| January 16, 2008 | Vol 9. No. 9 |
High Marks for Canisius Accounting Alumni
Canisius College MBA and undergraduate accounting graduates, who sat for the 2006 CPA exam cycle, ranked number one, overall, in New York State, according to the National Association of the State Boards of Accountancy. The rankings represent passing rates on the New York State 2006 Certified Public Accountant Exam.
Specifically, Canisius graduates had the highest percentage passing rates in three of the four subject areas tested: financial accounting, auditing, and business and environment concepts. Canisius alumni had the second highest percentage passing rates on the regulation portion of the exam. They also ranked first in the “ALL” category, for persons passing all sections taken. The results are based on schools that had 10 or more candidates sit for the exam. Canisius College had 34 candidates sit for the 2006 CPA exam.
“These results continue the long tradition of excellence of our graduates,” said Ian J. Redpath, JD, LLM, chair of the Accounting Department. “Success on the CPA exam is an important benchmark for all colleges and universities, and Canisius graduates consistently rank among the best in the state and the nation.”
Redpath adds that Canisius alumni have ranked as high as number one in the country and regularly reach the top of the New York State rankings.
Mount St. Joes Demolition Begins
The first phase of demolition on the former Mt. St. Joesph's Academy began on Monday, January 14 with the primary school building
Demolition began Monday on the two school buildings at 2064 Main Street, the former site of Mount St. Joseph Academy (MSJA).
“Unfortunately, the condition of the two school buildings was such that they could not be converted to college use without very significant expense.” said John J. Hurley, executive vice president and vice president for college relations.
The first building (the primary school building) is completely demolished and work has begun on the second building.
“We believe that it made more sense to demolish the buildings and convert the area to additional green space and parking in the short-term. The college’s longer-term plan for the property is to develop new residential and classroom space on that site.”
In 2005, Canisius exercised its right of first refusal to purchase the five-and-one-half acre property from the Institute of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese of Buffalo, after they announced their intention to close Mount St. Joseph Academy. Parents, alumni and friends of the elementary school quickly raised funds and secured a charter from the State Board of Regents to assume operation of the school. The school leased the Main Street property until September 2007, when it moved to its new location at 15 Jewett Parkway, the site of the former Central Presbyterian Church.
According to Thomas E Ciminelli, AIA, NCARB, construction manager for facilities management, the demolition process is expected to last for several months. During this time, the parking lot adjacent to Mount St. Joe’s will remain closed.
Plenty of parking is available for faculty and staff in the lot adjacent to M&T Bank and on the second floor of the BlueCross BlueShield Ramp. If you haven’t been in the ramp in awhile, many updates have occurred since Canisius has taken it over. New lighting has been installed, a fresh coat of paint has been applied and an information booth staffed by public safety (from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.) now stands in the Jefferson Avenue entrance. In addition, the Buffalo Police include the ramp on their regularly patrols. Available now and continuing through the demolition process, a Lyons Hall shuttle will run according to the following schedule:
- Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Pick up is at BlueCross ramp guard booth on Jefferson
- Drop off is at Lyons Hall main entrance
- Return to the ramp will be via the 24 passenger shuttle bus that leaves from the main entrance of Lyons beginning at 5:00 p.m.
Father Cooke in Rome to Elect Superior General
As many of you already know, Canisius President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., is in Rome to participate in the 35th Jesuit General Congregation, which began on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany, January 5, 2008. Father Cooke is one of 225 Jesuit delegates from around the world who will elect a new superior general of the Society of Jesus following the resignation of Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., after 25 years of service as superior general. On January 7, Cardinal Franc Rodé, Prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, presided at the opening Mass in Gesú Church. Following the Mass, a lamp was lit at the altar of St. Ignatius, which will burn the entire time the congregation meets.
On January 14, Rev. Kolvenbach addressed the Congregation and gave his official resignation. Beginning January 15, the Congregation began four days of information gathering known as the murmuratio, during which time the delegates are allowed to ask any other member of the Congregation about any member of the Society of Jesus who might be an apt superior general.
No one may lobby or campaign for the position for themselves or for anyone else. Father Cooke was elected to the commission that determines whether any one has aspired to the Office of Superior General. The commission is composed of the most senior members from the 10 assistancies worldwide.
