From the Chair of the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee
Two at-large College Senate positions, one University Faculty Senate position, and one University Faculty Senate alternate position will become vacant on August 30, 2019. All full-time faculty and professional staff members are eligible to run for these seats provided they meet other eligibility requirements (see below).

At-large senators represent the entirety of the college. University Faculty senators are senators within both the Buffalo State College Senate and the SUNY University Faculty Senate. The alternate attends SUNY University Faculty Senate meetings only in the absence of the university faculty senator.

A call for nominations and information about candidates’ statements will be posted on the College Senate website. The call for nominations begins at 12:01 a.m. Monday, April 15, and continues through 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 19. Elections for these positions will run from 12:01 a.m. Monday, April 22, to 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 26. The link will be live on April 15.

Senate elections conducted by the schools of Arts and Humanities, Education, Natural and Social Sciences, and the Professions as well as the Professional Staff Caucus (PSC) should be concluded before the election cycle for the at-large seats.

Eligibility: Current College Senate members who are completing two consecutive terms in their respective positions are not eligible for reelection. For additional information on eligibility requirements, please consult the College Senate bylaws.

Campaigning: The College Senate Elections and Bylaws Committee strongly discourages using college e-mail services for campaigning. Please limit campaigning to the candidate statement posted on the College Senate website.

Please note: Individuals running for a senator position in another election may not also run for at-large senator or university faculty senator positions while the other election is being conducted. If the other election concludes during the period when nominations for at-large or university faculty senator are still being accepted, eligible individuals may self-nominate for either position.

If you are interested in being a candidate, please contact Vince Masci, assistant to the College Senate, 878-5139. We look forward to your participation in the vital process of campus governance.

Please note: The official voting portal (log-in required) is closed until April 22.

From the Chair of the College Senate
Reports to the College Senate are posted on the College Senate website. The most recent reports are from the March 8, 2019, Senate meeting.

Podcasts serve as the official audio record of each College Senate meeting. If you missed a Senate meeting and want to catch up, podcasts are posted to the Senate's podcasts web page. Senate meeting summaries are posted to the website after they are presented to the Senate.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next College Senate meeting of the spring 2019 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, April 12, in Bulger Communication Center 215. The meeting agenda is posted on the College Senate website.

The final meeting of the spring 2019 semester will be held on Friday, May 10.

The College Senate Office is located in Cleveland Hall 211. Joseph Marren, professor of communication, serves as chair of the College Senate for the 2018–2019 academic year. Please stop by the office, call 878-5139, or e-mail Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, with questions or for general information.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The campus community is invited to comment on the SUNY Green Paper on General Education Revision, which is available on the College Senate’s General Education Ad-Hoc Task Force on Curriculum web page. Please send comments to SUNY.

The search committee for the college's next director of the Honors Program invites the campus community to attend an open forum with Amy McMillan, candidate for the position, on Tuesday, April 16, from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 217. The candidate will make a short presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. The search committee encourages the campus community to provide feedback by completing an online survey after the presentation. The survey will be open from 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 16, through 11:00 p.m. Monday, April 22. Responses will be anonymous. View Amy McMillan's curriculum vitae (PDF, 89 KB). Please direct questions to Wendy Paterson, search chair.

Kissinger Pool will be closed for maintenance Monday, April 15, through Friday, April 19. Lap swim will resume from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday, April 22.

As part of the fun for Bengala 2019, Buffalo State is offering raffle tickets for an orange-and-white Bintelli Breeze 50 scooter, festooned with Bengals decorations. Tickets are $25 apiece or three for $50. (You must be 18 years or older to purchase raffle tickets.) The winner of the scooter will be announced at the Bengala on Saturday, April 13. You do not have to attend the event to participate in the raffle.

When you purchase raffle tickets, please include your phone number and e-mail address in the form. The winner will be contacted the week of April 15. Tickets can be purchased until noon Friday, April 12. Please contact Kristin Van Slyke, development associate, 878-4658, with questions about the raffle.

Here's one easy thing you can do this week to help the students you advise:

A study released this week by the Center for Community College Student Engagement confirms the existing body of research suggesting that students who possess a "growth mindset" are more engaged students and have higher rates of academic success. You can read an overview of the study in Inside Higher Ed (the article links to the full report).

Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University, is a leading researcher on mindset psychological traits and how they affect self-efficacy. She coined the term growth mindset to "describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement."¹

Professor Dweck's 10-minute TED Talk offers practical strategies for promoting growth mindsets with learners. Take a look and start incorporating these strategies with your advisees today!

This Tip of the Week has been brought to you by the Academic Advising Advisory Council (AAAC). Got a great advising tip you'd like to share (or some feedback about academic advising at Buffalo State)? Contact AAAC co-chairs Lisa Berglund, professor of English, or Aimee Woznick, director of the Academic Commons.

Have a question, concern, suggestion, or technical problem with the Bengal Success Portal? Contact bengalsuccess@buffalostate.edu.

¹https://www.mindsetworks.com/about-us/default

The Buffalo State Student Civic Leadership Board (SCLB) encourages students to apply to join the board for the fall 2019 semester. The SCLB is looking for students who have a desire to improve the community, advocate change around social issues, and gain valuable leadership skills and experience.

Duties include:

• Participation in weekly Tuesday activities during Bengal Pause (12:30–1:30 p.m.) and other meetings as needed
•  Assistance with leading community service projects
• Coordination and service on a student committee focusing on outreach, developing marketing content, researching social justice topics, event programming, or fundraising.

Members must have a commitment to teamwork and addressing issues of social justice, and an interest in engaging other students in community service. Don’t miss out on this chance to gain important leadership experience and meet like-minded students.

Please encourage students to apply by Monday, May 6. E-mail the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call 878-3919 with questions. The CCE celebrates and welcomes diversity.

Nominations are now being accepted for Celebration of Community Engagement Awards. These awards recognize students, faculty, staff, and community partners who make a difference locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally through civic and community engagement initiatives throughout the academic year. This year's award recipients will be recognized on Tuesday, May 7, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall.

Three faculty awards bring recognition to early career, mid-career, and faculty leaders in community engagement. The campus community is also encouraged to nominate deserving students, student groups, community partners, faculty members, or classes for their outstanding achievements in fall 2018 and spring 2019 community engagement activities.

Help us recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond this year. Information and the nomination web form can be found on the CCE website. Nominations will be accepted through Monday, April 29.