TIAA-CREF will present a series of "Financial Essentials" webinars. The interactive series will focus on information and strategies that can help you plan for your financial future. Each time you attend, you will be entered in a drawing to win one of two $50 gift cards. To register for any of the following webinars, log on to www.tiaa-cref.org/SunySchoolofFinancialFitness.

Money at Work: Foundations of Investing
Wednesday, September 16
10:00–11:00 a.m.
Learn the definitions of—and differences in—investment vehicles, and how to choose the right ones for your financial goals and risk tolerance.

Equally Prepared: Financial Planning for the LGBT Community
Wednesday, September 23
11:00 a.m.–noon
Discover the importance of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health-care directives, even with the U.S. Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling.

Halfway There: A Retirement Checkup
Wednesday, October 14
10:00–11:00 a.m or 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Learn how to get retirement savings on track—and keep them there.

Paying Yourself: Income Options in Retirement
?Thursday, November 12
10:00–11:00 a.m.
Learn the basic rules that govern the most common types of retirement accounts and gain perspective on when to tap into different assets.

Healthy Numbers: Integrating Health Care into Your Retirement Plan
Wednesday, December 9
10:00–11:00 a.m.
Learn the key ideas, trends, and numbers you'll need, as well as the real benefits—and costs—of Medicare. (Retiree health insurance benefits should be further discussed with the Human Resources Benefits office).

Through National Student Exchange, students have the opportunity to study for a semester or an academic year at one of 200 participating colleges or universities at affordable tuition rates. Please contact Christine Frezza, 878-4328, to schedule a class visit. Provide your students with this possibility for enriching their college experience and let them know about the upcoming information sessions on Thursday, September 10, from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. in Classroom Building C313. Thank you.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, American historian and author, will discuss her widely acclaimed new book, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, on Friday, September 18, at 3:00  p.m. in Bulger Communication Center East. She will examine the myths that underlie the traditional narrative of United States history and raise the question of how writing U.S. history from an indigenous peoples’ perspective forces us to rethink the consensual national narrative. The lecture is free and open to the public.

All teacher education faculty members are invited to attend the next meeting of the Teacher Education Council (TEC) on Friday, September 11, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 418.

The 16th annual Faculty and Staff Research and Creativity Fall Forum will be held on Thursday, October 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the beautifully renovated Houston Gym.

The goal of the forum is to develop, encourage, and support Buffalo State faculty and staff research and creativity, and to make collaborative research endeavors and grantsmanship more accessible. All faculty and staff members are invited to organize an exhibit to present current research, a creative activity, or other scholarship. Individual, departmental, or group exhibits are welcome. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other Buffalo State faculty and staff members and to identify common scholarly and creative interests you may have.

To participate, please complete the online form on the Call for Submissions tab of the Fall Forum website. Titles and abstracts or descriptions are to be submitted electronically by Wednesday, September 30.

Please note: The Houston Gym is a smaller venue, with a limited number of electrical outlets, tables, and chairs. Display space is limited to one 5-foot table or one or two easels per individual submission.

Faculty and staff members who received awards between September 1, 2014, and August 31, 2015, are invited to submit their award information for inclusion in the upcoming Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony. The deadline for submissions has been extended through the end of the day today, September 9.

The categories are (1) Significant Awards and Honors (received from academic, professional, or service organizations at the international, national, or state levels—beyond Buffalo State and WNY); (2) Significant Grants (awards of $50,000 and above); and (3) Previous SUNY Awards, for new faculty and staff members who received SUNY awards, such as the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence, while previously serving at another SUNY institution any time during their careers.

Awards meeting these criteria will be included in the program booklet distributed at the recognition ceremony. In addition, the names of faculty and staff members hired during the past year will be included as a warm welcome. Online forms for submitting award information are posted on the Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony web page.

The ceremony takes place on Thursday, October 8, at 12:15 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. The campus community is invited to attend, and a reception immediately follows.

Please e-mail Patricia Alessandra, senior staff associate in the Academic Affairs Office, with any questions.

The campus community is cordially invited to a free lecture by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, one of the most influential theologians of our time, titled "Icons: Windows to Heaven," on Thursday, September 17, at 12:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. A prolific author and scholar, Ware held the Spalding Lectureship at Oxford University for 35 years. For more information, please visit the Performing Arts Center website.

We need your help! Over the last six years, the VSLC Alternative Break program has grown exponentially as a result of student demand and leadership. We are looking for a few committed and community-minded faculty and staff members to serve as Alternative Break trip advisers during an upcoming service experience.

Alternative Break is a student-led program that organizes and hosts service trips during academic breaks. The role of a faculty or staff trip adviser is to support and enhance the student experience by collaborating with student leaders. The trip adviser is not expected to plan or organize the logistics; the student site leaders take care of the coordination. Advisers simply assist the student site leaders in carrying out the logistics of the experience and solving problems.

A full description of the trip adviser role, as well as trip dates and locations, is available on the Volunteer and Service-Learning website. To express your interest in being a trip adviser, please e-mail Aurora Schunk, VSLC associate, or Laura Hill Rao, VSLC coordinator.

The SUNY Retirees Service Corps will hold its fourth biennial SUNY Retirees Conference, “Creating New Connections,” on Wednesday, October 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Schenectady County Community College, in Schenectady, New York.

The SUNY RSC was formed in early 2008 to serve retirees from all SUNY community colleges, state-operated colleges and universities, the Research Foundation of SUNY, SUNY Construction Fund, System Administration, and affiliated organizations. The RSC seeks to promote a strong retiree-campus-community connection by linking retirees to service opportunities, information, and resources that enhance their retirement.

SUNY retirees, employees planning to retire, and anyone interested in starting a retiree organization on their campus may attend the conference. A variety of notable speakers will address diverse topics, including the "New York Cradle to Career Alliance," "Retiree Health Insurance Regulations and Options: An Update," and "Financial Markets and Their Potential Impact on SUNY Retirees." The conference will also cover a comparison of challenges and best practices faced by SUNY campus retiree programs and organizations, as well as offer an opportunity to create new connections by networking with representatives of campus retiree programs and organizations who are attending the conference.

The deadline to register for the conference is Monday, October 5. More information on the SUNY Retirees Service Corps and conference can be found on the SUNY website.

We need your help! Over the last six years, the VSLC Alternative Break program has grown exponentially as a result of student demand and leadership. We are looking for a few great faculty and staff members to serve as Alternative Break trip advisers during an upcoming service experience.

Alternative Break is a student-led program that organizes and hosts service trips during academic breaks. The role of a faculty or staff trip adviser is to support and enhance the student experience by collaborating with student leaders. The trip adviser is not expected to plan or organize the logistics; the student site leaders take care of the coordination. Advisers simply assist the student site leaders in carrying out the logistics of the experience and solving problems.

A full description of the trip adviser role, as well as trip dates and locations, is available on the Volunteer and Service-Learning website. To express your interest in being a trip adviser, please e-mail Laura Hill Rao, VSLC coordinator.