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Spring Conference 2024:

Leadership in Catholic Higher Education:
Knowing Our Past to Guide Our Future

This conference explored how universities can continue to change and be influential in society. The focus was to rediscover the roots and purpose of higher education, and Catholic higher education in particular, as we look to the future amidst a rapidly changing college and university landscape.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Michael Naughton, director of the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, where he holds the Koch Chair in Catholic Studies. He also taught in the College of Business for over 20 years.

 

Above: Participants in a Lightning-Round Success Social, held spring semester 2023, in which students rotated among six 10-minute presentations by young Olean-area professionals.

Spring semester 2023:

Lightning-Round Success Social

In this fun, 60-minute dash to a career path, groups of soon-to-be college graduates got advice from six young professionals about how to start down the path to a successful career.

In this interactive event, students were divided into six groups. Each heard a presentation by one of the six young professionals. After 10 minutes, the groups of students rotated to another presenter. At the end of the hour, each group of students had heard from each of the presenters.

Following the presentations there was a meet-and-greet networking session with hors d'oeuvres and refreshments. The event was held at the Challenger Learning Center in Allegany, near the Ã山ǿ¼é campus. 

Spring semester 2023:

Talk on Leadership & Integrity

MaryJane Shimsky, who represents the 92nd District in the New York State Assembly, addressed students, faculty and staff on leadership and integrity in a campus talk on Feb. 20, 2023.

Shimsky graduated from Yale University in 1982, earned her law degree from New York University School of Law in 1985, and her Ph.D. in history from the City University of New York in 2007. She worked for four years as an assistant district attorney in the Appeals Bureau of the New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney’s Office, and taught history and geography at the former Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York. 

"Assembly member Shimsky’s message was that values, integrity and hard work are the keys to a happy and successful life, a message that pairs perfectly with the mission of the Foster Center for Responsible Leadership," said Dr. Michael Gallagher, associate professor of finance and Foster Center director."

 

Fall semester 2022:

Taking Care of Ourselves

This program featured a panel of experts in professional and pastoral care as they addressed the challenges students face living in a post-COVID world and the impacts the pandemic left on them in arguably their most formative years.

Panelists were Joe Torreggiani, senior software engineer at Square, inc.; Megan Henberger, physician assistant studies student; Gerald Daly, a personal resilience facilitator; Mikki Medler, social worker at Wellsville Central School; Del Rey Honeycutt, associate dean for student and community wellbeing at St. Bonaventure; and Br. Kevin Kriso, O.F.M., member of Holy Peace Friary at Mt. Irenaeus.

Spring semester 2022:

Leadership and Authentic Community

This program featured a keynote address titled "Authentic Human Leadership and the Common Good in light of AI, Zoom Meetings and Virtual Society" by Dr. Andrew B. Gustafson (right), professor in the Heider College of Business at Creighton University.

Additionally, Mark Sickles, CEO of SuperOrg, Inc, chair of Chief Capital Officer institute, and 2022 St. Ã山ǿ¼é Lenna Visiting Professor, presented a talk titled "Creating the Right Conditions for Utilitarianism in the Global Business Community.

Plenary Address by Mark Sickles, CEO of SuperOrg, Inc.:

Fall semester 2021 workshop series:

Keeping the Community Working

This series of three workshops, presented fall semester of 2021, provided Olean-area residents with skills to help them find career success and become vital contributors to the regional economy.

Workshop 1: Navigating the Job Market

Presenter: John B. Stevens, lecturer of marketing in the School of Business at Ã山ǿ¼é and owner/operator of JB Stevens Organizational Solutions.

This workshop focused on what to do when entering or moving about the job market, covering such things as resume writing, applying for a job, interviewing, legal issues, internet searches and more.

Watch the archived .

 

Workshop 2: Resources Available on the Web

Presenter: Don Watkins, educator, writer, social entrepreneur, free and open-source software advocate, and a leading author for opensource.com.

This workshop addressed web resources to help you remain computer literate, addressing such topics as cybersecurity, messaging applications, password managers, online learning and more.

Watch the archived .

 

Workshop 3: Honing Your Excel Skills

Presenter: Dr. Anne Foerst, professor of computer science at St. Bonaventure and director of the university's individualized major program.

This workshop focused on becoming familiar and adept at using Microsoft Excel, the industry leading spreadsheet software program. Foerst shared tips, tools and fun facts about Excel. For instance, did you know that no matter where you are when you exit the file, when you return to it you will drop back in exactly the same spot?

