Vincent Cooke

Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., (May 24, 1936 – June 22, 2017) was an American Jesuit priest, academic, and academic administrator who served as the 23rd President of Canisius College, a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York, from 1993 to 2010.

Father Cooke is credited with transforming Canisius College from a small school, primarily attended by commuter students, into the largest private university in western New York during his 17-year tenure. Cooke oversaw 24 major building projects, including the construction of eight residential dormitories, the renovation of existing structures, the launch of Canisius' first comprehensive capital campaign in 2000, as well as a second campaign in 2007 which raised $66 million. In 1962, he received his bachelor's degree from Fordham University. Cooke then completed his master's degree in teaching at Fordham in 1960, as well as a second master's in philosophy in 1965, also from Fordham University. He succeeded Father James M. Demske, S.J., who had served as the college's president for 27 years. In total

Under Cooke, Canisius undertook $89 million in capital spending on projects, including the residence halls, between 1994 and 2002 alone.

In 2002, Canisius College purchased the 237,000-square-foot BlueCross BlueShield complex on Main Street for $18.45 million, with plans to convert it into a major science center. Cooke had originally recruited Hurley to join Canisius' administration in 1997. Canisius College scheduled a memorial mass for August 12, 2017.