At the commencement liturgy on Friday, Most Rev. Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws.

On Saturday, May 11, undergraduate students received their degrees at two separate ceremonies in the Gallagher Center. Nikolas Wallenda, the world-renowned daredevil who triumphantly crossed Niagara Falls on a two-inch steel wire last June, delivered the commencement address to Niagara’s colleges of Business Administration and Hospitality and Tourism Management at the morning event. He and John P. Rumschik, ’77, president and chief operating officer of M&T Insurance Agency Inc., received honorary degrees.

That afternoon, Niagara’s colleges of Arts and Sciences and Education heard from Father Levesque, who was presented with the university’s prestigious Medal of Honor in light of his numerous contributions to Niagara University and the surrounding communities.

Also at the ceremonies, NU alumnus Sen. George Maziarz,’76, received the St. Vincent De Paul Award for his “vision, accomplishments, and good works (that) reflect the life and ministry of St. Vincent de Paul.”

You can listen to all three commencement addresses here and see photo galleries here.

Upon completion of the oath, administered by Brig. Gen. Douglas R. Satterfield, commander of the 412th Engineer Command, family members pinned gold bars on the shoulders of the new second lieutenants:

• Andrew Burger (Buffalo, N.Y.)
• Adam Burns (North Tonawanda, N.Y.)
• Sean Clough (St Louis, Mo.)
• Stephan D’Urso (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
• Kyler Dabolt (Varysburg, N.Y.)
• Thomas Eggert (Lockport, N.Y.)
• Skylar Fairchild (Trumansburg, N.Y.)
• Daniel French (Mt. Airy, Md.)
• Cy Hibsch (Attica, N.Y.)
• James Kemnitz (Mumford, N.Y.)
• James Kerins (Youngstown, N.Y.)
• Samuel Lee (Glastonbury, Conn.)
• Michael Lowitzer (West Seneca, N.Y.)
• Justin Morris (Fruita, Col.)
• Matthew Mulvihill (Middletown, N.Y.)
• Daniel Palazzo (New Windsor, N.Y.)
• Grace Phillips (Temple, Texas)
• Ethan Rugani (Lancaster, N.Y.)
• David Saxton (Wayland, N.Y.)
• Jaimee Schweigert (Canandaigua, N.Y.)
• Marc Skill (Dayton, Ohio)
• Phillip Sutton (Lockport, N.Y.)
• Nicolas Zehr (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)

The most memorable portion of the ceremony was when Senior Airwoman Chelsea Hibsch arrived in time from Korea to render the traditional first salute to her brother, 2^nd Lt. Cy Hibsch. Her arrival was a surprise to her brother and parents.

According to Lt. Col. Paul T. Dansereau, a professor of military science at NU, this class exemplified the terms:

• Scholar, by maintaining a class average cumulative GPA of 3.46.
• Athlete, by achieving the third-highest Army physical fitness test score among the 41 ROTC programs in the Northeast during last summer’s Leader Development and Assessment Course.
• Leader, by actively participating as representatives in the Niagara University Student Government Association and Sigma Alpha Sigma Presidential Honor Society, as well as various other clubs and activities.

The new officers joined the less than 1 percent of the United States population who have sworn to serve and protect the nation. They are part of an even smaller percentage of the Army who are responsible for the health, welfare and training of the nation’s sons and daughters during a time of continual conflict and uncertainty.

The Army ROTC program is designed to augment the college learning experience by identifying and developing future leaders. Its primary goals are to identify, instruct and commission young men and women for service as officers in the United States Army Reserve or the Army National Guard. Intermediate goals include providing students with the managerial skills necessary to organize and effectively run a student club, small business, or an Army platoon.

Over the last eight years, Niagara has been ranked in the top 10 percent of Army ROTC programs in the United States. The Purple Eagle Battalion’s rise to excellence culminated in 2004, when it was the top-ranked program in the nation.

Additional photos from the commissioning ceremony can be viewed on Niagara University’s Facebook page.

