1. Honors Program leadership to change
2. Bonathon set to have another successful year
3. Philip Eberl recognized for outstanding work as counselor
4. Don't miss the dining hall open house
5. Partnership brings haunted house to Six Flags
6. Phys Ed. students get education outside of classroom
7. Program gets University students excited to vote
8. Wearing pink, kicking 'butts' and taking names
9. Trustees welcome five new members
10. SBU announces personnel changes
11. J/MC major Ashley Jankowski shares her thoughts on two dynamic lectures
12. Career Center News ...
13. Newsmakers ...
14. Friday Forum

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Honors Program leadership to change

Dr. Stephen Stahl, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, announced that Dr. M.W. Jackson, associate professor of English, has been named interim director of the Honors Program to replace Dr. Daniel Tate.

“When Dr. Tate agreed to turn his administrative attention towards the development of a program in Art History, it was necessary to bring in someone as an interim director who was known to the community,” Dr. Stahl said. “Much of the discussion last year during the search for the dean of Clare College position focused on how the relationship between Clare College and the Honors Program might evolve, particularly as the Clare College curriculum evolves.”

“Dr. Jackson was one of the finalists for the Dean of Clare opening that was filled last year,” Dean Stahl said. “He was very favorably received by the campus community.”

Dr. Jackson is also the associate director of English Graduate Studies and associate director of the Francis E. Kelly Oxford Program at the University.

“My current position as associate director of English Graduate Studies has provided me with excellent experience in directing highly motivated students to help accomplish their academic and professional goals,” Dr. Jackson said.

The Honors Program at St. Bonaventure University is designed to offer students of high academic achievement the intellectual opportunities and challenges that will complement and enrich their regular coursework. Courses in the honors curriculum are taught in a seminar format and take an interdisciplinary approach to contemporary issues. In their senior year, the students are responsible for developing an individualized project.

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Bonathon set to have another successful year

The 2006-2007 Annual Bonaventure Fund is under way, as the Bonathon kicked off on Sept. 17 with a goal of $400,000.

The Bonathon, a student-driven program, is one of the ways the Annual Fund Office raises money for the University. First started in the early 1980s with alumni as volunteer callers, the Bonathon advanced from volunteers to paid student callers in the 1990s and currently employs approximately 30 student callers.

Annual Fund manager Karen Heitzinger said the Bonathon is one of the most effective ways of securing gifts and pledges from our constituents. "There is no certain dollar amount our constituents have to give, all gifts count."

Every Sunday through Wednesday evenings, in both the fall and spring semesters, Bonathon callers reach out to our alumni, parents and friends in support of the Annual Bonaventure Fund. Heitzinger said the students enjoy speaking with our constituents and hearing about their fondest memories of SBU, as well as keeping them abreast of current events and news on campus.

Senior Meghan Monahan, a psychology major with a music minor, is one of two student supervisors this year. She described the Bonathon as a relaxed and friendly work environment, where new friendships are formed among callers. Students also have the opportunity to establish relationships with alumni and often times are the “voice” of St. Bonaventure.

“I know I am going to miss having those great conversations with some of our alumni because I am supervising now, but I know I am lucky that I got to make those connections with people that we share a very important and special bond with,” said Monahan.

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Phillip Eberl recognized for outstanding work as counselor

The counselor for St. Bonaventure University’s Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) chapter has received a pat on the back from the international education honor society.

Phillip Eberl, the certification officer for the School of Education, has helped to induct more than 50 new members to St. Bonaventure’s KDP chapter this year. Currently, it consists of roughly 70 active members, including alumni and five student officers. Since the chapter was established at St. Bonaventure in 1977, 780 members have been inducted.

Eberl has been recognized for his work in the chapter through a letter from the KDP, which described his tremendous work and efforts in his leadership position as the counselor of the society. Eberl’s position in the local chapter includes providing mentoring for students. He provides students with support and allows and encourages them to make their own decisions, in which case he says that they often make smart decisions. Belonging to a national honor society, Eberl said, is a big recognition for students.

