Morris Dees Speaks at MLK Celebration
Nationally known civil rights attorney Morris Dees brought his powerful message of tolerance and diversity to Canisius Tuesday evening. The guest speaker for the college's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration drew a crowd of nearly 500 people who filled the Montante Cultural Center.
A champion of justice, Dees is known, most notably, for his lawsuits that bankrupted the KKK and Aryan Nations, imprisoned perpetrators of hate crimes and increased awareness of radical militias. Achievements, Dees said, that were inspired by the work and life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"He was a man who faced many contemporaries with little vision," Dees declared before the crowd. "He had to face and overcome politicians with little backbone. And he had to confront a terrorist with no conscious."
The son of a white Southern farmer, Dees discussed the importance in remembering the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and not those who stood in his way. But he also warned of a battle that remains in America over whose country this is and whose version will prevail.
"This battle is being fought on many fronts and each of you - especially the students here tonight- are going to live out your life in this century and take part in this battle," Dees noted. "You will either take part by doing nothing and letting others set the agenda or you will get involved to make this nation the great nation that Dr. King knew it could be."
Referring often to their obligation of keeping alive Dr. King's ideals of diversity, Dees told the audience they must first be willing to find acceptance in those issues that have long divided the nation, such as race, color, religion and sexual orientation.
"Once we begin to deal with these issues in a way that Dr. King taught us to deal with them, through acceptance, understanding, mercy and love, we will begin to build bridges against these divides that separate us," he stressed.
Dees spoke for nearly 30 minutes and then took several questions from the audience. By the end of the evening, the audience was on its feet in applause.
Morris Dees is chief trial counsel for The Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit group he co-founded in 1971, which specializes in lawsuits involving civil rights violations, domestic terrorists and racially motivated crimes. His lecture was sponsored by the William H. Fitzpatrick Chair of Political Science.
Another great civil rights leader, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, will speak at Canisius College tonight at 7:30 p.m. Click here for more information.
Supporting the Local Economy 
Dr. George Palumbo and Father Cooke look on as Bishop Henry Mansell answers media questions at a news conference on Monday, February 11.
Canisius and the other Catholic colleges in Western New York are making an impact on the local economy and headlines news, with a front-page article in Tuesday's Buffalo News. This news comes from the results of an extensive economic impact study conducted by Dr. George Palumbo, chair of economics and finance at Canisius and Dr. Stephen Horan, professor of finance at St. Bonaventure University.
Palumbo and Horan discovered that combined, St. Bonaventure and Niagara universities, Canisius, D'Youville, Daemen, Hilbert and Trocaire colleges produce $727,737,814 each year in economic activity and generate 14,826 jobs (or three percent of the region's 485,000-member workforce).
"Clearly, our Catholic colleges and universitites in Western New York are vital to the economic health of our region," said Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J. "In fact, these economic impact statistics should convince us that we must look at higher education in a new light, as a growth industry in our community."
The study also states that having a combined enrollment of 15,164 students, the Catholic colleges and universities are similar in size to the State University of New York at Buffalo. Student spending gives back $64 million and visitors to college athletic events, specifically Division I basketball at Canisius, Niagara and St. Bonaventure, generate $5.6 million annually. The total dollar impact of the Catholic colleges of Western New York represents about three percent of the total income for Erie, Niagara and Cattaraugus counties.
"About one-third of the dollar impact, or $228,432,582, is comprised of direct expenditures by the universities and their constituents with the remainder representing economic impact attributable to local businesses that support university activities," said Dr. Palumbo. "As a comparison, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership has determined that, with 500 employees, the Buffalo Bills have an annual economic impact of $33.4 million."
Click here to read the article from The Buffalo News.
In a separate front-page article in The Buffalo News on Tuesday, February 12, Canisius was recognized for its continued efforts to help the city of Buffalo. "Neighboring community shares in Canisius' strength" discusses the renovations and building of new facilities on the city campus (now calculated to be more than $85 million in capital improvements), the McGowan Learning Communities Program and the new Employee Assisted Housing Program.
Click here to read the article from The Buffalo News.
Remembering Dr. James McDermott
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, February 21 at 5:15 p.m. in Christ the King Chapel for Dr. James McDermott, dean of the college of arts and sciences, who died earlier this month. The McDermott Family will join the campus community as we honor the life and remember the legacy of Jim McDermott - our friend, colleague and teacher.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. McDermott joined the Canisius staff in 1977 as an associate professor of religious studies. He was appointed to full professor in the mid-1980s and served as chair of the religious studies department for six years. McDermott was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1999.
"He was an absolutely first class scholar," said Dr. Herbert Nelson, vice president for academic affairs. "He remained involved in the affairs of his department as chair and the College of Arts and Sciences as dean."
Dr. McDermott began his career in 1970 as an assistant professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.
He earned a bachelor of arts from Wesleyan, master of divinity degree in 1967 from Yale University and a doctorate in 1970 from Princeton University.
Dr. McDermott was a member of the board of trustees of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and Salem United Church of Christ in the city of Tonawanda, where his wife of 33 years, the Rev. Alice McDermott, serves as pastor.
He is also survived by a daughter, Lisa, a son, Kevin and a sister, Jane Burandt.
Memorials may be made to Salem United Church of Christ, 114 Morgan Street, City of Tonawanda, NY 14150.
Father Fiore Named Acting Dean
Rev. Benjamin Fiore, S.J., chair of the Religious Studies Department, will serve as acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for the remainder of the spring 2002 semester. Father Fiore, who was on sabbatical this semester, assumed his new responsibilities on Monday.
Father Fiore joined the Canisius faculty in 1979, the same year he earned his doctorate in religious studies from Yale University. He received tenure in 1985 and served as chair of the department for more than nine years. Father Fiore specializes in New Testament courses and developed the New Testament in literature and art course at Canisius.
He is the permanent chair of Polish culture at Canisius and the faculty advisor for Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit Honor Society.