Friday, January 18 will be the last of the four days of murmurations. A Jesuit will be chosen to address the members of the Congregation about their duties to elect a new superior general. On Saturday, a secret ballot will be taken, collected and counted. Paper ballots will be used for as many rounds of voting as necessary until someone receives a simple majority vote and is elected the new superior general.
Father Cooke is one of two delegates from the New York Province and one of only 34 delegates from the United States chosen to attend the Congregation. In addition, Father Cooke is the only member of the current American delegation who also served as a delegate at the 1983 Congregation that elected Father Kolvenbach.
Father Cooke is expected to be in Rome for several weeks. John J. Hurley, executive vice president at Canisius, is serving as acting president during Father Cooke’s absence.
For more information on the election of a new superior general, click here.
Canisius Receives $2 Million Rowe Gift
Canisius received a $2 million gift from alumnus John W. Rowe, MD ’66, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Aetna Inc., which will be used toward the creation of the proposed interdisciplinary science center at the college.“We are honored that Jack, who is recognized internationally for his distinguished careers in science, medicine and business, has endorsed our science center project,” said Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., college president. “His generous gift provides a tremendous boost to our interdisciplinary science center project and puts our Legacy of Leadership campaign closer to its goal.”
Rowe was chairman and CEO of Aetna from 2000 – 2006, and is widely credited with leading Aetna though a remarkable turnaround that made the company a national leader in health care benefits and management. Under Rowe, Aetna’s market value increased by more than $23 billion. Since 2006, Rowe has been serving as a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health where he is continuing his work on local and national issues addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with the aging of the baby boom generation.
For more information about the Rowe gift click here. For more information about A Legacy of Leadership, click here.
Canisius Joins Consortium to Promote Asian Studies
Canisius College has joined AsiaNetwork, a consortium of North American liberal arts colleges organized to promote Asian studies. David R. Devereux, PhD, associate professor of history, will oversee Canisius’ participation in the consortium.
Consisting of more than 170 North American colleges, AsiaNetwork strives to strengthen the role of Asian studies within the framework of liberal arts education, to help prepare succeeding generations of undergraduates for a world in which Asian societies play prominent roles, in an ever more interdependent world. The organization seeks to encourage the study of Asian countries and cultures on North American campuses and to enable students and faculty to experience these cultures first-hand. For more information, click here.
Canisius Participates in NESA Exchange Program
Canisius College is a participant in the Near East and South Asia Undergraduate Exchange Program (NESA), which was launched by the Bureau of Education Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State in August 2007. NESA is administered by Georgetown University, and provides full scholarships for college students from the Near East to study abroad at American colleges and universities for a semester or one year. Canisius currently has five students enrolled in the NESA program.
“These students bring rich cultural diversity to Canisius, and show independence and ambition in choosing to travel such great distances to experience American college life,” said Jerome L. Neuner, PhD, associate vice president for academic affairs and coordinator of the NESA program at Canisius College.
For more information, click here.
CANISIUS EVENTS
Washington Bureau Chief of Reader’s Digest is Fitzpatrick Speaker
On Wednesday, January, 23, Carl M. Cannon, Washington bureau chief for Reader’s Digest and contributing editor for National Journal, Washington’s non-partisan weekly journal, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Grupp Fireside Lounge. Cannon’s lecture, which is free and open to the public, is presented under the auspices of the William H. Fitzpatrick Chair of Political Science Lecture Series. For more information, contact the Office of Public Relations at Ext 2790.Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Business Owners
If you ever considered being your own boss, then circle Thursday, January 24 on your calendar. That’s when the Canisius College Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) will present “Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Business Owners.” The lecture takes place at 6:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center and is open to the college community. Featured speakers include Michael Hardy ’00, CFP and Stefano Grossi ’00. For more information on SIFE or the lecture, call the Department of Economics & Finance at Ext. 2670.
Habitat House Dedication
| Habitat for Humanity Buffalo will formally dedicate 38 Glendale Place on Sunday, January 27 at 3:30 p.m. (The original dedication was rescheduled due to bad weather). The house will soon be home to James and Ursula Davis and their five children. Canisius students, faculty and staff spent many hours on the home renovations, which are nearly complete. The Davis family also invested 500 hours of “sweat equity” into a combination of the Glendale Place residence and other Habitat projects. At the ceremony, the family will receive the keys to the house and a bible. The Davises are expected to move in early February. |  |
Conversations in Christ and Culture Hosts Ortiz Dianna Ortiz, Ursuline nun, author of Blindfold’s Eyes: My Journey from Torture to Truth, and director of Torture Abolition Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC), will speak on Tuesday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. Her lecture, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the Canisius College Center for the Global Study of Religion and Temple Beth Zion. For more information, contact Timothy Wadkins, PhD, associate professor of religious studies, at Ext. 2820, or click here.
