2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

O P E R AT I N G S T RU C T U RE

O P E R AT I N G S T RU C T U RE

Operating Structure

JUDY D. OLIAN, PHD PRESIDENT OF QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY, MAAC VICE PRESIDENT

Rookie of the Year. In the spring of 2015, former Canisius men’s soccer player Asani Samuels, the school’s first three-time all-region honoree, became the first former Griff to sign a professional contract when he joined the Rochester Rhinos of the USL. Former men’s basketball captain Chris Manhertz plays for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League. Canisius has added five varsity sports during Maher’s tenure, starting with the addition of women’s rowing in 2011–12. Canisius also added indoor and outdoor track for men and women during the 2013–14 athletic calendar. During Maher’s tenure, the Canisius athletic facilities have undergone a number of renovations and branding initiatives. In 2007, the College opened the Center for Athletic Training; a facility which is widely regarded as one of the premier on-campus athletic training facilities in the MAAC. New locker rooms were constructed for all women’s teams and finished in 2008 while the men and women’s basketball teams each moved to new locker rooms in the summer of 2009. The Demske Sports Complex received a $1.7 million facelift with the installation of new A-Turf as well as new scoreboards in 2008. New offices for head coaches and their assistants, along with new locker rooms for all of the men’s teams were constructed in 2010. New LED lights were added to the Demske Sports Complex in 2019. Maher played an integral role in helping the school’s hockey program make the move to a permanent home at LECOM Harborcenter, a $172 million dollar hockey-based mix- use facility located directly across the street from KeyBank Center, the home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. In March 2015, Canisius announced that the College’s athletic department and communications studies programs have entered into a new agreement with ESPN, under which its students produce live Canisius athletic events for ESPN3. This new athletic and academic collaboration provides students with hands-on learning experiences in live video production, while also helping broaden the reach and visibility for Golden Griffin athletics. To help facilitate this new partnership and to produce events for ESPN3 and ESPN+, Canisius has built a state-of-the-art Golden Griffin Sports Broadcast Center on the first floor of the College’s Science Hall building. The control room features top- of-the-line video production and audio equipment and also serves as a classroom space for the students in the Sports Broadcast Journalism class and other video production classes. Maher has formerly served the MAAC’s representative to the NCAA Council, which has one representative from each of the 31 Division I conferences. He chairs the MAAC men’s lacrosse committee, the MAAC Technology Committee and is currently the Chair of the MAAC Committee on Athletic Administration. Canisius has hosted 24 MAAC Championships since 2005 and will once again serve as the host for the 2021 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Additionally, Maher has served as the Tournament Director when Canisius has co-hosted the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament with the MAAC and Niagara University on four previous occasions (2007, 2010, 2014 and 2017). In 2019, Canisius joined with the MAAC and Niagara to serve as hosts for the NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Frozen Four, and the trio is on the schedule to host the 2022 and 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds. Those events will all be held in KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo. Seventeen Golden Griffin teams have played in the NCAA Tournament during Maher’s tenure, with the women’s lacrosse program, one of the MAAC’s most dominant programs, earning back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and 2017. The baseball team has earned the MAAC’s berth into the NCAA Division I baseball championship three times under Maher’s direction and the school’s men’s lacrosse team has won three MAAC Tournament Championships (2008, 2012 and 2018).

In the 1989–90 academic year, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference began operating under a new structural umbrella. The chief governing body is the Council of Presidents, which is chaired by the MAAC President. The day-to-day operations of the athletic programs are the responsibility of the Committee on Athletic Administration, composed of the MAAC Directors of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrators. The 2021–22 officers are profiled below.

Judy D. Olian, PhD, became the 9 th president of Quinnipiac University in 2018. With a background in research on management and leadership, she has held leadership positions in higher education institutions including most recently at UCLA, and prior to that at The Pennsylvania State University. Born and raised in Australia, Olian received her BS in psychology from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and her MS and PhD in industrial relations from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is currently CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION Bill Maher, a graduate of Canisius College, officially took over the Golden Griffin athletic department on July 1, 2005. He returned to Main Street after spending seven years in various athletic administration roles at the University at Buffalo, including a stint as the Bulls’ Interim Athletic Director from 2003–05. Since Maher took over at Canisius, the 20 varsity athletic programs have won 45 conference or regional championships, with a number of teams

REV. JAMES J. MAHER. PRESIDENT OF NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, MAAC PRESIDENT

The Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., D.Min., a member of the Vincentian community, was appointed the 26 th president of Niagara University on March 13, 2013. He assumed office Aug. 1, 2013, and was formally inaugurated on April 4, 2014, following a comprehensive listening tour with numerous members of the campus community. As president, Father Maher serves as the university’s chief executive officer and ex- officio member of the Board of Trustees,

