Academic Convocation
Canisius President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., continued a college tradition on Thursday, September 8 as host of the annual academic convocation.  The state-of-the-college address drew nearly 200 Canisius faculty, administrators and staff to the Montante Cultural Center, where Father Cooke updated the campus community on everything from current undergraduate enrollment to the strategic issues that face the college in the years ahead. 

Canisius President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., presented his annual state-of-the-college address on Thursday, September 8 in Montante Cultural Center.

Overall, he said, Canisius surpassed its goal to enroll 980 new undergraduate students, with 780 traditional freshmen and 208 transfers. The college also met its target in relation to the number of freshman resident students but recorded a shortfall in the number of commuter students it aimed to enroll.  Shortfalls were also noted in graduate enrollment but Father Cooke reassured the audience that while “closing the resulting budget gap will pose a challenge for the college, our professional schools are working very hard and diligently to improve enrollment.”

Meantime, the academic profile of undergraduates continues to improve.  Specifically, the college’s selectivity rating decreased from 82 percent in 2004 to 72 percent in 2005.  “Selectivity,” said Father Cooke, “is a classic example of how academic quality is measured at colleges and universities.” He continued, noting that SAT scores for the Class of 2009 averaged 1111, up from 1109 last year.  Similarly, the number of incoming freshmen with a high school average below 80 percent decreased from 2.9 percent (2004) to 1.5 percent (2005).  The geographic diversity of the freshman class also improved with 9.9 percent of students enrolled from out of state, compared to 8.1 percent in 2004. 

The number of freshman students who choose to live on campus continues to climb with 69 percent of the freshman class living in residence halls, versus 61 percent last year.  Several of those students reside in Eastwood Hall, the college’s newest residence facility, which formally opened last week to 270 freshman and sophomore students. 

Nearly 200 Canisius faculty, administrators and staff listened as Father Cooke updated the campus community on everything from current undergraduate enrollment to the strategic issues that face the college in the years ahead. 

Father Cooke also noted that Canisius intends to exercise its right of first refusal to purchase the Mount St. Joseph’s property. The school continues to operate under a lease from the Sisters of St. Joseph through this academic year.  Long term, the property could serve as a prime site for another townhouse complex to mirror the Village Townhouses but the college has not settled on any definitive plan for the property. 

Other recently completed endeavors include the creation of a new classroom on the second floor of the Health Science Building, which is equipped with 37 computers.  The college’s quest towards a wireless campus continues with 10 buildings now part of a wireless network.  Canisius College students and faculty now have access to more than four million books through a new library service called ConnectNY, a collaboration of libraries within New York State dedicated to sharing library materials as efficiently and quickly as possible for faculty, staff and students at participating institutions. 

“Two other very important accomplishments for the college,” continued Father Cooke, include the college’s reaccredidation from the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education and receipt of professional accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). 

While Canisius continues to enhance the academic quality of the college, Father Cooke emphasized that it also “remains committed to meeting the four goals outlined in its strategic plan approved by the Board of Trustees in May 2003.”

To further enhance the intellectual life on campus, the college is working to capitalize on the strength of the science programs and raise money for the purchase of the BlueCross BlueShield Building so it may be converted into an interdisciplinary science center. “There is a long way to go on cost of acquisition and renovation,” said Father Cooke “but whatever challenges arise, we will see through to conclusion.”

In an effort to secure permanent endowment for chairs, professorships and selected programs, Father Cooke urged faculty to tell alumni of the importance of such endowments and how they can make a difference in the intellectual life of students.  To further illustrate the college’s commitment to this strategic goal, Father Cooke noted that Canisius is employing more faculty from more geographically diverse areas, with the number of full-time faculty for fall 2005 totaling 217, up from 205 last fall.  Additionally, the standard teaching load was reduced so as to allow more time for faculty research and publication.  Currently, 34 faculty have 12 hour teaching loads, compared to 39 a year ago. 

The college remains steadfast in its goal to improve student life on campus.  "Eastwood Hall is a shining example," said Father Cooke, who noted that in a recent residential survey, Canisius ranked first in seven of the 10 categories ranging from how satisfied resident students are with their personal space in rooms to the dining services available to them.  

The diversification of the student body, both ethnically and geographically, remains an important goal in the college’s strategic plan and one that Father Cooke said sees progress each year.  Nine percent of students in the Class of 2009 are African American, compared to 5.9 percent in the Class of 2008. 

There are also “significant signs of progress” with regards to the fourth and final goal of the strategic plan: to establish a competitive athletic program.  The number of full-time coaches is now at 16, up from 12.  Strength and conditioning coaches, as well as academic advising positions, also moved to full-time status.  And “there will be significant incremental increases in the number of athletic scholarships available over the next four years.”

Father Cooke cited further signs of progress noting “the women’s basketball team was the first Western New York team to go to the NCAA Tournament.”  The college’s hockey team ranks second in the Atlantic Hockey Conference.  And for the past eight years, the synchronized swimming team has won the ECAC Championship. 

Finally, Father Cooke concluded his state-of-the-college restating his commitment to attaining all the goals of the strategic plan. 

He said, “Many strategic plans implemented by colleges and universities end up sitting on a shelf and collecting dust.  We are not doing that at Canisius.  We continue to move forward and I am convinced that our strategic plan is the key to Canisius becoming a leading, comprehensive university in the Northeast.”