BUFFALO, NY -For many of us, memories of our college years remain persistent reference points throughout our lives. Oftentimes, those memories include an educator: someone who inspired a passion to learn; provoked our curiosity about a particular subject; or gave us a glimpse of who we could become.
Canisius Magazine asked readers to submit essays about the professor who influenced their lives. The responses spanned 30 years and included almost every academic discipline. They are a testament to the Canisius experience and exemplify how one person can change the trajectory of our lives.
Sarah Foels ’05, Social Studies Teacher, Depew High School
Canisius University was not the first place that I attended for undergraduate school but transferring to this institution turned out to be the best decision of my life. At the time I entered the college during my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in adolescent education but I was debating between a concentration in social studies and another content area. The professors in the History Department quickly helped me to develop an insatiable love for the subject matter. Together, they not only transformed my understanding of the past but taught me to be a more confident person.
It is impossible to select just one professor from the History Department as the most influential simply because each of them contributed something vital to my professional life, as well as my personal life. Dr. René De La Pedraja’s observations on life in Latin America opened my eyes to a region of the world that I once knew very little about. His demanding coursework taught me about the importance of setting high expectations for my students. I still have a peculiar fondness for the whirl-and-click of a microfilm reel on the reading machine, which I learned to use during the summers I worked as his research assistant. As much as I continue to enjoy learning about current developments in Latin America, anyone looking at my library, home décor or classroom will instantly recognize my obsession with Chinese history and culture. With his lively lectures, thought-provoking reading selections and great sense of humor, Dr. David Devereux helped ignite my passion for studying the complex past of this nation. As advisor to Phi Alpha Theta, he also encouraged me to present my essays at regional conferences, working to dissolve my fears of public speaking. In fact, thanks to Dr. Walter Sharrow’s gregarious personality, now I never hesitate to embarrass myself in front of my students in order to create a memorable learning experience. Whenever I develop an activity that involves music or artwork, Dr. Sharrow’s enthusiastic teaching methods serve as my inspiration. I have yet to find a way to cleverly insert his exclamation – “It’s Friday all across America!” – into my lessons but I am working on it. There certainly has never been a shortage of materials for my classroom. I have frequently used notes, documents and film clips from classes I took with Dr. Nancy Rosenbloom and Dr. Julie Gibert. Furthermore, through their professional congeniality, they demonstrated to me the importance of getting to know students both as learners and as individuals. Aspiring to follow the lead of these amazing women, I make sure to incorporate a great deal of social history into my courses and try to connect the past to students’ lives. Finally, I learned to never underestimate the power of telling an interesting story or the value of showing students how to question historical accounts. While Dr. Tom Banchich always recounted the most unusual and humorous narratives to illustrate certain aspects of life in the ancient world, the late Dr. James Valone’s discussions and intensive research project enlightened me about the inherently subjective nature of history. The lessons that both men shared have become an integral part of who I am as a teacher and a lifelong learner.
Nearly a decade after graduating, even on the most challenging days in my work as a social studies teacher, I recognize that each of these individuals helped me to choose the most rewarding career path possible. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without having had them as my professors.
Brian M. Sas ’06, MBA ‘12, Regional Manager, Latin American Division, Rich Products
In academia, many people come and go. As the years pass, one thing I say with confidence is that we as students never forget the people who help us to pick the path we are on in life. For this reason, Julia Wescott, PhD, now retired professor of modern languages, is one of those people who will always be remembered by many. In providing effortless guidance and encouragement to so many students who have entered her classroom, she is the type of woman who makes the world go round.
Dr. Wescott not only opens doors to life-changing opportunities for students, she guides and encourages them to walk through. In some instances, with reluctant individuals, she even pushes them through the door knowing that they will soon see what adventure and experience lies in front of them.
Throughout both my undergraduate and graduate years at Canisus, Dr. Wescott helped open doors and provided me with the skills that allowed me to live, study and work in France, Spain, Mexico, French Canada and Brazil. With two years of classes and internships in these countries, Dr. Wescott helped me understand the true value of an international education in a modern, globalized world.
These experiences that Dr. Wescott motivated me to pursue, along with the skills she taught me in and out of the classroom, have now helped me to obtain my dream career. Currently, I proudly work for Rich Products Corporation as a regional manager in their Latin America Division.
Dr. Julia Wescott is a wonderfully influential person who always leaves students better off than the way she finds them. She has prepared generations of students for the adventures of their personal and professional lives, and I have the highest appreciation for the mark she has left on me. She has contributed to many of the legacies that have come out of the college. She is a special person to her students, and there are many of us who feel this way about her. Thank you Dr. Wescott!
