Canisius College

• 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 downtown 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 2004-2005 of more than 5000 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 1500 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 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International. The chemistry major is accredited by the American Chemical Society and the Athletic Trainer Certificate Program by the National Athletic Trainers Association.

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 New York, 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 modern facility. The building has ample study facilities, a computer laboratory, a curriculum materials center, group work rooms, and audio-visual areas. Canisius students have at their disposal an excellent library collection of over 400,000 volumes of books, periodicals, microforms, and other materials. The library subscribes to over 1,000 paper journals; full text is available for over 15,000 electronic periodicals. These resources can also be accessed from computer labs and residence halls through the campus network and from off-campus via the World Wide Web. The catalog and various other operations are fully automated. The library has a substantial complement of computer equipment to access these resources, including over 50 laptop computers with wireless network access that may be used by students within the building. 

The college’s resources are supplemented by membership in the Western New York Library Resources Council, a cooperative system which links 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 (On-line 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 also a member of Passport, the consortium of 28 Jesuit college libraries in the United States. Over 20 million volumes and 20,000 journals can be acccessed through Passport.

The library is open every day of the week for study and research, and is open nights 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 in Bouwhuis Library, houses information related to the history of Canisius College. Visitors and researchers are welcome.

Computer facilities
Instructional computing facilities include over 350 personal computers, as well as scanners and printers. Computers in student labs have access to word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, web development, statistical analysis, and electronic mail software. There are several Internet Plazas located around campus where students may check their electronic mail or access the World Wide Web. All computers are connected to the World Wide Web and have access to extensive online research databases provided by the Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library. Laptops for loan and wireless networking are available for use in the Bouwhuis Library. The college has over ten wireless zones.

The college has an extensive web site at www.canisius.edu that includes web-based electronic mail, course materials, course discussion boards, and course registration. Student user accounts and electronic mail addresses are automatically created for all students.

Classrooms have been recently renovated and all contain some level of technology. Many classrooms provide video and computer projection for the instructor. Wireless networking is also available in many parts of the campus.

Nondiscrimination
Canisius College does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion or creed, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran’s status, genetic predisposition or carrier 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, sexual orientation, 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 education requirements or occupation for which application has been made.

Campus Security
Canisius College complies with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act by making available information on campus security and personal safety.  This information includes crime prevention, public safety, law-enforcement authority, crime reporting polices, disciplinary procedures, and other important matters about security on campus. Also available are statistics for the three previous calendar years on reported crimes that occurred on campus, in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Canisius College, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. The Canisius College Advisory Committee on Campus Safety will provide upon request all campus crime statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education. This information is available on-line at www.ope.ed.gov/security. A PDF of the full report is available here.  A printed copy may be obtained by calling Dr. Cary Anderson, dean of students at 716-888-2130.