January 5
Canisius University President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke traveled to Rome, Italy to elect the new Jesuit Superior General. He was one of 225 delegates from around the world to attend the 35th Jesuit General Congregation.
January 14
Canisius University began demolition of the former Mount St. Joseph Academy school buildings. The short term use for the land is green space and parking accomodations. The long term plan for the space is the development of new residential and classroom spaces.
February 5
The Conversations in Christ & Culture Lecture Series hosted Diana Ortiz, an Ursuline nun and author of Blindfold's Eyes: My Journey from Torture to Truth.
February 7
Poet Jim Daniels was the guest of The Canisius University Contemporary Writers Series.
February 9
The African American Experience Lecture Series invited James Brewer Stewart, PhD, to campus. He spoke on "The Crusade Against Slavery."
February 11
The Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professorship Program awarded a new round of professorships beginning June, 2008. The professorships are three year grants providing faculty with resources to creative innovative programs and enhance undergraduate teaching.
March 8
Canisius University, with the Buffalo Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, hosted the first WNY Brain Bee, a written and oral neuroscience competition for high school students, grades 9-12.
March 13
Canisius University presented the play, "Our Young Black Men are Dying and Nobody Seems to Care." The event was co-sponsored by the Afro-American Society, Canisius' Opportunity Program for Education, Undergraduate Admissions, Counseling Center, Multicultural Programs, Public Safety, Urban Leadership Community Program and the NAACP.
March 16
Award-winning pianist Larry Weng gave a concert at the Montante Cultural Center hosted by ArtsCanisius and the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation.
March 18
The Canisius University African American Experience presented a performance by Bernard Woma, a master drummer of the Ghana Dance Ensemble.
March 29
Canisius University hosted a performance of "Life in a Jar," a play telling the story of Irene Sendler who saved 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during WW II. The event was co-sponsored by the Canisius University Center for Global Study in Religion, the Permanent Chair of Polish Culture at Canisius and the Holocaust Resource Center.
April 7
Slawomir Jozefowicz, professor of political science at the University of Warsaw, gave a lecture on Poland and U.S. Relations, co-sponsored by the Permanent Chair of Polish Culture at Canisius University.
April 8
The Canisius University ROTC program was ranked #1 in the Eastern region by the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the General MacArthur Foundation.
April 10
The Canisius University Contemporary Writers Series presented celebrated Native American poet Heid E. Erdich.
April 15
Francis Fukuyama PhD, Bernard L. Schwartz professor of International Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University, spoke at Canisius University.
April 16
The first Ignatian Scholarship Day was held in the Richard E. Winter '42 Student Center and Christ the King Chapel.
April 23
Photojournalist, Dan Habib, presented his documentary film, Including Samuel. The film examines the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities. The film won the Positive Images in Media Award from TASH and was named "Best Documentary" at the 2007 Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival.
May 14
Catherine M. '72 and Francis Burzik donated $1 Million to Canisius University for A Legacy of Leadership.
May 14
Daniel W. Stanton, Former partner and managing director of Goldman Sachs, spoke at the 2008 graduate commencement ceremony.
May 17
Calvin Darden '72, retired senior vice president of UPS was the speaker at the 2008 undergraduate commencement ceremony.
May 21
Eric L. Gansworth's book, A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function was voted number three on the National Book Critics Circle Spring 2008 "Good Reads" List.
May 29
Fulbright Scholarships were awarded to Adam Walters and Kyle Walker. Walters undertook an independent study in Lima, Peru. Walker will study Ernst Mach, an Austrian physicist.
June 6
Canisius University received $7 Million in Appropriations from New York State for the development of Science Hall.
August 4
Carmelo '51 and Lynn Scaccia committed $2 Million to Canisius University for A Legacy of Leadership.
August 25
For the second consecutive year, the U.S. News and World Report ranked Canisius University 22nd in America's Best Colleges Northern Universities-Master's.
September 3
Autism Spectrum Disorders Consortium received $1.2 Million research grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences.
September 4
Canisius President Rev. Vincent Cooke, S.J. announced the creation of the William H. Fitzpatrick Institute of Public Affairs and Leadership at Canisius University. The Institute's creation coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the William H. Fitzpatrick Chair of Political Science.
September 18
Jon Luther, the chairman and CEO of Dunkin' Brands Inc, gave a lecture on brand transformation at Canisius University.
September 18
Celebrated writer, Uwem Akpan discussed his new book Say You're One of Them at the opening the 10th anniversary season of the Canisius University Contemporary Writers Series.
September 24
Greg Farrell gave a lecture on the topic of "Criminality in Corporate America." He was hosted by the Richard J. Wehle School of Business.
October 1
Joe Slade White spoke at Canisius University on "The Challenge of Creating Political Ads." He was hosted by the Fitzpatrick Institute of Public Affairs and Leadership.
October 2
The African American Experience hosted Professor Waldo E. Martin Jr. whose lecture was entitled "Getting Beyond Race."
October 7
Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, the president of the American Medical Association spoke at Canisius University. She was the guest of the Dr. George E. Schreiner '43 Pre-Medical Distinguished Speakers Series.
October 8
Canisius University hosted Andy Bienkowski and Mary L. Akers who discussed WWII and their new book Radical Gratitude.
October 10
Nelson D. '67 and Patricia Civello donated $1.475 million to Canisius University for A Legacy of Leadership.
October 16
The Canisius University Center for the Global Study of Religion - Conversations in Christ Lecture Series hosted Rev. Francis X. Clooney S.J., the Parkman Professor of Divinity and a professor of comparative theology at Harvard University.
October 21
Canisius University All- College Honors Program co-sponsored Professor Michael Willrich giving a lecture entitled "Scars of Citizenship: Smallpox and American Life at the Turn of the Century."
October 27
Rev. J. Felix Raj, S.J., Director of the Goethal Indian Library and Research Society, spoke at Canisius University and presented his lecture "India at a Crossroad." The lecture was sponsored by the Wehle School of Business and the College's History Club.
November 5
Canisius University was one of nine Jesuit colleges or universities to be awarded a 2008 Access & Equity Grant from the Jesuit Network for Equitable Excellence in Higher Education. The grant is funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education and will support service immersion trips for students in the college's Urban Leadership Learning Community program.
November 10
Congressman Brian Higgins spoke at Canisius University. He was hosted by the William H. Fitzpatrick lecture Series.
November 13
Canisius University African American Experience welcomed Professor Eric Arnesen, professor of history and African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago whose lecture was entitled, "The Legacies of A. Philip Randolph: Civil Rights. Labor and the New Black Politics."
November 20
Canisius University acquired the former HealthNow Complex.
