Parking Update
Due to the recent weather, construction on the new residence hall has been delayed until next week. Parking will be available in the entire Eastwood Lot through Friday, March 26.  Beginning Monday, March 29, parking will be limited to 42 spaces, 16 of which have been designated for carpooling.  Those spaces will be reserved until 9:15 a.m.  After that time, the car pooling spaces will be available to A and B permit holders.   Access to the Eastwood lot will be available through the Loring lot located directly behind Bosch Hall. 

For information, click here for the parking Web site.

2004 Peter Canisius Distinguished Professorships Awarded
Congratulations to three faculty members who have been awarded Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professorships to begin on June 1, 2004. The three-year grants provide the college’s best faculty with the resources to create innovative programs that enhance undergraduate teachings through initiatives such as experimental courses, scholarly travel and community outreach.

Dr. Keith Burich, professor of history, will develop a program on Native American history that allows Native Americans to tell their own story in their own words and in their own ways. Burich plans to build upon his class on Native American history that features Native American speakers including chiefs from the Tuscarora Reservation in Lewiston, NY. In addition to Canisius students, the program is open to both the campus community and the Western New York community. The program will also include a summer reservation experience on Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, where students will learn the Lakota language, and learn about music, dance and arts and crafts. The grant will help to subsidize student costs for the trip.

Michael Dolan, professor of sports medicine and health and human performance, will develop the Center for Health and Sports Medicine at Canisius College. The center is intended to be the premier source for information on issues of sports medicine and health in Western New York, with a mission of education, research and community outreach. In a new course, “Seminar in Sports Medicine,” students will develop educational materials to present to high school students in the surrounding community. Approximately 25 high school students with an interest in sports medicine will come to Canisius for educational programming each semester. The Center for Health and Sports Medicine will focus resources on high school students who typically receive minimal instruction on health and injury prevention, such as those in the Buffalo public schools.

Dr. Timothy Wadkins, professor of religious studies, will continue an immersion-based teaching project that focuses on the global study of Christianity. This professorship will enhance “The Multicultural Dimension of Christianity,” a program established through a Distinguished Teaching Professorship Wadkins received in 2000. The program will focus on the relationship between the Christian tradition and particular cultures within post-colonial, developing countries, featuring trips to El Salvador, Namibia and The Philippines. There will be two foundational religious studies/history courses, a speaker’s series and immersion courses. Each summer eight students will take part in a one-month service immersion course in the third world, including a service project, as well as experience-based learning in the history, economics and cultural aspects of Christianity in that country. The students will produce a video documentary of their experiences which they will present in local high schools.

Canisius to Offer New Minor in Social Services
Beginning in fall 2004, Canisius College will offer a new minor in child, family and community studies, which will help students better understand the dynamics of family relations and the interaction of the family with society. The minor, co-sponsored by the Departments of Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology and Criminal Justice, requires 15 credits of coursework and 20 hours of volunteer work.

The minor will prepare undergraduate students for careers and future graduate studies in the fields of education, social work and social services. Additionally, the minor will develop reflective and compassionate practitioners committed to the Jesuit ideal of men and women for others.

Carnegie Study Looks at College Rankings
Canisius is ranked among the top 25 colleges in the Northeast by a new study released by Carnegie Communications.

Nearly 4,000 college-bound high school students from across the United States participated in Carnegie’s Project Connect 2003, which looked at college rankings.  The project explored the extent to which rankings actually influence student perceptions of quality, how much influence they have with student college choices and, most importantly, how students feel about the factors used to rank America’s “best” colleges.

The Carnegie survey compared the ranking criteria of the nation’s rankings leader, U.S. News & World Report, with what students, the primary consumers of higher education, feel are the appropriate weights.   

In general, the student perceptions of quality correlate strongly with U.S. News rankings at the national level.  However, the correlation is much weaker at the regional level.  For example, Canisius was ranked 25 in the Carnegie survey and rated 33 by U.S. News.  The results of Project Connect 2003 can be found on the Carnegie Web site at www.carnegiecomm.com. 

Time is Running out for Faculty and Staff Fitness Testing!
Despite the recent wintry weather, it is SPRING in Buffalo and there is still time to get cracking on your New Year's resolution (the one that you have forgotten about....) to “get into shape!” It is not too late to take advantage of the opportunity for an on-campus fitness assessment which includes: risk factor assessment, submaximal bike test, body composition and flexibility. Physician approval is required for testing and there is a $15.00 fee. The fee includes the assessment, a follow-up appointment to discuss your results, a written report and recommendations for a fitness program tailored to your needs. The testing will require approximately 45 minutes to complete.  All testing is under the supervision of Health and Human Performance faculty. For further information and to receive the necessary paperwork, please contact Dr. Pat Mosher, associate professor of sports medicine, at Ext. 6646. Testing is available through April 15.

March Connections Now On-Line
The March 2004 issue of Connections is now available here. 

The on-line version of Connections is designed for computer viewing. Connections is also available in pdf (portable document format) for printing copies of the publication as it appears in the hardcopy format.

This theme for this issue of Connections is "New Initiatives in Campus Ministry and Mission & Identity Programs."