The Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., was officially inaugurated as Niagara University’s 26th president on April 4, but he has spent nearly a year getting to know NU and its alumni better. Now it’s our turn to get better acquainted with him.

Eagle Magazine: You served on Niagara University’s Board of Trustees from 2010-2013, so you are undoubtedly familiar with the university. What is your vision for NU?

Father Maher: I would like to build upon the many great things that occurred under (former president) Father Levesque’s tenure. I would like to create a very high-level learning community at Niagara that fully embraces and promotes our Catholic and Vincentian mission, and direct our focus on highlighting our great students, faculty, and academic programs.

EM: You were at NU’s fellow Vincentian university, St. John’s, for the past 22 years. Yet the challenges each institution faces are unique. What do you see as the challenges for Niagara?

FM: The challenges really lay in the differentiation of size. St. John’s has over 18,000 students, with a major campus in New York City. At Niagara, we have around 3,700 students and are one of 21 colleges and universities in the Western New York area. There are fewer high school students in the region and we are all working to enroll students from this shrinking pool of applicants.

EM: What is your initial focus for Niagara?

FM: My initial focus has been to listen and learn from the Niagara community.

EM: What future objectives do you have?

FM: I would like to find ways to support the great work our faculty and students are doing in our vibrant living-learning community, and to continue to prepare our students for an international workplace by recruiting them from New York and other states, and Canada and other countries. I would also like Niagara to have a regional impact through our service, teaching and research, and work hand in hand with the Buffalo Billion’s efforts. As a Vincentian university, I would like to impact the lives of those living in poverty in Niagara Falls and the region.

EM: How do you define a successful presidency?

FM: A successful presidency is one that is focused on outcomes, on building of community, and on mission, in the context of higher education.

EM: What about Niagara resonates with you the most?

FM: The people at Niagara, because they are so committed to the university and our mission. We Vincentians often speak about how edified we are by our lay colleagues’ commitment; it challenges us to be better Vincentians and educators.

EM: How do you view NU’s relationship with its alumni?

FM: I regard the relationship with our alumni as a lifeline for our university community and our students. In many respects, alumni offer a look both at the past and to the future. They give witness to a successful life at Niagara and after graduation.

EM: Going forward, how do you want to see that relationship enhanced?

FM: Engaging our alumni by reaching out to them and by inviting them into our university life will enhance the relationship between alums and Niagara.

EM: If you were to tell alumni one thing, what would that be?

FM: Do not be shy about sharing your time, talent and treasure, because our great faculty and students are the direct beneficiaries of your support.

EM: When you’re not doing university business, how do you spend your free time?

FM: I like to read, exercise, and spend time with close friends and my Vincentian confreres.

EM: What’s the best advice you ever received?

FM: Don’t be afraid to surround yourself with great people.

EM: In high school, you would have been considered the person most likely to ...

FM: Be a good friend.

EM: What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?

FM: I’m thankful to God for another day.

EM: What’s a recent book you read?

FM:The Priority of Christ, by Father Robert Barron.

EM: What’s your favorite line from a movie?

FM:“You can’t handle the truth.” Jack Nicholson said that to Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men.

EM: What three people, living or dead, would you like to have dinner with?

FM: Jesus Christ, St. Vincent de Paul, and Rosa Parks.

EM: What’s your favorite sport to watch?

FM: Baseball, especially the NY Mets. (Father Maher recently attended a Mets game with a number of NU alumni. See the story here.)

EM: What’s your favorite comfort food?

FM: Greek salad.

EM: What’s on your iPod?

FM: Ted, Real Politics, Politico, Roman Missal.

EM: If you were given one Mulligan, the chance to do one thing over again, what would it be?

FM: It is not so much of a Mulligan, but I did so much traveling my first year (visiting about 25 chapters nationwide), that I would like to see much more of the Niagara and Western New York region. I am truly enjoying the beautiful summer weather.

Dear fellow alumni,

Warmer weather has finally arrived on Monteagle Ridge, and with it comes another frenetic end to the school year. I was asked, in my role as president of the Alumni Association, to offer some remarks at the commencement ceremonies and officially welcome the graduates as our newest members. It is a privilege to put on a cap and gown and sit on the platform with our distinguished deans, honorees, and members of administration as part of the ceremonies.

