| As part of its Spring Awards Ceremony April 13, St. Bonaventure University recognized 52 employees who marked employment anniversaries this year and one employee who is retiring.
During the Employee Recognition Ceremony, individuals with 10 years of service and up will be recognized, with those reaching 25 years of service and retirees receiving special recognition.
Those who were recognized for 25 years of service were: Robert Amico (Philosophy), Kathleen Boser (Journalism/Mass Communication), Carol Fischer (Accounting), Michael Fischer (Academic Affairs), Lyn Kazanjian (Admissions), Ann (Belvees) Kightlinger (Business Office), Francis “Chris” Leary (Mathematics), Margaret Mazon (Modern Languages), Judith Smith (University Relations), Larry Sudbrook (Baseball), and Larry Wier (Chemistry). Dr. Robert P. Amico is a professor of philosophy in the School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Philosophy. Amico has chaired St. Bonaventure’s Diversity Action Committee and the Council on Discrimination and Harassment since their inception in 2000. Prior to 2000, Amico chaired the AIDS Task Force and the Sexual Harassment Committee and served as the director of the AIDS Peer Education Program at SBU. In 2002, he founded the Five-College Faculty and Staff Summer Seminar in Curriculum and Program Transformation, and has since served as its director. He also facilitates multicultural workshops for all student teachers in the School of Education. Amico teaches a wide range of courses in philosophy, from epistemology and metaphysics to philosophy of economics and theories of social and economic justice. He also teaches Worldviews (Oppression & Privilege) and The Good Life in Clare College. Amico has written a book, “The Problem of the Criterion,” which won the Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award in 1996. He has published papers in various philosophical journals and has recently begun publishing papers in the area of race, privilege and multicultural education. Amico earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Rochester. Prior to his academic career, Amico was a restaurant chef in Beverly Hills, Calif. Amico and his partner, Bonnie, live in Alfred, N.Y., and have two daughters, Maya and Yisela. Kathleen “Kathy” Boser is secretary to the dean and office manager for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she has spent her entire St. Bonaventure career. “I feel privileged to have witnessed firsthand the growth of the journalism and mass communication program as it grew from a department to a school and to have worked alongside the school’s founder, Dr. Russell Jandoli, the first woman chair, Dr. Mary Hamilton, and the first dean, Lee Coppola, as well as many faculty and staff whom I’ve come to know as my second family,” said Boser. A graduate of Olean Business Institute, Boser has served on a number of University committees. She presently chairs the Hourly Staff Affairs Committee and is a committee member of the Council on Discrimination and Harassment, Senior Management Council, the Emergency Readiness Task Force and the St. Bonaventure Family Picnic Committee. Boser has held leadership positions in various community youth organizations, including Camp Fire and Boy Scouts. She chairs Olean’s two children’s memorial events — the Candle Lighting and Memorial Tree, held in December; and the Children’s Garden on Children’s Day in June of each year. In addition, she is a member of Concerned Citizens of Cattaraugus County and the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She and her husband of 36 years, David, live in Allegany. They have three children: Amy, Justin and Beth Ann, class of 2000. She has eight grandsons, including Noah who was killed in 2002. Dr. Carol Fischer joined the faculty as an assistant professor of accounting and finance in 1985. She has a B.B.A. from St. Bonaventure University, an M.B.A. from SUNY at Buffalo, and is a NYS certified public accountant. She earned a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in 1993, and was tenured and promoted to associate professor of accounting in 1994. Fischer was promoted to professor of accounting in 2001. She teaches graduate courses in accounting theory and tax policy, and undergraduate courses primarily in financial accounting. She was honored to receive the St. Bonaventure University Professional Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004. Fischer’s research focuses on decision making and compliance of taxpayers, accounting education, and tax practitioners’ use of technology. She has published articles in many journals, including The Journal of the American Taxation Association (JATA), Journal of Accounting Literature, Journal of Accounting Education, Advances in Accounting Education, The Tax Advisor, The CPA Journal and the Journal of Accounting and Finance Research. In addition to serving as an ad hoc reviewer for several different academic journals, she has served on the editorial boards of JATA and Issues in Accounting Education, and was the associate editor of JATA from 2004 to 2007. Fischer organized the first Accountants in Residence Day on campus to bring successful accounting alumni to campus to share their experiences with St. Bonaventure University students. She has been actively involved in service at the University and in the School of Business, as well as for the American Taxation Association, a national organization for tax accounting professors. In the