Program leaders of the International Professional Development Schools (IPDS) Chile program will provide two information sessions for students interested in a three-week travel and service-learning opportunity in Santiago, Chile, in May and June 2017:

• Wednesday, October 19, 4:00–5:00 p.m., Ketchum Hall 211
• Thursday, October 20, 12:30–1:30 p.m., Bacon Hall 116B

?Both graduate and undergraduate students are eligible, even if they plan to graduate in May 2017. Preference will be given to education majors. Interested students who are unable to attend one of these sessions may e-mail Angela Patti, assistant professor of exceptional education, for additional information. Thank you for spreading the word about this rewarding opportunity.

The Institute for Community Health Promotion Collaborative Research Initiative (ICHP/CRI) is accepting graduate and undergraduate student applications for its Public School Mentoring Program for the fall 2016 semester. Applicants must be enrolled full time at Buffalo State College, have excellent written and oral communication skills, and have previous experience tutoring or working with groups of children in an educational setting. Undergraduate students must be at least second-semester sophomores with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Interested students should forward their current rsum to Gail Daniels, senior manager, ICHP/CRI.

As part of its new Collection Development Policy, Butler Library is preparing for a Print Retention Project. This project aims to improve the collection by making it more accessible and relevant to the curriculum. This project will involve an evaluation of the collection and the removal of very low-use items and obsolete materials.

To include campus community feedback in this process, we will hold two open forums on Tuesday, October 11, and Tuesday, October 18, at 12:15 p.m. in Butler Library 208. Please join us to discuss the project and express any concerns you may have.

Additional information can be found online: Print Retention Project

Buffalo State is excited to announce a partnership with the New York State Mentoring Program. Pixita del Prado Hill, professor of elementary education and reading, is working with Buffalo Public School 76, Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, to connect mentors to students in the fourth through sixth grades. 

Our partnership will allow Buffalo State faculty and staff members to mentor a student for one hour a week on Tuesdays from 2:40 to 3:40 p.m. Mentors must be willing to commit this time every week throughout the school year. Many students in our community need positive influences in their lives. Mentors will engage with students and their interests through discussion, activities, and games to develop relationships. Volunteers will be trained by the Mentoring Program, and a staff member from the school will supervise the sessions and be available to mentors throughout the program. Spanish speakers are particularly encouraged to participate.

As state employees, Buffalo State mentors must make sure that the time they spend mentoring is their own, either through flexible scheduling or by using personal time. If their job responsibilities allow them to make this weekly commitment, interested participants are asked to please discuss their participation with their supervisors. Once they receive supervisor and department approval, applicants should contact Pixita del Prado Hill to express their interest. More information is available on the program website.

If you believe you can make the time commitment to being a positive influence for a student, please considering joining in this important activity.

Today, September 30, is the last day to submit applications for the SUNY B-140W Tuition Assistance Program for the fall 2016 semester.

Staff members may apply for tuition assistance after six months of service; faculty members may apply after one semester of service. The following employees are eligible:

• Full-time Buffalo State faculty members and professional or classified employees
• Part-time or temporary Buffalo State faculty members and professional or classified employees who are employed at least half time (faculty must teach at least two courses in the semester)
• Full-time Research Foundation employees, provided they work on the Buffalo State campus

Program funds may be used for courses at SUNY campuses only. Eligible employees may apply for a 50 percent waiver of SUNY tuition for up to two courses a semester, to a maximum of 15 credit hours an academic year. Tuition assistance is limited to regular in-state undergraduate or graduate tuition rates. The level of support may be adjusted when necessary if funding is not adequate to cover applications received.

After submitting an application, employees who decide to drop a class or find it has been covered by another source are asked to please notify Human Resource Management immediately to update their applications.

Please contact Human Resource Management, 878-4821, for applications (PDF, 257 KB) or program guidelines.

The Payroll Office is offering training workshops for employees who would like to learn how to use the new NYS Payroll Self-Service website. Please call the Payroll Office at 878-4124 to set up an appointment. 

Buffalo State employees who suppress the printing of their pay stubs will receive a coupon for a free cup of coffee compliments of Chartwells and will be automatically entered 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

The promotion is in effect until Wednesday, October 12. The drawing will be held Wednesday, October 19. Winners will be selected by the first four employees to pick up checks on October 19.

Tomorrow, September 30, is the deadline to submit applications for the SUNY B-140W Tuition Assistance Program for the fall 2016 semester.

Staff members may apply for tuition assistance after six months of service; faculty members may apply after one semester of service. The following employees are eligible:

• Full-time Buffalo State faculty members and professional or classified employees
• Part-time or temporary Buffalo State faculty members and professional or classified employees who are employed at least half time (faculty must teach at least two courses in the semester)
• Full-time Research Foundation employees, provided they work on the Buffalo State campus

Program funds may be used for courses at SUNY campuses only. Eligible employees may apply for a 50 percent waiver of SUNY tuition for up to two courses a semester, to a maximum of 15 credit hours an academic year. Tuition assistance is limited to regular in-state undergraduate or graduate tuition rates. The level of support may be adjusted when necessary if funding is not adequate to cover applications received.

After submitting an application, employees who decide to drop a class or find it has been covered by another source are asked to please notify Human Resource Management immediately to update their applications.

Please contact Human Resource Management, 878-4821, for applications (PDF, 257 KB) or program guidelines.

TIAA financial consultant Michael Spogli will be on campus for individual consultations with Buffalo State faculty and staff members on Tuesday, October 25, and Wednesday, October 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 416.

Appointments are required. Take this opportunity to review your financial portfolio and ensure you are saving enough for your retirement.

Schedule an appointment on October 25.

Schedule an appointment on October 26.

Don't delay. Schedule your appointment today.

By popular demand, the Buffalo State Alumni Association has again teamed up with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company to offer a defensive driving course to Buffalo State faculty, staff, alumni, and students on Saturday, October 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 113.

Save money on your auto insurance by taking this class offered through Liberty Mutual. Friends and relatives are also welcome if accompanied by a faculty or staff member, alumnus, or student. The discount is 10 percent off liability insurance in New York State, regardless of one’s auto insurance provider; this course will also remove points from your driver’s license. The cost of the class is $22 per person.

Attendees should park in Lot R-2 or along Rockwell Road and enter Ketchum Hall through the door on the west side of the building (across from Moot Hall).

To enroll, please call Mike DiCioccio, Buffalo State’s local representative, at (716) 997-5312. The registration deadline for this class is Friday, September 30.

International and Exchange Programs welcomes the campus community to a performance by students from Jiaxing University in Zhejiang, China, on Monday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. We will be introduced to Chinese northern Mongolian music in addition to Xinjiang Uygur melodies and the language of lute and calligraphy. Journey through lyrical stylings that will include the Dai dance, whose scene takes place within the mountains and rivers of Xishuangbanna. Harvest season in the south of the Yangtze River depicts a beautiful dancer as a farm girl harvesting in the rice field. Admission is free. We look forward to seeing you there.