WINTER 2008 • VOLUME 24 • ISSUE 2

Investing inFutures pg13 Marketing 101 pg15 Practicing

Politics pg19

N I A G A R A U N I V E R S I T Y

fromthepresident

In the 1640s, as the Congregation of the Missionwas expanding into distant lands, St. Vincent de Pauldecided to group the various houses into provinces.Each province had a provincial superior, who wascalled a visitor. The visitor’s role was to visit, travelingfrom house to house and meeting with confreres todiscuss whatever matters needed attention.

During the nine years I served as provincial ofthe Eastern Province of the Congregation of theMission, I served in the role of visitor, traveling upand down the East Coast, and all the way to Panama,to meet with the Vincentian priests and brotherswho worked in the province’s various ministries.These included educational institutions like Niagaraand St. John’s, poor rural parishes in the South, andeven poorer missions in the mountains of Panama.

I enjoyed the role of visitor because I had theopportunity to meet so many wonderful people —deeply spiritual people who were intensely committedto serving others in the spirit of Vincent.

I have thought about my former role as visitorin recent months as I have traveled north to southand east to west in my current role as president ofNiagara University. I have been visiting with alumniand friends, the family of Niagara University that hasspread and grown throughout the world, just asVincent’s community did four centuries ago.

Granted, the purpose of my visits is not thesame as when I was provincial. Nevertheless, manyof them have been just as rewarding because of thewonderful people I have met and because of thecommitment I have seen to ensuring the future ofNiagara University.

The future of the university is exactly the reasonfor my frequent travels these days. I have been visitingNU’s alumni and friends in support of “The

Promise of Niagara ... The next 150years,” the capital campaign that isseeking to raise $80 million for a varietyof university needs. As I have notedbefore, and promise again, I will goanywhere, any time, and meet withanyone to guarantee the campaign’ssuccess because it is that importantto the future of the university.

There is a wonderful transformationtaking place at Niagara, and it isimportant to maintain the momentumthat has brought us to this point in itshistory. With a perspective gainedover my nearly 40-year associationwith the university, I am convincedthat the success of this campaign will

be viewed as the beginning of a new era of excellence.That’s because the campaign is designed not only tohelp build and enhance facilities, but also to providethe resources to sustain them. It will aid teachingand learning, and it will provide support for studentsat both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Inshort, it will do those things to help Niagara achieveour vision of becoming widely recognized for ouracademic programs and for our style of teachingand learning, for the excellence of our faculty, andfor the achievements of our students and alumni.Several features in this edition of the Eagle describethe variety of learning experiences our students arehaving in and outside the classroom.

I am extremely pleased to report that the responseto our fundraising efforts has been very encouraging.As a result of the many meetings and presentationsmade in recent months, the campaign has securedcommitments approaching $38 million — nearlyhalf way to our goal.

I thank God for the wonderful generosity of ouralumni and friends and for the wonderful supportwe have been receiving from various corporationsand foundations. As we continue to work towardour goal, I ask all members of the Niagara familyto look into your hearts and to do what you can dofinancially to support “The Promise of Niagara.”

Please know that in spite of my frequent travelsthese days, I always remain available to our alumniand friends and welcome hearing from you atjll@niagara.edu.

Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., President

The Rev. Joseph L. Levesque,C.M. (second from left), traveledto Florida in February to meetwith alumni and talk about “ThePromise of Niagara ... The next150 years,” Niagara’s capitalcampaign. He is pictured herewith the alumni who attendedthe event at The Villages, Fla.,on Feb. 7. Also pictured areDon Bielecki, NU’s vicepresident for institutionaladvancement (left), and Dr.Nancy McGlen, dean of theCollege of Arts and Sciences(second from right).

winter 2008 • volume 24 • issue 2

In every issue

From the President

Around the Ridge 2

Mission Central 6

Niagara Notables 7

Purple Eagle Pride 8

Advancing NU 10

In the Spotlight 21

Alumni AssociationUpdate 22

Alumni Notes 24

A NU View 29

On the coverAn Engaging Education11Active, integrative learning is the hallmark of a Niagaraeducation. Students can participate in everything fromcutting-edge scientific research to activities that enablethem to apply practical knowledge in real-worldsettings. For example, our media resources studio inDunleavy Hall gives students like sophomore AmandaKruegar, from Franklinville, N.Y. (top monitor), andsenior Emily Shuart, from Hampton, Va., (seen in thebottom monitor), the opportunity to learn aboutTV production.

www.niagara.edu

A pub l i c a t i on fo r a l umn i and f r i end s

Office of Communications and Public RelationsLinus L. Ormsby, ’88, Director

Lisa M. McMahon, Associate Director for Publications/EditorJason R. Mollica, Assistant Director

Suzanne M. Karaszewski, Graphic DesignerJean H. Spence, Secretary

Editor’s OfficeLisa M. McMahon

716-286-8747lmcmahon@niagara.edu

Alumni Relations OfficeArt Cardella, Director

716-286-8787alumni@niagara.edu

www.niagaraalumni.com

The Niagara University Eagle is published quarterly by the Office of Communicationsand Public Relations for alumni and friends of the university.

NU Research Featuredat Expo 11Undergraduate research expo recognizes the qualityof Niagara research.

BASIC Training 13Two students share their stories of learningwhile serving.

Investing in Futures 14Business students are challenged to manage thenewly created Monteagle Fund, a portion ofNiagara’s endowment.

Marketing 10115Sports management students promote the PurpleEagles for a class project.

Hospitality Italian Style 17Lake Como exchange program offers a uniqueexperience to students.

Practicing Politics 19Political science students apply theory to practicein internships that take them from elected officials’local regional offices all the way to Capitol Hill.

15

17

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2 eagle magazine

Niagara University’s Collegeof Business Administrationpresented seven students withits annual Everett OckermanAward. The award acknowledgesacademic excellence.

The recipients, all seniors whowere chosen by the faculty, are:Shannon Bollinger of Gainesville,N.Y., supply-chain management;James Kelley of Farmington,N.Y., human resource manage-ment; Christopher Leendertseof Ancaster, Ontario, marketing;Christopher Patti of Cheektowaga,N.Y., accounting; Michael Placitoof Rochester, N.Y., economicsand finance; Michelle Urbanof Blasdell, N.Y., inter-national business; and MarkWilson of Peterborough,Ontario, management.

The College of Businessestablished the OckermanAward in 1976 in honor of theformer chair of the departmentof commerce, who taught atNiagara from 1946 until hisretirement in 1975.

Seven StudentsHonored WithOckerman Awards

CHINESE SCHOLARS EXPLORE PARTNERSHIP WITH NIAGARA — Niagara’s Collegeof Education invited three Chinese Fulbright scholars at Yale University to visit the campus in October todiscuss partnership opportunities, which could include language training courses and student and teacherexchange programs. Pictured (l-r) are Dr. Yin Zhang from Beijing Forestry University; Dr. Yizhong Ning,dean of the College of Foreign Languages at Beijing Language and Culture University; Dr. Debra Colley,dean of NU’s College of Education; Dr. Jinyan Huang, assistant professor of TESOL (Teaching Englishto Speakers of Other Languages) in the college; and Dr. Yun Wang from Northeast Normal University.Beijing Language and Culture University, founded in 1962, is the only international university in China.With approximately 13,000 students, 9,000 of whom are from more than 160 countries and regions inthe world, its main task is to teach the Chinese language and culture to foreign students.

www.niagara.edu/news

NU THEATER PROFESSOR,STUDENT STAR IN“MOCKINGBIRD” — DougZschiegner, associate director of NUTheater, and theater studies seniorCassie Gorniewicz, starred in “To Killa Mockingbird,” on stage at Buffalo’sStudio Arena Theater Jan. 29-Feb. 22.Zschiegner (center) played the leadrole of Atticus Finch, the lawyer whorepresents a man accused of a crimehe didn’t commit, while Gorniewiczmade her professional theater debutas Mayella Ewell, the man’s accuser.Performing with her professor,Gorniewicz noted, “created a wholeother dynamic. At Studio, we are peers,but he still takes the time to calm anyof my fears, just as any caring professorwould. There is no better way tostart out in the professional theater

world than with a dedicated and trustworthy professor guiding you along!”

Also pictured is Robert Rutland, who played the role of Judge Taylor.

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aroundtheridgewww.niagara.edu/news

Niagara recently named three individuals to director’s positions at the university.Thomas A. Hodick, ’69, M.A.’71, has been named director of the Office

of Career Development. He was formerly career development manager andsenior consultant for E. K. Ward & Associates, where he managed corporateoutplacement centers for the West Seneca human resources consultingcompany. For the last 13 years, he has served as an adjunct professor ofhistory at Niagara, where he obtained both his bachelor’s and master’sdegrees in history. He also holds a graduate certificate of specializationin human resources management from the University at Buffalo.

Robert E. Pfeil has been appointed director of human resources. Priorto joining Niagara University, Pfeil served for two years as director of humanresources at Niagara County Community College. He has also held pastpositions in corporate benefits and humanresource management for several Buffalo-area corporations. Pfeil holds a bachelor’sdegree in business administration/laborrelations and a master’s degree in industrialengineering from the University at Buffalo.He is a member of the Employee RelationsAssociation of Western New York and theSociety for Human Resource Management.

Kate Koperski, curator of folk art atNiagara University’s Castellani Art Museum,has been named director of the on-campuseducational and cultural attraction. A nativeof Buffalo, Koperski has served the museumsince 1991. During her tenure, innovativeexhibitions combining contemporary art and folk art have been highlights of Castellani Art Museumprogramming. She has been recognized for her collaborative approach to the curatorial process, as well asfor her work in children’s and family arts programming, and has served as a grant review panelist, a regionaleditor, and a project consultant for a variety of arts organizations in Western New York and New York state.

Three New Directors Appointed

Thomas A. Hodick, ’69

Kate KoperskiRobert E. Pfeil

“Knowledge often is tacit; it is not obviousunless you have several perspectivesfocused on deciphering and analyzingand categorizing that knowledge.”

Dr. Milton Cox, director of the Center for the Enhancementof Learning and Teaching at Miami University of Ohio, discussedways to involve the community in teaching and learning duringhis keynote address at NU’s Committee on College Teachingand Learning’s seventh annual regional conference, Jan. 10-11.This year’s conference focused on faculty learning communities,and showcased various facets of active, integrative learning,exploring practical ways that faculty and academic leaders canbuild integrative opportunities into their courses.

Nominations for the 2007ROTC Hall of Fame class arenow being accepted. Nomineesmust have graduated from NUand participated in NU ROTCwith military service ending inan honorable discharge, retire-ment or funeral. In addition,one or more of the followingprerequisites must be met:• Lives or lived in the model

of St. Vincent de Paul.• Made a significant

contribution to thebetterment of society.

• Reached a high-level positionof authority, either civilianor military, that is worthyof recognition.To make a Hall of Fame

nomination, please send anarrative of the individual’sachievements, any corroboratingdocuments, and a 5”x7” photoof the nominee (digital preferred)to: Master Sgt. StephenBazemore, P.O. Box 2024,Niagara University, NY 14109,or e-mail to scb@niagara.edu,no later than May 1, 2008.Please include contact informa-tion with your nomination.Awardees and/or their familymembers will be notified in Juneand the induction ceremonieswill be held during AlumniWeekend 2008.

For more information onthe ROTC Hall of Fame, visitwww.niagara.edu/rotc/Alumni-Veterans.htm.

NominationsSought for ROTCHall of Fame

aroundtheridge

4 eagle magazine

www.niagara.edu/news

HULSMAN NAMED TO ADVANCEMENT POST —J. Patrick Hulsman has been appointed associate vice presidentfor institutional advancement at Niagara University. He will beprimarily responsible for assisting the university in its $80-millioncapital campaign, “The Promise of Niagara … The next 150 years.”

Hulsman, who has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare and advancement fields, most recently was the associate executivedirector for institutional advancement for Trocaire College in Buffalo.

A graduate of the State University College at Buffalo, he is amember of the American College of Healthcare Executives, theAssociation for Fundraising Executives, and the Society forTechnical Communication.

DEAN FOR COLLEGE OF BUSINESS NAMED — R. MarkWilson, Ph.D., a professor of economics at the University of SouthFlorida St. Petersburg, has been named dean of Niagara University’sCollege of Business Administration. He will join the university inJuly, succeeding Philip M. Scherer, Ph.D., who has been serving asinterim dean during the current academic year.

Wilson has written extensively on the economic issues surroundinghealth care and has published in numerous academic journals. Hisadministrative experiences include chairing the department of economicsat the University of South Florida, directing business programs atSouth Florida’s St. Petersburg campus, and serving as associate deanof the College of Business at the University of South Florida St.Petersburg. He has also been honored with several teaching awards.

A native of Indiana, Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematicsfrom DePauw University and master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Northwestern University.

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY,NIAGARA COLLEGEINK PARTNERSHIP —Niagara University andNiagara College in Ontariohave renewed an agreement tooffer undergraduate and graduatescholarships and other educa-tional opportunities to studentspreparing for careers in bi-national economic development.

