Membership in the Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence (COTE) as a fellow provides those interested in effective online teaching and learning with the opportunity to contribute to the SUNY-wide online education community, enables campuses and the center to better identify and meet the specific needs of online practitioners, and promotes visibility and networking among peers with shared interests across the system.

If you are not yet an Open SUNY fellow, please consider participating in an informational webinar to showcase the many opportunities to engage in this dynamic community on Wednesday, February 4, from noon to 1:00 p.m. or Tuesday, February 10, from noon to 1:00 p.m.

Open SUNY COTE celebrates, connects, and nurtures effective online education practitioners across the SUNY system. Since its launch last December, over 800 online practitioners from across SUNY and beyond have joined COTE as fellows. They spent the last year framing and building the Community, Competency Development, and Course Supports pillars of the center.

Accomplishments include:

• An online networking site for those interested in networking around online teaching and learning.
• Open SUNY COTE Fellow Chats: A monthly online speaker series that showcases and shares the expertise of Open SUNY fellows.
• Open SUNY COTE Notes: A series published in conjunction with the Fellow Chats.
• The Open SUNY Online Competency Development Matrices that are foundational to the curriculum designs of the Open SUNY COTE professional development paths.
• The Open SUNY COTE Quality Review (OSCQR) Process and Rubric.

This center was conceived to support and expand SUNY's online learning "community of practice" with formalized fellow roles to recognize the existing informal network of online practitioners and the significant roles they play in online teaching and learning on their campuses and across the system.

As an Open SUNY fellow, you will gain the following:

• Eligibility to submit nominations to the COTE Effective Practice Awards and be recognized by peers for excellence in online teaching and learning best practices.
• The opportunity to engage in the Fellow Chat speaker series as a presenter or participant.
• The opportunity to volunteer for COTE advisory, planning, and working teams.
• The opportunity to network with peers around areas of interest or research through COTE community groups and discussion forums.

Stay informed on the latest news and events through regular communications from COTE. For more information about the expectations, experience, and expertise associated with each of the fellow roles, please visit the Open SUNY COTE website.

The State of New York will upgrade the Statewide Financial System (SFS) from March 24 through April 20, 2015. During this period, all state agencies, including SUNY campuses, will be unable to issue purchase orders or process any contract transactions, employee reimbursements, or vendor payments; however, Procurement Card (P-Card) purchases will be accepted.

Please submit requisitions for supplies, materials, services, and equipment to Procurement Services no later than 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 10. Purchase requisitions for computer equipment and equipment replacement requirements, as well as purchases through Staples/OfficeMax for office supplies, also must adhere to these deadlines.

Please do your best to plan your ordering as far in advance as possible to make sure you have the supplies you need before the March 10 cutoff date. Sending in your requisitions well before the cutoff date will give Procurement Services time to make sure your orders get placed before the deadline. Your cooperation will help make this shutdown a smooth process for everyone.

Please call Steve Olsen in the Procurement Office at ext. 4113 with questions.

Are you interested in developing an online or blended course or refreshing an existing one? A good first step is developing course objectives that detail your expectations for students. In this workshop, we will discuss academic goals and the concept of using backward design to craft course objectives. In addition, we will evaluate sample objectives and develop behaviorally based learning objectives for courses that are being developed or taught.

This workshop will take place on Wednesday, February 11, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and repeated on Thursday, February 12, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 120. To attend, please register through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System using the links below.

Register for the February 11 workshop.
Register for the February 12 workshop.

Buffalo State faculty and staff members can take advantage of Buffalo State Dining's all new meal plan, Faculty and Staff Fridays. Created exclusively for Buffalo State employees, this plan offers 10 meal swipes for $60, just $6 each, that can be used every Friday for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in the Resident Dining Hall. This is a 38 percent savings on the standard lunch door rate plus sales tax. Please note: Meal swipes on this plan do not carry over from semester to semester.

Sign up for your Faculty and Staff Fridays meal plan today: visit the Bengal Card Office in Butler Library 108 or call ext. 5152.

In honor of the Year of the Innovator, the Kappa Omega Social Work Honor Society and Social Work Student Organization are pleased to host a free concert by acclaimed singer-songwriter, author, and LGBT advocate Jennifer Knapp on Friday, March 6, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall.

Knapp will sign CDs and books and interact with the audience following the concert. Social service agencies representing the issues Knapp addresses in her work will have tables displaying information about assistance in the Buffalo area. Refreshments can be purchased at the event. All proceeds will be donated to a relevant local social service agency.

This family-friendly event for faculty, staff, students, and the Buffalo community is funded by the Buffalo State College Grant Allocation Committee; sponsored by the Social Work, Psychology, and Music departments and the Counseling Center (for Mental Health Awareness Month); and cosponsored by the Sociology Department, the women and gender studies program, and Active Minds.

We hope to see you at this community-wide event.

In honor of the Year of the Innovator, the Kappa Omega Social Work Honor Society and Social Work Student Organization are pleased to host a free concert by acclaimed singer-songwriter, author, and LGBT advocate Jennifer Knapp on Friday, March 6, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall.

Knapp will sign CDs and books and interact with the audience following the concert. Social service agencies representing the issues Knapp addresses in her work will have tables displaying information about assistance in the Buffalo area. Refreshments can be purchased at the event. All proceeds will be donated to a relevant local social service agency.

This family-friendly event for faculty, staff, students, and the Buffalo community is funded by the Buffalo State College Grant Allocation Committee; sponsored by the Social Work, Psychology, and Music departments and the Counseling Center (for Mental Health Awareness Month); and cosponsored by the Sociology Department, the women and gender studies program, and Active Minds.

We hope to see you at this community-wide event.

Today is the last day to submit applications for the SUNY B-140W Tuition Assistance Program for the spring 2015 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 per semester, to a maximum of 15 credit hours per 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, ext. 4821, for applications and program guidelines.

The deadline to submit applications for the SUNY B-140W Tuition Assistance Program for the spring 2015 semester is tomorrow, Friday, February 27. 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 per semester, to a maximum of 15 credit hours per 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, ext. 4821, for applications and program guidelines.

The deadline to submit applications for the SUNY B-140W Tuition Assistance Program for the spring 2015 is Friday, February 27. 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 per semester, to a maximum of 15 credit hours per 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, ext. 4821, for applications and program guidelines.

NYS-Balance offers free monthly webinars on a variety of topics to help New York State employees balance the demands of work and life. The theme for February is “Financial Fitness: How to Live Lean.” The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) will sponsor the webinar “Financial Fitness: Living within a Realistic Budget” on Thursday, February 19, from noon to 1:00 p.m. To register, go to the NYS-Balance website and enter username "nys" and password "balance." Click on the Registration link under the Webinars section on the right side of the screen to register. You will need access to a telephone and computer to participate. This webinar will be archived for viewing at a later date.

The Registration link under the Webinars section also lists all upcoming webinar titles and dates. You may review or register for any upcoming webinar. Webinars are scheduled for the third Thursday of every month. All webinars will be archived so they can be viewed at other times.

NYS-Balance also offers a wide variety of free resource materials. To order materials, visit the NYS-Balance website and click on the Educational Materials tab on the right side of the screen (under Employee Resources), complete the form, and submit. The materials will be mailed directly to your home.

For more information about NYS-Balance and other wellness resources for state employees, visit the NYS Work-Life Services website or the Buffalo State EAP website.