On Saturday, April 13, more than 300 athletes gathered at the Kiernan Center, as NU hosted the Special Olympics for the second year in a row.

This year’s event brought 14 basketball teams from 11 different clubs to Monteagle Ridge. The day began with an opening ceremony that saw each team parade into the Scafiddi Gym displaying their colors in front of more than 200 spectators, including numerous Niagara student-athletes.

Players from the NU women’s basketball team were among those on hand to encourage the athletes through their team games and the skills challenge.

“We did it last year too, and it’s just fun working with the players,” said sophomore guard Meghan McGuinness. “It’s something that makes you feel good to give back. They think we’re a big deal so it just makes you feel good.”

“I always have a lot of fun doing the Special Olympics and I think everyone on our team does,” added sophomore forward Gabby Baldasare.  “It’s a great experience to work with those people, and to be around them give you such a good perspective on life and it puts you in the best mood to be around them.”

The Kiernan Center transformed into a makeshift Olympic Village, complete with food, games, arts and crafts, and live music. Several of the participants – ranging in age from seven to 82 – danced with friends between games.

“Our students really showed what they were made of by supporting this event,” said Derek Puff, assistant director of recreation and intramurals. “Dozens of them volunteered as coaches, officials and event managers. It was a great afternoon and we look forward to it getting better each year!”

To view more photos, please visit http://marcdaul.smugmug.com/NFHSSports/2013-Purple-Eagles.

Well, come to think of it, it is.

The first-ever NU B.A.S.I.C. Training Challenge – slated for Sunday, April 28 – will test the endurance of participants, all while raising money for one of the university’s flagship service-learning programs.

Similar to the aforementioned competitions, the event consists of a 10-stage obstacle course that requires entrants to drag a Humvee 50 yards across a parking lot, rope climb over a swimming pool, crawl through a mud pit, flip tires, and more.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to NU’s Brothers and Sisters In Christ (B.A.S.I.C.) program, which sends students, faculty and staff on service trips to various locations around the United States and Panama.

The NU B.A.S.I.C. Training Challenge is open to Niagara University students, employees, alumni and the public. The only requirement is that each team of 4-6 must have at least one member that is affiliated with Niagara University (student, employee or alumni). All participants must be at least 18 years of age.

Registration is $20 per person. The fee must be paid at the Kiernan Recreation Center for all teammates by Wednesday, April 24. Online payment is not available. Each participant will receive a commemorative t-shirt and headband.

The event will begin around 10 a.m. at Niagara Field, which is located directly behind the Kiernan Recreation Center on Niagara University’s campus.

To obtain additional information and register, please call 716.286.8055 or visit http://purple.niagara.edu/basictrainingchallenge.

Building a New Somalia:  Reflections from the Former Prime Minister, Dr. Abdiweli Ali will include a presentation from Dr. Ali, as well as a panel discussion featuring:

• Dr. Ali
• Dr. David A. Reilly, Associate Professor of Political Science
• Dr. Brian M. Murphy, Associate Professor of Communication Studies
• Dr. Khalid Qazi, President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) of Western New York

In November 2010, Dr. Ali took a sabbatical from his position as associate professor of economics at Niagara University to join the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia as the country’s deputy prime minister. The following June, Dr. Ali was named Somalia’s prime minister after the resignation of Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, another Western New York resident.

Originally tasked with presiding over a country in the midst of a Civil War that has spanned two decades, Dr. Ali’s challenges grew exponentially as Somalia dealt with its worst famine in 60 years. The United Nations declared six of the states in Somalia to be “famine zones,” many of which are under control of militant extremist groups.

As a result, Dr. Ali, a native of the Puntland region of Somalia, has continuously appealed to countries, organizations and individuals worldwide for humanitarian support.

The United States has pledged more than $100 million toward Somali relief efforts and those in the Buffalo-Niagara region are helping out as well.

When Dr. Ali spoke at Niagara University on Sept. 19, 2011, the Niagara University Student Government Association announced that it would be contributing $5,000 toward “NU Mission Somalia,” a university-sponsored awareness and fundraising initiative.