“The students all have a shared leadership role within the group,” said Eberl, who has worked at St. Bonaventure for 40 years. “Part of the leadership and learning experience for me is not telling students what to do, but how to do it.”

Kappa Delta Pi is an academic honor society for students in the School of Education. St. Bonaventure University has the Xi Nu Chapter. This international honor society is open to juniors and seniors who have an overall GPA of 3.25. To join, students are nominated by their peers and are recommended by faculty members. KDP is established among a community of scholars who recognize the importance of scholarship and excellence in education. It has been an influential organization for the past 95 years.

KDP helps students with their field of teaching in education. Workshops are offered, and students can get tips on teaching. Freshmen education majors also benefit from this because they are able to get help such as tutoring from upperclassmen.

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Partnership brings haunted house to Six Flags

Six Flags Darien Lake and St. Bonaventure University are partnering to teach entrepreneurship through “Fright Fest,” Six Flags Darien Lake’s Halloween event that includes a haunted house experience.

Dr. Todd Palmer’s entrepreneurship class is engaged in a business plan writing competition to create a haunted house. Brian Cousins, Entertainment Manager at Six Flags Darien Lake, is working on the project on the side.

“It really gives students a chance to put their arms around it,” Palmer, an assistant professor of Management Sciences, said. “They will be getting hands on experience by implementing lessons learned in the classroom. By the end of the day they will learn more through this project than anything I could have taught them just sitting in the classroom.”

The event started last weekend where seven of Palmer’s students worked the Fright Fest at Six Flags Darien Lake.

“We enjoy having local students help out and give us a fresh outlook on the annual project,” said Mary Christa Sellan, Public Relations Manager for Six Flags Darien Lake. “The students enthusiasm for the project is great.”

“It’s really a great experience,” graduate student Karyn Wolf, of Rochester, said. “It gives you a great taste of the real world and how your ideas work out.”

In addition to Fright Fest, Palmer’s students are visiting various local and national haunted houses to see how they are run to get ideas for their business plan. At the end of the semester they will present their proposals to business professionals at Six Flags Darien Lake and local developers.

Last year Palmer’s entrepreneurship class and the St. Bonaventure chapter of S.I.F.E, which Palmer is the advisor for, raised $45,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief, another in a string of innovative ways to teach entrepreneurship.

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Don't miss dining hall open house

The free event, from 4 - 6 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 6 will showcase the dining
hall, originally built in 1930, which underwent a $4 million renovation this
summer. The building renovation restores and highlights one of SBU1s
historic and signature buildings by preserving and highlighting its
architecture while adapting it to the dining needs of today1s college
student. Light refreshments will be served. Free parking is available
adjoining the dining hall, off East Union Street.

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Phys Ed. students get education outside of classroom

Ten physical education students from St. Bonaventure University got a chance to canoe from Salamanca to the Allegany Reservoir on Saturday, Sept. 30, along with faculty and students from the Alternative Education High School.

The trip was held to help students more fully understand the significance of the Seneca Nation and the forced removal of Seneca families from their homes because of flooding caused by the Kinzua Dam. Its rising water inundated 10,000 acres of the Seneca’s Allegany Reservation in New York.

In 1984, the Seneca Nation of Indians Council passed a resolution marking the last Saturday in September as “Remember the Removal Day.” This is a time to remember the removal of Seneca people from the Allegany River Valley after the construction of the Kinzua Dam. In the early 1960’s the U.S. government built a dam on the Allegany River at a place called Kinzua, which in Seneca means “fish on a spear.” This dam flooded out 10,000 acres of the Allegany Reservation and forced over 140 families to relocate.

Approximately 350 people attended this year’s “Remember the Removal Day event at the Haley Building on the Seneca Allegany Territory. The program had great exhibits and included speeches by Laurence Hauptman, John Mohawk, John Trudell, Kevin Seneca, Maurice John Sr., Brenda Deeghan and Robert Porter.

The canoe trip was an attempt to put this event into context for the St. Bonaventure juniors, who are teachers in training, as well as for the students of Alternative High School. The length of the entire trip was approximately 11 miles.

