Internationally acclaimed artist Ysa˙e Barnwell (Sweet Honey in the Rock, Beloved, W. C. Handy’s Blues) will deliver the lecture-workshops "The Importance of the Negro Spiritual" today, November 28, at 2:00 p.m. and "The Global Perspective of African American Music" on Thursday, November 29, at 10:50 a.m., both in Ciminelli Recital Hall, on the third floor of Rockwell Hall. These lectures are open to members of the Buffalo State community only.

Dr. Barnwell will also conduct a community sing on Thursday, November 29, at 7:00 p.m. in the Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited so please arrive early. Join us for this moving and transformative experience.

For more information, please e-mail Carlos Jones, associate dean of the School of Arts and Humanities.

The Institute for Community Health Promotion (ICHP) is accepting donations for the U.S. Marine Corps' 2018 Toys for Tots campaign. Please bring new, unwrapped toys to ICHP, located in Classroom Building A203, from now through Thursday, December 13. Donation boxes will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The mission of the Toys for Tots program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources—our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

ICHP is once again proud to support this worthy cause. Last year, we collected about 175 toys. Let's see if we can beat this mark. For more information, please contact Rob Skutnik, ICHP senior program coordinator, at 878-6137.

Thanks for your support.

Representatives from Buffalo State's health insurance providers—the Empire Plan, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Independent Health—will be on campus for the annual NYS Employee Health Benefits Fair on Thursday, November 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Campbell Student Union Assembly Halls 1 and 2.

Representatives will be available to answer questions regarding the current health insurance plans and changes in coverage for 2019. Staff members from the Employee Benefits Office will also be present to assist employees in making changes to health insurance coverage. This is an opportunity to ensure that you are enrolled in the health insurance plan that is best for you and your family.

Information on dental and vision benefits will also be available. Attendees can have their blood pressure checked, find out their body mass and pulse index, learn the benefits of and sample massage therapy, and learn about the Weight Watchers program, all free of charge.

Meet our EAP coordinators and obtain helpful information regarding our Employee Assistance Program. Call Human Resource Management at 878-4821 with questions, and please stop by our benefits fair on November 29.

The Student Leadership and Engagement Office is seeking student interns for our LGBTQ+ Resource Center. We are looking for students interested in LGBTQ+ rights and culture, allyship, communications, education administration, mental and physical health, and events. Please see the position description below and direct questions to Sean P. Terry, student activities assistant for evening and weekend life.

The Resource Center Mission
The mission of the Buffalo State LGBTQ+ Resource Center is to provide a safe, inclusive, and celebratory environment for LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff. We seek to provide members of our campus community with resources that will support and affirm each individual’s process of self-discovery and identity development and facilitate connections between our campus and the Buffalo community. The LGBTQ Resource Center provides access to informative media, training, professional development, and advocacy.

Internship Overview
The Student Leadership and Engagement Office is seeking an unsalaried intern for the recently opened LGBTQ+ Resource Center located in the Campbell Student Union. Qualified applicants will be able to work with our diverse LGBTQ+ campus community to offer resources and support, plan events, and act as an integral piece to building the services offered by the resource center.

Responsibilities
• Basic counseling
• Event planning and implementation
• Social media marketing
• Attending bi-weekly Bengal Allies meetings
• Inclusivity trainings
• Research
• Community outreach
• Other special projects
• Weekly office hours: 10–20 hours a week

Proposed Learning Objectives (based on applicant’s skill set)
• Learn how to research best practices and then develop an implantation plan based on findings
• Develop the communication skills to effectively promote events and resources on a college campus
• Learn and understand the logistics and components of event planning
• Develop the ability to apply theory to basic counseling and training skills

To Apply
Please send a letter of intent and résumé to Sean P. Terry, student activities assistant for evening and weekend life, by January 11, 2019. This position is intended for undergraduate and graduate college and university students.

Nondiscrimination Notice
Buffalo State College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution that subscribes to all federal, state, and SUNY legal requirements and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, disability, or marital or veteran status.

The Student Conduct and Community Standards Office is seeking faculty and staff volunteers to serve as student advisers and members of the Student Conduct Board.  

Conduct advisers are trained members of the college community who are available to assist students through the conduct process. Advisers provided by the college are free of charge. Advisers are meant to be a support and guidance system for students in the conduct process.

The Student Conduct Board consists of volunteer members of the campus community who are current faculty, staff, or students. Board members hear cases on a rotating basis. Hearings are primarily held during Bengal Pause (12:15 to 1:30 p.m.) on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays. 

If you are interested in serving as a conduct adviser or board member, please complete the Conduct Board Application form on the Student Conduct website.

Please call the Student Conduct and Community Standards Office at 878-3051 with questions.

Please join the School of Natural and Social Sciences in celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of our associate dean, Karen O’Quin, on Tuesday, December 4, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center. After a spring-semester sabbatical, Dr. O'Quin will rejoin the Psychology faculty in fall 2019. Please come and help us wish her well. RSVP to Kelly Boos, executive assistant to the dean, 878-6674.

Stop in the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore for one of our Coffee and Conversation faculty events on Wednesday and Thursday, November 28 and 29, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Join your bookstore team for a continental breakfast and talk about course materials, affordability solutions, and student success.

Learn how to strengthen your online and hybrid skills to enhance your course design and increase student engagement with the Online Course Development Certificate series. These series prepare instructors to design, teach, and enhance online or hybrid courses using best practices of online teaching and learning.

Both the basic and advanced Online Course Development series will be offered to Buffalo State instructors in an online asynchronous format during J-Term. All learning activities will occur in Blackboard for the duration of the series.

The basic Online Course Development series is composed of the following six modules: 

1. Introduction to Online Teaching and Learning
2. Backward Design Step 1: Developing Course Objectives and Priorities
3. Backward Design Step 2: Developing Course Assessments
4. Backward Design Step 3: Developing the Learning Plan
5. Designing and Organizing Your Online Course
6. Interaction: Communication and Collaboration

The Advanced Online Course Development series is composed of the following four modules: 

1. Creating Interactive Content for Your Course
2. Authentic Assessment
3. Universal Design for Learning
4. Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) Rubric

Both of these asynchronous courses will begin Thursday, January 3, and will end Wednesday, January 23. Participants may enroll in one or both series.

For more information about the Online Course Development Certificates, please visit the ?Instructional Design and Training website. 

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Brooke Winckelmann, instructional designer.

Register for the online asynchronous Online Course Development series.

The Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore will host a faculty book signing with Amy Crockford, lecturer in the Speech-Language Pathology Department, on Wednesday, November 28, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Ms. Crockford will read from and sign copies of her first children's book, My Happy Place, the story of a 10-year-old deaf girl. The book highlights some of the differences between the hearing and deaf cultures and how they embrace one another. Ms. Crockford is a course instructor for SLP 101 and SLP 102, American Sign Language 1 and 2, at Buffalo State. Refreshments will be served.

The Buffalo State community is saddened by the death of Gary W. Heiman, professor emeritus of psychology, who died November 17, 2018. Dr. Heiman joined the college in 1974 and retired in 2010. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and a step-daughter. Services were held November 24 in Charleston, South Carolina. Additional information is available online.