Under the agreement, officiallycalled the Niagara Bi-National

Educational Partnership Fund, students who receive entrance scholarships to Niagara College and completetwo- or three-year programs in business or hospitality and tourism will be accepted into related bachelor’sdegree programs at Niagara. Niagara University will also provide scholarships to students interested ingraduate-level studies in bi-national economic development leading to an MBA. The agreement will alsofund research projects and development programs undertaken by students from both institutions and focusedon regional economic development.

Pictured (l-r): Dr. Dan Patterson, Niagara College president; Tim Coons and Beatrice Ufitingabire,two scholarship recipients; and the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., Niagara University president.

With the support of two areafoundations, Niagara Universityhas launched a program toprepare disadvantaged minorityyouth for employment by artsand cultural organizations andhistorical and natural attractionsin the Buffalo-Niagara area.

The Community Foundationfor Greater Buffalo and theNiagara Area Foundation haveprovided nearly $15,000 in grantfunding to train an estimated20 high school students fromErie and Niagara counties towork as interns at nonprofitorganizations and attractionsparticipating in the program.

Niagara’s College of Hospitalityand Tourism Management’sCenter for Hospitality Trainingand Research will conduct thesix-week training program, whichbegins in March with intern-ships running from May 12 toJune 20.

The Buffalo Zoo, The BuffaloMuseum of Science, Artpark,Old Fort Niagara and theLockport Locks and Erie CanalCruises have agreed to provideinternship positions and eithera paid position or a letter ofrecommendation upon successfulcompletion of the program,according to Dr. Deborah T.Curtis, director of the center.

For more information onthe program, see www.niagara.edu/news.

NU Trains Youthfor SummerEmployment

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www.niagara.edu/news

CAREER DEVELOPMENTHOSTS CANADIANTEACHER CAREER FAIR —Recruiters from 31 Ontario schoolboards and teacher employmentorganizations were on the NiagaraUniversity campus Dec. 4 for theannual Canadian Teacher Career Fair.The event was held in collaborationwith the career centers at Canisius,Daemen, D’Youville and Medaillecolleges. Recruiters met with approxi-mately 500 Canadian students fromteacher education programs at NUand the other sponsoring colleges.

Niagara University’s College of Hospitality andTourism Management has received two grantstotaling nearly $475,000 to strengthen programsthat provide students with practical industryexperience and other learning opportunities.

A $225,000 grant received from The StatlerFoundation was matched by a grant from TheCurtis L. Carlson Family Foundation that willprovide an additional $248,876 over a three-yearperiod. The funds will facilitate internationalexpansion of the college’s student-learning andplacement opportunities and industry trainingprograms. A new staff position of director ofexperiential opportunities will also be created.

The Statler grant will provide the funding todevelop, offer and receive distance-learning coursesin consort with leading hospitality programs in Europeand South America. At the same time, it will expandthe college’s ability to provide its industry trainingprograms to different parts of the world. The Carlsongrant will support the staffing needed to developand monitor the expanded programming.

The college currently has partnership agreementswith the Catholic University of Milan and theUniversity of Insubria in Italy; the InternationalUniversity of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef,Germany; and the Universidad San Ignacio deLoyola in Lima, Peru. The grants will supportexisting partnership programs and facilitateadditional ones at all institutions.

The college’s relationships with the hospitality andtourism industry provide students with internships,placement and training opportunities with majorhoteliers, including The Leading Hotels of the World.

Students gain other practical learning experiencesby attending major conferences, serving on studentconsulting teams that analyze and report on individualproperty or corporate projects, exposure to industryexperts and participation in workshops on industrytopics, and attendance at career days. These variouspractical-application programs will also benefitfrom the grant funds, Praetzel said.

See www.niagara.edu/news/printnews.php?id=080107143241 for more information.

Statler, Carlson Foundations Award NU $475,000 in Grants

The grants awarded to theCollege of Hospitality andTourism Management by theStatler and Curtis L. CarlsonFamily foundations will expandthe college’s ability to offerprograms like the Como work-abroad program. Pictured inthis 2005 photo are AmandaMarsh (left) and MichelleMcLaughlin, two students whoparticipated in the Comoprogram, with Dr. GaryPraetzel, dean of the college(second from left), and Jean-Marc Droulers, president andCEO of the Villa d’Este, oneof the participating hotels.

aroundtheridge

missioncentralwww.niagara.edu/mission

6eagle magazine

By Sister Nora Gatto, D.C.Executive DirectorUniversity Mission and Ministryngatto@niagara.edu

Question: How many Vincentians will be servingat Niagara University in the year 2020?Answer: All who serve at Niagara University in theyear 2020 will be “Vincentian.”

What makes Niagara a Vincentian university isn’treally, nor has it ever been, the number of vowedVincentian priests and brothers who are assignedhere. However, the men who have served here overthe past 151 years have paved the way for the laitywho follow in their footsteps and have handed onthe rich tradition and spirituality that they wereformed in as priests and brothers.

So, what exactly is it that makes for aVincentian? And how can we be so sure thatas we move into the future all will have these

qualities and characteristics?Vincentians can be recognized by their:

• Devotion to justice and charity.• Obvious concern for others, especially those

who are most likely to be neglected. • Willingness to roll up their sleeves and get

their hands dirty when needed.• Ability to listen attentively, no matterwhere or when, or to whom.• Inclusive attitude toward those who are notusually included in anything of importance.

• Reverence for human beings, all kindsof them, exceeding that of normal, average,everyday persons.

• Ability to speak with enthusiasm and intelligenceto national and international issues where thosewho are poor are being adversely affected.

• Contagious ability to engage others in researchingand eradicating the systemic causes of poverty.

• Ability to draw upon the reasoning powers ofthe greatest Catholic thinkers of all time indecision making, both professional and personal.

• Service to those who are poor, homeless,marginalized, living in the shadows.

• Happy, joyful, faith-filled attitude.• Love of life and others.• Extraordinary gift of being able to see the face

of God in persons who are poor.In order to prepare Vincentians for the future,

Niagara is embarking upon a new program thatwill enable us to develop a deeper understandingand commitment to the Catholic and Vincentianheritage that we have. The Vincentian Mission

Institute: Leadership for Higher Education(announced in the last issue of the Eagle or visitwww.niagara.edu/news/listnews.php for moreinformation), is the result of collaborative meetingsbetween the three Vincentian universities in theUnited States: St. John’s University in New York,De Paul University in Chicago, and Niagara. Ninemembers of our Niagara community have beenselected to participate in this three-year program, whichwill address the distinctive nature of Catholic andVincentian higher education with a strong emphasison Vincentian history, spirituality and service.

While we know that the laity here on campushave embraced the Vincentian heritage, we alsobelieve that graduates of our university take withthem a Vincentian way of looking at the world.We have heard that many of our alumni wouldlove an opportunity to participate in a service trip,much like the BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ)program that is available to our students. (See page13 to read the inspiring stories of two BASICstudents.) Wouldn’t it be great to run such a tripduring the spring or summer to a place likePhiladelphia or Brooklyn, where the Vincentiansand Daughters of Charity collaborate in their serviceof those who are poor? What about a trip to placeslike Mississippi or New Orleans? These would beopportunities to demonstrate our love for God, asSt. Vincent de Paul has said, “with the strength ofour arms and the sweat of our brows.” If you are analumnus of Niagara and would be interested in suchan experience, I need some information from you:

• Where would you like to go?• What time during the spring or summer

months might you be available?• Have you ever gone on such a trip?• What kinds of service would you be most

interested in?I ask you to e-mail ngatto@niagara.edu your

response and I will get back to you with theinformation that I receive.

If it is to be true that in the year 2020 all whoserve at Niagara University will be Vincentian, thenit is up to the loving, caring, concerned, revolutionary,reverent, hard-working, inclusive and intelligentprofessionals who are here now to build their livesaround our mission, because for all Vincentians atNiagara, mission is central.

All Will Be Vincentian

niagaranotables

Dr. Henrik BorgstromChair of the Department of Modern and Classical LanguagesAssociate Professor of French

Education and theater work hand-in-hand, according to Dr. Henrik Borgstrom. And it’s an especiallyeffective teaching method when used in the study of foreign language, he says. “Theater is one of the bestways to teach language because you can role-play in the class,” he notes. “Theater is living language.”

Borgstrom takes this approach one step further, out of the classroom and onto the stage. A foundingmember of Le Thèâtre de la Chandelle Verte, he is one of four professors of French who adapt French literaturefor the theater and then perform that adaptation at universities across the country. The four all hold doctoratesin French and theater from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and have collaborated for more than 15years on a variety of French and Francophone productions. A student intern is chosen each year toaccompany the troupe. Alexandra Hare, a former NU French/theater student, was chosen as the intern forthe 2007-2008 season.

With the goal of broadening the appreciation for theater performed in French, the organizationannually selects a literary work to present to university audiences. This year, the troupe is performing “LeJeu de L’Amour et du Hasard (The Game of Love and Chance),” an 18th century comedy by Marivaux,in venues from the East Coast to Washington state. In keeping with its focus on education, the troupeprovides French professors with information including the biography of the author, a synopsis of theplay, language exercises, and lesson plans that they can use in their classes. In addition, the players offerworkshops and talk-back sessions to familiarize the students with the text and help them relate whatthey’ve seen to their own lives.

Borgstrom notes the group is mindful that their audiences have varied proficiency in the Frenchlanguage, and present productions that are visually spectacular.

“The way we perform is always very physical, very visual, so that a student who has hadvery little French can still understand it,” he says. “It’s really meant to cater to all levelsof French.” In addition, this year’s performance includes subtitles projected on ascreen above the stage and the program features a scene-by-scene plot summaryso that those in attendance can follow the story.

“Every time we perform there have been members in the audience who don’tspeak a word of French yet still tell me that they enjoyed the show,” Borgstrom says.

The group faces other challenges as well. The story selected must be adapted torun only an hour, and to be able to be performed by a small cast. In addition, theproduction settings must be kept simple because of variations in performance space.

“We’ve performed in classrooms, in a living room, and on elaborate stages,” saysBorgstrom. “We use minimal external effects because we need to be able to adapt theperformance to the space available.” This year’s set is just a chair, althoughBorgstrom notes that the costumes are ornate.

Borgstrom wrote the adaptation of both this year’s and last year’s productions,and performs one of the leading roles in “Le Jeu.” (It’s his first time on stage in 15years, he admits.) Because coordinating the professors’ schedules can be difficult,the troupe limits its performances to about 10 per year, which it promotesthrough word-of-mouth and personal contacts. “It’s a small community thatknows about us,” Borgstrom says.

This extracurricular passion has enabled Borgstrom to combine his interest intheater with his studies in French, continuing the work he started as a graduatestudent in the French department at UW-M while studying under Judith GravesMiller, a leading scholar in Francophone theater and performance. There was atheater component within the department, Borgstrom explains, in which a full-scale production was prepared each year as part of a semester-long course. Hedirected the program and, as a result, became a specialist in Francophone-Africantheater, which was the program’s focus. His doctoral thesis investigated theater as usedin education, and he frequently publishes in theater journals. Now, as a member of LeThèâtre de la Chandelle Verte, he’s come full circle. “It’s all kind of come together withthis program,” he says.

— Lisa McMahon

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purpleeaglepride

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www.purpleeagles.com

SOFTBALL LIKE ITOUGHT TO BE? —The weather in Elyria,Ohio, was cold andsnowy; in other words,it was perfect conditionsfor the “Mud Bowl,” asoftball competition thatNU freshman KristinSito’s family and friendshave held for the last 71years. Sito, a member ofNU’s softball team, wasthe first girl to play inthe annual New Year’sDay event.

To say that Egor Mironov has a pair of prettybig skates to fill is an understatement.

Mironov, a business major from Thornhill,Ontario, comes to Niagara from a family routeddeep in the sport of hockey. His father, Dmitri,and uncle, Boris, both played in the NHL andfor the Russian Olympic team.

“I’m next in line,” said Mironov.When Mironov learned to walk, he learned

to skate. At about 2 and a half years old, hebegan learning to play the game on the outdoorrinks of Russia. However, he had to put thesport he loved aside a couple of years later whenhis family moved from Russia to Canada,concentrating instead on his education andlearning to speak the English language.

“It’s very hard to be taken out of your elementand move to a completely different countrywhere you don’t know anyone, and don’tknow the language,” he said. “I found it hardto fit in when I was younger.”

Mironov started playing hockey again whenhe was 11. “I pretty much had a late start andhad to begin again with the bare essentials. I hadto learn to skate again. I was a late bloomer,” hesaid, adding that he had the opportunity to travelto Russia to hone his hockey skills.

Whether he was influenced more by the Russianstyle of hockey or the North American style,there is no question that he gained most of hishockey knowledge from his father, Dmitri.

Dmitri was drafted in 1991 by the TorontoMaple Leafs, where he played until 1995. Over thenext seven years, he skated with the PittsburghPenguins, the Anaheim Ducks, the Detroit RedWings, and the Washington Capitals. Dmitri drewupon this experience to help his son in his earlyhockey career.

