New Page 2

______________________________________________________________________

May 11, 2006

____________________

Recognition of service to highlight SBU's 2006 Baccalaureate Mass

Eight members of the Class of 2006 and one faculty member will be recognized for their post-Commencement volunteer service plans during St. Bonaventure University’s Baccalaureate Mass at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, in the Reilly Center Arena.

“I’m inspired by the spirit of generosity of our graduates who are committing to volunteer service in the coming year,” said Robert M. Donius, vice president for University Ministries. “That spirit of generosity is something we intentionally foster at St. Bonaventure and I trust it is deep in the hearts of all our graduates.”

“I’m looking to volunteer with Good Shepherd Volunteers,” said Rebecca Dahl, a journalism/mass communication major with a minor in business administration from Buffalo. “…I’m hoping to be working in NYC with their program doing work for a fair trade organization called Handcrafting for Justice. The program would be for one year (beginning in August).”

Tyler J. Tetzlaff, an English major from Youngstown, N.Y., plans to work for Hands On U.S.A. doing construction work in Mississippi followed by work with the Peace Corps.

Andrea Kelly, a philosophy/pre-law major with minors in business and theology from Ft. Montgomery, N.Y., plans to work one year for Covenant House starting in August. “I will be working with runaway teenagers and young adults seeking to get back on the right track, so to speak,” she said. “The position would involve an array of activities, but mostly ministering to these young individuals.”

Tim White, an English major from Penfield, N.Y., plans to work with the American Red Cross in Ravenna, Ohio. White said he “attained the job through Americorps. The job will consist of disaster preparedness — updating shelters, giving preparedness seminars and/or grant writing for funding — which is a minimum contract of one year.”

Amy Adams, a psychology major from Ebensburg, Pa., hopes to work with the Change-A-Heart program in Pittsburgh. “I plan to work with either young children or in some sort of counseling setting.”

Ian McBride, a marketing major from Rochester, said, “I will be working with youth in education and after-school programs” with either MercyWorks in Chicago or the Colorado Vincentian Volunteers in Denver.

Talia Coveleski, a psychology major with a minor in theology from Union City, Pa., plans to join MercyWorks, serving as a counselor at the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls in Chicago.

Also entering volunteer service will be Megan Kavanagh, a management sciences major from Williamsville, N.Y., who plans to work with the Millvale Franciscan Sisters.

Dr. Patricia Parsley, assistant professor of biology and past chair of the Department of Biology, will also be recognized as she retires from her position to join her husband, the Rev. James Snodgrass, currently pastor of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Olean, in retreat ministry. They plan to develop a retreat and conference working through la Iglesia Episcopal Puertorriqueña in Aibonito, Puerto Rico.

During Baccalaureate Mass, senior class vice president Gregory Moss, an accounting major from Cortland, N.Y., will give a welcome and Fr. Daniel Riley, O.F.M., guardian of Holy Peace Friary, will be the presider and homilist.

Senior class officers Michael Damiano, a marketing major from Dunkirk, N.Y.; Kathryn Zenyuh, a journalism/ mass communication major from Danville, Pa.; and Jessica L. Omasta, a journalism/mass communication major from Sandy Hook, Conn., will serve as candle and cross bearers.

The readings will be given by Dr. David DiMattio, dean of Clare College and senior class adviser, and Jacqueline Babich, a political science major from Warren, Mich. General Intercessions will be led by Jaime L. Myers, an education major from Fillmore, N.Y. The gifts will be presented by Nigel-Ray Garcia, an English major from Brooklyn; Shane Ryan, a journalism/mass communication major from Hewitt, N.J.; Jennifer Anderson, a journalism/mass communication major from Rochester; and Erika B. Mattoon, an accounting and finance major from Bath, N.Y.

Music will be provided by the Baccalaureate Mass Choir, under the direction of Peter Ghiloni, associate University minister and director of liturgy and worship.

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

SBU Candlelight Ceremony to be held Friday

St. Bonaventure University’s class of 2006 will participate in the 11th annual Candlelight Ceremony at 8:45 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the steps of Plassmann Hall.

Fr. Xavier Seubert, O.F.M., a 1967 graduate and professor in the Department of Theology, will lead the opening procession. Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., university president, will give the welcome to the class and Eugene O’Connor, a 1979 alumnus and president of the National Alumni Board will give the opening remarks.

