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WNY Alums Enjoy an Evening with Father Levesque

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:03:55 -0400

More than 100 Western New York alumni joined the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., Niagara’s president, and the Alumni Engagement team on April 18 for an evening at the Darwin Martin House Complex in Buffalo. The group was given a tour before a reception that included refreshments and entertainment in the Greatbatch Pavilion at the complex.

Alumnus Donates Benches in Tribute to Four

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:49:37 -0400

There are four new benches in the circle in front of the Elizabeth Ann Clune Center for Theatre on the Niagara University campus. John Overbeck, ’75, donated the benches in honor of Niagara’s president, the Rev. Joseph Levesque, C.M., Brother Martin Schneider, C.M., Dr. Sharon Watkinson, ’66, and in memory of Brother Augustine Towey, C.M., for their dedication to the theatre program and its students. The benches were blessed in a ceremony on April 22.

Niagara Mourns Longtime Professor

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:51:34 -0400

Joseph J. Forrester III, a chemistry professor at Niagara University, passed away on Feb. 20, 2013. He was 85.

Forrester joined Niagara University in 1960 as a faculty member in the chemistry department, where he developed a reputation as a professor with a never-wavering commitment to excellence. During his 44-year tenure at Niagara, he mentored countless students in the classroom and as a member of the Pre-Health Professional Committee. Many of these students went on to establish successful careers as doctors, dentists, and medical professionals in other health-related fields. In 1986, he served as acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and was the director of the NU Honors Program from 1991-1995. He retired in 2004.

He was honored twice by the College of Arts and Sciences; in 1986, he received its teacher recognition award, and in 2003, he was the recipient of its Excellence in Service Award.

Off campus, Forrester embodied Niagara’s Vincentian values through his work with The Consortium of the Niagara Frontier, a joint undertaking by Niagara, Canisius and Daemen colleges that offered college-level courses and degrees to prison inmates. Believing that everyone deserved an education, Forrester joined the consortium at its founding in 1975 and spent the next 25 years as a volunteer, challenging his students to reach beyond their current limitations and develop their potential. Many of these former students would visit him in his office in DePaul Hall when they were released to thank him for teaching them. In 1999, he was chosen by the consortium’s students and faculty to receive the Reverend Thomas A. McHugh Distinguished Faculty Award in recognition of his commitment and dedication.

Forrester also touched hundreds of lives through his support of the American Red Cross, for which he donated more than 15 gallons of blood.

Marty Troia, former secretary in the chemistry department, remembers Forrester as a “brilliant educator and a wonderfully kind and generous human being” who enjoyed sharing stories about his family. Like many of his former students, Troia credits Forrester with her academic and career success. “He was the person most responsible for me pursuing a college degree. I will forever be grateful to him for his belief in my intellectual ability and inspiring me to go for my dream of a college degree.”

Dr. Nancy McGlen, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, notes that Forrester set an example that she follows to this day. "Joe Forrester was committed to his students and to Niagara University. He served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences after Father Levesque, and his 'walk around' style to talk to faculty to find out what was happening was a model I have tried to follow as dean."

Dr. Robert Greene, '75,'77, chair of the biology department, was a student in Forrester's organic chemistry class. “He was a teacher you could rely on and always willing to help students with this difficult subject," he recalls. "Later, I was fortunate enough to have Joe as a colleague and it was in part his collegial approach to his teaching of science that helped to formulate major components of my developing career as a biology professor. His insights into the inter-personal workings of the sciences at Niagara University helped me to achieve success in both my teaching and my research. He will always have a warm fond spot in my heart."

"Joe’s easy going approach to life was amazing," notes Connie Guthrie Greene, office coordinator in the biochemistry, chemistry, physics and biology departments. "He could take the stress out of a working day with his smile and wit. He always had a joke to brighten your day. He was always very encouraging and supportive; making it a true pleasure to work for him."

Forrester is survived by his wife, Margaret A. “Peg” Forrester; his children, Raymond Forrester, Dr. Maureen Finney, ’91, and Dr. Joseph Forrester IV, ’92; six grandchildren; his brother, Fredric Forrester; and eleven nieces and nephews.

