Canisius College President Announces Retirement
Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S. J. to retire summer of 2010
During his tenure, Father Cooke, 72, has led a dramatic transformation of Canisius from a local commuter college into a regionally-prominent residential comprehensive university through his strategic pursuit of high-quality academics, faculty, facilities and students.
“Next year will be my 17th year as President of Canisius,” said Father Cooke. “It is time for the college to begin the process that will provide new leadership as we move into the second decade of the twenty-first century.”
Under Father Cooke’s leadership, Canisius has invested more than $142 million in 24 major projects on the central Buffalo campus, including $67 million in eight residence hall projects, making the college one of the most significant private developers in the city of Buffalo over the past 16 years. Other significant projects completed under Father Cooke’s presidency include the comprehensive renovation of Old Main, the college’s first building at Main and Jefferson Avenue built in 1911, and Lyons Hall, the former Mount St. Joseph’s High School building on the west side of Main Street, and the transformation of the former St. Vincent de Paul Church at Main and Eastwood Place into the spectacular 500-seat Montante Cultural Center. The Canisius initiatives have also strengthened the surrounding Hamlin Park neighborhood in which the college is located.
Plans are now underway to develop Science Hall, a $47 million interdisciplinary science center in the former HealthNow headquarters, which will support the college’s nationally ranked undergraduate science programs.
Investments in new academic majors under the Cooke administration also include the emerging fields of bioinformatics, international business, accounting information systems, health and human performance and digital media arts.
In 1993, Canisius had 900 students in campus residence halls. In the current academic year, 1500 Canisius undergraduates, about half the full-time undergraduate student population, are in residence on the campus. More than 70 percent of the college’s incoming freshman class will reside in campus housing.
Father Cooke’s focus on fund raising has allowed the college to fund many of its campus improvements and scholarship assistance to ensure that all deserving students receive a Canisius education. In 2000, the college completed its first comprehensive capital campaign with an impressive $39 million, nearly 33 percent more than its goal. The college’s latest campaign, A Legacy of Leadership: The Campaign for Canisius College, has raised nearly $66 million to date. In all, Canisius has raised approximately $150 million during Father Cooke’s tenure.
“Father Cooke has been an outstanding leader for Canisius and for the Buffalo region,” said Dennis F. Strigl ’74, president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications and chair of the Canisius Board of Trustees. “I know I speak on behalf of the board and the entire Canisius family in expressing my profound admiration and gratitude for everything that Father Cooke has done for our college.”
A Buffalo News poll of Western New York leaders ranked Father Cooke as the second most influential civic leader and the college as the second most influential institution overall in terms of their positive impact on the community. Father Cooke was also recognized by The Buffalo News as one of its Outstanding Citizens for 2001 and named the 2003 Renaissance Man by the Buffalo Renaissance Foundation. He received the Humanitarian Award from the Niagara Lutheran Foundation in 2005, and Citation Award for community leadership from the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York in 2007. The college was also recognized in 2003 by the Preservation League of New York State for Excellence in Historic Preservation for its sensitive renovations of historically significant buildings on the campus.
Father Cooke is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Fordham University, and a member of the finance committee of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus. In early 2008, he served as a delegate at the Jesuits’ 35th General Congregation that elected Rev. Adolfo Nicolas, S.J., as the new General of the Society of Jesus. Father Cooke was also a delegate at 33rd General Congregation that elected Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., as General.
Born in New York and raised in Hoboken, NJ, Father Cooke received a bachelor of arts degree from Fordham University in 1960; a Licentiate in philosophy from Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak, in 1961; master’s degrees in teaching and philosophy in 1962 and 1965 respectively from Fordham; advanced theology degrees from Woodstock College in 1967 and Yale University in 1968; and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1971. Father Cooke’s academic area of expertise focuses on ethics, the theory of knowledge and the philosophy of language.
Father Cooke previously served as provincial of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus and just prior to his appointment at Canisius, as executive and academic vice president of John Carroll University. His future plans after retirement from Canisius will be determined in consultation with the provincial of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus.
The Board of Trustees will form a Presidential Search Committee that will conduct a national search to identify the next Canisius president. The committee will present its conclusions to the Board of Trustees, which will make the final selection.
For more information, contact the Canisius College Office of Public Relations at (716) 888-2790.
Canisius College is one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in Western New York. Canisius prepares leaders - intelligent, caring, faithful individuals - able to pursue and promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.
Highlights of the Administration of Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J.
1993
Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., named the 23rd president of Canisius College.
1995
Design and construction of the 200-seat Marie Maday Theatre in Lyons Hall.
1996
The Village Townhouses on the west side of Main Street opens for 227 resident students.
Renovated Frisch Hall reopens for approximately 250 resident students.
