The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra played for a sold-out crowd of 450 people last Tuesday night in the William E. Swan Auditorium.

The orchestra, led by associate conductor, Matthew Kraemer, performed their Holiday Pops show complete with holiday classics including “Ave Maria” and “Carol of the Bells.”  Soprano, Leah Schneider, graced the stage with her lovely voice for many of the numbers.

In addition to the traditional line-up, alumni board president, Tom McArthur, impressed the crowd with his conducting talents on the selection “Sleigh Ride.”  Another guest conductor opportunity will be available at next year’s show.

This event marked the 5th BPO holiday performance at Swan Auditorium.  We look forward to welcoming the orchestra back onto campus December 3, 2013.  Mark your calendars now!

For questions about the event, please contact engagement officer for alumni and events, Alaina Houseknecht.

Over the past several months, statements were collected from current students and alumni to be integrated into the new “WeAreHilbert” initiative. They were asked to complete the statement “I am Hilbert because…”. 

We were amazed by the stories that some folks shared!

Below are just a few of the favorite comments we received. Thank you to all of the faculty and staff of Hilbert College for giving our students an amazing experience here at Hilbert!

“the small class sizes and great friendships.” – Timothy Jordon ‘07

“the teachers give undivided attention.” – Donna Heaton ‘93

“the friendship of the teachers that I had.” – Jamie Bigaj ‘12

“small and family oriented with a friendly atmosphere.” – Angela Zak ‘11

“many opportunities that I wouldn’t have anywhere else.” – Kelly Penepent ‘12

“they continue to drive me to excellence.” – Michael Nero ‘11

“the Franciscan and Catholic education.” – Mary Rose ‘85

“they made me the person I am today.” – Krystyl Wachowski ‘12

“of the many career opportunities that are now available to me.” – James Reinhardt ‘12

“they encouraged me to further my education.” – Catherine Moran ‘10

“I love the sense of being part of the community and feeling the connection with the staff.” – Matthew Comerford ‘09

“I enjoyed the small school atmosphere and the one on one relationships with professors.” – Ginger Smathers ‘94

“they made continuing my education possible.” – David Ludlow ‘79

“Hilbert allows me to succeed.” – Aaron Senseney ‘12

“they are concerned about students and directed towards success of students.” – Patricia Jenney ‘80

“of the closeness and the very, very close feeling with the professors.” – Charles Nicholls ‘75

“of the close interaction of those teaching and those learning.” – Anthony Peter Furnari ‘09

“it gives you the opportunity to chase your dreams and lays down the foundation for your future, both with academics and faith.” – Glen Busch ‘05

“precious gems never fade.” – Amy Meisner ‘01

“between everything I learned as a student in the classroom to the staff, to all the opportunities I was given, Hilbert will always be a part of my life.” – Kerrie Bloom ‘08

“I became more than I could’ve ever imagined.  I had the support of a small nation here and I am and will be always be Hilbert.” – Autumn Lee Jeffries ‘ 07

“Hilbert is me!  It is not just a school – it’s a feeling.” – Debra Tredo ‘10

“I love being a part of a community that cares for one another.” – Miranda Smith ‘16

“someday I want to change someone’s life, like Hilbert is changing mine.” – Amber DeGroat ‘16

“Hilbert has influenced me to better myself and the community.” – Rachel Collier ‘15

Hilbert will hold a morning service this coming Monday, November 12, 2012, in observance of Veterans Day.

At 9:30 a.m. a flag raising ceremony will be performed following a welcome by president Dr. Cynthia Zane and Military Club president Cameron Hagg, who is also an air force veteran.

At 4:00 p.m., the Military Club will lead a prayer followed by a walk with fellow Hilbert students, faculty, and staff around the main campus road in honor of current military service members and veterans.

In addition to the day’s activities, Hilbert student veterans will receive a free lunch in the Campus Dining Hall, which will be patriotically decorated, to thank them for their service.

More information on Hilbert’s Veterans Day observance is available by contacting Cameron Haag, president of the Military Club, at chaag@hilbert.edu or Jeannie Kornacki, director of student activities, at jmacdonald@hilbert.edu

Baker Victory Services / ChildPro was selected to receive a grant from the Buffalo Bills and KaBOOM!  to build a state-of-the-art community playground for children in their Early Childhood Program. Two of Hilbert College’s master of public administration students, Jeremy Schlosser and Zsofia Parragh, will each be leading their own project teams in the construction of the playground.

The multi-agency collaboration also involves the United Way, Play 60 Challenge, and the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Inc. The playground build project managers, Dr. Walter and Mary Iwanenko, who also secured the grant with the help of United Way, were invited to help make the official announcement with the Buffalo Bills at the 12^th annual Buffalo Bills Kid’s Day on August 25.