Working Together to Support Vincentians Worldwide

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:59:46 -0400

St. Vincent de Paul was an educator and an evangelist who dedicated his life in service to the poor. He was also an accomplished fundraiser. It is this aspect of St. Vincent’s charism that ﬁve Niagara University alumni are emulating as they work to raise $5 million for the Vincentian Endowment Challenge.

Last year, Scott Fina, ’80, and Teresa Niedda, ’84, co-assistant directors of the Vincentian Solidarity Office, invited fellow Niagara alumni Joseph Lesenko, ’80, and Patrick Glemser, ’86, to join a committee that also included Father Sy Peterka, C.M., ’72 (who has successfully conducted annual appeals for the Vincentians in Africa over the past several years), and Father Miles Heinen, C.M., VSO executive director. The committee was charged with raising funds toward a $5 million challenge grant that will create patrimony (endowment) funds to support Vincentian vocations and ministries in several provinces and vice-provinces of the Vincentians in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

“We were looking at alumni in the area who have been part of the Vincentian seminary system from the former St. Joseph’s Seminary in Princeton, N.J.,” explains Teresa. “We were also looking for someone who could reach out to the Catholic business community. Joe and Patrick both ﬁt the bill.”

The two former seminarians immediately agreed to help. “The numbers of Vincentian priests and brothers have been declining in the United States over the years, but the seminaries of the Vincentians in poorer provinces in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia are overﬂowing with applicants,” notes Joe. “This project will be key in helping to build an endowment to beneﬁt some of these poorer provinces of the Vincentians."

The committee is working toward raising the matching funds by the end of 2015 through a variety of events (including a pre-Lenten Mass and dinner that Joe and his wife, Mary, sponsored at their home, and a 50-mile bike ride that Patrick and his wife, Maureen, used to raise both funds and awareness for the cause) and donor outreach efforts. “

"Through regular meetings and discussions, our group has expanded our way of thinking and our ideas on how to conduct outreach, and we are trying to identify those people who have a connection and know the Vincentian charism,” says Teresa. To that end, the committee members are undertaking a number of endeavors, including developing a brochure and supporting materials that explain the Vincentian Endowment Challenge.

Joe has been working to build a cadre of ambassadors who will help to support the project. “I have been reaching out to family, friends, relatives, neighbors, and Catholic business professionals who may have a prospective interest in supporting this meaningful work of the Vincentians,” he says.

And Patrick helped the committee to set up a FirstGiving site so that supporters may make their donations online. “FirstGiving offers tools and expertise to connect with friends and family and make fundraising less overwhelming — and even fun,” he says.

If successful, the project will support both the continuing efforts of Vincentian priests and brothers who are working with the poor, as well as the formation of Vincentian priests and brothers in these developing countries, where vocations are rapidly growing. Money will also be used in support of the Vincentian Lay Missionaries, the Vincentian Marian Youth, and the Association of the Miraculous Medal.

“I have been to some of the Vincentian provinces that will benefit from the project: Nigeria, Fortaleza (Brazil),and Hungary, specifically,” says Scott. “I have seen both the need and the promise of the Vincentians in these places. The Vincentian Endowment Challenge is a wonderful opportunity to help ﬁrm up the ﬁnancial future of the Vincentian fathers and brothers in places where they are growing but lack ﬁnancial resources.”

“St. Vincent de Paul was excellent at soliciting the help of other people to do what he said he wasn’t capable of doing alone, so that’s what we want to keep alive,” says Father Gregory Gay, ’76, superior general of the Congregation of the Mission, who oversees thousands of Vincentian priests and brothers working in 88 countries around the world. “To do that, we have to be more willing to tell our story, and it’s a good story to tell. I think these ﬁve alumni who have formed this committee are doing that. They know the story, they love the story, they want to tell the story, and they want to help support us so the story goes on.”

Find out more about the Vincentian Endowment Challenge here.

