| June 18, 2008 | Vol 9. No. 15 |
New York State Appropriates $7 Million for Science Hall
New York Senator Dale M. Volker '64, HON '01 (left) and Assemblyman Robin Schimminger '69, HON '07 (right) presented a $7 million check to John J. Hurley '78, executive vice president and vice president for college relations, and Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., president of Canisius College.
New York State gave a big boost to Science Hall, Canisius College's interdisciplinary science center, with a $7 million appropriation. College President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., joined New York Senator Dale M. Volker ’64, HON ’01 (R-59th District) Assemblyman Robin Schimminger ’69, HON ’07 (D-140th District) and members of the college community for the announcement during a news conference in Bagen Hall on June 6.
Senators Volker and Schimminger secured the appropriations from state capital funds designated for significant economic development projects. These grants represent the first time in recent history that Canisius has received a direct capital appropriation from New York State.
“On behalf of the Canisius community, I would like to thank Senator Volker and Assemblyman Schimminger for their great work on behalf of the college,” said Father Cooke. “Dale and Robin have long recognized and supported the fact that higher education is a catalyst for economic development. Their efforts to secure $7 million in state economic development funding are just the latest example of their commitment to our community.”
For more information about this story, click here.
Dutt-Doner Appointed Associate Dean
Karen M. Dutt-Doner, PhD, assumes a new role at Canisius on August 4, when she becomes associate dean of undergraduate programs and assessment for the School of Education & Human Services. Since she came to Canisius in 2005, Dutt-Doner has served as an associate professor of graduate teacher education and director/coordinator of the college’s Graduate Childhood Program. In her new role as associate dean, she will ensure compliance with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) certification regulations and Title II Reports.
Dutt-Doner will also serve as the NYSED certification officer at Canisius, for all undergraduate students, and maintain the school’s accreditation with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
“Dr. Dutt-Doner is committed to student success and to the preparation of highly qualified teachers,” says Margaret C. McCarthy, PhD, dean of the School of Education and Human Services. “As a scholar and a practitioner, she brings a well-developed understanding of the art and science of education, which will serve our candidates very well.”
Dutt-Doner holds a BS degree in elementary education from SUNY at Geneseo, an MSEd in curriculum and teaching from Fordham University Graduate School of Education (Lincoln Center), and a PhD in teacher education from Syracuse University.
Canisius Continues Fulbright Success
 |
 | ||
| Adam Walters ’08 | Kyle L. Walker ’06 |
Walters will use his Fulbright to undertake an independent study at the Universidad ESAN in Lima, Peru. He will examine the response to climate changes and their effects on Peru’s Andean Glaciers, which make up the majority of the world’s tropical glaciers. Walters’ Fulbright study will build upon preliminary research that the All-College Honors Scholar conducted for his senior thesis at Canisius.
Kyle Walker will also use his Fulbright Scholarship to continue research he began as an undergraduate philosophy and psychology major at Canisius. Walker will study Ernst Mach, the 19th century Austrian physicist and philosopher for whom ‘Mach speed’ is named. He will conduct his research at the University of Vienna in Austria, home to the Vienna Circle, formerly known as the Ernst Mach Society.
Named for Senator J. William Fulbright, the highly competitive international exchange program is designed to foster mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges. Click here to read more about this year’s Fulbright recipients.
Honeywell Extends Support for Chemistry Olympiad
Mark Makar ’10; Elizabeth Peng, a senior at Williamsville South; Mariusz Kozik, PhD, chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Canisius College; Jay Kelly, site leader for Honeywell’s Buffalo research laboratory; David Nalewajek, ’74 PhD, senior principal chemist, Honeywell and Beverly Eagan, human resource manager, Honeywell.
