A four-person team from the Canisius University Golden Griffin Fund (GGF) secured first place in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Research Challenge of Western New York, held Saturday, February 10. Canisius University has dominated the CFA Research Challenge in Western New York since its inception in 2010. This year marks the 14th consecutive first-place win for Canisius.
The Canisius team overcame competitors including SUNY Geneseo, University at Buffalo, University of Rochester (2 teams), Ithaca College and St. John Fisher to take home the first-place prize. The team now advances to the sub-regional challenge for the Eastern portion of the U.S.
The Golden Griffin Fund team that competed in the CFA Research Challenge in Western New York is comprised of Garet Long ’24, Maura Jordan ’24, Max Kouznetsov ’24 and Andrew Finnerty ’24 (team captain).
The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides university-sponsored teams with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis. The competition tests the analytic, valuation, reporting, writing and presentation skills of students studying business, finance, and economics. Teams are challenged to research a publicly traded company and write a written report with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation. Teams must then present and defend their analysis to a panel of industry professionals who serve as judges in the competition.
Housed within the Richard J. Wehle School of Business and established in 2003, the GGF was one of the region’s first real-money, equity investment funds managed by undergraduate and graduate business majors. GGF students select potential companies in which to invest, manage and analyze portfolio holdings, and evaluate and recommend companies to add to the portfolio.
The Office of Alumni Engagement invites you to submit nominations for the 2024 Kenneth L. Koessler Distinguished Faculty Award.
Individuals eligible for nomination must meet the following criteria:
The Kenneth L. Koessler Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes outstanding full-time faculty members of the university who are distinguished for contributions to the academic world and teaching excellence. One award may be given per year.
The Kenneth L. Koessler Distinguished Faculty Award is presented at the Honors Convocation on May 17, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center.
Please submit nominations to the Office of Alumni Engagement no later than Friday, March 8, 2024.
The nomination form is available ONLINE. Please complete the section of the form that corresponds to the Kenneth L. Koessler Distinguished Faculty award.
Questions? Please reach out to Lauren Orlowski, director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, at orlowskl@canisius.edu.
Submitted by: Sarah Sterzinger, assistant director, Alumni and Constituent Engagement
Celebrate International Women’s Day with the Women of Canisius!
Canisius University alumni and friends are invited to join the Women of Canisius as we celebrate International Women’s Day with a reception and screening of the film Cabrini.
Friday, March 8
International Women’s Day
5:30 p.m. – Casual reception at Mes Que 7:00 p.m. – Cabrini screening at North Park Theatre
$15 includes your film ticket, appetizers and cash bar at Mes Que!
Don’t forget to wear some Canisius apparel and show your Griff pride on International Women’s Day!
Today is your last chance to register for the Women of Sport Panel that highlights amazing Canisius women from the sporting world!
As a reminder, the Women of Sport Panel is on Thursday, February 15 @ 4:30 p.m. before the women’s basketball team’s Play 4 Kay game. This is a great opportunity for faculty and staff to hear from female leaders in sport and former Canisius student athletes about their experiences and journey to where they are now.
Please RSVP with the link below. Anyone who RSVPs will receive a free Tim Hortons gift card! We will also look to provide food for the event as well and there will be post-game ice cream after the WBB game.
Canisius will welcome Robin Wall Kimmerer to campus on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center.
A scientist, author and educator, Kimmerer is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She will discuss her widely acclaimed book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. The event is held under the auspices of the university’s William H. Fitzpatrick Chair of Political Science Lecture Series and is free and open to the public.
Kimmerer is a SUNY distinguished teaching professor of environmental biology and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. The center creates programs which draw on the wisdom of both indigenous and scientific knowledge for shared goals of sustainability.
As a writer and a scientist, Kimmerer’s interests in restoration include not only restoration of ecological communities but restoration of our relationships to land. She is the author of numerous scientific papers on plant ecology, bryophyte ecology, traditional knowledge and restoration ecology.
Thanks to the generous funding from the Benedict Silverman Foundation, Canisius University is able to bring Reading Ready to Buffalo in two, transformative ways: paid tutoring opportunities and embedded field work tutoring.
