Buffalo, NY – Canisius University President Steve K. Stoute, JD, announced today the first round of proposals selected to receive support from the President’s Innovation Fund. Canisius introduced the competitive grant program earlier this year. The initiative promises to invest $1 million over five years in support of original and inventive concepts that have the potential to advance the institution’s strategic agenda and achieve verifiable outcomes for students. Using this as their criteria, faculty and staff were encouraged to submit proposals for funding. The faculty- and staff-led proposals selected in the first round directly support the goals outlined in the university’s six-year strategic plan, Answer the Call, and demonstrate creativity and ingenuity, and foster academic excellence and innovation.
“I am thrilled to share the first proposals to receive support through the President’s Innovation Fund,” said President Stoute in announcing the winning proposals. “This fund enables us to invest in initiatives that will enhance student success, enrich the campus experience and strengthen our community. I congratulate the faculty and staff who conceived of the successful proposals for their vision and dedication to propelling our institution to Answer the Call.”
The programs funded can be characterized as follows:
1. Supplemental Instruction: a program that will train student-leaders in active learning techniques, preparing them to become peer-mentors and preceptors, who will help participating students succeed in challenging classes.
2. Pedagogical Innovation: a low-technology simulation game that features interactive, role-playing classroom engagement around topics in history.
3. Living Learning Community: implementing an intentional community-building curriculum for residential students in the animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC) program to foster a greater sense of belonging and improve retention.
4. Experiential Learning: funding to ensure ABEC and anthrozoology students with financial need have the ability to access internships and gain the critical competencies derived from engaging in this high impact practice.
5. Makerspace/Creator Lab: a dedicated space with high-tech tools, including 3D printers and a laser cutter, and resources for students, faculty and staff to create, innovate and collaborate, thereby promoting hands-on learning, and inspiring creativity and innovation.
6. Media Partnership: partnering with a growth agency to promote stories and mentions about student success, faculty and staff achievement, and more, which will raise Canisius University’s profile on a local and national level through earned media coverage.
The total funding for these six projects could rise to $240,000 over three years. Canisius will review new proposals each year and invest $1 million dollars in aggregate over a five-year period to support innovative ideas that help accomplish institutional goals.
The President’s Innovation Fund originated in 2023, when Canisius invited alumni and donors to make unrestricted gifts to the institution, in support of initiatives that had the greatest potential to move the university forward. Canisius constituents “responded in remarkable ways,” said President Stoute, such that their investments in the institution have culminated in this new competitive grant program. “Nothing of significance is accomplished alone and therefore I am beyond grateful to those donors who have committed to the Innovation Fund. Their investment will impact Canisius University in meaningful ways.”
For more information about the President’s Innovation Fund, contact University Communications at 716-888-2792. To make a gift to the President’s Innovation Fund, click here.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
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