In my remarks, I noted that my wife, Maureen, and I were also celebrating our 40th graduation anniversary and shared our experience since graduation in a five-minute countdown. Judging from the audience’s laughter and tears, I think they liked it:

“Allow me a few minutes to share with you our life’s journey since we sat in your seats over 40 years ago:

• In our 20s we started careers, got married and started a family.

• In our 30s we raised a young family while juggling careers, sometimes putting them on hold and making sacrifices — like staying in on Saturday night watching lousy TV shows like Love Boat and Fantasy Island. No “on-demand” or Netflix then!

• In our 40s our careers were put on autopilot while we navigated the dreaded eight-year time warp all parents experience, including your parents: The time from the end of grammar school to the end of college; a time you thought would never end and then all of a sudden it’s over and you find yourself sitting on a gymnasium bench on a morning in May watching your son or daughter transform into an adult as a college graduate. It then hits you and you think – it was worth it. The first it is, of course, your son or daughter here today. The second it is your parents’ personal journey of challenges, sacrifices, and unconditional love they willing gave to make this moment happen for you today. They won’t share their it with you — it’s too personal, it’s too private — so just hug them again today and say thanks!

• In our 50s we became empty nesters and watched our children launch and sometimes re-launch their careers, pursue relationships, and get married.

• We begin the 60s repeating the circle of life by juggling our careers again; this time to travel to see our kids. We now look forward to staying in on Saturday night with our granddaughter. We just might rent some old episodes of Love Boat and Fantasy Island on Netflix just to get even!”

My two-year term as president is in the home stretch and ends after Alumni Weekend (Oct. 9-12) when our president-elect, Frank Fiannaca, ’85, takes the helm. In the meantime, we have a summer filled with alumni events, so watch for the announcements in our monthly newsletter as well as in email blasts.

Finally, a brief note about the Office of Alumni Engagement, the NU professional staff who make the Alumni Association happen while working with its volunteer leadership. Christine O’Hara, ’86, M.S.Ed.’01, and her staff have done an outstanding job this past year. Here are a few of their accomplishments:

• The number of alumni events almost doubled.

• The number of attendees increased from 2,341 in 2013 to 3,579 in 2014.

• The Niagara Fund raised $925,000, which is slightly more than the previous year.

• The President’s Scholarship Dinner raised over $155,000, and the new NU Alumni Legacy Scholarship Fund received $7,000 to start the endowment.

• NU’s president, the Rev. James Maher, C.M., visited 25 chapters during his national tour.

Enjoy the summer, travel safely, and make memories to share with your classmates at your next next milestone reunion. I am looking forward to celebrating my 40th this October.

Photos from winter and spring alumni events.

This past November, several NU rugby alumni traveled to Philadelphia to attend a rugby match between the U.S. Eagles and the New Zealand Maori All Blacks national teams. Front row (l-r): Steve Debruyn, ’81; Mike “Shiek” Shields, ’82; Brian “Angel” Clair, ’81; and Jim Grannis, ’80. Back row (l-r): Wes Alvarez, ’08; Chris Karl, ’10; Chris Ruf, ’09; and Josh Becker, ’09. Two of Josh’s friends are also pictured.

Joe Shanahan, ’79, and Molly Shanahan, ’07
Chapter Co-Leaders, Rochester, N.Y.

Joe

Hometown: Geneseo, N.Y.
Degree: B.S. in natural sciences with a concentration in biology
Current job: Inside sales coordinator, Crosstex/SPSmedical Supply Corp.

