Canisius Acquires New Asset in Golden Griffin Fund
Finance students in the new Financial Markets Lab carefully monitor stocks from several sources, including cable television and the Bloomberg terminal (not pictured).
The Richard J. Wehle School of Business invested in a new venture this fall, which is expected to result in large gains for the college. The course, otherwise known as The Golden Griffin Fund (GGF), is an investment-management class for undergraduate finance majors that operates as a student-run, real-money investment fund. It is specifically designed to educate students about the inner workings of the capital markets, while providing them with real-world learning experiences in investment management.
“The Golden Griffin Fund will help finance students bridge the gap between the classroom and the real investment world,” explains Nelson D. Civello, visiting professor of finance and professional adviser to the GGF.
Established with an initial investment of $100,000 from the Canisius College Endowment, The Golden Griffin Fund requires students to research, create and manage portfolio holdings (stocks); analyze and recommend companies to add to the portfolio; and to grow the fund through the solicitation of new investors.
“Students will be expected to analyze different business models and market opportunities, apply various valuation techniques, and understand fundamental industry drivers,” adds Civello.
Fall 2003 students are currently focused on conducting corporate research, development of an investment strategy and potential stock selections. The spring 2004 semester will concentrate on fundamental stock research that will ultimately compose and shape the portfolio. Once established, full-time faculty advisors and professional mentors will guide future students to take over the fund and make important management decisions to grow its value.
“The success of The Golden Griffin Fund and its members will attract student interest at Canisius, as well as potential business students from other areas who may be in search of a unique educational environment,” says Dr. Antone F. Alber, dean for the School of Business. “In turn, clients of the fund will have the chance to achieve investment returns based on students’ best efforts, build lasting ties to the college, and contribute to the development of a new, well-educated talent for the Western New York investment community.”
The GGF operates out of a newly-created trading room known as the Financial Markets Lab in Old Main Room 111. The lab is furnished with various multimedia equipment including eight PC workstations; cable-access television with a data projection screen; and a Bloomberg terminal, which enables students to receive up-to-the-minute information on the world financial markets.
Canisius College is the only higher education institution in Western New York to have the Bloomberg technology and offer this type of undergraduate course.
Construction Underway for "A Day in the Life of the Amazonian Rain Forest"
Dr. Mike Noonan and several of his zoo biology students mark out the floor for the site of this year's "mini-zoo" in the Health Science Building, entitled, "A Day in the Life of the Amazonian Rain Forest." From far left: Christine Tait '05, Dr. Noonan, Amanda Fox '04 and Patrice Paolucci '05. Construction is now underway with a target completion date of November 3. The exhibit will include monkeys, turtles, frogs, and much more. Watch the next few issues of NetGazette for construction photos and updates.
Canisius Donates Desks to Nicaragua
Domenic Cortese '78, president of the alumni board of directors, assists members of the Canisius maintenance staff in loading more than 300 desks and 20 chalkboards into tractor trailers on September 26. Canisius donated the desks to Nicaragua where they will benefit many Nicaraguan school children. For more information and photos, click here to visit the Physical Plant Web site.
"I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet"
Rev. James Ruddick, S.J., professor Emeritus of physics and director of the Braun Seismograph Center and Mark Castner, director of academic computing & user services for ITS and associate director of the Braun Seismograph Center are often called upon by the local media to discuss major earthquakes that have occurred around the world. What really happens in that little room tucked away in the basement of Old Main? Click here for the Canisius in the News page to read more.
NetGazette Contest Winners
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Sandy Maisano |
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Jennifer Skowron |
Congratulations to the following Canisius staff members, who will enjoy lunch for two in the Faculty Dining Room for correctly matching five Canisius staff members with their new office locations in the NetGazette contest!
Sandy Maisano, secretary to the vice president for college relations, Jennifer Skowron, secretary for personnel and Janine Hughes, student accounts technician for purchasing.
The correct answers are: Dr. Patricia Christian, chair of sociology/anthropology, Old Main 014C; Dr. Margaret McCarthy, dean of education and human services, Bagen 206; Gail Reddington, director of student teaching, Old Main 404; Ken Kruly, director of government relations, Lyons 206 and Maureen McMahon, director of academic grants, Tower 313. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Bookstore Offers On-line Custom Gift Catalog
The Canisius College Bookstore now has an on-line custom gift catalog that includes thousands of items suitable for your next award, seminar or gift-giving event. Full-color photos and descriptions highlight each item, and the easy-to-use site allows you to submit a request for a final price quote. To visit the site: click here (password: bookstore). For more information or for assistance with on-line ordering, please contact Tony Marchewka, bookstore manager, at Ext. 2336 or via E-mail at 0527mgr@fheg.follett.com.