The Honeywell Corporation recently awarded to Mariusz M. Kozik, PhD, chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, a $16,000 grant extension for the Western New York (WNY) Chemistry Olympiad. Kozik is the coordinator of the local Olympiad, which is sponsored by the American Chemical Society at Canisius and part of an international chemistry competition aimed at identifying the best high school chemistry students in the world. Since 2000, the Honeywell Corporation has awarded nearly $140,000 to Kozik, in support of the WNY Chemistry Olympiad. A significant portion of the grant is used to fund summer research projects by high school students who work with Canisius College Chemistry Department faculty members.
For more information, click here.
Department of Public Safety Adds Hi-Def Monitors
The Department of Public Safety has added two new hi-definition television monitors to its dispatch office. The large, flat-screen monitors replace six older models and enable the dispatcher on-duty to simultaneously observe multiple locations around campus via the department's closed circuit video camera system. The upgrade is part of an ongoing summer renovation project, which will include expansion of the dispatch office.
Independence Day Shutdown
The college will be closed, except for essential operating personnel, on Friday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday.
CANISIUS EVENTS
Chartwells Cookouts
Back by popular demand, Chartwells Cookouts will be held on Wednesdays during the month of July. Cookouts will be held in the Palisano Pavilion, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. on the following dates:
- July 2
- July 9
- July 16
- July 23
- July 30
Canisius Corporate Challenge Team
(l-r) Rachelle Held, director of compliance for athletics; Jenn Gwin, assistant women’s basketball coach; Rajko Pavlicic, mail stock clerk and Tim Paul, assistant men’s basketball coach.
Despite the hot and muggy weather, 45 faculty, staff, administrators, family and friends turned out for the 2008 JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge on Thursday, June 5. After the 5K, runners and walkers enjoyed the Chartwells cookout in the Canisius tent. Special congratulations to Jenn Gwin, assistant women’s basketball coach, who was the college’s top female finisher and the fifth overall female finisher with a time of 21:52. Way to go, Jenn!! Kudos to Mike Marino, stationary engineer I for facilities management, who was the college’s top male finisher with a time of 22:55.
(l-r): Jim Bagwell, director, graduate admissions; Shaun O’Rourke, PhD, associate dean, graduate & Canadian programs; Steve Liebig, mail stock clerk; Mike Marino, stationary engineer I for facilities management; Andy Smith, head athletic trainer and clinical instructor, athletics; and Tim McAllister, telephone repair technician, ITS.
Campus Ministry Service Trip to New Orleans
Tim Blewett '67, Paul Synor '66 and Dean Becker, mechanical trades manager for facilities management prepare food for the homeless in New Orleans during the Campus Ministry Service Trip in May.
For the second year in a row, the Office of Campus Ministry lent support to Catholic Charities Operation Helping Hands of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Canisius staff and alumni participated in the service trip, from May 19 to 26. Volunteers participated in home renovation work and served meals to the homeless of New Orleans at the Harry Tompson Rebuild Center at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.
CANISIUS KUDOS
Gansworth’s Latest Book is #3 on NBCC “Good Reads” List
The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) voted A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function, the most recent book by Eric L. Gansworth, professor of English and Lowery Writer-in-Residence, to number three on its Spring 2008 “Good Reads” List. The NBCC “Good Reads” List was created in fall 2007 as an alternative to the many best sellers lists available. Instead, it offers books that are avidly read and discussed by America’s leading critics and the world’s most celebrated writers. A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function, a collection of poems and paintings, was published earlier this year by Syracuse University Press.
For more information, click here.
Dierenfield Named Distinguished Lecturer
| The Organization of American Historians (OAH) has named History Professor and All-College Honors Program Director Bruce J. Dierenfield, PhD, as a distinguished lecturer. For more information, click here. |
 |
Langlois Named New Director of Sponsored Programs
Canisius College faculty have a new resource to assist them with academic grant procurement. Mary Ann Langlois was appointed director of sponsored programs in April. A 1984 alumna of Canisius College, Langlois works closely with Canisius faculty to research funding opportunities and assist with their submissions of academic grant proposals. She also manages pre-award and grant administration.