Four people will assist with the lighting of the candles. They include Sheila Green-Callen, Class of 2000, Jim DiRisio, Class of 1986, Mary Piccioli, Class of 1981 and Bob Donius, vice president for University Ministries.

Senior class president Michael Damiano will deliver the closing remarks and Fr. Xavier will conclude the ceremony with the benediction.

The Candlelight Ceremony was instituted in 1996 and has become a tradition. The incoming freshmen class also participates in a Candlelight Ceremony at the end of Welcome Days each August.

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

Elma woman to address classmates during St. Bonaventure's Commencement

Andrea G. Michnik of Elma will address her classmates and guests at St. Bonaventure University’s 146th Commencement Exercises at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in the Reilly Center Arena.

Michnik said her address to fellow graduates “isn’t a typical Commencement speech. There are no famous quotes and no Dr. Seuss stories. It is unique in many ways.”

“I consider my speech a gift — something that all of the graduates of 2006 can take with them. I want graduates to reflect on their time here and know that the words I speak, speak for everyone,” she said.

Michnik, who is completing an honors degree in journalism/mass communication with a minor in marketing, has been named to the Dean’s List every semester.

One of the most important aspects of her academic history was the semester she spent in Washington, D.C., at American University in fall 2004. She participated in lectures, visited prominent figures in the mass communication/broadcast journalism field, hosted guest speakers, and traveled to well-known businesses and corporations throughout the District of Columbia.

“This was a huge risk I took, leaving school to live in a city for six months, yet it really opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities to help others, especially in terms of the arts/non-profits,” Michnik said.

She has worked in public relations for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, where she assisted with publicity, promotions, advertising and event management.

For the past year, she has worked as media manager with The Journey Project at St. Bonaventure, interviewing former interns and site supervisors for media coverage, and writing copy for print and Web publication. This experience helped her to focus her vocational goals and determine what she wanted to do once she completed her undergraduate work.

“Without internship opportunities through the Journey Project, I never would have known about the importance of service work and my passion to volunteer and get involved in the non-profit sector,” Michnik said.

Michnik has also interned at The Georgetowner Newspaper in Washington, D.C., and with Archbishop Walsh High School in Olean.

Her campus activities have included membership in the American Marketing Association, Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and Legacy Dance Team, and serving as a St. Bonaventure student ambassador and Atlantic 10 varsity cheerleader. For her Honors Project, she planned a local workshop for arts educators to show them how to promote the arts in school. Although the event was canceled due to low interest by educators, Michnik had lined up guest speakers, interactive networking sessions and roundtable discussions, and developed a 60-page plans book and resource workbook.

She has volunteered with the SBU Campus Move Out program, Relay for Life, National Public Radio phone-a-thon, and Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and as a residential academic mentor.

Michnik, a 2002 graduate of Iroquois High School, is a daughter of Ken and Donna Michnik of Elma. She has two younger sisters, Leanna and Jessica. Michnik plans to attend St. Bonaventure’s 16-month Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program and is seeking a job at a cultural arts non-profit organization in the Western New York region. After completing her master’s degree, Michnik plans to move back to Washington, D.C., to possibly start her own cultural/arts non-profit or find work at one.

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

St. Bonaventure graduate students create reading experience for children in area hospitals

On Thursday, May 4, a group of 15 students from the Reading 510 Children’s Literature class, studying for their master’s degree in education at St. Bonaventure University, donated boxes of children’s books and CD players for children hospitalized in Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center and Olean General Hospital.

The hospital project program was designed to involve the two communities in a way that demonstrates the importance of reading from birth to sixth grade.

The project challenged each St. Bonaventure student to choose a children’s book that was read and recorded onto an audiotape and transferred to a CD for the purpose of creating a calming environment for a child at bedtime or when the child has a free moment in his hospital stay.

“I wanted students to have the experience of practicing reading out loud, turning pages, facilitating appropriate pauses, inflections and expression when they were reading out loud to children,” said Evelyn Sabina, adjunct professor at St. Bonaventure. “We also wanted to incorporate technology into this project. So we produced digital files for superior sound quality that were transferred to CD.”

