Supervisor Micro-Learning (SML) Roundtables are hour-long professional development workshops for supervisors to learn one new high-impact strategy or tool that can be implemented immediately to further enhance leadership practices. All roundtables will be held from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in Butler Library 181B. Each SML roundtable will be conducted in the following format:

1. Develop a new strategy or tool to further enhance supervision practices (morning meeting with coffee and snacks).

 ?  9:00 a.m. – Supervisors learn the new strategy or tool. 

 ?  9:30 a.m. – Supervisors develop a plan to implement the new strategy or tool within their unit. 

2. Supervisors implement the new strategy or tool within their unit. 

3. Supervisors meet one month later for one hour at a time that is convenient for the group (scheduled by the Professional Development Center) to share their progress, learn from each other’s experiences, and provide suggestions for next steps. 

Spring 2018 SML Roundtables
(To register for a session, please click the session title link)

Identifying and Aligning Resources to Attain Unit/Divisional Goals 
Tuesday, March 6
Supervisors will learn how to perform an “Impact and Effort Matrix” with their unit to better identify how resources (people, time, and money) can be aligned to support the projects and initiatives that have the highest impact on meeting unit or divisional goals.  

Strengthening Leadership Capacities with Emotional and Social Intelligence 
Wednesday, March 21
Emotional and social intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions effectively in ourselves and in others. Individuals with high emotional and social intelligence work more effectively with others in leadership roles or as members of a team. During this session, supervisors will explore the connection between emotional and social intelligence and leadership effectiveness using the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI). Using the results of the ESCI, supervisors will have an opportunity to identify developmental pathways to further enhance leadership effectiveness.

Delivering Effective Employee Feedback 
Thursday, April 26
Supervisors will learn how to deliver feedback to employees to address areas for improvement, identify solutions to employee concerns, and build agreement among employees.

Krebs on Security has posted an article about skimmers, devices that can be installed over chip card readers at retail stores or on ATMs to steal your personal information. Read this article and know what to look for.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The first College Senate meeting of the spring 2018 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, February 9, in Butler Library 210. The agenda (PDF, 135 KB) is posted on the College Senate website. Senate meetings are recorded and posted as podcasts on the College Senate website. Please visit the website to catch up on past Senate news, listen to podcasts of past meetings, or review meeting summaries. The schedule (PDF, 46 KB) of all upcoming College Senate meeting dates is also posted.

The College Senate Office is located in Cleveland Hall 211. Howard Reid, professor of psychology, is chair of the College Senate for the 2017–2018 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.

Reports to the College Senate are posted on the College Senate website. The most recent reports are from the December 8, 2017, Senate meeting.

Podcasts are now 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 podcast web page. Senate meeting summaries are also posted to the website after they are presented to the Senate.

The February Ouch! newsletter (PDF, 451 KB) from SANS.org is all about securing your mobile device. Please read and share the article with your students and colleagues. You can link to it from your Blackboard course.

The Buffalo State community is saddened by the death of Henry J. Sustakoski, professor emeritus of English, who died February 2, 2018. Mr. Sustakoski retired in 1995. A service was held in Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania, on February 6. More information is available online.

The Buffalo State Community Academic Center is pleased to present “A Pursuit of American Identity,” a discussion session led by local civic leaders and social justice activists, on Thursday, February 15, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in Butler Library 210. The event is free and open to the public.

This is a crucial time to ask ourselves what it means to be an American. How do we identify ourselves as Americans, and what do we pursue? Americans—whether by birth or by naturalization—must invoke these questions to understand each other and to work together toward the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King and fellow civil rights leaders and activists paved the way for us. As we stand on the shoulders of these giants, let us ask ourselves whether we are living up to the dream or are falling behind in our progress as a society.

This event will afford Buffalo State students who have recently become American citizens a unique opportunity to engage in deep civic discussions with the campus community. Each discussion will be followed by a brief presentation on the topic. The program goal is to make students fully aware of their responsibilities as American citizens so that they are fully prepared to exercise their rights, such as conducting civil discourse and voting in elections. Most important, the program’s main objective is to exercise our rights as citizens to let our voices be heard and to actively participate in civil action and discourse.

A breakdown of the event is as follows:

Noon–12:10 p.m. Networking

12:10–12:25 p.m. Opening remarks by local civic leaders and social justice activists

12:25–12:45 p.m. Civic responsibility

12:45–1:05 p.m. Civic engagement

1:05–1:25 p.m. We the people

1:25–1:45 p.m. Plenary session

1:45–2:00 p.m. Closing remarks

Samosa, sushi, and tea will be served.
For more information, please visit the CAC website.

The Graduate Advisory Council announces a call for nominations for Outstanding Master’s Theses and Outstanding Master’s Projects. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding student research and applied work at the graduate level. Up to three thesis awards and three project awards will be made. Applications will be accepted for students who graduated in J-Term 2017, May 2017, August 2017, or December 2017.

Nominations may be made by thesis or project advisers, or by students themselves. Additional reviews are required from the department chair and one external evaluator. Guidelines and forms are available on the Graduate School website.

The deadline for submission of nominations and evaluation forms to the Graduate School, Cleveland Hall 204, is Wednesday, February 21. Please direct questions to Marnie Letzelter, assistant to the dean of the Graduate School, 878-5609.

Buffalo State will host the American Mock Trial Association 2018 Great Lakes Regional Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25. The college will accommodate nearly 300 guests representing 22 teams from 13 colleges and universities throughout the Northeast. Faculty and staff members who are familiar with the mock trial experience and those with a solid background in evaluating oral presentations are encouraged to volunteer as scoring judges for a session. There are two trial sessions each day (morning and afternoon), with local attorneys presiding as judges. Volunteers are also needed for short-term tasks such as welcoming and directing guests, tabulating results, and posting notices. All activities will be held in the Science and Mathematics Complex. Please contact Jon Lines, lecturer in the Political Science Department, or Kelly Boos, executive assistant to the dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences, to volunteer or for more details.

Three campus community open forums on Buffalo State's broad-based fees will be held to gather feedback from the student body on the fees that students pay: Athletics, Health, Technology, Transportation, and the College Fee. Three forums will be offered; all three will have the same information. 

• Tuesday, February 6: 12:15 p.m., Bulger Communication Center South
• Wednesday, February 7: noon, Bulger Communication Center South 2
• Thursday, February 8: 12:15 p.m. Bulger Communication Center South