Please join SEFA/United Way Campaign honorary chair Michael LeVine, vice president for finance and management, and the campaign committee at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, October 1, in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall, when Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner will launch the official State Employees Federated Appeal Campaign with assistance from special guests from the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. Mark your calendars and enjoy refreshments while learning about the needs in our community and the ways your SEFA contribution can help. Solicitors will gather before the kickoff at 11:15 a.m. to receive their packets, discuss changes to the campaign, and hear words of advice on how to conduct a successful campaign.

Banner PREVIEW for January Term/Spring 2015 begins Wednesday, October 8. Students will be able to search directly in Banner self-service for any holds (if applicable) and courses in the January Term 2015 and Spring 2015 master schedules.

Both the January Term 2015 and Spring 2015 master schedules will be viewable online on the Registrar's Office website starting Wednesday, October 15.

Web registration start dates will be viewable to students directly in Banner self-service no later than Wednesday, October 15. All registration-related activity begins at 6:00 a.m. on the assigned date and is then continuous.

Registration for January Term/Spring 2015 begins Wednesday, November 5.

For detailed information about smart classrooms, including locations, pictures, and equipment available in each room, please visit the Instructional Resources web site.

Buffalo State alumnus Bob Williams (’79, broadcasting), vice president of communication for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), will present “Challenges and Opportunities for College Sports Communicators” on Tuesday, September 30, at 10:00 a.m. in Butler Library 210. Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff are invited. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Williams received Buffalo State’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2011. His talk is part of a two-day visit to campus.

Please encourage first-year students to participate in MAP-Works, Buffalo State’s award-winning retention program. MAP-Works includes an online assessment designed to provide feedback to help students establish realistic expectations and connect with campus resources. The program will once again help us stay connected to first-year students and support those who might be at risk for dropping out.

All full-time first-year students received an e-mail in their Buffalo State accounts inviting them to take the survey, which asks about such things as their transition to Buffalo State, including academic behaviors, financial means, and social connections made so far.

Survey results are reported to faculty and staff members who serve as advisers, first-year course instructors, residence hall directors, and mentors. These faculty and staff members will receive results for their students only and will have opportunities to intervene if students are reporting high-risk behaviors (e.g., poor study skills, poor support systems, not adapting to college life). The idea is to allow us to spend more time helping rather than diagnosing. Survey results are also reported back to each student in an easy-to-understand online report.

For further information about MAP-Works, or if you would like to be connected in the system to a distinct group of first-year students, please contact Eileen Merberg, ext. 4631. If you are already a Direct Connect, or if you wish to send students a link to the survey, please access MAP-Works online.

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. Thank you.

The Buffalo State Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, part of the Speech-Language Pathology Department, has relocated to Buckham Hall A106 for a two-year period. The clinic provides evaluative and therapeutic services to children and adults with communication disorders. Services are conducted by graduate students in speech-language pathology and supervised by New York State–licensed and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association–certified professionals. For more information or to schedule an evaluation, please e-mail Karen Bailey Jones, clinic director, or call the clinic at ext. 3530.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center will offer the workshop "Watercolor 101: From Paper to Paint" with instructor Dan Meyer on Saturday, September 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as part of the International Center for Watercolor. 

Novice watercolorists will study the differences in watercolor paper and why assortments of brushes are used while creating and painting. The artist will demonstrate techniques for participants to try firsthand. This is a watercolor workshop for beginners; supplies are included.

Dan Meyer is a Buffalo-born painter who enjoys the challenge of transparent watercolor’s spontaneity and luminescent quality. Meyer is a wildlife artist and illustrator whose creations have won numerous awards and have been featured on posters, on consumer packaging, and in national magazine articles. He exhibits his work at wildlife art shows throughout the year, including the prestigious Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland. He is a member and past president of the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society and an honorary member of the Central New York Watercolor Society.

The cost of the workshop is $35 for members and $45 for not-yet members. To register, please contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki, ext. 3549, or download the registration form (PDF) from the BPAC website.

Faculty advisers of the International Professional Development Schools (IPDS) Chile program will provide two information sessions for students interested in a three-week travel and service-learning opportunity in Santiago, Chile, in May and June 2015:

• Monday, September 29, at 4:15 p.m. in Ketchum 205
• Tuesday, September 30, at 12:15 p.m. in Bacon 305

Both graduate and undergraduate students in education programs are eligible, even if they plan to graduate in May 2015. Students who are interested in the program but are unable to attend these sessions should e-mail Angela Patti, assistant professor of exceptional education, or visit the School of Education's Teach and Study Abroad web page. Thank you for spreading the word about this rewarding opportunity.

The State of New York/United University Professions Joint Labor-Management Committees have announced that $36,975 has been allocated to Buffalo State for Individual Development Awards for July 2, 2014, through July 1, 2015. This program is intended to assist employees in the UUP bargaining unit in developing their full professional potential and in preparing for advancement by funding professional development activities. Information on eligibility requirements, types of projects or activities funded, types of support available, funding priorities, and the application procedures and application form are available on the Human Resource Management website. The maximum award is $1,000; employees may submit only one application each for this period. Applications must be received by Friday, January 9, 2015.

Individual Development Awards committee members are Deborah Jones, Lisa Marie Anselmi, and Richard Stempniak representing UUP and Margaret Shaw-Burnett, Scott Johnson, and Susan Earshen representing management. If you have questions regarding the awards, please call Human Resource Management at ext. 3042.