The Academic Affairs office is organizing a Summer Faculty Development Week for August 15-19. These will be hosted on-campus in Old Main. Each session will be approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes long. Breakfast and Lunch will also be served all five days in the Faculty Lounge.
Bookmark this page to stay tuned for more information and other events happening this week!
There are several upcoming changes to D2L coming over the Summer
Pronouns are now available in the Classlist
Image courtesy of D2L
You and your students can now add their pronouns to the Classlist. You will also be able to see their pronouns in their Student Card.
To add your pronouns, click on your icon (it likely has a picture of you) in the upper-right. Then choose Account Settings. The first thing you should see is a section titled “Pronouns”. You must first check the box to “Allow others to see my pronouns”. You can then choose the “Use different pronouns” and type in your pronouns.
Now, when you go to the classlist, you and your students will see your pronouns appear after your name in the Last Name, First Name column. If your students enter their pronouns, you will be able to see them as well.
You can also see a student’s pronouns when you hover over their image when grading a dropbox item, viewing a dicussion, or viewing their progress.
Check out this video to see how to set your preferred pronouns and places where the students’ (and your) pronouns will appear to the rest of the class.
Grade Exemptions
There may be times when you need to exempt a student or students from an assignment, within the grade book. This means that assignment is not calculated as part of their grade.
The general process:
Go to a grade item that you want to give an exemption on
Find the student you want to give the exemption to and select the checkbox
Select “Exempt” in the upper-left menu
Save and close
D2L will automatically update the grade to a very noticeable grey box with the word “Exempt” and the student will also see “Exempt” on the grade as well. If it is set up properly, the final calculated grade will auto-update as well. It works in reverse, too. if you unexempt a student from a grade, D2L will remember that student’s grade and re-calculate everything.
If you prefer a text and image tutorial, click here. A video tutorial can be viewed here.
New Quiz Editor Screen
Image courtesy of D2L
The Quiz Editor Screen is being updated to be more in line with the Dropbox Editor Screen. View the D2L Article here on it. And here is the COLI tutorial giving a quick overview. This will potentially make making quizzes easier and faster since you don’t have to go through so many pages to change the settings. For now, this will be set to Opt-in. Note, however, that this new screen will become the default at some point in the future.
Quickly Copy Dropboxes
Images courtesy of D2L
If you have ever forgotten to copy a dropbox from a previous course or wanted to use a dropbox from a current course, now you can without having to manually redo it or use the Course Import/Export/Copy tool. Simply click on the dropdown arrow to the right of the dropbox you want to copy and choose “Copy to other courses”. Then find the course you want to copy to and follow the on-screen prompts.
Hereis a quick video showing how to copy a dropbox from one course to another.
Rubric Status Now Prominently Displayed
Images courtesy of D2L
In the next update, rubrics will now have their status displayed prominently, making it easier to understand if you are using a published rubric or an archived rubric.
D2L Text Editor Bigger Buttons
Image courtesy of D2L
The D2L Text Editor will not have larger buttons. This will make it easier to see the options available to you and also make it less likely to accidentally click on the wrong option.
Updates to D2L Dropbox Error Messaging
Image courtesy of D2L
Have you ever had a student email you in a panic saying that D2L won’t let them upload to the Dropbox? D2L is now providing an improved error message which may help alleviate this issue. Now, whenever a student uploads a file with an invalid file name, they will get the above message.
The Canisius College Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a resolution appointing John J. Hurley as President Emeritus.
“This is an honorary title reserved for a president who is retiring and who has provided distinguished service to Canisius College,” said Martin Berardi, chair of the Board of Trustees. Berardi praised President Hurley for his exceptional level of commitment to Canisius and for exemplifying the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, civic responsibility, vision and leadership.
As President Emeritus, Hurley may be called upon from time-to-time by incoming President Steve Stoute, or the Board to offer counsel or participate in special events.
Hurley, the 24th president of Canisius College, will retire at the end of the upcoming academic year after leading the college for 12 years. He will remain in office until June 30, 2022.
