One of the most valuable parts of the Honors Program is its extensive co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, which are designed for self-improvement and community building. As you will see below, Honors students can live in special housing, participate in student government, attend plays and concerts, visit architectural landmarks, hear nationally-known speakers, and travel to major urban areas. There are also pizza parties, ice cream socials, a Christmas party, and an annual Honors banquet at a downtown restaurant. Students are strongly encouraged to attend several of these (free) events each year, and those who do will be given extra consideration when opportunities arise for Honors dorm space, scholarly travel, research experiences, summer thesis grants, and so on.
Book Club
Community Service
Film Series
Honors Clubroom
Honors Student Council
Housing
Lecture Series
Lunch with Director
Lunch & Learn
Music
Research
Schoenl Scholarship for international service-immersion trips
Scholarly Travel
Scholarships
Social Events
Theater
Tours
Housing
 |
 | |
| Dugan Hall | Martin Hall |
Honors housing is available on the second and third floors of the college's newest residence, Dugan Hall. It is a seven-story, 104,000 square foot residence featuring suites with common living areas or private baths and a lounge on every floor with a kitchen, laundry facility and meeting space. Click here to download an application for 2009-2010 housing on the sophmore honors floor. (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)
George M. Martin Hall is a residence designated exclusively for Honors students. It is the former rectory for St. Vincent de Paul Church and features single bedrooms. Martin Hall is the closest location to the library and Old Main classrooms. The house includes two study lounges, a fully equipped kitchen, coin-free laundry facilities and air conditioning. To find out more about Martin Hall and to download an application for 2009-2010 housing, click here.
Honors Clubroom
Honors students may gather at the comfortable Honors clubroom, which is adjacent to Regis North (2nd floor, Winter Student Center). Keys may be obtained form the director or from the Campus Programming & Leadership Development office.
Honors Student Council
The Honors Student Council is a 12-member body, all chosen by election. The purpose of the council is to serve as a liaison between the Honors student body and the Honors Program administration. It also coordinates academic, social, and service functions to promote the Honors community. Some representatives will attend the annual meeting of Jesuit Honors Programs.
 |
| Gabrielle Paoletti '09 Joel Francia '10 Anne Marie Sweeney-Jones '10 Mike Robb '10 |
Jeff Bruce '11 Matt Krajna '11 Patrick O'Halloran '11 Mike Taber '11 Kelsey Boniszewski '11 |
Bryce Hopkins '12 Laura Knab '12 Kim Patterson '12 Stuart McKay '12 |
Social Events
The Honors Program promotes a unique sense of camaraderie at Canisius. This bonding is achieved in part through regular social events. Our busy schedule for this year is as follows:
August 25, 2009 Ice cream social
September 12, 2009 Honors retreat
TBA Bowling
TBA Talent show
December 4, 2009 Christmas party
TBA Trans-Siberian Orchestra
February 2010 Colden snow tubing
March 25, 2010 Honors Banquet (Pearl Street Grill)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, TBA
Theater (free tickets)
A staple of the Honors Program is going to the theater. In the recent past, we have gone to the Stratford Festival in Stratford and the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, both in Ontario, Canada, as well as the Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Irish Classical Theatre, Kavinoky Theater, and Paul Robeson Theatre in Buffalo.
This year, we will attend several theatrical performances:
Stratford Festival -- September 19, 2009
 |
 |
||
| Macbeth (The Stratford Festival) |
West Side Story (The Stratford Festival) |
 |
Shaw Festival Born Yesterday October 24, 2009 |
Music (free tickets)
The Western New York arts community features talented musical groups, and, on occasion, we will attend concerts by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as operatic performances.
 |
| October 21, 2009 -- Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra |
Tours
This year, we will visit several places, including museums, architectural landmarks, and historic sites.
Lunch with the Director
Honors students are invited to join the Honors director once a month for lunch on campus. A great opportunity to speak informally about the program or other matters of interest or concern. All Honors students are welcome.
