Information Technology (IT) will complete upgrades to the operating system on servers that support faculty and staff network folders and department shared folders on Monday, January 14, and Tuesday, January 15, from 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. each day. 

Important: Employees must be sure to save and close any files opened from network folders before leaving campus on January 11 and 14. Failure to do so will result in a loss of any changes made to files in those folders.

You may review this information on the Buffalo State IT Alerts page. If you have questions or experience any problems, please contact the IT Help Desk, 878-4357.

Please join Academic Affairs in celebrating Melanie Perreault’s dedication and service to Buffalo State from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22, after the Academic Affairs spring meeting in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Cake and light refreshments will be served. To assist with planning, RSVP by Wednesday, January 16.

Today is the last day to enroll in the 2019 NYSHIP Opt-Out Program. This program allows eligible employees who have other employer-sponsored group health insurance to opt out of their NYSHIP coverage in exchange for an incentive payment. The incentive payment is $1,000 for opting out of individual coverage or $3,000 for opting out of family coverage on an annual basis. ??Please note: UUP-represented employees are no longer eligible for this benefit.

If you are enrolled in NYSHIP and wish to participate in the Opt-Out Program for 2019, you must complete and return the NYS Health Insurance Transaction Form (PDF, 308 KB) and the Opt-Out Attestation Form (PDF, 161 KB) along with a copy of your health insurance card to Cleveland Hall 410 by 5:00 p.m. today.

Employees who currently participate in the Opt-Out Program must re-enroll for 2019. If you do not make the election for 2019, your enrollment in the Opt-Out Program will end, and the incentive payment credited to your paycheck will stop. You must elect the Opt-Out Program each year; it does not automatically continue.

The complete Opt-Out Program description, including eligibility requirements and enrollment forms, is available on the Human Resource Management website.

Please call the Employee Benefits Office at 878-4821 with questions or for additional information.

The enrollment period for the 2019 NYSHIP Opt-Out Program ends Friday, January 18. This program allows eligible employees who have other employer-sponsored group health insurance to opt out of their NYSHIP coverage in exchange for an incentive payment. The incentive payment is $1,000 for opting out of individual coverage or $3,000 for opting out of family coverage on an annual basis. ??Please note: UUP-represented employees are no longer eligible for this benefit.

If you are enrolled in NYSHIP and wish to participate in the Opt-Out Program for 2019, you must complete and return the NYS Health Insurance Transaction Form (PDF, 308 KB) and the Opt-Out Attestation Form (PDF, 161 KB) along with a copy of your health insurance card to Cleveland Hall 410 by Friday, January 18.

Employees who currently participate in the Opt-Out Program must re-enroll for 2019. If you do not make the election for 2019, your enrollment in the Opt-Out Program will end, and the incentive payment credited to your paycheck will stop. You must elect the Opt-Out Program each year; it does not automatically continue.

The complete Opt-Out Program description, including eligibility requirements and enrollment forms, is available on the Human Resource Management website.

Please call the Employee Benefits Office at 878-4821 with questions or for additional information.

Buffalo State’s Open Educational Resource (OER) initiative is seeking applications for $1,000 faculty fellowships. The goal of the fellowship is to develop materials that will aid other instructors in the adoption and implementation of open educational resources. If selected, fellows will spend spring 2019 developing materials related to their proposed projects. For example, fellows might conduct a literature review around redesigning courses to include OERs. They might locate existing templates in broad areas (e.g., arts, social sciences) or design pedagogical supports (e.g., how to use online resources most effectively). Fellows will also be required to participate in a three-day OER event in June at which they will make a short presentation about the materials they have found or developed, and they must then be available to work with faculty members (approximately 10) seeking to adapt those materials to their courses.

Project proposals should be submitted by Sunday, February 3, and will be reviewed by an OER committee, which includes members from the Teaching and Learning Center, Butler Library, and the Instructional Design Team. Questions can be sent to John Draeger, professor of philosophy and director of the Teaching and Learning Center.

The Small Business Development Center will presents “Survive and Thrive: Essentials for Starting Your Own Business,” a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Tuesday, January 22, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics will include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and legal and insurance issues. The workshop is free for Buffalo State College faculty, staff, students, and alumni as well as U.S. military veterans and $20 for all others.

Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, please call the SBDC at 878-4030.

The standard mileage rate for employee travel has increased from 54.5 cents per mile to 58 cents per mile effective, January 1, 2019. 

For more information, please see the GSA website or call the Accounts Payable and Travel Services Office at 878-4117.

The American Red Cross will hold its next campus blood drive today, February 5, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. All presenting donors will receive a free American Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. Call (800) RED-CROSS or visit the Red Cross website to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.

The American Red Cross will hold its next campus blood drive tomorrow, February 5, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. All presenting donors will receive a free American Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. Call (800) RED-CROSS or visit the Red Cross website to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.

The American Red Cross will hold its next campus blood drive on Tuesday, February 5, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. All presenting donors will receive a free American Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. Call (800) RED-CROSS or visit the Red Cross website to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.