Canisius College


Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors and around 34 master's and certificate programs.

History

"Canisius" has its roots in the Jesuit community that arose from disputed ownership of St. Louis Church in Buffalo in 1851. Rev. Lucas Caveng, a German Jesuit, along with 19 families from St. Louis Church, founded St. Michael's Church on Washington St. The college followed, primarily for serving sons of German immigrants, along with the high school in 1870, first at 434 Ellicott St. and next to St. Michael's. In 1913 construction of the Old Main building at 2001 Main St. was completed. The early presidents of the college were German Jesuits.

Academics

Canisius offers more than 100 majors, minors, and special programs. The college is accredited by the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In fall 2009, Canisius College introduced a new major in Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Other new majors include Creative Writing, Health and Wellness, and Journalism. With the George E. Schreiner '43, MD, Pre-Medical Center as an asset, the college caters strongly to the biological and health science fields and holds close relationships with both the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
In July 2020, President John Hurley and the board of trustees made a decision to lay off a number of tenured faculty, including Classics, Chemistry, English, History, Management, Religious Studies, and Philosophy. Several majors were eliminated, including Classics, Entrepreneurship, European studies, Fine Arts, Human Services, International Business, Physics, Religious Studies, and Urban Studies. Some college faculty have contested the decision, including a formal vote of no confidence by the college's faculty senate. The outcome remains uncertain.

Student life

Canisius has on campus about 90 clubs and organizations, vetted by the Undergraduate Student Association and its Senators. Program offerings include the Best of Buffalo series, Fusion game nights, the Fall Semi-Formal, the Canisius Royals competition, the Mass of the Holy Spirit with Fall BBQ and Bonfire, Griffin Week, and Griff Fest. With a growing student population in its colleges, Buffalo has begun offering free Canal-side concerts, along with "Shakespeare in the Park", the Polish Broadway Market, Silo City "Boom Days", and Dyngus Day.

Athletics

The college sponsors 20 NCAA Division 1 Athletic teams and is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as well as the Atlantic Hockey Conference. Men's sports include baseball, ice hockey, and golf. Women's sports include volleyball and softball. The Golden Griffins compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for most sports, except for men's ice hockey which competes in the Atlantic Hockey Association. In 2013, the men's ice hockey team won its first Atlantic Hockey Championship, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. In 2008, Canisius men's lacrosse won the MAAC tournament and earned its first bid to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament.
The Women's Lacrosse team won MAAC Championships four years in a row. The 2008 Baseball team won its first regular season MAAC championship, with a 41-13 season, and the following year made its first appearance in the MAAC Championship game. In 2013, the team won the MAAC Championship and received its first bid to the NCAA tournament. The Canisius College softball team won the 2009 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament for its 3rd consecutive title, marking the team's 11th trip to the NCAA tournament in 15 years. In its rivalry with Niagara University Canisius won the Canal Cup two of the first three years. Intramural sports are also offered for students, faculty, and staff.
Canisius' mascot is the Golden Griffin. The college adopted the griffin as a mascot in 1932, after Charles A. Brady wrote a story in a Canisius publication honoring Buffalo's centennial year as a city. Brady wrote about Jesuit-educated explorer Rene-Robert LaSalle's Le Griffon, which was built in Buffalo. The griffin was first used on the La Salle medal in 1932 and from there spread to the college newspaper and sports teams. According to GoGriffs.com, the griffin is a "legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet." It represents values such as courage, boldness, intelligence, and strength befitting students and athletes alike.
The College was also the first home field of the Buffalo All-Americans of the early National Football League. Around 1917 Buffalo manager Barney Lepper signed a lease for the team to play their home games at Canisius College. The All-Americans played games at Canisius before relocating to Bison Stadium in 1924.

