Canisius College
“Where Leaders Are Made” is their motto. It’s a statement of fact at Canisius College. Canisius’ unique approach to learning along with their focus on the individual student has created thousands of leaders across the country and right here in Buffalo. Statistically, more than 92 percent of recent Canisius graduates are either employed in their fields or attending graduate and professional schools.
Founded in 1870, Canisius is one of the oldest area colleges and has a longstanding reputation in the area as an independent, mid-sized, private liberal arts institution. As one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the United States, Canisius follows a Catholic and Jesuit tradition. “We are very serious about both identities,” says John Hurley Executive Vice President for College Relations. “We have a rigorous education that teaches students to think critically, and have a commitment to developing both mind and spirit and concern for the individual’s contribution to the world.”
Largely prized for its Liberal Arts education, Canisius offers more than 100 majors and minors and is also nationally renowned for several of its programs. Accounting graduates at Canisius that sit for the CPA exam attain the highest pass rate in the state, making Canisius #1 in this field in New York. Its Communications Department, with subspecialties in areas such as Digital Media Arts is a rapidly developing major. In its science program, Canisius ranks in the top 10% of colleges across the United States for undergraduate science majors that go on to attain their PhDs. They also rank 4th in undergraduate Chemistry students that go on to attain their PhD.
Canisius has an educational approach that puts them on par with many of the top colleges. At Canisius, students work directly with faculty, doing real research that gets published in national articles and medical journals. As a result, many students present their work at conferences across the country. “Students at Canisius have an experience at undergrad levels that they can only dream of having at the PhD level,” said Hurley.
Canisius is also well known for its athletics. The college is home to 16 NCAA Division I Athletic teams. A majority of the 16 Golden Griffin teams compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Canisius is also a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference and Atlantic Hockey.
Students are encouraged to participate in the study abroad program that offers courses in more than 15 cities and four continents. Unlike many large institutions, Canisius offers students multiple pre and post departure programs designed to aid in the transition and assimilation into a foreign country. In addition, Canisius takes part in the Service Learning Program, a unique experience that combines academics, community service and guided reflection. It allows students an out-of-classroom experience in an area relating to their field of study. Canisius also offers more than 100 student organizations to participate in.
With Canisius, it’s personal. One of the strongest selling points at Canisius is the personalized attention. Classes oftentimes range from 10-25 students, and lecture halls with hundreds of students are nonexistent at Canisius. With a student population totaling just under 5,000 undergrads and grads, Hurley says that applications continue to rise.
“The plan isn’t to grow dramatically though,” Hurley says. “We would rather work on the quality of the education and retain students, rather than increase our student population.”
Since the early 1990’s, Canisius has undergone several major facelifts and expansions. In the past 15 years, Canisius has completed 24 major capital projects totaling more than $120 million dollars. Improvements were made to the college in its entirety through classrooms and cultural and academic pursuits. Canisius was largely a commuter college until 1996. Since then, Canisius has completed eight major residence hall projects and now sees 73% of its students living on campus.
What is Canisius looking for in prospective students? They want academically strong high school students, of course. They look at the high school average, including grades in Regents courses, and SAT scores. “We are looking for a well-rounded student, committed to completing a core curriculum in liberal arts. 50 percent of our education is in liberal arts,” says Hurley. Canisius also rewards good high school grades and SAT scores by awarding automatic sizeable scholarships to incoming freshmen.
It’s hard to pick just one selling point at Canisius. Offering a well-rounded educational experience, both in the classroom and out, academically and athletically, spiritually and mentally, Canisius is a school that lives up to its motto, creating leaders daily.
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sobuffissobuffalo
They're a great school, I just wish they would bring more focus to the Graduate programs and work equally as hard for their graduate students.
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buffaloweiner
Canisius is landlocked...unless sisters hospital closes and gets added to the campus or Medaille relocates and allows its campus to get added to Canisius.
The problem is that Canisius has a reputation for being very cheap as evidenced by their failure to purchase the HealthNow Building when it was a Sears....which means that Canisius will not be offering Medaille anywhere near the money it would need to relocate and build a new campus. A 3rd party is going to need to enter the picture for that to happen.
Other than that...the Canisius apartments over on what is it Delevan look like a prison so I cant say thats a real Canisius contribution to the community.
But I think that if Canisius were a REAL COLLEGE OF LEADERS then they would be leaders in partnerships with other colleges. For example, its embarrassing the number of colleges we have in western ny that offer the exact same degree programs with only cosmetic differences while there are huge undergraduate, graduate and vocational programs that are missing entirely. This creates enormous skills gaps for our region that make it hard to attract employers. Furthermore, it creates a flood of students in the same area competing for the same jobs which makes it hard for these students to stay while local industry has to look outside our region to find people for those gaps where we dont have local degree programs.
