Canisius Profile
Canisius College 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 77 acres in a residential neighborhood in North-Central Buffalo.
President
President of Canisius since 1993, Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., has raised the bar for academic standards, capital improvements and fund raising during his tenure. Father Cooke has overseen the investment of nearly $142 million in the campus.
A native of New York City, Father Cooke received bachelor and master 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.
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.
Enrollment
Fall 2008 – 4,916
- Undergraduate – 3,346
Full-time – 3,146, Part-time – 200 - Graduate – 1,570
Full-time – 534, Part-time – 1,036
- 42.7 percent male
- 57.3 percent female
- 33 states represented
- 22 foreign countries represented
- 1,593 live in campus housing, including 74.2 percent of the fall 2008 entering class
- The fall 2008 entering class had an average SAT score of 1129 and a high school average of 90.1. Fifty-two 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
Average class size is 17
Faculty
The student-faculty ratio is 13:1, which allows students to work closely with their instructors, often publishing or presenting scholarly articles based on joint research. There are 226 full-time faculty at Canisius, of whom 93 percent hold a PhD or other terminal degree.
Curriculum
There are more than 1,000 courses in over 70 distinct majors, minors and special programs offered at Canisius.
Recently Created Programs
Undergraduate:
- 3+2 Dual Degree Program in Physics and Engineering
- Accounting Information Systems
- Bioinformatics
- Catholic Studies minor
- Entrepreneurship
- Golden Griffin Fund
- International Business
- Music
- Studio Art minor
- Health and Human Performance
- Physical Education On-line
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 and rapid access to over 6.4 million volumes in the ConnectNY consortium. Additional library materials are available via Interlibrary Loan.
Campus Ministry / Chapel
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 & Activities
More than 100 college-sponsored organizations offer Canisius students experiences related to service, the media, student government, academics, and religious and social interests. Students serve others through opportunities that are offered and encouraged through Campus Ministry, including volunteering at area hospitals, tutoring, visiting the elderly and staffing local soup kitchens.
2007 - 2008 Graduates
- Undergraduate – 750
- Graduate – 275
There are more than 39,000 Canisius alumni who live and work in the United States and 52 other countries around the world.
- 92 percent of Canisius alumni live in the United States.
- 66 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.
2008 – 2009 Financial Profile
- Annual Operating Budget $92.1 million
- Financial Aid $43 million
- Market Value of Endowment $78 million
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees
- Full-time — $27,100 per year
Fees - $1,057 - Part-time — $773 per credit hour
- Full-time — $10,150 per year
- $667 per credit hour
Fees - $18.50
- 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 $92 million operating budget and nearly 1,000 employees, which would rank it as the 18th largest private company in Western New York. The college’s annual economic impact on the area is estimated at $232 million.
- Canisius College ranked 22nd in the top tier of Northern Universities-Master’s in U.S. News and World Report’s 2009 rankings of America’s Best Colleges for the second consecutive year. Consistently ranked among the top regional colleges in the northeast, Canisius also ranked seventh in the Great Schools, Great Prices category in the 2009 listing.
- 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 Chronicle of Higher Education “Great Colleges to Work for 2008 Survey” recognized Canisius College as a leader in providing an exceptional work environment for its employees.
| 1870 | Canisius College, established in Buffalo, New York, is named for St. Peter Canisius, one of the original members of the Society of Jesus. Rev. William Becker, S.J., serves as the first president. | |
| 1884 | Alumni Association is organized with 47 charter members | |
| 1910 | Ground is broken for new building at Main Street and Jefferson Avenue. | |
| 1958 | Canisius opens its School of Business. | |
| 1961 | Canisius College becomes co-educational. | |
| 1966 | Rev. James M. Demske, S.J., is named 22nd president of Canisius College. | |
| 1977 | School of Business Administration receives undergraduate accreditation from AACSB (American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business). | |
| 1987 | The Canisius College Golden Griffins join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. | |
| 1993 | Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., is named the 23rd president of the college. | |
| 1995 | The School of Education & Human Services is established | |
| 2002 | Canisius announces its Employer Assisted Housing Program, a forgivable loan program to assist employees with down payments or closing costs in eligible neighborhoods. |