Greek life

Canisius College's fraternities and sororities are overseen by the Canisius College Office of Student Life. The three college-approved Greek organizations on campus are the Lambda chapter of the fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon, the sorority Phi Sigma Sigma, and the professional organization Alpha Kappa Psi. Also there is a Classics Club which fosters interest in the study of ancient Greek and Roman history, language, and culture; it hosts events like readings and discussions of ancient texts, Saturnalia, and alcohol-free toga parties. The club fosters the Jesuit value of a Classical education, as well as cura personalis.

ROTC

Canisius College is the Reserve Officer Training Corps hub for Western New York. The Golden Griffin Battalion is composed of students from Canisius, University at Buffalo, Hilbert College, D'Youville College, Daemen College, Medaille College, Buffalo State College, and Erie Community College.

Rankings

Canisius earned the 22nd spot in the top tier of U.S. News & World Report's 2017 rankings of America's Best Regional Universities – North. U.S. News also ranked Canisius thirteenth in the 2016 "Great Schools, Great Prices" listing among regional universities in the North. Canisius earned the ninth spot among 49 regional universities in the North in U.S. News' Best Colleges for Veterans Ranking for 201. Canisius College alumni ranked first, overall, in New York State on the 2014 CPA exam cycle, with a 75 percent pass rate, in the category of medium programs.

Student-run media

The student weekly newspaper is The Griffin, which replaced The Canisian in 1933 and went online in 2013. The annual Quadrangle magazine contains student writings, artwork, and photographs. The Azuwur is the College yearbook. Public-access television cable TV broadcasts to Canisius College from its fourth floor studio at Lyons Hall. The WIRE, replacing WCCG, is the college's radio station, which broadcasts over the campus television system and is online through the college website. The Courier is a magazine-style opinion-orientated publication, begun in 2006. It allows students to freely express their opinions, however controversial.

Buildings

Christ the King Chapel

Christ the King Chapel, designed by Buffalo architect Duane Lyman, is centrally located to "symbolize its importance". It was completed in 1951 and has seating for 492.

Science Hall

Science Hall was built as a Sears and Roebuck store in 1929. The college has allocated $68 million for its renovation, over $35 million of which has been raised with help from the John R. Oishei Foundation.

Science Hall Parking Ramp

The parking ramp originally served the Sears and Roebuck building at 1901 Main St. However, throughout the history of ramp, Canisius students have used it for parking, with Sears advertising in The Griffin that parking was free. Acquisition of the property has eliminated parking problems.

Churchill Academic Tower

The 11-story Churchill Academic Tower was built in 1971, designed by Leroy H. Welch. It is named for its chief benefactor, Rev. Clinton H. Churchill and his wife Francis. The Tower is routinely derided but serves as a highly functional space.

Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library

Built in 1957 and upgraded in 1988 and from 2013 through 2015, Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library, named for Andrew L. Bouwhuis, S.J., college librarian from 1935 to 1955, furnishes extensive area for study and research. It seats 500 people and includes group study rooms, an audio-visual listening/viewing area, a rare book room, an instruction room, a Curriculum Materials Center, and a lounge, along with private study rooms accommodating one to eight people.

The Koessler Athletic Center

Located at 1833 Main Street in Buffalo, the Koessler Athletic Center is named after J. Walter Koessler, class of '22. The facility has a swimming pool, two weight rooms, two gymnasiums, and locker rooms and offices for athletic coaches and support staff.

Public Safety Department

Canisius College Public Safety employs armed peace officers pursuant to NYS CPL 2.10, who are authorized to enforce all Federal, State, and Municipal laws.

Notable alumni and honorary degree recipients

Canisius has approximately 40,000 living alumni worldwide who are working in the fields of business, journalism, government, law, medicine, and sports.
In academia, notable Canisius alumni include:
In business, notable Canisius alumni include:
In journalism and television, notable Canisius alumni include:
In government and law, notable Canisius alumni include:
In medicine and science, notable Canisius alumni include:
In sports, notable Canisius alumni include:
Honorary degree recipients include: