Online course development training for faculty members who are developing online courses for spring 2015 will begin in September. The training is a hybrid, or blended, learning experience that includes

• face-to-face workshops,
• online learning experiences in Blackboard Learn,
• Blackboard Learn workshops,
• one-on-one meetings with campus instructional designers.

The training involves five workshops; each workshop will be offered at two different times. If you are interested in online course development training, please e-mail Ginger Bidell, instructional designer.

More information can be found on the Instructional Resources Instructional Design web page.

The online course development training workshop schedule is also available on the Workshop Registration System website.

Faculty and staff members who received significant awards from academic, professional, or service organizations at the international, national, or state level between September 1, 2013, and August 31, 2014, are invited to submit their complete award information in preparation of materials for the Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony. Also, new faculty and staff members who received SUNY Chancellor's Awards, such as the Award for Excellence, while previously serving at another SUNY institution at any time during their careers may submit that award information also. Awards meeting the criteria will be listed in the program booklet distributed at the ceremony. The names of faculty and staff members hired during the past year will be included in the program booklet as well.

Online forms for submitting award information are posted on the Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony web page and must be completed by Monday, September 8.

The ceremony takes place on Thursday, October 16, at 12:15 p.m. in Rockwell Hall Auditorium. The campus community is invited to attend, and a reception will immediately follow.

Please e-mail Patricia Alessandra in the Academic Affairs Office with any questions.

Please review the Blackboard training sessions available in September by visiting the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System

Jeffrey Otterstein from VALIC Financial Advisors will be on campus for individual consultations with Buffalo State faculty and staff members on the following days:

Tuesday, September 9
Wednesday, October 8
Tuesday, November 4
Tuesday, December 2

Sessions are by appointment only, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in Butler Library 210B. To schedule an appointment, please register online.

The Travel Services Department invites and welcomes the campus community to our training sessions on state-appropriated travel. Scheduled dates for next month are September 16, 18, 23, and 25. Sessions will be held in Cleveland Hall 416 beginning promptly at 12:15 and ending at 1:30 p.m.

Space is limited. Please e-mail Dave Lysiak to reserve your seat.

Please visit the Travel Services' website for additional training session dates.

The Buffalo State West African Drumming Ensemble (WADE) is looking for new members. Learn and perform traditional rhythms from Guinea, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria on djembe and dun dun drums. The group rehearses Tuesdays from 3:05 to 4:20 p.m. in Rockwell Hall 107. Participation in the ensemble is offered as a 1-credit course. Please contact Tiffany Nicely, lecturer in the Music Department, for more information.

Join the International and Exchange Programs staff for the Study-Abroad Party in the Plaza (formerly the Student Union Quad) on Tuesday, September 2, from noon to 2:00 p.m. to learn about the different study-abroad and exchange options available to you. Refreshments will be served. It’s a great world out there. Explore it!

All Stressed Up and Nowhere to Go, a practical, down-to-earth guide to dealing with those situations and people that seem to drive you crazy, will be offered on Tuesday, October 21, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Butler Library 181B. You will learn a model for becoming more influential in creating your experience of life so that stress stops becoming a problem and instead becomes a valuable signal. You will discover how to

• deal more effectively with stressful situations,
• create a life with less stress in the first place,
• create a purposeful life,
• create more serenity in your life,
• change the chemical makeup of your body to cope with stress,
• choose the energy that drives your choices,
• develop the courage to become the person you want to be.

Please register online through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System.

Rude, obnoxious, defensive, demanding, arrogant... Ever notice how difficult people and conflict can be in your life? This professional development workshop, Dealing with Difficult People: From Chaos to Calm, will be held Wednesday, September 17, from 10:00 a.m. to noon in the Professional Development Center, Butler Library 181B.

In the video “From Chaos to Calm,” Bill Crawford explains the underlying causes of conflict; how simple disagreements can so quickly turn into a vicious cycle; how you can tap into the internal motivation of difficult people so they hear what you have to say as valuable information; how to deal with conflict more proactively; and how to interact with people in a way that diffuses conflict before it starts, without ignoring the problem or sweeping it aside.

Register through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System.

Learn how you can spend a semester in Siena, Italy, during this information session on Wednesday, September 10, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 111. Find out how courses taken in Siena fulfill requirements at Buffalo State, how financial aid applies to the program, and about the array of scholarships available. Don't miss out on this life-transforming and career-enhancing opportunity.