Buffalo State welcomes renowned teacher and author LouAnne Johnson to campus on Saturday, October 17, for a presentation and book signing. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. with refreshments in the Campbell Student Union Fireside Lounge and moves to the Assembly Hall for a 10:00 a.m. presentation.

This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required; please contact the Alumni Affairs Office, 878-6001, by October 15.

Johnson, a former U.S. Navy journalist, Marine Corps officer, and high school teacher, is the author of the New York Times bestseller Dangerous Minds (originally titledMy Posse Don’t Do Homework). The book—Johnson’s memoir—was published in eight languages and was adapted for the 1995 feature film starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Johnson will discuss her career and sign copies of her new book and first novel, Muchacho, before and after the presentation.

Johnson’s visit is intended to help revive the Buffalo State Education Alumni Chapter, said Leslie Day, lecturer of elementary education and reading and director of the Professional Development Schools Consortium. Day and Sharon Cramer, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor of exceptional education, are coordinating the event. They both served in several board positions for the alumni chapter in the 1990s, but said activity has been quiet this decade.

“Part of the reason we scheduled Johnson to speak on Saturday was to allow as many local teachers and alumni to participate as possible,” Day said. “I met Johnson earlier this year at the National Association for Professional Development Schools annual conference in Daytona Beach. She’s a dynamic speaker who shares strategies and real-world experiences with challenging students. She also has cutting-edge thoughts on how to change how we educate students.”

Johnson is the author of several books, including Queen of Education; School is Not a Four-Letter Word; The Girls in the Back of the Class; Making Waves; Two Parts Textbook, One Part Love; and Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students by Their Brains. In addition to her continued work as an English and ESL instructor, Johnson has given numerous presentations, conducted workshops for education students at colleges across the country, and appeared on such programs as Oprah,CBS’s Eye to Eye, NBC’s Weekend Today, the Maury Povich Show, and CNN’s Talkback Live.

Johnson earned scholastic honors at the Defense Information School and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and Air Force Achievement Award for her work as a journalist and radio/television broadcaster. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in English education.

Day believes that attendees will enjoy the event and that it is a good fit for Buffalo State. “Johnson is a successful urban educator, and we have a commitment to urban education,” she said. “We can all learn something from her.”

Johnson’s visit is cosponsored by the School of Education, the Buffalo State Alumni Association, and the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore.

Kenneth Dauber, professor of American literature at the University at Buffalo, will present “Sentiment, Skepticism, and Community in Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 22, in Ketchum Hall 320.

Dauber is the author of Rediscovering Hawthorne andThe Idea of Authorship in America: Democratic Poetics from Franklin to Melville. He is also the co-editor ofOrdinary Language Criticism: Literary Thinking after Cavell after Wittgenstein. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Princeton, and his B.A. from Columbia University.

All faculty, staff, and students are welcome. His talk is free and open to the public.

Buffalo State welcomes renowned teacher and author LouAnne Johnson to campus on Saturday, October 17, for a presentation and book signing. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. with refreshments in the Campbell Student Union Fireside Lounge and moves to the Assembly Hall for a 10:00 a.m. presentation.

This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required; please contact the Alumni Affairs Office, 878-6001, by October 15.

Johnson, a former U.S. Navy journalist, Marine Corps officer, and high school teacher, is the author of the New York Times bestseller Dangerous Minds (originally titledMy Posse Don’t Do Homework). The book—Johnson’s memoir—was published in eight languages and was adapted for the 1995 feature film starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Johnson will discuss her career and sign copies of her new book and first novel, Muchacho, before and after the presentation.

Johnson’s visit is intended to help revive the Buffalo State Education Alumni Chapter, said Leslie Day, lecturer of elementary education and reading and director of the Professional Development Schools Consortium. Day and Sharon Cramer, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor of exceptional education, are coordinating the event. They both served in several board positions for the alumni chapter in the 1990s, but said activity has been quiet this decade.

“Part of the reason we scheduled Johnson to speak on Saturday was to allow as many local teachers and alumni to participate as possible,” Day said. “I met Johnson earlier this year at the National Association for Professional Development Schools annual conference in Daytona Beach. She’s a dynamic speaker who shares strategies and real-world experiences with challenging students. She also has cutting-edge thoughts on how to change how we educate students.”