A NU Look at Service Learning

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:17:53 -0400

On paper, the mission of Niagara University’s Institute for Civic Engagement is to reinforce the university’s commitment to the region by strengthening existing community partnerships and forming new town-gown relationships. But in practice, the institute’s director, Dr. David Taylor, is envisioning a much greater purpose for the institute. He wants it to be a catalyst to transform higher education, and to perhaps even change the world.

“One of the long-term visions for the institute is to develop programming and opportunities that are distinctly Niagara,” Dr. Taylor says. “In a Vincentian community and university, we can help nurture an idea someone has to change the world and bring it to fruition. That’s what we should be doing, particularly things designed to help people in need.” He adds that the creation of a social entrepreneurship incubator within the institute might be one way to achieve this.

While this vision has a decidedly global perspective, the steps needed to bring it about start on the Niagara campus. Dr. Taylor notes student learning must be at the heart of everything the university is doing, and that the institute’s partnerships are being developed with the intention of making experienced-based learning opportunities increasingly available to students. While Niagara has long offered a service-learning component in the classroom, Dr. Taylor says this initiative looks at service learning in a different way.

“I understand the value of service and its potential to greatly impact students, but we have to remember that students are at a university,” he says. “There needs to be a stronger connection between what the students do in terms of service and the specific learning outcomes associated with course content.”

This doesn’t mean that he advocates against the traditional service-learning Niagara’s students have been doing for decades. In fact, the institute will assist NU’s Learn and Serve Niagara program in identifying opportunities for creating these kinds of experiences. But Dr. Taylor is hoping that the partnerships he forges also lead to hands-on work that students can detail on a résumé as applicable experience for a job. He references a Niagara computer and information sciences course during which students earn a nationally recognized certificate in forensic computing and says he’d like to help create more of these kinds of learning opportunities.

“Students, on average, take 30-40 classes here at Niagara,” he says. “Imagine if in every one of those classes they did something that was worthy of being put on a résumé. Imagine what that résumé would look like after 40 classes.”

With his knowledge of the university’s capabilities and his numerous contacts in the community, Dr. Taylor says he can serve as a matchmaker between university professors who want to add résumé-building practical experiences to their course curriculum and the community organizations tha are looking for assistance. The institute can also be a resource for professors who want to design and conduct research-based projects in the community.

Dr. Taylor notes that it is becoming increasingly important for students to have an international experience, and that the institute can help create those opportunities as well, whether they are through partnerships with international agencies in the local community or through connections with organizations that have a worldwide presence, like the Vincentians.

The institute, which officially opened in September, is the formalization of an initiative launched by the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., when he was named president of the university more than 10 years ago. At that time, the Committee to Assist in the Revitalization of Niagara Falls was formed to help build capacity in that city. Numerous community relationships have been built since then, and the institute was established to ensure the continuation of this important work. It will also serve as the home for two of Niagara University’s ﬂagship community-minded programs, Border Community SERVICE and ReNU Niagara.

Dr. Taylor was the obvious choice for director, due to his experiences prior to coming to Niagara (he lived homeless as part of his dissertation research) and his recent immersion into Vincentian history,spirituality and service as part of the initial cohort of the Vincentian Mission Institute, a program designed to address the distinctive nature of Catholic and Vincentian higher education by developing successive generations of lay leaders to support the unique identities of these universities.

The VMI experience culminated in a trip to France beginning at the birth place of St. Vincent de Paul and tracing his life throughout the south of France. “It became clear to me that Vincent was an incredible organizer, someone who could inspire his contemporaries to serve the poor and oppressed,” Dr. Taylor says. “But he was also able to refocus his efforts as the needs of the community changed. As Father Robert Maloney, C.M., once wrote aboutVincent, ‘He had the courage and skill to walk where none had walked before.’”

Inspired by St. Vincent, Dr. Taylor is ready to help Niagara refocus its efforts to prepare for the dramatic transformation in higher education he believes will happen soon. “It will be one unlike anything that those currently working in the ﬁeld have experienced,” he says. “Thus, it is important for colleges and universities to revisit their mission and purpose and to develop both a short- and long-term strategy to guarantee the highest quality education possible for their students.” He’s conﬁdent that the institute can be a valuable asset in this regard.

