| 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.
CANISIUS EVENTS
Theodore Bikel to Star in The Disputation
The Canisius College Center for the Global Study of Religion, in association with Temple Beth Zion, Joan and Peter Andrews Family Foundation and Theater J, will present two events with world-renowned actor Theodore Bikel.
A staged reading of The Disputation, by Hyam Maccoby, will be performed on Saturday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Canisius College Montante Cultural Center. The evening will include a 15-minute intermission, question and answer session, and a dessert reception.
Tickets are $35 for general admission and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 716-852-5000 and Ticketmaster outlets including Kaufmann's.
In addition to The Disputation, "A Conversation with Theodore Bikel" will take place on Friday, September 15 at 8:15 p.m. at Temple Beth Zion. A Shabbat Service will be held at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Both events are a tribute to the late Rev. James M. Demske, S.J., president of Canisius College and the late Rabbi Martin L. Goldberg, PhD, of Temple Beth Zion. For more information, contact the Canisius College Office of Religious Studies and Theology at Ext. 2824 or click here.
Welcome New Faculty and Administrators
The Canisius community is invited to welcome the more than 35 new faculty and administrators who have been hired for the 2006-2007 academic year.
On Monday, August 21, a wine and cheese reception will be held in the Penfold Commons of the Palisano Pavilion from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
On Tuesday, August 22, there will be a “Meet the Faculty” coffee hour from 8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. in Old Main Faculty Lounge.
Family Picnic and Buffalo Bison’s Baseball Game
Canisius employees and their families are invited to a free picnic catered by Chartwells on Tuesday, August 22 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. in the Palisano Pavilion. For those who wish to attend the Buffalo Bison’s game following the picnic, discount tickets are available to college employees for $9 each (reserved seating). You may attend one event or both. To RSVP or for more information, contact Dede Johnson at johnson5@canisius.edu.
Habitat House Blessing Set for September 17
Habitat for Humanity - Buffalo will formally dedicate the house at 70 Eastwood on Sunday, September 17 at 3:30 p.m. Renovation on the house is nearly complete and it will soon be home to David and Regina Burton and their four children. Family and friends of the Burtons will join the family for this very special occasion. During the ceremony the house will be blessed by the Burton family’s minister and Rev. John P. Bucki, S.J., director of campus ministry, will say the Invocation and Benediction. The day is also significant because September 17 is Habitat for Humanity’s International Day of Prayer and Action, a time when the entire Habitat community is urged to come together in prayer for those in need of shelter.
In early February, the college transferred ownership of the house and lot at 70-72 Eastwood Place to Habitat for Humanity-Buffalo. Since that time, Habitat work crews, in conjunction with the Canisius Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, renovated the home for the Burtons. The Burton family also invested 500 hours of “sweat equity” into a combination of the Eastwood Place residence and other Habitat projects.
Fifth Annual Summer Science Camp at Canisius
Students at this year’s Summer Science Camp at Canisius College, coordinated by Steven Szczepankiewicz, PhD, assistant professor of chemistry/biochemistry, used Earth science and physics concepts to launch hot air balloons in the college’s Bart Mitchell Quad on July 25. The camp was featured in a story in The Buffalo News on August 3. Approximately 100 middle school students from Western New York attended this year’s program. They explored different sciences each day, including chemistry, Earth science, forensic biology and physics through exciting hands-on activities and experiments.
CANISIUS KUDOS
Math Department Hosts Summer Research Program
(left to right) Terry Bisson, PhD, professor of mathematics and statistics; Stratos Prassidis, PhD, associate professor of mathematics and statistics; Clara Brasseur, Oberlin College; Julia Lazenby, Reed Corlege; Taylor Coon, University of Rochester; Allison Davis, Muhlenberg College; Ryan Grady, Colorado School of Mines; Dominic Dotterrer, University of California at Santa Cruz; Sam Cooper, Vanderbilt University; and Joseph Consiglio '07, Canisius College.