Johnson is the author of several books, including Queen of Education; School is Not a Four-Letter Word; The Girls in the Back of the Class; Making Waves; Two Parts Textbook, One Part Love; and Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students by Their Brains. In addition to her continued work as an English and ESL instructor, Johnson has given numerous presentations, conducted workshops for education students at colleges across the country, and appeared on such programs as Oprah,CBS’s Eye to Eye, NBC’s Weekend Today, the Maury Povich Show, and CNN’s Talkback Live.

Johnson earned scholastic honors at the Defense Information School and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and Air Force Achievement Award for her work as a journalist and radio/television broadcaster. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in English education.

Day believes that attendees will enjoy the event and that it is a good fit for Buffalo State. “Johnson is a successful urban educator, and we have a commitment to urban education,” she said. “We can all learn something from her.”

Johnson’s visit is cosponsored by the School of Education, the Buffalo State Alumni Association, and the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore.

Campus Services will formally debut a sculpture designed to celebrate the dignity of labor during a public ceremonyon Friday, October 2, at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Clinton Center.

Dubbed “Arc de Boot,” the 9-by-11-foot structure resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Its two columns consist of cast-iron molds of boots from Campus Services workers. The arch is topped with copper and straddles the pathway to the Clinton Center, which houses Campus Services offices.

Unlike most sculptures, this one is meant to be touched, said Terry Harding, director of Campus Services, and William Hoffman, ’05, the creator.

Harding first thought of the sculpture nearly 10 years ago, when old boots began piling up in his office.

“We provide steel-toed boots to those who work with heavy cargo,” he said. “Employees are reimbursed for new steel-toed boots as long as they bring in a receipt of purchase and turn in their old boots. I began to look at them more as symbols of the individuals’ work lives and pondered about some way to put them to use aesthetically.”

Together with Kenneth Payne, professor of fine arts, Harding began to plan the sculpture design in 2006. Payne suggested commissioning Hoffman, a recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, because he witnessed Hoffman’s metal-casting skills in class.

“I initially came to Buffalo State for fine arts, but after taking several anthropology classes, my interests expanded to archaeology and sculpture,” Hoffman said. “When I was asked to design a monument for the front of the Clinton Center, I immediately thought of an arch. In the classic sense, an arch is a symbol of victory, praise, and honor. From an engineering standpoint, it is held together by the sum of its parts. Symbolically, the arch shows that the worker holds up the college and holds it together.”

Using liquid rubber, casting wax, sand, and a special resin, Hoffman worked for nearly two years to create more than 20 unique casts from workers’ old boots. After making hundreds of iron boots, he welded them into two 2-by-2 columns. A “test boot” with Hoffman’s signature sits just a few inches from the base.

Harding said the arch, which was erected during the summer of 2008, is made almost entirely of scrap metal from old iron radiators. He considers it a very tactile piece.

“The sculpture is made to touch; that’s the intent,” he said. “Even if you know nothing about the sculpture’s background, it speaks to you. It could represent working people anywhere.”

For Hoffman, “Arc de Boot” evokes tremendous pride. “It was an honor to create this sculpture,” he said. “It’s meant to be a tribute to the workers and give them a distinction, a voice. It’s easy to think about professors and administrators when you think of a college. But without the plumbers, cleaning staff, electricians, groundskeepers, maintenance staff, and so forth, it wouldn’t run.”

Likewise, Harding and his staff members are very proud of the sculpture. “This is a visual testament to what we do,” he said.

Its theme, “Financial Crisis and Reform,” makes this year’s Cross-Border Post-Keynesian Conference relevant to everyone. The conference, held every two years, will take place at the Burchfield Penney Art Center on October 9 and 10. “Post-Keynesian” refers to a subfield of economics whose practitioners seek to correctly interpret the key insights of twentieth-century economist John Maynard Keynes, considered by many to be “the father of macroeconomics.”

Keynes is widely known for his theories about the causes of recessions and depressions, and he advised Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

October marks the 80th anniversary of the famous stock market crash that ushered in the Great Depression. Conference organizers have incorporated several cultural events relating to that period in America’s history. On Thursday, October 8, at 7:00 p.m., Anthony Chase, assistant to the dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, will introduce Cradle Will Rock, an award-winning 1999 film written and directed by Tim Robbins.Cradle Will Rock tells the dramatic story of a 1937 musical, directed by Orson Welles and produced by John Houseman, which was not allowed to open—and opened anyway.

“The reason we’re including these particular events,” said Ted Schmidt, associate professor of economics and finance and one of the conference organizers, “is that people have compared the current economic crisis to the Great Depression. It was a difficult period, and the arts expressed some of the frustration people felt.” With input from Don Metz, associate director of the Burchfield Penney, the conference committee explored ways to engage the museum and make the conference multidisciplinary.