To that end, Dr. Taylor’s goals for the immediate future are to build a full slate of partnerships between the community and the university: big and small; formal and informal; with and without academic components. In ﬁve years, he’s hoping that this effort leads to a “tremendous increase in very targeted, high-impact, high-quality experiential learning opportunities forstudents.” And long term?

“The choice of the words ‘civic engagement’ in the name of the institute was intentional,” he says. “So any way that we can better engage everyone in our university community in the civic life of not only our local and regional community, but also at the national level, would be a broad but long-term goal.”

Given the progress that’s been made so far and the passion Dr. Taylor has for the work, Niagara University’s Institute for Civic Engagement jus tmight change the world after all.

Niagara University Celebrates Milestone, Honors Brown and Castellani Families at President’s Scholarship Dinner

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:28:56 -0400

On Nov. 10, 2012, at the Seneca Niagara Casino Hotel and Event Center, Niagara University celebrated a fundraising milestone and honored two families with longstanding ties to the Buffalo-Niagara region.

More than 400 Niagara alumni, students, colleagues and friends were present for the ninth annual President’s Scholarship Dinner, where it was announced that the university had surpassed the $1 million mark in net revenue raised for student scholarships since the event was instituted in 2004.

“That is a remarkable accomplishment and a testament to the generosity of each and every one of you. Thank you,” the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., NU president, told attendees. “These are impressive figures, numbers that we are quite proud of, but we, as a university, must continue to do more. We must do more to offset the rising cost of education. We must do more to help those who have been adversely affected by the economy, leaving them less flexibility to afford a college degree. We must do more because it is part of our heritage – it is what St. Vincent taught us to do.”

Fittingly, during the event, Niagara presented the St. Vincent de Paul Award to the Castellani family as well as Harold and Rose Brown and their children. The award is conferred upon individuals “whose vision, accomplishments and good works reflect the life and ministry of St. Vincent de Paul.”

Armand Castellani was the chairman and chief executive officer of Tops Markets, formerly of Niagara Frontier Services Inc. He was twice named an Outstanding Citizen by The Buffalo News, and twice honored by the National Conference of Community Justice. Armand has received numerous other awards for his success in business, community involvement and as a patron of the arts. Armand received the honorary degree of doctor of commercial science from Niagara in 1964, and he and his wife, Eleanor, received the university’s President’s Medal in 1990. Armand is the founder of the Castellani Art Museum, which opened on Niagara’s DeVeaux campus in 1978. The present museum, a 23,000-square-foot facility, opened on the main campus in 1990. Armand and Eleanor’s 11 children have followed in their footsteps, supporting numerous community-minded organizations, including Niagara Hospice, the United Way and Niagara University. In light of their philanthropy, the Castellani children were presented with Niagara University’s Founder’s Award in 2001.

Harold Brown earned an accounting degree from Niagara in 1948. While he was an undergraduate, he became close with the Vincentian priests and brothers, who allowed him to pay for much of his tuition through the work-study program. Rose, a SUNY Brockport graduate, came from a strong Italian family in Niagara Falls. She taught for years in the Niagara Falls City School District. Six of the couple’s eight children are Niagara University graduates, as are five of their grandchildren. Harold and Rose were active in numerous parent/teacher groups, the Rotary Club, the Health Association of Niagara County, the United Way, the Knights of Columbus, and many others. Their children are also involved in dozens of nonprofits, especially in Niagara County.

Christopher Ross, a member of Niagara University’s Board of Trustees, and his wife, Mary, served as the dinner’s chair couple. The Rosses received undergraduate degrees from Niagara University in 1982.

Maryalice Demler, a member of Niagara University’s class of 1986 and anchor at WGRZ-TV Channel 2, was the mistress of ceremonies. Attendees also heard remarks from current student James Tipa and were treated to a rendition of The Impossible Dream by theatre major Alex Garcia.

The purpose of the President’s Scholarship Dinner is to generate funds for scholarship assistance for qualified Niagara University students. During the 2011-2012 academic year, 98 percent of undergraduate students received scholarship assistance from the university that totaled $35,118,000. During that same period, 361 undergraduates received endowed scholarships totaling $1,059,912.