Jennifer A. (Moore) Kartychak ’03, Manager of Corporate Accounting, Moog Inc.
I knew that Canisius University had a reputable accounting curriculum but never envisioned the extent to which my career would be shaped by the academic regimen, as well as the faculty in the Wehle School of Business.
My first experience with the Wehle School was with the late associate dean, Dr. James Valone. I met with him to discuss my course schedule for my first semester. In that meeting, I presented my plan to complete my course load over eight semesters in order to graduate as a member of the All-College Honors program, with a major in accounting and a minor in computer science. Although he was initially hesitant as to whether I could successfully complete this plan, he agreed to support my goals. As I progressed through my college career, Dr. Valone continued to support my academic aspirations, including when I decided to add a second major, accounting information systems. His interest and encouragement resulted in a deeper appreciation for the successful partnership that was my collegiate experience.
Accounting Professors Robert Davis, PhD, George Kermis, PhD, and Joseph O’Donnell, PhD, introduced me to the well-known academic rigors of the courses offered by the department. What I appreciated most during my undergraduate career was the passion they all possessed for the practice of accounting. Dr. Davis taught me the fundamentals of accounting and auditing. These tenets have been invaluable throughout my career thus far. I credit him for the confidence I have in identifying and evaluating the controls necessary to mitigate accounting risks within an organization. Dr. Kermis showed me how invaluable accounting is to an organization. He instilled in me a strong appreciation for how a series of transactions ultimately tell the story of a business through the financial statements. His enthusiasm is infectious and I credit him with making me think more critically about the interconnectedness of a business system. Dr. O’Donnell taught me about the interdependency between accounting and information systems. He provided the tools necessary for me to understand the structure of an organization and the degree to which information systems can pose risks or create efficiencies within processes. His ability to seamlessly navigate between these two areas provided me with the missing piece to my academic course plan and was the reason why I chose to add accounting information systems as a major.
Equally admirable is the willingness and desire of these professors to assist students in the development of their careers. This assistance extends far beyond the classroom. They’re of the mindset that this type of relationship is a lifetime guarantee. They have all assisted me during my career and continue to serve as trusted advisors. I am quite fortunate to have such a strong support network.
These professors of the Wehle School of Business embody the Jesuit philosophy, magis. They are the reason why I continue to offer my time to Canisius in hopes that I may be a resource to current and future students.
Ann Seyboldt MBA ’09, Technology Business Analyst, Research & Development, Praxair Inc.
If you’ve ever been working on something and thought “If I could get paid for this, that would be amazing,” then you understand the gift Marketing Professor Paul Sauer, PhD, gave me during my graduate business studies at Canisius: the gift of knowing there is something so enticing in the world that you could have fun every day at work. Coming into the Canisius MBA program with an undergraduate degree in engineering and looking to round my education out with a graduate marketing degree, I landed in Professor Sauer’s class, New Product Marketing, not knowing what I was in for. RateMyProfessor.com had some stormy ratings for this professor I had never met and several peopled indicated that the class wasn’t an easy “A.” Not expecting an easy class but wanting to learn, I sat in a classroom with a new textbook, titled Marketing Engineering, and found myself in the presence of a brilliant, enthusiastic lecturer.
I was soon hooked. And so were several of my fellow classmates. We began working on homework assignments together, looking into life-like case studies, running analysis after analysis, and getting guidance at a level that brought our learning to life. For someone who loves numbers and thrives on collaboration and learning, it was a trifecta.
One of the analysis techniques we learned in Professor Sauer’s class was applied in my capstone project, where a conjoint analysis helped the Canisius Women’s Business Center understand its members’ needs. Professor Sauer was readily available at that time to give guidance in our application of what he taught.
Today, as I work in new product development in a large research and development organization, I see marketing from several perspectives. I have ongoing opportunities to speak with Professor Sauer’s classes in New Product Marketing and catch up with him on what’s new in the field. He is someone I know as a resource in gaining market insights, and understanding mathematical modeling and its applications in the field. Most importantly, every day of my life I hold that gift of knowing how incredibly fun work can be - especially when it’s not an easy “A.”
John L. Lomeo ’80, President & CEO, The HomeCare Partners (Niagara Hospice, First Choice Health, Liberty Home Care and Niagara Hospice Alliance)
Flashback 1978:
Marguerite Kermis, PhD, professor of psychology, asked me if I would be interested in enrolling in a new certificate program in gerontology. Though I didn’t know how such a curriculum would benefit me, I enrolled. As part of the curriculum, I had to complete practica at a couple of facilities for the elderly, in the community. So I completed my studies and graduated in 1980 with a BA and certificate in gerontology.
