The Financial Aid Office (FAO) is pleased to announce the 2014 Financial Aid Conversations on Thursday Series (FACTS), beginning March 20 and continuing on Thursdays throughout the spring semester.

This dynamic series of articles is intended to create awareness, stimulate conversation, and promote understanding regarding the rules and regulations that govern financial aid eligibility. Experienced financial aid colleagues will share their knowledge on a variety of aid mandates and offer expert guidance in each FACTS article.

As the FAO embarks on this educational series, we humbly request that campuswide constituencies and stakeholders partner with us to discover very important facts concerning students’ financial aid eligibility.

Finally, you can e-mail your questions about an article to finaid@buffalostate.edu, and we will respond in our “You Asked for It” segment of FACTS.

Summer and fall textbook adoptions are currently being accepted at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore. All adoptions must be submitted by Friday, March 14. Please use the FacultyEnlight system for a quick and easy ordering process.

1. Create an account or use existing account (if created since May 2013).
2. Select ADOPT.
3. Select your TERM, DEPARTMENT, and COURSE.
4. Choose existing materials or input new.

Questions? Please contact Amy Young, textbook manager.

The Student Council for Exceptional Children and Best Buddies collaborate each year to put on a campuswide Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign. Spread the Word is a nationwide campaign whose mission is to raise awareness of the derogatory use of the R-word (retard, retarded) as well as to promote inclusion for individuals with disabilities.

This year, the campaign will be held on March 4, 5, and 6 during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in the Campbell Student Union. We will have music, prizes, popcorn, an opportunity to sign our Spread the Word pledge, and a lot of fun! We will also host an evening event on Wednesday, March 5, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Assembly Hall 2 of the Student Union, during which we will provide information about this cause and showcase the many talents of individuals with disabilities. 

Please join us for this exciting and important celebration of awareness and inclusion.

The Equity and Campus Diversity Office, in partnership with the Professional Development Office, conducted a survey to learn more about the interests of professional and classified staff professional development opportunities. Thirty-two randomly selected participants took take part in this project.

The results provided insight into the type of desired program offerings for continuing professional development opportunities. For example, cross-departmental collaboration was highly favored among the survey participants. Other favorable remarks noted supervisor support for development opportunities.

Survey results are posted on the Equity and Campus Diversity website.

The Equity and Campus Diversity and Professional Development offices thank all those who participated in sharing their input for the betterment of the Buffalo State community. This project was developed and administered by Siraj Bah, graduate assistant in the Equity and Campus Diversity Office.

Faculty members, do you need textbooks to be held in stock? In preparation for next term, we will begin returning unsold textbooks to the publishers. We know there may be titles not assigned until later in the term, and we’d like to make sure we still have them in stock and available for students to buy. Do you have titles you would like held? If so, please contact Barnes & Noble's textbook manager, Amy Young.

If you will be using the same book again next term you can also let us know now.

Take 50 percent off all clothing clearance items during the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Flash Sale on Thursday, March 5.

The Barnes and Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore will host alumnus Spencer Morgan (M.A. ’11), author of Western New York Steel, for an interactive presentation and book signing on Thursday, March 20, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Jeffrey Otterstein from VALIC Financial Advisors will be on campus for individual consultations with Buffalo State staff and faculty members on Tuesday, March 11. Sessions are by appointment only between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 416.

Gain a greater level of confidence in your retirement portfolio. To schedule an appointment, please register online.

What's in your job description? Have you been delegated more responsibility? Is trust an issue for you? Do you desire to grow as a person or leader? Or are you content with working each day and going home? This workshop on Tuesday, March 11, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. will focus on these topics. Join us in the Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B, to share thoughts and ideas about our motivation(s). Snacks provided.

Tuesday Talks: Brown-bag lunch with a purpose.

Register for this workshop through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System.

Learning how to talk about expectations in a way that solves problems requires accountability. We will explore the dynamics on a different level in this workshop on Thursday, May 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Bacon Hall 115. Research data show that when people see accountability as "someone else's job," they waste time, resources, and morale. How are your conversations going in the workplace? Are you using your Crucial Conversation model? Let’s get back to basics.

Lunch provided. Please register online through the Workshop Registration System. This session is part of the 2014 Pedagogical Institute.