Welcome from the Vice President for Academic Affairs
At the heart of a Canisius education is our mission and our Jesuit identity. We place a high value on academic excellence and the liberal arts leading to the ability to think critically and communicate clearly. We work to foster both an intellectual understanding of social justice and the willingness to act for and with others. We expect academic experiences to be transformational, to generate a level of knowledge and understanding of ourselves and others so that we can see the world in new ways. Sometimes these transformational experiences happen during a classroom discussion or a conversation with a faculty member, sometimes while reading a text, writing a paper, or reviewing with friends, sometimes in a research lab, sometimes during an immersion trip or study abroad, and sometimes in the deep quiet of our own thoughts. It is our goal to engage students in these experiences so that they can find their path and live their passion.
Canisius faculty have embraced the teacher-scholar model and are active scholars in their fields, often with students as collaborators. As innovative educators, they have created myriad opportunities to engage both undergraduate and graduate students in the discovery and transmission of knowledge. The long list of possibilities includes conducting research with a faculty member and presenting the results at a professional conference, drafting a novel under the mentorship of a faculty writer, immersion experiences in the U.S. and abroad, academic travel to another country with faculty as part of an academic program, musical performances, and so much more.
I encourage every student to seek out the opportunities they find most compelling and take full advantage of them. Welcome to the community of scholars that is Canisius University.
Sara Morris, PhD
Vice President for Academic Affairs