About
Our Mission
TO EMPOWER
The IMPACT Office empowers students to initiate action through project-based service opportunities. Programs and projects are designed with measurable outcomes that seek positive change and improve quality for those we serve.
MAKE CHANGE
Systematic improvement is uniquely Vincentian. It occurs on a multitude of levels and is ever evolving with the world. By instilling a needs-based approach, which acknowledges the whole environment, we can affect change within the most vulnerable communities.
IMPACT THE COMMUNITY
Collective Impact is forged by collaborations between organizations, businesses, institutions, faculty, students and community residents to work toward a common goal leading to social progress.
Naming of the Institute
In 2013, Niagara University’s Institute for Civic Engagement was renamed the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M. Institute for Civic Engagement to honor Father Joseph L. Levesque’s strong dedication to community service and civic involvement. Father Levesque served as the 25th president of Niagara University from 2000 until his retirement in 2013.
A Vincentian priest ordained in 1967, Levesque devoted much of his life to education and service, teaching religious studies and holding leadership roles in several Catholic institutions before becoming president of Niagara University.
Father Levesque passed away on June 23, 2024, at the age of 85 at St. Catherine’s Infirmary in Philadelphia, leaving behind a lasting legacy of faith, leadership, and commitment to helping communities and those in need.