“It’s an activity that will encourage children to continue reading even though they are in this difficult time in their life,” said Jennifer Mest of Arcade, a children’s literature graduate student at St. Bonaventure.
Mest chose the children’s book “Click Clack Moo,” by Doreen Cronin. When Farmer Brown’ s cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want.

“The book is near and dear to my heart because my family is a farming family,” said Mest. “So, I chose a little toy cow that makes a long ‘moo’ sound. It is a long page turner signal that gives the child time to look at the pictures, which are as important as the text.”

“When the parents aren’t there in the hospital, children can be scared, especially the small ones,” said Becky Trowbridge of Delevan, a classmate of Mest’s. “This activity is something they can do on their own, reach for their favorite book and say, ‘I’m OK, I have my book, and I can listen to it.’ It really does promote reading and creates a safe comfort zone for them.”

Trowbridge chose “The Kissing Hand,” by Audrey Penn, “which is a very good book for this project,” she said. “When Chester the raccoon is reluctant to go to kindergarten for the first time, his mother teaches him a secret way to carry her love with him. In our case, it can relate to them being in the hospital alone with mom and dad at home. So the child can relate to this character in the book where the mom kisses her child on the palm and says, ‘If you get scared or just need a reminder from me, just take your hand and put it by your cheek.’ It’s like she is really kissing her child. This can translate to a child’s hospital room where right after a treatment they may be scared and they can say that mom is there kissing them.”

Trowbridge made a kissing sound using her own voice as her page turner.

Another classmate, Cindy DeVries of Allegany, expressed how everyone in the class really enjoyed giving back to the community something that we all enjoy, reading books. She said, “It helped all of us grow as teachers to know exactly what to do for people when we are reading out loud to them and listen to ourselves and realize and improve on what will make the experience unique and comforting for children.”

The books were donated by the St. Bonaventure University Reading Center and the students of the class of Reading 510 Children’s Literature donated the CD players.

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

National French Honor Society inducts new members at St. Bonaventure University

Eleven St. Bonaventure University undergraduates and one honorary member were inducted recently into the Eta Theta Chapter of Pi Delta Phi, the national French Honor Society for Colleges and Universities.

Pi Delta Phi seeks to recognize merit in the study of French language, literature and civilization among American students of French who have achieved high scholastic honors in the general curriculum as well as French.

The inductees include: Maria Blair, a sophomore French major from Olean; Marilyn Brutus, a junior English and French major from Ridge, N.Y.; Patrick Brutus, a freshman philosophy major with a minor in French from Ridge, N.Y.; Alexandra Holbrook, a freshman psychology and French major from Westfield, N.Y.; Stacy Kastner, a junior English major from North Tonawanda; Evelyn Kirby, a sophomore journalism/ mass communication major with minors in French and marketing from Syracuse; Cory McLean, a junior English major with a minor in computer science from Hinsdale; Jaymie Lanera, a senior French major from Amawalk, N.Y.; Lucy Morrisette, a sophomore French and political science major from Petersburg, Va.; Maria Luisa Pareja Krauel, a teaching assistant in the Department of Modern Languages from Palma de Mallorca (Baleares), Spain; Carl Pfadt, a freshman management sciences major with a minor in French from Pittsford, Vt.; and Courtney Sullivan, a freshman French and English major from Erie, Pa.

The society has chapters in 318 universities and colleges with the first chapter being established in 1906 at the University of California at Berkeley.

Presiding over the ceremony was Aubrey Jones, chapter president, assisted by Kelly Voll, vice president, and Dr. Guy F. Imhoff, chapter moderator.

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

Two SBU theology majors headed to Harvard grad school

Two members of St. Bonaventure University’s Class of 2006 will be starting the next leg of their “good journey” in Cambridge, Mass., on the campus of America’s oldest university.

Brianna Giacoia of Marlboro, N.Y., and Matthew Cressler of Smyrna, Ga., are both completing bachelor’s degrees in theology at St. Bonaventure and are among 481 undergraduates expected to receive degrees during Commencement Exercises Sunday. They both have been admitted to Harvard Divinity School’s highly selective and extremely rigorous graduate program and have enrolled in the two-year Master of Theological Studies program.

