thinks we should step up and take action. Drawing from his experience at other universities, he has discovered that involving students in environmental matters is essential. Studies show that Generation Z is deeply worried about the planet and environmental problems.
ESG is an abbreviation for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It refers to a framework that businesses use to assess a company’s sustainability and ethical impact. According to President Stoute, there is a division within the country regarding ESG. He suggests that we must challenge the status quo in order to become agents of change for our planet.
How is Canisius addressing the needs of the environment? He believes that the faculty of Canisius provides an active learning approach to education, therefore, inspiring CU’s change-makers. Together with our partnership with our Buffalo Community and Shaina Richardson, (See her Did you Know? Podcast.)the recently appointed Director of the New Buffalo Institute at Canisius University, environmental and social issues can be the priority.Connecting people will make an exponential impact.He further points out, Lodi-Smith,Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, leads the charge for greener life, with Laudato Si’, the Vatican-led initiative that guides Catholic institutions on ways to achieve an eco-sustainable environment.Laudato Si’ goals, are to: respond to the cry of the Earth, respond to the cry of the poor, foster ecological economics, adopt a sustainable lifestyle, offering ecological education, develop ecological spirituality, and support local communities. Paper accounts for around 26% of total waste at landfills.Stoute prefers to use index cards for his notes as he finds 8.5 x 11 paper to be wasteful. He proudly mentions the work of Janet Ellis, (See her Did you Know? Podcast.), the Director of Dining Services for Chartwell Food Vendors, whose mission is to prioritize environmental concerns. Additionally, clean energy powers most of our campus according to Stoute.With the idea of “expanding our commitment to always do better”Canisius impacts environmental sustainability.
Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, a dual-island Caribbean nation, Stoute immigrated to the United States in 2000 to attend Seton Hall University in New Jersey.When asked about the environmental cultural views of Trinidad versus the United States his defining word was MODERATION.Abundance and bigger is not always better.We don’t need bigger. When we choose to live on less, it creates the potential to do much more for others.
In his own journey towards sustainability, Stoute would like to remember his reusable water bottle.All of his decisions on where and what he eats are intentional.At home, his children keep him honest about his choices.Thanks to their Catholic education, his daughters have gained a deep appreciation for environmental sustainability. They understand the significance of recycling, nurturing plant life, consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, and safeguarding clean water. They even remind him to turn off the faucet when he’s brushing his teeth.
With President Stoute as our Eco- Hero we can as educated individuals use our knowledge, talents, and skills to serve others and make a positive impact on the natural world.
It’s not too late to sign up for the OFDC (Online Faculty Development Course)! Offered by COLI, the OFDC 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. This semester, we are offering one starting November 13th and ending on December 16th. Stay tuned to the COLI Blog and the Dome for more sessions! To RSVP, please check out the COLI faculty development events here.