Canisius Center@Amherst established for courses in the college’s master of business administration and external business programs.
1997
Launch of the Imagine Canisius capital campaign.
Renovated Bosch Hall opens and is home to approximately 250 students.
Redesign and construction of the Palisano Pavilion and the Penfold Commons, a focal point for campus-based activities and programs.
1998
Renovation of the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center includes 14 new student club rooms and a 200-seat conference room.
Acquisition and renovation of Desmond Hall, a 29-bed residence hall on Jewett Parkway.
Dedication of the new Patrick P. Lee Student Athletic Center.
The Pastor Family Aerobic & Fitness Center opens in the Koessler Athletic Center.
George M. Martin Hall, former St. Vincent de Paul Rectory, opens and is home to students in the All-College Honors Program.
2000
Imagine Canisius capital campaign concludes with nearly $39 million raised, surpassing the goal for the campaign by $9 million. The campaign is rated the top development accomplishment among Jesuit colleges and universities by the Jesuit Advancement Administrators.
Creation of the Urban Leadership Community Program (ULLCP), an intensive collaborative learning and leadership development program aimed at high school graduates from Buffalo’s inner city.
Dedication of renovated Lyons Hall (former Mt. St. Joseph’s High School). The state-of-the-art classroom building serves as the new “gateway to Canisius College.”
Dedication of Montante Cultural Center, a 500-seat performing arts center in the former St. Vincent de Paul Church.
2001
Phase I of the Delavan Townhouses and Community Center Project, located on the site of the former Delavan Armory, opens to 194 resident students.
Re-dedication of renovated Old Main, the college’s primary academic center, includes 50 new technology classrooms, lounges and atrium.
The renovated Streng Oldsmobile property reopens as Demerly Hall and houses the college’s graduate program in Health & Human Performance and the college’s Facilities Management Department.
2002
Reconstruction of the Quadrangle and construction of the Koessler Plaza located behind Old Main.
Phase II of the Delavan Townhouse project opens to 130 additional resident students.
Renovated Economou Dining Hall features park-like setting with new seating, lighting and food stations.
Introduction of the Employer Assisted Housing Program, which provides financial incentives for Canisius employees interested in living in the city of Buffalo.
Canisius announces a major realignment of its intercollegiate athletics program, reducing the number of varsity sports from 23 to 16 and committing to reinvesting all savings from eliminated programs into the remaining programs to enable the college to hire fulltime coaches and upgrade each program.
Canisius signs contract with Uniland Development to acquire the former Sears Roebuck store and parking facility at Main and Jefferson with a closing to occur at the end of the BlueCross BlueShield lease in approximately five years.
Renovated arena within the Koessler Athletic Center is rededicated at the men’s basketball home opener.
2003
A fully-renovated Campion Hall reopens as the new housing facility for 48 international students.
2004
Renovation of Health Science Center provides classrooms and laboratories for Biology and Psychology Departments and new space for the Canisius College Literacy Center.
2005
The college’s newest residence hall on Eastwood Place opens to 270 resident students. Eastwood Hall was dedicated Dugan Hall in honor of Rev. Paul Dugan, S.J., the college’s longtime moderator of athletics, in 2007.
Purchase and renovation of 23 Agassiz Circle for offices for the College Relations Division.
Canisius acquires the Mt. St. Joseph Academy property on the west side of Main Street adjacent to Lyons Hall from the Sisters of St. Joseph. The elementary school buildings were demolished in 2008 to create 5.5 acres of green space on the campus.
2007
Canisius announces the largest gift in the school’s history, a $5.1 million commitment from the family of Carl ’64 and Carol Montante.
Canisius launches A Legacy of Leadership: The Campaign for Canisius College, the largest fund-raising initiative in the college’s 137-year history.
2008
Closing on the acquisition of the former HealthNow (Sears Roebuck) complex. Renamed Science Hall, the building will house a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary science center at the college.
Renovation of Koessler Athletic Center’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball Locker Rooms and installation of a new artificial turf at the Demske Sports Complex.
The Chronicle of Higher Education “Great Colleges to Work for 2008” survey recognized Canisius College as a leader in providing an exceptional work environment for its employees. Canisius placed in the top 5 schools in 20 out of 27 categories measured.
Canisius hits a record for most cash received from fund raising activities, $14.3 million. The college’s Annual Fund hits a record with $2.389 million raised.
The academic quality of the Canisius student has risen steadily during the Cooke administration. In 1993, the average freshman SAT score was 958 and high school averages among freshmen were 85 percent. In 2008, Canisius freshman had an average SAT score of 1129 and a high school average of 90.1.
2009
Opening of a Tim Horton’s coffee shop within the college’s Bouwhuis Library.
Date released: 5/4/2009