My best memory at Niagara is: spending late nights at the Niagara Index office as the sports editor, and all of the great times in House 5!
My favorite hangout was: the East Gym, which is now the Scaffidi Gym of the Kiernan Recreation Center.
My favorite part of my job is: meeting a variety of people and helping and supporting them with the products and services that meet their needs. I also like to help them comply with industry standards and pass The Joint Commission inspections with flying colors.
When I’m not working you’ll find me: relaxing with family and friends, working out at the 24/7 Fit Club in Geneseo and, of course, following the Niagara University Purple Eagles sports teams all year round.
I still want to learn how to: play a decent round of golf.
I decided to become a chapter leader because: my family has deep roots and a long legacy at Niagara University. My great-grandfather, John E. Oley, Class of circa. 1873 (who lived past his 101st birthday and was thought to be the oldest living Niagara alum); my father, Joseph O. Shanahan Sr., ’41; my uncle James G. Shanahan, ’42; my brothers Brian, ’87, and Neal,’92; and of course, my daughter and chapter co-leader, Molly, ’07, are all Niagara University graduates.
I’m looking forward to working with my daughter on: helping to grow the chapter with a variety of events and, hopefully, increase attendance from all eras of NU Rochester alumni.
Our chapter is planning: to get the annual Rochester NU Alumni Golf Outing back on track.
Alumni should stay connected to Niagara by becoming involved in their local chapters because: it is a great way for all NU alumni to reconnect with their Niagara past, to stay up-to-date with the Niagara of the present, and to help ensure the future of Niagara for generations to come!

Molly

Hometown: Geneseo, N.Y.
Degree: B.S. in hospitality and tourism
Current job: Secretary at Highland Hospital

My best memory at Niagara is: There were so many, but I would have to say getting to be backstage with Little Big Town for a day was an amazing experience I will always remember.
My favorite hangout was: anywhere as long as I was with good friends.
My favorite part of my job is: the people I work with and the lives they touch.
When I’m not working you’ll find me: playing on Park Ave. with my friends, hanging out with my family in Geneseo, or enjoying the outdoors.
I still want to learn how to: snowboard.
I decided to become a chapter leader because: of my love for Niagara.
I’m looking forward to working with my father on: many events, especially the golf tournament.
Alumni should stay connected to Niagara by becoming involved in their local chapters because: Niagara was a wonderful time in our lives and what better way to remember it/let it live on than to connect with other Niagara alumni.

More information on our chapters can be found here.

Several years ago, when Jerry Ognibene, ’59, retired from his career in higher education, he began building a model train layout with his wife of 52 years, Rosemary (affectionately known as “Bunny”). The couple included replicas of places that were meaningful to them throughout their early lives, including childhood homes, movie theatres, shops, and yes, even Niagara University. Spanning an area representing Bunny’s hometown of Buffalo to Jerry’s of North Collins, the 12-by-6-foot layout features country settings, a cityscape, and Niagara’s Clet Hall in the center, above a ravine that resembles the Niagara River Gorge. Although Jerry admits to taking artistic license with many of the replicas, including the addition of a wall around Clet Hall, the layout serves to provide a tangible memory of their lives in Western New York.

Paul Todaro, ’87 (right), an adjunct professor in Niagara University’s Theatre Department, and theatre performance major Patrick J. Tighe, ’14, shared the stage in Red, a two-man, Tony Award-winning production that was presented by 710 Main Theatre in collaboration with MusicalFare Theatre in Buffalo, N.Y., this past March. Photo courtesy of Chris Cavanagh.

It had been 41 years since Roslyn (Cresenzi) Adair, ’67, and Joseph “Kip” Kirby, ’67, had seen each other. She was a nurse at a hospital in Japan, and he was a wounded Vietnam War soldier. They met up again at the Niagara-Fairfield game in Bridgeport, Conn., in 2009. Thanks to John Yantz, ’67, for sharing the photo!

Members of the Class of 1963, all former residents of Varsity Village House 5, reconnected during their 50th year anniversary. Front row (l-r): Henry Poreda, Jack Scirocco and Steve Borrelli. Back row (l-r): Andy O’Connell, Pete Marra and Bill Foote.

Members of the Class of 1971 got together to celebrate spring at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. Front row (l-r): Mike O’Connell, Denis Nolan, Ed Nagle, and Richard Parker. Back row (l-r): Anthony Soriero, Jim DelSignore, Dennis Coggins, Paul Drebitko, Rick Collins, Tom Fitzgerald, and Ed Borix. Missing from photo is Ken Vasile.