“When we got home after a game, we wouldhonestly sit down at the kitchen table for an hourand a half or two hours. He would explain all themistakes I made,” said Mironov. “It’s actuallyremarkable how he could remember everything,things I might not have even noticed. He pickseverything apart and always pushes me to be abetter player.”

Mironov has grown to value the lessons his fathertaught him, even though it was difficult at times toaccept criticism.

“I never wanted to hear it, but in the long run Iknow I appreciate it,” he said. “I might not haveagreed with him, and I might not have liked whathe was saying at the time, but I knew it was thetruth, and it’s what really needs to be told. Forthat I really appreciate it.”

Mironov’s father, residing in Toronto, still watcheshis son skate at Dwyer Arena, and Egor continuesto learn.

“To this day my father waits for me afterevery game.”

— Ben HeckethornAthletic Communications Assistant

Different Country, Same Great Sport

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purpleeaglepridewww.purpleeagles.com

COOK HITS 100 — Niagara Universityjunior forward Ted Cook was honored forearning his 100th career point prior to theJan. 11 contest against Robert Morris. Cook,a junior, hit the century mark with an assistDec. 30 vs. Canisius College. The Hogansburg,N.Y., native is the 10th member of NU’s100-point club. The only other junior toget to the 100-point plateau was BarrettEhgoetz, who is Niagara’s career leader with166 points.

When the Purple Eagles’ men’sbasketball team played in the2007 NCAA tournament, theUniversity of Dayton pep bandpitched in as NU’s pep band.This year, if the team heads backto the “Big Dance,” the PurpleEagles will have a pep band oftheir own to provide some sweetmusic for support.

You can thank NU alums PatKuciewski, M.S.Ed.’92, and AlanStockings, M.S.Ed.’07.

Kuciewski, the assistant principalat Harry F. Abate ElementarySchool, and Stockings, a mathteacher at Niagara Falls HighSchool, both in Niagara Falls, N.Y., were approached by Niagara last spring about restarting the university’sown pep band. This is the second time Kuciewski took the baton as leader of the band.

In the late 1980s, when Kuciewski was the band director at the now-defunct LaSalle High School inNiagara Falls, Niagara contacted him for the first time.

“Niagara didn’t have a pep band at the time,” he recalled. “The university contracted LaSalle’s band tobe NU’s (pep band).” The band would perform at home basketball games, pumping up the crowd withpopular songs and the “Go Purple Eagles” fight song.

When Kuciewski left LaSalle High School in 1993, the group changed directors and ultimately disbanded.It was brought together again in 1998, thanks to Niagara Middle School, but was once again silenced in 2002.

During the 2006-2007 academic year, Niagara students came together to restart the pep band and onceagain, Kuciewski led the charge. “You can take me away from the band,” he said, “but you can’t take theband out of me.”

The group, consisting of NU students as well as students from surrounding high schools, including a strongcontingent from Niagara Falls High School, has been playing at basketball games in the Gallagher Center sincelast fall, performing before each game and at halftime, as well as during time-outs and after the game.

“A pep band brings a certain excitement to a college basketball game,” Kuciewski said. “I’m glad wecan be part of the Niagara basketball experience.”

If you would like more information about the Niagara University pep band, log on to http://eagles.niagara.edu/jeckel/main.html, or e-mail niagaraupepband@gmail.com.

— Jason Mollica

Dwyer Arena is the place to bein mid-March, as the MonteagleRidge site hosts the CollegeHockey America 2008 men’s andwomen’s conference tournaments.

For the women, the tourna-ment kicks off on March 7, andends with the championshipgame on March 8.

The men drop the puck onMarch 14 at 7 p.m. with thefourth seed facing the fifthseed. The action continues at2 p.m. on March 15 with thenumber one seed facing the4/5 seed winner; the secondand third seeds play at 7 p.m.the same night.

The men’s championshipgame will take place at 2 p.m.on March 16. CSTV willtelevise the final live.

NU HostsCHA Tourney

Making the Band — Again

10 eagle magazine

advancingnuwww.niagara.edu/advancementwww.niagara.edu/promise

GOAL: $2 million

Niagara Fund Total

Gifts as of Feb. 5, 2008

Annual Unrestricted $782,221.55Athletics 27,532.00Other 1,005,132.90

$1,814,886.40

I’ve spent much of my time as vice president forinstitutional advancement visiting our many alumniall across the United States, and it’s been a pleasureto meet with you and learn what is new in your lives.Now, I cordially invite you to visit Niagara Universityso you can see what’s new on Monteagle Ridge.The campus is attractive, our faculty is enthusiasticallypursing academic excellence, and our students clearlyshow that the Niagara education is making a differencein their lives. There is also a new academic complexthat provides a contemporary learning environment

By Don Bielecki,Vice President for Institutional AdvancementFrom Don’s Deskas well as a home for the colleges of BusinessAdministration and Education. Alumni and friendstell me that, after spending time on the campus, theycan feel Niagara is “on the move.” Come see foryourself the transformation taking place at Niagara.Visit a former professor. Cheer on a Purple Eaglesathletic team. Experience the financial serviceslaboratory in the new building. Observe studentsengaged in research with a faculty member. Whatyou will see and experience will make you proudto be alumni of Niagara University!

Every student who enters Niagara University is heir toa promise. That promise was made by the Vincentianswho founded the university, and it is realized by ourgraduates, whose works in the world are inspired bythe Vincentian values that recognize the dignityof each human being’s aspiration to meaningful,productive and successful lives.

It is, therefore, most appropriate that the capitalcampaign currently under way is entitled “ThePromise of Niagara.”

The campaign has already started to transform thecampus and enhance its endowment. The last issueof the Eagle presented a pictorial essay on the $18.65-million Academic Complex/Bisgrove Hall, whichopened prior to the fall 2007 semester. The storynoted that the facility is “the first step in the physicaltransformation of Niagara University’s campus.”

There is a symbolic relationship between thenew building and the transformation being madepossible by the campaign. The design of the complexis inspired by the architectural heritage of manyof the oldest buildings that occupy the university’scampus. They are landmark structures that haveendured time and, by their long presence and service,can be said to represent the endurance of NU’svalues-inspired academic mission.

In May of 2007, Niagara University’s president, theRev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., announced the publicphase of “The Promise of Niagara” campaign andtermed it the most ambitious project in NU’s history.

“The Promise of Niagara”Some Thoughts on That Promiseand an Update on the Campaign’s Status

In concert with the university’s trustees and leadership,Father Levesque envisioned the campaign as a criticallynecessary initiative to match the talent and dedicationof NU’s faculty and staff, as well as the abilities andaspirations of its students. He noted that the campaignwill provide new and renovated facilities, technologies,athletic venues, and endowments that will permita comprehensive redesign of the university’s campusand capabilities to meet the challenges of a globalized21st century.

In announcing the public phase, NU has expressedconfidence that it can raise the funds to reach its goaland that its community will be there to help ensure thecampaign’s success.

At this writing, “The Promise of Niagara” hasraised nearly $38 million toward the campaign’s$80 million goal, which is projected to be reachedby or before 2011.

As the campaign progresses, its profile will beelevated on campus to inspire support from theuniversity’s educators and staff, for all of us areentrusted with fulfilling the promise made over151 years ago, alumni and university communityalike. We must assess the meaning of what thatpromise continues to accomplish for our studentsand for the world that will benefit from their works.Our generosity should reflect our participation inthe fulfillment of that promise.

— J. Patrick HulsmanAssociate Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Correction:The 2006-2007 President’sReport incorrectly reportedinformation about the numberof donors and class participationrate for the Class of 1951. Thecorrect information is:

Class of 1951Class members: 113Number of donors: 48 Dollar amount: $18,047.08Participation: 42.48%

We apologize for the error.

Beth (Drongosky) Cannon, ’84(left), with Nancy McGlen, deanof the College of Arts andSciences. McGlen talked aboutthe exciting things planned forNiagara, including the construc-tion of a new science building,during a campaign event atThe Villages, Fla., on Feb. 7.

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A hallmark of the Niagara experience is theopportunity our students have to connect theorywith practice and test their knowledge in real-worldsettings. Through research, innovative academicprograms, volunteer opportunities, extracurricularactivities, and study-abroad programs, studentsenhance their education by developing skills andprinciples that will remain with them long after theyleave Monteagle Ridge. The following stories andphotos highlight just some of the ways activelearning is taking place across the campus.

AnEngaging

Education

NU Research Featured at Expo

The quality of Niagara University undergraduate researchwas recognized when 10 students in the College of Artsand Sciences were selected to participate in the inauguralIndependent Sector Undergraduate Research Expositionsponsored by the Commission on Independent Colleges

and Universities. The studentsdisplayed their researchposters at the LegislativeOffice Building in Albanyon Jan. 22.

The one-day event broughttogether college students,faculty and New York statelegislators to showcase thehigh-quality undergraduateresearch being undertakenby independent colleges anduniversities throughout thestate. In all, 70 studentresearch teams from 27campuses were chosen toparticipate in the event.

“One of our major goalsin the College of Arts andSciences is to support andencourage faculty-student research,” noted Dr. Nancy McGlen, dean ofthe college. “These research projects span a large number of fields andshowcase the kind of interesting research that’s going on at Niagara.”

In research performed through the university’s Academic Center forIntegrated Sciences and funded by the New York state Gen*NY*sisprogram, senior biology major Christopher Greene of Niagara Falls,and junior biochemistry majors Megan Gombert of Youngstown andCara Lucas of Penn Yan studied the genes involved in coronary arterydisease, the most prevalent illness in Niagara County. Working withDr. Robert Greene, chair of the biology department; Dr. DeborahLeonard, senior scientist and research laboratory technician; and Dr.Michael Merhige of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, theyinvestigated gene expression as measured by PET-MPI (positron emissiontomography myocardial perfusion imaging). The group found thatthere’s a connection between the way these genes are expressed andindividuals’ risk of getting the disease. This information may lead to thedevelopment of a simple blood test to detect the likelihood of gettingcoronary artery disease so that preventative steps can be taken.

While the benefits of this research could reach around the globe, theimpetus was close to home. “Niagara County patients are the reasonwe’re doing the study,” said Christopher Greene. He added that the expogave the students “a chance to show the regional statewide communitythat NU is involved in cutting-edge research and working with otherinstitutions toward a common goal.”

Another ACIS-sponsored research project, performed by Jeffrey St.Denis of Niagara Falls, a senior majoring in biology and chemistry, and

AnEngaging

Education

AnEngaging

Education

Mallory van Dongen and JeffreySt. Denis with the poster theydisplayed at the undergraduateresearch expo.

Zachary Mills discusses his research project with New YorkState Senator George D. Maziarz.

Mallory van Dongen of Lewiston, a junior chemistry major, involvedthe development of anti-bacterial agents. These molecules could be usedto preserve food, to coat surfaces to prevent the spread of germs, andto combat bioterrorism. The two students have been working on thisproject with Dr. Ronny Priefer, assistant professor of chemistry; Dr.Mary McCourt, chair of the chemistry department; and Dr. WalterSteiner, assistant professor of biology, for nearly two years. Priefer notedthat this endeavor was an interdisciplinary one, drawing from medicinalchemistry, microbiology, organic chemistry, computational chemistryand biochemistry. He added that the group is planning to publish itspreliminary findings.

Sophomore Joseph Fitzpatrick of Niagara Falls, and juniors RobertHengesbach of Lyndhurst, Ohio; Tiffany Rockwood of Shaker Heights,Ohio; and Kayleigh Scannell of Lowell, Mass., studied the legacy ofhousing discrimination in Niagara Falls, N.Y., as part of two classestaught by Dr. Seneca Vaught, assistant professor of African and AfricanAmerican history. Hengesbach, Rockwood and Scannell, students in theIntro to Research class, investigated the historical factors that led to

housing discrimination in the city of Niagara Falls. Fitzpatrick interviewedpeople in the community, producing a short video documentary as partof his Civil Rights Movement class. The two-part project addressesthe historical effects of housing discrimination and their continuingcontribution to urban decay in Niagara Falls.

The project submitted by senior English major Zachary Millsof Buffalo, “An Awful Doom: The Distortion of Transmission in‘Rappaccini’s Daughter,’” developed from an essay he wrote for oneof his classes. Mills’ paper, which he authored with the guidance ofDr. Paula Kot, associate professor of English, considered the significanceof Giovanni’s poisoning in the Nathaniel Hawthorne work. Kot notedthat they plan to submit the piece for publication in professional journals.

Among the 27 colleges represented at the expo were Adelphi University,Alfred University, Albany College of Pharmacy, Fordham Universityand Iona College.

“We’re in with a very elite group,” McGlen noted. “It’s a great honorthat our students were selected, and it reflects that we are in a prestigiouscircle in terms of faculty-student research.”

— Lisa McMahon

New York State Senator Antoine M. Thompson (right), whose district includes the City of NiagaraFalls, learns a little more about its problems with housing discrimination from (l-r): RobertHengesbach, Tiffany Rockwood and Joseph Fitzpatrick.