Hurley is currently the longest tenured president among Western New York colleges and universities. He joined Canisius in August 1997 as vice president for college relations and general counsel, after practicing law in Chicago and Buffalo for 16 years. In 2009, the college’s Board of Trustees selected Hurley to succeed Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, SJ, and he became the college’s first lay president in July 2010.
All faculty and staff are invited to attend a light reception for President John J. Hurley as he prepares to retire from Canisius College at the end of this month. Please join us on Thursday, June 23 between 3pm-5pm in the Bart Mitchell Quad (behind the Chapel) as we extend our thanks and best wishes to him after 25 years of dedicated service and leadership. Please RSVP here by this Friday, June 17.
The Human Resources Department is pleased to announce that we will once again host a series of food trucks on campus this summer!
Below, is the schedule so far for the month of June. If you would like to check out the trucks’ menus and plan your lunches in advance, the links are available below. For June, we will simply be having two food trucks come to campus:
Thursday, June 30 – The Cheesy Chick – Bagen Hall Lot – 11:00am-2:00pm
We will provide the schedules for July and August as soon as they have been finalized, so stay tuned.
Additionally, as dates and times are subject to change and additional food trucks added, please keep an eye on The Dome for food truck updates throughout the summer. We hope that you’ll enjoy the excellent food options heading your way this summer! If you have any questions, please contact Bethany Voorhees at Ext. 2100 or Lynn Incardona at Ext. 2246.
Submitted by: Bethany Voorhees, executive associate, Office of the President
Nominate a co-worker for a job well done for the month of June by completing the Employee of Distinction nomination formhere. Please have all June submissions completed no later than the end of the day on Thursday, June 30.
The Employee of Distinction program provides an excellent opportunity to show appreciation and support for co-workers and to reward them for all they do. The application will request an explanation as to why a candidate is worthy of the award. A list of factors to consider when submitting a nomination include the nominee’s history of accomplishments, level of determination, motivation and interpersonal skills.
The information provided in the application will be used to make a fair and objective selection. Upon supervisor approval, the Employee Engagement Team reviews all nominations and votes each month.
Submissions after that date will be considered for the month of July. Once a decision is made for June, the Employee of Distinction will be featured in The Dome. Contact the Human Resources Department at Ext. 2240 or Bethany in the President’s Office at Ext. 2100 with any questions.
This summer we have the work of local artist Seth Brauchler on view in the Peter A. and Mary Lou Vogt Gallery in the Library. The exhibit, “Memories of Light,” is a series of plein air paintings from the Niagara/Buffalo region that “seek to explore the inherent beauty of these spaces and challenge the division between the natural and the artificial” according to the artist. Brauchler recently had his work on view at the Buffalo Art Movement, and we a thrilled to showcase his work on campus. Please stop by and enjoy this treasure trove of landscapes and cityscapes that celebrate our region.
Please contact Professor Yvonne Widenor, director of ArtsCanisius, for information about this and future art exhibits in our three gallery spaces at widenory@canisius.edu. We invite faculty, staff, and alumni to share their artistic practices with our community in these areas and welcome suggestions for events, artist talks, and lectures.
Submitted by: Yvonne K. Widenor, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Art History Program, MLLC Department, Director and Studio Art Galleries Director, ArtsCanisius
Independent Health and the YMCA are making it easy to get fit this summer by offering FREE outdoor classes. All you need to do is show up!
Take a look at the details above, which include the full list of classes offered, regular meeting times and locations around Western New York. Classes run through August 31, along with a few locations that will continue to host through September. To find out more details, you can visit their website at independenthealth.com/fitpark.
Submitted by: Bethany Voorhees, executive associate, Office of the President
Panopto is a video content management system (CMS) that Canisius College has paid for. It is a lot easier to use than YouTube, Google Drive and similar services for a few reasons.
Why should you not use YouTube or Google Drive to host your videos?
