The New York State Teachers’ Retirement System will hold its fall 2016 Pension and Retirement Education Program (PREP) seminars on Wednesday, November 2, and Thursday, December 8, at the Holiday Inn Buffalo Airport.

The seminars will include information on NYSTRS benefits; financial planning; Social Security; estate planning; retirement: a new beginning; filing for retirement; and retirement income.

Seminars run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; check-in begins at 8:00 a.m. PREP seminars are free, and spouses and partners may also attend, but advance registration is required. Seminars fill up quickly, so book early. Visit NYSTRS.org using your My NYSTRS account (“my tools” tab) or call (800) 348-7298, ext. 6180, to register. When calling, you must provide your Employee ID or Social Security number, e-mail address, and phone number. 

Please note: Seminars are not designed for one-on-one retirement counseling. Individual benefits consultations may be scheduled year-round online or by phone through NYSTRS.

The 2016–2017 Mapworks survey has launched. Please encourage all first-year students to complete the survey, which was sent via their Buffalo State e-mail. This important survey gives us information about how our first-year students are transitioning to the college. There will also be information forthcoming about how you can use the Mapworks software to assist you with your retention efforts. Please contact Brian Dubenion, student retention specialist, 878-3506, with questions.

The International Center for Studies in Creativity will present a one-day workshop, Creative Thinking, on Friday, October 21 (repeated on March 17, 2017), from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Chase Hall 215. The workshop is open to the public and is intended to provide participants with an introduction to creativity and creative problem solving. The registration fee for groups of three or more is $295 per person, or $325 for individuals.

Presenters are Gerard Puccio, Ph.D., department chair and professor of creative studies, and Laura Ryan, M.S., president of LAMA Innovation Inc., a facilitation and training firm specializing in creative problem solving and strategic planning.

Two seats are being reserved for campus colleagues at each workshop at a discount rate of $50. These will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis; please contact Debra Johnson, department secretary, for discounts. Others may register online. More information about the workshop is available on the ICSC website.

Please join us for an information session about the New York State Mentoring Program today, October 13, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 116B.

Buffalo State is excited to announce a partnership with the New York State Mentoring Program. The mentoring program at Buffalo State will match volunteers with fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students at Buffalo Public School 76, Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy. Our partnership will allow faculty, staff, and students to mentor a student for one hour a week on Tuesdays from 2:40 to 3:40 p.m. Please contact Pixita del Prado Hill, professor of elementary education and reading, to express your interest or if you have questions.

Christopher Shively, assistant professor of elementary education and reading, will host an informational meeting to discuss teaching opportunities in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday, October 19, at 4:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 116A. Aldine Independent School District (AISD) and Houston Independent School District (HISD) are offering student teaching placements for elementary and secondary math and science teachers. Dr. Shively will describe the demographics of the districts, discuss the benefits and stipulations of teaching in Houston, and answer financial questions. All education students are welcome, even if they are not going to student teach for a few semesters. Please visit the district web sites, AISD and HISD, before coming to the meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting but are interested, please direct questions to Dr. Shively or subscribe to the Teaching in Texas Remind message center.

The Higher Education Administration Department presents the 2016 Summit on College Students on Friday, October 14, at 9:30 a.m. in Butler Library 210. The summit will feature a panel of experts in higher education who will share their insights and expertise on crises, opportunities, and solutions related to college students today.

Panel Members

• Gavin Henning
  President-Elect of the Council for Advancement of Standards in Higher Education
  Past President of the American College Personnel Association
  Associate Professor and Director of Higher Education Programs at New England College
• Jesse Perez Mendez
  Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Central Florida
• Susan Marine
  Assistant Professor and Program Director of the Higher Education Graduate Program at Merrimack College

This event is hosted by the Higher Education Administration Department and is co-sponsored by the Faculty-Student Association (FSA), the School of the Professions, and the HESAA Collective.

No RSVP is necessary. Please consider joining us for coffee and conversation. Questions? Please contact Kimberly Kline, associate professor and department chair.

Enter the "Our Shared Geoheritage" Buffalo State scavenger hunt for a chance to win a Barnes & Nobel gift card. Entry forms can be picked up in the Earth Sciences and Science Education Department, Science and Mathematics Complex 160. All entries are due back to the department office by 1:00 p.m. Friday, October 14. Winners will be randomly selected from all entries with the most correct answers.

Come for snacks and watch Chasing Ice—the award-winning documentary about the efforts of nature photographer James Balog and his Extreme Ice Survey team to publicize the effects of climate change—on Thursday, October 13, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 106.

Visit the temporary home of the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium in Buckham Hall D-Wing on Friday, October 14, for a free showing of "Dynamic Earth," an immersive, cutting-edge production that follows a trail of energy that flows from the sun into the interlocking systems that shape our climate (24 min). Shows at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

The Payroll Office shreds thousands of direct deposit stubs each month. With the introduction of NYS Payroll Online, the Payroll Office is encouraging employees to suppress the printing of their direct deposit stubs and instead access and print these documents as needed from any computer or smartphone.

As an incentive, the Payroll Office is offering everyone who suppresses the printing of their pay stubs a free cup of coffee compliments of Chartwells and automatic entry in a drawing for the following prizes:

1. One-year membership to the Fitness Center

2. $100 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State

3. Lunch for two at Campus House

4. A beautiful Bengal blanket

For instructions, please visit the Payroll Office website. Please call the Payroll Office if you have any problems: 878-4124.

Banner Preview for J-Term/Spring 2017 starts Wednesday, October 12. Four tutorials are available on the Registrar's Office Registration web page. Students are encouraged to review these prior to registration:

How to Search for Classes
How to Register for Classes
How to Withdraw from a Course
How to View/Print Class Schedule

The Registration Tool Kit also contains 27 important detailed web links.

The Admissions Office will host Fall Open House for prospective students and their families on Saturday, October 29, from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the Sports Arena. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the campus, meet with faculty and student support services, discuss financial aid options, explore career opportunities, and tour the surrounding cultural corridor. For more information, please visit our Open House web page. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help greet our guests, please contact Tom Karanas, admissions adviser, 878-3864.