Dr. Robert Greene, chair of the biology department; Dr. Deborah Leonard, senior scientist andresearch laboratory technician; and students Cara Lucas, Christopher Greene and Megan Gombertwith the research poster they submitted to the undergraduate research expo.

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BASIC Training

The call to serve the less fortunate is one that often goesunanswered. At Niagara University, an effort exists tomake sure that this call is heard, answered and spread. Fortwo Niagara students, Jared Garbowski and Mallory Jakaub,this effort was realized.

Garbowski and Jakaub are two of several Niagara students who attendeda BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ) service trip this past January.Garbowski attended his second BASIC trip when he traveled to Panama,while Jakaub did her service in Philadelphia. The experiences theyhad on their respective trips are both captivating and inspiring. Theirstories remind us how rewarding it can be to lend a helping hand topeople in need and provide a first-hand perspective into the problemof poverty.

“Philadelphia was a lot different than I had expected,” said Jakaub, ajunior international business major from Port Byron, N.Y. “I hadn’t knowna lot about the city, but I was shocked when I saw the living conditionsthere. The houses were old and needed remodeling, and there wasgarbage everywhere.”

“When you first get off the bus, you look around and are like, ‘wow,I can’t believe where I am,’” added Garbowski, a senior criminal justicemajor from Schenectady, N.Y.

Once this initial shock passes, a sense of inspiration and hope canbe drawn from the less fortunate, Garbowski noted. He said that whilethe people he met in Panama had their own life story, filled with struggleand hardship, they seemed to be bonded by a common factor: a deepsense of faith. “The people in Panama were very religious,” he explained.“They don’t have much, only simple things — Bibles, prayer books,pictures of Jesus. We can learn a lot from them.”

While in Philadelphia, Jakaub worked on Habitat for Humanityprojects and served inner-city youth in after-school programs. This

experience showed her how great an impact one can have on the lifeof a person in need. She noted that the poor school children she met inPhiladelphia were very open and emotional, contrary to the oftenreserved nature of students in the suburbs. “The kids there were sohappy to see you,” she said. “There was this one particular experienceI had with this little boy who I’d become attached to. When I toldhim I had to leave, he began to cry. You could just see how muchthose kids appreciated you.”

In Panama, Garbowski toured the poorest areas of the country, bothrural and urban, attended Mass with its citizens, and served at variousVincentian-run community centers. He noted that volunteering notonly enhances one’s life spiritually, but academically as well. “Afterseeing kids in Panama who don’t have and may never have a goodeducation, I now have a better appreciation for the great education Iam able to get here at NU,” he said.

Attending a BASIC trip is a great way for students to carry outNiagara’s Vincentian mission of serving the poor while becoming morewell-rounded people, added Jakaub. “The experience opened my eyesto things I would otherwise never see,” she said. “Sometimes we need tostep out of our comfort zones, and a BASIC trip helps you do that.”

When asked if they would do a BASIC trip again, the answer fromboth students was the same: absolutely. Jakaub cited her best friend, whohad done service in Africa, as being her primary inspiration for volunteeringwith BASIC. “I would definitely like to go on another BASIC trip. Atthe beginning of the trip, nobody really knew each other, but by theend of the trip we were all so close, like brothers and sisters.”

Garbowski said that his previous positive experience in Philadelphiawas one of his main reasons for going to Panama. “Going on a BASICtrip allows you to both serve the poor and interact with students andother people you might otherwise never meet,” he said. “I haveeverything I need in life, and I wanted to use my blessings to helpother people.”

— T.J. Colangelo, junior communication studies major

Jared Garbowski went to Panama on his second BASIC volunteer trip.

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14 eagle magazine

Investing in Futures

One hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money. It’s aneven more significant amount when you’re investingit for someone else. That’s exactly the challenge 28Niagara University students are facing this semesterin their MGT 355 Applied Portfolio Management Class.

“The students will become an investment management companyfor a semester,” explained Ed Hutton, director of the College of BusinessAdministration’s financial services laboratory and professor of the course.“Their goal is to invest as profitably as they can that $100,000.”

In addition to the expertise Hutton can provide (he’s a certifiedfinancial analyst with 25 years of experience with companies includingChase, M&T and Goldome), the students will be able to draw uponresources such as industry-standard software programs to keep abreastof market developments that can affect their investment decisions. Thecollege’s new trading room is set up to allow students to do exactlywhat they’d be doing as financial analysts: watch what’s happeningin the market in real time and monitor companies so that they candetermine which stocks to buy and which to sell.

“We want students to jump on board and find out what it wouldbe like to work (in the investment field) and be that involved in themarkets,” Hutton said.

The money, which has been set aside as the newly established MonteagleFund, is a portion of the university’s endowment. The students, workingin seven teams of four, will be the fund’s portfolio managers. They’llsurvey the companies involved in various segments of the market,track their performance, read analyst reports, conduct conferencecalls with the various companies, and analyze financial statements todecide where they want to invest. And once they make that decision,they will do “buy presentations” to convince their classmates that theinvestments they recommend are sound ones. They will also be requiredto provide reports to the university’s investment committee, and theirperformance will be held to the same standards as NU’s other endowmentportfolio managers.

Making this newly acquired fiscal responsibility all the more challengingare the recent fluctuations in the stock market.

“My biggest concern … is the impending economic recession,especially following Tuesday, January 22nd’s Federal Funds rate cut of 75basis points,” noted Lauren Christian, a senior from Holley, N.Y., “buthopefully the university is investing for the long term and will rideout the volatile market.” She said that she is confident her group, whichis responsible for materials and industrials, “will make very educatedand well-researched suggestions for the university.”

Bobby Lenhard, an MBA student from Farmington, N.Y., whodecided to take the undergraduate class because he couldn’t resist theopportunity to invest money for the university, echoed Christian’s

From left,NiagaraUniversitydesign/techtheater studies

students Kelly Konecko,Amanda Serio and JessicaOney pose with their“Sesame Street” friend,“Oscar the Grouch,” atthe Jim Henson Co.Studio in New York. Thethree were among 18 NUstudents who took a four-day backstage Broadwaytour in January. Thefield trip, coordinated byNU costume technologistMarilyn Deighton, exposedthe students to the manyjob opportunities availablein design/tech for the theater, film and television industry. Stops on the tour included design studios and costume houses; abackstage tour of the Broadway musical “Wicked,” guided by Alyce Gilbert, one of Broadway’s renowned wardrobe supervisors;a panel presentation by IATSE (Stagehands’ Union) members on “Alternative Careers in Theater”; a performance of “Wicked”;and a visit to CBS Studios. The students also had a chance to meet and mingle with nearly 35 theater alumni who live and workin the New York City area at a pizza party arranged by NU costume designer Maureen Stevens.

eagle magazine 15

sentiments, adding that “it is importantthat NU has faith in us, even throughthe more challenging times.” He notedthat his team, which is covering financials,is already “thinking how best to startthe investing and pave the way forfuture classes.”

To help them make their investmentdecisions, a group of students will beassigned to provide an overview at thebeginning of each week, discussingwhere the markets are, what theindexes are, and which companies areannouncing earnings. And while theclass is held twice a week, the majority ofthe work will be done outside of class,Hutton noted, because the studentswill have to be fully immersed in what’shappening in the financial markets bothat home and abroad.

This kind of cutting-edge program isoffered at only about 150 other schools,according to Hutton. He said that usingreal money “energizes the whole process,” taking the learning out of thetextbooks and making it a hands-on experience that will enable studentsto develop skills that are in demand. “As much as possible, we want thisto be like a working experience,” he said.

While 28 students are part of this first-time class (selectedfrom an initial pool of 36 registrants due to the limited number ofworkstations available), Hutton said that in the future, he envisionsonly about 10 to 12 students being accepted. He expects that candidateswill apply for the course like they would a job and be “hired” to managethe Monteagle Fund for a semester, taking over where the previousclass left off.

The fact that his is the inaugural class in this financial endeavor isa motivating factor for Timothy Bax, a senior from Niagara Falls,N.Y. “I am glad that the university is giving us this opportunityto get real experience in investing,” he said. “I really would liketo make money on our investment so that the university will continueto offer this class.”

— Lisa McMahon

Marketing 101:Selling the Purple Eagles

“The Apprentice” has garnered plenty of attentionfor the way it puts contestants through rigorousbusiness tasks. Glenn Hofmann, NiagaraUniversity’s associate athletic director for externalaffairs, took a cue from the show, figuring that

if students in his sports sales class wanted to know what it is like topromote an athletic event, he would show them — first hand.

Hofmann challenged his students to take on the marketing, promotionand ticket sale responsibilities for the men’s and women’s ice hockeyand basketball teams’ home openers. “I wanted them to have that‘real’ feeling and pressure,” he said.

According to the students, they did. “Glenn made sure that this class(was) focused on doing, not just observing,” said Julie Moses, who wasin charge of the team marketing the men’s basketball home opener.

“It was thrilling,” added Pat Haggerty, a senior who led the teamthat promoted the women’s basketball home opener. “This was somethingreal that we could put on our résumés.”

Before the students tackled their marketing duties, they were dividedinto four teams and given the opportunity to “pitch” why they shouldbe the project manager of their group. “Part of the learning experiencewas not only selling the event, but selling yourself,” Hofmann said.

Once each group picked its project manager, it was given a sport topromote with funding from the athletic department. Hofmann said hedidn’t want the students’ time spent on developing lengthy marketingplans; instead, he wanted them to focus on selling tickets. “I wantedthem to learn the hard lessons of marketing,” he said.

The students’ grades were determined in part by how well theymet their financial and attendance goals, Hofmann said. Another factorwas their success in helping local food chain Tops Markets increasevisibility for its bonus cards.

To accomplish these goals, Moses’ team “ … wanted to build offthe momentum from last year’s MAAC championship win and theNCAA tournament appearance,” she said.

They put together a plan that included giving away two pairs ofseason tickets for men’s basketball through a promotion at Tops, aswell as doing giveaways at the game for students and the generalpublic. “If they signed up for, or showed, a bonus card, they wereput into a drawing for several Tops prizes,” Moses explained.

Ed Hutton, director of the College of Business Administration’s financial services laboratory,demonstrates the capabilities of the software available in the stock exchange learning center.

16 eagle magazine

Moses’ group invited numerous nonprofit organizations to thegame for free — thanks to their agreement with Tops — and welcomedthem with a pregame party in the lower level of the Gallagher Center.The main idea, according to Moses, was to be creative.

“Glenn stressed to the class that we should focus on organization,thinking big, and working together,” she said. Her team’s strategyworked — the home opener, which featured the raising of the 2007MAAC championship banner and an appearance by the University ofDayton Pep Band, was a sell-out.

Lee Maslyn, a senior sports management major who is currentlyworking as an intern in guest services with the National FootballLeague’s Buffalo Bills, led the charge for the women’s hockey opener.He and his team did what they termed a “dorm storm” on campus,in hopes of getting NU students to Dwyer Arena. “We spent at leastfive minutes with each person,” he said. “We tried to create someexcitement for the game.”

The team marketed the opener as Hockey Bingo Night, a uniqueidea that awarded prizes for certain events during the game. “If a playerscored or got an assist,” Maslyn said, “you marked off their number onthe bingo card.” Winners were entered into a drawing to receive variousprizes, including round trip tickets from JetBlue. Hockey Bingo Nightbrought 650 fans to the women’s opener.

Haggerty had double the work. Not only did he lead the women’sbasketball group, he was also part of the team responsible for sellingthe men’s hockey home opener.

Haggerty’s basketball group promoted the changes in the women’sbasketball program, particularly the addition of new coach KendraFaustin. They also solicited groups for ticket sales.

“We tried to get that big order early so we could see how much riskwe could eliminate,” he said. Nearly 560 fans showed up to see thegame and take part in basketball skills competitions and a piñata bash forleftover Halloween candy.

Haggerty’s second team, which was responsible for the hockeygame, went after group sales as well by targeting youth hockey playersand their parents. Teammate Matt Caruana, captain of the NU men’shockey team, was counted on to help bring in the Niagara Junior PurpleEagles youth hockey squad because he had worked with the youngstersin the past. “It was an immediate personal relationship that we coulduse,” Haggerty said.

Caruana’s connection led to the group bringing 1,848 fans into DwyerArena that night and setting an attendance record. “It was one of themore special projects I have ever worked on,” Haggerty said.

Hofmann and the athletic department were so impressed by whatHaggerty had done with the class that they put him in charge of a“February Push” project to sell tickets for the men’s hockey team’sremaining regular-season home games.

All along, Hofmann hoped the students would be enthusiasticabout getting into sales. “I think they learned a lot from thisexperience,” he said.

According to Moses, who graduated in December and is now anaccount executive for the Buffalo Bisons baseball team, they did.“Had I not had the chance to (take this class) before joining theBisons,” she said, “I would not feel as confident as I do now goinginto the first meeting with a client.”

