Please join Carol DeNysschen, chair and associate professor of health, nutrition, and dietetics; and Uma Gupta, professor of business, recipients of the 2016 Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors Program, in a conversation about the successes they have had teaching online on Thursday, March 2, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Butler Library 181B. Dr. DeNysschen will share strategies to successfully stimulate student interest and engagement in an online environment. Dr. Gupta will discuss the demands and high level of commitment to different kinds of learners and the willingness of the instructor to be a continuous learner and embrace technology. There will also be time for those who attend to ask questions and share their expertise of online learning.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Are you interested in teaching online? Are you interested in developing new strategies to help your students succeed? Maybe you would like to incorporate online activities into your face-to-face course. The Online Course Development workshop series is designed to provide you with techniques and best practices for teaching in the online environment.  

These workshops will provide you with techniques and resources to

• create opportunities for meaningful interaction with students;
• develop content to increase student engagement;
• provide a variety of learning experiences and activities to address various student needs;
• develop an intuitive online course environment;
• ensure alignment between course outcomes, assessments, and activities.

Attend all six one-hour workshops in the series and earn an Online Course Development Specialization Certificate, or attend only the workshops that interest you. All workshops will be held at 10:00 a.m. Mondays in Bulger Communication Center 120.

Online Course Development Specialization Certificate
Introduction to Online Teaching and Learning – March 6 
Backward Design Step 1: Developing Course Objectives and Priorities – March 13 
Backward Design Step 2: Developing Course Assessments – March 27 
Backward Design Step 3: Developing the Learning Plan – April 3 
Designing and Organizing Your Course in Blackboard – April 10 
Interaction: Communication and Collaboration – April 17

Advanced Online Course Development Specialization Certificate 
Attend all five one-hour workshops in the series and earn an Advanced Online Course Development Specialization Certificate, or attend only the workshops that interest you. All workshops will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursdays in Bulger Communication Center 120. 

Creating Interactive Content for Your Course – March 16 
Authentic Assessment – March 30 
Locating and Using Electronic Resources in Your Course – April 6 
Universal Design for Learning – April 13 
Open SUNY COTE Quality Rubric (OSCQR) – April 20 

For more information about the Online Course Development Certificates, please visit the Instructional Design website. Visit the Workshop Registration System for course details and to register.

Any student, faculty, or staff member interested in the multiple opportunities offered by the U.S. Fulbright Program is welcome to attend the annual seminar of the Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Fulbright Association at SUNY Fredonia on Friday, April 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Jean F. Gounard, director of special international programs and vice president for advocacy of the WNY/NWPA Fulbright Association Chapter, 878-5331.

The Sponsored Programs Office will present the workshop "Institutional Review Board: Master's Theses and Projects with Human Participants" on Thursday, March 9, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bishop Hall 18. This workshop for faculty members who teach graduate research methods courses will cover protocol submission guidelines, levels of review, and tips for making sure the review process is a smooth one. It will include a brief overview of the SUNY RF PACS - IRB module for use by Buffalo State researchers and administrators. The IRB module provides a streamlined way for researchers to create and submit protocols for studies involving human subjects, and provides support for initial submissions, modifications, reportable new information, and continuing reviews.

RSVP to Gina Game, research compliance manager, by Tuesday, March 7.

From the Diversity Program Coordinator
Please join us for Celebrating Black History through Spoken Word (PDF, 951 KB), featuring Buffalo State alumnus Oliver Colbert, on Thursday, February 23, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Technology Building 160 and again from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Ethel Lockman Newman Lecture Hall (Bulger Communication Center North).

An educator, writer, and poet, Mr. Colbert kicked off Equity and Diversity’s first venture into The Spoken Word as a student in February 2014. Help us welcome him “home” and celebrate his craft this Thursday.

Questions? Please call Equity and Diversity at 878-6210.

Michael Spogli, TIAA’s financial consultant, will be on campus to meet with Buffalo State faculty and staff members on Tuesday, March 7, and Wednesday, March 8, between 9:00 a.m. and  4:45 p.m. in Butler Library 210B. Appointments are required.

Have you reviewed your investment account lately? Perhaps you have been putting off opening an account. This is an excellent time to review your personal financial situation and be sure you are on the path to reaching your retirement goals.

It’s never too early or too late to plan for your retirement. Take advantage of this opportunity to speak with a professional regarding your personal financial situation. Schedule an appointment today. It’s easy: simply visit the TIAA website.

Faculty and staff members are invited to attend “Fundamentals of Retirement Income Planning: Imagining Tomorrow” on Thursday, March 2, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 210. This workshop, presented by Fidelity Investment Advisors, will offer strategies to help ensure that your assets last a lifetime.

This informative workshop will cover such questions as these:

What might my retirement look like?
How will I know I’m ready to retire?
Do I know my financial risks?

Learn the four steps to creating your individual retirement income plan and how you can create a plan you will use. Lunch will be provided. Register online or by phone at 844-FOR-SUNY.

Empower yourself and build confidence to make the best decisions for your retirement. Sign up today.

The following Office 365 Training sessions are scheduled through March. Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

• What's New in Mail and Calendar? Office 365 (Outlook)
• Microsoft Office in the Cloud (OneDrive, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel online)
• Delving Deeper into Office 365 (OneNote, Delve, Yammer)
• Office 365 Mobile Apps

If you'd like more information on these sessions or online alternatives, please visit our Office 365 training page.

Don't forget, trainings can also be scheduled for the following:

• Office 365 Groups
• SMART Boards
• Ensemble Video
• Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing
• And more

Contact Todd Benzin, educational technology specialist, in Instructional Design and Training or visit the IDT home page.

Jonathan Thornton, professor of art conservation, will present “My Own Tribal Art Inspired by Ireland and Celtic Nations” today, February 23, in Science and Mathematics Complex 170.*

Professor Thornton, who specializes in object conservation, makes hand tools and uses them to create sculpture that draws inspiration from the nature-based belief systems of pre-Christian Celts. Animals, animal spirits, and the “changeling” have been recurrent themes in these objects made of wood, stone, glass, steel, and leather. He will discuss how knowledge of his heavily Celtic ancestry prompted him to travel to Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, and Brittany over the years.

"I have traveled extensively for fun and work as well, and have been to all continents except South America and Antarctica and all states except Alaska,” he said.

Although Professor Thornton was born in Colorado and spent his young life in Iowa, his love affair with international travel began when he was 12 and his parents took the family to live in Delhi, India. After that, they moved to Uganda, East Africa. With his parents still in Africa, he went to an international school in Switzerland for his last two years of high school and came back to the United States for college. Parts of his family remained in Africa, and he has been back to visit them more than once. After college, he was briefly in the Peace Corps in Iran. During and shortly after his art conservation training, he lived in London for over a year. He also lived in Italy in 1999 when he was a fellow at the American Academy in Rome.

The Artists on the Road: Travel As Source of Inspiration series is cosponsored by the Design Department and the International and Exchange Programs Office. For more information on the series, please contact Carol Townsend, associate professor of design and coordinator of design foundations, 878-4986.

*Please note the change of venue: all presentations in the Artists on the Road series this semester will be held in Science and Mathematics Complex 170 while Upton Hall 230 is under reconstruction.

Please join us for the seminar "Using GIS to Uncover the Secrets of Your Data," presented by Chris Castiglione, GIS coordinator and fish and wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Lower Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office, today from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center E2. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome. This event is sponsored by the Great Lakes Center, the Biology Department, and the Great Lakes ecosystem science program.