On April 25-26, Niagara University Rugby Football Club alumni returned to Monteagle Ridge for their 38th annual reunion weekend. The weekend included a mixer, a rugby match, and a banquet and awards dinner. Rob Jochen, ’07, of the Modern Era (left) and Bill Loftus, ’82, of the Classic Era, were inducted into the NURFC Hall of Fame during the dinner. They are pictured with the Rev. James Maher, C.M., NU’s president.

Editor’s Note: On Friday, April 4, 2014, Niagara University formally inaugurated the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., as its 26th president. Representatives from Niagara, its alumni, the local community, DePaul and St. John’s universities, the Daughters of Charity, and the Vincentian community offered their welcome and best wishes during the event. Sister Beth Brosmer, OSF, executive director of Heart, Love & Soul food pantry in Niagara Falls, was one of the speakers. Her presentation follows.

Good afternoon. Greetings of peace to each of you, those who sit up front and those who sit in front of those up front, those who sit at the sides, and those who sit anywhere I’ve not mentioned, peace. We gather for an important occasion in the life of Niagara University, the inauguration of the university’s 26th president, Father James Maher.

This is also a significant moment for the students, faculty and staff of the university, and the residents of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, Western New York, and our neighbors in Ontario. For myself, I am honored to be the spokesperson for the community.

We welcome you, Father Maher. We welcome you as a community leader, as an educator, and as our brother. We are happy to have you among us.

Through the influence and guidance of the Vincentian community, Niagara University has thrived and given abundant witness to the legacy and tradition of St. Vincent de Paul. Quite literally, you stand on the shoulders of the many that have gone before you, your Vincentian brothers and the women and men who served with them at Niagara since 1856. These shoulders provide you with remarkable support and offer challenge on your inauguration day.

The residents of our city and county yearn for fresh and creative ways to address the serious social and economic needs experienced by our sisters and brothers living in poverty. The university, and you as president, are uniquely positioned to lead, inspire and call students, faculty, staff, and area leaders to work together, in order to renew, repair, and address systems and policies that perpetuate poverty and hold the community captive.

We look forward with anticipation to your leadership. We know you will be accountable to the Vincentian tradition, to the ancestors who hold you on their shoulders through their example and sacrifice.

Now, more than ever, we need the clarity and charity of St. Vincent in caring for the poor, and we need new St. Vincents birthed among Niagara students to be leaders in a world where so many people live in desperation without sufficient food, adequate education, housing, and personal dignity. We challenge you to lead Niagara in being a powerful force for good and to constructively push away roadblocks that allow poverty to hold our region hostage.

You are in the prime of your life. Spend your “prime-time” working diligently to serve the university, and to be a catalyst for change in the community; we need you. With St. Vincent as your inspiration, we pray that you take to heart his wise counsel to “never feel excused from the responsibility of working for the poor.” We promise to support you with our prayers, to challenge you with our questions, and to accompany you on the journey ahead.

Katelyn Gruarin, a senior from Niagara Falls, N.Y., is the second recipient of the Robert “Pepsi” Sinicola Memorial Scholarship. She is a nursing major and a member of the university’s softball team. The award was established by several of Pepsi’s Class of 1976 friends, including his former roommate Michael de la Montaigne and Brian Hassett, to honor his memory and give back to Niagara University. To contribute to the Sinicola Memorial Scholarship Fund, contact Leslie Wise, ’82, director of planned giving, at 716.286.8590.

Seven Niagara University friends gathered on campus in May to reconnect and enjoy lunch with the Rev. James Maher, C.M., president. Front row (l-r): Karen McLeavy, ’80; Dr. Deborah (Tansey) Zimmerman, ’80; Father Maher; and Dr. Joanne McKeown, ’80. Back row (l-r): Carol (Millert) Barnett, ’82; Nadine (Wolff) Zernik, ’80; Isabel Menendez, ’80; and Priscilla (Pfeifer) Hipkins, ’80.

Eight NU alumni attended the June wedding of Elizabeth Hawkins, daughter of Mark Hawkins, ’77, and Anne Bentley, ’77. From left: Mark Hawkins, Jackie Doyle, ’77, Peggy Ranft Day, ’77, Liz (Ferro) Devine, ’77, Anne Bentley, Michele Seyranian, ’77, Arthur Bentley, ’84, and Jeff Pignataro, ’77.