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Did You Know?
You can get great tips for planting fall bulbs from Steve Herniak (aka “The Green Thumb”) and the rest of the Grounds Department staff. Click here to visit their Web site. |
CAMPUS EVENTS
Los Caribes Brings Their Latin Beat to Canisius
Move your feet to the Latin beat of Los Caribes on October 15 at 12:15 p.m. in the Dining Hall. The local band will perform as part of a special program to celebrate the last day of National Hispanic Heritage month. Tempting Hispanic food selections will be offered for lunch that day, and there will be contests and prize giveaways. The event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Programs, Chartwells and the Latin American Students and Friends (LASAF) club. For more information, call the Office of Multicultural Programs at Ext. 2787.
Canisius Hosts Political Journalist
Political journalist Tony Snow will speak on Tuesday, October 21 at 8 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. The lecture, entitled "The President and the Press," is free and open to the public. Snow is host of "FOX News Sunday" and is a political analyst for FOX News. The event is sponsored by Canisius College and Young America's Foundation. Seating is limited. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call the Office of Public Relations at Ext. 2790 or click here.
Conversations in Christ & Culture Present "Kabir in Song"
The Regis Room will be filled with song on Tuesday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. when the Conversations in Christ & Culture Lecture Series presents "Kabir in Song." The performance is aimed at introducing American audiences to the oral and written traditions of Kabir, a famous North Indian poet, mystic and radical social critic of the 15th century. For more information, contact Dr. Tim Wadkins at Ext. 2820 or click here.
African American Experience Welcomes Berkley Scholar
The Canisius College Program in the African American Experience welcomes Dr. Lawrence Levine, long-time chaired history professor at the University of California at Berkeley and a specialist in African American culture, on Thursday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Grupp Fireside Lounge. A highly honored history scholar, Levine is best known for his study of African American folkways during slavery. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Dr. Bruce Dierenfield at Ext. 2683 or visit the Web site here.
Canisius Open House Set for October 25
Canisius will host its annual Open House for prospective undergraduate students (and their parents) on Saturday, October 25 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event includes campus tours, academic presentations by faculty, and information involving financial aid, residence life and admission procedures. For more information, call the Admissions Department at Ext. 2200 or click here.
Meet-the-Faculty Recital
Ansgarius Aylward (playing the violin), joined Jane Cary, director of music, to perform a "Meet-the-Faculty" recital on September 29 in the Montante Cultural Center. Cary, playing the harpsichord, was assisted by Russel Petrus '05. Aylward is assistant concertmaster for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and directs the Canisius College Chamber Orchestra.
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Did You Know?
October 9 is National Depression Screening Day. The Canisius College Counseling Center will be offering free, confidential screenings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call Ext. 2620. |
CANISIUS KUDOS
Fiore Publishes Essay
Rev. Benjamin Fiore, S.J., chair of religious studies, published an essay, entitled “Household Rules at Ephesus: Good News, Bad News, No News.” The essay appears in the volume Early Christianity and Classical Culture (Brill: Leiden, 2003). |
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Coffta’s Book Receives Favorable Review
| Dr. David Coffta, adjunct professor of classics, received an excellent review of his book, The Influence of Callimachean Aesthetics on the Satires and Odes of Horace, in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review. To read the complete review, click here. |
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Did You Know?
Campus Ministry hosts a peace prayer every Wednesday on the steps of Christ the King Chapel at 12:23 p.m. In addition, the Campus Ministry Web site has more than 16 peace prayers from many different denominations, including the Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist faiths. For more information, click here. |
CANISIUS IN THE NEWS
Braun Seismograph Station Serves as Resource for Local Media
Mark Castner being interviewed by Channel 2 about the recent earthquake in Japan.
Mark Castner, who serves dual roles as director of academic computing & user services for ITS and associate director of the Braun (pronounced "Brown") Seismograph Station was interviewed by Channel 2 news about the recent earthquake in Japan, which registered 8.3 on the Richter scale. Rev. James Ruddick, S.J., director of the Braun Seismograph Station, also spoke with Channel 4 about the same earthquake. Being on television is nothing new for the pair, who monitor and measure earthquake activity at the station located in the basement of Old Main. Walk down the hall too fast and you’ll miss it. But inside, an earthquake occurring in Siberia (measuring more than 6.0 on the Richter scale) can be detected here at Canisius in approximately 12 minutes. That’s from more than 12,000 kilometers away!
