| November 18, 2009 | Vol 11. No. 6 |
The NetGazette features profiles of new and current faculty, staff and administrators. If you have an idea for a Canisius profile, please send an E-mail to Kristin Etu '91, NetGazette editor, at etuk@canisius.edu.
Mary Anne Neil, Administrative Associate for Education
Mary Anne Neil, administrative association for education, loves to come to work every day.
“My job is so diversified,” says Neil. “I am not doing the same thing day after day. I also love to interact with people, so this is the perfect situation for me.”
Trained in dietetics, Neil worked at a health-related facility and as a receptionist for a salon prior to Canisius, where she has been for three and a half years. In the Department of Education, Neil is responsible for coordination of the office’s administrative functions, including supervision of work study students and graduate assistants, management of the departmental budget and assisting professors with a variety of tasks.
Neil is right at home when she chats with the numerous students who stop by her office to ask questions, pick up forms or make appointments to see professors. Two of her four children attend Canisius. Both Stephen ’13 and Thomas ’11 are digital media arts majors.
“I am already familiar with so many students because they are often friends with my own children,” adds Neil. “Either way, this is a good age group for me to relate to because my kids are the same age.”
While Neil’s job brings her great joy, ice skating has been her passion since she was seven years old.
“As a child, I had a lot of energy,” recalls Neil. “The first time my parents took me to Lincoln Arena in the Town of Tonawanda and I put on a pair of skates, I was hooked. I begged them to let me take lessons.”
Mary Anne Neil (right) with ice skating student Hanna Etu '15, daughter of NetGazette editor Kristin Etu ’91, at Lincoln Arena in the Town of Tonawanda.
Neil skated competitively until she was 14. She has taught group ice skating lessons at Lincoln Arena for more than 20 years. Neil previously taught at the Pepsi Center and Buffalo State.
“It’s really nice to keep my feet in it so to speak,” says Neil. “It’s the perfect way to stay involved in something I love so much without the competition.”
Ice skating isn’t the only sport Neil enjoys. She likes to white water raft, ski and hike. To relax, Neil dines out with friends and often tries out new restaurants.
Brian P. Smith, Director of Leadership Development
Brian Smith,director of leadership development, serves up salad at RHA’s annual Thanksgiving Sit-Down Dinner.
When Brian P. Smith, director of leadership development, was an undergraduate student at Allegheny College, he aspired to a career in international business or banking. Smith obtained a bachelor’s degree in French (with a minor in economics) and is semi-fluent in the language.
“After graduation I worked for a few years for a company that traded time share condominiums,” recalls Smith. “But I kept thinking about what a positive experience I had as a college student and wondered how I could make a profession out of that.”
Smith obtained his master’s degree in college student personnel administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1986 and came to Canisius as assistant director of student activities soon after. He worked as an assistant director in residence life for five years before he took on the role of director of the student center and director of student activities.
Five years ago, when The Office of Student Activities realigned its efforts to include more leadership services for students, Smith was named director of leadership development.
Smith oversees leadership programs including a speaker and film series, the student lead team (in which students train other students to be leaders) and the leadership library. He is responsible for oversight of all club budget expenditures and he serves as the advisor for the Undergraduate Student Association, the AZUWUR and Sigma Phi Epsilon.
“Involvement with student organizations helps students establish a connection with the college, enable them to learn outside the classroom and teach them valuable skills” says Smith. “That is why I got into this field.”
Smith adds that after more than two decades, he still loves to work with college students.
“I like their enthusiasm and their idealism,” says Smith. “I like to see the change over the course of four years from terrified freshman to young adult with more refined goals. And I like to challenge them and help them grow.”
Smith also has served as an adjunct professor of applied linguistics from 1993-2008 and currently teaches in the college student personnel program.
Smith is a self-described addict of the television show “Lost” but has diverse interests in his spare time (which is limited!). He likes to read and watch movies but says that one of his favorite pastimes is as a tour guide at the Darwin Martin House in Buffalo.
Meet Canisius College’s Newest Faculty & Staff
Canisius added 15 new term and tenure track faculty members this fall. In this issue of the NetGazette, we introduce you to the newest members of the Canisius community.
| Assistant Professor of Graduate Education and Leadership-Sport Administration Nicholas Lorgnier, PhD, received his bachelor of sport sciences degree, master of business administration and doctorate of management in sport tourism from the Universite du Littoral Cote d’Opale, France. Prior to Canisius, he was an adjunct professor at the Universite du Littoral Cote d’Opale, cities of Boulogne, Calais and Dunkerque, France. Lorgnier also worked as a consultant/planner with the Buffalo International Film Festival. |  | |
| Assistant Professor of History Steven Maddox, PhD, comes to Canisius with a doctorate in modern Russian history from the University of Toronto, where he also received his master’s in Russian and East European studies. His bachelor’s degree in Russian language and literature is from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Prior to Canisius, Maddox was an instructor for the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus. This fall at Canisius, Maddox teaches history. |  | |
| Susan Margulis, PhD, assistant professor of biology, previously was the curator of primates at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Margulis earned her bachelor’s degree in animal behavior from Bucknell University, a master’s degree in environmental, population and organismic biology from the University of Colorado and her doctorate in evolutionary biology from the University of Chicago. In 2008, Margulis received the Robert O. Wagner Professional Development Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. |  | |
| Dennis Mike, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Graduate Education & Leadership. Prior to Canisius, Mike was an associate professor at Buffalo State College in the Department of Elementary Education and Reading. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history/social studies education, master’s degrees from the Departments of Reading and Educational Psychology and Statistics, and a doctorate from the SUNY Albany. His focus is on reading, special education and social studies. |  | |
| Matthew Petillo is an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies and Theology. Petillo recently taught at Saint Anselm College in the Theology Department. His foucus is in Buddhism, biblical theology, grace and humanities. He has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Saint Anselm College, a master’s degree of theology and a master’s degree of philosophy from Boston College. |  | |
| Assistant Philosophy Professor Philip Reed, PhD, is a recent graduate from the University of Notre Dame with a doctorate in philosophy. His bachelor’s degree in philosophy is from Davidson College and master’s degree in philosophy is from Notre Dame. Prior to Canisius, Reed had a graduate teaching fellowship at the University of Notre Dame in the writing program. He specializes in ethics. |  | |
| Marcus Thomeer, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Education. Prior to Canisius, Thomeer was director of research and program evaluation at Summit Educational Resources Inc. He is also the clinical co-director of Connections – Summer Asperger’s Treatment Program. Thomeer holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a doctorate in educational psychology, both from the University of Texas at Austin. |  | |
| Assistant Management/Marketing Professor Kevin Trainor, PhD, received his doctorate in marketing from Kent State University, where he recently taught marketing management. He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Arizona. Trainor’s areas of focus include new product innovation, product/brand management, innovation co-creation, and integrating technology with sales and marketing. |  |