“These are Bonaventure’s best. They have grasped the Franciscan vision and I think both want to put their intellectual energies in service of that vision,” said Dr. Susan Abraham, assistant professor of theology and the students’ academic adviser.

A dual major in history, Cressler’s goal is to seek a doctorate so as to teach and write at the university level. Giacoia, who is minoring in journalism/mass communication, also plans to pursue a Ph.D.

“I haven’t solidified my plans, but my main area of interest is religion and contemporary society, especially in the area of gender and sexuality studies,” she said. “I plan to apply to Ph.D. programs after I complete my program at Harvard with the goal of becoming a professor. I love research and writing, so staying in academia seemed the perfect fit.”

Giacoia has completed a four-year program in three years. “I have never met an individual with so much focus. She is an extremely academic thinker with tremendous initiative. Her work ethic enhances her intellectual capacity,” said Abraham.

On campus, Giacoia has worked as a resident assistant for two years and has been active in the University’s Music Ministry and Spectrum, a gay-straight alliance. Off-campus, she has been involved with Family, Career and Community Leaders of America since 1998, and more recently has taken on a leadership role in Schools Are For Everyone, a non-profit organization founded to ensure school environments are safe for all students, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

“Matthew is probably one of the brightest students I have ever met. What I appreciate is he has considerable intellectual skills but is considerably humble,” Abraham said.

Cressler has received a Presidential Scholarship each of his four years and was a member of the University Honors Program.

He has immersed himself in the life of the University over the last four years, including a number of leadership roles. He has worked to develop and build healthy community among students in the residence halls as a resident assistant for three years and has been an active member of Students for the Mountain for the past three years. He has been a member of St. Bonaventure’s Musical Theater Company, the a cappella group The Last Second, and various intramural sports teams, including indoor and outdoor soccer and flag football.

For Cressler, studying theology is as much about how we live our lives in the world with one another as it is learning about how to think and analyze in the classroom.

“My out-of-class experiences haven’t just supplemented my education. They have been an integral part of it,” he said. “My service to Mt. Irenaeus and my summer spent living in community at Mt. Irenaeus has offered me a foundation in lived-Franciscan-spirituality that I would not have had otherwise.”

Abraham has been Cressler’s adviser since he was a freshman; she became Brianna’s adviser last year. Abraham said each person in the Department of Theology has challenged them differently. “We constantly watch them and their academic careers,” she said.

“My entire experience here at Bona’s has made me the person I am. Academically, I have had the opportunity to learn from some dynamic professors who have taught me a great deal,” said Giacoia. “The personal attention I’ve received here has been invaluable to my development as a student. I have been challenged, encouraged and supported here. I don’t know if I’d have the opportunity to attend Harvard if I had done my undergrad anywhere else.”

Cressler agreed. “My educational experience inside and outside the classroom at Bonaventure has thoroughly readied me for this next step into Harvard. I have had the best professors and mentors I could have ever encountered at any institution,” he said.

“I have enjoyed having them both — they’ve enhanced the classroom experience for their peers and for me,” Dr. Abraham said.

The strength of the University’s Department of Theology has been in contemporary theology and society.

“People who learn and study contemporary theology are very attractive to graduate programs because they’re always looking for young minds who can connect theology to the present,” said Dr. Abraham.

There are very few material rewards in the academic study of theology, Abraham admits. “The labor and the love allow you to be persevering. (For Cressler and Giacoia) It is their work ethic that got them here and their work ethic that will get them through Harvard,” she said.

Students who major or minor in theology are trained to investigate and interpret human experiences of God, how God relates to the world, and how we relate to each other because of our faith in God. Franciscan theology is founded on the organic relationship of God to the world and of our relationship to God, ourselves and to others in the world. In our present moment of resurgent religiosity, such reflective and practical faith may provide the answer for human beings who wonder how to live with each other.

Theology majors tend to be unique individuals with highly diverse career interests. Many are preparing for careers in teaching or ministry. Some of these students go on to graduate school or seminary after graduation, while others move directly into positions in churches, parochial schools, social service agencies, or other religious organizations. Other students combine theology with another field of study and go on to earn graduate degrees in fields as diverse as social work, history, education, counseling and law.

