Please note: Because of a scheduling conflict with the chancellor’s annual State of the University address, the first IITG orientation webinar has been moved to Thursday, January 29.

The SUNY IITG online application web link is now available to accept project proposals for Round Four (2015) of the Innovative Instruction Technology Grants. The application site will remain open until midnight Monday, March 2.
 
Please visit the SUNY IITG website to

• review the 2015 request for proposals,
• register for informational webinars (January 29 and February 16),
• access the necessary supporting documents and the FAQs,
• create a profile in the SUNY IITG online application website.

If you have previously applied for an IITG, the same log-in credentials can be used in the application website (a “password reminder” prompt is available).

1. Choose the funding tier for your proposal.
2. Print out the application question guide and budget worksheet (optional).
3. Remember to “save draft” frequently.
4. Submit before the March 2 deadline.

Please refer to the FAQs if you have any questions regarding the application. Here are a few important things to keep in mind:

• IITG funds are made available through university-wide funding distributed to campuses (including community colleges) each fall as part of the normal budget process. Funding is NOT connected to the SUNY Research Foundation.
• Expenditures must follow normal campus procurement guidelines.
• Funds will not be available for awards until fall 2015. Any project expenditures needed before the fall 2015 funds distribution must be advanced at the campus level.

The IITG website also contains a “Call for Reviewers” link. All SUNY faculty and staff members are invited to fill out a brief online form to volunteer as 2015 reviewers.

The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center (VSLC) will offer an interactive session for faculty and staff members new to service-learning pedagogy and the practice of incorporating a community-based project into a course on Wednesday January 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 418. 

Topics will include an overview of the theory and practice of service learning, support for converting a course to include a community-based project, and discussion of effective methods of incorporating student reflection to connect the service and course learning. Anyone interested in learning more about service learning is encouraged to attend.

Workshop leaders are Gary Welborn, faculty coordinator for service learning and associate professor of sociology, and Laura Hill Rao, VSLC coordinator. RSVP to Rose Coates, ext. 5811 or vslc@buffalostate.edu.

Nine teacher candidates from Buffalo State's departments of Elementary Education and Reading and Exceptional Education have arrived in the Dominican Republic and are posting messages to their blogs so that we can follow their progress. Please visit our program page to learn more about the activities built into this unique teaching and learning experience. Follow the students' blogs and encourage our global student ambassadors.

Annual training in workplace violence prevention is mandated for all public employees under New York State Labor Law Section 27-b. All faculty and staff members may access online Workplace Violence Prevention Training on Blackboard. Instructions are available on the Human Resource Management website (PDF).

Those who prefer to attend classroom training may register for one of the following sessions. All sessions will be held at 10:00 a.m. in Cleveland Hall 418:

Thursday, January 22
Thursday, February 19
Thursday, March 12
Thursday, April 16
Thursday, May 21

Topics covered in online and classroom sessions include recognizing warning signs for potential violence, assessing risk in various work settings, what to do and not to do if presented with a violent situation, and campus resources available to prevent violence.

The Small Business Development Center presents “Survive and Thrive: Essentials for Starting Your Own Business,” a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Tuesday, January 20, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Topics 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 ext. 4030.

On the second Friday of every month, the Burchfield Penney hosts something great, thanks to the support of M&T Bank. With openings and happy hours, programs, concerts, screenings, and other special events, visitors experience the best of the Burchfield Penney every Second Friday. Gallery admission is free all day (10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.), with special events and programs beginning at 5:30 p.m.  

5:30–7:30 p.m. Live music by HEARsay, featuring David Kane, Michael Miskuly, and Catherine Carfagna in the reception area.

5:30–7:30 p.m. Drop-in Art-Making Workshop in the Studio Classroom.

7:30 p.m. Screening and discussion: "Thomas Merton: The Centennial of His Birth." Screening of the PBS documentary Soul Searching: The Journal of Thomas Merton (2008), followed by a discussion with noted Merton experts Christine M. Bochen and Rev. Dan Riley, O.F.M., in the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium.

Gallery hours are until 8:00 p.m. Don't miss Exalted Nature: The Real and Fantastic World of Charles Burchfield, Alexander O. Levy: American Painter, Art Deco Artist and so much more. More information about what's on view is at www.burchfieldpenney.org.

More on January's M&T Second Friday at www.burchfieldpenney.org.

The current issue of the History and Social Studies Education Department student journal, the Exposition, is now posted (vol. 3, no. 1). The journal is available online.

Articles in this issue:

• "The Monroe Fordham Regional History Center," by Chris Root
• "What's in a Name? The Connection between the Native Americans and the Streets of Buffalo, 1802–1857," by Deirdre Reynolds 
• "The Last Martyrs: Omagh, Sinn Fein, and the Republican Transition from Armalites to Ballot Boxes," by James J. Siniscalchi

It's a new year, and it's finally time to get moving. Don't wait another day. The Buffalo State Fitness Center is conveniently located right on campus in Houston Gym 230. Our facilities are outstanding, and our state-of-the-art exercise equipment will keep your workouts fresh and interesting.

Use payroll deduction and pay just $6.92 every two weeks for your membership. E-mail me directly with any questions, or stop by and be my guest for the day. Thanks!

Nicholas DeMarsh
Fitness Center Manager
Ext. 3816

Unneeded property should not be left in the hallway or on the loading dock. When property is no longer needed, please send an original surplus form (PDF) to Business Services.

The form must be signed by the department chair or director or it will be returned. When the completed form is received, a work order will be placed for the removal of the property.

Do you need office furniture? Call our office at 878-6835 to schedule an appointment to look at what we have in the surplus warehouse.

Thank you.

Electronic Media
Electronic media—for example, printer and toner cartridges, tapes, disks, CDs, DVDs, and cell phones—can be recycled in the red electronic-media bins located in each department.

Glass, Plastic, and Metal
Glass, plastic, and metal can be recycled in the green bins. Empty and rinse or wipe out all food containers.

Paper and Cardboard
Paper and cardboard can be recycled in the blue bins. Flatten cardboard boxes and packaging.

• Hardcover books: Place in boxes. Call Business Services at 878-6835 for pickup.
• Softcover books: Place in blue (paper and cardboard) bins.
• Shredding: Contact Jill Powell, records access officer, 878-3561, to complete a Certificate of Destruction.

Batteries

• Lead-acid batteries: Call Environmental Health and Safety at 878-6128.
• Household batteries (including nickel-cadmium and lithium-ion): Place in red (electronic media) recycling bins.

Fluorescent Lightbulbs
Fluorescent lightbulbs are collected by custodial staff.

Mercury-Containing Items
To recycle mercury-containing items—for example, thermostats, thermometers, and medical or scientific instruments—please call Environmental Health and Safety at 878-6128.

State Equipment
State equipment, for example, copy machines, fax machines, printers, chairs, desks, and tables, should be reported on a surplus form (PDF), available on the Business Services website.

For more recycling information, please visit the Buffalo State Sustainability website.

Questions? Contact Lauren Bostaph, staff assistant in Campus Services, 878-6835.