The Institute for Community Health Promotion Collaborative Research Initiative (ICHP/CRI) is now accepting graduate and undergraduate student applications for immediate openings in its Public School Mentoring Program. Applicants must be enrolled full time at Buffalo State, have excellent written and oral 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 cumulative GPA of 2.5. Interested students should pick up an information packet from Bacon Hall 114 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays and return the completed application to the office as soon as possible.

Nominate your student worker as the “Student Employee of the Year” at Buffalo State. The undergraduate and graduate SEOTY awards recognize the hard work, dedication, and accomplishments of students who work while attending college. Nominees for both awards are evaluated on initiative, quality of work, reliability, contribution to the employer, and disposition. Awards are open to work-study students and student assistants. Nominees must meet the following criteria:

• Undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a degree program at Buffalo State
• Employed for a minimum of three months full time or six months part time during the period June 1, 2014, through May 31, 2015 (anticipated)

Nomination letters must be submitted electronically. Nomination forms can be found on the CDC website. Please note: There are separate nomination forms for the undergraduate and graduate process.

Questions? Please contact Lynn Rogers, student employment coordinator and senior career counselor, ext. 5811.

A few spots are still available for students to earn 6 credits while studying "French Society, Culture, and Everyday Life" in Caen, France, this summer from June 15 to July 4. Located in the beautiful Normandy region, Caen is close to the landing beaches of World War II and the delightful port city of Cherbourg, the site of many postwar architectural projects. Caen is also home to some of the country's best pastries and cheeses. Students will be housed at the Université de Caen, where they will also take language classes and a seminar. No prior knowledge of French is necessary.

Faculty members, please mention the opportunity to any students you feel might be interested. Students, for more information, e-mail Lindsey Freeman, assistant professor of sociology, by Sunday, February 15.

The Buffalo State Rotaract Club will hold its Valentine's Day Bake Sale on Friday, February 13, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union. The event benefits the club's charity of choice at the end of the semester. A wide variety of treats will be available to enjoy, including gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan options, all for $1 per item. We will also be selling raffle tickets for $1 that will be entered into a drawing for a “romantic” gift basket. Please join us this Friday in the Student Union and show your support for your school and community. If you can’t make it to the bake sale but your department has an interest, please e-mail Carol DeNysschen by Thursday and we will make arrangements to come to your department.

The Undergraduate Research Small Grants Program provides up to $400 to assist students in carrying out their research, scholarly, and creative activities during the academic year; up to $600 may be requested for a single project that involves two or more students. The funding is intended to help defray the cost of travel, supplies, and other materials necessary to conduct a research, scholarly, or creative project. It is not intended for travel to a conference to present research findings or as salary for the student(s).

Students receiving small grant awards will be required to participate in the 17th annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, 2015. The deadline for students to submit applications is Monday, February 23. Mentors have until Wednesday, February 25, to complete their portion of the application. Applications for the Small Grants Program are completed online. For information about other funding opportunities during the 2014–2015 academic year, please visit the Undergraduate Research website.

Do you have empty gift baskets you feel guilty throwing out? Would you be interested in putting them to good use? Please consider the Buffalo State Rotaract Club. We are always in need of baskets for fundraising raffles. Your donation would save the club the cost of a basket, and those funds could then be donated to the “cause” at hand. If you have something we could use for this purpose, please e-mail Carol DeNysschen, associate professor of dietetics and nutrition. Thank you.

Faculty members of the urban civic education minor invite students to participate in a 6-credit study-abroad experience in Manchester, England, June 28–July 9, 2015. Buffalo State students will observe and work with youth in community centers in Manchester, learn about the British education system, tour Manchester, and travel to London. Students do not have to minor in urban civic education to participate.

A general information session will be held on Thursday, February 12, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 305. Light refreshments will be provided.  

Please encourage students to attend this meeting. A variety of course credit options are available (e.g., general education courses, independent study, course by contract, upper-division credit).  

For additional information, students can e-mail Kathy Wood, associate dean of the School of Education, or Amitra Wall, assistant dean of intellectual foundations.

The spring 2015 "Conversations in and out of the Disciplines" series begins today as Amy McMillan, associate professor of biology, presents “The Creature from the River Styx: The Life Story of the Hellbender Salamander in New York” at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. A short, informal wine-and-cheese reception will be held after the talk. Everyone is welcome.

The Western New York Blackboard User Group (WNYBUG) will host a free webinar, "Enterprise Surveys: End-of-Course Evaluations and Beyond," on Tuesday, March 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Enterprise Surveys are a more efficient way to conduct end-of-course evaluations and compare data between courses, disciplines, instructors, and more. You can create a survey once but deploy it repeatedly. Enterprise Surveys also allow you to survey faculty, staff, and others outside of your institution, such as alumni or community members. All your data resides in one place and can be kept private or shared with other users within the institution.

For more information and to register for the event, visit the WNYBUG Event page.

Turning Point has been selected as the college's supported student response system. This introductory session on Tuesday, March 17, at 12:30 p.m. Butler Library 181B will focus on using Turning Point clickers, both traditional and mobile, as an engaging and effective teaching tool on campus. See how to create questions for classroom use. Learn how to borrow clickers to try them with your classes. Refreshments provided.

Please register online via the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System.

Please e-mail Lauren Turner, professional development assistant, with questions.