On Jan. 21, 2013, the U.S. government formally recognized the first Somali national government in more than two decades, an accomplishment that many credit to Dr. Ali’s leadership.

In addition, the Somali National Army, with the support of the African Union Mission in Somalia, liberated the Somali capital of Mogadishu from Al Qaeda-linked extremist insurgents in August 2012. It’s reported that the government has since pushed the militants out of 90 percent of major towns in southern Somalia.

Dr. Ali’s term as prime minister concluded in October 2012.

Dr. Ali joined Niagara University’s faculty in August 2003. He earned a master’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University and completed his Ph.D. at George Mason University. Dr. Ali has since attained a master of public administration degree from Harvard Law School, where he received the Joel Leff Fellowship in 1998 and 1999. Prior to Niagara, Dr. Ali was a research and forecast manager for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

While much of Dr. Ali’s academic research has concentrated on economic growth and development, public finance and international trade, he has shifted his focus to the effect of institutions on economic growth within countries and regions. He has spent much time in Somalia in recent years, assisting with public finance management and helping draft the nation’s Reconstruction and Development Plan (RDP) on the heels of the disruptive civil war.

Niagara University Theatre will also present Into the Woods, the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine fairytale musical, from April 18 through 28.  Associate professor Doug Zschiegner will direct the production, while associate professor Terri Filips Vaughan is choreographer and music adjunct Randy Andropolis will provide musical direction. The production premiered on Broadway in 1987, and most recently received critical acclaim at New York’s Central Park this past summer.

On the day of the gala, the musical matinee will be followed by a cocktail reception, dinner and silent and live auction at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston. Auction items include gift certificates to area stores, restaurants and businesses, paintings, entertainment and sports-related memorabilia, gift baskets and much more.

Dr. Nancy McGlen and her husband, Joseph Gadawski, of Grand Island, are this year’s honorary gala chairs. Dr. McGlen is dean of NU’s College of Arts and Sciences and Gadawski is retired from his position as the vice president of Clark Container, formerly a Division of Mark IV Industries. Longtime supporters of NU Theatre, the honorary chairs are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide leadership for this important fundraiser.

Auction committee co-chairs include Friends board members Maria Arena of Clarence, Pamela LeCuyer of Getzville, Lori Presti of Youngstown, and Adair M. Saviola of Buffalo. Arena is board secretary and decorations chair of the event, and Saviola is board president. Dinner committee chair is Friends’ board vice president, Russell Papia, of Williamsville.

Funds raised from the annual gala will benefit the theater program and its students, from needed theatre equipment and supplies to workshops and mentoring by guest artists with such professional credits as the Broadway stage, television shows and films. Tickets for the gala are $150 per person. For more information about the gala, please contact Ann Heuer, office and media coordinator, at 716.286.8480.

The “Enough is Enough” campaign is coordinated across the country by NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The campaign grew out of a call to action by Zenobia Lawrence Hikes, vice president of student affairs at Virginia Tech, whose analysis of the 2007 tragedy at that university inspired NASPA to chart a “new paradigm for safety and security on the nation’s campuses.” The “Enough is Enough” Campaign unites administrators, educators and counselors from high schools and colleges, as well as parents and students.

At Niagara, one associated event will take place each day, Tuesday through Friday (the university is closed on Monday, April 1).

RELATIONSHIPS: Resolve Before They Dissolve!

• A Workshop On Conflict Resolution
• Tuesday, April 2, 7:30 p.m., Seton Hall Lounge

Martial Arts: Spirituality Over Violence

• Tai Chi Demonstration & Presentation
• Wednesday, April 3, 11:30 a.m., LL Gallagher Center

Silence &  Domestic Violence

• Workshop and Discussion
• Thursday, April 4, 7 p.m., O’Shea Hall Lounge

Purple Footprint Pledge Signing & Display

• Friday, April 5, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., LL Gallagher Center
• (Pledges will be available throughout the week in LL Gallagher, CAO/MISA Office, & Residence Halls.)