On Veteran’s Day 2014, Col. (Ret.) Richard Rodney, ’52, gave a presentation on the Vietnam War to cadets at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. Richard, pictured here with his wife, Kathleen, notes that he wore a cap with the Niagara ROTC emblem on the back, his NU crest and tie.

Alumnus Ed Brennan, ’78, hosted a group of Niagara University students on his family farm in October. The students were given a tour of the farm and its manufacturing facilities, which are located at the Beak & Skiff Apple Orchard in LaFayette, N.Y. Brennan, the retired CEO of DFS Group and founder of Hand in Hand for Haiti, manages the farm and its recently launched product line of award-winning hard cider/spirits, 1911 Established. Dr. Peggy Choong, associate dean of NU’s College of Business Administration, Ed Kowalewski, MBA professor, and Bernadette Brennen, director of international relations, also attended.

Kathleen, ’69 (second from right), and Brian Mylod, ’68 (right), fresh off of accepting their Alumni of the Year Award during Niagara University’s Alumni Weekend, happened to be in Budapest when the Rev. James Maher, C.M., NU’s president (left), was there to bestow the Caritas Medal on Dr. Péter Forgách, co-founder of the Calasanctius Training Program, and establish an alumni chapter in Hungary. Also pictured is Jaclyn Rossi, ’08, M.S.Ed.’10, associate director of alumni engagement.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Laurie Worrall was the keynote speaker at the 20th anniversary celebration of Learn and Serve Niagara. Since 2010, she has served as executive director of New York Campus Compact, an association of college and university presidents and their campuses committed to promoting active citizenship as an aim of higher education. Previous positions include dean of the McMaster School for Advancing Humanity at Defiance College, and founding director of the Irwin W. Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning at DePaul University, where she was also a member of the founding team of the Msgr. John J. Egan Urban Center and the institutional liaison to the Illinois Campus Compact.

I congratulate Niagara University for 20 years of successful partnership activities through NU Learn and Serve! Well done! As well as a celebration, this moment is also a call to action. Our local, national, and global communities need our service more than ever.

St. Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of the order that founded Niagara, challenges all of us to go deeper in the way we serve others and society. He said, “It is not enough to do good, it must be done well.” And he demonstrated what he meant by his actions.

St. Vincent was an organizer and advocate. He leveraged his influence with the wealthy of 16th century France to garner resources to help him address the desperate circumstances of the poor. He worked to improve their living conditions. He worked for change.

So what does doing good well in the 21st century mean? Like Vincent, we must work to move from service — individual acts of charity and philanthropy — to change, change that affects systems and policies and results. A trajectory from service to change would move from individual accomplishment to community action to collective impact to systemic change. So, for example, one could start by getting involved in a food drive; then realizing food insecurity is a community issue, start a food bank. The food bank might then join a cross sector group of organizations making a collective commitment to end food insecurity in the county. The work of this coalition winds up influencing regional food distribution policies that get locally grown produce into every grocery store in the region.

So what does all this have to do with a university? One of my favorite quotes about the power of education to transform comes from Kofi Annan, the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize winner and the seventh Secretary General of the United Nations. He said, “Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy, and sustainable human development.” So if we follow St. Vincent’s call to do good well in light of Annan’s powerful statement about education, then perhaps higher education’s call involves moving from tutoring and mentoring programs to working to guarantee that all children in our local school districts graduate. Maybe it means working to prepare all of our students to succeed in post-secondary education — working for and expecting results.

Doing good well in higher education might also mean guaranteeing that all of our students understand the roles and responsibilities of an educated citizen in our troubled world. The challenges that humanity faces require deeply thoughtful, patient, and educated problem solvers. The resolution of climate change, the widening chasm between rich and poor, food and housing insecurity will all require our institutions to do good well ... to educate citizens, not just workers; to help our students move from service to change; to do good well.

Drive, focus, ambition. It’s what Pete Strobl, ’99, MBA’00, fosters in the young players he works with at The Scoring Factory, a training facility he established in 2009. It’s what first attracted him to his wife, Sheryl (Klick), ’00, with whom he’s traveled the world and is raising four children. And it’s what started him on his journey in the first place.