To start off with, YouTube now puts ads on everything. Even if you don’t necessarily see it on the video(s) when you watch it, your students may be seeing ads for shopping websites and various other products (often catered to them based on their interests), both of which can be disruptive to the flow of the lecture and the note-taking process. Ads could appear right in the middle of your lecture while you are explaining a complex topic. You can private videos and then share a link, but then you are still up against YouTube Studio, not to mention YouTube’s seemingly ever-changing Copyright policies and potential DMCA takedowns.
Additionally, Google Drive is no longer giving Canisius College unlimited space. This may mean that you have to reduce your digital footprint in Google Drive so you are below a certain limit. The easiest way to do that is to move videos out of your Google Drive. Some videos can be over 1GB. So, if you typically did 1 video per week over the course of a semester, that’s 16GB right there. Google Drive also does not do closed captions natively and there is no way to edit a video that has been uploaded. Plus, sometimes sharing the video can be difficult in general. As a quick example, say you link a video in Google Drive for students to view. Maybe you took the extra steps to input individual students’ email addresses to share with. And then you get a panicky email from a student saying that they cannot view the video. Perhaps you forgot to add their email or maybe (and probably more likely) they logged in with a personal Gmail account and forgot to switch to their Canisius account.
So, why should you use Panopto?
Panopto is built right into D2L. You can record, upload, andedit videos without signing into or navigating another platform or service. This streamlines the video creation and upload process, saving you more time in general. It is also quick and easy to add a Panopto Video to your D2L class. Simply click on the Add Activities button and choose Add Panopto Video. You can view a quick tutorial here. The Panopto tools (web recorder and editor) are simple and easy to use as well. However, if you would prefer to use your own video editing software instead and then upload to Panopto, you can do that as well.
Panopto is secure. You do not have to worry about setting security permissions, adding emails, or trying to determine who is viewing your video. Panopto videos are automatically shared securely only with the student in the class that you uploaded the video. These videos are also set up to make it difficult for students to share them with others. You can also view who has watched your video from the stats page for that video. Hereis a quick tutorial on how to access the stats page.
You can also set Panopto up so students can record assignments and presentations. As noted above, this can be a huge help if a student forgets to share the video with you. Any video that a student uploads to the dropbox folder will be shared with you automatically, removing that headache. And grading each student’s video is not much different from grading a paper. This can all be done right from a D2L Dropbox with a few very simple adjustments. View these videosfor a brief overview of how to do this.
If you would like some one-on-one training on Panopto, please contact either Tyler Kron-Piatek or Mark Gallimore. If you want to learn more about Panopto yourself, you can view the Panopto Wiki here or view some of the quick tutorials below, which can be viewed in the Getting Started Section of the Panopto Wiki:
There are several upcoming changes to D2L coming over the Summer
Pronouns are now available in the Classlist
Image courtesy of D2L
You and your students can now add their pronouns to the Classlist. You will also be able to see their pronouns in their Student Card.
To add your pronouns, click on your icon (it likely has a picture of you) in the upper-right. Then choose Account Settings. The first thing you should see is a section titled “Pronouns”. You must first check the box to “Allow others to see my pronouns”. You can then choose the “Use different pronouns” and type in your pronouns.
Now, when you go to the classlist, you and your students will see your pronouns appear after your name in the Last Name, First Name column. If your students enter their pronouns, you will be able to see them as well.
You can also see a student’s pronouns when you hover over their image when grading a dropbox item, viewing a dicussion, or viewing their progress.
Check out this video to see how to set your preferred pronouns and places where the students’ (and your) pronouns will appear to the rest of the class.
Grade Exemptions
There may be times when you need to exempt a student or students from an assignment, within the grade book. This means that assignment is not calculated as part of their grade.
The general process:
Go to a grade item that you want to give an exemption on
Find the student you want to give the exemption to and select the checkbox
Select “Exempt” in the upper-left menu
Save and close
D2L will automatically update the grade to a very noticeable grey box with the word “Exempt” and the student will also see “Exempt” on the grade as well. If it is set up properly, the final calculated grade will auto-update as well. It works in reverse, too. if you unexempt a student from a grade, D2L will remember that student’s grade and re-calculate everything.
If you prefer a text and image tutorial, click here. A video tutorial can be viewed here.