Lunch & Learn
Once a month, a dozen students will have an informal luncheon with a faculty member, an Honors alum, or a community leader. The one-hour luncheons will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. and take place in Lyons Hall 118. The schedule for 2009-2010 year is as follows:
 |
Dr. Anthony Billittier IV Erie County Commissioner of Health Monday, September 21, 2009 | |
 |
Chris Collins Erie County Executive Wednesday, October 21, 2009 |
Book Club
Several times a year, students gather in the Honors Club Room to discuss a book or two of their choosing in the Honors Club Room. Come relax, enjoy some food and drinks, and join in the discussion!
 |
Herman Hesse's Siddartha |
Film Series
On occasion, we will see classic American and foreign films in a theater setting on campus (Lyons Hall 418). Some of these films will be introduced by Dr. Girish Shambu, a noted student of film and a Canisius professor of management & marketing. On other occasions, we may see films at the North Park Theater on Hertel Avenue in north Buffalo.
Lecture Series
 |
Fred Miller, PhD Bowling Green University "Ancient Greeks & Human Rights" Monday, September 14, 2009 7:30 p.m. Location TBA | |
 |
Thomas Sugrue, PhD University of Pennsylvania "Rust Belt Cities" Saturday, October 17, 2009 10 a.m. Location TBA | |
 |
Aristide Tessitore, PhD Furman University "Tocqueville's Meaning for Today" Spring 2010 Time & Location TBA | |
 |
Peter Onuf, PhD University of Virginia "Democracy in American History" Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:30 p.m. Location TBA |
Research
The All-College Honors Program at Canisius College participates in a joint research initiative with Bates White LLC, a leading economic consulting firm with offices in Washington D.C. and San Diego. To learn more about the research experience for spring 2009, click here. Application. (MS Word)
 |
Bates White Research Experience recipient Jeffery Amplement '11 is a double major in business econmics and urban studies. He researched how firms utilize product life-cycle strategies to maximize profits with a case study on Coca-Cola and how NAFTA has negatively impacted the U.S. domestic labor market and wages. | |
 |
Bates White Research Experience recipient and accounting major Katherine List '08 researched the topic of Initial Public Offerings and the concept of underpricing. | |
 |
Brian Sullivan '08 was also a recipient of the Bates White Research Experience. He researched how the availability of credit affects precautionary saving. |
 |
"Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work in Washington D.C. for the economic consulting firm of Bates White, LLC. Dr. Matthew Raiff, one of the founding partners at Bates White, introduced the firm to me at Canisius and I was lucky enough to be chosen for their Summer Consultant Program. As a summer consultant, I was able to gain hands-on experience applying the economic concepts that I learned in the classroom during my time at Canisius and commonly worked on level with PhD economists and other experts in the field.
"During the 11 weeks that my fellow summer consultants and I spent working for Bates White, we were treated as full-time employees with similar opportunities and responsibilities. I spent most my time in the Antitrust Department working on a price-fixing case for the law firm Dickstein Shapiro. As summer consultants, we were expected to work 45-50 hour weeks. During this time we read hundreds of pages of documents, researched and analyzed the relevant companies and products, compiled, transformed, and summarized the available data (mostly sales revenue and price data), sat in on calls with clients, and compiled preliminary reports which could later be used as part of and/or to support Bates White's expert testimony.
"Beyond the great experience we gained at work, the job came with several other perks, including social activities, a Nationals game, a sail on the Chesapeake, and several extravagant dinners with co-workers and even the firm's partners. In our spare time, we were able to tour the amazing sites of our nation's capital. A few of my favorites were the presidential memorials, the White House, and the Smithsonian Museum of American History. As anyone who has ever been to D.C. can tell you, spending time in the area is truly a magnificent opportunity in itself.
"My summer with Bates White was truly an experience that I will hold with me the rest of my life and I am grateful to have been so fortunate."
Community Service
Gabrielle Paoletti, Scott Chadwick and Brian Fluharty volunteering their
time at Vive LaCasa Refugee Shelter
Honors students will have an opportunity to serve the community through feeding the hungry (soup kitchens), tending to the sick (nursing homes), tutoring/playing with disadvantaged students (public schools), constructing homes for the homeless (Habitat for Humanity), and/or cleaning up the environment. Not required, but strongly encouraged.
 |
Scholarly Travel
Boston Reflection
By Jared Hojnacki
It’s not everyday that you get a chance to take a scholarly tour through one of our nation’s oldest and most historically important cities. Boston, Massachusetts, has long been cherished by historians for its cultural and political importance in the foundation of our country. I am forever grateful to the Canisius All-College Honors Program and its sponsors for the opportunity to be a part of such an interactive and educational trip.