Contemporary Writers Series Welcomes Acclaimed PoetThe Canisius College Contemporary Writers Series will host Jim Daniels, Thomas Stockham Baker Professor of English at Carngie Mellon University, on Thursday, February 7 at 7 p.m. in the Grupp Fireside Lounge. Daniels will read from his works, followed by an audience question and answer period. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here or contact Mick Cochrane, PhD, professor of English at Ext. 2662.
Canisius Hosts Reception for New Gansworth Books
Canisius will host a reception, art opening and reading on Friday, February 29 at 5 p.m. to celebrate the publication of two new books by Eric Gansworth, professor of English and Lowery Writer-in-Residence. The books new include Sovereign Bones, an anthology of new Native American Writing, and A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function, a collection of poems and paintings. Gansworth will read from both books, take audience questions and sign copies of the books. The art show, which will feature Gansworth’s paintings from the collection, will run in the Peter A. and Mary Lou Vogt Gallery in the Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library until March 28.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by ArtsCanisius, Keith Burich, PhD, professor of history, The Department of English, and Talking Leaves Books. For more information, contact The Office of Fine Arts at Ext. 2536.
Breakfast with Santa
Eight and half year-old Claire and four-year old Ella (daughters of Melissa B. Wanzer, EdD, professor of communication), pose for a photo with Santa during last month’s “Breakfast with Santa” in the Peter Gust Economu Dining Hall, sponsored by the Office of Campus Programming and Leadership Development and Chartwells.
John D. Occhipinti, PhD professor of political science, with his son, Jack 3 ½. Nearly 200 people enjoyed this year’s “Breakfast with Santa,” which included cookie decorating, visits with Santa, ornament making and more.
Canisius Employee Christmas Party
Always festive, the Office of Financial Aid decided to dress up as "holiday superheroes." Front row (l-r): Financial Aid Associates Joan Kader and Kathy Oddo. Second row: Michelle Pilley, administrative associate for financial aid; Lea Nicholson, assistant director of financial aid; Peggy Kraus, financial aid associate, Mary Miller, financial aid associate; Pat Deganis, financial aid associate and Michele Rizzo, assistant director of financial aid.
CANISIUS KUDOS
Public Relations Wins International Award for The Disputation
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| Debra S. Park MS '06, associate vice president, and Eileen C. Herbert '04 associate director |
The Disputation was brought to campus under the auspices of The Canisius College Center for the Global Study of Religion, Timothy Wadkins, PhD, director, in association with Temple Beth Zion, The Joan and Peter Andrews Family Foundation, Theater J. and co-produced by Jerome Neuner, PhD, associate vice president of academic affairs.
Public Safety Needy Drive
Rev. Paul J. Dugan, S.J., moderator of athletics and chaplain to public safety, blesses some of the donations gathered by Department of Public Safety staff members during their 7th annual holiday needy drive. More than $300 was raised through a public safety t-shirt sale. On Wednesday, December 19, the donations of groceries, clothing, and household items were delivered to Saints Columba and Brigid Church on Eagle St.
Vive La Casa Basket Donation
The STEPS Committee wishes to thank all who donated items for the baskets for VIVE LaCasa Refugee Shelter. A total of 55 baskets were assembled. In addition, five boxes of miscellaneous items were collected. Student members of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society at Canisius, delivered the items to the shelter just in time for the holidays.
2008 MLK Award Nominations Accepted
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2008 Canisius College Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards. Awards are given to a student and/or non-student (faculty, staff or administrator) who represent the ideals of Dr. King. The awards will be presented at the Spring Honors Convocation. The nominees must demonstrate qualities promoting equality, fairness, human rights and justice.
Please take a moment to nominate members of the college community for this honor by using the On-line form available here. Nomination forms have also been placed at various locations around campus.
Please note that members of the MLK Awards Selection Committee cannot be nominated for the award. The deadline for nominations is Friday, February 8, 2008. For more information, please call the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Ext. 2787.