- Honors Post-Journal
- Research Opportunity
- Honors Student Gabrielle Paoletti featured in Canisius Magazine (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)
- Photo Galleries
- Read Commencement 2006 Student Speaker Eric M. Soehnlein's speech
- Graduates Recieve Fulbright Awards
Applications are currently being accepted for Bates White Research Experiences for Undergraduates
The All-College Honors Program at Canisius College is pleased to announce a joint research initiative with Bates White LLC, a leading economic consulting firm. The initiative—Bates White Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)—is a program dedicated to funding individual research. These one-semester positions provide opportunities for students to work closely with a faculty member of the All-College Honors Program to conduct research for one or more projects determined by the faculty member.
Funding is available for four positions—two beginning in the 2006 fall semester and two beginning in the 2007 spring semester. Each student will be awarded a research grant of $1,500 for the semester. To be eligible, students must have a minimum of a 3.5 GPA (overall and in their major) and be at least a sophomore. Recommended majors include economics, finance, accounting, and math, but are not limited to these disciplines.
Recipients of the award, in addition to working closely with the All-College Honors faculty, are required to write a three-page, single-spaced report of the research experience that will be shared with Bates White. The supervising faculty member will write a one-page report of the experience that will also be shared with Bates Whites.
Applications should be sent to:
Dr. Bruce Dierenfield
Honors Program Director
2001 Main Street, Buffalo
New York 14208-1098
716-888-2683
dierenfb@canisius.edu
The application packet must include (a) a cover letter to Dr. Dierenfield, indicating your reason(s) for seeking the position, (b) a resume, and (c) an unofficial transcript (all in hard copy). Screening will begin immediately, and the positions will be filled by TBD.
Any inquiries about these positions should be directed to Dr. Dierenfield.
For more information about Bates White, please see http://www.bateswhite.com.
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| Student Speaker Eric M. Soehnlein |
When you think about it, student commencement speeches might be the most ironic thing in all of the irony laden area of academia. That’s because I, a fellow graduate with absolutely zero real world experience, who actually doesn’t understand very much of the real world at all, is supposed to stand here and say something that will unite and inspire all of us. But I have to be careful too - after all, I’m really the last thing in between all of you and walking across this stage and finally graduating, and getting on with your parties or the Sabres game or what have you. Still, I have to say something. So, in order to land myself up here, I answered an essay question “What it means to graduate from Canisius College,” and about two weeks ago I figured I’d just try and talk about that.
Now, when you want to talk about an institution that espouses some kind of philosophy, or mission statement, you go to the source. A quick glance at the Canisius Web site, billboard, letterhead, coffee mugs, t-shirts, baby bibs and probably the top of any of our tuition bills, holds our proud slogan: “Where Leaders are Made.” I have to admit, I’ve had a lot of leadership experience while I was at Canisius. As president of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society, I single handedly led the organization through what was probably the least successful and most poorly planned fundraiser in college history, when I tried to plan a benefit concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Oh don’t get me wrong, the concert went well. All the performers exceeded expectations and the food that was donated was exceptional. The only problem was that nobody, and I can’t overemphasize the term nobody, came.
Of course there were those other times when I exhibited my stalwart leadership prowess, like the time when I was president of Sigma Tau Delta, the English honor society, and we almost didn’t go to our academic conference in Portland, Oregon because I struggled to secure the funds from the student senate, and then messed up booking the hotel. Then there was that time when I was president of the European Studies club and we almost had to cancel our trip because I had done the accounting for our overnight stay in Fredonia perfectly … for one night, forgetting that our conference in Fredonia was in fact four nights long.
In fact, the only true successes that I have had leadership-wise at Canisius included free food or t-shirt giveaways, or events where attendance was mandatory. Hence, I’m very thankful that I was pretty much guaranteed an audience today. However, it quickly became apparent that leadership might not be the best thing for me to talk about.
A new day and an optimistic outlook steered me toward the other emphasized slogan on our school’s Web site: the Jesuit education. At the outset it seemed like the perfect topic. We’ve all been exposed to it, philosophy squeezed into every nook and cranny of every possible subject area, and the philosophers who sought to teach us that the good life was well ordered, or who sought to address and solve for the existence of God or the problem of evil. The only problem was, of course, how do I make all that applicable in a commencement speech? Could I make the whole thing a five minute logic proof? What would something like that sound like? For the matter, what would I prove? That we’re all going to walk out of Canisius College and lead happy, successful and stress free lives? Maybe there is a way to write a good student commencement speech about the Jesuit education, but I’m pretty sure I don’t know how to do it.
So I was back at square one yet again. I had failed to write a unifying speech around my school’s slogans, but I still needed to say something. After all, if you’re commencement speaker, that’s your job. It’s not like I can just come up to the podium today and say 'pass.' So, what was it that was the unifying factor for all of us who are going to walk across this unbelievably warm stage today? What did it mean, exactly, to graduate from Canisius College? Is there any one thing that unifies the bio majors with the digital media arts students, or the English nerds with the education majors? Was it that we all endured the food at the dining hall? Was it that we all struggled for parking? Perhaps it was that all of us would happily stop doing work and go just about anywhere on campus for free mugs, free t-shirts or, on that single magical night during finals week, a free breakfast? Although writing a speech about free breakfast would fulfill a couple of personal life long dreams, I knew that composing a speech around an omlette metaphor was just a bit too off topic for today. And then I had a moment of simple clarity that you all should be thankful for, because it finally gave direction to this speech.
Just when it seemed like I had lost my way permanently and was doomed to failure, I realized that what unifies us is that we are all going to walk across this stage in funny looking robes, wearing hats that can be used like Frisbees, and that we are going to leave the safe haven of undergraduate education and go onto bigger and better things. And these things that we’re going to face, whether they be graduate or professional school, the job market, the military, the exciting world of reality television or wherever the rest of your life might take you, these things will not always come easily. Indeed, just like I struggled and failed time and again to write a unified and insightful speech for you today, all of us will struggle, and we all will fail. And so that, my fellow graduates, is what I finally would like to make the point of my speech. Yes that’s right, what I really learned in college, and what I really want to share with you, is how to fail.
'Failure?,' you might say to yourself, 'how can that possibly be a good thing, Eric?' Surely the college has made a poor choice in its speaker! Well, I will offer you a little bit of my experience from undergrad, and then I promise I will yield the podium and we’ll all graduate.
