Canisius College

VOL. 4 NO. 1 April 2006

WELCOME BACK CANISIUS ON-LINE!
You may have noticed that we’ve been gone for a while, but Canisius On-line is back and ready to keep you informed.

TOM PARROTTA NAMED MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

Canisius College Director of Athletics Bill Maher announced on April 10, 2006 that Tom Parrotta was named the College’s men’s basketball coach.

Parrotta has agreed to a four-year contract to become the 22nd men’s basketball coach in the 103-year history of the program. He comes to Canisius from Hofstra University, where he spent the last five seasons under head coach Tom Pecora.

“Tom brings to Canisius great experience in both the MAAC and Western New York as a coach and student-athlete from his playing career at Fordham University,” said Maher. “He has progressed through the coaching ranks at Nazareth, Niagara and Hofstra to earn this head-coaching opportunity at Canisius College. Following a thorough search process, we found Tom to be the best fit to lead our men’s basketball program. I am confident that he has the passion and energy to honor the proud tradition of Canisius basketball and will help us toward our goal of winning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships.”

Parrotta joined the Hofstra staff as an assistant coach in May of 2001 and was promoted to associate head coach last September. During his five-year tenure, the Pride compiled an 81-72 record, including a 47-16 overall mark in the last two campaigns with 26 wins coming in conference play. Last season, Hofstra tied a school record with 26 victories against seven losses and earned a berth in the NIT, where the Pride posted the school’s first two Division I postseason victories before falling to Old Dominion in the quarterfinals.

“I’m excited to become a part of the proud tradition of Canisius basketball,” said Parrotta. “This is an excellent opportunity for me not only to become a head coach of a first-rate Division I basketball program but to return to the MAAC, a league filled with quality institutions that I’m very familiar with. It’s also a thrill for my family and I to return to Western New York.”

Prior to his stay at Hofstra, Parrotta spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Niagara University under Jack Armstrong and Joe Mihalich. He was Mihalich’s top assistant for the last three seasons of his tenure, when the Purple Eagles posted a 49-37 record and made two appearances in the MAAC Tournament semifinals. As the chief recruiter, he helped bring in Juan Mendez, David Brooks and Alvin Cruz, who led Niagara to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 35 years in 2004-05, their senior season.

Parrotta, 39, was a four-year letter-winner at Fordham University from 1984-88, when the Rams competed in the MAAC. He was a second-team all-conference selection and earned All-Metropolitan Team honors in his senior season and ranks in the top-30 in career scoring and in the top-10 in career rebounding at Fordham. He was a team captain from 1986-88, named the team’s MVP in 1988 and helped lead the Rams to two NIT appearances.

Following his collegiate career, Parrotta began a three-year stint in the Portuguese Basketball Association, where he led his team in scoring and rebounding en route to a 33-0 record in his first season. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Fordham in 1991 and began his coaching career at Rye High School before joining the staff at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y., prior to the 1994-95 season.

He and his wife, Dina, have two children, Michael, 3, and newborn Carmen.

Parrotta, who was selected after a nationwide search, will take over his new post immediately. He replaces Mike MacDonald, who was not retained following the 2005-06 season. Canisius returns three starters and 10 letterwinners from last year’s team.

DON’T MISS THE ALUMNI PARTY OF THE YEAR
Alumni Weekend 2006, June 2 & 3 - More Than 400 Alumni Have Already Notified the College of Their Plans to Attend!

Each year, Alumni Weekend attracts graduates from all over the country back to campus for a chance to reconnect with fellow classmates, friends and the campus that brought them together. The year 2006 marks a milestone reunion for the Canisius College classes of 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001. These classes will receive a special invitation to attend, but ALL ALUMNI are encouraged to join us in celebrating Alumni Weekend!

Last year’s Alumni Weekend saw more than 850 alumni and their guests. This year, the college is aiming to attract more than 1,000 alumni;with more than 400 already planning to attend, this is sure to be an exciting weekend!

For a full schedule of events and a list of who’s planning to attend, visit Alumni Weekend 2006’s website at www.canisius.edu/alumniweekend

COLLEGE RELATIONS HIRES TWO NEW STAFF MEMBERS

College Relations welcomed two new members to its team this spring. Kate Fitzpatrick is the new assistant director of alumni relations. Fitzpatrick comes to the college from the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, where she was a development coordinator. In her new role at Canisius, Fitzpatrick will coordinate many alumni events, programs and services including regional chapter network development and reunion programs. She will also contribute to Canisius On-line and travel throughout the country to meet with various alumni chapters. Fitzpatrick says she is, “looking forward to working with the regional chapters and building on the already strong relationship Canisius has with its alumni.”