Click here to view the gallery of photos from the event.

Creating Change Through Art

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:41:26 -0400

Ashley Vita Verde loves to make people smile. The 2011 Niagara University graduate had ample opportunities to do just that this summer, as the organization she co-founded, Deep Roots Niagara, elicited laughs, gasps, and yes, plenty of smiles, from tourists and locals alike on Old Falls Street in Niagara Falls.

Ashley and her business partner, Rachel Macklin Olszewski, ’12, brought a variety of street performers, including jugglers, ﬁre spinners, aerialists, clowns, and dancers, to downtown Niagara Falls to complement the activities sponsored by Old Falls Street USA and the Hard Rock Café during the main tourist season. One of the highlights of the summer was a side show to celebrate Nik Wallenda’s historic tightrope walk over Niagara Falls on June 15. Since then, the two young women have been involved with a number of similar projects in the Western New York area, including organizing a circus for Slyboots School of Art and Music and participating in a “salon series” of Friday night performances for the Alt Theatre in Buffalo. They also plan to develop an afterschool theatre program at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center.

Deep Roots originated out of an idea Ashley had to open an arts academy and was officially launched in fall 2011, when she and Rachel worked with the Niagara Falls Aquarium to produce a Halloween-themed show for its annual “Halloween Happening” event. That led to a second collaboration with the aquarium: The Spirit of the Sea, an original production created for the aquarium’s “SEAsonings of Niagara”fundraiser. The show featured sea lions, synchronized swimmers, dancers, and marine mammal trainers.

While many of the performances are intended for children, the topics they tackle are anything but lighthearted. The Spirit of the Sea, for example, was intended as “a commentary on pollution of the sea,” says Rachel. The work they performed for Slyboots told the story of a young man who was in search of eternal life. And the activities they hosted for the Old Falls Street Kids Club encouraged participants to become good community citizens.

“The idea is to use the art to inspire people to do something different,” says Ashley, who performs in Deep Roots productions. “I’m trying to create works of art that will inspire people to stop using disposable plastics, or littering, or Styrofoam. I’m trying to draw awareness to these things.

”Deep Roots’ mission is no less ambitious — it strives to use art to “achieve spectacular things,” incite “positive social change” and inspire an “artistic renaissance,” with the ultimate goal of transforming Niagara Falls into an “international hub of art and creativity.”

In pursuit of this goal, Ashley and Rachel draw upon the skills they learned in their theatre classes and reach out to Niagara University students and to local performers to get involved with their projects.

“The thing about this area is that there are so many talented people in search of work, so we really strive to hire local people,” says Rachel. Rachel, who handles Deep Roots’ behind-the-scenes administration in addition to performing, also attended an “Entrepreneur Boot Camp” co-sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts and New York University for a crash course in the skills needed to run a successful art organization.

This past summer was an “experimental” one, according to the two women, but it served as an ideal launching pad for what they hope will become a community of people who want to revitalize Niagara Falls. They envision planting gardens, painting murals, and even developing an art district. These things, they believe, will give college graduates, particularly those from Niagara University, “a reason to stay,” says Ashley.

“When we say we want to transform the city,” adds Rachel, “we really mean it.”

Alumnus Wins FCSI Junior Champion Award in Germany

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:00:10 -0400

Marek Gawel, an international student from Reutlingen University, Germany, graduated from Niagara University with his MBA in May of 2011. During his time at NU, he completed his thesis with the assistance of Dr. Ann Rensel, assistant professor of management, to fulfill his Reutlingen requirements. He is currently the general manager of the Best Western Premier Bellevue Rheinhotel in Boppard, Germany, which has been owned by his family for five generations.