Some 481 undergraduates and 243 graduate students are expected to receive degrees during Sunday’s ceremonies, during which R. Kerry Clark, president, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors of Cardinal Health, Inc., will give the Commencement address and William L. Richter, philanthropist, former trustee and successful businessman, will receive an honorary degree along with Clark.

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

Science goes on display as William F. Walsh Science Center is named

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y., May 10, 2006 — St. Bonaventure University officially named The William F. Walsh Science Center at a private ceremony held on campus Friday for the Walsh family and invited guests.

This initiative — to be built with the assistance of federal funding secured by New York Congressmen James T. Walsh and Amory Houghton as an upgrade of the University’s science facilities — is one of the most ambitious undertakings in the University’s history. With construction to begin soon by E.E. Austin & Son, of Falconer, N.Y., the 46,500 square-foot-facility, to be completed in 2008, will house state-of-the-art computer science, laboratory and classroom space, biology labs, organic and general chemistry labs, a Natural World lab, a 150-seat indoor amphitheater, and faculty offices integrated with lab space for better student-teacher accessibility.

The plans call for a structure to be built parallel to DeLaRoche Hall, the oldest academic building on campus. A central corridor will join them. The final stage of the project will be the renovation of the existing hall.

The architectural firm of Cannon Design of Buffalo, N.Y., designed the addition and the renovation. “One of the most important things this facility will do is put science on display at St. Bonaventure,” said Michael Mistriner, senior vice president at Cannon Design.

“The new construction and renovation will say to students ‘come join our research team.’ The Walsh Science Center is being designed at every facet around encouraging student faculty interaction and multidisciplinary research,” said Dr. Stephen Stahl, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. “There was a paradigm switch in teaching science, mathematics and technology in the 1990s that involved the development of research-robust curricula. The basic premise is that students learn best by doing, and when learning by ‘canned’ exercises what students learn is how to get the correct answer, but when students learn by doing original research projects they learn how to ask the right question, and then set about getting the correct answers. This is a level of sophistication that typically did not occur until the doctoral level.”

“In the last six to nine months there has been an emergence of consciousness and concern in our country about the critical need to improve education in science, mathematics and engineering,” said Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., president of St. Bonaventure University.

“We are at the right time, in the right place, with the right national and international agenda to be making the announcements we are making today. The addition of this facility allows us to advance our strategic goals of achieving academic excellence and strengthening St. Bonaventure’s reputation through a vision of technology and scientific competitiveness. This will have a transforming effect on this University’s ability to attract high quality faculty and outstanding students, and we are already seeing that impact with the current class entering for the fall of 2006. The prospect of a new facility has allowed us to rethink the model of education,” she said.

Congressman James Walsh, a 1970 graduate of St. Bonaventure, said, “The future for this country is truly in science education. This project will make a remarkable difference in a great institution. It will continue that legacy and attract the best and the brightest people. We are very proud to be a part of this.”

The Science Center is being named in honor of his father, William F. Walsh, who graduated from St. Bonaventure in 1934 and who enjoyed a distinguished political career, the pinnacle of which was being Central New York’s representative in the 93rd, 94th and 95th Congresses.

“We are especially proud of our dad who has been our leader and has never forgotten his most important job — that of being our father,” said Walsh. “We are deeply grateful to St. Bonaventure for recognizing his leadership.”

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

CONSTRUCTION NEWS

Details on I-86 detours near Olean can be found on our Web site
» read more

Also, watch this space, the Notice Board and an upcoming series of Web page for updates on campus construction. Weekly construction advisories will be posted to this Web page beginning the week of May 15, 2006. This news will include campus road closings, placement of temporary fencing, noise level warnings, and utility outages/shut-offs. High levels of construction traffic should be assumed at all times on the West End of campus for the next 18 months minimum.

In the interest of safety, no unauthorized and/or unescorted people are allowed access to any campus construction site. A full safety protocol will be posted to the Web and available in the next issue of Inside Bona’s.

Watch for live video feeds of construction areas at Hickey Dining Hall, Friedsam Library and The William F. Walsh Science Center beginning Wednesday, May 17!

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

Eight to receive commissioning at U.S. Army ROTC ceremony

The St. Bonaventure University U.S. Army ROTC program is proud to announce the 2006 Commissioning Ceremony for its seven new second lieutenants into the U.S Army. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 13, in the Rigas Family Theater in The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

Additionally, a United States Marine Corps officer candidate will also be commissioned as a second lieutenant.