John Prizner ‘97 is the newest member of the college relations’ development staff. A 1997 alumnus of Canisius, Prizner’s most recent position was executive director of the Youth Lifeline Foundation in Rochester which utilizes current and retired National Football League players, coaches, professional athletes, celebrities and local business professionals to teach life skills to urban youth. He worked previously as vice president of marketing for Global Signs and Graphics in Ohio and as marketing partnerships coordinator with the Buffalo Bills. As part of the college's development team, Prinzer is responsible for calling on Canisius alumni to support the college through major gift donations. Prizer says he is looking forward to helping give back to the school that gave him so much and believes Canisius is, "a collective team of dedicated people who helped me during my college experience and beyond. It is a real honor to be part of this group and I look forward to my work here at Canisius."

STEVE FORBES AND CARDINAL THEODORE McCARRICK: KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR COMMENCEMENT 2006
The Canisius College Class of 2006 will hear from an Archbishop and a former presidential candidate during commencement ceremonies in May.

Steve Forbes will deliver the address at the Graduate Commencement at 7:00 p.m. on May 17 in the college’s Koessler Athletic Center.

Forbes is president and CEO of Forbes, Inc. and editor-in-chief of Forbes, the nation’s leading business magazine. In both 1996 and 2000, Forbes campaigned vigorously for the Republican nomination for presidency. Key to his platform were a flat tax, medical savings accounts, a new Social Security system for working Americans, parental choice of schools for children, term limits and a strong national defense.

On May 20, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, PhD, DD, Archbishop of Washington, DC, will deliver the address at the Undergraduate Commencement at 11:00 a.m. in U.B.’s Alumni Arena.

Recognized most widely for his efforts on behalf of international human rights, religious freedom and migration, Cardinal McCarrick has surveyed the humanitarian needs in such nations as China, Cuba, Vietnam, Rwanda and the Philippines. He served on the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad and was a member of the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom. In December 2000, former U.S. President Bill Clinton presented Cardinal McCarrick with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights.

Both Forbes and Cardinal McCarrick, along with Sebastian J. Rosica ’48, Lenore Rosica, Wilson Greatbatch and Luiz F. Kahl (posthumously) will be presented with honorary degrees during commencement ceremonies.

CLASS OF ’56 TO CELEBRATE GOLDEN JUBILEE, MAY 19-21, 2006

'56 Senior Class Officers
Donald E. McCarthy '56,
Henry A. Jabczynski '56,
Donald O'Connor '56,
Timothy E. Sheehan '56,
Norman F. Corda '56

In May, the Class of 1956 will celebrate fifty years of friendship at the 2006 Golden Jubilee Reunion Weekend, May 19-21. This group connected as undergraduates at Canisius, built on their friendships over the years and always maintained their loyalty to alma mater.

The weekend’s activities begin with campus tours and a class stag on Friday, May 19. On Saturday, members of the Class of 1956 are encouraged to don cap and gown, and process at commencement with the Class of 2006. The 50-year class will be recognized publicly during the ceremony. Saturday evening, the class will hold a dinner at The Buffalo Club.

The Golden Jubilee weekend will come to a close with the Golden Plus Mass and Brunch on Sunday, May 21. This traditional event involves alumni and spouses of deceased alumni who graduated from the college more than 50 years ago. This group will pay tribute to the Class of 1956 who will be joining their ranks.

Norman F. Corda '56, Joseph
Carlisi '56, Carlos Carballada '56
and their dates.

Already, more than 50 members of the class have notified Canisius that they plan to attend the Golden Jubilee Weekend.

For a full schedule of events, or to notify us that you are planning to attend, visit the class of 1956’s reunion website at www.canisius.edu/alumni/1956.asp. Click here to go directly to the registration website.

40^th ANNUAL REGENTS SCHOLARSHIP BALL ON MAY 13, 2006

Young alumni, Bill Reynolds III '02 and Meg
Hemsworth '02, at last year's Regents
Scholarship Ball.

Be sure to reserve your place at this year’s Regent’s Scholarship Ball. This year’s ball will take place on Saturday, May 13, 2006 at The Statler Towers in Buffalo. Proceeds from this event provide financial aid to promising young Canisius students who otherwise would not be able to take advantage of the quality education that Canisius College provides all of its graduates. Last year's event raised more than $90,000.

At this year's ball, the college's Board of Regents will confer the 2006 Regents Distinguished Citizen Award on Robert E. Sadler, Jr., president and chief executive officer of M&T Bank, for his many contributions to the community.

