McNutt has taught in the Canisius College Department of Religious Studies for 15 years.  She was awarded the Canisius College Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in 1993, received a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend in 1991 and served as acting chair of the Religious Studies Department for the spring semester of 2002.

McNutt is the author of The Forging of Israel: Iron Technology, Symbolism, and Tradition in Ancient Society (1990) and Reconstructing the Society of Ancient Israel (1999), as well as approximately a dozen scholarly articles. She also serves as associate editor of Catholic Biblical Quarterly.

A search committee has been assembled by Dr. Nelson to conduct a nationwide search and develop a ranked list of two or three acceptable candidates. The committee is currently drafting an announcement for publication in early August. The goal is to begin screening candidates no later than October 1 and finalists will be invited to campus in November and December. 

"This early schedule is designed to make a strong pool available to the college," said Dr. Nelson. "You can help the search by bringing the position to the attention of any colleagues who might be interested in applying.  In a few weeks a 'profile' of the position will be published on the Canisius home page."

Committee members are:
Dr. Cary Anderson - Office of Student Affairs
Dr. Susan Aronica - Biology Department (Search Committee Chair)
Dr. Hamilton Cochrane - English Department
Dr. Martha Dunkelman - Fine Arts Department
Rev. Benjamin Fiore, S.J. - Religious Studies Department
Anthony Maggiotto - Student Body Representative
Dr. Jerome Neuner - Academic Affairs Office (Search Committee Secretary)
Dr. Mary O'Sullivan - Chemistry Department
Dr. Harvey Pines - Psychology Department
Dr. Richard Wall - Economics/Finance Department
Dr. Melissa Wanzer - Communication Studies Department
Dr. George Wenner - Education Department
Dr. Julia Wescott - Modern Languages Department

"Pete is richly deserving of the honor due to his dedication to the accreditation and educational process of the profession," said Jack Baynes, ATC, NATA honors and awards committee chair. "He has dedicated his career to the betterment of the athletic training profession across the nation."

The National Athletic Trainers' Association was founded in 1950 and today serves nearly 29,000 members, including 21,000 certified athletic trainers.  Athletic training is recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession, and its practitioners are the leading experts in the health care for athletes and those involved in physical activity.

"Canisius College is truly grateful to the John R. Oishei Foundation for their renewed support of the Oishei Professors Program," said Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J.  "This program has been an overwhelming success and in the process, the college has earned a reputation for creative undergraduate teaching."

Established in 1998 with a $1.5 million gift from the John R. Oishei Foundation, the Oishei Professors Program was created to expand learning experiences for students through exciting initiatives such as interdisciplinary projects, scholarly travel, experimental courses and the incorporation of technology into the classrooms.  The program awarded nine professorships to existing faculty members, over three years, through a competitive grants process that focused on creativity and the extent to which a proposal advanced the college's vision.  This most recent gift from the Oishei Foundation, in the amount of $840,000, combined with joint funding by Canisius, will help support the Oishei Professors Program for an additional five years.

The renewed support by the Oishei Foundation will fund another nine internal professorships at the college, which will be awarded at the rate of three each year, beginning with the fall 2002 semester. Each faculty appointment will include an annual stipend and program budget, in addition to the regular college salary.  The program will also permit Canisius to bring one outstanding visiting educator to the college, each year, over the next three years.
 
"The directors of the John R. Oishei Foundation are pleased to be able to support the continuation of the Oishei Professors Program at Canisius College," said Thomas E. Baker, executive director of the foundation.  "The Oishei Foundation is also very pleased with the commitment Canisius has made to the second phase of the Oishei Professorship Program.  In the past three years, Canisius and its faculty have amply demonstrated their commitment to enhancing the quality of undergraduate teaching, providing programs of excellence for students and improving the quality of life for residents in the Buffalo community."

The John R. Oishei Foundation is committed to enhancing the quality of life for Buffalo area residents through the support of medical research, health care, education and the cultural, social, civic, and other charitable needs of the community.  The foundation was established in 1940 by John R. Oishei, founder of Trico Products Corporation, one of the world's leading manufacturers of windshield wiper systems.

Having just conducted our 2002 Commencement Exercises, it is time to start planning for next year.  Congratulations and thanks to all who worked so hard and effectively to provide our graduates and their families with such memorable ceremonies. 

I would like to ask for your help in nominating deserving candidates for honorary degrees.  I have listed the general guidelines below for your information. Please provide background information on your nominees to help the Board of Trustees with the selection process.

Honorary degrees are intended to recognize people who have made significant contributions to society and whom Canisius College wishes to incorporate as members of the Canisius academic family.  The following criteria have been adopted by the Board of Trustees:

1. The honorary degrees awarded are usually a Doctor of Humane Letters or a Doctor of Laws.

2. Such awards are made for special distinguished achievement in the arts, sciences, professions, business, commerce, education, and other significant fields of human endeavor.

3. The achievements recognized should generally be such as to improve human society and inspire others to work towards similar achievements.

4. Individuals so honored should be of good moral character, who will reflect credit upon the Canisius College family.

5. It is customary to award approximately three or four honorary degrees each year, including the commencement speaker.

6. Insofar as possible, the slate of awardees each year should reflect a balance among different fields of endeavor and the various segments of American society.

7. These criteria are meant to be guidelines and suggestions rather than binding criteria.  It remains in the power of the Trustees of Canisius College to award honorary degrees according to their best judgment.  Final approval of all academic degrees, both earned and honorary, rests with the Board of Trustees.

We would like to receive nominations for the 2003 commencement speakers for the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies. The following guidelines apply to the commencement speakers:

1. If possible, the speaker should have some connection with Canisius College, higher education or the local Western New York community.

2. The speaker should be a competent public speaker.

3. The speaker will not be a candidate for public office in the year in which the commencement takes place.

4. All other things being equal, preference will be given to graduates of Canisius College who have distinguished themselves in their career and have been a credit to alma mater.

The classrooms in Old Main and Lyons Hall now showcase artwork thanks to the efforts of Dr. Walter Sharrow, professor of history, and Rev. Benjamin Fiore, S.J., interim dean of arts and sciences.

"Some of the reproductions that had already been hanging in the classrooms were recycled for use in this project," said Father Fiore. "Those which were originally hanging in the classrooms were all reproductions of Renaissance period originals, largely in the collection of the National Gallery in Washington D.C."
 
New prints used for the project are a more eclectic mix of styles and periods, including reproductions of Byzantine icons, early Christian mosaics, medieval stained glass and tapestries, as well as Renaissance paintings.  Most were purchased from the home and studio of Mr. D'Arcangelo who owned D'Arcangelo Fine Arts formerly located across from the Koessler Athletic Center.  Eight large poster-sized reproductions were purchased at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, four of Durer's "Adam And Eve" and four of a Byzantine medallion of Mary.  One, "The Peaceable Kingdom," was purchased at the Albright Knox Art Gallery.

The project received assistance from The Artery on Hertel Avenue, which framed the prints and Brian Art Galleries, which worked with Fiore and Sharrow on the placement of the pictures.

FEMA claims covered snow removal costs as well as damage to college structures, including The Martin House roof and gutters, Montante roof and ice removal from the roofs of Lyons Hall and Old Main.