to 2,500 and completing 11 New York City marathons in the establishment of the Run Against Hunger, while leading a team of dedicated runners to raise funds and awareness of hunger and poverty in New York City. Father Maher earned his doctor of ministry from the Immaculate Conception Seminary and Graduate School of Theology. He earned two master’s degrees in theology from the Mary Immaculate Seminary, and a bachelor of arts in sociology from St. John’s University. He has also completed professional leadership and management programs at the Harvard University Institute of Educational Management and Management Development Program, the Stevens Institute and the Scott Academy’s Senior Student Affairs Officers Institute, among others. Father Maher is a Trustee of DePaul University and a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I board of directors. Additionally, he sits on the boards of the Darwin Martin House Complex and the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, a privately-funded, economic development organization and the largest regional chamber of commerce in Western New York. He previously served on the University and Collegiate Executive Committee of the Fair Labor Association, and was a leading member of the Global Alliance for Workers and Community. A frequent instructor and lecturer, Father Maher has written and presented the following: Pope Francis: A Model of Leadership and Management at Catholic Institutions and a Guide for Senior Student Affairs Officers, Student Life in Catholic Higher Education: Advancing Good Practice, Association of Colleges and Universities (2017); Advancing the Vincentian Tradition through Strategic Service and Research, Catholic Education: Journal of Inquiry and Practice (with Sinatra, R.) (2012); Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility, Association of Colleges and Universities, 96 th Annual Meeting Integrating Academics, Washington, D.C., (2011); A New Transformational Role for Youth Volunteers: Cultivating Constituency Voice, National Conference on Volunteering and Service, NYC (2010); The Essential Components of Student Affairs in the University, Hanoi National Education University, NYC (2009); St. John’s University School of Law (guest lecturer), Corporate Responsibility and Global Labor Issues, (2005–Present); Foreign Trade University, Hanoi, Vietnam, Globalization and Corporate Social Responsibility (2005); Vietnam net Bridge: Nike in Vietnam, A New Labor Model (2005). Father Maher’s awards and honors include Buffalo Business First’s “Power 250” (2014–2017); the Trey Whitfield Foundation’s Adult Honoree (2015); the PietasMedal fromSt. John’s University (2009); Madison’sWho’sWho, Outstanding Leader in Education (2008); Student Affairs’ Outstanding Administrator Achievement Award from St. John’s University Student Government Inc. (2005); Epsilon Kappa, Sigma Delta Phi, the National Hispanic Honor Society (2005); Top 100 Irish-Americans in the U.S. by Irish America Magazine (2004); and New Yorker of the Week, New York 1 News (1995) Father Maher’s awards and honors include Buffalo Business First’s “Power 250” (2014–2017); the Trey Whitfield Foundation’s Adult Honoree (2015); the Pietas Medal from St. John’s University (2009); Madison’s Who’s Who, Outstanding Leader in Education (2008); Student Affairs’ Outstanding Administrator Achievement Award from St. John’s University Student Government Inc. (2005); Epsilon Kappa, Sigma Delta Phi, the National Hispanic Honor Society (2005); Top 100 Irish-Americans in the U.S. by Irish America Magazine (2004); and New Yorker of the Week, New York 1 News (1995).

a member of several non-profit boards serving the State of Connecticut, women in business, and marginalized students, and is also on the boards of publicly traded companies. She has been at multiple universities where Division I Sports flourish.

charged with the execution and administration of all university matters. He is responsible for overseeing an operating budget that exceeds $75million, and implementing the vision for the university’s academic colleges and divisions, including the President’s Cabinet, University Planning Council, and senior management. Niagara’s estimated annual economic impact on the surrounding area is nearly $230 million. Since coming to Niagara, Father Maher has spearheaded a master plan to develop the physical character of the university’s campus and its 21 st century approach to interdisciplinary teaching and learning. His vision is to effectively utilize the sustainable tools of teaching, research and service to address the needs of those living on the margins. He remains steadfastly committed to the economic and social development of the communities within Niagara Falls, Niagara County and all of Western New York. Father Maher’s inaugural address, titled “The Miracle of Niagara University: Action is Our Entire Task,” focused on the university’s living-learning community embracing the eternal mission of St. Vincent de Paul by making central the lives of the poor and marginalized. He stated that Niagara University would be inventive with the times, continuing to transform the lives of its students, and inspiring them to make a difference in the lives of others through their professional and service endeavors. Drawing on his background as a Catholic priest and Vincentian, and as a scholar on social justice, Father Maher served as a national media correspondent during Pope Francis’ visit to the United States in the fall of 2015. He appeared on The Tavis Smiley Show, which airs on PBS, Telecare TV, a 24-hour Catholic news network, and several ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates. Before coming to Niagara, Father Maher served for 23 years at St. John’s University in New York City. While there, he acted as the executive vice president for mission and student services, vicepresident of studentaffairs, vicepresident ofuniversityministryand campusminister, and executive director of the Vincentian Institute for Social Action (VISA). As executive vice president for mission and student services, Father Maher administered a $26 million budget while leading the Division of Student Affairs, the Department of University Ministry, VISA and the Vincentian Center for Church and Society. Father Maher also previously served as chairman of the board of directors of the St. John’s Bread & Life Program. During his tenure, he worked very closely with the executive director to expand services to the poor, raising over $1 million, growing the donor base from 800

BILL MAHER

producing the best seasons in program history. A total of 73 student-athletes have won conference player or rookie of the year awards, including a program-record 10 honorees in 2017–18. Canisius has also claimed the Battle of the Bridge and won the Canal Cup in 11 of the last 13 seasons (including nine straight), which is an all-sports competition with rival Niagara University. A total of four Canisius student-athletes have been tabbed as the MAAC Student- Athlete of the Year during Maher’s tenure, highlighted by the school’s most recent winner, former women’s lacrosse player Erica Evans in 2017. Baseball student- athlete Connor Panas earned the award in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015, while Katie (Miranto) Burd (softball) and Jenel Stevens (women’s basketball) were recognized in 2008 and 2003, respectively. Twenty-six Golden Griffins that have been drafted professionally since 2005–10 men’s lacrosse players and 16 baseball players. Former Canisius pitcher John Axford, the 2011 National League Rolaids Reliever of the Year, recently completed his decade- long career in the major leagues. Two hockey players have signed NHL contracts, including Cory Conacher, who was named the 2011–12 American Hockey League

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