Its alot more than partnering with other colleges to share dormatories or bookstores or small business incubators or research campuses (such cooperation is badly needed to bring all our local colleges and universities up to the next level)...its just that its alot more than that.
SO YES, CANISIUS MAY TURN OUT LEADERS BUT IF IT REALLY MEANT IT THEN IT WOULD DO AS IT SAYS.....SETTING THE EXAMPLE.
AFTER ALL ITS OBVIOUS WE CANT ASK HOWARD OVER AT BUFFALO STATE TO SET THE EXAMPLE.
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Andrew
Buffalowiener… Canisius is far from cheap and landlocked. They just bought the health now building and are putting over $40 million into it. They are more than half way through a $90 million capital campaign to raise funds for other campus developments. They just tore down the old Mount St. Joseph school to make way for other class room or living space in the future. They are up to there eyes with space right now and I don’t see a need for more in the future since this year has the biggest ever college enrollment nation wide and the number is going to go down. Canisius does not have near the capital to even think about buying Sisters, nor do they want to. The college’s plan has always been slow, steady growth. “The plan isn’t to grow dramatically though,” Hurley says
As far as the college’s relation ship with Medaille… I don’t see them ever being anything more than neighbors. I don’t know about the administration but many Canisius students view Medaille as a 4-year ECC minus its vet-tech program. The two schools are not in the same league; Canisius is top tier and I think Medaille is 3rd. If anything Canisius could be working with UB.
For community contributions, no other organization from the medical campus up to UB south has done more for the community. The millions of dollars of development, the thousands of added students, faculty and staff to the region and the added police presence in the community are the only things keeping the Hamlin Park neighborhood together.
Canisius is a real asset to Buffalo
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buffaloweiner
oh I agree Andrew with much of what you said. I was referencing an article in the Buffalo News which Canisius and Medaille and D'Youville admitted they were landlocked for the longterm. D'Youville said it would be their last expansion on that campus. Medaille can take over the LBJ Apartments but after that its landlocked. Yes, canisius has more time and more room.
I did point out that the longterm (and I mean longterm) for Canisius is integrating either Sisters or Medaille into their urban campus. Sisters probably isnt going anywhere but Medaille and D'Youville are long term question marks.
But there is an even bigger near term problem Andrew, HIGHER EDUCATION IS AN INDUSTRY and Buffalo region offers to many of the same generic degree vocation and degree programs....while at the same time we have major industries in our region that have no corresponding vocation/degree programs for their industry. They either have to train or hire from out of town.
That hurts our region because it means to many grads competing for to few jobs forcing them to leave our region and it a huge reason for expanding or relocating companies to NOT choose our city and region.
Furthermore, things like small business incubators, centers for excellence, research partnerships, dormatories, bookstores, etc....these could all be furthered by partnerships between local colleges instead of sole undertakings.
Heather has informed that there is such a partnership and these colleges do talk about education as a regional industry and do examine such things. However, if this is true then why are there so many gaping areas of inaction?
One would think a colleges whose motto is LEADERSHIP would take such leadership opportunities seriously!!
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Boz
buffaloweiner - How does it follow that having too many qualified graduates in the area keeps businesses out of Buffalo? If anything it's the opposite -- all of our great colleges churning out so many graduates should attract businesses. It's the fault of the local political and business leadership that there aren't more companies in town to keep more grads around.
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buffaloweiner
Boz, no they dont...because these people must have a job in their career field in order to be valuable to a company. These graduates arent going to live in their parents basement working at target until they get a job....their not just sitting and waiting for that business to expand or relocate here. They either get a job here when they graduate or the leave.
If we have to many graduates in a career field and they dont get jobs locally then we are educating them to leave.
Furthermore, if we are educating to many in a specific area...then conversely it means that we are not educating enough graduates in the many other areas for which there are jobs.
Similarly, we a company wants to locate here and there are no skilled workers and no degree programs they can hire to work in their company then that means they will have to recruit from out of town, pay moving expenses, etc....a big reason why many companies bypass Buffalo for Human Resource reasons.
and thats just from an educational point of view that we can do something about.
Issues we cant control like taxes, unfunded mandates, and buracracy are controlled out of albany....but thats a reason companies wont come to upstate ny. Being a strong Union city doesnt help either.
Then there are the issues of infrastructure...
If Buffalo cant compete on taxes and buracracy and being government friendly, then we can only offset that with our people and quality of life.
So we what we need is an EXTREMELY DIVERSE vocational and degree program in our educational community so businesses dont look at us and say...its going to be hard finding good people to hire in that city.
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dagner
Do you have any evidence of companies bypassing Buffalo for the lack of local graduates in specific fields?
Or could it be that they can't find candidates who can spell "bureaucracy"?
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