Fr. Ruddick checks the pen and ink recording to determine whether a small earthquake in Pennsylvania was picked up here at the Braun Seismograph Station. As it turns out, it measured only 2.4 on the Richter scale and was not detected.
The six seismograph machines pick up earth’s movement from a concrete block buried just 10 feet underground, where bedrock occurs. Here’s how it works: The seismometers use a coil suspended in a magnetic field. When waves from an earthquake move the seismometer, the coil and magnetic field move relative to each other. This produces a small electric current, which can be amplified and recorded. On average, about seven earthquakes a month from around the world are recorded here.
Father Ruddick taught physics for many years at Canisius, and has spent decades “manning” the Braun Seismograph Station. He says the center focuses mainly on earthquakes that occur relatively close to Buffalo. In 1995, the center (and Father Ruddick) became the focus of much media attention when one measuring 3.0 happened in nearby Tonawanda.
“Not only was there movement, but there was sound, like a big ‘boom!,’” recalls Father Ruddick. “Some people thought at first that it was a gas explosion, that a building had blown up. Sure enough, it was an earthquake.”
Castner’s curiousity with earthquakes started back in college (in Spokane, Washington) when he worked at the campus’ seismograph station. His involvement in the Braun Seismograph Station started in 1995, when, according to Castner, “Frequent conversations with Father Ruddick led to him asking me to change the earthquake records while he was away.” The rest is history. Castner also teaches an undergraduate course in seismology, which is offered in the spring semester. Students have the benefit of monitoring and analyzing data from the college’s seismographs, giving them first-hand accounts of earthquake activity across the globe.
Laura McEwen, director of graduate business programs, appeared on the public affairs show “Pulse” on WUTV Fox 29 and WB 49 on September 28. She discussed the college’s educational partnerships and the new MBA curriculum with host Maureen Millane-Rusk, assistant dean of external business programs at Canisius.
Martha Malkiewicz, adjunct professor of music, discussed the 25th anniversary season of “Canisius and the BPO Connection” on WNED-FM radio on September 30.
Curt Gaume, director of financial aid, discussed rising student loan debt in The Buffalo News on September 30.
Dr. Patricia Erickson, associate professor of anthropology and Director of the Criminal Justice Program, discussed profanity on WBEN – AM radio’s morning news on October 2.
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Did You Know?
The Braun Seismograph Center at Canisius College is the only seismograph station in Western New York that regularly measures earthquake activity throughout the world.
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LIS NEWS
Alert--Be Alerted About Research in Your Area!
How can anyone resist getting an Alert from the Library? This nifty new-fangled device sends you an E-mail notification of full-text articles or citations on any subject matter that interests you. Set it up yourself or have the library do it for you. Contact either Beth Bradley at Ext. 2913 or Barbara Boehnke at Ext. 2937 to find out more or to quickly get started. Try it… get Alert!
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Attend an ITS workshop and learn how to work smarter. Did you know that using the Tables in Word can make complex formatting simple? Or that you can use Microsoft Excel as an easy-to-use database? Would Blackboard course management software make things easier for you and your students? Would you like to include streaming video in your PowerPoint presentation? Find out how in an ITS Workshop. For the latest descriptions and schedules, go to the ITS Online Registration Form and choose. They’re free!
Library Database Quick Tips
Access to library resources just got easier through the EbscoHOST databases. Although thousands of articles are available in full text from this database, many more provide only a brief abstract. Now you can use a “search for full text” link to connect to the journal in another database. Getting articles on-line has never been easier! This new link will tell you which other databases have the article on-line, and/or whether it is available in the library’s paper journal collection. If only paper is available, you can request a copy of the article from the library. Contact Beth Bradley, digital services librarian for more info or to request an article.
Book Review by Betsey Higgins
Undoubtedly, many have already read Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. If not, you must read it or at the very least, watch it. (Warning: watching it takes a significantly longer time than simply reading it!)
Waugh has written the most English of novels. Aristocracy, country estates, Oxford life, and religion are gorgeously crammed into a story revolving around war, love, and enduring friendships in a bucolic setting. Waugh’s unsurpassed skill in the way he uses both humor and tragedy in his characterizations has made this one of the great English novels of the 20th century.
If you have read it, read it again. You will certainly absorb more each time you read it. Copies of Brideshead Revisited are waiting to be swept away on the ground floor of the library (PZ3.W356Br.)
Do you have questions, comments, or suggestions for articles you would like to see published in the LIS News? Please let us know: lis_comments@canisius.edu
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Did You Know?
You can transfer a telephone call from your extension to another person’s PhoneMail? With the caller on the line, press the transfer button and dial 4399. At the prompt, dial the extension you wish to transfer the caller to and hang up. |