Langlois came to Canisius from The Research Foundation of the State University of New York, where she served as director of research administration for the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences.
Langlois is a certified research administrator. She holds a BA in accounting from Canisius College and an MBA in computer information systems from Bentley College in Waltham, MA.
Public Relations Department Receives Accolades
The college’s Department of Public Relations has been honored with multiple awards this spring.
The Jesuit Advancement Administrators (JAA) presented the Department of Public Relations with four awards at its recent conference in Milwaukee, WI. What’s a Disputation? picked up two gold awards in the communication and special events categories. Congratulations to Debra S. Park MS ’06, associate vice president for public relations, Eileen C. Herbert ’04, associate director for public relations. Due to their promotional efforts, the staged reading of The Disputation in fall 2006 performed to a sold-out audience in the college’s Montante Cultural Center.
The International Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) also awarded the PR Department with its Hermes Award for What’s a Disputation?
JAA also recognized A Legacy of Leadership: The Campaign for Canisius College with a silver award in the communications category. The campaign also earned the PR Department a bronze Excalibur Award in the special events category from the Buffalo Niagara Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
The kickoff event for A Legacy of Leadership also brought in two awards: silver award in the communications category from JAA and a bronze Excalibur Award from PRSA.
Galie Participates in Panel Discussion on Gubernatorial Succession, Invited to New York Academy of Historians
On May 29, Peter J. Galie, PhD, chair and professor of political science, participated in a panel discussion on gubernatorial succession in Albany sponsored by the Rockefeller Institute. New York Acting Lieutenant Governor Joseph Bruno, Assemblyman Robin Schimminger ’69 and two other leading scholars of the New York Constitution also participated in the discussion. The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York, conducts research on the role of state and local governments in American federalism, education and on the management and finances of states and localities. Galie is also a new member of the New York Academy of Historians. The New York Academy represents the interests of those who work in classrooms, archives, and historical societies. Membership, by invitation only, is limited to persons with a demonstrated record of accomplishment in New York history including authors, archivists, public historians, teachers and administrators.
Astiz’s Article Ranks Fifth on “Most-Cited Articles List” An article co-authored by M. Fernanda Astiz, PhD, assistant professor of adolescence education at Canisius College, ranks fifth on the “most-cited articles list” published by Comparative Education Review, one of the most important peer-review journals in the field of comparative and international educational policy.
For more information, click here.
American Marketing Association Recognizes Canisius Chapter
The American Marketing Association (AMA) presented the Canisius College Chapter with its Chapter Performance Award at the National AMA Collegiate Conference in New Orleans in April. The award is presented to AMA chapters that demonstrate exemplary performance during an academic year. Specifically, the Canisius AMA Chapter increased its number of active members, hosted monthly presentations that featured marketing experts, and organized and participated in tours of marketing departments at several local businesses. Gregory R. Wood, PhD, associate professor of management/marketing and chair of the department, oversees the Canisius College Chapter of the American Marketing Association. For more information, click here.
Taylor’s Fiction, Poetry is Published
Poetry and fiction written by Ed Taylor, adjunct professor of English, has recently been published in the literary magazines Vestal Review (Spring 2008), Stone Canoe (Issue 2, Spring 2008), Sleepingfish (2008), Sentence (Winter 2008) and XCP: Cross Cultural Poetry (“Streetscapes,” 2008). In addition, his short story, “Fable,” was performed on March 8 on “Fiction in Shorts,” a broadcast program WXXI, the NPR-affiliate station in Rochester, NY.
Reppert’s Paper Wins Top Honors
The Eastern Communication Association awarded Kirsten L. Reppert MS ’07, annual fund officer, top honors in the organizational communication division for her master’s degree thesis entitled “Effects of Feedback Sensitivity on Job Satisfaction and Role Ambiguity.” She presented her paper at the 99th annual convention of the Eastern Communication Association which was held in Pittsburgh, PA on May 2. Reppert is a 2007 graduate of Canisius Graduate Program in Communication and Leadership.