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St.
Bonaventure president to deliver Russell Lecture at Alfred University Sr.
Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., president of St. Bonaventure University,
will deliver the annual Russell Lecture at Alfred University at 7:30
p.m. Monday, Sept. 21. The Russell Lecture, held annually since 1970, honors the memory of Willis Russell, former historian and department chair, who taught at Alfred University from 1926 until his retirement in 1964. Each year, the lectureship brings to campus a nationally known historian to deliver an address, open to the public, and to meet with students in smaller groups. Previous Russell Lecturers have included Pulitzer Prize winners Michael Kammen of Cornell University and Martin Sherwin of George Mason University. The Division of Human Studies, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, sponsors the Russell Lecture. Sr. Margaret’s topic for her lecture, which is open to the public free of charge, is “A 21st Century Guide to Medieval Women.” Sr. Margaret received her doctorate in theology in Rome in 1988, becoming the first woman to graduate from the Franciscan University of Rome at the doctoral level. She studied in Europe after completing master’s degrees in theology at Duquesne University and Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure University. She joined the faculty of St. Bonaventure’s Franciscan Institute in 1997. Within two years, she was named dean and director. She was named the 20th president of St. Bonaventure University in 2004. Click here to return to the top of the page ____________________ SBU
alumnus to speak on Oct. 6 on Bush's national security policies It’s no secret that former President George W. Bush’s national security policies were controversial to many Americans, but now a 1970 St. Bonaventure University alumnus offers a fresh perspective on Bush’s policies from a legal scholar’s standpoint. Ronald Sievert will speak on “A New and Hopefully More Accurate Perspective on Controversial Bush Administration National Security Law Policies (With a Tip to President Obama).” The 7 p.m. talk is open to the public and will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in Dresser Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building, Sievert graduated from St. Bonaventure with a bachelor’s degree in history. He then served as an Army officer for four years and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1977. In 1983, he joined the U.S. Department of Justice where he tried a multitude of major violent crime, fraud and corruption cases. He was named the Department of Justice Senior Litigation Counsel, Chief of the Criminal Division of the Eastern District of Texas, Chief of the Austin Division of the Western District of Texas and Justice Department assistant in charge of the evaluation of the nation’s U.S. Attorneys offices. In 1990, Sievert worked with the Justice Department’s National Security Working Group and as an international and national security coordinator for the department. During this time, he worked closely with the FBI and U.S. Intelligence agencies on international and national cases and trained federal prosecutors. In 1985, he began teaching at the F.B.I Academy and U.S. Department of Justice Advocacy Institute. In 2000, he took a leave of absence to join the University of Texas School of Law to begin to teach courses in national security law and federal criminal law. Since teaching, Sievert has received several awards, including the Department of Justice Directors Award for Superior Performance on two occasions. His published works include two books, “Cases and Materials on U.S. Law and National Security,” “ Defense, Liberty and the Constitution,” as well as several law review articles on legal issues related to national security. Click here to return to the top of the page ____________________
For Brian Donahue there is no off-season by Susan Anderson As part of a young team of executives overseeing the business operations of the $5.5 billion Community Bank, N.A., Brian D. Donahue, ’79, puts his blue collar work philosophy and matching can-do attitude into high gear every day. Hard work and determination are nothing new to Donahue. During his undergraduate years at St. Bonaventure he worked part time to pay tuition after earning an associate’s degree at Morrisville State College, eventually earning a bachelor’s in business administration from SBU. “My father was a truck driver,” he shares. “I just had to figure out a way to get through it myself.” He lived off-campus, juggling work with a full load of classes. Friedsam Memorial Library became his second home, but it was the Reilly Center that held the strongest pull. “I grew up watching Bob Lanier. My first memory of Bona’s is just being able to go to those (basketball) games,” he says. “I have great memories of huge wins.” The Olean native recalls the many times his mother would buy game tickets for him — tickets his friends “would have done anything” to get their hands on. Now that he’s older, he has an even greater appreciation for the loyalty of the alumni and fans, and for the commitment of the community to St. Bonaventure athletics. In 1980, Donahue began his banking career with First Trust Union Bank in Wellsville, NY. He held several management positions during his tenure, gaining experience while the bank grew via mergers from a small community bank to Fleet Bank, a regional bank known throughout the Northeast. By 1992, he joined Community Bank as senior loan officer, managing lending policy and procedure. Today, Donahue serves as executive vice president and chief banking officer, directing the day-to-day operations of 150 offices in New York and Pennsylvania and overseeing all commercial and retail lending activities within the bank. “Every day is different and is a challenge,” he shares, “but like Nike says ‘there is no off-season.’ You have to give everything you have every day. You have to work hard to succeed — and we do. We have great, dedicated employees who make a difference every day.” Dave Clark, SBU Class of 1976 with a BBA in accounting, is one of those employees. Recruited to Community Bank in 1993 by Donahue, Clark serves as senior vice president and chief credit officer. He counts Donahue as a close friend and is most impressed by his leadership. “Brian leads by example and has never asked something of me that he would not do or has not previously done himself. He is self-driven, competitive and dedicated to succeed,” he says. Clark also points out that Donahue is dedicated to helping others. “He has always supported me regardless of how difficult the situation may have been at the time. A common theme from Brian is to just put him in a position to support your efforts, regardless of the outcome. If the effort is there, he will be there in support.” Donahue’s strong work ethic and commitment to relationships appear a perfect fit with Community Bank, which was again named by J. D. Power & Associates as one of the top 10 banks in the nation in customer satisfaction (2008). The company was also recognized by Business First (Buffalo, NY) as one of the best places to work in Western New York. “We want our customers to feel they are dealing with dedicated Community Bank employees empowered to provide quality financial service that meets our customers’ needs,” Donahue says, adding that he and his colleagues “are committed to our local communities and are active on some level in civic and charitable organizations.” The Franciscan values that became second nature to him at St. Bonaventure are now a way of life. “You treat people the way you want to be treated. That’s really a key thing,” he says. His volunteer and board work span more than three decades in the greater Olean area, where he says he has coached “just about every sport there is.” One look around his corner office in Blue Bird Square in Olean makes it clear that he has a passion not only for Bona’s and basketball, but also for the connections that make life rich. Tucked in between the sports memorabilia (everything from corporate sponsorship plaques to a Bona Indian head) are photos of family, friends and colleagues; the smiles huge, the moments dear. Family matters most to him, and it is obvious by the pride and affection in his voice that his wife, Paula, who earned her master’s at Bona’s in 1983, is his greatest inspiration — and strongest source of support. “It takes a lot of understanding,” he says of his long days and busy travel schedule. Together for 30 years, they have two sons, Chris, a pharmaceutical representative in the Buffalo area, and Sean, a sophomore on the men’s basketball team at Fredonia State, both of whom have strong Bona ties. “We have been longtime season ticket holders and Community Bank has been a corporate partner since the inception of the Bona Backer Program. My boys grew up attending the basketball games and have fond memories, notably the NCAA tournament in 2000,” he says, noting the overtime game against Kentucky — a game “all St. Bonaventure fans will remember forever.” Donahue and Jim Baron, ’77, the former Bonnies’ co-captain and head coach, share a tight bond, one forged during Baron’s nine seasons of coaching at Bonaventure. Their sons are the same ages (Chris and Jimmy; Sean and Billy) and wives Paula and Cindy are close. “We take the blue-collar view. We’re just hardworking guys who do everything we can to get it done,” Donahue says. Baron, the head coach at Rhode Island since 2001, has only praise for Donahue. “Brian is an outstanding friend, a tremendous family man and a great role model,” he says, noting that Donahue serves as a strong link and mentor for local interns and new graduates. When asked what the future holds for him, Donahue says he hopes to continue to be in a leadership role with Community Bank, where the long-range objective is to become a $10 billion bank. “We’ll be successful,” he says. His confidence crowds out any doubt. Click here to return to the top of the page ____________________
The Bold Tapestry of Elly English by Susan Anderson Two years. That was all the time Elly English planned to spend at St. Bonaventure University, a place that “didn’t even have a football team.” But 45 years later, this lover of college football remains deeply connected to Bona’s. “I found three things when I came to St. Bonaventure: a professional home, a spiritual home and a familial home,” says English, who recently transitioned into a retirement that promises to be anything but dull. LIFE’S LOOM Born in Seneca Falls, N.Y. (birthplace of the women’s rights movement and home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she proudly points out), English was the first of her family to go to college. Her parents, each the eldest in large circles of siblings, were forced to quit school in order to help support their families. But they possessed a strong commitment to a future college education for their only child. English fulfilled this goal by attending the State University College of New York at Brockport, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. And she didn’t stop there. Her first master’s degree was