The fall 2014 "Assessment Matters" newsletter is now posted online (PDF). Get the news and information regarding new campus assessment activities, reports and information, upcoming conferences, and resources.

Do you like dinosaurs? Do you like Hawaii? Do you like science books? Rick Batt, associate professor of earth sciences and science education, will sign copies of his first newly published nonfiction science book, "What Do You Mean Dinosaurs Didn't Live in Hawaii?" at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore on Thursday, November 13, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Refreshments will be available, and Batt will have some of his dinosaur drawings for you and your children.

Batt's book is a synergy of geologic processes, historical timelines, humor, and whimsical dinosaur drawings. The book is illustrated by Ope' ape'a Kanaka. Come and see the book, purchase a personalized copy, and pick up the newly released activities guide.

For more information, contact Batt, ext. 4728, Science Building 361.

ROTC's student cadets will sponsor an American Red Cross blood drive on Tuesday, November 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Walk-ins are welcome; please bring photo ID.

Prize drawings will be held every hour, including a chance to win a $50 Visa card. Choose to stand out—be a Red Cross blood donor.

Yuji Uneno, professor of design at the Kanazawa College of Art and Design in Japan, will deliver a public lecture about his two decades of work in high-end package design and differences between Eastern and Western sources of inspiration today, October 30, at 12:15 p.m. in Upton Hall 230. His talk is supported by the Margaret E. Bacon Visual Artist Speakers Fund.

Buffalo State Dining will host the second annual Iron Chef competition today, October 31, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby. This year's theme is Halloween.

We invite you to come and cheer on the four teams as they go head-to-head to create one unique and tasteful dish in the timed 45-minute challenge. A secret ingredient that must be infused into each chef's dish will be introduced during the competition.

Competing for the title are Katherine Conway-Turner, Buffalo State president; Daniel Vélez, associate vice president for student success; Theresa Stephan Hains, director of the Weigel Health Center; and Charles Kenyon, dean of students. Judging the competition are 2013 Iron Chef Lisa Krieger, assistant vice president for finance and management; Hal Payne, vice president for student affairs; Tom Koller, senior associate director of intercollegiate athletics; Penny Wolfgang, Erie County Supreme Court justice; and celebrity guest Russell Salvatore, owner of Russell's Steaks, Chops and More.

This competition is not to be missed. Come out and show your support for the teams and root them on to victory!

Join the Fashion and Textile Technology Historical Costume and Textile Collection for the opening reception of the exhibit Design Innovation: A Fashion Approach on Tuesday, November 4, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. outside the exhibit case in Technology Building 342 (third-floor hallway). The exhibit includes historical garments from the 1960s as well as original student illustrations. For more information, please contact Arlesa Shephard, collection curator, ext. 4661.

The State University of New York provides employees with the opportunity to save for their retirement through the SUNY Voluntary Savings Plan. Participation in the SUNY Voluntary Savings Plan is a great way to build your retirement savings and reduce current taxes.

Whether you want to enroll in the plan for the first time or you are already enrolled but wish to change the amount of your deferral, you can accomplish your goal by filling out a Salary Reduction Agreement (SRA) form.

Eligibility
All employees of SUNY who receive compensation reportable on an IRS Form W-2 are eligible to participate in the plan. 

Please take a moment to review the plan materials before enrolling. Once you are enrolled, you can review and change the amount of your contributions as often as once per pay period by submitting a new Salary Reduction Agreement form. The exact date that your investment allocations will take effect may vary depending on the policies of the investment provider managing the investment options you chose for plan contributions.

The tax-deferred plans listed below provide a way for you to contribute to a retirement account on a pre-tax basis through payroll deduction. Your contributions plus earnings are not taxed until you withdraw the funds. Usually this will be during your retirement, when your income may fall within a lower tax bracket.

What Are My Tax-Deferred Savings Options?
You may choose from several different plan options and investment providers through the SUNY Voluntary Savings Plan. The authorized investment providers offer a wide choice of investment options, including stock, bond, and guaranteed funds.

The following plans and investment providers are available:

Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF)
Campus Representative: 
Richard Thompson: (716) 862-5905 or (866) 842-2054, ext. 275905
(800) 842-2252, www.tiaa-cref.org/suny  

VOYA Financial (ING)
Campus Representatives: 
Gary Whitten: (716) 626-3926
George Dougherty: (716) 626-3928
(800) 677-4636, https://suny.prepare4myfuture.com/emadmin/landingpage.action

MetLife
Campus Representatives: 
John Curvin (716) 626-0048
Jason Bird (734) 320-0453      
(800) 560-5001 (account holders), (844) 298-8899 (new enrollees), www.metlife.com/suny   

VALIC Retirement
Campus Representative:
Jeffrey Otterstein: (716) 908-1517 or (800) 892-5558, ext. 89370
(800) 448-2542, (888) 569-7055, www.valic.com/suny

Fidelity Investments (403(b)(7) Mutual Funds)
Campus Representative:
John Farar: (585) 750-6913
(800) 343-0860, www.fidelity.com

NYS Deferred Compensation Plan (457)
Campus Representative:
Mark Wallace: (716) 903-7253
(800) 422-8463, www.nysdcp.com

How Much Can I Contribute?

