"Dr. Alber will bring new energy and imagination to the Wehle School of Business," said Nelson.  "His vision, coupled with his extensive experience in academia, strategic planning and technology will serve our prestigious business school well in this ever-changing business climate."

"The school plays an important role in the region," said Alber.  "I am interested in exploring with business and community leaders how we can expand that role while enhancing the educational and career opportunities of our students."

Alber is currently dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at Drake University, in Des Moines, Iowa, a position he has held since 1997.  Prior to his tenure at Drake, Alber rose through the ranks at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois where he served as interim associate provost for information resources and technology (1997), director of academic planning and research (1996-97), president of the university senate (1992-94), associate dean and director of MBA programs (1985-90), and acting dean (1985-86).  He was also a tenured professor of business computer systems.

Alber has published several books and numerous scholarly articles on information technology.  He holds a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Lehigh University, an M.B.A from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.

As dean of the business school, Alber will oversee four departments, 39 full-time faculty, eight undergraduate majors and five graduate programs.  His responsibilities will also include faculty development and representation of the Richard J. Wehle School of Business to all internal and external constituents.

"I was impressed with the faculty and staff I met during my visits to campus and I am looking forward to working with them," said Alber.  "The business programs are noted for their quality and the excellent preparation they provide students.  This was evident during my conversations with alumni."

Alber replaces Dr. Richard A. Shick who is stepping down after 23 years as dean of the business school.  Shick was the longest serving dean in the history of the college as well as among deans of the 27 Jesuit business schools in the nation.

Founded in 1958, the AASCB accredited Richard J. Wehle School of Business strives for excellence in developing its students with the skills, knowledge and perspectives necessary to excel as leaders and managers in the competitive global marketplace, and as ethical and socially responsible citizens educated in the Jesuit tradition.

One look and you would see that bleacher seating isn't what it use to be in the KAC.

"We've added 1,100 chair back seats and 1,000 bleacher seats," said Tim Dillon, director of athletics.  "It is our hope that the remodeling will provide a better and more enjoyable atmosphere for our student-athletes, student body, alumni and fans."

Guests can now cheer on their favorite Griffs teams from comfortable blue-padded bleachers.  Increased comfort isn't the only benefit.  The seating capacity has almost doubled.  The gym use to accommodate approximately 1,200; it now seats 2,100.

The third phase is scheduled to begin at the end of May, following Commencement 2002 activities.  Over the summer the gym will be equipped with a new sound system and the floor will be refinished.  Renovations should be complete by the middle of August.

Phase one of KAC renovations was completed last fall.  It included the installation of a new air conditioning unit, remodeling of the ceiling, painting and equipping the gym with additional lighting and electrical wiring.

Sroka was cited for "excelling in every capacity - as a teacher, scholar, department chair and worker on major college committees."  His nomination also stated "not only is he an expert and highly effective teacher, he also is a wonderfully positive representative of Canisius."

Sroka earned a bachelor's degree from Canisius College, a master's degree from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has been a member of the Canisius faculty for 31 years.

The Kenneth Koessler Faculty Award recognizes outstanding faculty members who have taught full-time at Canisius for at least three years and have been distinguished for contributions to the academic world and teaching excellence.

Sroka will be honored during convocation on Tuesday, April 23.  Click here to learn more about Spring Honors Convocation.

Senior Challenge Surpasses Goal
Kudos to the Class of 2002 who exceeded their Senior Challenge fund-raising goal!  To date 40 percent of the senior class has contributed to the senior challenge raising $6089.  Their gift will help the college purchase grills and benches for the Delavan Townhouses. 

"Supporting the Senior Challenge shows support for a Canisius education and pride in our school, said Rebecca Jones '02, chair of the 2002 Senior Challenge.  "The Class of 2002 has raised the bar for future Senior Challenges to come!"

In May there will be a Franks and Thanks Barbecue at the Delavan Townhouses in appreciation of the Senior Challenge supporters. 