Hofmann’s mission was accomplished, and perhaps one day someof these students will hear: “You’re hired.”

— Jason Mollica

Senior sports management major Lee Maslyn was part of the team that organized Hockey Bingo Night as a way to promote the women’shockey home opening game.

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Hospitality Italian Style

The language, the food, the weather, and being thousandsof miles away from home was a bit difficult at times, butItalian students who spent the fall semester studying atNiagara University agree — it’s sure going to look goodon their résumés.

That opinion is shared by their NU counterparts who spent thesummer working in Italy.

It all started in 2001 when Dr. Gary Praetzel, dean of the Collegeof Hospitality and Tourism Management, assisted Italy’s University ofInsurbia in developing a new hospitality and tourism program and, inthe process, began working with the Lake Como Hotel Associationand Lake Como Tourism Association. From this grew an exchangeprogram that for the past four years has put 10 Niagara travel-tourismstudents to work for the summer in Lake Como hotels and brought10 Insurbia students to study at the NU campus for a semester.

“I think it’s a unique experience. It helps you grow,” saidInsurbia student Consuelo Ravelli. “You learn a lot of new thingsapart from language.”

Insurbia’s program focuses on theory, while at Niagara, there’s a lotof practice. In Italy, they don’t live on campus, but return to home orapartments at the end of the day. Nor do they have career days andthe university doesn’t help you find a job, Ravelli noted. “Here, theyare very lucky,” she said.

One of the most difficult, and at the same time, valuable, experiencesfor Anna Mandato was speaking and understanding English. Shestudied English in Italy, but learned mostly grammar rules.

“The first month for me was very, very difficult. I didn’t understandvery well when people speak to me.” By the end of the semester, shesaid, “I’m not so well able to answer, but I understand for the most part.”

Because there are so many foreign visitors in the tourist areas ofItaly, the ability to speak English and other languages is one of the firstthings employers in the tourism industry there look for on a résumé.

Ravelli’s English was a bit stronger (she also speaks German and a littleFrench), but even she found American classes difficult at first. “Theyspeak so fast,” she said.

The language difference meant the Italian students had to put insome extra studying to keep up with classes and required projects.

“They study more than any student I know at Niagara,” commentedEvan Hanrahan, a senior from Ithaca.

Asked what she would miss themost when she returned to Italy,Ravelli said it would be the peopleshe’s met. “They are very friendly andhelpful with us. If you go anywhereand ask for help, they just smile andhelp you.”

During their semester at NU, thetwo young women traveled to Toronto,Washington, Philadelphia, New York(where they stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria for an industry hotel show)and, when interviewed in December,had just been to Miami and sufferedthe fate of any snowbird who returnstoo early. “It was so warm there, andwhen we came here, it was snowing!”Ravelli said.

As to what they wouldn’t misson returning home, Mandatoapologetically commented, “I’msorry, but I just don’t like the food.”Not used to that much fat in theirdiets, she and Ravelli didn’t fall victimto french fries or chicken wings.

By contrast, their NU counterpartsloved Italian food.

“It’s so healthy and so fresh. There’sso much more emotion put into theirfood,” Hanrahan said, describingsmoky-flavored, thin-crust pizza withfresh vegetables baked on a stone.

Como program exchange students, front row: Consuelo Ravelli, Evan Hanrahan and AnnaMandato. Back row: Nathaniel Adams.

Both he and fellow NU senior Nathaniel Adams became addictedto Italian gelato, which is kept at a lower temperature than Americanice cream. “It’s like cold frosting,” Adams said.

Hanrahan spent last summer working at the Grand Hotel di Como;Adams at the smaller Villa Flori. They rotated through each of thedepartments at their hotels, from kitchen to front desk. Hanrahaneven took over as head of the housekeeping staff at his hotel for a

week when the manager went on vacation. Like the Italian studentshere, they had to adjust to the language barrier, despite having studiedItalian for a year.

Self-confidence and willingness to serve is the first thing you noticeabout the NU students who have worked in Italy.

“It takes a lot of guts for a 20-year-old to work half way around theworld, speak a different language and live with their co-workers at a

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For more than 25 years, Niagara University accounting students have prepared and electronically filed federal and state tax returnsfree of charge for elderly and low-income taxpayers in Niagara Falls through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program sponsoredby the Internal Revenue Service. This year’s program, done in partnership with ReNU Niagara, Niagara University’s CommunityOutreach Partnership Center, is being coordinated by members of Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor society for accounting,and the College of Business Administration’s Accounting Society.

“It’s a good way to apply our mission, and the people that we help really need the help,” noted Alfonso Oddo, chair of the department ofaccounting, who added that students participating in this program learn another way to use their talents to serve others.Pictured, Chris Stacey, a junior from Gasport, N.Y., works with Gerry Catalano, program director in the College of Business Administration,to brush up on his tax preparation skills.

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property with no other Niagara students present,”Praetzel said.

The NU students who work in Italy get free roomand board, plus invaluable experience, but no paymentat the hotels where they work. They do get 12 credithours, which allows them to graduate a semesterearly. Adams, for example, already has a job at theGrand Hyatt in downtown Washington, D.C.

It’s different from going to another country tovacation. It’s nerve-wracking at first, but when youwork and live in another country, you immerseyourself in the culture and come out the better forit, Hanrahan said.

Both the Italian and the NU students creditPraetzel not only for establishing the program, butfor taking the extra steps to make sure their experiencewas a success. As one Italian student wrote Praetzelafter returning home in December: “I will neverbe able to thank you enough; it was such a greatexperience that it’s difficult to find the right wordsto describe it. Thank you.”

It doesn’t matter if it’s a small problem or a largeone, he’s always available to help, Ravelli said.

In Italy, Hanrahan said, Praetzel comes by the hotelswhere the students are working, takes them out todinner and introduces them to people.

“He really takes care of you. He becomes like asurrogate parent. You want to make him proud. It’sthe same way you want to make your father proud,”he said.

— Susan Mikula Campbell

Practicing Politics

Stephanie Munas is spending the spring semesterworking in the highest court in the country. Jeffrey Sheridan’sinternship with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter led to apart-time position as her staff assistant. And Iasha Stone hadthe opportunity to meet New York State Attorney General

Andrew M. Cuomo while interning in his Buffalo regional office.The valuable real-world experiences these senior political science

students are taking advantage of comes courtesy of a new internshipcourse the political science department launched in the fall. Whilethe department has always encouraged its students to participate inthese off-campus learning opportunities, the online course brings amore structured approach to the process.

“It really helps the students make sense of their experience,” explainedDr. Jamie Pimlott, assistant professor in the department. “We want tomake sure we’re having conversations, and using technology to havethese conversations, to give our students the best experience.”

To get these conversations started, Pimlott assigns readings to thestudents and has them compare their experiences to what the literaturesays. This gives the students the chance to make a connection between

theory and practice, and helps them to reflect on how their particularinternships might influence their future.

“An internship can revolutionize the way they look at their place inour society and the way that they understand political science and politics,”Pimlott said. “They’re experiencing how what they’ve learned appliesto the job and can better society.”

Ken Lambert, a sophomore with a double major in internationalrelations and political science, is hoping the internship he is completingin Senator Charles Schumer’s Buffalo, N.Y., office will complementthe experiences he has had abroad in Germany. “I need this domesticexperience to understand better the international aspects of politics,”he said. “To be internationally aware, I need to know what my countryis doing and what their influence on international issues is.” His workwith constituents, although primarily in a support capacity, is helpinghim understand the issues that affect Western New Yorkers and whatelected politicians can do about them, he said.

Junior Shawn Davis completed an internship during the fall 2007semester with the Center for American Progress, a think-tank located

Iasha Stone with Assemblyman Herman D. Farrell Jr.

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in Washington, D.C., and worked inSenator Hillary Clinton’s Syracuse, N.Y.,office last summer. Both these experiencesgave him a different perspective of politicalscience from what he got on campus, hesaid, and made him realize that his careerinterest lies in public policy. “I definitelywant to be involved in something thatmakes a difference to someone,” he said.

In addition to her work in the attorneygeneral’s office, Stone completed aninternship with Assemblyman HakeemJeffries. As the only staff member in theassemblyman’s Albany headquarters, sheran the office, handling correspondence,setting up appointments, and talking withconstituents as they waited to see Jeffries.This position gave her an extensive hands-on education in the New York state legislativeprocess, especially concerning the healthcare and education issues facing the state,she noted.

Sometimes, an internship can developinto a paying job, as it did in Sheridan’scase. After completing his internship inSlaughter’s Niagara Falls office in fall of2006, Sheridan continued to volunteerthrough the spring semester. This fall, hewas hired for an entry-level position handlingWestern New York agricultural issues,assisting with requests for grants, andarranging for congressional letters ofsupport. This job, he said, is his firststep toward a career as a political adviser.

Other times, an internship can helpsolidify a career choice. “My Albanyinternship and attorney general internshiphelped guide my decision to become acivil rights lawyer,” Stone said.

Munas hopes her semester-long, full-time position with the Office of the Clerk in the Supreme Court willhelp her decide what type of law she wants to pursue. “I am allowed tosit in on the oral arguments of my choice so I hope in doing so Iwill realize what area I truly enjoy.” She also expects that her experiencewill give her an advantage when she goes to law school after graduation.“I feel like I will be one step ahead of other first-year law studentsbecause it is generally difficult to get a legal internship as an under-graduate,” she noted.

All the internships have an academic component. The students arerequired to attend classes and write papers about their experiences toearn from three to 15 credit hours. Davis’ paper detailed the opportunitieshe had to observe a number of governmental meetings and deliverreports to elected officials in the Capitol building. He also discussedstaffing center briefings and events, and meeting Senator Edward M.

Kennedy during a presentation in the Lyndon B. Johnson Room atthe Capitol. “It meant something special to me,” he said, noting thatthe event was a highlight of his internship.

In addition to giving students the opportunity to work in the field,the internships also help to develop a sense of civic engagement and adesire to participate in community service. “We need to be the changemakers,” Lambert said. “I want to see change. If I can do that by helpingeven one person with one issue, then I feel humbled and I feel that I’vebeen successful in my job, in my career, and in my life.”

— Lisa McMahon

Editor’s note: Political science graduates who have internship opportunitiesavailable are asked to contact Dr. Jamie Pimlott at jpimlott@niagara.eduor 716-286-8337.

During his Washington, D.C., internship, Shawn Davis volunteered with the InternationalCampaign for Tibet, a nonprofit organization that promotes human rights for Tibetans, duringan event at which the Dalai Lama received a Congressional Gold Medal from PresidentGeorge W. Bush. Davis is pictured outside the Capitol building, where the event was held.

“To whom much is given, much is required.”Those are the words around which Niagara graduate Stephanie Williams Cowart has built her life, both

personally and professionally in her career with the Niagara Falls Housing Authority. Cowart began working for the public housing agency in 1983, moving up to the executive director

position in 1996. A tireless worker for her community, she defines her job as not just providing safe, decent,affordable housing, but providing opportunities to enhance the quality of life. She has been behindnumerous programs from setting up universal pre-kindergarten programs in the authority’s communitycenters to establishing Employment Empowerment Training to helping authority residents interact withpolice on a more social level with the Police and Parents as Partners program. She initiated energyconservation measures that have saved the authority $1.4 million. She led Niagara Falls to designation as anofficial “Weed and Seed” site through the Department of Justice.

“We say that it’s not only bricks and mortar, but it’s people and possibilities,” Cowart says.The jewel in her crown came last year, however, when Cowart’s never give up attitude and aggressive

advocacy for housing funding netted a $20 million grant from HUD’s Hope VI program towardthe first phase of a planned $72 million transformation in the city to include housing.

The housing authority first applied for the federal funds five years ago. Cowart kept lobbying,and when the grant finally came through last year, “I cried; I was so excited.”

Construction is beginning this year on 115 new homes and a new administration buildingto replace aging apartment buildings in the city’s north end with affordable rental units and single-family homeownership opportunities. Eventually, 282 mixed income housing units will bebuilt in the city.

“It’s taken our mission statement (‘We empower, we enrich, we build strong communities!’)to another level,” Cowart says.

Cowart’s work in Niagara Falls has not gone unnoticed. She’s received numerous awards,including the Niagara County Black Achiever’s Candle in the Dark Award, the YMCA Woman ofthe Year Award, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Achievement Award, the Heroesof Public Housing Award, the Niagara University Fellowship Award, and the Niagara UniversityCollege of Education Community Leadership Award.

There’s no doubt that Cowart loves her home city, and always has. She had a scholarship toRadcliff in hand when she chose to join the Class of 1980 at NU, where she went on to earn a B.S.in management, a B.B.A. in accounting, an M.B.A. and an M.S.Ed.

She regards the decision to attend NU as one of the more important steps she’s made in life. Theclasses were small, the learning experience great, and she met people she’ll never forget, she says.“It’s wonderful to have such an institution in your own backyard.”

That Niagara is a Catholic university posed no problem for this active member of Mount ZionMissionary Baptist Church. There’s just one God, she says simply.