local community, Fischer serves as a trustee on the board of Mt. Irenaeus and on the Financial Advisory Committee of the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur. Fischer lives in Allegany with her husband, Dr. Michael Fischer, and their children Katie, Mark and Claire. Dr. Michael J. Fischer is St. Bonaventure University’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and a professor of accounting. Fischer earned his B.S. and M.B.A. from the School of Management at the University at Buffalo and his Ph.D. from the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University. A certified public accountant, he was an audit manager in the Buffalo office of the international accounting and consulting firm Price Waterhouse before joining the St. Bonaventure faculty as an assistant professor in 1985. Prior to being appointed provost in June 2006, Fischer served as dean of the schools of Business and Graduate Studies at St. Bonaventure. He has also served St. Bonaventure as dean of enrollment management, chair of the Department of Accounting, and director of the M.B.A. program. During his time at St. Bonaventure, Fischer has served on the Commission for the Future, as chair of the Graduate Council, and serves as chair of the University’s Faculty Status and Welfare Handbook Amendment Committee. He is an ex-officio member of the University’s Faculty Senate, and has served on the Senate’s Compensation, Curriculum, Enrollment Management, Finance, and Grievance committees. Outside of St. Bonaventure, Fischer serves on the boards of directors of the Cattaraugus Empire Zone Corporation and the Cattaraugus County Business Development Corporation. He served on the board of directors of Olean General Hospital until the recent formation of the Upper Allegheny Health System, and presently serves on several committees of that organization’s board of directors. His scholarly work has been published in such outlets as the Journal of Business Ethics; Accounting, Organizations, and Society; Advances in Accounting Education; the Journal of Accountancy; and The CPA Journal. Fischer lives in Allegany with his wife, Dr. Carol M. Fischer, and their children Katie, Mark and Claire. Lyn Kazanjian is a secretary for the Department of Admissions. She started at St. Bonaventure in July of 1985, working in the Records Office. She joined the Admissions staff in 1994. Kazanjian is a 1969 graduate of Bryant & Stratton Business Institute in Buffalo. She lives in Cuba, N.Y., and has three children: Kelly Hale of Hinsdale; Kale Gray of Cape Coral, Fla; and Kieran Gray of Portland, Ore., a St. Bonaventure graduate. Ann R. (Belvees) Kightlinger has been the University bursar since 1988. Prior to that, she was a clerk in the Business Office. Kightlinger is responsible for all accounts receivable and associated collection functions, and for developing and maintaining appropriate related procedures. During her tenure as bursar she has implemented an online billing and payment system, which enables students and parents to view their accounts online. “I enjoy working with parents and students. The Business Office staff and I take pride in the customer service that we provide,” she said. Kightlinger, an Olean native, earned her bachelor’s degree in 2001 and her M.B.A. in 2005 from St. Bonaventure University. She lives in Olean with her husband, Tom, and two children: Melissa, a 2008 graduate of Duquesne University who is pursuing her M.B.A. at St. Bonaventure; and Nicholas, a 2009 graduate of St. Bonaventure’s five-year M.B.A. program. Dr. Francis Christian Leary, associate professor of mathematics, joined the faculty at St. Bonaventure University in the fall of 1985. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut in 1971, and his master’s and Ph.D. from SUNY Albany in 1975 and 1979, respectively. He formerly taught at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. Leary has served on various committees at St. Bonaventure. He is the faculty moderator of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national honorary mathematics society, and is the faculty moderator, along with Dr. Chris Hill, assistant professor of mathematics, for the St. Bonaventure Student Chapter of the Mathematical Association of America. Leary was on the Faculty Senate twice and was the faculty Athletics representative to the NCAA. He also had the honor of chairing the Department of Mathematics from 1994-98. Leary lives in Olean with his wife, Catherine Leary, who is also a mathematics instructor at St. Bonaventure. They have two sons and a daughter. Dr. Margaret Mazon, associate professor of modern languages, joined the St. Bonaventure faculty as a history instructor in 1979. Approximately five years later she moved to the Department of Modern Languages to teach Spanish. She teaches intermediate and advanced classes in Spanish culture, grammar, and conversation and composition. Mazon received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She earned her master’s and Ed.D. in Spanish and foreign language curriculum at West Virginia University. Mazon is an advocacy officer for the University’s Council on Discrimination and Harassment. She is also engaged with St. Bonaventure’s Study Abroad Program and with admissions efforts for the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). Her off-campus activities include having helped resolve immigration issues for exploited undocumented Mexican nationals who were smuggled into the U.S. to work at Mexican restaurants in the region. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening and going on bike rides. Mazon lives in Allegany. She has two sons, both residents of South Florida. Judy Smith, the Annual Fund office secretary since 2005, joined St. Bonaventure University in 1985. She served as assistant to the secretary for the vice president of University Relations until 1988, then worked in the Development Office until 2005. Smith attended Olean Business Institute and has taken additional classes, including many at St. Bonaventure. Her hobbies include gardening and traveling, and she is particularly fond of traveling in California, Las Vegas, and other places out West. Smith lives in Rock City, N.Y. She has a daughter, Kathy, and a son, Patrick. Larry Sudbrook, head coach of the men’s baseball team, is SBU’s all-time winningest coach, having collected more than 530 wins in his coaching career. A two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year recipient, Sudbrook has led the Bonnies to 17 winning seasons, eight berths in the A-10 Tournament, two A-10 East Division championships, and an A-10 Tournament title in 2004. During his tenure as head coach, 13 St. Bonaventure players have moved on to the professional level, including nine players who were selected in the Major League Baseball draft. Sudbrook has developed 29 All-Conference players, three Freshman All-Americans, two NCAA statistical champions, two A-10 Players of the Year, an A-10 Pitcher of the Year, and 19 A-10 statistical leaders. Sudbrook’s players also achieve off the field, as the Bonnies have placed a student-athlete on the A-10 Academic All-Conference team in 20 of the 26 years of the team’s existence. Prior to coming to St. Bonaventure, Sudbrook guided Fairport (Ohio) High School to four sectional titles in five seasons. As a player, he was a two-year letterman at Lakeland (Ohio) Community College before graduating with a degree in physical education from Kent State University. Sudbrook and his wife, Beverly, have two sons, Shane, a 2005 SBU graduate who played baseball for his dad, then joined his coaching staff as an assistant for several seasons; and Cory, a 2009 SBU graduate who’s pursuing his master’s at St. Bonaventure and playing baseball in his last year of eligibility. Dr. Larry M. Wier came to St. Bonaventure as an assistant professor of chemistry in September of 1985. He was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 1989. He chaired the Department of Chemistry from 1990 to 2007. Wier earned his B.A. in chemistry from SUNY Binghamton in 1972, graduating magna cum laude and as a Phi Beta Kappa inductee. He received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1977. Prior to coming to St. Bonaventure, Wier was a visiting assistant professor of chemistry at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., then an assistant professor of chemistry at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y. Wier was also a visiting research scientist at Cornell University from 1984-85, and in the summer of 1987 was a fellow at Project SERAPHIM, a National Science Foundation project in science at Eastern Michigan University. He has received research grants from the Petroleum Research Fund and Union College, as well as a Faculty Research Award from St. Bonaventure. He has authored numerous articles and book reviews, and has been a presenter at chemical education conferences. In his spare time, he likes to walk or ride his bike. Wier lives in Olean with his wife of 30 years, Elaine. Their son, Michael, earned his M.S.Ed. from St. Bonaventure in 2006 and teaches high school in Alaska. Other employees who were recognized for service were: Suzanne Watson (Computer Science), who will be retiring. 45 years of service: Sarah Groat (Admissions), John Neeson (Physics), and Patrick Panzarella (English). 40 years of service: John Apczynski (Theology), Michael Chiariello (Perugia Center/Philosophy), Roderick Hughes (Philosophy), Richard Reilly (Philosophy), and Richard Simpson (English). 35 years of service: Margaret Bryner (HEOP), S. Alan Silliker (Counselor Education), and John G. Watson (School of Business). 30 years of service: James Costanza (Reprographic Center), Dalton Hunkins (Computer Science), Durriya Khairullah (Marketing), Donald Lengvarsky (Cemetery), Shirley Perrine (Library), and Paul Spaeth (Library). 20 years of service: MaryBeth Fidurko (Athletics). 15 years of service: Ralph Aloia (Safety and Security), Michael Bates (Tennis), Anne Ciolek (Human Resources), Anne Goergen (University Relations), Sally Kwiatkowski (Mathematics), Kathleen Taylor (Ticket Office), and Constance Whitcomb (Career Center). 10 years of service: Giles Bootheway (Finance), Patricia Bradley (Business Office), Adam Brown (Elementary Education), Charles “Joe” Coate (Accounting), James Fodor (Theology), Jason Geise (Safety and Security), Susan Harrington (Buffalo Center), Michael Hoffman (Technology Services), Donald Hopwood (Quick Center for the Arts), Michael W. Jackson (English), Roger Keener (Counseling Center), Josiah “Bart” Lambert (Political Science), Christopher Mackowski (Journalism/Mass Communication), Mary Monterville (School of Education), Clinton Pataye (Safety and Security), Nancy Ryan (Payroll), Kathleen Thierman (Teaching/Learning Center), and Mary Wiley (Safety and Security).
Other portions of the Spring Awards Ceremony included
» Faculty Awards and
» Fr. Joe Doino, O.F.M., Honors and Awards.
|