Spring Break in Appalachia

"Porch Crew" of the Blue team measures and cuts the wood for the porch railing. Pictured (left to right): Liz McGreevey '04, Mary Dust '04 and Laura Ruof '03

The volunteers for the Campus Ministry Spring Break Service Project returned late Sunday evening from their journey to Appalachia. The 80 students and seven faculty and staff (Sister Patricia Brady, coordinator of volunteer services for campus ministry; Rev. John Bucki, S.J., director of campus ministry; Sue Fischer, associate campus minister; Patricia Grasso, secretary for public relations; Linda Shanahan, adjunct professor of physics; Rev. Michael Tunney, S.J., associate professor of fine arts; and J. Joseph Van Volkenburg, assistant to the director of campus ministry) worked at Phelps Habitat for Humanity in McCarr, KY; Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity in Cherry Grove, West Virginia; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) in Inez, KY and McKee, KY.

Patty Grasso, secretary for public relations, shares her experience with CAP in Inez, KY.

Patty Grasso's Journal
Our group went to Inez, KY which is located in Martin County. It is in the eastern part of Kentucky not far from the West Virginia state line. It reminded me of the John Denver song "County Road" which starts; "Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River...Life is old there..."  We actually heard this on the radio on the way to Inez! We were at a CAP site. CAP stands for Christian Appalachia Project. It was founded by Fr. Ralph Beiting who has been ministering to the people of Appalachia for over 50 years now. There were 18 Canisius volunteers and our mission was to help build two homes that others had already worked on during "Workfest 2002." The nice part about this project was that we not only got to interact with other CAP volunteers, we also got to know the families who own the homes on which we worked.  Our family was Bennie and Brenda Johnson and their two daughters, Amber and Stephanie. Our job was to build a porch roof and railings onto the front of the house and to put medal sheets on the roof. The medal roofs last longer than the shingles but are tricky to install.

We listened to their stories and it became very clear that family is the number one priority in their lives. Their families are large and everyone lives in the area. Most work in the mines which is hard labor and often dangerous work. Bennie's father has use of only part of one lung because he contracted black lung disease during his many years of mine work with the coal. Bennie worked in the mines and drove the coal trucks. He has damaged some discs in his back and can no longer work. Their lives are simple and they are thrilled to have others come to help them build their own home.

	"Roof Crew" of the Blue team builds the roof of the porch. Pictured back: Jonathan Emilani '05 front: Jason Downer '03

We had a CAP paid worker named Mike Powers who was in charge of our job. One day we also had Jim Dalton who is a senior CAP volunteer. He and his wife Trisha left California for a whole year to help out in Inez. He is a skilled carpenter and she works with the pre-school program teaching the little ones. They are both retired and decided that this is where God is calling them.  I cannot tell you how remarkable the Canisius students that were with us were. It is beyond explanation. They never complained about the difficult work or the rainy weather. This group was open and warm to each other and to everyone we encountered. The two Johnson children ran off the bus each day to share their joy and their day at school. Brenda cooked a hot lunch for us a couple of times. She made us lasagna and hot garlic bread. Brenda also made us soup beans with pork hocks and homemade sauerkraut with banana peppers. Delicious! We all lived together in the Inez House which is a large building. There is a chapel for Mass on the first floor and Fr. Beiting said Mass for us on Wednesday night. Upstairs is the living area where we relaxed and ate and slept. The young men and women slept in bunk beds. We ate breakfast together and made lunches to eat at the site. We arrived at the site at 8:00 a.m. and worked until after 4:00 p.m.

When we returned after our daily work a different group of CAP volunteers prepared dinner for us and ate with us. We listened to what their ministry was and learned from each of them. We prayed in the morning before work. We prayed before meals and then had a reflection at night. One night Fr. Beiting talked about founding the project and his work with the poor. Another night Tom Whitaker a local storyteller, artist and professor at a community college entertained us. He sang and told us of his own family history. Tom also sold us some of his beautiful artwork, which has an Appalachian flavor, of course. We became one community in service with all of these people. We also had two high school students James and Amber who worked with us. The idea was to expose them to college students. In this area there is no incentive to stay in school because there is no other opportunity for employment other than the mines. You do not need a high school diploma for this work so often young people do not finish school.

On Thursday, our family joined us for dinner and afterwards we all shared our experience from the week and what we had learned. Bennie cried as he spoke about how wonderful this group of students were and how he watched them with his children and the love we showed to the family through our work and kindness. Our weather varied from hot and sunny to cold and rainy but basically was just fine.