Canisius Profile
Canisius College is the largest private university in Western New York. Canisius is one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation and is consistently ranked among the top regional colleges in the Northeast. Founded in 1870 by German Jesuits, Canisius College is named for St. Peter Canisius, a renowned Dutch educator and one of the original members of the Society of Jesus. What began in a single building in downtown Buffalo now consists of 32 buildings located on 72 acres in a residential neighborhood in North-Central Buffalo.
President
President of Canisius College since 1993, Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., has transformed Canisius College from a commuter college into a residential comprehensive university that draws students from across the Northeast and beyond.
A native of New York City, Father Cooke received bachelor's and master's degrees from Fordham University; a licentiate in philosophy from Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak; advanced theology degrees from Woodstock College and Yale University; and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Father Cooke's academic areas of expertise focus on ethics, the theory of knowledge and the philosophy of language. He served previously as provincial of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus, and as executive and academic vice president of John Carroll University.
In early 2008, Father Cooke served as a delgate at the Jesuits' General Congregatino 35 that elected Father Adolfo Nicolas as the new General of the Society of Jesus.
In May 2009, Father Cooke announced that he would retire as president of Canisius at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year. John J. Hurley, executive vice president and vice president for college relations, will succeed Father Cooke as the 24th president of Canisius College
Mission
Canisius College is proud to share in the Jesuit heritage, which offers students a highly personalized education solidly based in the liberal arts that emphasizes the development of the whole person. Canisius prepares leaders – intelligent, caring, faithful individuals – able to pursue and promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.
Faculty
The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, which allows students to work closely with their instructors, often publishing or presenting scholarly articles based on joint research. There are 230 full-time faculty at Canisius, of whom 94 percent hold a PhD or other terminal degree.
Library
Canisius students and faculty have access to a library collection of more than 425,000 items, including books, periodicals, videotapes and DVDs. The library subscribes to more than 24,000 full text electronic periodicals, as well as to hundreds of paper journal titles. The library has wireless network access and loans laptop computers to students for use in the library. Students have convenient access to more than 6.4 million volumes in the ConnectNY consortium. Additional library materials are available via Interlibrary Loan.
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry is responsible for the religious life of the campus. Activities are open to students and staff of all faiths and include spiritual retreats, service opportunities and the promotion of social justice.
Mass is celebrated in Christ the King Chapel for the college community at 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and 11:45 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Student services and activities
More than 100 college-sponsored organizations offer Canisius students experiences related to service, the media, student government, academics, and religious and social interests.
Enrollment
Total number of students – 4,774
- Undergraduate – 3,196
Full-time – 3,050, Part-time – 146 - Graduate – 1,578
Full-time – 779, Part-time – 779 - 45 percent male
- 55 percent female
- 39 states represented
- 23 foreign countries represented
- 1,525 live in campus housing, including 69 percent of the fall 2009 entering class
- The fall 2009 entering class had an average SAT score of 1118 and a high school average of 90.3. Fifty-five percent of the class had a high school average of 90 percent and above.
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Richard J. Wehle School of Business
- School of Education and Human Services
There are more than 40,000 Canisius alumni who live and work in the United States and 52 other countries around the world.
- 93 percent of Canisius alumni live in the United States.
- 67 percent of Canisius alumni live in New York State.
- The largest numbers of alumni living outside the U.S. reside in Canada, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Curriculum
There are more than 1,000 courses in over 70 distinct majors, minors and special programs offered at Canisius. Included are these recently created programs:
Undergraduate:
- 3+2 Dual Degree Program in Physics and Engineering
- Accounting Information Systems
- Animal Behavior, Ecology & Conservation
- Bioinformatics
- Catholic Studies minor
- Entrepreneurship
- Golden Griffin Fund
- International Business
- Music
- Studio Art minor
- Health and Human Performance
- Physical Education On-line
- Literacy Education On-line
- Sport Administration On-line
- School Building Leader (SBL)/School District Leader (SDL) Certification Program On-line
Class size
The average class size is 17.
2008 - 2009 Graduates
- Undergraduate – 730
- Graduate – 685
- Annual Operating Budget $94.4 million
- Financial Aid $44.5 million
- Market Value of Endowment $63.5 million
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees
- Full-time — $28,455 per year
Fees - $1,057 - Part-time — $812 per credit hour
- Full-time — $10,556 per year
- $680 per credit hour
- Under Father Cooke's leadership, Canisius has invested more than $142 million in its campus, including $67 million in eight major residence hall projects during this time. Plans are currently underway for an interdisciplinary science center in Science Hall, the former HealthNow building
- With more than 24 major projects completed, Canisius has been one of the most significant private developers in the city of Buffalo.
- Canisius has a $94.4 million operating budget and nearly 1,000 employees, which would rank it as the 22nd largest private company in Western New York. The college's annual economic impact on the area is estimated at $232 million.
- Canisius earned its highest ranking in college history with the 21st spot in the top tier in U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 rankings of America’s Best Colleges, Northern Universities – Master’s. Consistently ranked among the top regional colleges in the northeast, Canisius moved up one position to achieve its record ranking. Canisius held the 22nd spot for the past two consecutive years. Canisius was also listed among the “Great Schools, Great Price” category for comprehensive schools in the north for 2009 and 2010.
- Canisius was listed in the 2009 edition of Peterson’s Competitive Colleges.
- Canisius College is one of only 17 schools in New York State to be included in the 10th edition of Barrons’ Best Buys in College Education.
- The 2009 and 2010 Chronicle of Higher Education "Great Colleges to Work for Surveys" recognized Canisius College as a leader in providing an exceptional work environment for its employees.
- Canisius College is known for its exceptional science programs. Canisius has an impressive record of faculty-student research and publication, and has a 93 percent acceptance rate for students who apply to medical, osteopathic, dental, veterinary, podiatry and optometry schools.
- The Canisius College Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program ranked first out of 135 schools in the Eastern Region for medium-sized detachments by the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the General McArthur Foundation in 2008.
- Graduates of Canisius' accounting program ranked #1 overall on the 2006 New York State CPA exam and on three of four sections.
- Canisius College tied for fifth in the nation, among master's institutions for its number of J. William Fulbright Scholarship recipients in 2007-2008.
- Including Fulbright scholarships, 43 national fellowships and scholarships have been awarded to Canisius College graduates in the last 21 years. These include the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, Andrew M. Mellon Fellowship, Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and the Harry S. Truman Scholarship