Paul Brawdy, associate professor of physical education at St. Bonaventure, took his outdoor adventure class on an historical and nature-oriented learning experience rather than just a traditional lecture. Students also had an opportunity to interact with the youth from the Alternative High School. The groups used 12 canoes and a few kayaks for the trip.

Brawdy commented on how great the connection was between both groups of students.

“Paddling the river gave us a sense of the physical changes that the dam brought to this region; Sharing a canoe with students from the Alternative High School, some of whom were Seneca, perhaps challenged us all to consider some of the ways these changes have left a mark on their community,” he said. “For my students, I think sharing this trip with these high school students may have actually helped humanize this bit of history, and this transgression.”

Faculty members from both schools also accompanied the trip. Among those included were professors, a parent, and a representative of the Seneca Nation.

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Program gets University students excited to vote

St. Bonaventure University students have joined forces with Dr. Bart Lambert, associate professor of political science, to spread the word about voters’ rights.

In the summer of 2004, Lambert created the student-run Get Stoked to Vote voter registration drive.

“I observed in the past students not registering to vote, not voting in this area and having misinformation about the right to vote, and I thought it was important to change that,” he said.

As part of the effort, student volunteers staff informational tables with registration forms and packets containing frequently asked questions about voter registration. The packet clarifies common misconceptions Lambert said college students often have.

“Many students think they could lose their financial aid if they register or think it’s just not important to vote here since it’s not their permanent home. Neither is true,” he said.

Jessica Gunter, a sophomore political science major, said the drive is important to make students aware of the issues involving elections.

“The goal of this drive is to get students registered correctly and on time so they have the opportunity to vote in November. The later stage of the drive will focus on who is running and what their platform is,” she said.

Above all, Lambert believes the drive will give students the opportunity to be more involved in area governments.

“I think the students need a voice locally. Once they’re involved they’ll see just how important is it,” he said.

To join the Get Stoked to Vote campaign students may contact Dr. Bart Lambert at (716) 375-2659 or at jlambert.sbu.edu.

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Trustees welcome five new members

The St. Bonaventure University Board of Trustees welcomed five new members at an orientation held on campus Thursday, Sept. 14. New members include James J. Cattano, president, Primary Resources, Inc.; Daniel F. Collins, vice president, Corporate Communications, Corning Incorporated; Thomas J. Hook, president and chief operating officer, Greatbatch Technologies, Inc.; Robert S. King, vice president, AdviStor, Inc.; Fr. Frank Sevola, O.F.M., guardian and executive director, St. Mary Parish Province, R.I.

New Trustees were presented with an overview of the structure of the University and the functions of the Board, with special attention on the role the faculty plays in shared governance and the opportunity to get updated on current events impacting the campus.

On Friday, Sept. 16, to Saturday, Sept. 17, the Board convened to hear a number of reports from committees, including activities involving the development of the University’s marketing and promotions initiatives. The Enrollment and Marketing Committee delivered a progress report on new methodology being adopted and time dedicated to exploring new ways of benchmarking effective enrollment recruitment strategies. The discussion led to an assessment on how the University will position itself for future public relations and marketing success. The Board stated a positive assessment regarding the progress being made in directing our marketing enrollment success in the upcoming year.

The Board also heard reports from Nichole Gonzalez, Nancy Casey, Mary Piccioli and Ann Lehman regarding the First-Year Experience and had the opportunity to be acquainted with the program that supports students as they transition into the college years.

The Board passed a number of resolutions. The chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee was authorized to enter into a purchase agreement with Michael and Christopher Conroy, for the sale of three properties in the town of Allegany for the total price of $285,713. They include 154, 156 and 170 Union Street, commonly known to the University as the “Kearney House,” the “Collins House” and the “Quinn House” respectively.

The Board unanimously approved the financial statements for the year ending May 31, 2006, and the independent auditors report from Deloitte & Touche, LLP.

The Board also approved a proposed agreement with Kinley Corporation for development of townhouses near the University.

