The Province’s two Franciscan institutes of higher education are taking to the radio airwaves.
On July 23, St. Bonaventure University (SBU) alumnus Dennis Culhane, one of the country’s leading experts on the homeless and a founder of Mt. Irenaeus, was featured on Franciscan Radio.
On Aug. 4, Siena College President Kevin Mullen discusses summer orientation on the News & Views radio program, which airs at 9 a.m. Eastern time.
SBU Alumnus Discusses Homelessness
Culhane, SBU ’85, was interviewed for the “Living Faith” segment of the weekly radio program “American Catholic Radio.” an effort funded by a grant from the U.S. Bishops. The radio program is syndicated to more than 70 Catholic radio stations in the United States. In the half-hour segment, Culhane talked about his commitment to the homeless and how it has shaped his own faith.
As an associate professor of social welfare policy at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Culhane studies homelessness and housing policy. His pioneering research has been instrumental in a national shift in how society addresses homelessness, including expansions in supportive housing for people who are chronically homeless, and housing stabilization programs for people at risk of homelessness.
On the SBU campus as an undergraduate, Culhane was deeply involved in ministry. He volunteered at The Warming House in Olean, N.Y., and was one of the first formers of Mt. Irenaeus as a student adviser. He volunteered at St. Francis Inn soup kitchen in Philadelphia for four weeks during the summer before his junior year. That time was coupled with four weeks back at the Mountain, where he visited the university and his faculty members and spent time with both Daniel Riley and Daniel Hurley. It was his time in Philadelphia that sparked his interest in the homeless.
Siena on the Radio
This Saturday, Kevin hosts Dr. Maryellen Gilroy, Siena’s vice president for student affairs; John Dierna, director of campus programs; and John Felio, director of residence life, who explain “partnering with parents,” campus resources and other aspects of serving new students.
In the second segment, Siena’s Center for Urban Education, Dr. Bob Colesante, Dr. Donald Biggs, and Tanya Lewis Jones, a coordinator in the Center and a member of Macedonia Baptist Church, draws on Franciscan values to collaborate on a positive “climate of giftedness” for urban children, rather than remediation. Three urban Baptist churches are holding Bible camps at Siena this summer.
News & Views is aired the first Saturday of each month, 9 a.m. Eastern time, on WVCR FM 88.3 The Saint and simulcast on the Internet at www.wvcr.com (click the “Listen Live” button at left side of home page).