The Buffalo State community is saddened by the death of S. Diane McFarland, associate professor of business and communication, who died October 28, 2017. A memorial service will be held in the first-floor atrium of Bulger Communication Center on Saturday, March 24, at 11:00 a.m. More information is available online. Please contact Barbara Sherman, associate professor of computer information systems, (716) 445-7232, with questions.

The campus community is cordially invited to attend the 24th annual Hospitality Ambassador Awards on Wednesday, April 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center's Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium. Please join us for an evening of celebration and recognition of hospitality industry leaders and undergraduate hospitality student scholarship recipients.

2018 Hospitality Ambassador Award Recipients
Michael Shatzel, Owner, Operator, Restaurateur
Cynthia Thomason, Lecturer and Senior Business Adviser, Small Business Development Center
Latoya Williams, Director of Sales, Hyatt Place

A reception featuring the culinary talents of our hospitality students will be held in the Statler Foundation Room and Russell J. Salvatore Demonstration Kitchen in Caudell Hall immediately following the ceremony.

The cost of the event is $25 per person. RSVP online. We look forward to seeing you there.

The spring 2018 Conversations in and Out of the Disciplines series continues today, March 23, as Steve Peraza, assistant professor of history and social studies education, presents “Slaves, Freedom Suits, and the Early Black Liberation Struggle” at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. A Q&A and brief wine-and-cheese reception will follow the talk. Everyone is welcome.

Please join us again on Friday, April 27, when Daniel DiLandro, head of archives and special collections in Butler Library, presents “Thomas Penney’s Leon Czolgosz Trial Scrapbooks: Cross-Discipline Teaching with the ‘Most Boring Thing in the World’” at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320.

From the Chair of the College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee
Three at-large College Senate positions will become vacant on August 31, 2018. Two seats are reserved for academics only, and one seat is open to academics and professionals. At-large senators represent the entirety of the college. All full-time faculty and professional staff members (PSC) are eligible to seek the position provided they meet other eligibility requirements (see below).

A call for nominations and information about candidates’ statements can be found on the College Senate website. The call for nominations for all positions begins at 12:01 a.m. Monday, April 16, and continues through 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 20. Elections for these positions will run from 12:01 a.m. Monday, April 23, to 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 27.

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 (available to the college community beginning Monday, April 16).

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

Hello, runners, walkers, and sitters. We are getting ready for the J. P. Morgan Corporate Challenge on Thursday, June 14, at Delaware Park. You may register for the Buffalo State College team online.

Last year's Buffalo State team had so much fun, we decided to do it again! The $37 challenge registration fee includes a Corporate Challenge T-shirt, a Buffalo State Challenge T-shirt, refreshments at the hospitality tent, conviviality, and camaraderie. Registration closes Tuesday, May 30. Don't miss out! Faculty and staff members who wish to join for the hospitality only should contact Jude Jayatilleke, senior academic adviser in EOP, or Kelly Boos, executive assistant to the dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences.

We thank the following sponsors and offices who support this endeavor:

President Conway-Turner
Alumni Affairs Office
Chartwells
College Relations Office
Events Management Office
Professional Staff Caucus
United University Professions

Photos of the 2017 Corporate Challenge festivities can be found on the PSC website.

Buffalo State faculty, staff, students, and alumni can get discount tickets to the Buffalo Bandits game on Saturday, March 31. Tickets include section 112 seats and access to the Labatt Blue pre-game party in the Lexus Club for a buffet of pasta, nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, and your choice of draft beer or soda.

Register online until 5:00 p.m. Friday, March 23 (or until sold out). Tickets are $30 for faculty and staff members and $25 for alumni and students. Please call the Alumni Association with questions: 878-6001.

From the Provost and Interim CIO and Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications
Buffalo State College is mandated by SUNY and the State of New York to provide information security awareness training to all campus employees annually. Buffalo State is using video training produced by SANS.org. Information security awareness training is aligned with Strategic Plan Focus Area 5: Safeguard Our Physical and Human Resources, and it is critical that our faculty and staff be regularly trained in information security.

Given our limited licenses, we offer training to 550 to 600 individuals across campus each year. This semester, we are reaching out to part-time adjunct faculty. Beginning the week of March 26, part-time faculty members will receive an e-mail from the SANS system. The link will appear as https://sso.securingthehuman.org/suny. If you receive the message and are unsure if it is meant for you, please e-mail Melissa Miszkiewicz, director of RITE strategic partnerships, to verify. The training is composed of eight short videos, each under five minutes, with three assessment questions following each video. Participants who have completed training can print a certificate as evidence that they have done so.

We appreciate your cooperation.

Please join the Buffalo State College Foundation Planned Giving Committee for a wine-and-cheese reception celebrating past, present, and future Peterson Society members on Thursday, April 12, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Caudell Hall lobby. Come and learn more about the legacy society and how a gift to Buffalo State can greatly affect the future growth of the college and its students, even beyond your lifetime.

To attend or for more information, please contact Pamela Voyer, project associate, 878-3725, by Tuesday, April 10.

Buffalo Review TV debuted on Spectrum cable channel 20 in Buffalo on Monday, March 19, at 7:00 p.m. (rerun Tuesday, March 20, at 7:30 a.m.). The weekly news and public affairs program, produced by students from the Communication Department at Buffalo State, will air Monday nights throughout the spring semester and replay Tuesday mornings at 7:30 a.m.

The show will be available in 70,000 homes in the Buffalo metro area. Joseph Kasko, assistant professor of journalism, and Aaron Daniel Annas, assistant professor of media production, are co-executive producers of the show. The show was previously available only on the Buffalo Review YouTube channel.

Buffalo Review TV covers such important issues as domestic violence and mental illness. Monday’s show, which was recorded March 15, featured stories about a campus forum on gun violence, a possible change in how service workers are compensated, a ban on conversion therapy in Erie County, and the issues transfer students face.

If you have a question, comment, or story idea, please e-mail thebuffaloreview@gmail.com or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that flags on all state government buildings be flown at half-staff in honor of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter on Friday, March 23, the day of her funeral.  

"The New York family continues to mourn the passing of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter," Governor Cuomo said. "She was a champion for our state who fought tirelessly for the Rochester area, and her remarkable legacy will carry on for generations to come. I ask all New Yorkers to join me in honoring the memory of a trailblazer who set an example for others to follow."