My junior year I received the best non-dating related advice in my entire college career, and it came from Dr. Paul Dowling, a professor of English who lives in the books of Aristotle, Milton and Rousseau and who, at that time, was my professor for a class in Shakespeare. Our first essay assignment that semester was to examine the comic relief in Macbeth. I wrote what I thought was one of my finest papers, examining the scene from several perspectives I thought were insightful and, more importantly, scratch that - most importantly, was deserving of an A. Unfortunately, Dr. Dowling didn’t feel the same. He felt the essay was disorganized, un-unified and lacked a main argument. I was crushed, and, worse, I feared I was doomed to less than an A in the class. Shaken, I took the painfully slow moving elevator from the basement to the seventh floor of Churchill Tower to plead my case.
'This is the lowest grade I’ve gotten in all of college, I’ve gotten an A in everything else,' I started out, only to later move on and argue why my paper was remarkable, groundbreaking and, most importantly, deserving of a higher grade. Dowling sat in his chair looking at me like I was a square egg, and when I finished he said something that I will never forget. He paused and looked at me and said, 'You must be a tremendous fan of college football.' 'Why?' I replied, annoyed that he was seemingly changing the topic. He replied, 'Because you think you have to win everything, and you think that you have to win everything big.'
He went on to say that he had always been a baseball fan. He explained that, in baseball if you’re successful three out of ten times, you’re a damn good hitter. Four out of ten times, you’re among the best there ever was. 'Baseball,' he went on to say, 'is much closer to life.' In life being successful, and here I mean doing anything that is worthwhile, is not easy. You see, in baseball you have to figure out the pitcher, understand the situation of the game, and you try to help your cause. After you fail, which you do inevitably, you re-group, you analyze why you weren’t successful and you try to succeed again and again.
I took Dr. Dowling’s advice to heart. Instead of dwelling on the fact that I had failed to write an A paper, I focused on what I could do better. I embraced my failure and learned from it, and I realized that Dowling was right - my writing was disorganized and I was really thinking about literature in the wrong way. Once I embraced my own failure not only did I receive As throughout the rest of the course, but I also became a stronger writer, a clearer thinker, and I eventually learned to like Shakespeare.
At the same time that I was getting to know Dr. Dowling, I was getting to know Dr. Frank Riga, our graduate studies scholarship coordinator, who resides in an office on the top floor of the library that has the incredible ability to always be 10-20 degrees warmer than any other place in Buffalo - regardless of season. At the suggestion of Dr. Occhipinti and Dr. Galie and a few others in the political science department, I was applying for a Truman Scholarship; a scholarship to graduate study in the field of your choice based on academic excellence and public service. The Truman committee awards two scholarships per state, and Canisius had had some near misses for the scholarship in recent years. The application itself was pages upon pages of detailed essay questions and personal statements, but Dr. Riga and I hunkered down and we wrote, and edited, and wrote, and edited, and then discarded several things I had written, and then wrote anew, and then edited again, then would have a heart to heart talk about something, and then would write again. It was a tedious and often disheartening process that, at times, made me doubt whether I would ever even get the application in the mail on time. I would wager that by the end of that period, from the beginning of August until mid November when the application was due, Dr. Riga and I spent well over 100 hours on those darn words on a page. And by the time it was due, I really believed I could win. I mean, I had volunteered for a civil rights organization, Catholic Charities, Roswell Park and the Erie County Bar Association. I had a very high cumulative grade point average, and my essays had been edited by one of the most intelligent people I had ever met.
Three weeks later, the Truman committee announced the winners on their Web site. Not only did I not win, I didn’t even place. Here I was thinking I had done great things, and the girl who had won not only had a more impressive resume than me, but she had also swam the English Channel the previous summer to raise money for AIDS research - I’ll let that sink in - I had done some volunteering, she had swam a cold and dangerous body of water on her own to raise money and awareness about one of the most serious health crisis of our age. I had been outgunned from the start.
Once again, I was crestfallen. I had done, I thought, a very good job, and yet again I had failed. Luckily, I ran into Dr. Bruce Dierenfield, who is the new director of the Honors Program and who has been an American history professor here. I told him about my failure, and my disappointment, and, luckily, he was there to give me some of the same advice as Dowling.
'Eric,' he said, 'nobody cares how many times you fail. Think about it,' he said, 'nobody cares that Lincoln lost elections before he was president, or that Kennedy’s administration was riddled with policy failures. The only thing anyone cares about is that one time - just that one time that you happen to succeed. That’s why you have to keep trying, because if you try often enough, and don’t let yourself get discouraged, eventually you will be successful.'
What Dr. Dierenfield had done was re-iterate and finally teach me that failure was one of the most important things in life, and just looking back at the application process, I knew he was right. First, in the process of failing at the Truman, I learned that I was the kind of person who was so stubborn, and so determined, that I was not going to give up just because it was difficult. What’s more, I realized that I had learned enough about myself, and enough about writing, to keep trying for scholarships and awards that no one like me had any business applying for - and I’ve kept trying for these things ever since. Some of them I’ve won, most of them I have lost.
Still, I always learned more out of my failures than my successes. Failing to plan one club event always gave me insight into planning the next, writing one paper that didn’t quite work always helped me write the next paper a little bit better, and stopping after 15 miles of running when I was planning to run 20 always left me having run 15 miles more than I would have had I not run at all.
And so, class of 2006, that is finally the only thing I can say to you. I don’t know much about life beyond Canisius, but I’ve heard that it’s hard, and I’m willing to bet that we’re all going to fail. The key is to fail the right way. And so I urge you, if you didn’t get into the program you wanted to for next year, or if you didn’t get the job that you wanted, keep trying. Ten years from now nobody is going to remember how many times you tried for a goal and didn’t succeed, but with perseverance, I’m willing to bet that 10 years, 20 years and 30 years from now our class will be among the happiest and successful collection of people that you will find anywhere.
With that, I’d like to say to the class of 2006 Congratulations, Good luck, and may you have a lifetime of perseverance and success ahead of you.
Photo Galleries
2007 Boston Trip
2006 New York City Trip
Senior Honors Reception
Annual Honors Banquet
Jeopardy Contest
Trip to Boston, May 11-14, 2007
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Trip to New York City, May 12-14, 2006
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Senior Honors Reception, April 21, 2006
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Annual Honors Banquet at Pearl Street Grille
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Honors Jeopardy Contest
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Download the Honors Post Journal or see below for selected articles from past editions.