The Board of Trustees, having received results of the faculty referendum on the proposed changes to the Faculty Status and Welfare Handbook regarding financial exigency from the chair of the Faculty Senate at its meeting in June, discussed the issues with Faculty Senate chair Dr. Pat Casey and agreed that continued work to resolve differences between the position of the trustees and that of the faculty will be supported. The Board voted not to affirm the May faculty referendum results but directed the president to continue work toward a mutually satisfactory solution.

The Board also had an opportunity to tour the newly renovated Damietta Center facilities on campus. The center is destined to serve as a place of community, collaboration and pro-active problem solving for students, faculty and staff who seek a multicultural “anchor” for social, intellectual and personal development.

The Board honored Mel and Kyle Duggan, Phil Winger and Nick Ersing for their outstanding service during the summer renovations. Brenda McGee Snow, vice president Business and Finance, received special recognition for her leadership during this intensive construction period.

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SBU announces personnel changes

Mary Piccioli, dean of enrollment, has announced two personnel changes that will enhance the recruitment efforts of the Admissions Office at St. Bonaventure University. Monica D. Emery, who has served in several positions of increasing responsibility in the University’s Office of Admissions, including senior associate director of Admissions, has been named director of recruitment with full responsibility for the management and supervision of the admissions recruitment team. Mary Jane (MJ) Telford, currently the director of fundraising for the Franciscan Institute in the Office of University Relations, will join the Admissions team as the director of Volunteer Relations.

“The promotion of Monica and the appointment of MJ are integral to the continued execution of our recruitment plans,” said director of Admissions Jim DiRisio. “Our revised model for recruitment requires ongoing supervision, assessment and mentoring of what is traditionally a young, but energetic staff. Monica brings significant admissions experience to that team of dedicated counselors.”

Emery assumes direct responsibility for the efforts of the Admissions team’s six professional recruiting staff members, including the planning and synchronization of their efforts in both off-campus and on-campus activities. Emery’s initial admissions experience was at her alma mater, Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication arts. She joined the St. Bonaventure Admissions Office in 1997 and earned a master’s degree in education from St. Bonaventure in 2002.

Telford, ’75, began her career at St. Bonaventure as an admissions counselor and as the head coach of the women’s basketball team. She served in the Admissions Office for 11 years while coaching and rose to associate director of Admissions. In 1986, Telford became the first full-time coach in St. Bonaventure history in any sport other than men’s basketball. In 18 years of coaching, Telford successfully guided the Lady Bonnies from Division III to Division I and into the Atlantic 10 Conference. After leaving the University in 1993, Telford was a guidance counselor in Salamanca and then became the principal and chief executive officer at Archbishop Walsh High School in Olean. In 2000, she returned to her alma mater in the Office of University Relations where she contributed to the fundraising efforts of the University. Telford holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s in education and New York state certification in Administrative and Supervisory Services from St. Bonaventure.

“The opportunity to bring MJ onto our recruitment team is good for us, and good for the University,” DiRisio said. “She understands enrollment and she knows St. Bonaventure University well. We will benefit from the excellent rapport she has built with the University’s alumni and friends as we continue to grow the SHARE Bona’s admissions volunteer program that is integral to our recruiting effort.”

Telford assumes responsibility for all facets of the SHARE Bona’s program, including the identification, training and management of more than 100 volunteers comprised of alumni, parents, faculty and staff. She will initiate a legacy program for children of alumni and be involved in other enrollment initiatives.

“Monica’s promotion formalizes the increasing interaction and responsibilities she has taken on with the recruiting staff. Her work ethic and dedication provide a leadership by example model,” said Piccioli.
“MJ possesses a wealth of institutional memory and contacts that run wide and deep within the alumni and campus communities. More importantly, she has a passion for wanting to increase the interaction of alumni and parents with our campus community in more meaningful ways. What better way to accomplish that than within the context of connecting those groups to prospective students and families,” Piccioli added.

Additional personnel responsibility changes will affect the Office of Communications. Tom Missel, director of publications, will focus on external communications while Bryan S. Smith, director of media relations, will be developing communication strategies in support of enrollment activities for the University. Smith will act as liaison from Admissions to various enrollment and marketing task forces.

