The college and its mission
Founded by the Jesuits in 1870, Canisius College is an independent, co-educational, medium sized institution of higher education conducted in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition. It offers undergraduate programs built upon a liberal arts core curriculum, leading to associate and baccalaureate degrees, plus graduate programs in business, education, and other professional fields, leading to the master's degree.

Canisius espouses the ideal of academic excellence along with a sense of responsibility to use one's gifts for the service of others and the benefit of society. It seeks to promote the intellectual and ethical life of its students, helping to prepare them for productive careers as well as for meaningful personal lives and positive contributions to human progress. Its curricular and co-curricular programs are designed to educate the whole person through the development of intellectual, moral, spiritual and social qualities. It aims to promote the contemporary Jesuit mission of the service of faith and the promotion of justice.

As a Catholic institution which welcomes all who share in its quest, Canisius will:

• foster an atmosphere of understanding and respect in dialog with other intellectual and spiritual traditions;
• teach the responsible use of human freedom in a value- oriented curriculum and co-curriculum which incorporate concern for spiritual and human factors as well as more pragmatic ones;
• continue the Jesuit principle of care for individual persons;
• emphasize excellence in teaching, marked by intellectual vigor, close student-faculty relations, and an expectation of active rather than passive learning;
• prepare students to assume positions of leadership in church and society;
• foster a sense of community among its students and staff through personal interaction marked by friendliness, respect, openness and integrity;

As an urban college, Canisius enjoys a special relationship with the city of Buffalo. The concept of community service on which the college prides itself is best evidenced by the large number of Canisius graduates who have occupied important positions in the professional, educational, commercial and political life of the city and its surrounding communities. Buffalo's largest private college is named after Saint Peter Canisius, a 16th-century Dutch scholar. The college's founders were guided by the same educational ideals which inspired several European universities and initiated a tradition of service to student and community.

Starting out as a single building in the center of down-town Buffalo, Canisius College has since expanded to cover the more than 32 acres of its dual campus on Main Street. It is easily accessible by expressway, subway and bus routes.

In addition to the College of Arts and Sciences, Canisius includes the Richard J. Wehle School of Business, the School of Education and Human Services, a Graduate Division and a Summer Session, with a total enrollment for 2001-2002 of more than 4800 students.

Canisius College is a private, independent Roman Catholic college. It is governed by an independent self-perpetuating Board of Trustees under a charter granted by the Board of Trustees of the University of the State of New York.

Graduate division
Although Canisius College awarded its first master's degree as far back as 1887, graduate-level coursework was not offered on a regular basis until much later. Primarily to meet the needs of the public schools which were just starting to require a bachelor's degree for elementary teaching and a master's degree for teaching on the secondary level, an extension school was opened in 1919. From this beginning, a separate graduate division began to emerge a few years later, and by the late 1930s there was a formally designated Regent of the Graduate School.

Over the years, Canisius College has offered graduate programs in English, history, chemistry, biology and religious studies at various times, but the two largest areas have always been education and business. Master's degrees have been awarded on a regular basis in education since about 1930 and in business since 1969. These programs have been joined in recent years by curricula in sport administration and in organizational communication and development.

The college's graduate programs have become increasing prominent over the years. Over 1400 individuals, or about 30 per cent of the student body, are currently enrolled in the graduate division.

Accreditation
Canisius College received its authority to confer bachelor's degrees in 1883 when it was incorporated by the Regents of the University of the State of New York. In 1894, the college offered its first course in the graduate program leading to the degree of master of arts.

Canisius College is an accredited member of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools¹ and is on the list of registered colleges and universities of the Regents of the University of the State of New York. The undergraduate programs in Business Administration and the M.B.A. program are accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. The chemistry major is accredited by the American Chemical Society and the Athletic Trainer Certificate Program by the National Athletic Trainers Association. The graduate program for educators of deaf/hard of hearing students is accredited by the Council for Education of the Deaf.

The college is also a member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of the State of NewYork, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the Association of Colleges and Universities of the State of New York, the Middle Atlantic Association of Colleges of Business Administration and the Western New York Consortium of Higher Education.

Campus ministry
Canisius College's campus ministry offers opportunities for student, faculty and staff involvement in worship, spirituality, volunteer service to the needy and social justice issues. Eucharistic liturgies, including the Sunday night candlelight Mass, are regularly scheduled in Christ the King Chapel. Students are invited to serve in various roles of leadership in college-wide liturgies, the retreat program, the spring break trip to Appalachia and other campus ministry events. There are a number of student retreats each semester and a faculty/staff retreat at the beginning of each academic year. The members of the campus ministry team are available to the college community for pastoral counseling to help explore the human and spiritual dimensions of their lives.

The faculty
The college considers itself primarily a teaching institution, where research is valued for its contribution to the learning experiences of the students. Small class size is the norm and interaction among students and faculty is easy and natural. Each of the faculty members has been chosen for his or her academic competence, ability to teach, interest in research and moral integrity. The college's present faculty is a group of highly trained, dedicated individuals who take a personal interest in the students under their charge.

The library
The quality of any educational institution is determined largely by the proficiency of its faculty and the excellence of the information resources available to support the curriculum. The Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library is housed in a beautiful and inviting facility that was completed in 1988. The building has a capacity of over 600,000 volumes and provides ample study facilities, a computer laboratory, microform and audio-visual areas, a curriculum materials center and numerous other features. Canisius students have at their disposal an excellent library collection of over 400,000 volumes of books, periodicals, microforms and other materials. Approximately 9000 items are added to the collection yearly, and over 1100 periodicals are received currently. The catalog and various other operations are fully automated. The catalog and numerous other online resources, including CD-ROM reference tools, specialized databases and the World Wide Web, are available in the library's Electronic Information Center. These resources can also be accessed from computer labs and dormitories through the campus network and from home through modems.

The college's resources are supplemented by membership in the Western New York Library Resources Council, a cooperative system which links over 100 area libraries through daily delivery service. This system makes available to Canisius students the resources of all major libraries in Western New York. Further, the library's participation in OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), an international library consortium, enables it to borrow materials from libraries throughout the United States via direct computer link.

The library is open every day of the week for study and research and is open until midnight from Sunday through Thursday. Assistance and guidance in the use of the library and its facilities are provided by a highly competent staff of professional librarians and technical assistants. The Rev. J. Clayton Murray, S.J. Archives, located on the lower level of Christ the King Chapel, houses information related to the history of Canisius College. Visitors and researchers are welcome.

Computer facilities
Instructional computing facilities include over 200 personal computers located in student computer laboratories. Macintosh and IBM compatible personal computers are equipped with color monitors, laser printers, word processing, electronic mail, spreadsheet software and access to the World Wide Web.

All students receive a computer account and may use electronic mail to communicate with other members of the Canisius community. Computer users may also communicate with others off-campus through the Internet.

Most resident students may use network connections that are available in their rooms. Most resident students also have access to voice mail and cable TV that includes several Canisius originated channels.

Nondiscrimination
Canisius College does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion or creed, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, marital status, veteran's status or disability in administration of its educational policies, employment practices, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Canisius admits students of any age, race, religion or creed, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, marital status or veteran's status to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the college.

It continues to be the policy of Canisius College not to discriminate on the basis of handicap. No person is denied employment, admission or access solely because of any physical, mental or medical impairment which is unrelated to the ability to engage in the activities involved in the educational requirements or occupation for which application has been made.

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¹ Commission on Higher Education, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104; Telephone: (215) 662-5606.