Spring 2008 (.pdf)
October 2007 (.pdf)
March 2007 (.pdf)
December 2006 (.pdf)
October 2006(.pdf)
June 2006 (.pdf)
March 2006 (.pdf)
December 2005
October 2005
DECEMBER 2005
Memories of the Shaw Festival
By David Carr, Freshman Staff Writer
In the pleasant warmth of the sunlight on an unusually vibrant October day, a group of eager All-College Honors students were primed for a foray into the Niagara on the Lake to see a production of George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara at the aptly named Shaw Festival. Being that this was my first Honors excursion and one the few times I had dared to venture beyond the assured security of the Hamlet of Ebenezer (also known as West Seneca to outsiders), I was understandably nervous, and fervently clutched my birth certificate as if it were the only tangible proof my very existence. But with the always-enigmatic Dr. Butler aboard my bus, we had soon crossed into Canadian territory and were inside the theatre awaiting the start of the production – performed by a company that is widely recognized as producing the World’s Best Shaw.
Awaiting us inside was the exquisite set design of a 19th century English country home, the slums of the city, and a booming factory town which were astonishing. This setting from London created such a convincing macrocosm of life during that time period that I was immediately enveloped in the theatrical illusion. Perhaps the most surprising and amazing aspect of Major Barbara was the current relevance of a play that premiered a century ago.
Barbara Undershaft, a major in the Salvation Army, is forced to give up her beliefs in the universal salvation offered by the Salvation Army after learning it accepts donations from people who she considers to be unscrupulous, primarily men like her father who make their living producing war materials that kill thousands. The resulting moral ambiguity produces
Stephen Undershaft, Barbara’s well-to-do-brother says, “There is one true morality for every man; but every man has not the same morality.” In all honesty, my personal attempts to summarize other complex themes of Major Barbara would do George Bernard Shaw a great disservice. Suffice to say, the play got everyone’s intellectual juices following.
The return trip retains less clarity than I care to admit, (in all honesty, I was too exhausted to remember much), but crossing the border the second time is something I’ll never forget. A friendly custom agent boarded the bus, checked our passports and birth certificates, and paused for a moment to ask a question that normally leads to a nervous calamity.
“Does anyone have anything to declare?”
Responding instantaneously with a charming jubilation only he can muster, Doctor Butter responded, “Yes, we had a goodtime.” Consequently, the bus erupted in rambunctious good laughter that perfectly captured the spirit of truly splendid day.
Angry Adam’s Corner: “There’s Something Seriously Wrong With Us”
By Adam Pendleton, Sophomore Staff Writer
It’s the week before Christmas and all through the dorm, not a creature was stirring… Oh, wait. Yeah there are. Lots of ‘em. Non-honors students, that is. They get to go play in the snow and bake cookies and listen to Christmas music and decorate their rooms in green and red… Am I a Scrooge? Nope. I’m just an Honors student like every one of you. While the other kids get to study for their exams at their leisure, what do we get to do? Research. Projects. Flash cards. 10-12 page papers. Cram for the exams that every teacher decides to give during the last week of classes. What a wonderful trade-off (N.B. the sarcasm).
So why do we do it? Why do we choose to take on a suicidal course-load from which even Sylvia Plath would cower? Listen well, because I will tell you; I know everything. We do it because we have to. That’s right, even if you think you want to drop the Honors program, you can’t—and if you can, you weren’t Honors material in the first place. It’s programmed in your head. You are a grade-driven, paper-writing, A-seeking overachiever. And you love it. You will argue why you deserve the 100 and not the 99.5. You will stay up late to read a book you hate just so you can debate it in class the next day with your fellow Honors students.
How can you spot an Honors student? Well, first off, we look like we’ve had about 4 cups of coffee too many—wired beyond belief and at the same time, more exhausted than a doctor after a 72 hour shift. Our fuses are short. Real short. Try us around exam time. We will just as soon ram a sharpened #2 through your eyeball than listen to you as you complain about your HUGE, IMPOSSIBLE 3-page research paper reviewing A Christmas Story. Here’s another way: listen to us. We have big vocabularies. We don’t avoid confusion: we eschew obfuscation. If there is a larger, more confusing, labyrinthine word, we’ll use it.
And where will we use these words? You know it, say it with me… The thesis. We VOLUNTEERED to write a 40 page paper. Wha?! What?! We will type until our fingers bleed and just for a cheap little tassel at graduation. And is it worth it? Hell, yes. We will wear that little tassel every night to bed until we’re 40. And why? Because we did it. We succeeded. This is what keeps us going every registration period as we search for the what the Honors program is called this year. We are the Honors program. There is something seriously wrong with us… and we won’t have it any other way.
The Pollster Department
By Jared Hojnacki, Editor in Chief
The results are in! Honors students went to the polls and cast their ballots for the two top 2008 Presidential contenders, and the winners are:
The Honors Students also said that New York City was their top choice for a scholarly travel visit, yet Boston came in a close second. Cities with minor votes were Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago, each garnering 10% of the vote.
Lastly, the Western New York favorite, Mighty Taco, crushed Taco Bell by a wide margin.
This Savvy Senior Spills It All: A True Honors Experience
By Nick Tober, Senior Staff Writer
Wow! It’s been four years of being an undergraduate – time surely does fly by. I remember when I came to my summer orientation and found, to my delight, that I was exempt from taking the “reading” exam! I was rushed into a room and told that I was selected to be part of the Canisius College All-Honors program, and this was a session to give more information on the program. Confused and bewildered as to how this happened, I sat patiently in one of the really nice classrooms and listened to an honors senior tell corny jokes. Not long after his jokes began to get really lame, Dr. Butler came into the room wearing a 1970s blazer and a huge smile. With a pencil in his ear and a stack of file folders and packets of information under his arm, I later found out that this man was the director of the Honors program. He gave the most exciting, interesting, (and longest) lecture of the day – but I didn’t care – I was exempt from a reading exam!
To my surprise, I learned that day about the wonderful benefits of being an Honors student. Free trips to local cultural venues and great American cities, theatre outings, personal attention from professors and their challenging coursework, a capstone project called the “senior thesis,” and opportunities to obtain many prestigious scholarships. Ok, the sound of challenging coursework didn’t have me thrilled, but the opportunities that this program would give had me excited. I remember telling my parents all about this program, and the director, and to my surprise the first words out of my father’s mouth were: “Dr. Butler – Bob Butler? He’s still there? Oh my – he was a young buck on campus when I graduated!” After a few chortles, we discussed the program, and I decided that I would be amiss if I did not seize this opportunity while it was in my grasp.
Well, eight semesters later, I am completing my “senior thesis” – and no, it’s not some terrifying feat that must be beaten and slain to graduate, but rather it is a challenging and rewarding endeavor! Besides finishing my Honors curriculum, I have to look back and reflect on all of the amazing opportunities that I have had as an Honors student. To begin, I have had some of the most interesting, unique and amazing professors that exist at our great institution: I have experienced the wonders of Dr. Clark’s famous jambalaya; contemplated the philosophy behind Dr. Forest’s attire; attended one of the renowned lecture series of Immanuel Kant and revivals of Don Quixote coordinated by Dr. Schmidtke; and, of course, learned about the downfall of community in American society from Dr. Butler himself.