J/MC major Ashley Jankowski shares her thoughts on two dynamic lectures

I had the pleasure of attending the lectures of two extremely influential people who visited St. Bonaventure on Thursday, Sept. 28. The first was Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist, environmentalist, economist and writer. The second was Ron Suskind, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author.

The first time I saw Winona LaDuke was when she sat down in the seat in front of me in the Murphy Auditorium at 6:55 p.m. I could immediately recognize that she had an extraordinary presence about her. In addition to the administrative figures greeting her, students also appeared interested to speak with her. As I looked around, I noticed many faces I recognized — student and faculty — plus many I didn’t, the majority of which were from the Seneca Nation of Indians.

LaDuke took the podium precisely at 7 p.m. The audience was instantly drawn to her through her humor and down-to-earth attitude. She began by thanking the University for the invitation in her native tongue of Ojibwe, an Algonquin language. She offered background information on herself. LaDuke told us she was part of the White Earth Indian Reservation, which is one of seven Chippewa tribes in Minnesota. She won the 1997 award of Woman of the Year and in 1996 and 2000, she joined the Green Party under Ralph Nader.

“In order to make a better civil society we need to create a new American identity,” LaDuke explained. She believes our country should be reformed and supported on survival, not conquest. She added she considers herself a responsible human being more than an environmentalist. Having five children, LaDuke expressed that she was motivated by parenting. She explained how she taught her children never to steal, have greed and to clean up their messes. Then she analyzed how the U.S. government fails to do all of these things by stealing Native American land and their inability to control nuclear waste.

One question that appealed to me was when she asked, “How rich is rich enough?” She then went on to speak of how the U.S. has more corporations than anywhere in the world, the largest being Exxon. She told us how the corporation had an immense oil spill 10 years ago, but it still refuses to pay for it even though the company is making millions of dollars every day. In addition to failing to clean up their mess, Exxon has become greedy by trying to drill on and destroy Native American reservations.

At this point, LaDuke began a series of personal experience stories about her efforts to stop Exxon mines and preserve the environment. She told of how in her early 20s she met with Exxon to fight a uranium mine proposal to build on Navajo land. Joining her at the meeting were nuns and priests who refused other Exxon mines worldwide. In the end, Exxon retracted its Navajo mine proposal. Unfortunately, the corporation has returned with desires to drill on other Native American reservations. LaDuke said she will go back and fight them off again and will continue to do so for as long as it takes.

She ended by talking about actions her reservation has taken in order to protect the earth. Members have created a vehicle that runs on grease. They have also constructed wind turbines to produce power. As a result of this, neighboring farms and schools became interested and built turbines of their own.

LaDuke reminded us that we must change our habits in order to create a better future for those who aren’t here yet. She concluded by stating, “I do not have patriotism to a country, but I do have patriotism to land.”

After LaDuke’s speech I left the Murphy Building and headed to the Reilly Center Arena. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I entered the arena. The arena was set up as though a rock band was about to perform instead of author Ron Suskind. When the lights dimmed, SBU president Sr. Margaret Carney took the stage and introduced Suskind. With a blue spotlight on him, Suskind ran from the front row of the audience and jumped onto the stage. Right away I could tell he was going to be incredibly entertaining.

Suskind began with some personal history. He told us he was from a Jewish family of four who came from Kingston, N.Y. He was the top reporter for the Wall Street Journal from 1993-2000, and won a Pulitzer for feature writing in 1995.

Suskind was entertaining throughout his speech. He walked the span of the stage, made dramatic gestures and was humorous and sentimental when appropriate. He talked about his book titled “A Hope in the Unseen.” The incoming freshman class was asked to read this book before the start of school in August. The book is about an African-American honor student from inner-city Washington, D.C., who finds himself at Brown University. He wanted to show what a feat it is to learn in a war zone. Suskind explained how he discovered the main character of his book. He searched for one of the worst high schools in the U.S. He found it in Washington, D.C., at a school where other students kill an estimated 12 students each year and there are 10 security guards and two police on duty at all times.

