Fall Open House
You know fall is here at Canisius when the college begins final preparations for its Open House event.  With nearly 200 faculty, staff, administrators and students signed on to volunteer, the Office of Admissions is planning for its largest turnout in recent years.

“For the first time, we are holding Open House on two separate days,” explained Michael R. George, director of enrollment management, communication and technology.  “By offering more than one date, we hope to increase the overall attendance of prospective students and their parents.  And, because the potential increase in attendance will be split between two days, we are able to reinforce the idea that Canisius is a small, intimate campus.”

Almost every department on campus will play a part in Open House.  Each academic major will be represented by at least one faculty member who will provide 45-minute academic sessions throughout the day.  The Athletics Department will open the Koessler Athletic Center so student-athletes can see the renovated facilities.  Representatives from the Financial Aid Office will be on hand to educate parents about the various financial assistance programs available to them.  Student admissions volunteers will take visitors on tours of the campus to see the new technology classrooms, refurbished residence halls and redesigned dining facilities.  And of course, Canisius President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., will be on hand to welcome prospective students and their parents.

Fall Open House is scheduled for Saturday, October 23 and Saturday, November 13.  Registration begins at 11 a.m.

Father Cooke Named JA Educator of the Year
Canisius President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., will be inducted into the Junior Achievement (JA) Business Leadership Hall of Fame on October 27 when he is presented with the organization’s 2004 Educator of the Year Award. 

Father Cooke will be recognized for his leadership, vision and innovation, which “have contributed to the progress and prosperity of Western New York,” during JA’s annual Business Leadership Hall of Fame and Spirit of Achievement Awards dinner. 
 
Junior Achievement of WNY Inc. is a non-profit economic education organization whose mission is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business and economics to improve the quality of their lives. 

New Facilities and Renovations Showcased
The campus community enjoyed three open house events recently, which showcased new facilities and renovations.  Take a look below to see photos of the new FacTS (Faculty Technology Services) Center, Deaf Education Suite, and Literacy Center.

Computer Support Specialist Joseph Rizzo (left), Lucille Paolini, secretary for the dean of the School of Education and Human Services (center), and Camille Moreno, CEEP student for ITS (right) in the new FacTS Center located in the Churchill Academic Tower, Basement 003.  The FacTS Center specializes in faculty support and houses Rizzo; Estelle Siener, associate director of academic computing and user services for ITS; and newcomer Steve Warszawski, instructional technology specialist for the Media Center.  The new lab was open for tours during the Library’s open house held on September 10.

From l to r:  Douglas Hinton, director of professional experiences/Co-Op Program for the Teachers of the Deaf; James McDonnell, PhD, associate dean of the School of Education and Human Services; Shawn O’Rourke, PhD, associate dean for graduate and Canadian programs; and Judith Rath, secretary for the School of Education and Human Services, view a classroom in the college’s new Deaf Education Suite at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf during the September 24 open house.  The suite includes two classrooms, a student lounge, computer lab and faculty offices.

Pictured above is one of five diagnostic testing areas housed in the college’s new Graduate Literacy Clinic, located on the first floor of Health Science. The clinic is operated by the School of Education and in addition to the testing areas, the clinic includes two new classrooms, program offices and a conference room. The Graduate Literacy Program provides diagnostic testing and remedial reading services to students from local elementary schools.

Canisius Joins Virtual Reference Program
Canisius College has joined 18 of its fellow Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States to participate in an on-line, virtual reference service. 

Through the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) and Tutor.com, Canisius students, faculty and staff can now get one-on-one assistance from a professional reference librarian via an on-line chat message system.  Because there are AJCU libraries that span all four U.S. time zones, the service is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week – even when the Canisius library is closed. 

Once logged into the system, users can browse for resources with librarians.  Canisius students, faculty and staff will see on their screen all the databases and Web sites that the librarian is searching, and librarians will be able to send documents and images to users through E-mail.  At the end of each session, users will receive a complete transcript of their conversation in their E-mail inbox, including links to all Web sites visited. 

To access the new Virtual Reference Librarian service, click here for the library’s Web page and click on the “Ask Us” link. 

Skrzycki Appointed to Board of Trustees
Cynthia L. Skrzycki ’76 has been appointed to the Canisius College Board of Trustees for a three-year term, which began July 1. 

Skrzycki, a summa cum laude graduate of Canisius, is a business columnist for The Washington Post, where she has covered federal regulatory issues for 15 years.  Prior to The Post, she was an associate business editor at U.S. News and World Report.

School of Education Welcomes First Faculty Fellow
The Canisius College School of Education and Human Services welcomed its first faculty fellow this fall.  Ali Ait Si Mhamed, originally from Morocco, is currently pursuing a PhD in leadership and policy in higher and international education at the University at Buffalo (UB).  He is also a research assistant in UB’s Education Department, where he studies global higher educational systems with a concentration on North Africa and Eastern Europe.

The School of Education and Human Services at Canisius introduced the Faculty Fellowship as a way to further diversify the teaching perspectives of students in the program. 

Mhamed will serve as a full-time faculty member for a 10-month term. 

Canisius Welcomes New Faculty
Canisius welcomes the following new faculty members to the college community:

Rev. James M. Pribek, S.J., PhD, assistant professor of English, holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison; a master’s degree in English and a PhB in philosophy from Gonzaga University; a master’s of divinity and a master’s of theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA; and a master’s degree and PhD in Anglo-Irish literature and drama from the University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland.
Barbara L. Robinson, physical education instructor, holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education teacher certification with a concentration in adapted physical education, and a master’s degree in education from the State University of New York College at Brockport.
Gurmukh Singh, PhD, assistant professor of physics, holds bachelor’s degrees in physics, mathematics and chemistry; a bachelor’s degree in physics with honors; a master’s degree in physics with honors; and a PhD in experimental nuclear physics/astrophysics from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
Eric Stenclik, PhD, assistant professor of modern languages, holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Columbia University; a master’s degree in English from Yale University; and a PhD in English from the University of Toronto.
Staci Carney Studesville, director of the Sport Administration Program, holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Purdue University and a master’s degree in sports administration/facility management from Ohio University.
Holly Tanigoshi, PhD, assistant professor of counseling and human services, holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington State University; a master’s degree in counseling from Portland State University; and a PhD from the University of New Orleans, Louisiana.