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Nine members of St. Bonaventure’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) chapter held a workshop at the 21st Century Community Learning Center in Cuba teaching business standards to high school students.

The SIFE students taught principles of marketing, entrepreneurial skills, advertising and other principles to the high school students in rotating sessions. The day finished with a presentation on proper presentation techniques and how to give an effective presentation.

Students from Allegany-Limestone, Scio, Friendship, Cattaraugus-Little Valley and Belfast central schools participated.

The day was intended to benefit the students in their business plan and marketing plan competition that will be held in April.

Danielle Ruffino, a graduate education major, thought the leadership day was a success.

“I feel as if with all the stations the students were able to take away enough information to help them get started on their business/marketing plans for the competition,” she said. “All of the students worked very hard at each station to get the task they were presented with completed.”

The competition will be hosted by BOCES and the SBU SIFE chapter. SIFE has been working closely with area schools, and at the competition they will be given the opportunity to present these plans to local entrepreneurs from the Olean area, Ruffino said.

Dr. Todd Palmer, assistant professor of management sciences, said the leadership day greatly benefited the students.

“The high school students did very well and learned a lot to help with their upcoming business plans,” he said. “Our students conveyed business principles in a unique way that was easy for the younger students to understand. They walked out of there benefiting tremendously from the four hours of presentations and learning.”

The Learning Center, located at the old Cuba bus garage, is made possible through the Instructional Support Service (ISS) Division of Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES. A grant to BOCES — in partnership with Houghton College as well as agencies throughout Allegany and Cattaraugus counties — helps provide enrichment activities that build upon the strengths of middle school students.

The St. Bonaventure chapter of SIFE is a volunteer group focusing on the basics of entrepreneurship and the global economy. It has approximately 70 members at the University.

Playwright to present staged reading of award-winning play about Iraqi women

Playwright Heather Raffo will present a staged reading of her award-winning play “Nine Parts of Desire” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, in the San Damiano Room at St. Bonaventure University’s Francis Hall.

Free and open to the public, the performance celebrates Women’s History Month and is sponsored by the Women’s Studies program and the Diversity Action Committee at St. Bonaventure.

Born to an American mother and Iraqi father, Raffo grew up visiting Iraq. According to Molly Smith, artistic director of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Raffo “spent years interviewing Iraqi women and weaving their stories into this important, exquisite and inspiring piece of theater. It’s a politically charged play, but it truly doesn’t take a side on the war — rather, it’s a portrait of a shattered community and the humanity that lights it from within.”

The play introduces its audience to nine women, eight Iraqi and one Iraqi-American. The Wall Street Journal said, “It brings us closer to the inner life of Iraq than a thousand slick-surfaced TV reports. Yet her beautifully shaped one-woman play is a play, not a stodgily earnest piece of documentary theater, and therein lies its singular force and compulsion: It is persuasive precisely because it is beautiful.”

The New York Times called the play “a powerful, collective portrait of suffering and endurance,” and The New Yorker raved that the play is “an example of how art can remake the world.”

In addition to the reading, a silent auction will be held to raise money for a scholarship for future Women’s Studies students. Bidding begins at 6 p.m. People wishing to contribute an item to the auction can contact Karen Robbins, director of Women’s Studies, at 716-372-8669.

St. Bonaventure University alumnus Robert S. McDow of Buffalo was among 17 individuals recognized by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (cIcu) as “trail blazers for their families and communities.”

The cIcu presented the 2007 Independent Sector Alumni Hall of Distinction on Monday, March 5, at a reception in the Legislative Office Building in Albany. The alumni honorees were nominated by cIcu Board of Trustee member presidents.

McDow, who earned his bachelor’s degree in finance in 1991 from St. Bonaventure, went on to earn three master’s degrees from Canisius College and is now project administrator for the Buffalo Board of Education. McDow, who was able to attend college in part because of the Higher Education Opportunity Program, says of his time at St. Bonaventure: “When I left Bonaventure, life had a real meaning. I had developed friendships that I’ll always remember; while at Bonaventure, there wasn’t a person on campus I didn’t know.”

Believing that working with young people is a gift, McDow stays involved with HEOP students at the University, holding workshops for pre-freshmen and upperclassmen. The Alumni Hall of Distinction was created in 2000 to recognize New York’s Independent Sector graduates who make contributions to society through their careers and community involvement.

This year, the 17 individuals inducted into the Alumni Hall were all first generation graduates, trail blazers for their families and communities. During the next week, cIcu arranged to publicly acknowledge the honorees in a Legislative Office Building exhibition, which will include photos and biographical profiles. The profiles will also appear in a “virtual gallery” on cIcu’s Web site at www.cicu.org/alumnihall.php.

- Emmet J. Agoglia, L.L.B., Partner, Agoglia, Fassberg, Holland, & Crowe (St. Francis College)
- Sean T. Bennett, Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity Initiatives and Pipeline Programs, Clarkson University (Clarkson University)
- Walter Benson, Esq., Partner, Lynn Law Firm (Le Moyne College)
- Aniello A. Bianco, Vice President, Hildebrandt International (Pace University)
- Karen Boykin-Towns, Director and Team Leader for Government Relations and Public Affairs, Pfizer, Inc. (College of Mount Saint Vincent)
- Ronald A. Cuccaro, President & CEO of Adjusters International, Partner, Basloe, Levin, & Cuccaro (Utica College)
- Ann Harden Babcock, Director, Harden Furniture Company (Wells College)
- Linda Jackson-Chalmers, Assistant Superintendent Human Resources and Community Relations, City of Albany School District (Skidmore College)
- Thomas Kelly, Writer in Residence, Master of Fine Arts in Professional Writing Program, Western Connecticut State University (Fordham University)
- Daniel Libeskind, AIA, Principal, Studio Daniel Libeskind (The Cooper Union)
Emmanuel (Manny) Marcano, Jr., President & CEO of EMA Design Automation, Inc. (Rochester Institute of Technology)
- Eduardo J. Marti, Ph.D., President, Queensborough Community College (New York University)
- Robert R. McComsey, Chair, Alfred University Board of Trustees (Alfred University)
- Robert S. McDow, Project Administrator, Buffalo Board of Education (St. Bonaventure University)
- Marcia J. White, President and Executive Director, Saratoga Performing Arts Center (The College of Saint Rose)
- Lisa Wilson-Good, Director, Homer Perkins Center (Maria College)
- John J. Zureck, Partner, Albrecht,Viggiano, & Zureck ( C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University)

The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities represents the chief executives of New York's 100+ independent (private, not-for-profit) colleges and universities on issues of public policy. Member colleges compose the largest private sector of higher education in the world and confer most of the bachelor's degrees (57%), master's degrees (71%), and doctoral and first-professional degrees (80%) earned in New York state.

The second annual Bonaventure Art and Media Fair (BAM) is slated for Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21, in the San Damiano Room of Francis Hall at St. Bonaventure University and the Olean Art Space, 116 W. State St.

The BAM Fair is an opportunity for St. Bonaventure students, local and regional artists and performers, and community political organizations to show their creative interests and provide an outlet for free expression.

The independent spirit is in full force as Dr. Mark Huddle, assistant professor of history at St. Bonaventure, and a group of students expand upon the ground they broke at last year’s fair.

In addition to live musical performances by a variety of groups throughout the two-day fair, there will be interactive workshops and panels covering issues such as independent magazines, self-publishing, the music industry and social advocacy.

Jackson Ellis of Verbicide Magazine and representatives from Boathouse Records, a New Jersey independent record label, will be attending.

The Bonaventure Art and Media Fair is student driven. Bill Boguski, a senior journalism/mass communication major from Carmel, N.Y., is one of the student leaders.

“Last year, against all odds, we were able to create a successful and rewarding event for all those involved and who came,” Boguski said. “We’ve got access to people with a wide variety of interests in art and music.”

Cathy Kula, a junior English major, is heading the events and is excited to be able to be a part of something that really matters for the community and herself personally.

“Having the ability to utilize my own talent, as well as reach out to others who haven’t had the opportunity to do so is a wonderful feeling,” Kula said. “I love being connected to the community. We help each other and the result is amazing.”

All events are free and open to the public, although organizers will be asking for a donation at the door. Organizations or individuals who wish to participate may reserve a booth at the fair for $10.

