From the Special Adviser to the Provost for Academic Research Initiatives
Jessica Berg has been appointed interim director of pre-award and contract services in the Research and Economic Development (RED) Office. Ms. Berg will replace Carol Darstein, who retired on December 15, 2016. Laura Leone and Mary Kren will continue to serve as pre-award associates in RED. The Pre-award and Contract Services Office is located in Bishop Hall B-24.

Ms. Berg previously served as grants management associate in the Sponsored Programs Operations Office. She came to Buffalo State in 1999, and during her time here has served as pre-award associate and as grants management associate.

The RED Office provides a range of consultative services designed to facilitate the effectiveness of the grant proposal development and submittal process. We work with faculty, staff, and associated partners and stakeholders to build and strengthen initiatives and to offer ongoing technical assistance and guidance that can make the difference in getting the funding their project deserves.

Pre-award and Contract Services assists college faculty and staff members in proposal preparation, including the initial grant award process. This begins with searching for funding opportunities, enrolling faculty in e-mail alert services (SMARTS), and interpreting requests for proposals. Supportive proposal preparation services include liaison activities among groups of faculty, outside agencies, and community representatives; editing narrative; budget preparation; and proper completion of governmental forms. Expertise and guidance in electronic proposal submission is also provided.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The first College Senate meeting of the spring 2017 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, February 10, in Butler Library 210. The Senate will not meet in January.

We will discuss the Buffalo State All College (Institutional) Learning Outcomes introduced at the December 9, 2016, meeting. Please visit the SharePoint site to read and comment (or find it through our new Senate Forum on the left navigation pane of the College Senate website). This information is open to all Buffalo State faculty and staff members, so please share it widely.

Podcasts of College Senate meetings are now posted to the College Senate website. Senate meeting minutes and summaries are also posted to the website and distributed to Senate members with the monthly Senate packet.

The Buffalo State community is saddened by the death of Egon Knips, a carpenter in Campus Services (retired), who died on January 7, 2017. He is survived by two children. The family received visitors on January 10. Additional information is available online.

The Buffalo State Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will conduct a training session and drill on Wednesday, January 11, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Classroom Building.

The drill will take place in B Wing of the first floor and in C122. Participating CERT members will be wearing green vests and hard hats and carrying backpacks.

There will be smoke and some noise during the drill. Every step will be taken to minimize disruptions to building occupants. Please do not be alarmed. This is only a drill.

From the Chair of the College Senate
Happy New Year from the College Senate Office. The first College Senate meeting of the spring 2017 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, February 10, in Butler Library 210. The Senate will not meet during the January winter break.

Podcasts of College Senate meetings are now posted to the College Senate website. Senate meeting minutes and summaries are also posted to the website and distributed to Senate members with the monthly Senate packet.

Buffalo State’s University Police Department, working with the Residence Life Office, will conduct an active shooter training exercise for Residence Life staff and University Police student assistants (UPSAs) on Tuesday, January 17, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. at Neumann Hall. During this exercise, passersby will see University Police officers and police vehicles along Rockwell Road and Cleveland Drive, police action, and actors portraying victims. Please do not be alarmed; this is a simulated event.

If you have questions, please call University Police at (716) 878-6333 or ext. 6333 from a campus phone.

From the Special Adviser to the Provost for Academic Research Initiatives
In order to coordinate and increase our external funding efforts, we will appoint a coordinator for pre-award outreach. Faculty members who are interested in serving in this role should send me a brief letter of interest (no more than one page) by Friday, January 27. The coordinator will begin work during the spring semester.

Coordinator for Pre-award Outreach
The coordinator will provide support for the recruitment of faculty and staff to participate in grant programs, including building interest in participating in externally funded projects, disseminating information on grant and contract opportunities relevant to the specific interests of faculty, supporting the development of the programmatic portion of the research proposal, and working with the special adviser to the provost for academic research initiatives and with staff in the offices of Research and Economic Development and Sponsored Program Operations to provide support on budget development and regulatory issues (ensuring compliance with sponsor regulations, including human subjects and animal research compliance) and the technical submission of the applications through the various electronic systems (e.g., grants.gov, NSF FastLane, NIH eRA).

Compensation
Course release in fall and spring semesters, stipend in summer

Job Description

• Create and manage a campus culture that values and encourages the pursuit of external grant funding
• Aid in the formation of collaborative research teams
• Assist in the preparation, development, and submission of grant applications
• Lead campus outreach initiatives to promote a proactive and constructive grant development culture on campus
• Work with college leadership, faculty, and staff to develop methods, protocols, and tools that will facilitate external funding success
• Continually work toward developing and implementing strategies that increase the number of grant applications generated annually from Buffalo State
• Support a culture of professionalism, optimism, and academic commitment to the pursuit of external funding
• With the assistance of the deans and the academic chairs, identify faculty members who have expressed an interest in research and/or have the potential to secure external funding
• Monitor grants.gov and other sources of funding for the purpose of identifying opportunities that are a good fit with Buffalo State's academic and community focus
• Review all grant applications prior to submission and attend to their timely submission
• Manage funding victory celebrations, awards, and campuswide recognition

Qualifications

• Experience with grant submissions to federal and state agencies
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Positive and enthusiastic attitude
• Wide range of intellectual interests
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Diplomatic and encouraging personality

Effective January 1, 2017, the standard mileage reimbursement rate for employee travel is 53.5 cents per mile. Please refer to the IRS website for additional information. Please call the Travel Services Department at 878-4117 with questions.

Take 30 percent off all general reading books today, December 14, during the one-day Flash Sale at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore. In store only. Great for last-minute holiday shopping.

Beginning Friday, December 15, Spot Coffee in the Campbell Student Union will be the only dining location open over winter break. Spot's hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a lunch buffet from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The lunch buffet is $8.49 plus tax.

All dining locations will be closed December 25–29, January 1, and January 15. (We will provide complimentary coffee and doughnuts December 26–29.)

Select locations will reopen on Friday, January 26, and normal dining hours will resume on Saturday, January 27.

A full winter break dining calendar can be found on the Chartwells website. Enjoy the break, and happy holidays!