Vincent Cooke
Vincent Cooke Canisius College | |
---|---|
In office July 1, 1993 – July 1, 2010 | |
Preceded by | James Demske, S.J. |
Succeeded by | John J. Hurley |
President of John Carroll University (acting) | |
In office 1992–1992 | |
Personal details | |
Born | May 24, 1936 Academic administrator |
Vincent M. Cooke,
Father Cooke is credited with transforming Canisius College from a small school, primarily attended by commuter students, into the largest
Biography
Cooke was born in
Cooke next completed advanced degrees in
In 1976, Cooke was appointed vice provincial for
Cooke returned to the faculty of Fordham University as an associate professor of philosophy from 1985 until 1991.[1][2] He remained at Fordham until 1991, when he was appointed executive and academic Vice President for John Carroll University, a Jesuit university in Ohio. He briefly served as the acting President of John Carroll University for three months in 1992.[1]
Canisius College
Father Vincent Cooke became the 23rd President of
When Cooke arrived at Canisius, he inherited a small college attended primarily by commuter students. The existing campus, which was largely centered around the Christ the King Chapel, was largely unchanged since the 1950s.[1] Cooke soon embarked on a plan to modernize the college, strengthen its academic programs, and improve existing facilities.[1][3] From 1993 to 2010, Cooke oversaw the expansion of the campus through 24 major construction or acquisition projects.[1] These included the construction or renovation of eight residence halls and other on-campus housing options, which were intended to attract more students from outside the Buffalo metro area, at a cost of $85 million.[1][3] New residential buildings included a $16.5 million townhouse project for 325 students, which opened on the site of the former Delavan Armory in 2002.[1][5] In total
Under Cooke, Canisius undertook $89 million in capital spending on projects, including the residence halls, between 1994 and 2002 alone.[5] For example, the college renovated and modernized the Old Main, the original building at Canisius College.[1][3] Cooke not only focused on new construction, but also acquired existing buildings surrounding the original campus as well.[5] Lyons Hall, which was once the Mount St. Joseph Academy high school for girls, was renovated and transformed into a new classroom and administrative building in 2000 for $9.8 million.[5] Once opened, Lyons Hall housed new classrooms, as well as the admissions and enrollment offices.[5]
Cooke also championed the $4 million purchase and renovation of the shuttered St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, a landmark Byzantine-Lombardic style former Catholic church originally opened in 1926 on Eastwood Place.[1][5][3] The original parish had closed in 1993. Canisius spent $3.4 million to renovate the former church into the Montante Cultural Center, a 515-seat performance space which was dedicated by Father Cooke on October 23, 2000.[6]
In 2002, Canisius College purchased the 237,000-square-foot
In addition to the expansion of Canisius' facilities and campus footprint, Father Cooke worked to raise Canisius' academic standards as well. He lowered the
In 2000, Cooke launched the first capital campaign in Canisius College's history.[1] The 2000 campaign, called "Imagine Canisius," raised $39 million.[1] Seven years later, a second, larger capital campaign, known as "A Legacy of Leadership," brought in $66 million, becoming the school's largest ever fundraiser.[1]
In 2002, Canisius College discontinued its football program, the Canisius Golden Griffins, which proved controversial at the time. Cooke stood by the decision to end the sport, joking in 2010 that his greatest legacy would be ending Canisius' chronic on-campus parking problems.[1]
In addition to his work at Canisius, Cooke simultaneously served as the President of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) from 1996 to 1998. He also served on the board of directors for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.[1] From 2004 to 2010, Father Cooke was a member of Board of Trustees of Fordham University, his alma mater, as well.[2]
Recognitions
Cooke was recognized for his work at Canisius. In 2001, The Buffalo News named Cooke as its Buffalo News Outstanding Citizen.[1] A separate 2001 Buffalo News poll named Cooke as the second most influential leader in Western New York.[1] Additionally, the Erie-Niagara Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers named him "Citizen of the Year" and the Buffalo Niagara Sales and Marketing Executives honored Cooke as its "Executive of the Year," also in 2001.[1]
Two years later, the Preservation League of New York State honored Cooke for "Excellence in Historic Preservation" for the Canisius' renovation of historic buildings in 2003.[1] He was also given the "Renaissance Man Award" by the Buffalo Renaissance Foundation in 2003 as well.[1]
In 2005, the Niagara Lutheran Foundation bestowed its "Humanitarian Award" on Cooke. He also received the "Citation Award for Community Leadership" from the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York in 2007.[1]
Retirement from Canisius
By 2010, when he retired as president after a 17-year tenure, Father Cooke had transformed Canisius College into the largest private university in Western New York.[1][2] John J. Hurley, vice president and vice president for college relations, was appointed Cooke's successor, becoming the first lay president of Canisius College in its 140-year history on July 1, 2010.[7][8] Cooke had originally recruited Hurley to join Canisius' administration in 1997.[3]
Upon his retirement, Canisius College honored Cooke with its Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award and awarded him a 2010 honorary degree.[1]
Later life
Following his retirement from the presidency of Canisius, Father Cooke returned to New York City, where he served as the assistant to the provincial for higher education of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus.[2] He later became the assistant for strategic planning for the Jesuits' Maryland, New England and New York Provinces.[2]
Father Vincent Cooke died from pancreatic cancer at the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Anderson, Dale (2017-06-23). "The Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, 81, 'visionary' Canisius president". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Verel, Patrick (2017-06-28). "Fordham Mourns Vincent Cooke, Former Professor and Canisius President". Fordham News. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
- ^ Canisius College. 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
- Canisius College. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Turner, Dougas (2002-10-23). "Finishing The Puzzle: For Years, Canisius College Has Tried to Create a State-of-the-Art, Urban Campus, and By Purchasing a Building In The Center, It Now Has 'The Missing Piece'". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- Buffalo Business First. 2000-10-23. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- Canisius College. 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ "John J. Hurley '81 - 24th president of Canisius College". Notre Dame Law School. 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- New York Times. 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2017-07-22.