New Quiz Editor Screen
Image courtesy of D2L
The Quiz Editor Screen is being updated to be more in line with the Dropbox Editor Screen. View the D2L Article here on it. And here is the COLI tutorial giving a quick overview. This will potentially make making quizzes easier and faster since you don’t have to go through so many pages to change the settings. For now, this will be set to Opt-in. Note, however, that this new screen will become the default at some point in the future.
Quickly Copy Dropboxes
Images courtesy of D2L
If you have ever forgotten to copy a dropbox from a previous course or wanted to use a dropbox from a current course, now you can without having to manually redo it or use the Course Import/Export/Copy tool. Simply click on the dropdown arrow to the right of the dropbox you want to copy and choose “Copy to other courses”. Then find the course you want to copy to and follow the on-screen prompts.
Hereis a quick video showing how to copy a dropbox from one course to another.
Rubric Status Now Prominently Displayed
Images courtesy of D2L
In the next update, rubrics will now have their status displayed prominently, making it easier to understand if you are using a published rubric or an archived rubric.
D2L Text Editor Bigger Buttons
Image courtesy of D2L
The D2L Text Editor will not have larger buttons. This will make it easier to see the options available to you and also make it less likely to accidentally click on the wrong option.
Updates to D2L Dropbox Error Messaging
Image courtesy of D2L
Have you ever had a student email you in a panic saying that D2L won’t let them upload to the Dropbox? D2L is now providing an improved error message which may help alleviate this issue. Now, whenever a student uploads a file with an invalid file name, they will get the above message.
The Canisius College Digital Legacy Theses Collection that includes more than 700 legacy graduate theses (ca. 1920 – 2000, non-inclusive) is now available. Graduate students at Canisius College authored the theses in this collection. College Student Personnel Administration (now Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration) and All-College Honors theses are not included in this collection due to copyright and publishing permissions.
Have you ever wondered what your parents or grandparents were writing about when they were in college? What issues were of concern to students in the 1940’s (or 20’s or 70’s)? These graduate-level theses offer glimpses into academic studies, curricula, language, and social mores of the times they were written. They contribute commentary on a rich ethnic, racial, and ecumenical urban environment in and around campus. They document brick and mortar changes to the College and western New York region. Societal aspects of the theses include descriptions of college life and traditions like Moving Up Day, awards, inductions to honor societies, extracurricular activities, and sports (ex. Little Three rivalries at the “Aud”), as well as comparison to other Jesuit or state/public institutions. The theses cover educational practices and innovations. There are also discussions of Buffalo schools, churches, neighborhoods, and the demographics of the city.
A number of the theses are comprised of comparative studies that include solid “current” data to provide a glimpse into a fixed point in time. The theses themselves are of interest as products with visual or graphic arts such as fonts, attachments, maps, and graphs drawn or written by hand.
We are grateful to Kathleen Delaney, Reference Librarian and Archivist, who painstakingly reviewed the digital versions of the theses for quality control and to ensure that each thesis was completely digitized. The collection is searchable through the Canisius library catalog: https://library.canisius.edu (use the drop down menu to limit your search to Theses). For assistance with searching the collection or viewing a digitized these, please contact the College Archivist by emailing archives@canisius.edu.
Submitted by: Sara R Morris, vice president for Academic Affairs
Richard Reitsma, PhD, is currently on a faculty exchange program at the University of Warsaw in the American Studies Center, organized with Margaret Stefanski, PhD, the Permanent Chair in Polish Culture at Canisius, Daemen University and the Kosciuszko Foundation.
Reitsma is teaching a course on LatinX in the U.S. in literature and film. He has welcomed virtual guests including scholars such as Dr. Deborah Kanter, Dr. Octavio Gonzáez and Dr. Paola Fajardo Heyward; authors Emanuel Xavier, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Michael Nava, Jaime Manrique and Homeboy Industries Reformed Gang Member Gabriel López.
