VOL. 15 NO.3 April 2012
Canisius College Names Jim Baron Men’s Basketball Coach
Jim Baron, a winner of 390 career games that includes eight 20-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament berths and 11 postseason appearances, has been named the 23rd head coach in Canisius College men’s basketball history, Canisius College Director of Athletics Bill Maher announced Monday, April 2.
Baron, who signed a five-year contract, was formally introduced at a 3 p.m. press conference in the Koessler Athletic Center on Tuesday, April 3. “I am extremely pleased to introduce Jim Baron as our men’s basketball coach,” Maher said. “In naming Jim to this position, we have hired a man who has a proven track record of building successful basketball programs and developing young men. He is excited to return to Western New York to lead the Canisius College basketball program.
Read the full story
Watch the press conference on GoGriffs.com
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Colleen Toohey Porter passed away in her Cleveland home on March 22, 2012. A past Canisius adjunct faculty member in English, Porter was well known for her impact on the Canisius College Little Theatre which she directed from 1982-1994 and moderated from 1992-1994.
Below, alumni share their memories:
"The most vivid memories I have from Canisius College, 20 years after graduation, are of Little Theatre. Sure, we were having fun but as I look back now the experience of Little Theatre was more important than I ever imagined it would be. In the Theatre we could test ourselves, succeed or fail, and Colleen would pick us up and get us pointed in the right direction again. Colleen was teaching us the value of hard work and dedication and love of the job. We were learning creativity, how to work as team, and how to overcome challenges. “The show must go on” is a powerful leadership lesson for life outside Little Theatre. Colleen inspired us to be better people."
~Peter E. Bugiera '92
"The most vivid memories I have from Canisius College, 20 years after graduation, are of Little Theatre. Sure, we were having fun but as I look back now the experience of Little Theatre was more important than I ever imagined it would be. In the Theatre we could test ourselves, succeed or fail, and Colleen would pick us up and get us pointed in the right direction again. Colleen was teaching us the value of hard work and dedication and love of the job. We were learning creativity, how to work as team, and how to overcome challenges. “The show must go on” is a powerful leadership lesson for life outside Little Theatre. Colleen inspired us to be better people."
~Peter E. Bugiera '92
"Little Theatre was a family with Colleen as our matriarch. As an example, every night, before the curtain went up, Colleen would make sure that everyone from the cast and crew were gathered together as we prayed to St. Peter Canisius for the success of the production. Years later, I realize that Colleen wasn’t just leading us in prayer, but rather she was developing us for our own life, career and family. She will be missed."
~Joseph A. Heim '90
"Colleen was an incisive and insightful mentor to me. More than anything, I remember her demeanor in rehearsals: even though I started working with her when I was only seventeen, she treated me like an adult professional. She made me take responsibility for my choices and was kind but firm. She told me I could make it, but it wasn't going to be easy. She spoke truth with a laugh, so it didn't seem so terrifying. She was FUN to work with. I looked up to her, love her, miss her."
~Marcella Kearns '95
~Marcella Kearns '95
"Colleen was an important mentor and played a critical role in my development as a young adult, and as a woman. She taught me a great deal about theater, and set design and construction, but even more she played a huge role in teaching me how to carry myself, how to interact with others, and how assert myself. She provided advice about life in incredibly subtle ways; they have stayed with me and I often think about how much influence she had on the person I have become. She is surely missed. I take solace in knowing that Coleen Porter leaves an incredible legacy—having touched so many people in the Canisius College community and beyond."
~Amelia Lyons '93
~Amelia Lyons '93
"When Colleen cast me after my first audition in the fall of ’89 it was a life changing event for me that set me on a path to become the person I am today. She was a talented, warm, fun, caring, sarcastic individual who treated us “kids” as adults. She worked alongside us in producing the shows and when we made mistakes, she guided us through them. Colleen was my director, mentor and friend. She helped foster and expand my love for all the aspects of theatre. I believe that she was the reason that many of the Little Theatre members, were members, because of the opportunity to work on a show with her. It was something special whether you were on stage or working backstage. Colleen worked with everybody. Many of the Little Theatre Alumni are life-long friends due to experiences we shared in Little Theatre thanks to the leadership and friendship provided by Colleen. She is truly missed and I take comfort in that fact that so many of us carry on in her memory."
~Michael J. Odojewski '93
Full obituary can be read here. To share more thoughts and condolences leave comments in the guest book.
Alumni who don’t live in Western New York are invited to participate in a service project in their area. The following cities have planned service projects in March and/or April through six participating Jesuit institutions:
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Buffalo, NY |
Trenton, NJ |
A list of service projects is available through the AJCU website. We hope that you consider taking part in a project in your area.
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Email your favorite memories of faculty, friends and tomfoolery that transpired under the Golden Dome to ccmag@canisius.edu. Submissions will be used in a future issue of Canisius Magazine, and appear on the college’s web and social media sites.
Countdown to Alumni Weekend!
With just two months to go, committee members from class years ending in '2 and '7 are in full swing, reaching out to their fellow classmates through phone and email to join in the festivities at Alumni Weekend 2012. Not only is Alumni Weekend a great time for class years celebrating a milestone, but Saturday night's Quad Party is open to ALL ALUMNI!
Are you ready to celebrate in the Quad? What are you most looking forward to? Let us know by writing on our facebook wall at Canisius College Alumni with a tagline of "Quad Party".
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Class of 2007 | Class of 2002 | Class of 1997
Class of 1992 | Class of 1987 | Class of 1982
Class of 1977 | Class of 1972 | Class of 1967
Pre-Med Alumni Reunion
Planning to attend Alumni Weekend 2012?
Click here and let your classmates know!