• For 2015, you can contribute up to $18,000 per year.
   
• If you are age 50 or older anytime in 2014, you can contribute an additional $6,000 to your tax-deferred account, for a maximum of $24,000 ($18,000 + $6,000).
   
• If you have worked for SUNY for more than 15 years, you may be eligible to contribute up to an additional $3,000 annually. To do this, you must obtain a calculation from your investment provider indicating that you are eligible to defer the additional amount. Please send the calculation along with a new Salary Reduction Agreement indicating the annual amount to be contributed to the Payroll Office (Cleveland Hall 408).
   
• Each participant gets only one limit for contributions to all 403(b) plans, so if you are also a participant in a 403(b) plan of another employer, your combined contributions to that plan and to the SUNY Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan in 2015 are generally limited to $18,000. If you do participate in more than one 403(b) plan, you are responsible for tracking and reporting the amount of all of your contributions to the plans so that the total amount of all your contributions to all plans in which you participate does not exceed the limit. Note also that the sum of all of your contributions, and those of your employers, to all 403(b) plans that you participate in are generally limited to the lesser of $53,000 or 100 percent of your compensation in 2015.
   
• State employees are able to maximize contributions to both the SUNY Tax-Deferred Savings Plans 403(b) and the NYS Deferred Compensation 457 Plan concurrently.

What Do I Need to Do?

• If you are enrolling in a plan for the first time, you will need to complete the appropriate investment provider enrollment materials in addition to a Salary Reduction Agreement form. Please call Al Galone at ext. 4124 for additional information.
   
• If you are currently enrolled and wish to contribute the same biweekly amount in 2015, no action on your part is necessary unless you are currently contributing additional moneys under the age-50-or-15-year rule outlined above. Please check your pay stub to be sure your current biweekly contribution (Code 404, 408, or 415) multiplied by 26 pay periods does not exceed the allowable 2015 limit.
   
• Please remember that if you made a change mid-year, you must make sure that your current biweekly amount multiplied by 26 is the correct annual amount you want deferred for 2015.
   
• To change the amount you are now contributing, please complete a new Salary Reduction Agreement form and return it to the Payroll Office, Cleveland Hall 408.
   
• In order for a deduction change to be effective in the first paycheck of 2015, your new Salary Reduction Agreement form must be submitted to the Payroll Office by Friday, December 12, 2014. 

For further details, please call Al Galone at ext. 4124.

Through National Student Exchange, students have the opportunity to study for a semester or an academic year at one of 200 participating colleges or universities at affordable tuition rates. Please contact Christine Frezza, ext. 4328, to schedule a class visit. Provide your students with this possibility for enriching their college experience and let them know about the upcoming information sessions on Tuesday, November 4, and Thursday, November 6, from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 219. Thank you.

Please join us today for the 15th annual Faculty and Staff Research and Creativity Fall Forum from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Houston Gym. Provost Ponton will offer welcoming remarks at 12:30 p.m. A buffet lunch will be provided for all participants and attendees. Faculty, staff, and students are welcome and encouraged to attend this excellent opportunity to network with Buffalo State faculty and staff members and to identify common scholarly and creative interests.

As in past years, the goal of this forum is to develop, encourage, and support Buffalo State College faculty and staff research and creativity, and to make collaborative research endeavors and grantsmanship more accessible. The 2014–2015 academic year has been declared the Year of the Innovator, hosted by the School of the Professions, recognizing the collaborative spirit and creative mindset that is valued at Buffalo State.

More information about the 2014 Fall Forum is available online.

Note to participants: setup time is 9:00 to 10:45 a.m.

The Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP) is available for 2015 to eligible CSEA, PEF, UUP, and M/C employees. This program allows eligible employees to exchange previously accrued annual leave (vacation) for a credit toward the cost of their New York state health insurance on a biweekly basis. Sick leave credit cannot be exchanged under this program.

The enrollment period for the 2015 plan year is October 27 through November 28, 2014. To participate, eligible employees must submit an election form to the Employee Benefits Office, Cleveland Hall 410, by Friday, November 28. Participants currently enrolled in PEP must submit a new election form to participate in the 2015 program.
   
The PEP description, including eligibility requirements and enrollment forms, is available in Cleveland 410 or on the Human Resource Management website.

Please call the Employee Benefits Office at ext. 4821 with questions or for additional information.