The OLV playground will be the first built by KaBOOM! and the Buffalo Bills, and is just one of more than 150 playground builds KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2012 in an effort to provide kids with a great place to play.

High School students rated every college website in the country on many key features such as: the ability for students to apply online, find information on the community or city in which the college is located, and the ability to contact the admissions office to set-up a campus visit. They also graded the website on the ease of navigation and its design.

Hilbert College received an A. Only 154 schools received such a high grade card. This puts Hilbert College in the top 5% of all college websites.

To learn more about NRCCUA click here.

Understanding cultural similarities and differences is essential for effective communication while serving as global citizens. In honor of Diversity Month and United Nations Day, the Hilbert College Office of Multicultural Affairs will hold a week of celebratory activities focused on cultural awareness from October 8 – 11.

The weeklong celebration will provide Hilbert faculty, staff and students an opportunity to interact with one another outside the classroom and to learn more about other cultures and diversity. Programming will also provide students with a deepened understanding of social justice and human interactions and help to inspire personal and professional growth. Hilbert’s Cultural Awareness Week is planned by various college constituencies to provide a holistic representation of programs and to strengthen diversity, community and inclusion on campus.

Goals:

• To expose students to diverse perspectives and promote advocacy for social justice among students.
• To promote and encourage awareness of diversity throughout the community by offering a wide range of programs, services and activities.

Learning Outcomes:

• Students will become interculturally aware and acquire an openness to diversity (based on liberal learning outcomes).
• Students will learn the importance of respecting cultural differences and similarities.
• Students will discover a sense of community and become more integrated into the Hilbert campus through the celebration of culture.

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The dedication of the science lab will begin with a blessing given by Fr. Mark David Skura, OFM Conv.  After the dedication ceremonies, hors d’oeuvres and light refreshments will be served. Hilbert board members and others from the college community will be in attendance.

Renovation of the physical, or chemistry, lab began in the summer of 2011, around the time when Hilbert introduced a new general science curriculum. Previously, the science labs utilized virtual technology, but the virtual world did not give the kind of learning outcomes that real, hands-on-training can provide.

“What we believe, and it is a necessary and important part of any liberal arts education,” explains Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Christopher Holoman, “is to have our students be able to take part intelligently in the scientific debates of today as informed citizens, which is part of Hilbert’s mission statement. “

The new curriculum is structured around real world problems, such as global warming. Students use a variety of scientific disciplines and, equally important, develop systematic, critical thinking that the scientific method is based on. Although Hilbert does not have any scientific specific based majors, “an ability to understand the scientific method, speak competently, and think on a scientific level is important,” says Holoman.

Hilbert now has the capacity to offer multiple sections of various science classes each semester. This greatly expands the academic offerings for students, while creating courses that are interactive and engaging. The first phase of renovations to the natural science lab was completed in August of 2010.

In this lecture, How to “Prophet” From the Franciscan Tradition: Solidarity and Christian Living in the 21st Century, Fr. Dan Horan will explore what we can take away from our Franciscan heritage in terms of Christian living in the 21st Century, as well as how we might become prophets after the example of St. Francis of Assisi.  

A professor, lecturer, and the author of numerous articles and books, including Dating God:  Live and Love in the Way of St. Francis, Daniel P. Horan, OFM is a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province.    Fr. Dan previously taught in the department of religious studies at Siena College and was a visiting professor in the department of theology at St. Bonaventure University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Thomas Merton Society.  A graduate of St. Bonaventure University (B.A. Theology) and the Washington Theological Union (M.A. Systematic Theology and M.Div.), he is currently completing a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at Boston College.  

The St. Francis Week activities officially kick off September 28 with a blessing of the animals at   1 p.m. outdoors near the statue of St. Francis at the back of Bogel Hall (rain location will be St. Clare’s Chapel in Bogel).  In honor of St. Francis’ love for all creatures, Deacon Dennis Conroy, who assists in Hilbert’s Office of Campus Ministry, will conduct the blessing. After the blessing, animals will receive pet treats and pet owners will be served ice cream. 

On October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, the Hilbert community will participate in a peace walk at 12:30 p.m. starting in the William E. Swan Auditorium and then follow a path to designated outdoor stations around campus. Each location will highlight a peace-related occurrence in the life of St. Francis and offer students, faculty and staff a reflection point to ponder as they continue the walk.

The week concludes October 5 with a service project from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Buffalo’s Vive La Casa, the largest refugee shelter in the United States. Hilbert volunteers will sort donations, clean the facility, help out in the kitchen pantry and provide other assistance as needed.

All events are free and open to the public, excluding the service project which is for the Hilbert community only. More information about Hilbert’s St. Francis Week activities is available by contacting Barbara Bonanno, director of campus ministry and mission integration, at 926-8924 or e-mailbonanno@hilbert.edu

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