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Alex M. Cole, a journalism and mass communication major from East Syracuse, will address his classmates at St. Bonaventure University’s December Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13.

The ceremony, recognizing those who will complete undergraduate and graduate degree requirements this semester, begins at 6 p.m. in the University Chapel in Doyle Hall.

University president Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., will welcome the graduates and their families.

Cole, who minored in history and completed his degree in three and a half years, said he is honored to have been chosen to address his peers. His talk will focus on the lessons each student learns on his or her “good journey” at St. Bonaventure.

“I can’t count the number of lessons I’ve learned at Bona’s. It seems like I learn something new here every day,” said Cole.”

He will remind his classmates that their St. Bonaventure education extended beyond the classroom. “St. Bonaventure didn’t just teach me about journalism,” he said. “It taught me the skills needed to be a well-rounded, caring and professional individual. I’ll carry that with me wherever I go, and I know my peers will as well. St. Bonaventure taught us how to be good at what we do and good to one another.”

Cole has been involved in numerous campus clubs and organizations, and has accumulated more than 600 internship hours, all while maintaining a near-perfect grade point average of 3.95 out of a possible 4.0. He was an intern with the Office of Communications for more than two years, worked as a sportscaster and disc jockey at campus radio station WSBU The Buzz for more than three years, and wrote for The Bona Venture campus newspaper his freshman year.

He is secretary of the St. Bonaventure Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America and a member of Kappa Tau Alpha, the national journalism and mass communication honor society. He is a member of “The Arm,” a campus writing group, and his senior capstone project, a series of articles on New York state’s increased cigarette tax, will be published in the Olean Times Herald.

Cole has served as a tutor in the university’s Teaching and Learning Center and has been a member of the SBU Jazz Band since his freshman year, playing lead trumpet the past two years. He was manager of the university’s club hockey team his freshman year.

Cole is also one of a group of students whose suggested name was chosen for the campus coffee shop, Café La Verna.

“Graduating is a bittersweet feeling,” he said. “I’m excited to use all of the knowledge and skills I learned at St. Bonaventure in a professional working environment. But I’m also sad to leave the place I’ve called home for three and a half years. When I return to the university some day, it’ll be like visiting an old friend.”Cole plans to return to Syracuse and find a job in the news business.

Also at the recognition ceremony, Dr. Dennis M. Wilkins, associate professor in the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will give the faculty address.Dr. Michael J. Fischer, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will serve as master of ceremonies.

Dr. Peggy Y. Burke, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, will present the graduate students. Dr. Stephen D. Stahl, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, will present the undergraduate students.

Giles B. Bootheway, lecturer in finance, had his paper “On the Optimality of Fines When Enforcement is Risky” selected as the Best Paper in Economics track of the American Society of Business and Behavior Sciences 16th Annual Conference. Bootheway will be recognized at the conclusion of the conference on Feb. 21, 2009.

Kevin Brayer, director of the Buffalo Center, has been re-elected to serve a second term as chair of the Western New York Adult Consortium of Colleges and Universities. The consortium is an association of colleges and universities committed to assisting adult learners returning to the classroom. The consortium works with Western New York organizations to encourage their employees to continue their education and provide a mutually beneficial work environment to achieve that goal. The following educational institutions are members: The University at Buffalo, Buffalo State College, Canisius College, St. Bonaventure University, Niagara University, Daemen College, D'Youville College, Empire State College, Hilbert College, Houghton College, Medaille College, Bryant & Stratton College, Erie Community College, Trocaire College, Niagara County Community College and Villa Maria.

Jefferson D. Slagle, Trevor Thompson and Michael Williams will participate in the session “Practical Ecocriticism: Narrating a Relationship to Place” at an April 17-19 conference through Ohio Northern University’s Working Group on Religion, Ethics and Nature. The panel will discuss narratives born of the experience of place, stories that forge relationships between life and the spaces and topographies in which it is lived. Slagle, assistant professor of English, will present “‘Play the Chinook’: Purpose and Place in David James Duncan’s ‘The River Way.’” Thompson, Warming House coordinator and associate university minister, plans to discuss “‘Reading Water’ as Re-placement in Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It.” Williams, director of The Journey Project, discuss “‘I was Born on Wheels’: Wallace Stegner and Five Ways of Relating to Place in America.”

St. Bonaventure's Word of Mouth Campaign

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Within the next day or so, you will receive in the campus mail a brochure that we recently distributed to approximately 17,000 alumni.

This is a new marketing initiative designed to more comprehensively and systematically engage our loyal alumni in telling the story of St. Bonaventure University. Sometimes referred to as an “elevator speech,” this brochure attempts to briefly summarize the distinctions of a St. Bonaventure University education in three statements:

Extraordinary Academics with particular strengths in the sciences, business, journalism, education and the arts.
Everlasting Relationships with faculty who are mentors, staff who go beyond the call of duty, and friends and alumni who form a professional network for job leads and lifelong career contacts.
Entrepreneurial Service focusing on economic development programs, disaster relief projects, and cultural and spiritual enrichment activities.

Obviously, it would be impossible to capture the full essence of this University and the many gifts and distinctions that our faculty and staff bring to our community. However, this is a starting point that is aimed at inspiring a prospective student or parent to want to know more.

We share this with you for your information and use. If you desire additional copies, please just let me know. Thank you very much for your support and feedback.

Emily Sinsabaugh
Vice President for University Relations