In celebration of our fortieth anniversary, the event will feature a dazzling ruby-gemstone give-away compliments of Diamond Cutters of Western NY. The event includes a live auction with items such vacation packages in Martha’s Vineyard, Lake Tahoe and Bequia (Caribbean) and additional gift packages autioned off throughout the evening. Add Jack Civiletto singing Sinatra during dinner and the sounds of JoyRyde afterward and you can be assured that this will be a very special evening as we celebrate the importance of Canisius College to our Western New York community.

Cocktails begin at 6:00 p.m. with dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $200 each ($100 each for Canisius alumni who graduated between the years 1995 and 2005) and includes dinner, open bar and dancing.

For additional information on the upcoming ball, please visit the Web page at www.canisius.edu/regentsball or contact Marion Mittler, director of endowed scholarships, at 716-888-8217 or mittlerm@canisius.edu.

SEE FOX NEWS HOST JOHN KASICH ON APRIL 18

John Kasich, host of FOX News Channel’s The Heartland with John Kasich and former U.S. Congressman, will speak at Canisius College on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in the Grupp Fireside Lounge, located on the second floor of the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center.

The lecture, entitled “Stand for Something: The Battle for America’s Soul,” is free and open to the public. The evening is presented under the auspices of the William H. Fitzpatrick Chair of Political Science Lecture Series.

For more information on John Kasich and the event, please click here.

DIGAMMA INDUCTS SEVEN FROM THE CANISIUS COMMUNITY

The DiGamma Honor Society welcomed seven new members from the Canisius Community at its annual dinner on Friday, March 10, 2006. This prestigious society is composed of Canisius alumni, faculty, administrators and students who have distinguished themselves in their work for the advancement of the college. The 2006 inductees are (pictured in the back row, left to right) Dennis F. Strigl ’74, Michael P. Davis ’60, Charles V. Borzilleri ’55, (pictured in the front row, left to right) James P. Schofield MS ’73, Alfred F. Luhr III ’68, Maureen Millane-Rusk MBA ’92, associate dean for external business programs at Canisius College and John L. Maddock, associate director of athletics for external affairs at Canisius College.

Visit the DiGamma Honor Society Web page at www.canisius.edu/alumni/digamma.asp

CANISIUS OFFERS ONLINE MS DEGREE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Canisius College will offer a new on-line Master of Science Degree in Physical Education beginning with the summer 2006 semester.

The 33-credit hour program is designed for physical education professionals who already possess initial or provisional teaching certification in physical education. The program is ideal for coaches and others with demanding schedules who need to balance work and family, as they continue their education. The Master of Science Degree in Physical Education will meet the master’s degree requirement for permanent or professional certification in the state of New York.

Admission to this program requires completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and a teaching certification in physical education.

The Canisius College School of Education and Human Services is accredited by NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education), the standard of excellence in teacher preparation. For more information, contact James Bagwell, director of graduate admissions at (716) 888-2544 or bagwellj@canisius.edu.

ALUMNI DIRECTORY IS COMPLETE!
The 2006 Canisius College Alumni Directory has arrived and should be in the mail to those who purchased copies. The directory includes alumni phone numbers, mailing addresses, E-mail addresses and professional information. Nearly 13,000 alumni responded with updates to the directory. Thanks to all who contributed information!

There are still some directories available for sale. If you are interested, please contact Harris Connect directly at 1-800-877-6554.

UPCOMING EVENTS…
Pittsburgh Area Jesuit Alumni Speaker Series, Rev. Avery Cardinal Dulles
Canisius Community Day in Buffalo
Canisius Community Day in Rochester, Highway Clean-Up
Distinguished Faculty Lecture in Atlanta, Michael Noonan, PhD
New York City Philharmonic Event
Charlotte Knight's vs. Buffalo Bison's in Charlotte
Alumni Weekend 2006
Class of '56 Fiftieth Reunion Weekend
Golden Plus Mass and Brunch

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA
Don't miss out on the alumni activities planned across the nation. Visit the alumni Web site's Calendar of Events and your regional chapter Web sites for the latest updates in your area.

SUGGESTION BOX
We appreciate all of your feedback on Canisius On-Line. Please continue to actively participate in the development of our on-line newsletter by sending us your news, story ideas and accomplishments. We can’t guarantee we’ll write a story for everything, but we would love to hear from everyone! We look forward to your feedback on how to improve this publication. Please send all correspondence to alumni@canisius.edu.

Alumni & friends