The Modern and Classical Languages Department is happy to announce that Chinese 101 and 102 have returned to the Summer Session 2015 schedule by popular demand. Course instructor Yongbo Tian promises a "fun and practical" class. Classes are offered during Session B (CHI 101) and Session C (CHI 102). Please check the course schedule for dates and times.

The Buffalo State Pedagogical Institute presents Shared Values and Common Goals on Monday, May 18, at 4:00 p.m. in Butler Library 181B.

Dichotomous dynamics, for example, us vs. them, are often the focus of conversations on college campuses. In this session, participants will seek common values that cultivate a terrain that only appears to separate faculty from students, individual goals from institutional mission, and faculty from administration.

The 2015 Pedagogical Institute is sponsored by the Professional Development Center, the National Coalition Building Institute, and University College with support from the College Senate.

The Buffalo State Pedagogical Institute will present the Carnegie-Engaged Campus on Monday, May 18, at 2:00 p.m. in Butler Library 208.

In January 2015, Buffalo State was recognized as a member of an elite group of colleges that were selected to receive the Carnegie Foundation's Community Engagement Classification. This session will explore what that classification means—how it connects to our history, relates to various ongoing initiatives and commitments, and encourages us all to think creatively about what we do in our classes and with our students and community partners. This session will be presented by Gary Welborn, coordinator of community engagement, and Kevin Railey, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School, as well as faculty and staff members from the VSLC, CAC, CEURE, and AFP.

The 2015 Pedagogical Institute is sponsored by the Professional Development Center, the National Coalition Building Institute, and University College with support from the College Senate.

First-Year Convocation 2015 will be held on Wednesday, August 26, at 9:00 a.m. in the Sports Arena. This event requires the enthusiastic participation of our campus community to succeed. All departments and offices are encouraged to allow their staff members to support this event as a work assignment for that morning by allowing personnel to march, volunteer, or simply attend the event as an audience member. Faculty and staff members are urged to process in regalia to demonstrate Buffalo State's commitment to incoming students.

Those interested in marching in regalia or volunteering to staff the event can register online.

The Buffalo State Pedagogical Institute begins with the One Buffalo State Community Roundtable on Monday, May 18, at 1:00 p.m. in Butler Library 210.

This session will combine input from multiple campus-based initiatives on the future of Buffalo State. Presenters will share findings and seek feedback from participants in a continued conversation about the future of Buffalo State. Light snacks provided.

Please remember that many students are taking final exams this week, and it would be helpful to keep noise levels down, especially in the vicinity of the Disability Services Office.

Faculty members who have elected to pick up a completed final exam from Disability Services must do so by Friday, May 15. If you cannot pick up your exam by this time, please call the office 878-4500 and we will hold it for you until next week.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The final webinar in the FACT² Mobile Technology Task Group Webinar Series, "Using Students' Devices for Informal Course Assessments: Mobile Apps That Work," will be held on Monday, May 18, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The presenter will be Kathleen Gradel from SUNY Fredonia.

The FACT² Task Group on Mobile Technology in Teaching and Learning investigated effective practices in educational uses of mobile technology during the 2014–2015 academic year. The group developed a free webinar series on nine unique topics highlighting examples of effective practice in the use and support of mobile technology in teaching and learning. Each session was hosted by one or more faculty members (or a CTO) from across SUNY.

For more information or to register for the final webinar, please visit the Cvent website.

Archived Webinars
Each of the following sessions has been archived. Many sessions have extra benefits, including resource guides about the practices featured in the webinar. The sessions cross disciplines, teaching applications, and mobile devices. There is something for everyone, from novices to experts.

Exploring Voice Thread: Expanding Your Instructional Toolbox – Recorded March 30: 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Kirsty Digger (SUNY College of Technology, Delhi), Kathleen Gradel (SUNY Fredonia), Jeffrey Riman (SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology)

iPad Use in Art Instruction – Recorded April 10: 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Lisa Langlois (SUNY Oswego), Christopher McEvoy (SUNY Oswego)

iPad Use in Anthropology Classes – Recorded April 16: 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Doug Pippin (SUNY Oswego), Kathleen Blake (SUNY Oswego)

Propagating Mobile Learning in the Classroom through a Faculty Learning Community – Recorded April 20: 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Pam Neely (The College at Brockport SUNY), Ann Giralico-Pearlman (The College at Brockport), Logan Rath (The College at Brockport SUNY), Jie Zhang (The College at Brockport SUNY)

"The Musician's Friend": iPad Apps and Strategies for Improving Performance – Recorded April 22: 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Trevor Jorgensen (SUNY-Oswego)

Backchannels 101: Enhancing Synchronous Events with Mobile Tools – Recorded April 28: 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Kathleen Gradel (SUNY Fredonia), Kathryn Pole (University of Texas - Arlington)

Tools and Strategies to Enhance Students' Study Skills – Recorded May 4: 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Kathleen Gradel (SUNY Fredonia), Lisa Langlois (SUNY Oswego)

Infrastructure and Support for Mobile Learning – Recorded May 11: 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenter: Sean Moriarty (SUNY Oswego)

The Small Business Development Center will present "Survive and Thrive: Essentials for Starting Your Own Business," a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Tuesday, May 19, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics will include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and tax, legal, and insurance issues. The workshop is free for Buffalo State faculty, staff, students, and alumni and U.S. military veterans and $20 for all others.

Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, please call the SBDC at 878-4030.

The Great Lakes Center is pleased to release the spring issue of our newsletter (PDF). The main goal of these newsletters is to update our friends, colleagues, and the campus community on our activities for the past six months.

This issue has a special focus on graduate student projects and internships. We feature a few articles updating progress on samples we’ve been processing and our first attempts at sampling this spring. We also say farewell to our secretary, Cathy Nasca, and remind you to join us for an open house today, May 8, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at our Field Station at the foot of Porter Avenue.

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for future editions of the newsletter, please e-mail greatlakes@buffalostate.edu with the subject "Newsletter mailing list add." The newsletter is also always posted on our website.

Weigel Health Promotions has released the third issue of the Promotional, a newsletter created by the Weigel Health Promotion peer educators. The newsletter includes workshops and events, facts and information, resources on campus, and the Peer Educator of the Month. Look for it around campus or download and print (PDF) from the Weigel Health Center website to share with students, faculty, and staff. 

We strive to provide our information and resources to people in new and creative ways. Please e-mail Paula Madrigal, wellness and prevention coordinator, or call 878-4719 with questions.