Watch the archived .

Fall semester 2021 program for students:

Digital Literacy in This New Age

Presenter: Jen Wike Huger, manager and community lead at Red Hat, a leading open source software company.

This presentation focused on tips for creating a digital presence that you can be proud to show off in a job interview. It also addressed career path zigs and zags to navigate as you prepare to enter the workforce.

Watch the archived .

Spring semester 2021

Moments That Matter: A Look at Leadership
Presented by Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Maureen K. LeBoef, author of "Developing Your Philosophy of Living & Leading One Moment at a Time"

An Olean native and 1976 Ã山ǿ¼é graduate, LeBoef held various staff and leadership positions during her 28 years in the Army including flying UH-1 helicopters in the U.S. and Europe. She served as professor and head of the Department of Physical Education at West Point from 1997 until her retirement in 2004, becoming the first woman department head at the military academy since its founding in 1802.

LeBoef holds a master's and Doctor of Education from the University of Georgia and is a senior adviser and faculty member at Thayer Leadership at West Point. In addition, she served for nine years on the St. Bonaventure Board of Trustees; for three years as executive director of the Feagin Leadership Program at Duke Sports Medicine; as vice chair of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services; and as chair of the Board of Directors for the USO of North Carolina.

Fall semester 2020

Developing Your Digital Brand
Presented by Joe Torregiani, senior software engineer, technologist, researcher, educator and activist

Torregiani has dedicated his career to doing the most good that he can do. He focuses on solving a problem posed by American architect and designer R. Buckminster Fuller: "Make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone."

This singular pursuit has led him to become a core technical contributor at impact-driven organizations across multiple domains.

A senior software engineer, Torregiani builds tools to empower people to participate and thrive in the economy. He is a co-founder of the Sustainable Progress and Equality Collective (SPEC), an open learning organization that empowers individuals to be catalysts for positive change through mentorship, training, action research, and service learning.

Fall semester 2019

Ethics in Business: Mission Impossible?
Presenter: Ed Moore, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Rich Products of Buffalo.

 

Spring semester 2020

Making Connections: How Journalists and Businesspeople Can Learn From Each Other
Panel discussion moderated by Janet Bodnar, editor-at-large and former editor (retired) of Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
Panelists:

• Ã山ǿ¼é graduate Erin Lowry, financial advice author, blogger, lecturer and educator
• Ã山ǿ¼é graduate Kevin A. Keenan, founding partner of Keenan Communications Group
• Michael D. Herley, servant leader and entrepreneur
• Brian Connolly, vice president of innovation and business development at The Buffalo News.

Fall semester 2018

An Inside Job: A Discussion of the Development of Responsible, Ethical Corporate and Social Leadership Practices
Presenter: Ã山ǿ¼é gradate Pamela Say Witter, vice president for Development and Community Engagement at Trocaire College, the author of three books, and a small-business owner.

 

Spring semester 2019

Creating Good Leaders: Interdisciplinary and Practical Perspectives on Educating and Inspiring Business and Civic Leaders
A conference featuring 10 presenters and a keynote address by state Assemblyman Joseph M. Giglio.

Fall semester 2017

A View From the Inside
Presenter: Ã山ǿ¼é graduate Matthew Cullinane, American diplomat who focuses on international trade, foreign assistance programs and U.S. overseas business interests at the United States Agency for International Development.

Spring semester 2018

Developing Ethical & Responsible Decision-making Skills
Panel discussion with:

• James Stitt, executive chairman and primary owner of Cutco Corporation of Olean
• David Koebelin, vice president and director of Human Resources, Cutco Corporation of Olean
• Mark Paup, president and CEO of Zippo Manufacturing Company and its subsidiary, W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Company, Bradford, Pa.
• Bruce Gallagher, senior vice president of Human Resources, Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pa.

In this first year of the program, two presentations were offered in the same calendar year.

Spring semester 2017

Business Practices of the Economy of Communion
Panel Discussion with:

• Nicola Sanna, CEO of RiskLens
• John Mundell, president and CEO of Mundell & Associates
• Fr. David Couturier, O.F.M., Cap., dean of the School of Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure
• Dr. John Gallagher, professor of management at Maryville College in Maryville, Tenn.

 

Fall semester 2017

Establishing Personal Ethics Early in a Career
Presented by Alfonzo Alexander, chief relationship officer of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and president of its Center for the Public Trust