However, this program has given me more than great memories of professors. I have learned so much about myself and life by attending the trips to Stratford, Shea’s, Kleinhans, the Shaw Festival, and the crowning moment - the “scholarly travel” trip to Chicago. The trip to Chicago was an incredible way to end my junior year! Not only was it the last “official” trip with the Honors diva Jenn Huer, but it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. Besides seeing the wonders of Frank Lloyd Wright, freezing on a boat-tour of the waterfront, enjoying the largest indoor stained glass museum in the U.S., eating at a two-story, nouveau-riche McDonalds and, of course, reflecting on how Dr. Butler got his pocket picked, I made some great friends. I even decided to return to Chicago to look at graduate schools, because I have concluded that if I had to live in a city other than Buffalo, I would choose Chicago in a heartbeat!
The Honors program has given me more than great experiences; it has helped me bond with my fellow peers and it has provided me with some of the greatest friendships and acquaintances I’ve ever had! We’re more than “Honors nerds,” we are well-rounded individuals who have been given more opportunities than the average Canisius student.
Lastly, I want to publicly thank the man “behind the curtain” in CT 904 for all of his hard work and commitment to the success and growth of this program. Without the efforts of this gentleman, we would not be who we are today. So from all seniors, and all Honors students, we thank you, Dr. Butler!
Now that I have become as long-winded as an Honors professor, I will bid my readers, my fellow peers, adieu and encourage all of you to step-up to the plate and become the Honors All-Star that I know you can be!
OCTOBER 2005
Old News Is Good News!
By Jared Hojnacki, Editor in Chief
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! A new newspaper on campus! Although the newspaper has lost its prominent place in American culture as being one of the primary sources of news and information, the newspaper is still a very effective way of getting information, reviews, and opinions circulated at Canisius College. For this reason, the Honors Council of the Canisius College All-College Honors Program has sought to establish a first-ever newspaper to all Canisius Honors students.
Under the auspices of the director of the Honors program, Dr. Robert Butler, the staff of the Honors Post-Journal will seek to inform students and alumni of the various activities and events that the Honors program participates in. The Post-Journal will allow students to voice their opinions and thoughts about the honors program, the honors events, professors, college life, about the senior thesis, and much more. In hopes of developing stronger relationships among the different classes in the Honors program, the newspaper will also publish advice and “tips” from various upperclassmen.
In order to make this paper successful, the staff of the Post-Journal needs for your participation. Your participation could be as little as an email response to the new poll that the Post-Journal will publish in each issue. You can also write for the paper! Articles, opinions and any submissions do not have to be long; we just want to hear what you have to say! The staff of the Post-Journal encourages you to participate with the newspaper and do as much as you can to make sure that this paper continues for many semesters to come.
Stratford 2005: All the World’s A Stage
By Kathy Liebner, Junior Staff Writer
With Shakespeare hanging with the hippies and Dolly performing her matchmaker magic, this year’s annual Honors trip to Stratford turned out to be another spectacular success! Armed with the necessary caffeine, forty-one Honors students, faculty, and friends headed by Honors’ director Dr. Robert Butler, set out early Friday morning to experience two plays Stratford-style: Shakespeare’s As You Like It and the musical Hello, Dolly!
Arriving in the town fashioned after Shakespeare’s own birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, we wandered the streets and explored the local bookstores and restaurants before the 1:00 performance of As You Like It in Stratford’s Festival Theatre. Like the Globe Theater in London, seating was arranged around the stage and allowed for good vision and acoustics throughout the house. Shakespeare’s comedy centers on a young woman Rosalind, who is wronged by her uncle and forced into exile in the woods dressed as a man) in the woods but does not realize who she is. Her love, Orlando, is likewise wronged by his brother and comes upon Rosalind (dressed as a man) in the woods but does not realize who she is. Of course, a variety of humorous situations arise from mistaken identities but the most interesting twist comes from the play’s setting. Instead of the usual tights and swords, actors sport bellbottoms, long hair, and ponchos. And what could be better than singing hippies in a forest? Well, hippies singing to music by the Barenaked Ladies, of course! The catchy beats soon had us toe-tapping and the actors dancing to a happy ending.
After the standing ovation, we had a few hours to relax, grab some food, and enjoy some classic bonding time. At 8:00, however, we were soon back at the Festival Theatre to experience the musical wonder of a matchmaking widower and her attempts to catch her own husband in Hello, Dolly! The length of the day’s travels and excitement had been somewhat exhausting so it was refreshing to kick back and just enjoy the spirit and color of Hello, Dolly! The main actress playing Dolly dominated the stage with a strong voice and presence which carried the striking dancing and songs of the musical. The sets, themselves, were impressive with a roll-on train, parades, and fireworks.
The plays were well-acted, the weather was ideal, and to top it all off, there were no flat tires! What more could one ask for? Well…could we do it again next year, Dr. Butler?
The Pollster Department
By Jared Hojnacki, Editor in Chief
Ok, ok, when you got an email asking for your opinion weren’t you a little proud to give it? Doesn’t it make you feel good to have a say, to voice what you think, to be heard? Well we love to hear what other people think, and we think it’s good for everyone to know what everyone else thinks! That may be a confusing sentence, but read it over and it basically means that we like to ask questions and then tell everyone else what we found out. So, with the start of our new paper, every issue will include a poll of several questions that are though provoking and fun!
We polled Honors students to find out what their favorite Honors class has been. The following classes had at least two people claim it was their favorite class:
We also polled to see whether Honors students preferred to drink Pepsi or Coke; Pepsi edged Coke with a 25 point lead.
Lastly we asked, “Out of all Americans, how many do you think smoke cigarettes?” The overall consensus was that 35.5% of Americans smoke according to Honors students, but in fact, according to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 22.3% of Americans smoke. Roughly then, Honors students perceived that 1 out 3 Americans smoke when if fact it is only 1 out 4.
Ok, before signing off until the next issue, we want to encourage you to all respond to the polls. You will receive an email with the heading HONORS POLL and it will be hard to miss and very easy to respond too. Only 32 people participated in this poll, lets shoot for twice that next time!
An Inside Look at the Fulbright Scholarship
By Melanie Horton, Senior Staff Writer
Throughout the past several years, students in the Honors Program have proven incredibly successful in the receipt of prestigious national awards. During the past twelve years alone, thirteen honors students have won Fullbright/Hays Fellowships to study abroad in a wide range of countries including Germany, Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Austria, and Canada. Honors students during this period have also won other national awards such as the Andrew Mellon Fellowship, the Truman Fellowship, the Jacob Javits Fellowship and the Arthur C. Carter Fellowship.