DiGamma Honor Society Inducts New Members
Second row (l-r): Timothy E. Blewett '67, George M. Palumbo, PhD, Jack F. Wujcik Jr. '70
Bottom row (l-r): Edward B. Carey '69, Dianna Civello, Michael A. Ervolina Jr. '79
On Friday, March 9, the Canisius College DiGamma Honor Society inducted seven alumni, a faculty member, and an administrator into its society. The 2012 inductees are: Timothy E. Blewett '67, Edward B. Carey '69, Michael A. Ervolina Jr. '79, Thomas C. Kingston '71, William J. Maggio '84, MBA '92, Dennis L. Misko '67, Jack F. Wujcik Jr. '70, Dianna Civello, associate vice president for Institutional Advancement, and George M. Palumbo, PhD, professor of Economics and Finance and director of the One-Year MBA Program.
The DiGamma Honor Society is a prestigious society composed of “men and women for others” who distinguish themselves working for the advancement of the college and who provide exemplary service on behalf of students and alumni. For more information about DiGamma or to browse past inductees, click here.
Robert J. Butler, PhD, Mary I. Mietlicki '12 and Davidlee E. Klimchuk '12 are 2012 MLK Award winners.
Canisius College has announced its 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Award winners. Robert J. Butler, PhD, professor of English, received the MLK Faculty Award; and Mary I. Mietlicki ’12, a special education (grades 1 – 6)/childhood education (grades 1 – 6) major and Davidlee E. Klimchuk ’12, an English/creative writing major with a minor in music received the MLK Student Awards.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards, presented annually in the categories of staff, administrator, faculty and student, recognize individuals at the college who demonstrate the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through the promotion of social justice, racial harmony, civil rights, human rights, advocacy for the poor, or nonviolence. Honorees will be recognized during the Canisius College Spring Honors Convocation in May.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards, presented annually in the categories of staff, administrator, faculty and student, recognize individuals at the college who demonstrate the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through the promotion of social justice, racial harmony, civil rights, human rights, advocacy for the poor, or nonviolence. Honorees will be recognized during the Canisius College Spring Honors Convocation in May.
Canisius College Center for Professional Development will host a two-day Women Leaders’ Retreat on Wednesday, April 25 and Thursday, April 26 at its Amherst location, 300 Corporate Parkway, Amherst. The theme for the retreat will be “Being at the Table: Strengthening Your Leadership Effectiveness.”
Participants will strengthen and improve their personal leadership competencies and will have the opportunity to share best practices with outstanding professional women in Western New York.
For registration information, contact the Center for Professional Development at (716) 888-8490 or visit the website. View full press release here.
Upcoming Alumni Programming
- Canisius Community Day
Saturday, April 21
Saturday, May 5
May 21-27
For more information on this trip, call Joe VanVolkenburg at 716-888-2875.
May 18-20
Pre-Med Alumni Reunion 2012
June 1-2
Fifth annual Ignatian Scholarship Day takes place on April 20 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Richard E. Winter '42 Student Center and Frisch Conference Room.
Canisius College will hold its fifth annual Ignatian Scholarship Day on Friday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center and Frisch Conference Room. Artwork and sculptures will be on display throughout the day in the Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library and in the “Alumni Hallway” leading to the library. All musical performances will take place in Christ the King Chapel.
At the event, which is free and open to the public, more than 400 of the college’s undergraduate and graduate students will showcase their research, scholarship and performances within a conference environment using the following six forms of expression:
Canisius College will hold its fifth annual Ignatian Scholarship Day on Friday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center and Frisch Conference Room. Artwork and sculptures will be on display throughout the day in the Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library and in the “Alumni Hallway” leading to the library. All musical performances will take place in Christ the King Chapel.
At the event, which is free and open to the public, more than 400 of the college’s undergraduate and graduate students will showcase their research, scholarship and performances within a conference environment using the following six forms of expression:
- Poster displays
- Paper presentations
- Multi-media presentations
- Two- and three-dimensional art
- Musical performances
- Exhibits/demonstrations by college academic clubs and organizations
For more information or for a complete schedule of events, click here or contact the Office of Academic Affairs at (716) 888-2121.
Upcoming ArtsCanisius Events
Canisius College presents the following ArtsCanisius events, which are free (unless noted otherwise) and open to the public:
Friday, April 20 – Ignatian Scholarship Day Concert at 7:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. The performance will feature the Canisius Concert Band, under the direction of Paul Biddle, and the Canisius Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dave Schiavone. Saturday, April 21 – Pianist Yen Yu Chen at 7:30 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. Under the sponsorship of the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, Chen will perform a recital of works by Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Prokofiev, Scarlatti, R. Schumann and Stravinsky.
Monday, April 23 – Meet-the-Faculty Recital featuring Leslie Salathé, viola and Alfred Frenning, piano at 12:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. The program will include works for viola and piano by Rudolph Forst, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Ludwig van Beethoven and Georges Enesco. A violist with the Parker Quartet and the Quartette Classique, Salathé performs regularly with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and is a member of the Ars Nova musicians.
Saturday, April 28 – Canisius Chorale performs, under the direction of Frank Scinta, at 7:30 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center.
Sunday, April 29 – Canisius Chamber Orchestra performs, under the direction of Ansgarius Aylward, at 7:30 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center.
The ArtsCanisius series at Canisius College presents concerts by professional musicians, including members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Canisius faculty, art shows and lectures by professional artists, as well as student recitals. For more information, contact the Fine Arts Department at (716) 888-2536 or visit canisius.edu/artscanisius.
Writers Series Brings Best-Selling Author to Campus
Author Bernard O'Donoghue will visit the college on April 19 at 7 p.m.
Author Bernard O'Donoghue will visit the college on April 19 at 7 p.m.
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Learn more and view full press release here.