| August 16, 2006 | Vol 7. No. 18 |
Canisius Gears Up For Fall 2006 Semester
Although a few weeks of summer still lie ahead, the Canisius College community is in final preparations for the fall 2006 semester. Summer hours for college employees will end on Friday, August 18. Regular hours, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., with one hour for lunch, resume on Monday, August 21.
More than 35 new faculty and administrators will join the staff this fall, and begin orientation on Monday, August 21. To find out about opportunities to meet them, click here.
The final session of Summer 2006 Orientation for the Class of 2010 will be held from August 23-24. During Welcome Weekend, entitled “The Voyage Begins – Setting Sail for Success,” incoming freshman and their parents will visit “ports of call” (actually campus offices) to familiarize them with college services, and take part in activities that promote team building, diversity and instill a sense of community. The three-day event will be held from August 25-27.
Classes begin in all divisions on Monday, August 28. The start of the academic year will be commemorated at the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Thursday, August 31 at 1 p.m. in Christ the King Chapel. The Mass will be followed by a chicken barbeque in the Quad at approximately 2:15 p.m., sponsored by the Senate Programming Board (SPB). In the event of rain, the barbeque will be held in the Penfold Commons of the Palisano Pavilion.
Canisius Acquires Mount St. Joe’s Property
Canisius College assumed ownership of the property at 2064 Main Street, the site of Mount St. Joseph Academy (MSJA), in July. The college agreed to purchase the property from the Institute of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese of Buffalo last summer, after it closed the school due to financial concerns.
Parents, alumni and friends of MSJA formed the Mount. St. Joseph Academy School Corporation to assume operation of the school for the 2005-2006 school year. MSJA will remain in the building for two years until a new site is identified.
“For the short-term, the college is pleased to provide a lease to Mount St. Joseph Academy,” said John J. Hurley ’78, vice president for college relations. “Our long-term plan for the property, however, is to demolish the existing building and develop new residential and classroom space.”
In 1988, Canisius acquired the adjacent property that is now Lyons Hall and also held a right of first refusal to purchase the elementary school property, which it exercised. The school property consists of two classroom buildings on five and one-half acres.
For more information, click here.
New York State Budget Brings Capital Funds to Canisius
Responding to a request from Canisius College, members of the New York State Assembly and Senate added $3 million to the budget for the college’s interdisciplinary science center. The funds will be used for the college’s costs related to the purchase, renovation and equipping of the BlueCross BlueShield building and the adjoining parking pavilion, both of which Canisius will acquire at the end of 2007.
The appropriation represents a historic achievement for Canisius – the first time the college has received a direct capital appropriation from the state. Canisius was one of only nine private colleges and universities designated to receive capital funding in the budget.
The process of securing the funds began in January with a series of meetings between the College Relations Division and key members of the state Legislature and state administration. In March, Canisius President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., presented the college’s case for funding at a meeting with the Western New York legislative delegation. Later that month, the legislature completed action on a budget bill that contained the appropriation.
Special thanks to the ‘deans’ of the state Assembly and state Senate’s local delegation who are both Canisius alumni: Assemblyman Robin Schimminger ’69 and Senator Dale Volker ’64 who organized support through the entire delegation. Additionally, a number of college trustees and friends made phone calls and sent letters to the governor’s office in support of the request.
Canisius Seeks Funding for National Youth Sports Program
Participants in this year’s National Youth Sports Program take a break from swimming, one of the program’s daily sports activities. Pictured left is Amanda Donnelly ’07, a physical education/health education major at Canisius and member of this year’s NYSP staff.
The 37th annual National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) at Canisius College wrapped up on July 25, for what may be its final session as the program’s funding from the U.S. Department of Education has been cut. The college has asked local lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to find funds to renew the program for 2007.
“Canisius College is strongly committed to the National Youth Sports Program because, year after year, we see how the team-building learned in the sports activities, along with the important life lessons taught in the classroom, positively impact the students,” said Ellen O. Conley, PhD, vice president for student affairs.
This year, more than 300 neighborhood youths ages 10-16 participated in the free, four-week program, with an additional 50 on a waiting list. The NYSP is for boys and girls, from low-income families, and includes three hours of sports activities each day, plus classroom instruction in drug education, health and nutrition, as well as career development.
Students receive breakfast and lunch daily, a free medical check-up and insurance during the program. Canisius faculty and teachers from Western New York public schools serve as program instructors. This year, in addition to $40,000 in federal government funding, the college provided nearly $104, 000 in direct and in-kind donations to ensure the quality of the program for its neighborhood youth.
For more information, click here.
Summer Renovation Work
Summer renovation projects at the college included a new roof for the Horan-O’Donnell Science Building. In addition, exterior masonry work was completed on Christ the King Chapel. Several driveways and parking lots on campus were repaved, including Lyons Hall (which also had a new sidewalk added), the Village Townhouses, the Koessler Athletic Center and the Student Center. In addition, the Eastwood parking lot area had a new lawn sprinkler system installed.
College Closed for Labor Day
On Monday, September 4, the college will be closed, except for essential operating personnel, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.