Visiting Scholar Services is proud to present its new website, http://visitingscholar.buffalostate.edu.

Dedicated to serving both faculty mentors and international visiting scholars, the website serves as a guide for those faculty members and departments who are interested in inviting a scholar from another country. The website also serves as a guide for our current visiting scholars, providing information to assist with a smooth transition from their country to Buffalo.

For more information, please contact Michelle Eisenstein, coordinator of services for international visiting scholars, South Wing 420, ext. 3896.

Blackboard instructors should make their Blackboard course sites from previous semesters unavailable at the end of each semester so that students see only their current courses in their course lists. Instructors will still have access to classes for one year after they have ended.

To make a course unavailable, click the Customization tab in the Control Panel and select Properties. Scroll down to number 3, Set Availability. Select No and submit. Your course will now be unavailable.

The spring 2014 "Conversations" series continues on Friday, March 7, as Anthony Chase, assistant dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, presents "Mae West, Comedy, and the Disenfranchised Woman Playwright" 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.

Please also mark your calendars for the final talk of the semester, "Community-Based Participatory Teacher Education: Lessons from the Digital Writing Workshop," by James Cercone, assistant professor of English and coordinator of the English education program, on Friday, April 25, at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320.

Greek yogurt is packed with protein, calcium, and probiotics—"good" bacteria that can help with digestion and boost immunity. Buffalo State Dining is happy to introduce Yoplait Greek 100 to our delicious line of Outtakes food on the go. Try a sample of it today in the Campbell Student Union lobby from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A few lucky participants will even win great prizes!

For more information on Buffalo State Dining, please visit our website.

Reminder: President's Awards for Excellence in Academic Advisement; the Advancement of Equity and Campus Diversity; Career Achievement for Faculty; Career Achievement for Professional Staff; Faculty and Staff Mentoring; Librarianship; Research, Scholarship, and Creativity; Service to the College; Teaching; or as an Undergraduate Research Mentor are due to the provost's office by Monday, March 3. Please submit nominations electronically to martinc@buffalostate.edu. Questions may be directed to Carolyn Martino at ext. 5550.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center is pleased to welcome Buffalo State alumnus Richard Kegler, '88, for a discussion, demonstration, and screening of his documentary film, Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century, on Sunday, March 2, at 1:30 p.m. in the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium.

This fascinating design documentary captures the personality and work process of the late Canadian graphic artist Jim Rimmer (1931–2010).

In 2008, P22 type foundry commissioned Rimmer to create a new type design (Stern) that became the first  simultaneous release of a digital font and hand-set metal font. Rimmer was one of only a few who possessed the skills needed to create a metal font. This film is a unique opportunity to share Rimmer's knowledge, processes, and passions with the world.

Free with general gallery admission; free for students, faculty, and staff of Buffalo State.

More information is available on the Burchfield Penney website.

Want to find a job after graduation? Worried about what to do with a history major or minor? The History and Social Studies Education Department and the Career Development Center (CDC) will host their annual workshop on career options for history majors and minors on Tuesday, March 4, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Classroom Building B321. Faculty members and CDC staff will discuss careers outside of the classroom, how to market skills acquired as a history major or minor, where to look for job ads, and an introduction to the services offered by the CDC.

All are welcome.

A service-learning designation helps students identify courses that give hands-on learning experiences that meet community need. Students can register for your course knowing it has a community-based component and can choose to be engaged in active learning. Participation in a service-learning-designated course also appears on student transcripts, and your course can be recognized as including a community-based-learning requirement. 

Details and information to request service-learning designation for your courses that meet the College Senate–approved criteria are available on the VSLC website. The deadline to request designation is Friday, February 28.

Note: If you applied for and received service-learning designation for a previous semester, you do not need to reapply for designation. The designation is valid for three years as long as a current course syllabus is on file in the VSLC. This request is for new designation requests (courses and sections not previously designated).

Have you ever wondered about all the diet programs available and what the "gold standard" is for weight loss? Have you ever considered taking meal replacements? How about all the sodium we consume from processed foods: could this be affecting our health? If any of these areas interest you, please attend “Which Weigh to Go?” on Tuesday, March 11, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. The campus community is invited to attend this event presented by Carol DeNysschen, associate professor of dietetics and nutrition, and sponsored by the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This presentation is loaded with information and fun! RSVP to Gina Game by Monday, March 10.

Lent begins Wednesday, March 5. Mass and distribution of ashes will be celebrated at 12:05 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall 1 and 2 and at 6:00 p.m. in the Newman Center Chapel, 1219 Elmwood Avenue. A simple soup supper will follow the 6:00 p.m. Mass. All are welcome. So that we have sufficient food, please call 882-1080 to let us know you will be attending.

Friday Masses
What better way to celebrate the joy of Lent than starting Fridays with the Liturgy of the Eucharist? Join us in the Chapel, 1219 Elmwood Avenue, at 8:00 a.m. Friday, March 7, 14, and 21 and April 4 and 11 to give God thanks and praise and feast on Word and Sacrament.