Some of my fondest memories and most interesting experiences came from our group walks through the city. During our walk down the “Freedom Trail,” I learned of the significance of the various churches, meeting halls, and houses of the revolutionary leaders of America’s history. The Old South Church in particular stood out to me because of the importance this building played later in our nation’s history during the abolitionist movement against slavery. I was amazed that even after the Revolutionary War, Boston continued to be a major epicenter of political thought and debate.
An enjoyable tour that our group embarked upon was an architectural and historical tour through the city’s roadways and waterways on a “duck boat.” Riding an old World War II land/sea vehicle was a new experience for me; however, it was definitely a fun mode of transportation through the city’s government centers, jails, churches, parks, and universities. Interestingly enough, our tour guide had the confidence to let me “drive” the duck boat in the Charles River!
When Dr. Dierenfield gave our group time to explore the city by ourselves, I took the opportunity to see some very interesting “hidden” wonders of Boston. Among these wonders were the largest collection of Tiffany stain-glass windows in the world inside Arlington Street church, the writings of our Founding Fathers inside the Boston Library, and the top floor of the Prudential building that overlooks the Charles River. Even while exploring, I became immersed in a culture that distinguishes Boston from other cities I’ve traveled. Boston’s inhabitants seem to be well-educated and culturally sophisticated; yet at the same time, they love the everyday pleasures of life. When we walked to Boston’s Little Italy, it seemed that all of Boston gathered in the streets to buy cannoli and good Italian food. The cultural diversity of Boston may perhaps be its greatest asset.
Our travels concluded with a whale watch off of Cape Cod; a journey to Lexington, where there was a “shot heard ’round the world”; a visit to Salem’s jail, where many were jailed after the “witch trials”; and a walk around Walden Pond, the site of Henry David Thoreau's cabin. Each day in the city gave me a greater appreciation for the importance of the Greater Boston area and how big a part it played in our nation’s history.
I thank not only Dr. Dierenfield for leading this educational journey, but each one of the members of the group I traveled with. I believe our group bonded quickly and friendships were formed where they didn’t exist before. This enhanced the group’s learning process and enabled me to share my experiences with those I traveled with. Lastly, I thank the sponsors of the All-College Honors Program for providing the necessary means for students to take educational tours. Again, I am forever grateful for the generous support that they have provided to the Honors program, which has given me the opportunity to become a well-rounded individual.
NYC Reflection
by Katie List '08
This was my second trip to NYC and it was just as exciting as the first. I feel as though I could live three lifetimes in that city and still not see everything. However, I think we were able to visit a great deal of landmarks and interesting places. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of fellow travelers! Here are a few of my favorite memories:
The Brooklyn Bridge was breath taking. It was so neat to walk to the middle and look out across the harbor at the financial district. There’s something about walking past all those old apartment buildings that made me want to know more of the lives of those who inhabit them.
The subway experience was something I’ll never forget. I did not enjoy the smell, but it’s all part of the package. I can’t believe how pushy people are and I won’t forget getting a mouthful of some woman’s hair during rush hour.
I think the thing I love most about the city is the energy and the feeling that I can go anywhere simply by walking. I was thinking how I would never be so ambitious as to walk to work here in West Seneca (which is only about a 5 minute drive from my house), but in NYC, I’d be willing to walk 30 blocks. I feel like the city empowered me.
The hotels were amazing and I can’t say I ever expected such luxury!
Ground Zero was moving, but not as much as it was in 2003 when I was there. At this point, I didn’t feel as much sorrow, but more hope for the future. I hope they are able to turn the area into the beautiful Memorial park that was described at the site.
Going out to Greenwich Village and finding that Mexican restaurant was great! I really enjoyed being able to sit down for a nice dinner with everyone. Who would’ve thought those bowls of guacamole were $15.00 each! It’s a good thing we didn’t order 3 or 4.
I’m glad Dr. Butler didn’t get pick pocketed this year! The harbor tour was exciting, cold and really funny because of the Germans and the Asians. I now have about 10 picture of my Asian friends, even the ones who took some of our seats, haha.
I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with everyone and I cannot thank Dr. Butler, Dr. Dierenfield and Tom [Joyce] enough for providing me with such a wonderful experience. It is difficult to express just how excited I was to be in such an invigorating place with such wonderful people! The experience seemed almost surreal and I want to say thank you to everyone for helping create many lasting memories.
I hope everyone has a great summer and I’ll see those of you who are returning to Canisius in the fall for another great year and exciting Honors fun! For those who aren’t returning, good luck in all of your future endeavors and keep in touch!!!