During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Kenneth Chrosniak, a former St. Bonaventure University Army ROTC assistant professor of military science and 1988 alumnus, will be the guest speaker. Immediately following the ceremony, the traditional silver dollar salute will occur outside of the Quick Center.
This year’s commissionees are:

• Christopher Busse, a management science major from Peekskill, N.Y. He enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps as a freshman and received a four-year scholarship at St. Bonaventure. Upon completion of the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, Busse was selected for commissioning as a Transportation Corps officer. As an ROTC cadet, he has served as the Alpha Company Platoon Leader and the Bravo Company Commander. He is the son of Wayne and Doreen Busse.

• Philip Corrigan, a journalism/mass communication major and political science minor from Olney, Md. He enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps as a freshman and received a three-year scholarship at St. Bonaventure. Corrigan is a graduate of the United States Army Airborne school and was assigned Cadet Troop Leader Training at Fort Campbell, Ky. Upon completion of the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, Corrigan was selected for commissioning as an infantry officer. As an ROTC cadet, he has served as the battalion commander, the Alpha Company commander, the captain of the Ranger Challenge team and Battalion S-5. He is the son of James and Phyllis Corrigan.

• Michael Ronald Federico, a history major from Burr Ridge, Ill. He enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps as a freshman at St. Bonaventure. Upon completion of the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, Federico was selected for commissioning as an engineer officer. As an ROTC cadet, he has served as a squad leader, the Alpha Company commander, an executive officer, the S-1, and command sergeant major. He is the son of Richard and Jeanne Federico.

• Danielle Gordon, a journalism/mass communication major from Syracuse. She enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps as a freshman and received a three-year scholarship at St. Bonaventure. Gordon was assigned Cadet Troop Leader Training at Ft. Lewis, Wash. Upon completion of the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, she was selected for commissioning as a quartermaster officer. As an ROTC cadet, she has served as the Battalion S-5 and the Bravo Company Platoon leader. She is the daughter of Timothy and Valerie Gordon.

• Brian Pilarski, a sociology major from Buffalo. He enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps as a freshman and joined as a Simultaneous Membership Program cadet with the New York National Guard, 1-108th Infantry (now the 2-101 CAV). Pilarski is a graduate of the United States Army’s Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training with an MOS of 11B (Infantry). Upon completion of the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, he was selected for commissioning as an infantry officer. As an ROTC cadet, he has served as the S-5 and the executive officer for Bravo Company. Pilarski is the son of Terry Sylvia.

• Timothy Stolinski, a history major from Dunkirk. He enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps as a freshman and received a three-year scholarship at St. Bonaventure. He was assigned Cadet Troop Leader Training at Fort Polk, La. Upon completion of the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, Stolinski was selected for commissioning as an air defense officer. As an ROTC cadet, he has served as the Bravo Company commander and Alpha Company executive officer. He is the son of Wayne and Linda Stolinski.

• James Wellington II, a sociology major from Elmira. He enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps as a freshman and received a three-year scholarship at St. Bonaventure. Wellington is a graduate of the United States Army’s Airborne school. Upon completion of the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, he was selected for commissioning as an armor officer. As an ROTC cadet, he served as the Alpha Company commander and the battalion executive officer. He is the son of James and Julie Wellington.

• Jonathan Henry Royer, a sociology major from Highland Heights, Ohio. He enrolled in Officer Candidates School as a freshman and graduated in August of 2005 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. Upon completion of Officer Candidates School, Royer was selected for commissioning with an air contract. At Officer Candidates School, he served in various leadership billets at the platoon and company level that gave him the experience and courage he needs to become a field grade officer in the operating forces of the United States Marine Corps. He will return to Quantico in September for The Basic School. Upon graduation from The Basic School, he will continue his training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola for flight school. Royer is the son of John and Susan Royer.

Click here to return to the top of the page

_____________________

Newsmakers ...