Eight students from colleges around the country, including one from Canisius College, participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (R.E.U.) in mathematics at Canisius hosted by the Department of Mathematics from June 19-August 11. The program, co-directed by Stratos Prassidis, PhD, associate professor of mathematics and statistics and Terry Bisson, PhD, professor of mathematics and statistics, is funded by the National Science Foundation. This is the second year that Canisius has hosted the program.
Public Safety Staff Completes HazMat Training
During an anthrax drill, Canisius Public Safety HazMat trainees carry a potential victim out of the "hot zone."
Six members of the Canisius College Department of Public Safety (CCPS) completed U.S. Department of Homeland Security Hazardous Material (HazMat) Training on July 15. The mission of the new CCPS HazMat team is to assist incoming federal, state or local emergency responders in case of a natural or man made emergency involving chemical or biological threat. The team trained in search and rescue, evidence gathering, crime scene preservation and communications. The training was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which the Department of Public Safety received in October of 2005. CCPS HazMat Team members include: Lieutenant Richard Miller, Lieutenant James Murphy, Lieutenant John Hach, Officer Mike Sonnefeld, Officer Andrew Nowak and Officer Jose Valdez. Director of Public Safety Gary Everett served as the course trainer.
Canisius Hosts NYS Peace Officer Training
(Left to right) From the Buffalo Fire Department: Timothy M. Shoemaker Sr., firefighter; Joseph J. Tomizzi, fire marshal; Kevin J. Lozano, fire marshal and Salvatore F. Colangelo, lieutenant; Anthony Nigro IV and Jose D. Valdez, officers for public safety; David P. Koteras, adjunct professor of criminal justice/sociology and program facilitator and Gary M. Everett, director of public safety. Missing from photo: Scott H. Becker, officer for public safety.
In late June and early July, the Canisius College Public Safety Department hosted the New York State Basic Peace Officer Program. The participants included three new Canisius College Public Safety Officers and four City of Buffalo Fire Marshals. According to Canisius Director of Public Safety Gary Everett, the college was proud to sponsor the training for the Buffalo Fire Department.
"We wanted to provide the training the Buffalo Fire Department arson investigators at no cost to show our appreciation for their hard work in protecting our college," says Everett.
This is the sixth time that Canisius has hosted the Peace Officer Training Program.
Lovering Recounts Literary Life of Charles Brady
The literary life of Charles A. Brady '33 is recounted in a new book by Joseph P. Lovering, professor emeritus of English. The Well-Made Historical Novels of Charles A. Brady, 1912-1995: Defender of the Moral Fabric of Local Cultures introduces readers to the many works of the late professor emeritus of English including his early poetry, fiction and journalism. In it, Lovering also provides readers with his own critical judgments of Brady's works. "This book is a deeply engaging exploration of a fascinating and important figure," says English Professor and Writer-in-Residence Mick Cochrane, PhD. "It's perceptive in its criticism, balanced in its judgments, gracefully written, witty and lively -- worthy of its subject in every way."
To purchase a copy of The Well Made Historical Novels of Charles Brady, order forms can be picked up in the faculty lounge. For more information, contact Dr. Lovering at Ext. 2597.
Computer Forensics is Focus of New Volonino Book
Linda A. Volonino, PhD, chair of information systems, details how digital evidence is used to investigate crime scenes, intrusions and hacker attacks in her newest textbook Computer Forensics: Principals and Practices. The reference, part of a series on security, covers three key areas: computer technology, recognized investigative techniques and legal issues to teach students how to use forensically-sound methodologies and software to acquire electronic evidence admissible in court or for legal action. Intended for introductory and intermediate courses in computer forensics, digital investigations or computer crime investigations, Computer Forensics: Principals and Practices is co-authored by Jana Goodwin, chair of the Computer Networking Administration/Information Systems Security Program at Louisville Technical Institute, and Reynaldo Anzaldua, instructor of information technology at South Texas College.
Rose Twardowski, associate director of creative services, is credited with the creative graphic design of the book.
In addition, Volonino and Pragati Dalal '05 have co-authored the chapter "Network Middleware" in The Handbook of Information Systems, edited by Hossein Bidgoli and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2007.