A nationwide study of effective educational practice has found that Niagara University seniors rank their institution higher than the national average in four of five benchmark areas and equal in a fifth.

The 2006 report from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which involved 523 four-year colleges and universities, found that senior students ranked NU above the national averages in active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment. In the fifth category, level of academic challenge, NU equaled the national benchmark.

"Clearly, the dedication of our faculty and our emphasis on student-faculty research is having an impact on our students," said Dr. Bonnie Rose, executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs.

Niagara University received more good news in January, with the announcements of two significant grants. The department of nursing received a New York state grant to support two programs designed to foster the continuing education of nurses. The College of Hospitality and Tourism Management was given more than $200,000 by the Statler Foundation to support the college's practical industry applications.

The grant for the department of nursing, which was received from the state Department of Health under its Health Workforce Retraining Initiative, was sought in partnership with Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the Niagara County Department of Health to address two priority focus areas: training in shortage occupations and expansion of educational capacity.

The College of Hospitality and Tourism Management grant program consists of various activities, including support for student attendance at the two largest hospitality industry events in New York City and Chicago, Ill. It also reinforces the college's practical industry focus through a visiting-experts program, which brings top lodging executives to campus to work with students to prepare them for hospitality careers.

The program will also help in the creation of student consulting teams, which will work with high-level lodging executives to analyze projects at particular locations or corporate headquarters. It will also allow the college to expand its international offerings to develop joint degree programs with partner schools of The Leading Hotel Schools of the World in Lima, Peru, and Bad Honnef, Germany. The college will also be able to develop and expand educational and training programs through its Hospitality Training and Research Center.

For more information, log on to http://www.niagara.edu.