However, a lot of honors students remain unfamiliar with these awards. I encourage all of you to start researching your possibilities as soon as possible. I just recently completed my application for a Fulbright. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government's premier scholarship program, and provides tuition, fees, travel, and research funds to recipients for a full academic year. Recipients may be graduating undergraduate seniors, Master’s candidates and Ph.D. candidates. The fact that thirteen honors students have received these awards in the past twelve years is absolutely incredible, especially given the relatively smaller size of our honors program in comparison with larger state universities.
The Fulbright process is a very long, challenging process. Canisius’ Fulbright advisor is Dr. Frank Riga, who serves as the college’s graduate scholarship director. (A hint to all honors students: Go see Dr. Riga ASAP! You do not need to be a senior to start applying for or gather information about awards! His office is located on the second floor of the library.) The process entails a written proposed statement of study which outlines the specific area of interest to the student and what the student intends to complete in his or her year abroad. I am applying to Mexico, and my proposed study is how certain cultural barriers affect the productivity among Mexicans and Americans in the bicultural workplace, with a specific focus on differences in work style orientation. I would be attending Universidad Tecnológico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, which is Latin America’s premier graduate business school. The Fulbright also requires a curriculum vitae, which is a personal statement that describes everything you have accomplished in life that you feel qualifies you for a Fulbright. For example, in my CV, I wrote about my past study abroad experiences, language courses, volunteerism, leadership positions, internships, and the like. Also required are three letters of recommendation and a foreign language proficiency report if applying to study in a country where the native language is not English, in addition to completing an extensive paper application that lists personal, educational and employment history, awards received, extra curricular activities, et cetera. A letter of affiliation from your choice institution is highly recommended. The level of competition varies by country, as does the number of grants awarded. For example, for the 2005-2006 school year, 129 students applied for a Fulbright in Mexico, and 20 were awarded grants. 367 students applied for Germany, and 107 were awarded. Seven students applied for Pakistan, and five were awarded. Certain countries also offer teaching assistantships and/or special grants for certain areas of study.
As one honors student to the next, I encourage you to take advantage of all the scholarship opportunities out there! The level of support here at Canisius is unparalleled in many other institutions of higher education. And if anyone has any questions about the Fulbright process, please feel free to contact me!
Graduates Recieve Fulbright Awards
December 2006 (.pdf)
October 2006(.pdf)
June 2006 (.pdf)
March 2006 (.pdf)
December 2005
October 2005
The Honors Post-Journal Staff
|
Editor-in-Chief Layout Editor Creative Writing Editor |
Staff Writers |
DECEMBER 2005
Memories of the Shaw Festival
By David Carr, Freshman Staff Writer
In the pleasant warmth of the sunlight on an unusually vibrant October day, a group of eager All-College Honors students were primed for a foray into the Niagara on the Lake to see a production of George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara at the aptly named Shaw Festival. Being that this was my first Honors excursion and one the few times I had dared to venture beyond the assured security of the Hamlet of Ebenezer (also known as West Seneca to outsiders), I was understandably nervous, and fervently clutched my birth certificate as if it were the only tangible proof my very existence. But with the always-enigmatic Dr. Butler aboard my bus, we had soon crossed into Canadian territory and were inside the theatre awaiting the start of the production – performed by a company that is widely recognized as producing the World’s Best Shaw.
Awaiting us inside was the exquisite set design of a 19th century English country home, the slums of the city, and a booming factory town which were astonishing. This setting from London created such a convincing macrocosm of life during that time period that I was immediately enveloped in the theatrical illusion. Perhaps the most surprising and amazing aspect of Major Barbara was the current relevance of a play that premiered a century ago.
Barbara Undershaft, a major in the Salvation Army, is forced to give up her beliefs in the universal salvation offered by the Salvation Army after learning it accepts donations from people who she considers to be unscrupulous, primarily men like her father who make their living producing war materials that kill thousands. The resulting moral ambiguity produces
Stephen Undershaft, Barbara’s well-to-do-brother says, “There is one true morality for every man; but every man has not the same morality.” In all honesty, my personal attempts to summarize other complex themes of Major Barbara would do George Bernard Shaw a great disservice. Suffice to say, the play got everyone’s intellectual juices following.
The return trip retains less clarity than I care to admit, (in all honesty, I was too exhausted to remember much), but crossing the border the second time is something I’ll never forget. A friendly custom agent boarded the bus, checked our passports and birth certificates, and paused for a moment to ask a question that normally leads to a nervous calamity.
“Does anyone have anything to declare?”
Responding instantaneously with a charming jubilation only he can muster, Doctor Butter responded, “Yes, we had a goodtime.” Consequently, the bus erupted in rambunctious good laughter that perfectly captured the spirit of truly splendid day.
Angry Adam’s Corner: “There’s Something Seriously Wrong With Us”
By Adam Pendleton, Sophomore Staff Writer
It’s the week before Christmas and all through the dorm, not a creature was stirring… Oh, wait. Yeah there are. Lots of ‘em. Non-honors students, that is. They get to go play in the snow and bake cookies and listen to Christmas music and decorate their rooms in green and red… Am I a Scrooge? Nope. I’m just an Honors student like every one of you. While the other kids get to study for their exams at their leisure, what do we get to do? Research. Projects. Flash cards. 10-12 page papers. Cram for the exams that every teacher decides to give during the last week of classes. What a wonderful trade-off (N.B. the sarcasm).
So why do we do it? Why do we choose to take on a suicidal course-load from which even Sylvia Plath would cower? Listen well, because I will tell you; I know everything. We do it because we have to. That’s right, even if you think you want to drop the Honors program, you can’t—and if you can, you weren’t Honors material in the first place. It’s programmed in your head. You are a grade-driven, paper-writing, A-seeking overachiever. And you love it. You will argue why you deserve the 100 and not the 99.5. You will stay up late to read a book you hate just so you can debate it in class the next day with your fellow Honors students.
How can you spot an Honors student? Well, first off, we look like we’ve had about 4 cups of coffee too many—wired beyond belief and at the same time, more exhausted than a doctor after a 72 hour shift. Our fuses are short. Real short. Try us around exam time. We will just as soon ram a sharpened #2 through your eyeball than listen to you as you complain about your HUGE, IMPOSSIBLE 3-page research paper reviewing A Christmas Story. Here’s another way: listen to us. We have big vocabularies. We don’t avoid confusion: we eschew obfuscation. If there is a larger, more confusing, labyrinthine word, we’ll use it.