Eleven paid tutors have been paired with 37 second and third graders at Buffalo Public School #89. In addition, 15 students in ECCH 221: Emergent Literacy with Professor Joyce Fanning, have been placed in grades K-2 at Buffalo Public School #17. Here, Reading Ready is implemented during the 20 hours of field experience, with 30 students in their assigned classrooms. Students receive one-on-one literacy tutoring three days each week.
Finally, three teacher residents in the Canisius University Teacher Residency Program (CUTR) will be implementing Reading Ready in their residency classrooms. Together, Elizabeth Turner and Joyce Fanning will continue to support and grow the Canisius University Reading Corps through the Reading Ready tutoring initiative. Tutors can be any major at Canisius and are hired and trained at the beginning of each semester.
Submitted by: Elizabeth Turner, Director of Educational Partnerships, Teacher Education & Leadership Department
Biochemistry major Jeb Braunscheidel received a grant to support his research into the synthesis of Rhytismatones A and B, in Professor Tim Gregg’s lab in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Jeb spent the summer of 2023 working on a novel synthesis procedure for these fungal-derived natural compounds that originated in a Canadian spruce forest. The molecules have a complicated dihydropyran-2-one structure, have never been synthesized before, and have interesting biological activity that can only be investigated further if a lab procedure makes them available in suitable quantity.
The award, from the Rochester Academy of Science (RAS), will help with materials needed to complete the synthesis that Jeb detailed in his proposal to RAS. Jeb’s research project was one of nine funded this year by the RAS Undergraduate Student Research Grant Fund. The Rochester Academy of Science is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Submitted by: Phil Sheridan, Professor and Chair, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The month of February is Black History Month. The ALANA Student Center has a variety of posters highlighting various individuals who identify as black and have made contributions to our society.
If an office or department would like a poster to put in their area for the month of February, please send a representative to the ALANA Student Center to get one. There is a limited supply so the posters will be given out on a first come-first served basis.
The ALANA Student Center is located in the lower level of the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center next to the commuter lounge and bookstore. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at Ext. 2787 or via Email at asc@canisius.edu.
Submitted by: Bennie D. Williams, Assistant Dean of Students, ALANA Student Center
The New Buffalo Institute extends its sincerest gratitude to all those who showed up for its inaugural Community Engagement and Volunteer Fair last week. We had more than 10 community partners in attendance to share their respective missions and available volunteer and internship opportunities, and the Canisius community was all ears!
Thank you to all the faculty and staff who encouraged their students to attend and to all those who stopped by the fair to support! We appreciate you!
Submitted by: Shana Richardson, director, New Buffalo Institute
We are pleased to announce that Academic Affairs will sponsor the 2024 Winter Faculty Writing Retreat on campus, Tuesday, February 20.
Faculty scholarship is critical to the academic excellence of Canisius, and time for scholarship has been far too lean in the past four years. With this opportunity, we hope to provide the gift of time and recognize the importance of scholarship at the university.
Breakfast, lunch and childcare will be provided. Participants will be invited to work at Loyola Hall and enjoy a number of spaces for individual work and/or group work. We hope that the retreat gives a chance to further our scholarly and creative projects as well as get to know our colleagues a bit better.
Applications are due by today, Wednesday, February 14. Click here to apply.
Please direct any questions to Yvonne Widenor, assistant vice president of Academic Affairs at widenory@canisius.edu.
The Mission in Curriculum website is happy to announce an addition to our case studies!
Dr. Shyam Sriram, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, writes about the students from his Spring 2023 PSC338: Refugee Resettlement in the United States course helping with the Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Western New York.
Click on the image below to view an introductory video that Dr. Sriram recorded:
The 17th annual Ignatian Scholarship Day (ISD) is Wednesday, April 17 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
This event is an opportunity for students to submit accomplished work from the current or previous semester for an exhibit, presentation or performance in a conference environment.
Students can apply for ISD 2024 using the online application located in myCanisius.
Applications will be accepted Monday, February 12 through Friday, March 15 at 5:00 p.m. and faculty members are asked to review and endorse applications by Wednesday, March 20.
To apply for Ignatian Scholarship Day, please visit the Ignatian Scholarship Day page on the academic affairs community page. For more information, contact the Office of Event Services at Ext. 2180.
As a reminder, classes that normally meet on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday pattern will not meet on Ignatian Scholarship Day. Classes that normally meet on Wednesday only or on a Monday and Wednesday pattern will still meet on April 17.
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 whatRegular 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 February 12th and ending on March 15th.
To RSVP, please check out the COLI faculty development events here.
Stay tuned to the COLI Blog and the Dome for more sessions!
Immigrants have come to New York State for many reasons: to escape persecution, to improve their economic outlook, and to build new lives. Arrival of European immigrants into New York, like today, was also cause for discussion, disruption and practical challenges. For a state and nation built by immigrants, new arrivals were not always welcomed. Despite those challenges and injustices, immigrants’ experiences, knowledge, and cultures have enriched our state and shaped our history, Immigrants continue to build a vibrant, diverse, and modern New York State. At Canisius. an institution founded in part with the ideal of helping to acclimate and educate new immigrants, we continue that tradition into the 21st century.
Andrew L. Bouwhuis, S.J. Library is hosting a panel exhibit that focuses on European immigration to New York State from 1650 to 1950.The exhibit, created with content from New York State Digital Collections https://nyheritage.org/ is designed as a resource to enrich engagement and discussion. The exhibit begins begins with the arrival of Dutch settlers and continues through the end of the World Wars. The exhibit is located on the main floor of the Bouwhuis Library, and available for viewing during library hours.
Immigration in New York State, 1650-1950 is designed and sponsored by the Empire State Library Network, Western New York Library Resource Council, New York State Historic Newspapers, and New York State Library and Archives.
Submitted by: Kathleen DeLaney, University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian
The default theme in Canisius Qualtrics has been updated! The theme applied to all new surveys features a simple white background, with a single-color blue logo for the university. With mild gray highlights for question options, and our Canisius blue as the primary color, this is optimized for both desktop and mobile browser use.
Additionally, the new Canisius logos are available in the Look and Feel Library for all Canisius users, so you can modify this or other themes for your survey. The old theme is still available within the Look and Feel Tools.
Philosophy Professor Philip Reed, PhD, published an article in the latest edition of PSYCHE Magazine. The piece, titled “Why so Many Plagiarists are in Denial About What They Did Wrong,” can be read by clicking here.
We are pleased to announce that Academic Affairs will sponsor the 2024 Winter Faculty Writing Retreat on campus, Tuesday, February 20.
Faculty scholarship is critical to the academic excellence of Canisius, and time for scholarship has been far too lean in the past four years. With this opportunity, we hope to provide the gift of time and recognize the importance of scholarship at the university.
Breakfast, lunch and childcare will be provided. Participants will be invited to work at Loyola Hall and enjoy a number of spaces for individual work and/or group work. We hope that the retreat gives a chance to further our scholarly and creative projects as well as get to know our colleagues a bit better.
Applications are due by Wednesday, February 14. Click here to apply.
Please direct any questions to Yvonne Widenor, assistant vice president of Academic Affairs at widenory@canisius.edu.
On Monday evening, the Western Zone Physical Education and Health Association held its 2024 Awards Ceremony at the Brawlers PUB in the Pearl Street Grill. This event recognized a distinctively Canisius University group of honorees:
Tim Mondello ’99, MS ’05, Admin ’14 received the Elementary PE Teacher of the Year Award for his excellence in Teaching at the Global Concepts Charter School.
Julie Hodge ’02, MS ’04 was recognized as the Health Education Teacher of the Year. Julie teaches at Herbert Hoover Middle School.
John Strong ’98 was the 2024 honoree as the Western Zone’s Amazing Person. John is an assistant professor at Niagara County Community College where he also serves as the chief diversity and equity officer. John was a member of the Canisius NCAA Division IAA football team where he met his wife Kelly who was a member of the Women’s volleyball team. The Strong’s son, Jackson, is currently pursuing his degree in Health and Physical Education at Canisius and is a member of the baseball team.
Congratulations to this year’s award winners.
Photo (l-r): John Strong, Tim Mondello, Julie Hodge and Brian Rosintoski, Western Zone President
Submitted by: Greg Reeds, Adjunct Professor, Kinesiology
There’s still time to get in on Hospice Buffalo’s 38th annual Spring Bouquet Sale!
The Student Records & Financial Services Center has once again teamed up with Hospice Buffalo to take orders. This year, you can purchase a gorgeous mixed bouquet for $14 or a tribute bouquet for $35. (For every tribute bouquet purchased, a $14 bouquet will be sent to brighten the day of a current Hospice patient.) Orders with payment are due no later than Tuesday, February 13. Cash and checks are accepted. Checks can be made out to Hospice Foundation.
Flowers will delivered on Monday March 4 and you will be contacted when they arrive for pick up.
If you have any questions, please contact Allaina Faulise at faulisea@canisius.edu or Margaret Kraatz at kraatzm@canisius.edu. Help us bring a dose of springtime and happiness to the people impacted by serious illness and loss.
Submitted by: Margaret M. Kraatz, financial aid specialist, Student Records & Financial Services
Join the Canisius Adult Lifelong Learning Institute (CALLI) for its spring 2024 book club.
On Tuesday, March 19, at 1:00 p.m., we will discuss the first book in the Brother Cadfael series: A Morbid Taste for Bones, a mystery set in the Middle Ages. This is a little different than our usual fare and we’re looking forward to it.
Meetings are in Old Main 219. Bring your lunch and join the conversation.
Submitted by: Kristina Laun, Social Media & Website Administrator, CALLI
Women’s lacrosse is helping to make dreams come true!
The Golden Griffins teamed up with Sleep in Heavenly Peace of Buffalo to build bunk beds for children in need. The Griffs put their sanding and sawing skills to work to construct a record 42 beds in a single day!
It’s moments like this that remind us of the power of teamwork and giving back
Just a reminder that Canisius President Steve Stoute will host a Town Hall for the campus community tomorrow, Thursday, February 8, at 3:00 p.m. in the Chester HON ’01 and Diane Stranczek Science Hall Commons. At this time, he will discuss strategic initiatives, delve into more detail about the President’s Innovation Fund, and engage the campus community in a discernment about the future of Jesuit higher education.
Those planning to attend tomorrow’s Town Hall are encouraged to watch the 6:00 minute video (above), produced by the International Association of Jesuit Universities and featuring Rev. John Dardis, SJ, general counsellor for discernment and apostolic planning for the Society of Jesus.
Click here to add the Town Hall to your digital calendar.
On Thursday, January 25, President Stoute announced that Canisius will invest $1 million over the next five years to fund innovative concepts and practices that have the potential to advance the university’s strategic agenda and achieve verifiable positive outcomes for students.
This opportunity is made possible by alumni and donors who responded in remarkable ways over the past year by investing in the President’s Innovation Fund. The fund enables donors to make unrestricted gifts to support initiatives with the greatest potential to move Canisius forward.
The School of Education & Human Services (SEHS) at Canisius University earned high marks on the U.S. News and World Report 2024 rankings for Best Online Master’s in Education Programs. The ranking puts Canisius in the top 100 nationally at No. 88, rising 54 places on this year’s list. Canisius was also ranked No. 1 in Western New York and No. 4 in New York State. This is the seventh consecutive year the university was named to the list.
The rankings considered five general categories: engagement, faculty credentials and training, peer assessment, services and technologies, and student excellence. Canisius scored high in these categories, including ranking No. 17 nationally and No. 1 in New York State in faculty credentials and training.
“These outstanding rankings from U.S. News are a testament to the long tradition of excellence within the School of Education & Human Services,” said Nancy Wallace, PhD, dean of the SEHS. “This is a reflection of the exceptional knowledge and professional experience our faculty bring to the classroom.”
In recognition of Black History Month, Canisius University will honor the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a presentation featuring nationally-renowned speaker Joshua Fredenberg, EdD. His lecture, titled “Advancing the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” is scheduled for today, Wednesday, February 7 at 3:30 p.m. in the Regis Room, located on the second floor of the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center. The event is sponsored by the ALANA Student Center and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion.
Submitted by: Bennie D. Williams, Assistant Dean of Students, ALANA Student Center