Her connection with NU remains strong today. Niagara donated the services of the firstWeed and Seed coordinator and is active in other areas, such as providing student tutors forthe children at the community centers.

“Niagara happens to be a great partner with the Niagara Falls Housing Authority,” she says.There’s still quite a bit to be done. Much of Niagara Falls outside the tourist area is run

down and unemployment is high. Cowart refuses to be discouraged.“I see a lot of need here. I feel God has blessed me with the gifts, talents and ability to give

back to the community,” she says. “There’s no way you can walk away from something thatyou love, no matter what the condition.”

It was her parents who taught her that love.“I’m so blessed that God chose the parents I have. They were my first educators, and certainly,

they are my heroes,” Cowart says. “I could never be where I am today without them.”Cowart’s husband, Allen, is “very, very supportive” of her work both on the job and

in the many community organizations to which she lends her expertise. Her children,Schurron and Allen Q., have been brought up in the tradition of community service,learning from their parents and grandparents that “success is not necessarily about yourself;it’s about helping other people.”

— Susan Mikula Campbell

Stephanie Williams Cowart, ’80

inthespotlightwww.niagaraalumni.com

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Stephanie WilliamsCowart, ’80, withan architecturalrendering of the newhomes that will bebuilt through a $20million Hope VI grant.

alumniassociationupdatewww.niagaraalumni.com

22 eagle magazine

Albany ChapterBob Sheehan, ’85518-441-2758rjsheehan2002@yahoo.com

Atlanta ChapterMelinda Smith, ’78404-934-6135 or 770-935-4511msfundraiser@bellsouth.net

Boston ChapterTony Lista, ’80508-951-2641tonylista@aol.com

Alumni Chapters

Fellow alumni,

As 2008 gets under way there are many opportunities for us Niagarans to getinvolved with alumni happenings. Chapter events are taking place across thecountry and Alumni Weekend planning is in full swing. Why not make thisthe year you reconnect with your alma mater? And there’s a simple and easyway to do just that — the Eagle’s Nest, Niagara’s online alumni community.

To date about 25 percent of Niagara alumni are “online” at the Eagle’s Nest.In fact, over the last month alone more than 500 people logged onto the siteto connect, update and network with fellow alumni.

The Eagle’s Nest allows you to keep up-to-date with Niagara NUws, as wellas find out about upcoming Niagara University alumni events. Each user has asecure personal profile, making registering for events online safe and secure.The Nest is a convenient way to update former classmates about your latestnews — marriages, births, job changes, etc. — and you can also post photos

to share with the community in your own personal photo album.The Eagle’s Nest is also great if you’re looking to reconnect with lost friends. The online directory allows

you to search for former classmates, and you can send them instant notes or e-mails right from the site.There are message boards with topics ranging from Purple Eagle athletics to alumni chapter information,as well as opportunities to network and post or search job opportunities.

To check out the Eagle’s Nest, visit www.niagaraalumni.com. Your first-time login code can be foundabove your name on the mailing label of this magazine.

Let’s make 2008 the year Niagarans take to the Web and build a virtual community of purple and white pride!

All the best from the ’Ridge,Greg Hudecki, ’68President, Niagara University Alumni Association

Our newest chapter — alumnicelebrating at the inauguralCleveland holiday party.

Gregory Hudecki, ’68 President

Thomas Summers, ’84 Vice President

Nancy Langer, ’78 Secretary

Father Stephen Denig, C.M., ’71Alumni Chaplain

Art CardellaDirector of Alumni Relations

Maureen Becker, ’90 Martin Byrne, ’78 Timothy Carroll, ’84 Carol Cassell, ’79 Ashleigh Cirilla, ’02 James Collard, ’74 Frances Crosby, ’67 Jeffrey Dann, ’74 Kimberly Dreier, ’09 Frank Fiannaca, ’85 James Hart, ’69 Anthony Lista, ’80Loretta Madia, ’86 Barbara Malinowski, ’59Mary Lou Markowski, ’90 Paul McCarthy, ’60 Dianne Moll, ’89 Michael Moll, ’89 Robert Sheehan, ’85 Lavisse Smith, ’75 Melinda Smith, ’78 Lisa Sparks, ’95 Jason Stein, ’93 Iasha Stone, ’08 Michelle Van de Loo, ’01

Alumni AssociationBoard of Directors

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alumniassociationupdatewww.niagaraalumni.com

Central New York ChapterMarty Byrne, ’78315-414-1414martin.byrne@tbsny.toshiba.com

Lisa Sparks, ’95315-622-3443 or 607-316-1884Lisa.Sparks@Hilton.com

Central Maryland ChapterMaureen Becker, ’90410-744-2400maureen@ipmba.org

Charlotte ChapterJason Stein, ’93704-332-8407jstein@carolina.rr.com

Chicago Chapter“Windy City Purple Eagles”Lavisse Smith, ’75630-410-8597Lavisse.Smith@jostens.com

Cleveland ChapterNiagara University AlumniRelations Office716-286-8787alumni@niagara.edu

Delaware Valley ChapterAshleigh Cirilla, ’02585-766-1690acirilla7@yahoo.com

Rochester ChapterMike, ’89, and Diane Moll, ’89 585-924-2414mmoll2@rochester.rr.comdmoll@admin.rochester.edu

Tri-state ChapterMichelle Vandeloo, ’01 917-685-1675mvandeloo@roccofortecollection.com

Washington, D.C., ChapterPaul McCarthy, ’60703-931-6478paulmccarthy@earthlink.net

Western New York ChapterNiagara University AlumniRelations Office716-286-8787alumni@niagara.edu

Alumni in Atlantaafter watching theBuffalo Sabres playthe Atlanta Thrashersin early January.

Central New Yorkalumni at theirsecond annualholiday party.

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alumninoteswww.niagaraalumni.com

classnotesCA&S = College of Arts & Sciences

CBA = College of BusinessAdministration

CE = College of EducationCN = College of NursingCH = College of Hospitality & Tourism

ManagementITHRA = Institute of Travel, Hotel &

Restaurant Administration(pre-CH)

TTT = Transportation,Travel & Tourism(pre-ITHRA)

1940s George G. Gentile, ’47(CA&S/Natural Sciences and Biology),was honored posthumously withinduction into the ConnecticutVeterans Hall of Fame. He served asa U.S. Marine during World War IIincluding combat service during the

Battle for Iwo Jima. He founded the Iwo Jima MemorialSurvivor’s Association Inc., and Memorial HistoricalFoundation, and was the driving force behind thefinancing and construction of the National Iwo JimaMemorial located in New Britain.

1950s John Kolecki, ’50 (CE/Education), NorthTonawanda, N.Y., published “On the Avenues andBeyond,” a brief history of the Polish community inNorth Tonawanda and a sequel to his previous book,“The Hybrid Amerykaniec.”

1960s Vincent J. Moore, ’62(CA&S), Williamsville, N.Y., has beenselected for inclusion in The BestLawyers in America® 2008. BestLawyers has conducted independentpeer-review surveys in which morethan 25,000 leading attorneys evaluatetheir professional peers in the United

States. Moore is an attorney with Damon & MoreyLLP in Buffalo, N.Y., and was selected for his work inreal estate law.

Joseph P. Wolf, ’62 (CE), Buffalo, N.Y., was presentedwith the John D. Burns Memorial Award by the WesternNew York Certified Football Officials Association. Theaward is the association’s highest honor and recognizedWolf ’s outstanding support and devotion to highschool football.

Sheila (McClincy) Perry, ’63 (CN), Prescott Valley, Ariz.,accepted the position of administrator with TouchstoneCommunities in Prescott.

Justice Bernard J. Malone Jr., ’65 (CA&S), Delmar,N.Y., was appointed by Governor Eliot Spitzer to fill oneof three vacancies in the New York State Supreme Court,Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, in Albany,N.Y. Malone previously served on the Appellate Divisionin the first department, a position he was appointed to by

Governor George Pataki in 2005, after serving for sevenyears as a justice of the Supreme Court in Albany County.

Daniel Brzusek, ’66 (CA&S/Natural Sciences andBiology), Clyde Hill, Wash., assisted in the publicationof “Sports Injuries Guidebook” with Rob Gotlin,team doctor for the New York Knicks. He is alsoeditor of Spineuniverse.com.

Thad Krupka, ’66 (CBA/Accounting), San Antonio,retired to Texas from his position as senior vice presidentof operations at the University of Minnesota MedicalCenter in Minneapolis.

Barbara (Hlastala) Hickey, ’68 (CA&S/Political Science),Mableton, Ga., authored and published “The Top 40 Tipsof Business Etiquette” with AuthorHouse Publishing Co.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Caruana, ’69 (CA&S/English),Buffalo, N.Y., was elected to a four-year term as supervisorof the Town of Tonawanda, N.Y. He also completedCommunity Emergency Response Team training throughNiagara University and is an active participant in theuniversity’s Border Community SERVICE (SpecialEmergency Response Volunteer Initiative for CommunityEmpowerment) project, which provides emergencypreparedness training to citizens and encourages theirparticipation in opportunities that enhance regionalemergency readiness.

Barbara (Nagengast) Traver, ’69 (CN/Nursing),Tonawanda, N.Y., has been elected as a regional chaptercoordinator for the honor society of nursing, Sigma ThetaTau International. Traver was elected at the honor society’s39th biennial convention, held in Baltimore. As a regionalcoordinator, Traver provides leadership that establishes andmaintains networks for communication and sharingamong 30 chapters, regional committee members, andmembers of other international committees.

1970s Richard J. Herdlein, ’70 (CA&S), Snyder,N.Y., has been appointed chair of the student personneladministration department with the State Universityof New York College at Buffalo. He was honored bythe College Student Personnel Association of NewYork State for his outstanding contribution to theprofession at the annual professional conference inAlbany, N.Y., in October 2007.

John Huntz, ’72 (CBA/Accounting), Atlanta, was selectedby TechJournal South as one of the 25 most influentialpeople in Southeast tech in its November print edition.He joined Arcapita Ventures in 2005 and has servedas a member of the board of the National VentureCapital Association and the Securities and ExchangeCommission’s Small Business Capital Formation TaskForce Executive Committee.

Christine McDermott, ’74, M.S.’79,was named Niagara UniversityEmployee of the Month forDecember 2007 in recognition ofher dedication to the job and hercommitment to Niagara students.McDermott, who has been withNiagara since July 1975, is senior

associate director of admissions.

John J. Barnes, ’48, was among12 WWII veterans who werehonored with the Legion ofHonor, France’s oldest andhighest military and civiliandecoration, during ceremoniesat the French Consolate inNew York City on May 8, 2007.The Legion of Honor isconferred on individuals ofdistinguished achievement whohave served France in a notableway. Barnes was honoredfor his contribution to theliberation of France duringWWII. He is pictured herewith Consul GeneralFrancois Delattre.

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Roy Harris, ’75 (CN), Ellicott City, Md., completeda Ph.D. in Nursing in January at George MasonUniversity. He retired from the United States ArmyNurse Corps in August 2006. He looks forward toincreased volunteer activities within his church and theArmy Nurse Corps Association, as well as teaching innursing graduate or doctoral programs.

Thomas Ferrara, ’76 (CBA/Commerce), Pound Ridge,N.Y., chairman of the board of Community MutualSavings Bank in White Plains, N.Y., announced hiscompany’s successful offering as a NASDAQ listedstock. The closing bell of the exchange was rung byFerrara on Aug. 9, 2007, at the NASDAQ.

Ellen (McGrath) Guarnieri, ’77(CN), Medford, N.J., has beenappointed chief executive officer atRobert Wood Johnson UniversityHospital Hamilton. She previouslyheld the positions of vice presidentfor new business development andexecutive vice president.

Ellen Behan-Heinbockel, ’78 (CN), Moorestown,N.J., has accepted a teaching position at the Universityof Pennsylvania.

Sallie (Hermann) McQuaid, ’78 (CE/Administrationand Supervision), Honolulu, was elected president ofthe Newcomer’s Club, an organization dedicated towelcoming new residents and acquainting them withthe cultural and social aspects of the community as wellas introducing them to others with similar interests.

Patricia McCauley, ’79 (CN/Nursing), Brooklyn,N.Y., accepted the position of senior associateadministrator of the cardiovascular product line withSUNY Downstate Medical Center, in Brooklyn. Shewas also inducted into the Manchester Who’s Who ofExecutives and Professionals.

1980s Melody (Learned) Burow, ’80 (CN/Nursing),Niagara Falls, N.Y., provided cards and letters to Britishsoldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq through herorganization, It’s From the Heart, during a visit toEngland in April 2007. A story on Burow’s endeavorwas featured in the spring 2005 issue of the Eagle.

Michael Flaherty, ’80 (CA&S/Criminal Justice),Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., has joined Pitney Bowesas vice president – general manager of state and localgovernment marketplace. He will oversee aspects ofthe business and will continue his active role innational politics.

Michael G. Herrmann, ’80 (CE/French), Buffalo,N.Y., completed his master’s degree in education incounselor education/community mental health fromSt. Bonaventure University.

Edward F. Wright Jr., ’80 (CBA/Accounting), Lockport,N.Y., joins As It Is Inc., as chief financial officer and willwork closely with the launch of TrueThinker.com. Hisrole will include both developing the financialfoundation for the company during its early fast-growth phase and during the ongoing round ofventure fundraising activities.

Joseph Cawley, ’81 (CA&S/Criminology and CriminalJustice), Endwell, N.Y., was elected to the position ofBroome County Court judge in January.

David Prisaznuk, ’81 (CBA/Accounting), Amherst, N.Y., hasbeen named controller for TopsMarkets. He provides oversight forall financial activities, includingcontrol of corporate assets, and isresponsible for risk management,treasury functions, financial

reporting, and payroll administration.

Michael J. Hennessy, ’82 (CA&S/Psychology), Sherrill,N.Y., was reelected Oneida County legislator and wasthen elected as the Democrat minority leader.

Paul Gullo, ’84 (CBA), Grand Island, N.Y., receiveda Doctor of Audiology degree from the PennsylvaniaCollege of Optometry in August 2007. He relocatedback to the Western New York area in September toaccept a clinical audiologist position with DiversifiedHearing Services.

Tammy (Pascarella) Baker, ’85 (CN/Nursing), Carmel,N.Y., was recruited as director of emergency serviceswith the Putnam Hospital Center in November 2007.

Ronald Naradowski, ’86 (CBA/Commerce-Marketing),Clemson, S.C., has accepted the position of nationalsales manager with Autoform Tool and ManufacturingInc., in Fremont, Ind. ATM provides product to theautomotive fuels industry.

Michelle (Valentino) Hemmings, ’88 (ITHRA/Traveland Tourism Administration), Virginia Beach, Va., openeda new business, Coastal Concierge, LLC, which willprovide time management and personal assistant servicesto busy executives throughout the Virginia Beach area.

Theresa Roberts, ’88 (CN), Troy,N.Y., was named quality managerof Senior Whole Health of NewYork. She will be responsible forensuring SWH’s quality improvementprogram is in compliance with allstate and regulatory agencies, andwill also manage the company’s

operational and clinical policies and procedures aswell as develop and implement staff seminars.

1990s Charles Ray, ’92 (CA&S/Philosophy),Rochester, N.Y., has been named director of advance-ment services at Nazareth College in Rochester.

Tanya Mueller, ’93 (CN/Nursing), Poquoson, Va., hasbeen named clinical director for the Sentara ObiciAmbulatory Surgical Center.

Ryan Den Haese, ’94 (CA&S/Biology), Clarence,N.Y., a neurosurgeon of the Brain and Spine Center,has begun his practice at the Hamot Medical ParkDiagnostic Center in Fredonia, N.Y. Dr. Den Haesehas broad experience in all aspects of neurosurgeryand practices with an emphasis on conservative carewhen possible.

Attention SocialWork AlumniThe social work department isupdating its records and needsyour help! If you haven’t alreadysent us your contact information(address, phone number, e-mailaddress), as well as informationabout what you are doingnow, please send it to MargeFura, department secretary, atfura@niagara.edu. Then visitthe social work Web site,www.niagara.edu/socialwork,to see what your formerclassmates and other socialwork alumni are up to.

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alumninoteswww.niagaraalumni.com

Gerald Gibas, ’94 (CA&S/Criminal Justice), Cairo,Egypt, is a senior special agent for U.S. Immigration andCustoms Enforcement, and has accepted a positionas senior ICE representative at the U.S. Embassyin Cairo. Gibas has had recent posting in Ventura,Ca., and Nassau, Bahamas.

Tom Landers, ’95 (CBA/Accounting), Lake View,N.Y., was named tax supervisor at Gaines Kriner Elliott,LLP, Buffalo, N.Y., a certified public accounting andbusiness advisory firm.

Kristen (Finnegan) Leahy, ’96 (CA&S/Criminologyand Criminal Justice), Delhi, N.Y., accepted theposition of director for probation for Otsego Countyin Cooperstown, N.Y.

Nancy Distler, ’97 (CBA/Marketing), Hoboken, N.J.,has completed the “young readers at risk program,”the Ennis William Cosby Graduate CertificateProgram at Fordham University. She is in her fifthyear of teaching and currently teaches kindergartenat PS347, the American Sign Language and EnglishSchool in New York City.

Kathleen Stornes, ’97 (CE/Administration andSupervision), Jamestown, N.Y., accepted the positionof assistant principal K-12 and director of specialeducation at Clymer Central School in Clymer, N.Y.

Peter Glabik, ’98 (CA&S/ReligiousStudies), Whippany, N.J., wasordained to the priesthood byBishop Arthur Serratelli of theDiocese of Paterson, N.J., duringthe vigil Mass of All Saints, Oct.31, 2007. He is currently stationedat Saint Cecilia RC Church in

Rockaway, N.Y., and is part-time chaplain at MorrisCatholic High School in Denville, N.J.

Tara (Stilson) Schwab, ’98 (CN), Batavia, Ohio,graduated with an MSN in May 2007 from XavierUniversity and works as a clinical instructor at the ChristCollege of Nursing and Health Sciences in Cincinnati.

2000s Gregory Weigand, ’00 (CBA/Accounting),Miami, has joined the international tax services groupin the New York City office of PricewaterhouseCoopersLLP, where he will be advising hedge funds, otheralternative investment funds and their affiliates withrespect to their international tax issues.

Melissa (Sorbello) Ferrara, ’03 (CA&S/Communi-cations), East Syracuse, N.Y., has accepted theposition of kindergarten teacher at East SyracuseMinoa Central School District.

Thomas Ferrara, ’03 (CBA/Marketing), East Syracuse,N.Y., has joined Hunt Mortgage, Fayetteville, N.Y., asa mortgage consultant.

Andrew Weiss, ’03 (CH/Hotel-Food Service), Chantilly,Va., was hired as executive chef and general managerof the Ashby Inn in Paris, Virginia.

Monica Prunty, ’04 (CBA/Accounting), Farmington,N.Y., accepted a position with the Eastman KodakCo., Rochester, N.Y. She will be working incorporate tax.

Eric Zeni, ’04 (CBA/Accounting), Lewiston, N.Y.,graduated from law school in May 2007 and passedthe New York state bar examination. He has beencertified for admission to the bar of New York in theAppellate Division, Second Judicial Department.

Jennifer (Gerenski) Kelly, ’05 (CE/Early Childhood),Ontario, N.Y., has accepted the position of specialeducation teacher at Stepping Stones Learning Center,Rochester, N.Y.

William Soto, ’05 (CBA), Orlando, Fla., accepted aposition as sales coordinator for Moulding and Millworkin Orlando.

Nicole Patti, ’06 (CBA/Accounting), Cheektowaga,N.Y., was named staff accountant at Gaines KrinerElliott, LLP, Buffalo, N.Y., a certified public accountingand business advisory firm. She recently passed allparts of the New York State Certified Public Accountantexam. Also named to staff accountant positions at thefirm were Justin Schasel, ’07 (CBA), Lockport, N.Y.,and Danielle Seelbinder, ’07 (CBA/Accounting),Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Helene (St. Pierre) Wiens, ’07 (CE/Mental HealthCounseling), Niagara Falls, Ontario, was hired by theMinistry of Health in September 2007 to be directorof mental health services and psychotherapist for anew family health team in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

militarynotesLt. Col. Brian O’Neil, ’89 (CN/Nursing), was promotedto lieutenant colonel and is currently serving in HelmandProvince, Afghanistan, as executive officer of a transitionteam that oversees integration and training of the Afghanarmy. Upon his return he will be stationed at thePentagon working as the executive officer to the director,plans and resources, deputy chief of staff, G1.

marriagesRichard Valvo, ’63, Parrish, Fla., to Carol Hall,Parrish, Dec. 22, 2007.

Theresa DeConinck, ’82, Reston, Va., to LaurenceGration, Reston, May 26, 2007.

Jennifer Mabey, ’93, Holtsville, N.Y., to MichaelGrella, Holtsville, Sept. 15, 2007.

Johanna Grimes, ’99, Hamburg, N.Y., to JonathanShaflucas, Hamburg, Oct. 13, 2007.

Julie Johnson, ’00, Buffalo, N.Y., to Mark Davis,Buffalo, Oct. 13, 2007.

Attention AlumniNominations for the 2008 classof Niagara Legacy – Alumniof Distinction are now beingaccepted. You can obtain a nomi-nation form on the Eagle’s Nestat www.niagaraalumni.comor by calling the alumnioffice at 716-286-8787. Allnominations must be receivedby March 31, 2008.

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Timothy Papienuk, ’00, Rome, N.Y., to ChristySalisbury, Schenectady, N.Y., July 13, 2007.

Amanda Lee Volcko, ’01, Camillus, N.Y., to JosephCieri, Camillus, Oct. 6, 2007.

Jamie Eagan, ’02, Hamburg, N.Y., to Jay Polisoto,July 27, 2007.

Heidi Mueller, ’02, Amherst, N.Y., to Tyler Maloney,Amherst, July 7, 2007.

Melissa Sorbello, ’03, East Syracuse, N.Y., to ThomasFerrara, ’03, East Syracuse, June 30, 2007.

Elizabeth Freas, ’03, Grand Island, N.Y., to MarkGranto, Niagara Falls, N.Y., Oct. 6, 2007.

Sarah Dobe, ’05, Alden, N.Y., to Matthew Georger,Lockport, N.Y., June 9, 2007.

Jennifer Gerenski, ’05, Ontario, N.Y., to BrandinKelly, Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 29, 2007.

Gwen Lazarus, ’05, Rushville, N.Y., to DarrellWinkler, Aug. 25, 2007.

newarrivalsTo Mr. and Mrs. Brian Shanahan, ’87, Spencerport,N.Y., a daughter, Ava Caren, Oct. 25, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. William Blaisdell, ’91, Ellsworth,Maine, a son, William Bradley, Nov. 21, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Louis Stout, ’91, Schertz, Texas,a son, Matthew Brandon, June 13, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Declan O’Dea (Denise Magnani, ’93),New York, N.Y., a son, Conor Michael, Nov. 7, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Pruski, ’94, Silver Spring,Md., a daughter, Grace, Aug. 30, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Matt Spath, ’94, Charleston, S.C.,a daughter, Susanah, Aug. 4, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Rob Christie (Rebecca Bauer, ’95),Geneseo, N.Y., a daughter, Anna Elizabeth,Sept. 20, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Michael Yacano (Allyson Flynn, ’95),Camillus, N.Y., a son, Joseph Flynn, May 27, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Angelo De Giulio, ’96, Kenmore,N.Y., a son, Dominic Martin, Nov. 5, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Malush, ’96, Grand Island,N.Y., a daughter, Natalie Sophia, Sept. 21, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Robert Goodyear, ’97 (CarrieScippo, ’97), Plano, Texas, a daughter, Gina Francesca,Jan. 2, 2008.

To Mr. and Mrs. Richard Panaro (Lori Granchelli, ’97),Williamsville, N.Y., a son, Casey Richard, Nov. 17, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Dave Rogers (Jill Boehnke, ’98),Waterloo, N.Y., a son, Alexander Carl, Oct. 25, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Eric Hardman, ’98, Burke, Va., adaughter, Kaylynn Casey, June 5, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Tessena, ’98 (JacquiMasters, ’98), Rochester, N.Y., a daughter, BraeleighPaige, Oct. 16, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Corey Romesser, ’99 (JenniferCzapla, ’99), Rochester, N.Y., a daughter, RachaelEvelyn, July 12, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Steven Velarde (Amanda Tripi, ’99),Wheatfield, N.Y., twin boys, Hayden Howard andNicolas James, Aug. 14, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Schiralli, ’00 (Sarah Hart,’00), Chittenango, N.Y., a son, Micah, Dec. 18, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Alan Hunt, ’00, Buffalo, N.Y., ason, Thomas William, Nov. 1, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Pruski, ’00, Gambrills,Md., a son, Jacob Daniel, June 2, 2007.

To Olga Ventura, ’00, and Victor Flores, Rockwall,Texas, a daughter, Nadia Michelle Flores, Sept. 7, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Chapman (BernadetteRose Welter, ’00), North Syracuse, N.Y., a daughter,Natalie Clare, Nov. 26, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. David Adair, ’01 (JenniferCoddington, ’01), Tonawanda, N.Y., a son, EvanRichard, Sept. 12, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gutmann, ’01 (KimberlyCostello, ’02), Charlotte, N.C., a son, Cole Patrick,April 8, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. David Van Dewater (TiffanyWolford, ’02), Buffalo, N.Y., twin daughters, OliviaMarie and Addisyn Lane, Sept. 6, 2007.

To Mr. and Mrs. Charles Taylor (ShannonWoodruff, ’02), Chesapeake, Va., a son, NicholasWilliam, Nov. 24, 2007.

To Jessica (Korczak) Davis, ’03, Batavia, N.Y., a son,Cole James, Dec. 2, 2007.

deathsTo have a Mass celebrated at Alumni Chapel,

call NU’s campus ministry office at 716-286-8400.