Dr. Susan B. Anders, associate professor of accounting, and Samuel R. Orlando, BBA/MBA candidate in accounting, presented their paper, “A Descriptive Study of Accounting Principles and Practices in Latin America,” at the first annual Business Research Consortium of Western New York on April 29, 2006. This paper attempts to analyze important issues and areas of accounting measurement and reporting in Latin America and investigates the current state of accounting principles and practices of seven Latin American countries in a descriptive study. Latin America lacks both a compilation and a comparison of its accounting systems. Accounting is a developing profession in Latin America, and it is important to track the evolution and summarize the principles and practices of these countries, as well as to describe the environmental factors that affect these accounting principles. Additionally, it is significant to observe how these principles and practices compare to those of the U.S. and the international community. There is little organized research in the field of Latin American accounting, and a major contribution of the current study is the compilation and summary of information pertinent to Latin American accounting.

Additionally, Anders and David S. Hulse, accounting professor at the University of Kentucky, have published their article, “Social Security: The Past, the Present, and Options for Reform,” in the May 2006 issue of The CPA Journal, a nationally read, peer-review accounting journal. Social Security has provided many benefits to both individuals and society, including furnishing a substantial portion of retirement security for the majority of elderly persons in the United States. The Social Security system is facing serious funding problems, and it is widely expected that Social Security will not have the funds available to continue to provide the current level of benefits within about 25 years. The potential solutions to the anticipated funding shortfall will undoubtedly cause economic hardships to some important groups, and prior research has shown that Americans tend to favor reform options that affect their own demographic group the least. The objective of this paper is to better inform the reader of the major issues surrounding the Social Security debate by providing background information on the history and purpose of the Social Security system, the current benefit calculation methodology, the concerns surrounding the trust fund, and the funding problems facing Social Security.

•••

Dr. Gaston Dembele, assistant professor of education, presented a research paper titled “A preservice teacher’s experience with learning centers: Lessons for teacher educators” at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, held in San Francisco (April 7-11, 2006). He also presented a paper titled “Learning to become culturally responsive teachers” at the 27th Annual Ethnography in Educational Research Forum at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (Feb. 24-25, 2006).

•••

Dr. Barry L. Gan, professor of philosophy and director of the Center for Nonviolence, will be teaching one-fourth of a course on nonviolence at Colorado College during the second week of May. He will be joining one of the Serbs who helped organize the overthrow of Slobedan Milosevic and an expert on Bosnia, teaching students about the philosophical underpinnings of nonviolence. He will also present a public lecture at Colorado College May 9 on myths about violence.

Recently Gan was elected president of Concerned Philosophers for Peace, a group of more than 20 philosophers from across North America who have been meeting for years to discuss issues of just war, nuclear weapons and nonviolence. The group will hold its 19th annual meeting at St. Bonaventure University this fall, Oct. 19-21. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, will be the keynote speaker.

Gan has also been invited to participate in the Summer Nonproliferation Institute, to be held June 21-25, 2006, at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt. The conference will be hosted by Middlebury College and the Monterey Institute’s Center for Nonproliferation Studies. The conference will introduce scholars from around the country to the facts and issues surrounding the proliferation and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

•••

Dr. Joel Horowitz, professor of history, was the discussant for a panel titled “Prácticas populares en la construcción de la nacionalidad argentina.” The panel was part of the XXVI International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association, which was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in March. Papers were presented by professors from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (Argentina); University of Wisconsin, Whitewater; University of New England; George Mason University; and University of Bergen (Norway).

•••

Dr. Alison More presented a paper recently at the 41st International Medieval Congress held annually at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich. More’s paper was titled “Transforming Men: Hagiographic Representations of Masculinity in Vitae from Thirteenth-Century Liège.” Dr. Jean François Godet-Calogeras presented a paper on “Introducing the Franciscan Institute’s Web Site on Franciscan Women.” Both More and Godet-Calogeras are members of the teaching and research faculty of the Franciscan Institute.

•••

On April 22, 2006, Dr. John Mulyran, Board of Trustees Professor of English, delivered a paper at the John Gardner conference at Genesee Community College. The paper was titled “A Fair Field Full of Folk: Chaucerian Patterns in John Gardner’s novel, ‘October Light.’” On April 29, Mulryan joined other Northeast Milton scholars at the spring Milton seminar at Wheaton College in Foxboro, Mass.

Click here to return to the top of the page