And where will we use these words? You know it, say it with me… The thesis. We VOLUNTEERED to write a 40 page paper. Wha?! What?! We will type until our fingers bleed and just for a cheap little tassel at graduation. And is it worth it? Hell, yes. We will wear that little tassel every night to bed until we’re 40. And why? Because we did it. We succeeded. This is what keeps us going every registration period as we search for the what the Honors program is called this year. We are the Honors program. There is something seriously wrong with us… and we won’t have it any other way.
The Pollster Department
By Jared Hojnacki, Editor in Chief
The results are in! Honors students went to the polls and cast their ballots for the two top 2008 Presidential contenders, and the winners are:
| #1 Contender: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D | 28% | |
| #2 Contender: Rudy Giuliani, R | 17% | |
| #3 Contender: Sen. John McCain, R | 14% | |
| #4 Contender: Sen. George Allen, R | 11% | |
| #5 Contender: Condoleezza Rice, R | 6% |
The Honors Students also said that New York City was their top choice for a scholarly travel visit, yet Boston came in a close second. Cities with minor votes were Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago, each garnering 10% of the vote.
Lastly, the Western New York favorite, Mighty Taco, crushed Taco Bell by a wide margin.
This Savvy Senior Spills It All: A True Honors Experience
By Nick Tober, Senior Staff Writer
Wow! It’s been four years of being an undergraduate – time surely does fly by. I remember when I came to my summer orientation and found, to my delight, that I was exempt from taking the “reading” exam! I was rushed into a room and told that I was selected to be part of the Canisius College All-Honors program, and this was a session to give more information on the program. Confused and bewildered as to how this happened, I sat patiently in one of the really nice classrooms and listened to an honors senior tell corny jokes. Not long after his jokes began to get really lame, Dr. Butler came into the room wearing a 1970s blazer and a huge smile. With a pencil in his ear and a stack of file folders and packets of information under his arm, I later found out that this man was the director of the Honors program. He gave the most exciting, interesting, (and longest) lecture of the day – but I didn’t care – I was exempt from a reading exam!
To my surprise, I learned that day about the wonderful benefits of being an Honors student. Free trips to local cultural venues and great American cities, theatre outings, personal attention from professors and their challenging coursework, a capstone project called the “senior thesis,” and opportunities to obtain many prestigious scholarships. Ok, the sound of challenging coursework didn’t have me thrilled, but the opportunities that this program would give had me excited. I remember telling my parents all about this program, and the director, and to my surprise the first words out of my father’s mouth were: “Dr. Butler – Bob Butler? He’s still there? Oh my – he was a young buck on campus when I graduated!” After a few chortles, we discussed the program, and I decided that I would be amiss if I did not seize this opportunity while it was in my grasp.
Well, eight semesters later, I am completing my “senior thesis” – and no, it’s not some terrifying feat that must be beaten and slain to graduate, but rather it is a challenging and rewarding endeavor! Besides finishing my Honors curriculum, I have to look back and reflect on all of the amazing opportunities that I have had as an Honors student. To begin, I have had some of the most interesting, unique and amazing professors that exist at our great institution: I have experienced the wonders of Dr. Clark’s famous jambalaya; contemplated the philosophy behind Dr. Forest’s attire; attended one of the renowned lecture series of Immanuel Kant and revivals of Don Quixote coordinated by Dr. Schmidtke; and, of course, learned about the downfall of community in American society from Dr. Butler himself.
However, this program has given me more than great memories of professors. I have learned so much about myself and life by attending the trips to Stratford, Shea’s, Kleinhans, the Shaw Festival, and the crowning moment - the “scholarly travel” trip to Chicago. The trip to Chicago was an incredible way to end my junior year! Not only was it the last “official” trip with the Honors diva Jenn Huer, but it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. Besides seeing the wonders of Frank Lloyd Wright, freezing on a boat-tour of the waterfront, enjoying the largest indoor stained glass museum in the U.S., eating at a two-story, nouveau-riche McDonalds and, of course, reflecting on how Dr. Butler got his pocket picked, I made some great friends. I even decided to return to Chicago to look at graduate schools, because I have concluded that if I had to live in a city other than Buffalo, I would choose Chicago in a heartbeat!
The Honors program has given me more than great experiences; it has helped me bond with my fellow peers and it has provided me with some of the greatest friendships and acquaintances I’ve ever had! We’re more than “Honors nerds,” we are well-rounded individuals who have been given more opportunities than the average Canisius student.
Lastly, I want to publicly thank the man “behind the curtain” in CT 904 for all of his hard work and commitment to the success and growth of this program. Without the efforts of this gentleman, we would not be who we are today. So from all seniors, and all Honors students, we thank you, Dr. Butler!
Now that I have become as long-winded as an Honors professor, I will bid my readers, my fellow peers, adieu and encourage all of you to step-up to the plate and become the Honors All-Star that I know you can be!
OCTOBER 2005
Old News Is Good News!
By Jared Hojnacki, Editor in Chief
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! A new newspaper on campus! Although the newspaper has lost its prominent place in American culture as being one of the primary sources of news and information, the newspaper is still a very effective way of getting information, reviews, and opinions circulated at Canisius College. For this reason, the Honors Council of the Canisius College All-College Honors Program has sought to establish a first-ever newspaper to all Canisius Honors students.
Under the auspices of the director of the Honors program, Dr. Robert Butler, the staff of the Honors Post-Journal will seek to inform students and alumni of the various activities and events that the Honors program participates in. The Post-Journal will allow students to voice their opinions and thoughts about the honors program, the honors events, professors, college life, about the senior thesis, and much more. In hopes of developing stronger relationships among the different classes in the Honors program, the newspaper will also publish advice and “tips” from various upperclassmen.
In order to make this paper successful, the staff of the Post-Journal needs for your participation. Your participation could be as little as an email response to the new poll that the Post-Journal will publish in each issue. You can also write for the paper! Articles, opinions and any submissions do not have to be long; we just want to hear what you have to say! The staff of the Post-Journal encourages you to participate with the newspaper and do as much as you can to make sure that this paper continues for many semesters to come.
Stratford 2005: All the World’s A Stage
By Kathy Liebner, Junior Staff Writer
With Shakespeare hanging with the hippies and Dolly performing her matchmaker magic, this year’s annual Honors trip to Stratford turned out to be another spectacular success! Armed with the necessary caffeine, forty-one Honors students, faculty, and friends headed by Honors’ director Dr. Robert Butler, set out early Friday morning to experience two plays Stratford-style: Shakespeare’s As You Like It and the musical Hello, Dolly!