Any persons or organizations interested in participating should contact Boguski at (845) 705-2134 or boguskwj@sbu.edu; Kula at (585) 610-7263; or Huddle at (716) 375-2242 or mhuddle@sbu.edu.

Sen. Young to serve as guest speaker at 65th annual Military Ball

The St. Bonaventure University Army Reserve Officers’ Training Program will host the 65th annual military ball at 5:30 p.m. March 24 at the Premier Banquet Center in Olean.

State Sen. Catharine Young will attend and serve as the guest speaker for the event with expected attendance of approximately 350 people. Sen. Young graduated magna cum laude from St. Bonaventure University and is widely known as a strong supporter of the military.

“We are very pleased to once again host the annual military ball. Members of the local communities are welcome to join us in a very memorable evening of military pageantry, dinner and dancing. We are also honored to welcome Sen. Young as our distinguished guest speaker,” said Lt. Col. Rick Trietley, professor of military science.

The evening will include dinner, dancing and wide array of military customs and traditions. The military ball is open to the public and those interested in attending should contact the St. Bonaventure Army ROTC Department at (716) 375-2508 for reservations.

Newsmakers

Dr. Nancy Casey, associate professor of education, Mary Piccioli, dean of enrollment, and Ann Lehman, academic coordinator in the School of Business, presented a paper, "From 0 to 60+: Revving up FYE at Warp Speed," at the 26th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience in Addison, Texas, from Feb. 18-20, 2007. They also presented a poster session reporting early results of a research study involving parents of first-year students: Identifying Barriers to Success: Parent Perception of First-Year Students' Transition Problems.

A St. Bonaventure University faculty member and two 2005 graduates will discuss cyberbullying during a national child safety conference to be held Tuesday, March 13, at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) will host “Preventing Targeted Violence in School: Findings from the Safe School Initiative.” The conference is co-sponsored by the United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center.

The morning session will feature a specialist from the National Threat Assessment Center who will discuss the Safe Schools Initiative, which was undertaken as a result of the tragedy at Columbine and is an effort to prevent further school tragedies.

The first afternoon session will take a closer look at cyberbullying and will involve a presentation by Dr. Barbara Trolley, a Counselor Education faculty member, and alumnae Linda Shields and Connie Hanel, both of whom are 2005 graduates of St Bonaventure’s weekend Counselor Education program at its Hamburg Center.

Trolley, Shields and Hanel will give a presentation based on their publication “Demystifying and Deescalating Cyberbullying in the Schools: A Resource Guide for counselors, Educators, and Parents” (2006). The second afternoon session will be presented by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Trolley is a licensed psychologist and a certified rehabilitation counselor. She is an associate professor in the Counselor Education program and the co-director of the University Counseling Clinic at St. Bonaventure.

Trolley has worked for more than three decades in the clinical and academic areas, working with children and youth who had been abused, families dealing with life-threatening illnesses and losses, and in the private practice. She has also published numerous professional articles, the majority of her work focusing on children and teens, addressing issues such as school counseling, abuse, bereavement, adoption and disability.

Shields holds a master’s degree in school counseling from St. Bonaventure. She is a supervisor with the Chautauqua County Office of Probation, supervising both adult and juvenile probation officers. She is responsible for representing the probation department in criminal court as well as participating as a member of the drug court team.

Hanel received her master’s in counseling from St. Bonaventure. As a prevention specialist and counselor for the Boys & Girls Club, she works with at-risk youth on life skills building and resilience training programming. Hanel has mentored youths in leadership roles for 20 years and is the co-creator of Operation Kids — Real Life Learning, a youth leadership program. She also chairs the Greater East Aurora Chamber Educational Committee that unites the business and education community.

There is no charge to attend the conference but registration is required: www.ubevents.org/events/safe.

The entire University community is invited to a brief ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, in the Rigas Family Theater. Individuals with 10 years of service and up will be recognized, with those reaching 25 years of service and our retirees receiving special recognition.

Our 25-year honorees include Mary Jane Baxter, Isabel Hamed, Mary Jane Telford and Ann Tenglund; retirees include Dr. Harold Gelfand, Dr. Michael Lavin, Mr. Patrick Premo, Dr. Samuel Sheldon, and Dr. Joseph Zampogna.

All are asked to come celebrate all of the special individuals who have been an important part of the University community for many years. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend!