A committee interest form will be available on the College Senate website beginning July 1 for those who are interested in serving on one or more of the eight Senate standing committees. The deadline for submissions will be Friday, August 21. Standing committee chairs reserve the right to determine committee membership and make all membership decisions. Not all standing committees may need members.

2015–2016 Senate Standing Committee Chairs
Academic Plan, Jason Grinnell
Budget and Staff Allocations, Frederick Floss
Bylaws and Elections, Kevin Williams
Curriculum, Marc Bayer
Faculty and Staff Welfare, Amitra Wall
Instruction and Research, Scott Goodman
Standards for Students, Heather Maldonado
Student Welfare (vice chair), Amy Rosen-Brand (committee chair is a student senator elected at the first or second Senate meeting each fall)

The Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence (COTE) is pleased to announce the third issue of the Online Teaching Gazette. This collaborative publication is intended for those interested in keeping current with and continuously improving online teaching and learning practices.

This monthly publication collects online sources relevant to the field of online teaching and learning. Content includes articles, videos, and links to online research, including "Students Want Better Digital Credentials." The June edition also features presenters from the 24th annual Conference on Instruction and Technology (CIT), recently hosted by SUNY Geneseo.

If you have not already subscribed to the Online Teaching Gazette, we encourage you to do so to keep informed on topics of interest to the community of online practitioners. You can receive updates and future issues to your inbox by subscribing to the publication by entering your e-mail address in the "Subscribe to updates" field.

Open SUNY COTE celebrates, connects, and fosters effective online practitioners across the SUNY system while also furthering our knowledge of the most effective teaching and learning practices in online education.

The Association of Faculty and Staff of African Descent (AFSAD) at Buffalo State College, the Minority Faculty and Staff Association at the University at Buffalo, and Cultural Voice Box will sponsor a one-day conference on Friday, June 26, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Buffalo Airport. The conference theme, Innovative Educational Leadership: Championing Disruptive Change, will feature keynote speaker JeffriAnne Wilder, associate professor of sociology at the University of North Florida and a scholar specializing in race relations, gender, and diversity issues. Wilder's sociological insight has been featured in several high-profile cases, including the George Zimmerman case, and in media outlets such as 20/20, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. For conference registration, please visit http://mfsa.buffalo.edu. Interested conference participants from Buffalo State should contact their departmental supervisors for conference registration sponsorship.

The Small Business Development Center at Buffalo State is proud to introduce the BALLE Quick Impact Assessment, a free online tool to help you improve your business social and environmental impact and begin to “measure what matters.” Participants will learn how to use the Quick Impact Assessment to achieve the following during this one-hour workshop on Friday, June 26, at 1:00 p.m. in Butler Library 318:

• Assess how your company performs against best practices on employee, community, and environmental impact.
• See how your company stacks up against thousands of other businesses.
• Create a plan to improve your company’s practices, and help your staff implement them easily with best practice guides.

This workshop is a program of the Social Enterprise Center at the SBDC and is free and open to the public. To register, please contact Andrew Delmonte, social enterprise coordinator, 878-4030.

The NYS-Balance theme for June is “Better Together: Workplace Communication and Collaboration.” A free monthly webinar, “Communication Skills for Collaboration,” will be offered on Thursday, June 18, from noon to 1:00 p.m. To register, visit the NYS-Balance website and enter username nys and password balance. If you are not available for the webinar, please remember that all webinars are archived on the NYS-Balance site.

The modern workplace with its diversity, multigenerational workers, and virtual teams relies on effective communication and collaboration more than ever. With a good understanding of communication styles, you can succeed in any work setting. Learn about different communication styles, why communication sometimes fails, and strategies to create a respectful and cohesive workplace.

Be sure to register in advance.

A Search for Classes link has been added to Catalogs and Course Listings web page under the Resources heading on the far right side of the page. This link allows you to search for classes, by term, directly in Banner without having to sign in to Banner.

Join the Burchfield Penney Art Center's International Center for Watercolor for the final drop-in workshop in its Summer Watercolor Salon series, Pushing Watercolor with Jeanne Gugino, on Thursday, August 6, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the studio classroom.

Discover the possibilities of merging new color combinations with textures when you let the paint flow. The artist's demonstration will show several approaches to contemporary watercolor.

Originally from Buffalo, Jeanne Gugino graduated from Buffalo State with a B.S. in art education and moved to Boston. Shortly after attending Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, she became a member of Kaji Aso Studio Institute for the Arts. Active in the local arts community, Gugino now serves as president and programming chair of the Newton Art Association. Currently she exhibits her work in local galleries and at Kaji Aso Studio, where she is a trustee and ceramic chair. She is also on the faculties of the New Art Center and Newton Community Education teaching watercolors, drawing, and pastel.