On Nov. 16, 2012, at the annual Food Consulting Society International meeting, Gawel was selected as the winner of the FCSI JuniorChampion 2012. His idea is the hybrid-concept of hotel and hostel, the “i-hostel.” It incorporates the vision “individual & green” with a concept that is predominantly, but not solely, based on targeting young customer. Rooms will range from comfortable double rooms to six-bed rooms for young travelers. The comprehensive business plan that Gawel presented – which included an economic feasibility study and possible financing models – not only impressed the jury for the award but also the guests of the FCSI annual meeting 2012 in the Hilton hotel in Frankfurt. Of importance for the future entrepreneur to implement his idea is to be the “First Mover.” Only with this advantage does he assumes his idea to be effective. To be successful, Gawel already registered the trademark “i-hostel.”

Gawel now has the chance to also present his work at the “European FCSI-Competition Young Persons Competition“ in Warsaw in 2013.

Dr. Kalen Churcher Recognized by Two National Organizations

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:27:02 -0400

In profiling Dr. Kalen Churcher for a March 2012 publication highlighting the “20 most intriguing professor on campus,” communication studies student Tiffany Hyman described the fifth-year professor as a rising star. It turns out she’s not the only one who thinks so.

Dr. Churcher was recently chosen to participate in a pair of summer conferences meant to highlight the achievements of the profession’s brightest young minds.

Over the summer, she received a Promising Professor Award (second place) from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and was selected for the Scripps Howard Academic Leadership Academy by Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communication.

Dr. Churcher was recommended for both prestigious awards by Dr. Nancy McGlen, dean of Niagara’s College of Arts and Sciences.

“Kalen is an outstanding instructor who knows when to guide and when to challenge her students to do their very best,” said Dr. McGlen. “She is also involved in a number of clubs and programs outside of the classroom that make us very proud to call her one of our own.”

The Promising Professor Award is a national honor given to young faculty and graduate students who demonstrate excellence and innovation in teaching. Dr. Churcher received the award during AEJMC’s national conference in August in Chicago, where she also presented as a member of the Promising Professors and Distinguished Educator Panel.

A couple months earlier, Dr. Churcher participated in the 2012 Scripps Howard Academic Leadership Academy, which took place June 3-7, 2012, on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge. The academy, now in its sixth year, brings up-and-coming mass communication professionals and scholars together with seasoned administrators to share administrative strategies and insights. Several previous participants are now deans at communications schools across the country. Dr. Churcher was chosen in large part due to her work as the coordinator of NU Beginnings, a freshman course that introduces new students to life at Niagara University.

“I think it’s important for professors to have a visible presence outside of the classroom. Working with the freshman experience course has not only allowed me to do that, but it has afforded me the opportunity to exercise my leadership skills as well,” said Dr. Churcher, an assistant professor of communication studies. “Being chosen for the Promising Professor Award was truly a great honor because I was recognized for doing something I love – working with students. I’m very grateful for the support of Dr. McGlen and my colleagues.”

Dr. Churcher is a native of Plymouth, Pa. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Wilkes University, a master’s degree in human resources from the University of Scranton, and a Ph.D. in mass communication from Pennsylvania State University.

Father Levesque Receives Service Award from Turkish Cultural Center

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:42:47 -0400

The Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, Niagara University president, was presented with a Service Award in December from the Turkish Cultural Center at Buffalo and the Peace Islands Institute in recognition of exemplary services and contribution to the service learning education in fighting poverty.

The Turkish Cultural Center and the Peace Islands Institute co-organized its Fourth Annual Friendship Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Nov. 26, which brought academics, elected officials and other community leaders together to promote diversity, peace and mutual understanding through dialogue. Father Levesque was unable to attend this year’s event, prompting his receipt of the award on Dec. 7.

According to its website, in line with the spirit and passion of the Turkish-American community, the Turkish Cultural Center is dedicated to fostering national and global peace, harmony and security through promotion of education, intercultural understanding, democracy and respect for human rights and dignity. The Turkish Cultural Center hopes for a more secure and peaceful world, where people of different cultures, religions, races and creeds embrace one another without any prejudices.

The Turkish Cultural Center at Buffalo was founded in December 2005 by the Turkish-American community in Buffalo to increase awareness of Turkish culture, music, literature and arts in the society; to build strong bridges between Turkish and American peoples based on respect, understanding and tolerance; and to help Turkish immigrants and refugees adapt to the life in Buffalo and America.