The conference itself begins Friday at 9:00 a.m. Attendance at the conference is free for Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students; however, registration is required. The cost to attend the Friday evening reception and banquet is $30.

The keynote session, “Financial Crisis and Reform,” is free and open to the public and takes place on Friday at 4:00 p.m., with Schmidt serving as moderator. Panel members are Jan A. Kregel, a noted post-Keynesian economist who is a senior scholar at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College; L. Randal Wray, who also serves as a senior scholar at the Levy Economics Institute; and Robert Pollin, professor of economics andfounding co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

“Professors Kregel and Wray are going to show us that Keynes and his followers are the only economists who understand financial crises,” said Joelle Leclaire, assistant professor of economics and finance and chair of the committee that organized the conference. “Their key insights on how they can be resolved are certain to generate lively discussion.”

On Saturday, a number of sessions are scheduled for the morning. In the afternoon, three events are free and open to the public. At 2:00, author and entrepreneur Mark Goldman, a lecturer with the History and Social Studies Education Department, will present “The Great Depression and Buffalo’s Arts Culture.” Afterward, Bruce Fisher, director of Buffalo State’s Center for Economic and Policy Studies, will moderate a panel discussion, “The Future of Capitalism.” The panelists are Curtis Haynes Jr., associate professor of economics and finance; Albert Michaels and Gary Marotta, professors of history and social studies education; and Michael Niman, associate professor of communication.

Charles Mancuso, professor of music, will introduce the conference’s closing event at 8:00 p.m. The 198 String Band will present “...Whose Names Are Unknown,” a multimedia representation intended to help the audience appreciate the “experience of the Great Depression and the national recovery policies of the New Deal.”

Buffalo State College honored three of its most accomplished young alumni at a special reception on Friday in the Campbell Student Union. The Young Alumnus Achievement Award recognizes graduates of the last 20 years for their professional advancement, dedication to the community, and commitment to the college and its mission. The following individuals were honored for their achievements:

Angela Maria Caba, ’95
B.A., Humanities
Emergency Medicine Physician, Lutheran Medical Center

Caba is a doctor of osteopathic medicine who works as an emergency medicine physician at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn and as a family practice physician for the Urban Health Plan in the Bronx. A past physician coordinator with Parent Partners in Health Education, Caba currently provides multicultural health care in family and emergency medicine through Caba Medical Consultants. She also serves as a Medical Reserve Corps volunteer for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She received the 2009 Educational Opportunity Program Distinguished Alumnus Award and is currently mentoring five Buffalo State undergraduates who are interested in the medical profession.

Richard J. Trigilio, ’90
B.S., Design
President and CEO, Medical Management Services Inc.

As president of Western New York’s leading medical billing company, Trigilio has contributed greatly to his firm, which provides billing and consulting services to more than 700 physicians, employs 125 people, and sees annual revenues of more than $4 million. He is an alumni board member of the NY ETA Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon at Buffalo State and has served on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation board for 10 years, two as president. He also served as chair of the foundation’s Treasure Hunt Auction and Sports Day Golf events for two years. The foundation recognized him with its Leadership Award in 2006. A member of the Ride for Roswell “Extra Mile Club” for raising more than $1,000 every year from 2006 to 2009, Trigilio has ridden his way to more than $10,000 in contributions to Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Rita M. Zientek, ’90
M.S., Student Personnel Administration
Associate Dean, School of the Professions, Buffalo State College

In her role as associate dean, Zientek is responsible for curriculum, administrative representation, speaker series, student scholarship fundraising, and marketing materials and logos. She serves on the Alumni Association’s board of directors, is president of the Campus House board, is a teacher certification officer, and is a loyal supporter of Buffalo State. Zientek also serves on the boards of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Habitat for Humanity, and WNED’s ThinkBright External Advisory Board. Zientek recently earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration and was recognized with the 2009 Edwin D. Duryea Jr. Higher Education Memorial Award from the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education. The award is given to the graduating Ph.D. student who has achieved outstanding success in the field of higher education.

More than 110 members of the Peterson Society were recognized for their generosity to the college at the annual Peterson Society Dinner on September 16 at the Buffalo Club. The Peterson Society is the college’s honor society for those who have made a gift to the college in their wills or through other estate-planning techniques.