from Ithaca College, in physical education. Two more followed, both from St. Bonaventure — one in elementary education, the other in counselor education. From there, she headed to Italy to gather research for her dissertation, earning a doctorate in physical education, majoring in history and philosophy of physical education and sport from SUNY at Buffalo. Then it was on to a teaching stint at Kent State University, which she calls her “Mt. Olympus for sport history and philosophy.” INTRICATE WEAVES But the thread that led her to St. Bonaventure was her late husband, longtime Bona’s professor Joseph C. English II, who taught in the School of Education for 27 years. He was meticulous; she thrived within chaos. They arrived at Bona’s in 1964 with their two young daughters in tow and a son to follow (all three to become Bona alumni; Susan, ’78, Pamela, ’79 and Dr. Joe, ’87), at a time when females were not permitted to wear slacks or have a dorm on campus. “In 1970, the university was still putting together the curriculum for the master’s in elementary education and asked if anybody in the group could teach health education,” she recalls, citing a state education law that by 1976 would require elementary teachers to have a background in teaching health education, including sex education. Of the assembled group (three nuns and her husband), only her husband raised his hand, saying “he knew someone very well — capable of teaching not only health but sex education.” So began her career at Bona’s, teaching as an adjunct. By 1973, English became the first woman to teach physical education at St. Bonaventure. “The gymnasium is a learning center and is a classroom,” she says. “It was made for me.” In 1991, after time away teaching elsewhere, English returned to St. Bonaventure as a professor in elementary education where she taught social studies, health education, children’s literature, and adolescence education — and for the last four years, some courses in physical education. “Teaching is where I fit,” she says. “I try to always do it with enthusiasm, to look outside of the box, to be creative.” The advice she has passed on is “to love what you do, because your enthusiasm comes through. Those you teach will discover the joy of learning — and what a joy it is.” For St. Bonaventure alumna Keli Garas-York, Ph.D., ’99, that enthusiasm and love of learning made a lasting impression. “I was inspired by Dr. English, her stories and her instruction,” says Garas-York, who studied under English during graduate work at Hilbert. “She made me realize that I could go on to get my doctorate. I’d never even considered that as a possibility.” An assistant professor in the Department of Elementary Education and Reading at Buffalo State College, Garas-York adds, “I would not be on the path that I am today if I hadn’t had Dr. English as a professor.” A CONTINUING THREAD English’s love of movement, dance and foundations of sport has taken her around the world and deep into some of the oldest archives in Europe, resulting in numerous published articles. With collaborator Dr. Nancy A. Chicola, she has co-authored two books and given many presentations at the local, state and national levels, and on the international scene in such places as England, Greece, Scotland and Spain. “I’ve considered Elly a mentor,” says Chicola, associate professor at Buffalo State College. “She keeps me on track. She is really compulsive about having things completed and helps keep me focused.” A recipient of the University Faculty Research Fellowship Award, English has spent the past seven summers studying sport at Oxford University’s former women’s colleges. “Research in the untold story of sport from the perspective of the athlete at the five women’s colleges at Oxford University, from their beginnings in 1879 to 1979 when none of the Oxford University colleges included both sexes, is a fascinating quest,” English says. “Hopefully, it will make a fascinating read as well.” She also enjoys committee work and served on a number of university committees. In 1994, she headed “where angels fear to tread,” becoming the first female chair of the Faculty Senate just as the university faced probation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and financial exigency. “Elly English was central to the still untold story of this university’s ‘turnaround’ just fifteen years ago,” says Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., president of the university. “Elly led faculty work involvement in the creation of Clare College and the successful completion of our Middle States visit in 2004. She simply refused to be defeated by the serious threats to success and she convinced all the rest us that success was possible. And she was right.” Eventually, English became chair of the Middle States Committee and later chair of the Permanent Accreditation Committee. “I like the whole idea of the structure of accreditation,” English says of the periodic review process, adding that it gives an opportunity to show “how good you are at what you purport to do: the two P’s — prove it and show your pride in it.” Another responsibility of the Permanent Accreditation Committee is to evaluate new overseas programs established for undergraduates and to review programs that are recommended for students to attend in other colleges overseas. In 2007, English, as a member of the PAC Team, headed back to Rome, Florence and Venice to complete their review tasks and found time to search for a bargain tapestry, “an oxymoron at best,” she shares. DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE In August 2008, English retired, “sort of.” “Elly unswervingly strives for excellence,” says Dr. Paul Schafer, associate professor in St. Bonaventure’s School of Education, and English’s friend and colleague for nearly four decades. “I wish her a great retirement, but know that she will never slow down; it is not in her nature.” Today, English is an adjunct professor for St. Bonaventure’s School of Education and remains active with the Elementary Education and Reading Department at Buffalo State College. And research is still prominent, for she returned this past summer to Oxford to continue her work on female sports, while impatiently waiting for the college football season to begin. Click here to return to the top of the page _____________________ Broadway star Michel Bell to open Friends of Good Music season at The Quick Center Award-winning bass-baritone Michel Bell and pianist Catherine Matejka will open the 2009-10 Friends of Good Music concert season at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts with a performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. The annual concert series is presented by Friends of Good Music in association with The Quick Center. Bell has assembled a special program aptly titled “Brother Can You Spare a Dime.” In addition to the title song, he will be singing highlights from “Porgy and Bess,” “Show Boat,” and “Carmen Jones,” as well as American songs from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s. This concert is being presented in conjunction with The Quick Center’s main exhibition of 2009-10, “Walls Speak: The Narrative Art of Hildreth Meière.” The concert’s selections cover roughly the same time span as the exhibition. Bell reached wide popularity when he ended the last century on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, singing to more than 600,000 people, including the president and the first lady, at “America’s Millennium,” the New Year’s Eve 2000 celebration. The concert was seen on live television by millions of viewers around the world. Joseph A. LoSchiavo, the executive director of The Quick Center, said, “We are excited to be welcoming Michel Bell back to The Quick Center. His performance in 2005 was a memorable evening. The wide range of his repertoire spanning so many decades of American song makes him a perfect choice to complement the grand scope of the work of Hildreth Meière.” A native of Fresno, Calif., Bell is especially known for his portrayal of Porgy in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” which he performed in the United States, Austria, Germany, France, Norway, Japan, Egypt, Eritrea, and in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy. On the Broadway stage, Bell received a Tony nomination for the role of Joe in Harold Prince’s milestone production of “Show Boat.” He has received the Jefferson Award (Chicago), and the Ovation Award (Los Angeles). The Philadelphia Inquirer said Bell’s singing “rumbles through the theater like an earthquake,” while USA Today dubbed him “a major vocal discovery.” Bell toured with “Show Boat” throughout the United States and made his West End debut in it at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. Again on Broadway, he starred in the Frank Wildhorn musical “Civil War” at the St. James Theatre, for which he won the Outer Critics Circle Award. Most recently, he appeared on Broadway as the vocal soloist in “Riverdance: The Musical” at the Gershwin Theatre, and was part of the “Riverdance World Tour,” performing in the Far East, Europe and North America, including a stop at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. Bell has appeared on the telecast of the Kennedy Center Awards Ceremonies and in the PBS telecast of “Some Enchanted Evening: Celebrating Oscar Hammerstein II.” He can also be heard on the original cast recordings of “Show Boat” and “Civil War,” as well as on his solo CD “What a Beautiful Day,” a collaboration with pianist Catherine Matejka. He is the father of popular actor Coby Bell, who starred in the NBC drama “Third Watch” for the show’s entire six-season run and is currently seen in the role of Jason Pitts in the comedy-drama “The Game” on the CW channel. “The charismatic Michel Bell, together with pianist Catherine Matejka, will get the 2009-10 performance series off to a rousing start,” said Ludwig Brunner, assistant director of The Quick Center. “This is a unique chance to hear this Broadway veteran without paying Broadway ticket prices.” This performance is supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts. Subscription tickets for the entire season are still available. For subscriptions, single tickets and information, call The Quick Center at (716) 375-2494. For each Friends of Good Music performance, The Quick Center will open its galleries one hour before the performance and keep them open throughout the intermission. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Museum admission
is free and open to the public year round. For more information, visit
www.sbu.edu/quickcenter.
_____________________ Dr. Kimberly Young, professor of management sciences, was interviewd by The Associated Press and CNN regarding her research on Internet addiction. She was quoted in an Associated Press article about new treatment centers opening for Internet addiction and possible inclusion of the disorder in the DSM-V. She was also interviewed by CNN regarding a probe by the Chinese government after reports that a 14-year-old boy was allegedly beaten at a boot camp for Internet addiction in China.
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