Growing up in Los Angeles, watching arguably the best basketball team at that time, the Lakers, young Pete set his sights on becoming an NBA basketball player. When college offers began coming in, he chose the Division I school that was farthest from his home because of the new experiences it could present. That school was Niagara University.

Meanwhile, Sheryl was choosing between college offers herself for both basketball and soccer. She felt comfortable with the NU coaching staff and sensed a chance to earn playing time early on at Niagara, and because the school was “just far enough away” from her home in Pittsburgh, Pa., yet close enough that her parents could come to see her play, she opted to attend college on Monteagle Ridge.

As business majors and basketball players, Pete and Sheryl had similar schedules and their paths would frequently cross in the classroom and the gym. But their friendship took a while to develop.

“Pete was the driven guy who read the Wall Street Journal in the cafeteria while he ate and was always doing a project or working in the library,” Sheryl recalls. “He wasn’t one of those guys that you really got to know quickly unless you were also doing whatever it was that he was involved in.”

Over time, they discovered that they were kindred spirits—both very focused on working hard to achieve their goals, both interested in seeing how far their basketball careers could progress. They became friends and, as they got to know each other better, their friendship blossomed into romance.

This relationship was tested shortly after graduation, when both Pete and Sheryl were signed to play basketball overseas, he in France and she in Turkey. Over the next several years, they went on to play for teams throughout Europe, including the UK, Austria, and Germany. The long-distance relationship was challenging, Pete admits, but their commitment to each other enabled them to make it work. Eventually, they got engaged and were married in July 2004.

Pete and Sheryl continued their successful basketball careers for several years. In 2007, while they were playing for teams in Austria, their first son, Pete Jr., was born. Sheryl completed her contract before retiring from professional basketball, while Pete went on to play for teams in Ireland, Iceland, and Switzerland. In late 2008, they returned to the United States, settling in Pittsburgh where they could be close to Sheryl’s family.

Pete’s “European adventure” satisfied some of his wanderlust. Now, he had to make a plan for the next stage in his life.

He soon discovered that there was a demand in the Pittsburgh area for someone who could provide training for basketball players. He began doing private training, and then led group clinics, which evolved into The Scoring Factory, a high-intensity basketball skills development academy. The venture enabled him to combine his experience as a basketball professional with his business education and put his MBA to use.

“I took a large leap and made some sacrifices along the way to start my own business,” Pete says. “We started small and had a lot of luck along the way. We have worked exceptionally hard behind the scenes to make sure it grows but still stays true to the initial plan of what I wanted it to be.”

The Scoring Factory offers training clinics, private training, and group sessions throughout the year for basketball players who run the gamut from middle school students to professional players. Many have gone on to play for top basketball programs at the collegiate and professional levels. Athletes from other sports, such as football and track, also take advantage of the speed and agility training The Scoring Factory provides. This mix of athletes fosters a motivational environment and relationships that span beyond the court.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie between the older and younger players,” Pete says. “It feels like a family to them. It’s nice when you have a foundation like that, a support system that’s always there for you.”

Sheryl is part of The Scoring Factory team as well, although she balances her involvement with raising the couple’s growing family, which, in addition to Pete Jr., now includes sons Kaiser and Bastien, and daughter, Vienika, who was born in March 2014.

Sheryl is a big part of what we do,” Pete says. “She is exceptionally driven and it’s nice for young girls to see that success is possible, through hard work, dedication, and a strong desire to make it happen.”

“We take a lot of satisfaction in seeing the look of joy and accomplishment on the faces of many young players that come through The Scoring Factory as they learn and improve,” Sheryl says. “It’s a very rewarding experience and it feels really good to give back to the next generation.”

In addition to his work with The Scoring Factory, Pete released a book, Backspin, which chronicles his journey from Monteagle Ridge to Europe to Pittsburgh, taking a humorous and inspirational look at the playing career of a professional athlete. It is available as a paperback or ebook through Amazon.

Drive, focus, and ambition have served Pete and Sheryl well, and they share this philosophy with the athletes they train as well as their children. However, time and experience have inspired them to add an additional principle to these ideals, one that they have taken to heart: Enjoy the journey.

Additional alumni stories are available at www.niagara.edu/alumni-news/.