“Buffalo State is uniquely indebted to this special group of donors,” said Susanne P. Bair, vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the Buffalo State College Foundation. “Their support is a testimony to our students and the incomparable power of education to improve lives. We witness their gifts every day.”

Bair joined Linda A. Dobmeier, ’71, chair of the Buffalo State College Foundation, in welcoming the gathering. Interim president Dennis K. Ponton; James Brandys, ’71, ’73, chair of the Buffalo State College Foundation Planned Giving Committee; and Bair also offered remarks. Paul R. Homer, professor emeritus of performing arts, served as pianist for the event.

Twenty-eight new members were inducted into the society this year:

Dr. Ruth T. Auer, ’49
Mrs. Gloria T. Banning*
Mr. and Mrs. William M. E. Clarkson
Dr. Eloise N. Courter*
Dr. Wanda M. Davis
Mrs. Eunice E. Davison, ’50*
Dr. William E. Engelbrecht
Mrs. Maryruth Phelps Glogowski
Dr. D. Bruce Johnstone and Mrs. Gail Johnstone
Mr. Ulysses J. Kontos, ’63, ’68, and Mrs. Melinda M. Kontos, ’88
Ms. Audrey J. Kunz, ’74, ’77, ’91
Mr. Robert W. Laskie, ’63, and Mrs. Gloria M. Laskie, ’67
Mrs. Eunice F. Mason, ’28*
Mr. Russell J. Maxwell
Mr. Gerald C. Mead Jr., ’85, ’86
Ms. Gioia Ottaviano, ’46
Dr. John Ramsey and Dr. Janet Ramsey
Professor Paul L. Thoms
Edgar “Ted” H. Turkle III
Ms. Tsuruyo Yamamoto*
Mrs. Janet B. Zimmerman Zehr, ’73
Dr. Rita M. Zientek, ’90
Miss Clara M. Zink, ’29*

*deceased

To become a member of the Peterson Society, please contact the Buffalo State College Foundation, Cleveland Hall 511, (716) 878-5536. A planned gift of any amount to Buffalo State College is welcome.

The English Department is pleased to announce its annual “Conversations In and Out of the Discipline” series. The following lectures will be held on Fridays at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. All faculty and graduate students are welcome.

October 3
“Minority in Perspective: Lawrence Durrell’s Bitter Lemons and the Cyprus Problem” 
Barish Ali, Visiting Assistant Professor, English

October 23
“Mountains as Spectacle in the Nineteenth Century” 
Ann C. Colley, Professor, English

November 20
“The First War for North America”
Andrew Nicholls, Associate Professor, History and Social Studies Education

Buffalo State College is pleased to welcome author Jerry Griswold to campus on Thursday, October 15, at 12:15 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center South. His talk is free and open to the public.

Griswold is a specialist in American literature and culture and in children’s literature. He is the author of seven books, including the prize-winning Audacious Kids (in paperback, The Classic American Children’s Story), The Meanings of “Beauty and the Beast,” and the recentFeeling Like a Kid. Griswold has also published more than 200 essays in the Paris Review, the Nation, the New Republic, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Reviewand a columnist for Parents’ Choice.

A professor of literature at San Diego State University, Griswold has also been a visiting professor at the University of California Los Angeles, UC San Diego, and (for one hilarious year) the National University of Ireland in Galway. He has won a number of awards, including research fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies, and has lectured all over the world—in Seoul, Salamanca, and São Paolo. He is currently the director of the National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at San Diego State.

Griswold’s visit is sponsored by the School of Arts and Humanities and the English Department.

Ronald S. Rochon, dean of the School of Education and associate vice president for teacher education, traveled to Washington, D.C., on Friday to meet with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and his staff.

Rochon was one of seven representatives from across the country selected to attend the meeting, which was convened to discuss relationships between higher education institutions and K–12 schools, outcomes and challenges facing schools of education, and how to work with the U.S. Department of Education to improve training for teacher educators.

The encounter with Duncan was a “humbling” experience, Rochon said. “I left the meeting feeling extremely optimistic about the future of education. It was exciting to hear [Duncan] talk about the importance of what schools of education are doing.”

Rochon, chair-elect of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and program chair for the American Educational Research Association (AERA), is now working to book Duncan as a keynote speaker for upcoming association events. He also hopes Duncan and his staff will travel to Buffalo sometime soon.

“I felt honored to sit next to Secretary Duncan and talk about our profession and Buffalo State College’s programs,” Rochon said. “It bodes well for us to have him thinking about our college.”