Mitchell Alegre, an adjunct professor of management and leadership in Niagara University’s Holzschuh College of Business Administration, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his profound and enduring contributions to NU during the college’s annual awards dinner on April 29.
"We are incredibly proud to honor Mitchell Alegre with the Lifetime Service Award," said Dr. Mark Frascatore, dean of the college. "Mitchell’s unwavering commitment to ethical leadership, innovative teaching, and dedicated mentorship has profoundly shaped the lives of countless students and positively influenced our community. His career exemplifies the very best of what Niagara University represents, and we are truly grateful for his lifetime of extraordinary service and lasting impact."
Alegre, who joined Niagara in 2001, embodies what it means to be an educator, a mentor, and a servant leader in the Vincentian tradition. His work is rooted in the belief that education should be transformative, and he leads his courses with a unique blend of intellectual rigor, compassion, and creativity, adjusting the curriculum as necessary to meet the needs of both his students and the university. Through activities that foster inquiry and community, his students embrace new perspectives and become thoughtful, ethical, and engaged leaders.
Alegre’s contributions extend beyond the classroom. He has partnered with the university’s Castellani Art Museum to bring students for carefully curated leadership tours, and he has led mindfulness sessions focused on artwork and helped to align the museum with Niagara's academic mission. He has also trained fellow faculty members to integrate the museum into their own teaching and shaped the strategic vision of the CAM through active participation.
Off campus, Alegre’s leadership has echoed throughout the region through his work with Compassionate Niagara, the WNY Student Leadership Consortium, and the annual Poverty Conference. He has connected his students with community partners from emergency preparedness teams to local markets and parishes, giving them the opportunity to translate classroom learning into real-world impact and embody the Vincentian mission of service to those in need.
“Mitch is an inspiration to us as faculty—to do more, to challenge our methods, to rededicate ourselves to service, and to search for creative ways to connect with our students,” said his colleague, Dr. Jim Kling.