Now the rest of the story.
As mundane as it may seem, that request by Dr. Kermis changed my life both personally and professionally. Here is the outcome of that brief encounter: I signed up to do an administrative practicum at the former Downtown Nursing Home on Seventh Street in Buffalo. There, a patient named Harry introduced me to a beautiful nurse's aide who was going to be a registered nurse. We began talking and of course Harry was fueling the fire. He would talk to us individually inching us on. We began dating and married in 1983. Dr. Kermis, thank you.
During my studies at Canisius, my career goal was to study clinical psychology. Upon graduation, I enrolled at the New School for Social Research in New York City. While there, I worked part-time at one of the nation's leading geriatric centers. The CEO advised me that my calling was in administration. Ultimately, long-term care administration became my career. Thank you, Dr. Kermis, for that first taste of administration at the Downtown Nursing Home.
Fast forward to 2014, 36 years after the first request.
I have been married to that beautiful aide for almost 31 years and we have been blessed with two amazing children, Angelo and Antonina. I have had the opportunity to live, study and work in New York City, which steered my career in a direction maybe only Dr. Kermis knew in 1978. I returned to school for an MBA and now have the greatest job one could have: president and chief executive officer of the Hospice and Palliative Care Group in Niagara County.
There is no question in my mind that the encounter - a friendly request by Dr. Kermis in 1978 - changed my life in immeasurable ways. I write this letter in honor of her, as she probably doesn't realize the ramifications of her ask. "Influencing" is quite the understatement. Dr. Kermis changed my life, giving me the opportunity to impact others.
Thank you, Canisius University and Dr. Kermis.
Tiffany M. Nyachae ‘05, Classroom Coach, Buffalo Partnership Project: A Common Core Collaborative / PhD Candidate, University at Buffalo
Betsy DelleBovi, PhD, associate professor of teacher education, is a witty lady with comments that are right on cue. And although she is brilliant in the field of English, I felt perfectly in my own skin, whenever I was around her. She fully accepted me but wildly compelled me to be something greater, and to question the purpose of it all while in her presence.
I do not know how it is possible to accomplish both. Dr. DelleBovi was able to support the beauty she saw in me and challenge me to push myself to be better and want more. First, I was impressed with the way she could prove a perspective in an intelligent way while remaining cool and casual, never losing my attention. Experiencing this engagement made me want to be this type of theorist and educator. I wanted to be able to sustain my students’ attention while provoking them to think through a new lens.
An everyday conversation with Dr. DelleBovi was honest, clear, reflective and student-centered. I remember working with her over a few summers, helping with freshman orientation, and in the midst of it all I was always searching for answers, clarity and purpose. She understood this and assumed her role as one who was meant to be on my life path to give me a little nudge here and there. One day I asked her, “What does it mean to be a doctor in any particular field?” I shared with her how I wanted to receive my doctorate having barely completed my undergraduate degree. Dr. DelleBovi replied by saying, “Well, it means that you’re an expert in the field. You must add to the field by studying it and seeing what area you want to improve.” From that point on, I knew that I had to be on the lookout for how I could improve the field of education if I wanted to receive a doctorate. This conversation, which took place many years ago, led me to begin the application process for a doctoral program in reading. After several years of teaching, I knew what I wanted to add to the field. I refused to rush into it beforehand because of the expert advice I received from Dr. DelleBovi.
To this day, I can email or call Betsy for career or life advice, earning the right to the name change overtime. She gave me the confidence I needed when I wasn’t so sure and the constant drive I needed to push me to the next level. I can never take for granted the woman who influenced me to take the life course I am on now, which will push me into the next phase of greatness. I am so fortunate to still have such an endearing relationship with such an amazing individual.
Joy (McElligott) McGuire ’06, MS ’07, IT Quality Manager, Citi
Thanks to Professor Eric Gansworth, I am incapable of reading a book, watching a film or viewing any art without analyzing it to death!
I returned to school in my late 30s. – Because Eric Gansworth was a new professor at the time, he had the honor of teaching evening classes. (If I recall correctly – I think I took five of his English classes.) Big on the idea of film as literature, Professor Gansworth’s classes were both challenging and interesting. He always had a knack for creating plagiarism-proof assignments that combined a unique mix of film and literature: Laurie Anderson, Milos Forman, John Cheever, Raymond Carver, graphic novels ... I loved his classes.
I am most grateful to Professor Gansworth for teaching me how to understand and appreciate art in all forms. My life is indeed richer because of him.
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