Charles Raymond Hall, ’36, Fayetteville, N.Y.,Jan. 3, 2008.

Frederick W. Gray Jr., ’37, Youngstown, N.Y.,Dec. 18, 2007.

George K. Christoff, ’38, Rochester, N.Y., Nov. 23, 2007.

Patrick A. DeBiase, ’42, Mundelein, Ill., Oct. 2007.

John A. Crowley, ’43, Wilmington, N.C.,Oct. 24, 2007.

Rev. Giles Morrill, ’46, Albany, N.Y., Sept. 2, 2007.

Joseph Dooley, ’50, Honeoye, N.Y., Jan. 11, 2008.

Frank R. Gandt, ’50, Pt. Charlotte, Fla., April 30, 2007.

Rocco Tartaglia, ’50, Liverpool, N.Y., Dec. 25, 2007.

Sarah Dobe, ’05, and MatthewGeorger wed June 9, 2007.

28 eagle magazine

Charles F. Magee Jr., ’53, Oceanside, Calif.,July 28, 2006.

Peter E. Ricci, ’53, Scottsdale, Ariz., Oct. 9, 2007.

George John Schneider, ’53, Columbia, S.C.,Dec. 10, 2007.

Peter J. May, ’54, Lakeland, Fla., March 7, 2007.

Rev. Daniel A. Pokornowski, ’54, Lackawanna,N.Y., Dec. 8, 2007.

Ronald Magennis, ’55, Port Orange, Fla.,Dec. 26, 2007.

Jerry Truesdale, ’56, Lancaster, N.Y., Dec. 31, 2007.

Fred J. Barone, ’57, Winter Springs, Fla., Nov. 26, 2007.

Diana (Pillman) Palumbo, ’57, Lewiston, N.Y.,Dec. 21, 2007.

Andrew A. Pyska, ’58, Lewiston, N.Y., Nov. 3, 2007.

Robert J. Winters, ’58, Austin, Texas, Dec. 8, 2007.

Dominick Oliver, ’61, Niagara Falls, N.Y., Jan. 2, 2008.

John Profitlich, ’62, Westfield, N.J., April 26, 2007.

Donato Fiorentino, ’63, Rochester, N.Y., Dec. 3, 2007.

Robert B. Adair, ’67, Ocean Pines, Md., Oct. 13, 2007.

Salvatore DiGregorio Jr., ’68, Niagara Falls, N.Y.,Nov. 1, 2007.

William Delaney, ’69, Annapolis, Md., Oct. 28, 2007.

Suzanne Carson, ’72, Baltimore, Jan. 20, 2008.

Robert James Bahn, ’75, Lancaster, N.Y., Nov. 28, 2007.

Steve Knezevich, ’75, Kenmore, N.Y., Dec. 6, 2007.

Esther (Daggett) Reynolds, ’82, Sabattus, Maine,Nov. 6, 2007.

Steven E. Palka, ’85, Buffalo, N.Y., Dec. 8, 2007.

Michael J. Martin, ’98, Sanborn, N.Y., Dec. 5, 2007.

William Nairn, ’02, St. Catharines, Ontario,Dec. 8, 2007.

withsympathyTo Franklin Fulson, ’50, Lewiston, N.Y., on thedeath of his wife, Mary Fulson, June 1, 2007.

To James V. Glynn, ’57, Lewiston, N.Y., on thedeath of his brother, Leo J. Glynn, Nov. 19, 2007.

To John Shannon, ’63, Skaneateles, N.Y., on thedeath of his mother, Veronica Shannon, Dec. 9, 2007.

To Paul Shannon, ’71, Exton, Pa.; to Thomas Shannon,’72, Syracuse, N.Y.; and to William Shannon, ’74,Chino Hills, Calif., on the death of their mother,Veronica Shannon, Dec. 9, 2007.

To Cathleen Blood, ’75, Lewiston, N.Y., on thedeath of her mother, Cathleen Blood, Nov. 6, 2007.

To Ron Colangelo, ’75, Town of Niagara, N.Y., on thedeath of his mother, Theresa Colangelo, Oct. 1, 2007.

To Patricia Kicera, ’77, Fairport, N.Y., on the deathof her mother, Geraldine Kicera, Nov. 8, 2007.

To Joan McCool-Szynkiewicz, ’80, Port Jefferson,N.Y., on the death of her father, Hugh B. McCool,Feb. 20, 2007.

To Thomas Tartaglia, ’81, Liverpool, N.Y., on thedeath of his father; and to Mary Jo (Janik) Tartaglia,’83, Liverpool, on the death of her father-in-law,Rocco Tartaglia, ’50, Dec. 25, 2007.

To Roseanne Colangelo, ’83, Town of Niagara,N.Y., on the death of her mother, Theresa Colangelo,Oct. 1, 2007.

To Dominick Oliver, ’84, Buffalo, N.Y.; and toChristopher Oliver, ’86, Buffalo, on the death oftheir father, Dominick Oliver, ’61, Jan. 2, 2008.

To Christopher Glynn, ’85, Williamsville, N.Y., onthe death of his uncle, Leo J. Glynn, Nov. 19, 2007.

To Peter Ricci Jr., ’85, Denver, on the death of hisfather, Peter E. Ricci, ’53, Oct. 9, 2007.

To Michael Hebert, ’88, Alpharetta, Ga., on thedeath of his mother, Maryellen Hebert, Jan. 7, 2008.

To Mary (Morgan) Rose, ’88, Buffalo, N.Y., on thedeath of her father, John Morgan, Dec. 4, 2007.

To William Baker, ’92, Niagara Falls, N.Y., on thedeath of his brother, Stephen Baker, Nov. 5, 2007.

To Vincent Y. Grebas, ’94, Prince George, Va., onthe death of his father; and to Cindy (Moynihan)Grebas, ’94, Prince George, on the death of herfather-in-law, Vincent J. Grebas, Dec. 18, 2007.

To Judy (Conte) Villani, ’95, Niagara Falls, N.Y.,on the death of her father, Patrick J. Conte Sr.,Nov. 22, 2007.

To Susan (Palumbo) Schulz, ’99, Clarence, N.Y., onthe death of her mother, Diana (Pillman) Palumbo, ’57,Dec. 21, 2007.

To Rosalynn (DiGregorio) Harris, ’00, Greensboro,N.C., on the death of her father, SalvatoreDeGregorio Jr., ’68, Nov. 1, 2007.

To Deirdre Connellan, ’01, Westminster, Colo., on thedeath of her father, John J. Connellan, Oct.17, 2007.

To Kari Colangelo, ’07, Town of Niagara, on thedeath of her grandmother, Theresa Colangelo,Oct. 1, 2007.

alumninoteswww.niagaraalumni.com

Wanted:YourPurple EagleParaphernaliaHelp the alumni relations officebuild our archive of historicalPurple Eagle paraphernalia(beanies, ties, photos, rings,etc.) by donating your Niagaragear! Help us preserve some ofNiagara’s alumni history andtradition. Please contact JenniferCoppola, associate alumnidirector, at 716-286-8773 or bye-mail at jcoppola@niagara.edufor more information or todiscuss your items.

Our goal is to have a beaniefrom each graduating class!

As a Daughter of Charity, I have been assigned to live in many houses (convents) over the past 32 years. We don’tchoose with whom we will live, nor do we choose our jobs. As disciples of Jesus who follow what St. Vincentde Paul himself followed, we are sent to places where there is great need. And we live in the areas wherepeople who are poor are most likely to live. Because of this, I’ve lived in some pretty tough neighborhoods, likeHarlem and Syracuse in New York state. It was in Syracuse that I first lived with a Daughter of Charity whoexemplified what it means to live and work with the poor. Her name was Sister Hilary Davis, and shedied Nov. 17, 2007, of cancer. St. Paul’s words in his second letter to Timothy well describe her life:“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.” Let me tell you a bit about the kind offighting and racing that Sister Hilary did, and how her life has deeply affected mine.

Sister Hilary spent the last 29 years of her life as a Daughter of Charity. She was from California, andhad entered the Western Province of our community in 1979. She later transferred to this Northeastprovince so that she could attend Boston College for her master’s degree in social work. She brought herguitar. The very first time I met Sister Hilary was at a music practice at our Provincial House in Albany.We both played the guitar, and both had the same passion for music. However, she had a 12 string.I was fascinated with her skill and delighted by her sense of humor. We spent more time laughing thanplaying, and that’s one of the things I now remember so well about her.

I was assigned to Syracuse in 1995. Sister Hilary had already been there for two years and wasworking with the homeless men who lived in the downtown area near the Cathedral, where ourhouse was. As she introduced me to the neighborhood, I was deeply touched by how many of thehomeless guys she knew by name. She treated them as if they were Wall Street brokers, with ultimaterespect and cordiality. And they loved her. Thus, she was able to move them gently from homeless-ness to rehabilitation to reintegration into society. She fought the structures to make this happenand never quit until she crossed the finish line.

In 2003, I was asked to come to Niagara University and live with our sisters in Niagara Falls.Once again, I would have the opportunity to share life with Sister Hilary. By this time she hadbeen diagnosed with bone cancer, but you never would have known it. She was as strong and full of vim andvigor as when I lived with her in ’95. She never seemed to tire, and she would never, never give up no matterhow bad the pain was.

Sister’s ministry in Niagara Falls was as an employee of Mount St. Mary’s Hospital. Her field was socialwork, her passion was to befriend all who were poor. She mostly worked at the hospital’s NeighborhoodHealth Center on Ninth Street, and she often talked about how difficult it was to see all of the patients whocame to the building because there wasn’t adequate space for the doctors, nurses and social workers. Onceagain, it was Hilary fighting the good fight, and finishing the race. Now, the hospital is committed to buildinga new, larger and more efficient Neighborhood Health Center, and is raising the money to do so.

In the evenings, Sister Hilary and I sometimes watched a sporting event together, mostly because we alwaysrouted for different teams, and it was fun to fight. The San Francisco Giants were her favorite sports team. Sheeven had the “official” hat. The day after she died, we went into her bedroom. The hat was hanging on a hookbehind the door. I took it. I’ve worn it on my daily runs every day since because I decided to train for theBuffalo Marathon (13.1 miles) on May 25. I will run the race, in memory of Sister Hilary, to raise moneyfor the Neighborhood Health Center.

Sister Hilary showed me how to “finish the race,” when it came to serving others with love, when it came toovercoming obstacles, when it came to coping with personal hurt and disappointment, and finally, when itcame to battling illness. I never heard her complain, and there was never a question as to whether or not shewould use every last bit of life she had in the service of those who were poor, her finish line.

On the back of the hat I took from her room, it says GIANTS. When Hilary died, she was barely 5 feet tall,having lost several inches due to the illness. But there is no doubt in my mind that she was a GIANT. Nor isthere any doubt about the reward that awaited her. As St. Paul wrote to Timothy, “From now on the crown ofrighteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award me on that day, and not only to me, but toall who have longed for His appearance.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

The Finish Line

anuview

eagle magazine 29

Have something to say? We’relooking for personal essays for “ANU View.” Articles should beapproximately 700 words on thetopic of your choice. Send them to:Lisa McMahon, editor, Office ofCommunications and PublicRelations, Niagara University,N.Y. 14109 or e-mail tolmcmahon@niagara.edu.

By Sister Nora Gatto, D.C.Executive Director of UniversityMission and MinistryNiagara University

Editor’s note:Readers interested in supporting Sister Nora’s cause may make donations to Mount St. Mary’s HospitalFoundation, 5300 Military Road, Lewiston, N.Y. 14092, with a note indicating that the donation is in memory ofSister Hilary Davis, D.C., and for the Ninth Street Clinic.

Sister Hilary Davis, D.C.

12

Nonprofit Org.U.S. POSTAGEPAIDNiagara University, N.Y.Permit No. 1Office of Institutional Advancement

Niagara University, NY 14109

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Visit the Eagle’s Nest at www.niagaraalumni.com for the most up-to-dateAlumni Weekend information! New to the Nest? Your first-time login code canbe found above your name on the mailing label below.

Alumni Weekend ’08Oct. 10, 11 and 12

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Date

We hope to see you this fall!

Niagara’s annual Alumni Weekend is scheduled for Oct. 10, 11, and 12,2008. We hope you join us for a weekend on Monteagle Ridge that willbe filled with fun and memories.

This year we celebrate classes with years ending in 3s and 8s. And, asalways, we welcome all alumni back to campus to join in the party. Markyour calendar now, and look for a formal invitation in early summer.

Our headquarters hotel for Alumni Weekend ’08 is the Crowne Plaza inNiagara Falls (300 Third St.). Call 1-800-95FALLS to make reservations.A special rate of $124/night has been arranged. Please reference groupcode NUA when making your reservation. Space in the block is notguaranteed after Sept. 10.

If you are interested in assisting with the planning of your reunion,please contact Jennifer Coppola, associate director of alumni relations,at jcoppola@niagara.edu or 716-286-8773.