| February 15, 2006 | Vol 7. No. 12 |
Canisius Transfers Eastwood Property to Habitat for Humanity
Canisius President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., meets the Burton family in front of the property at 70-72 Eastwood. Front row: Joi and Naomi. Second row: Jabot and Simone. Third row: David and Regina Burton and Father Cooke. The Burtons have been designated by Habitat by Humanity – Buffalo to own and occupy the home when renovation is complete.
More than 50 Canisius faculty, staff and student Habitat for Humanity volunteers turned out Saturday to begin renovation on 70 Eastwood Place. The college has transferred ownership of the house and lot at 70-72 Eastwood to Habitat for Humanity – Buffalo, Canisius President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., announced. The house will be completely renovated by Habitat work crews within the next several months and conveyed to a qualifying Habitat family.
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| The property at 70-72 was most recently the field office for construction of Eastwood Hall, and previously served as student housing. |
“As we considered our options with this property, it became clear that with the completion of our residence hall projects on campus, we no longer needed this house for student housing,” said John J. Hurley, vice president for college relations. “We were not interested in simply putting the house on the market and allowing an absentee landlord to acquire the property.”
Habitat has designated David and Regina Burton and their four children as the family who will own and occupy the home when it is complete. Under Habitat’s guidelines, the Burton family must invest 500 hours of labor into a combination of the Eastwood property and other Habitat projects.
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| Frank J. Dinan, PhD, professor of chemistry/biochemistry (left); and Timothy J. McAllister, telecommunications technician III, ITS; helped take down the walls of the Habitat house at 70 Eastwood | ||
Joseph F. Rizzo, computer support specialist III for ITS and adjunct professor for information systems, was among the Habitat volunteers on Saturday.
“It was amazing to see everyone working together – Canisius students, faculty and staff,” said Rizzo. “I brought along my 16 year-old son and his friend, who are both interested in construction. We enjoyed the work and will come back each weekend until the project is finished.”
The property at 70-72 was most recently the field office for construction of Eastwood Hall, and previously served as student housing.
New Round of Teaching Professorships Awarded
The Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professorship Program awarded a new round of professorships this month. The three-year grants, which begin June 2006, provide the college’s best faculty with the resources to create innovative programs that enhance undergraduate teaching through interdisciplinary projects, scholarly travel, experiential courses and the incorporation of technology into the classroom.
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| Debra T. Burhans, PhD |
R. Mark Meyer, PhD | H. David Sheets |
Debra T. Burhans, PhD, assistant professor of computer science and director of the college’s Bioinformatics Program, R. Mark Meyer, PhD, associate professor of computer science and H. David Sheets, professor of physics and director of the college’s Pre-Engineering Program. They will create “Robotics Across the Curriculum,” a collaborative interdisciplinary program that includes the development of robotics courses and a robotics minor, the integration of robotics into other courses and student robotics research opportunities.
| Sara R. Morris, PhD, associate professor of biology, will establish a program called “Experiencing the Natural World: Exploring Our Environment in Western New York and Beyond.” Students will study the ecology and organisms, particularly birds, of Western New York and other areas. Course projects will prepare educational materials for the Buffalo Museum of Science. |  |
Gillian Richardson, PhD, assistant professor of education and director of the college’s Literacy Center, will create, “Literacy as Possibility: A Student Leadership and Community Empowerment Program,” a student leadership development program that involves urban literacy initiatives. Students will explore grassroots leadership through the implementation of critical literacy initiatives, visits to exemplary urban schools and programs, and a speaker and workshop series, which will be open to the public. For more information on these new professorship programs or their recipients, click here.
UPS Foundation Awards Grant to Urban Leadership Learning Program
Demario A. Strickland '06, a childhood education major, is part of the Urban Leadership Learning Community at Canisius College.
The Canisius College Urban Leadership Learning Community received a significant show of support in January when The UPS Foundation presented the program with a $50,000 grant. Awarded upon the recommendation of Calvin Darden, a retired senior vice president of UPS and 1972 alumnus of Canisius, the grant will fund scholarships for students participating in the program. This is the second grant The UPS Foundation has awarded Canisius. In January 2003, the charitable arm of UPS presented Canisius with a $50,000 grant for the same program.
The Urban Leadership Learning Community, developed by Kenneth M. Sroka, PhD and E. Roger Stephenson, PhD, professors of English, provides up to 12 renewable, full or partial scholarships, each year, to underrepresented students from the city of Buffalo. The scholarships include full or partial tuition, fees, and room and board. Leadership development though team learning is the cornerstone of the Learning Community program. Currently 49 students are enrolled in the program.
In 2004, The UPS Foundation distributed $40 million dollars in grants, worldwide, to organizations and programs that support for building stronger communities.
The college will be closed, except for essential operating personnel, on Monday, February 20, in observance of President’s Day.