Please contact David Blackburn with questions at 716.286.8510 or ude.aragainnull@bed.

The prominent Catholicism expert spent just over an hour discussing the dynamic between the tenets of Vatican II and the values of today’s society, which often contain some sense of cynicism.

“The church is linked to the world here, not only as a way to offer salvation, but also as part of the world,” he said. “A faith that believes that God saves is always on the line. The Church is obviously associated with a much higher calling. Can this right here be saved, or is the world too far gone to be saved?”

The speech was part of the Henry and Grace McNulty Lecture Series on Religion in the Modern World, presented annually at Niagara University to address issues related to social justice and interreligious dialogue. The series was established by the late Rev. Thomas P. McGourty, C.M., a professor of religious studies at NU, in memory of his late aunt and uncle.

Dr. Miller was appointed as the first Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture in 2009. He is an expert on religion and politics, religion and consumer culture, the U.S. Catholic Church’s involvement in politics and public policy, social justice, and the moral consequences of budgetary policies. He is author of Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture and is currently working on a book on the effect of globalization on religious belief. Formerly of Georgetown University, Dr. Miller has been widely sought for his comments on the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the global financial crisis, Catholic social teaching and the federal budget’s impact on the poor.

Dr. Miller has been interviewed by Fox News (“The O’Reilly Factor”), The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, National Catholic Reporter, Catholic News Service, Religion News Service.

This installment of The Ridge Report checks in with the NU men’s hockey team, kings of the Atlantic Hockey Association’s regular season, highlights a thrilling, come-from-behind victory for women’s lacrosse, recaps CPB’s ever-popular Casino Night, and takes a look at the communication studies department’s Media Awareness Week.

Anchoring this edition of Niagara University’s student-produced newscast is senior Stacey Czerwinski, a North Tonawanda native who hosted her own NU-themed talk show on Time Warner Cable Channel 21 a couple winters ago.

A new episode of The Ridge Report airs bi-weekly on Niagara University’s website.

Students, dressed to the nines and armed with resumes, flocked to the Castellani Art Museum yesterday afternoon, anxious to shake hands with employers representing companies that ranged from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the Hard Rock Café. The 40 organizations were looking for soon-to-be Niagara graduates to fill full-time, part-time, summer and internship positions.

Organized by NU’s Office of Career Services, the event was open to all majors.

“Career Expo 2013 was a great event,” remarked Robert P. Swanson, director of career services. “There was a wide variety of employers and twice as many students attended, compared with last year. Both students and employers were overwhelmingly positive in their comments. One recruiter said, ‘The student turnout and preparation was outstanding. We even felt a little embarrassed by our own appearance and presentation.’”

Below is the list of the agencies that attended the event:

• AFLAC
• Artpark & Company
• Bedore Tours Inc.
• Cheektowaga Police Department
• Citi
• ConServe
• Duplicating Consultants Inc.
• FBI
• Fetch Logistics Inc.
• First Investors Corporation
• GEICO
• Girl Scouts of WNY
• Hard Rock Café
• Home Depot
• Ingram Micro
• J.B. Hunt Transport
• KR Communications
• Leonard’s Express Inc.
• Life Technologies
• LoVullo Associates Inc.
• Mass Mutual Buffalo
• Mowhawk Global Logistics
• New York Air National Guard
• New York State Police
• Niagara University Graduate Admissions
• Northwestern Mutual
• NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets
• Old Fort Niagara Association
• P&A Group
• Praxair Inc.
• Prudential
• Rivershore Inc.
• ROAR Logistics Inc.
• Summit Educational Resources
• Target
• The International Institute of Buffalo
• Total Tan Inc.
• Travelers Insurance Company
• Walmart Logistics
• YNN – Your News Now

To learn more about the job and internship support offered by NU’s Office of Career Services, please visit www.niagara.edu/career.

For additional photos from the Career Expo, please click here.