Arriving in the town fashioned after Shakespeare’s own birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, we wandered the streets and explored the local bookstores and restaurants before the 1:00 performance of As You Like It in Stratford’s Festival Theatre. Like the Globe Theater in London, seating was arranged around the stage and allowed for good vision and acoustics throughout the house. Shakespeare’s comedy centers on a young woman Rosalind, who is wronged by her uncle and forced into exile in the woods dressed as a man) in the woods but does not realize who she is. Her love, Orlando, is likewise wronged by his brother and comes upon Rosalind (dressed as a man) in the woods but does not realize who she is. Of course, a variety of humorous situations arise from mistaken identities but the most interesting twist comes from the play’s setting. Instead of the usual tights and swords, actors sport bellbottoms, long hair, and ponchos. And what could be better than singing hippies in a forest? Well, hippies singing to music by the Barenaked Ladies, of course! The catchy beats soon had us toe-tapping and the actors dancing to a happy ending.
After the standing ovation, we had a few hours to relax, grab some food, and enjoy some classic bonding time. At 8:00, however, we were soon back at the Festival Theatre to experience the musical wonder of a matchmaking widower and her attempts to catch her own husband in Hello, Dolly! The length of the day’s travels and excitement had been somewhat exhausting so it was refreshing to kick back and just enjoy the spirit and color of Hello, Dolly! The main actress playing Dolly dominated the stage with a strong voice and presence which carried the striking dancing and songs of the musical. The sets, themselves, were impressive with a roll-on train, parades, and fireworks.
The plays were well-acted, the weather was ideal, and to top it all off, there were no flat tires! What more could one ask for? Well…could we do it again next year, Dr. Butler?
The Pollster Department
By Jared Hojnacki, Editor in Chief
Ok, ok, when you got an email asking for your opinion weren’t you a little proud to give it? Doesn’t it make you feel good to have a say, to voice what you think, to be heard? Well we love to hear what other people think, and we think it’s good for everyone to know what everyone else thinks! That may be a confusing sentence, but read it over and it basically means that we like to ask questions and then tell everyone else what we found out. So, with the start of our new paper, every issue will include a poll of several questions that are though provoking and fun!
We polled Honors students to find out what their favorite Honors class has been. The following classes had at least two people claim it was their favorite class:
We also polled to see whether Honors students preferred to drink Pepsi or Coke; Pepsi edged Coke with a 25 point lead.
Lastly we asked, “Out of all Americans, how many do you think smoke cigarettes?” The overall consensus was that 35.5% of Americans smoke according to Honors students, but in fact, according to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 22.3% of Americans smoke. Roughly then, Honors students perceived that 1 out 3 Americans smoke when if fact it is only 1 out 4.
Ok, before signing off until the next issue, we want to encourage you to all respond to the polls. You will receive an email with the heading HONORS POLL and it will be hard to miss and very easy to respond too. Only 32 people participated in this poll, lets shoot for twice that next time!
An Inside Look at the Fulbright Scholarship
By Melanie Horton, Senior Staff Writer
Throughout the past several years, students in the Honors Program have proven incredibly successful in the receipt of prestigious national awards. During the past twelve years alone, thirteen honors students have won Fullbright/Hays Fellowships to study abroad in a wide range of countries including Germany, Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Austria, and Canada. Honors students during this period have also won other national awards such as the Andrew Mellon Fellowship, the Truman Fellowship, the Jacob Javits Fellowship and the Arthur C. Carter Fellowship.
However, a lot of honors students remain unfamiliar with these awards. I encourage all of you to start researching your possibilities as soon as possible. I just recently completed my application for a Fulbright. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government's premier scholarship program, and provides tuition, fees, travel, and research funds to recipients for a full academic year. Recipients may be graduating undergraduate seniors, Master’s candidates and Ph.D. candidates. The fact that thirteen honors students have received these awards in the past twelve years is absolutely incredible, especially given the relatively smaller size of our honors program in comparison with larger state universities.
The Fulbright process is a very long, challenging process. Canisius’ Fulbright advisor is Dr. Frank Riga, who serves as the college’s graduate scholarship director. (A hint to all honors students: Go see Dr. Riga ASAP! You do not need to be a senior to start applying for or gather information about awards! His office is located on the second floor of the library.) The process entails a written proposed statement of study which outlines the specific area of interest to the student and what the student intends to complete in his or her year abroad. I am applying to Mexico, and my proposed study is how certain cultural barriers affect the productivity among Mexicans and Americans in the bicultural workplace, with a specific focus on differences in work style orientation. I would be attending Universidad Tecnológico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, which is Latin America’s premier graduate business school. The Fulbright also requires a curriculum vitae, which is a personal statement that describes everything you have accomplished in life that you feel qualifies you for a Fulbright. For example, in my CV, I wrote about my past study abroad experiences, language courses, volunteerism, leadership positions, internships, and the like. Also required are three letters of recommendation and a foreign language proficiency report if applying to study in a country where the native language is not English, in addition to completing an extensive paper application that lists personal, educational and employment history, awards received, extra curricular activities, et cetera. A letter of affiliation from your choice institution is highly recommended. The level of competition varies by country, as does the number of grants awarded. For example, for the 2005-2006 school year, 129 students applied for a Fulbright in Mexico, and 20 were awarded grants. 367 students applied for Germany, and 107 were awarded. Seven students applied for Pakistan, and five were awarded. Certain countries also offer teaching assistantships and/or special grants for certain areas of study.
As one honors student to the next, I encourage you to take advantage of all the scholarship opportunities out there! The level of support here at Canisius is unparalleled in many other institutions of higher education. And if anyone has any questions about the Fulbright process, please feel free to contact me!
Graduates Recieve Fulbright Awards
Melanie D. Horton '06 and Elise A. Garvey ’07 receive prestigious J. William Fulbright Scholarships for 2007-08.
Melanie Horton graduated from Canisius College last May with a dual major in Spanish and finance. Canisius faculty members Nancy J. Rosenbloom, PhD, professor of history, and Julia L. Wescott, PhD, professor of modern languages, served as mentors during Horton’s application process.
Horton’s Fulbright to Mexico is affiliated with the Garcia-Robles Binational Business Grant Program. She will use her scholarship to investigate the role that culture plays in the Mexican workplace with the hope of improving Mexican-American business relations by promoting tolerance, understanding and future prosperity. According to Horton, “Recognition of cultural differences and values by both business partners in international business is essential to successful negotiations.”
Horton will work in a Mexico-based company dedicated to international business and take MBA courses in either Mexico City or Monterrey.
She is currently teaching English language and American culture to high school students in Asturias, Spain for the 2006-07 school year through a North American Auxiliar de Conversación grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain.