Next, he interviewed the best students, but he found them to be rude and questioning of him. Finally, he discovered Cedric Jennings, an unpopular senior with a “quick tongue” who was most likely going to be valedictorian that year. As it turned out, Cedric was the only student from his high school in 10 years to go to an Ivy League school.

While he was describing the process of discovering Cedric and getting to know him, Suskind continued to relate his story to the experience of being a freshman in college. He told us, “Experience is the only thing to trust without questioning.” He added that college is the only time when you can challenge authority before entering the real world, because college is an extremely sheltered version of the real world.

He ended by telling us in Hebrew to go forth into an uncertain future because everyone has his own destiny, then reminding us to make sure and look back at those who have helped us.

When students first hear that they are to attend a lecture for class or some other reason, I think they feel apprehensive for fear of being bored. This was not the case with LaDuke and Suskind. Both were entertaining in their own unique ways. I thought the messages that they wanted to get across were vital and informative.

From LaDuke, I learned that our earth and country, specifically, are in dire need of environmental assistance. The only way to keep it clean for ourselves and future inhabitants is to change our personal habits. We should conserve natural resources and battle those who are set out to expose them.

Although I am not a freshman, Suskind’s speech appealed to me. Much that he had to say can be directed toward people in any stage of life, not just freshman year of college. I think everyone can relate to the difficulties in pressing on with life. It’s so much easier to remain in a place where one is comfortable, but it’s not realistic.

I took away a great amount of knowledge from LaDuke and Suskind, but most importantly it made me think about my personal situations. After attending these speeches I have begun to think about how I can achieve a better future for myself and the environment. I hope that anyone who was present feels the same way, and will take advantage of the awareness they provided us with.

Career Center News ...

For more information on On-campus Recruiting, On-Campus Recruiting Orientations,upcoming workshops and more visit: Career Center Events Web page.

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Newsmakers ...

Dr. Alva V. Cellini, professor of Modern Languages, was invited as the outside reader and committee member for a Ph.D. dissertation
“Ursula Suárez : Mujer Heroica, Mujer de Dios ” (Ursula Suárez: Heroic Woman, Woman of God) for the Department of Romance Languages and
Literatures at SUNY-Buffalo. She has also been invited as a paper reviewer for the 2007 Hawaiian International Conference on Arts and Humanities.

During the summer Dr. Cellini presented a paper, “Hispanic Literature in the U.S.” focusing on Cuban American writers and their works in relation to Cuban culture and diaspora in their narratives. She highlighted and discussed the works of Cuban American women writers such as Andrea O’ Reilly Herrera’s The Pearl of the Antilles, Cristina Garcia’s Dreaming of Cuba, and Mirta Ojito’s Finding Mañana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus, at the International Conference of American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese and Junta de Castilla y León, in Salamanca, Spain. She also attended the International Cultural Conference on “Spanish Portraits in the Prado from El Greco to Goya” sponsored by the Ministerio de Cultura this past July in Salamanca.

Darwin King, Professor of Accounting, had an article published in the September issue of the Oil, Gas & Energy Quarterly. The title of the article was "Timber Potpourri" and provided readers with an update on changes related to timber accounting regulations. In particular, the article discussed revisions in Form T which is the basic tax form utilized when a taxpayer has a timber sale. In addition, the article discussed the advantages of utilizing a professional forestry consultant. The final portion of the paper discussed special hurricane relief legislation for taxpayers owning timberland in various southern states. This was the fourteenth article that King has published in this journal since June 2000. The Oil, Gas & Energy Quarterly, published by Matthew Bender & Co. Inc., is read by timberland owners, accountants, and attorneys throughout the United States and Canada

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Friday Forum

All SBU faculty, staff and administrators are welcome to all the Friday Forums.

Date: Oct. 6, 2006 (this Friday)
Speaker: Phil Winger
Time: Lunch starts at noon, Forum goes from 12:35 to 1:30 p.m., including Q&A
Place: University Club - Above Hickey
Title: "Energy in Academe"

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