Niagara County Community College associate professor of nursing Julie Woodworth was honored with the “Sharing Innovations in Teaching” award recently for a case study she implemented in her classes during the spring 2008 semester.

The award is presented annually by the NCCC Office of Academic Affairs and the V. James Renda Faculty Resource Center for Academic Excellence to professors that find new ways to engage students develop a stronger learning environment.

Woodworth presented, “Nursing Case Studies,” at the award presentation. She discussed that in order to facilitate active learning, this innovation departed from the long practiced lecture method used in nursing education and employs the use of case studies to facilitate student nurse understanding of disease areas that include signs and symptoms, pathophysiology, diagnostic studies, treatment and nursing diagnoses.

For the first time this semester, Woodworth included case studies of the specific disease content she covered. Students were presented a scenario of a specific patient history with subjective and objective signs and symptoms.

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Niagara County Community College will hold two housing open houses on June 7 and 14 to show off the campus’ new 308-bed student housing project.

Both open houses will be from 2 to 4 p.m. in cooperation with KISS 98.5, which will have a live remote from the open houses.

Rooms at The Village College Suites at NCCC will be apartment-style, allowing each student a private bedroom in a suite with two, three or four other students sharing a common living space and kitchen.

For more information on housing at NCCC, log on to www.niagaracc.suny.edu.

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Niagara University recently recognized three Catholic institutions of higher learning celebrating significant anniversary years. Each of the institutions was represented by their respective presidents at the undergraduate commencement convocation, held at the University at Buffalo’s Alumni Arena on May 18.

D’Youville College of Buffalo, St. Bonaventure University of Olean and Christ the King Seminary of East Aurora, all were feted by the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., Niagara University president.

Levesque, in honoring the trio, noted that Pope Benedict XVI, during his recent visit to the United States, thanked Catholic university presidents and educators for their dedication and generosity. Levesque said he was happy to recognize the institutions because of a shared faith that promotes the dignity of all people.

“We believe in a gospel-based education and share in a common values system,” he said. “We also believe, to use the pope’s phrase, in the need for ‘intellectual charity’ — something he said ‘calls the educator to recognize that the profound responsibility to lead the young to truth is nothing less than an act of love.’ ”