Today is your last opportunity to purchase that special holiday gift and support Buffalo State students at the same time at the annual Student Art Sale, today from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Upton Hall's Czurles-Nelson Gallery. Gifts galore! Don't miss out. Handcrafted ceramic vases and bowls, sterling silver earrings and unusual necklaces, wood items, photographs, paintings, and more. Buy that holiday gift and support our Art Education, Design, and Fine Arts students, too. If you have questions, please contact Carol Townsend, associate professor of design, ext. 4986.

The 2014–2015 "Conversations in and out of the Disciplines" series for the fall semester concludes Friday, December 5, as Jennifer Hunt, associate professor of psychology and coordinator of the women and gender studies program, presents "On Princesses, (Super)power, and Patriarchy: How 'Princess Culture' Influences Gender Ideologies, Relationship Beliefs, and Career Choices—And Why Superheroes Just Might Be Able to Save the Day" 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.

Students 4 Sustainability will collect new and used clothing, outerwear, health and beauty products, school supplies, bedding, stuffed animals (in good condition), and nonperishable foods on Tuesday, December 9, and Thursday, December 11, from noon to 3:00 p.m. Please drop off donations in the Campbell Student Union. All collected items will be donated to local refugee relief organizations.

For more information, please e-mail Justin Donhauser, lecturer in the Philosophy and Humanities Department.

Please join us for the Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Advisory Council meeting today, December 4, from 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. in Cleveland Hall 418. Our featured presenter will be Patrick Ravines, associate professor and director of the Art Conservation Department. The meeting will include an update on the college’s Blue Economy Initiative. Council members will provide updates on their business and economic development initiatives. Open to the campus community. Please contact Susan McCartney, director of the Small Business Development Center, with questions.

Buffalo State undergraduates are cordially invited to submit proposals to participate in the first SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC), which will be held on the SUNY Brockport campus on Friday, April 10, 2015, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Student proposals for research poster sessions, oral presentations, and performances of creative work are welcome. For guidelines and further information, please visit the SURC conference website and online submission portal. The deadline for all proposals is Sunday, February 1.

The Research and Creativity Council Incentive Program is accepting applications until the close of business Monday, January 19, 2015, for funds to promote faculty creativity and research. Please submit applications to the Sponsored Programs Pre-Award and Contract Services Office in Bishop Hall 24. Three council members will be appointed to review all applications received by the above deadline.

Incentive funds administered by the Research and Creativity Council are intended to promote faculty creativity and research. Their ultimate goal is to generate additional funded programs. One year after receiving an incentive award, recipients will be required to submit a full report documenting the use of these funds and to submit a grant proposal to an outside sponsoring agency through the Sponsored Programs Pre-Award and Contract Services Office. Submitting a proposal through the College Foundation does not meet this requirement. Recipients are also obligated to participate in the Faculty and Staff Fall Forum, which takes place in October.

Expenditures considered for support under this program include travel to consult with a funding source, secretarial assistance, student assistance, consultation with grant specialists, preparation of specialized support materials for proposal (e.g., graphs, drawings, resource books), release time, and any other expense that can be justified. Funds cannot be requested for the purchase of computers. Also, it is not the council’s intention to directly pay an individual for writing a proposal.

The Research Incentive application (PDF) is available on the Sponsored Programs website.

Please join us today, December 3, for the final lecture in our annual Philosophy and Humanities Fall 2014 Faculty Colloquia, "Millennials and the Meaning of Life and Work in Downton Abbey," presented by Kimberly Blessing, professor of philosophy, at 2:00 p.m. in Bishop Hall 242. (This presentation was rescheduled from November 12.)

Father Pat Zengierski, director of Catholic Campus Ministry at the Newman Center, welcomes all faculty, staff, and students to join him for Mass at 12:05 p.m. Monday, December 8, in Assembly Hall 2 of the Campbell Student Union to celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. All are welcome.

Join the Burchfield Penney for a screening of Joyeux Noël at 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 5. Joyeux Noël  is a 2005 French film about the World War I Christmas truce of December 1914, depicted through the eyes of French, Scottish, and German soldiers. Written and directed by Christian Carion, the film was screened out of competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for best foreign language film at the 2006 Academy Awards. This was one of Ian Richardson's last appearances before his death in 2007.

The film will be introduced by Chuck Mancuso, professor of music, and Andrew Nicholls, department chair and professor of history and social studies education. This event is free and open to the public. More information is available at www.burchfieldpenney.org.

Come and celebrate Mass on the First Friday of each month at 8:00 a.m. in the Newman Center Chapel, 1219 Elmwood Avenue. We will gather for Mass and start the month with a renewed perspective. Stay for a cup of coffee afterward or take a cup to go. Our next Friday celebration will be December 5. All are welcome.