The International Center for Watercolor Thursday Salon is a hands-on watercolor program held in the Burchfield Penney's studio classroom. On Thursday evenings during the summer, bring your watercolor supplies, stop by Burchfield's Caf to purchase a refreshing drink, and join your friends in the studio classroom for painting and conversation with a featured watercolorist. Create a vibrant watercolor landscape while concentrating on color and texture. By emphasizing a particular hue or grain, the painting defines itself as a vivid watercolor painting.

Drop-in workshops; no registration required.
$15 for members; $25 for not-yet members.

2015 Summer Salon Dates
June 11, 18, 25
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
August 6

For more information, please contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki, curator of museum learning and community engagement, 878-3549.

Join the Burchfield Penney Art Center's International Center for Watercolor for the next drop-in workshop in its Summer Watercolor Salon series, Raindrops on Roses with Sheila Reigh, on Thursday, July 30, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the studio classroom.

Learn the anatomy of a droplet of water to add life and sparkle to your floral paintings. The artist demonstration will show how to blend colors on a flower petal and leaf adding a few dew drops in four easy steps.

Sheila Reigh, a Western New York native and certified teacher, has taught various forms of art for over 20 years. She currently teaches drawing and watercolor at the Tonawanda Senior Center. She is a signature member and secretary of the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society. She also accepts several commissioned projects in various art media each year, and is a premier face painter at many private and public events in Western New York.

The International Center for Watercolor Thursday Salon is a hands-on watercolor program held in the Burchfield Penney's studio classroom. On Thursday evenings during the summer, bring your watercolor supplies, stop by Burchfield's Caf to purchase a refreshing drink, and join your friends in the studio classroom for painting and conversation with a featured watercolorist. Create a vibrant watercolor landscape while concentrating on color and texture. By emphasizing a particular hue or grain, the painting defines itself as a vivid watercolor painting.

Drop-in workshops; no registration required.
$15 for members; $25 for not-yet members.

2015 Summer Salon Dates
June 11, 18, 25
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
August 6

For more information, please contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki, curator of museum learning and community engagement, 878-3549.

Join the Burchfield Penney Art Center's International Center for Watercolor for the next drop-in workshop in its Summer Watercolor Salon series, The Eyes Have It with Patty Dilcher, on Thursday, July 23, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the studio classroom.

Eyes that have life and depth enhance a portrait painting. Learn how to paint eyes that have a sense of wisdom or a zest for life.

Patty Dilcher graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and received her B.F.A. from the University at Buffalo. Dilcher had a long career in the fashion industry and freelanced for several advertising agencies before working at Fisher-Price. She has taught drawing and is an adjunct professor at Villa Maria College, teaching fashion illustration.   

The International Center for Watercolor Thursday Salon is a hands-on watercolor program held in the Burchfield Penney's studio classroom. On Thursday evenings during the summer, bring your watercolor supplies, stop by Burchfield's Caf to purchase a refreshing drink, and join your friends in the studio classroom for painting and conversation with a featured watercolorist. Create a vibrant watercolor landscape while concentrating on color and texture. By emphasizing a particular hue or grain, the painting defines itself as a vivid watercolor painting.

Drop-in workshops; no registration required.
$15 for members; $25 for not-yet members.

2015 Summer Salon Dates
June 11, 18, 25
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
August 6

For more information, please contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki, curator of museum learning and community engagement, 878-3549.

Join the Burchfield Penney Art Center's International Center for Watercolor for the next drop-in workshop in its Summer Watercolor Salon series, Irresistible Resists with Ric Feeney, on Thursday, July 16, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the studio classroom.

Experiment with three different types of watercolor resist: frog tape, wax paper, and liquid frisket. Each technique has a unique way to enhance your watercolor painting.

Ric Feeney is a signature member of the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society and works on his craft as a watercolorist daily. Feeney’s paintings emerge from thousands of pictures he has captured.

The International Center for Watercolor Thursday Salon is a hands-on watercolor program held in the Burchfield Penney's studio classroom. On Thursday evenings during the summer, bring your watercolor supplies, stop by Burchfield's Café to purchase a refreshing drink, and join your friends in the studio classroom for painting and conversation with a featured watercolorist. Create a vibrant watercolor landscape while concentrating on color and texture. By emphasizing a particular hue or grain, the painting defines itself as a vivid watercolor painting.

Drop-in workshops; no registration required.
$15 for members; $25 for not-yet members.

2015 Summer Salon Dates
June 11, 18, 25
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
August 6

For more information, please contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki, curator of museum learning and community engagement, 878-3549.