Blackboard, Ensemble, SPSS, AtTask, and Confluence will be off-line from midnight to 7:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 13, as ITEC performs maintenance on these systems.

Schedule Planner is an online planning tool available in Banner that students can use to plan their schedules and register. Please encourage students to use Schedule Planner. It's easy to use and decreases the amount of time spent planning a schedule. Both the summer and fall 2019 master schedules are available in Schedule Planner.

The excitement of Commencement is in the air as the campus prepares for the big celebration on Saturday, May 18. As you plan to recognize your graduates during the ceremonies and at individual recognition and celebratory events, please refer to the Policy on Commencement Honors Cords and Accessories to guide you and your student groups. Please be aware that the only medals or medallions that students are to wear at Commencement are the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence medals and the President's Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate and Graduate Student.

Also, programs and organizations may wish to consider distributing pins to recognize student success as an alternative to cords and stoles, as a student can then wear pins on various occasions in their professional lives and at alumni events. It is more convenient for graduates to wear multiple pins on their white Buffalo State stoles or their gowns at Commencement than multiple and competing honors cords and stoles.

Advisers can contact their deans' offices, department chairs, or program coordinators or the Academic Affairs Office for guidance on what is already in use as they plan for recognizing student excellence.

Thank you.

A reminder to academic departments and student programs that student awards listings for print in the Commencement program booklet are due today, March 11. Guidelines and further information are posted on the For Faculty and Staff section of the Commencement website.

Thank you for recognizing the outstanding achievements of the Class of 2019.

The 21st annual Student Research and Creativity Conference (SRCC) is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4. The event is open to both undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines. 

SRCC applications are completed online. Access to the online application will remain open for students through 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 20. Faculty mentors will have until 10:00 p.m. Friday, March 21, to review, edit, and approve applications submitted by their students. Only applications approved by mentors will be considered complete; incomplete applications will not be reviewed for inclusion in the SRCC. For more information, please visit the SRCC website.

The spring 2019 Conversations in and out of the Disciplines series continues Friday, March 15, Andrea Guiati, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Modern and Classical Languages, presents “Bob Dylan: ‘The Protestiest Things He Has Protested against in His Protest Years’” at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. The talk, followed by a Q&A, will begin at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. A brief wine and cheese reception will follow. Everyone is welcome.

Please also mark your calendars for the final talk of the semester on Friday, May 3, when Patrick McGovern, associate professor of political science, will present “Crossing the Postmodern Divide: Trump, Truth, and Undergraduate Political Education” at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320.

Heather Maldonado's presentation has been postponed until fall (date TBA).

Please note: The talk "Politics and Current Situation of Indonesia" by Abdulkadir Jailani, consul general of the Republic of Indonesia in New York, scheduled for Wednesday, March 13, has been canceled because of an emergency. This event was part of the eighth annual Southeast Asia Week celebration March 11–14.

Surplus has a large number of padded mailing envelopes (size 15 x 19 in.) and binders in various colors and widths (very good or new condition) available for campus use. If your department can use any of these, please e-mail surplus at whitela@buffalostate.edu. Thank you.

Registration is now open for the 2019 Adult Education Research Conference (AERC), to be held at Buffalo State College June 7 to 9. AERC is the premier research conference for adult educators from across North America. This event is hosted by the Adult Education Department and the School of Education Dean's Office. Faculty, staff, students, and community members are invited to register online through Wednesday, June 5. Early bird registration ends April 1.

Registration is now open for the 36th annual Bengal Club Golf Tournament on Monday, June 24, at the beautiful Glen Oak Golf Course in Amherst. It's a terrific day of fun, friends, food, and golf—all in support of Buffalo State's 400 student-athletes and their programs. The day begins at 10:00 a.m. with registration, a welcoming gift, and full use of Glen Oak's expansive practice range and putting green. Golfers will then enjoy a delicious chicken-and-rib lunch courtesy of corporate partner BW's Barbecue, full use of locker rooms, golf with cart, and a cocktail reception with auctions followed by dinner and awards. Participants will also enjoy on-course "fuel" from a number of Athletic Department corporate partners, including Ilio DiPaolo's and Chartwells. Online registration is easy. Visit the registration web page or the Buffalo State Athletics website. For more information, please contact Tom Koller, senior associate athletics director, 878-6514.