Reitsma has also been invited to give a series of lectures on immigration, LatinX, and LGBTQIA+ issues. He has already presented a keynote talk for the center’s conference on Gender & Sexuality in American Studies (May 23, 2002). His paper was “Queer Identity & Queer Spaces in Cuba, Mexico, and the U.S.”
On June 2, Reitsma presented the last lecture in the American Studies Center colloquium series. His talk is available on the University of Warsaw’s YouTube Channel. Later in June, Reitsma will present a talk on U.S. Immigration issues in Krakow and another in Przemysl. He also plans to visit Ukrainian Refugee centers in Poland, as part of his ongoing research on issues of immigration.
Submitted by: Richard D. Reitsma, PhD, chair, associate professor of Spanish, Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, & Cultures
Lisa Sullivan, collection services librarian at the Andrew L. Bouwhuis, SJ, Library wrote The Canisius College AZUWUR and Your Search for an Ancestor, which was published in The Western New York Genealogist, vol 49 no 1 June 2022. The article discusses how the library’s collection of Canisius yearbooks can assist with ancestry research.
Contact Lisa Sullivan for more information at sullival@canisius.edu or 716-888-8403.
Submitted by: Kristine Kasbohm, director Andrew L. Bouwhuis, SJ, Library
On Thursday, June 2, Canisius College hosted the first in-person full day meeting of the Western New York Association of College Career Centers (WNYACCC) since 2019. Sheila Pettigrew, associate director of Career Development and President of WNYACCC, coordinated the event for the consortium comprised of the 17 local area colleges and universities who regularly meet to share best practices and to collaborate on events to benefit the WNY community of college students, alumni and employers. This year’s meeting included a powerful DEI workshop from the National Federation for Just Communities of WNY, Inc. along with a meeting of the Teacher Recruitment Days Committee and a general body annual meeting.
The 2022-2023 Academic Catalog is scheduled to go live the first week of July. Therefore, we are asking that all catalog page and program curriculum edits be completed by Thursday, June 30. To help you with these changes, we have set up virtual review sessions and linked helpful instructions on the Academic Affairs wiki page. The virtual review sessions will go over the Courseleaf modules for the catalog (CAT), courses (CIM for Courses), and program requirements (CIM for Programs). Links to these modules are accessible from the portal. This training is recommended for any current or future chairs/program directors, faculty members who intend to develop new courses, faculty members who oversee minors or other curricula, administrative associates to academic departments, or anyone designated as a page owner. Contact Amy Beiter for the list of assigned pages. A review session is being offered the following date and time:
Additional review sessions will be added if needed. If you have any questions or require additional assistance with any edits or updates, please reach out to Amy Beiter at beiter5@canisius.edu or 716-888-2121.
Submitted by: Amy Beiter, curriculum and student support project associate, Academic Affairs
Several Canisius College faculty have begun a resource called Mission-in-Curriculum, which offers Canisius instructors opportunities to incorporate the College’s Jesuit mission and identity into their courses.
This website is a growing collection of case-studies, describing how different professors have tied their disciplinary content and activities to Catholic social teaching, the Catholic intellectual tradition, and various aspects of Jesuit pedagogy and spirituality. This is not an evangelical effort; rather, it grounds what we teach, across our disciplines, in social, cultural, and intellectual structures that are characteristic of Jesuit Higher Education. It is what we do that most other colleges and universities do not do.
Periodically, check back to this resource and see the new case studies that have been added. Also, visit the separate sections on Jesuit Higher Education, Catholic Social Teaching, and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition to see and hear concise descriptions of what these offer. We envision this as a living, growing resource, so we anticipate making improvements and additions based on faculty needs. Feedback is most welcome.
Likely, you are already doing something in your classes that connect with these concepts, and may need to only identify them to students (which can help them grasp how their Canisius Jesuit education benefits them on various levels.) If you can share what you are doing, COLI offers an honorarium and assistance in developing a case study of your own, to be published on this site.
School’s out for the summer … and that means the Alumni Tent Party is right around the corner.