Horton graduated summa cum laude from Canisius College and upon graduation received the college’s City of Oviedo Excellence in Spanish Award. A member of the All-College Honors Program, Horton was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu, Beta Gamma Sigma and DiGamma Honor Societies. She served as the senior representative of the All-College Honors Program Council and was a member of the Honors Journal staff.
Horton also served as president of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), was co-chair of the annual International Fest, and worked as a peer tutor in business and Spanish, where she specialized in working with ESL students. During her senior year, she represented Canisius College at the 2005 Fair Trade Futures Conference in Chicago, IL.
As a sophomore, Horton spent the summer in Morelia, Michoácan, Mexico through the college’s MexiCanisius Program. She studied Spanish grammar and Mexican history at the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicholás de Hidalgo. During her junior year, she spent a semester in Oviedo, Spain, where she studied history, Spanish phonetics, grammar and art history at the Universidad de Oviedo at Campus Milan.
Horton plans to pursue a career as a cultural analyst with a concentration in Mexican studies.
Elise Garvey will graduate from Canisius this May with a triple major in Political Science, International Relations and Spanish, with a European Studies minor. John D. Occhipinti, PhD, professor of political science, and Timothy H. Wadkins, PhD, associate professor of religious studies and theology, served as Garvey’s mentors during the application process.
Garvey will travel to Ukraine to explore the development of a response to human trafficking in the country on the domestic and international levels. “I will look at how the government of Ukraine is working with intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations to develop policy and law, and whether this cooperation is formulating a response that is both effective and appropriate in its creation and application,” said Garvey.
A member of the All-College Honors Program at Canisius, she was inducted into the DiGamma and Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Societies. Garvey served as president of the International Affairs Society; diversity chair for the Undergraduate Student Association (USA); committee coordinator for International Fest; foreign minister for the college’s European Union Simulation Team (EuroSim) and a Canisius service intern and volunteer for Journey’s End Refugee Services. Garvey received a Delegate Award of Excellence at the Lake Erie International Model United Nations Corporation (LEIMUN) Collegiate Conference in both 2005 and 2006.
She spent the spring 2006 semester in Ukraine studying Ukrainian Political History and Sociology, Ukrainian and Russian Language and Eastern European Economics at the Yuri Fedkovych National University in Chernivtsi through a Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship. She also attended the 2006 EuroSim Conference in the Czech Republic, and in 2005, traveled to El Salvador and Honduras on a religious studies immersion trip to study the development of Christianity. She completed a Russian language and culture immersion course in the Russian Federation in 2004.
Garvey received the Woodrow Wilson Award from the Political Science Department and the International Relations Award for Global Understanding and Involvement from the International Relations Department at the college’s Honors Convocation held on Friday, April 27, 2007.
The J. William Fulbright Scholarship is named for Senator J. William Fulbright and is the U.S. government’s premier scholarship program. It is designed to foster mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges, which providing recipients with tuition, fees, travel and research fund for a full year.
Melanie Horton graduated from Canisius College last May with a dual major in Spanish and finance. Canisius faculty members Nancy J. Rosenbloom, PhD, professor of history, and Julia L. Wescott, PhD, professor of modern languages, served as mentors during Horton’s application process.
Horton’s Fulbright to Mexico is affiliated with the Garcia-Robles Binational Business Grant Program. She will use her scholarship to investigate the role that culture plays in the Mexican workplace with the hope of improving Mexican-American business relations by promoting tolerance, understanding and future prosperity. According to Horton, “Recognition of cultural differences and values by both business partners in international business is essential to successful negotiations.”
Horton will work in a Mexico-based company dedicated to international business and take MBA courses in either Mexico City or Monterrey.
She is currently teaching English language and American culture to high school students in Asturias, Spain for the 2006-07 school year through a North American Auxiliar de Conversación grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain.
Horton graduated summa cum laude from Canisius College and upon graduation received the college’s City of Oviedo Excellence in Spanish Award. A member of the All-College Honors Program, Horton was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu, Beta Gamma Sigma and DiGamma Honor Societies. She served as the senior representative of the All-College Honors Program Council and was a member of the Honors Journal staff.
Horton also served as president of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), was co-chair of the annual International Fest, and worked as a peer tutor in business and Spanish, where she specialized in working with ESL students. During her senior year, she represented Canisius College at the 2005 Fair Trade Futures Conference in Chicago, IL.
As a sophomore, Horton spent the summer in Morelia, Michoácan, Mexico through the college’s MexiCanisius Program. She studied Spanish grammar and Mexican history at the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicholás de Hidalgo. During her junior year, she spent a semester in Oviedo, Spain, where she studied history, Spanish phonetics, grammar and art history at the Universidad de Oviedo at Campus Milan.
Horton plans to pursue a career as a cultural analyst with a concentration in Mexican studies.
Elise Garvey will graduate from Canisius this May with a triple major in Political Science, International Relations and Spanish, with a European Studies minor. John D. Occhipinti, PhD, professor of political science, and Timothy H. Wadkins, PhD, associate professor of religious studies and theology, served as Garvey’s mentors during the application process.
Garvey will travel to Ukraine to explore the development of a response to human trafficking in the country on the domestic and international levels. “I will look at how the government of Ukraine is working with intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations to develop policy and law, and whether this cooperation is formulating a response that is both effective and appropriate in its creation and application,” said Garvey.
A member of the All-College Honors Program at Canisius, she was inducted into the DiGamma and Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Societies. Garvey served as president of the International Affairs Society; diversity chair for the Undergraduate Student Association (USA); committee coordinator for International Fest; foreign minister for the college’s European Union Simulation Team (EuroSim) and a Canisius service intern and volunteer for Journey’s End Refugee Services. Garvey received a Delegate Award of Excellence at the Lake Erie International Model United Nations Corporation (LEIMUN) Collegiate Conference in both 2005 and 2006.
She spent the spring 2006 semester in Ukraine studying Ukrainian Political History and Sociology, Ukrainian and Russian Language and Eastern European Economics at the Yuri Fedkovych National University in Chernivtsi through a Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship. She also attended the 2006 EuroSim Conference in the Czech Republic, and in 2005, traveled to El Salvador and Honduras on a religious studies immersion trip to study the development of Christianity. She completed a Russian language and culture immersion course in the Russian Federation in 2004.
Garvey received the Woodrow Wilson Award from the Political Science Department and the International Relations Award for Global Understanding and Involvement from the International Relations Department at the college’s Honors Convocation held on Friday, April 27, 2007.
The J. William Fulbright Scholarship is named for Senator J. William Fulbright and is the U.S. government’s premier scholarship program. It is designed to foster mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges, which providing recipients with tuition, fees, travel and research fund for a full year.