Faculty and staff are invited to join us in the Quad, on Friday, June 3 at 7 p.m. It will be three years since we’ve been able to host an in-person tent party and the Alumni Engagement Office is excited to welcome alumni back to campus – and we know that they love bumping into past faculty and staff members whom they connected with while being a student – so please consider joining us for drinks, food trucks, ax throwing and more!
In the wake of the violent massacre that tore our Eastside community apart earlier this month, our support of and involvement with Juneteenth takes on particular meaning this year. While we continue to pray for those whose lives were lost and for the families and friends affected by grief, this is among our campus community’s opportunities to take action through education, conversation and service.
The 2nd annual Juneteenth Celebration at Canisius College will be held on Wednesday,June 15, 2022. All faculty, staff and students are invited to share in a day of solidarity in honor of our African American community. The event begins at 11:45 a.m. in the Science Hall Commons with lunch and concludes with a dessert reception and performance by Vibrant Strings at 4:30 p.m. All are welcomed and encouraged to participate, and we ask that you please RSVP by Thursday, June 9. Click here to RSVP.
Juneteenth commemorates the anniversary of the date when news of emancipation finally reached most enslaved African Americans in Texas, and Canisius is proud to honor this day. It was on June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger along with more than 1,800 federal troops, arrived in Galveston, TX, to take control of the state from the Confederate rebellion, nearly two months after the war’s last major battle. Gen. Granger issued an order confirming the freedom promised in President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and denied them by the Confederate government. Only through the 13th Amendment, ratified six months later in December of 1865, did emancipation put an end to slavery in all of the United States, not just in the areas once occupied by the Confederate army.
In collaboration with Juneteenth Inc. of Buffalo, Canisius will have an opportunity to hear from the organization’s leaders and participate in service projects throughout the city of Buffalo, including clean-up efforts in Hamlin Park and other designated locations identified by Juneteenth. Canisius’ Juneteenth celebration hopes to inspire conversation, action and hope in our ongoing work toward anti-racism, diversity and inclusion.
Members of the college community are also invited to attend activities held throughout the month including the Sanfoka Days, (May 29 – June 16) and the Mafaa Memorial, June 21, 6:00 p.m., Broderick Park . For more details on events and opportunities to volunteer for the city of Buffalo Juneteenth Celebration, please click here.
Resources on the history and celebrations of Juneteenth are also available below:
The Office of Human Resources also invites members of the campus to participate in the Buffalo Niagara Partnership Diversity & Inclusion Symposium, Thursday, June 16 from 10:15 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This unique event delivers the ongoing learning necessary in the D&I realm in a one-day virtual format that is filled with inspirational discussions and non-stop knowledge. The event is open to all faculty and staff. To register for this online event, please use the link below and select tickets. You will be choosing the first line that states D&I Symposium Corporate Pass RSVP.
The 2022-2023 Academic Catalog is scheduled to go live the first week of July. Therefore, we are asking that all catalog page and program curriculum edits be completed by Thursday, June 30. To help you with these changes, we have set up virtual review sessions and linked helpful instructions on the Academic Affairs wiki page. The virtual review sessions will go over the Courseleaf modules for the catalog (CAT), courses (CIM for Courses), and program requirements (CIM for Programs). Links to these modules are accessible from the portal. This training is recommended for any current or future chairs/program directors, faculty members who intend to develop new courses, faculty members who oversee minors or other curricula, administrative associates to academic departments, or anyone designated as a page owner. Contact Amy Beiter for the list of assigned pages. The review sessions are being offered on the following days and times:
Additional review sessions will be added if needed. If you have any questions or require additional assistance with any edits or updates, please reach out to Amy Beiter at beiter5@canisius.edu or 716-888-2121.
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.
(Above) Baccalaureate Mass, held Friday, May 20 in Christ the King Chapel
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.
Undergraduates from the School of Education & Human Services and the Richard J. Wehle School of Business heard from student speaker Sydney C. Carlo ’22 (left); Sara L.S. Ruszczyk ’20, MS ’22 (center) delivered the student address for the graduate Class of 2022; and Vincent L. Barile ’22 (right) addressed the undergraduate class from the College of Arts & Sciences.
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 WorkOrder 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, 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.
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:
