The right time, the right message, the right way. That’s the mantra that Robert Mead-Colegrove, director of orientation, has been repeating since preparations began for the revamped first-year-student orientation.

Taking a page from the University of Chicago and some ivy-league colleges, Buffalo State will hold a singleorientation session next week for all first-year students. Although students living on campus will move in earlier, the first formal event will be First-Year Convocation on Wednesday, August 26, at 9:00 a.m. in the Sports Arena.

“The idea is to give students a book-ends experience,” said Timothy Ecklund, associate vice president for campus life. “Students will start their education at Buffalo State in the same place where they will complete it during commencement ceremonies.”

Orientation’s new strategy is intended to provide students with necessary information when they need it: at the start of their college career. Because faculty members are crucial to getting the message across, academic departments have been invited to take part.

“We have some very exciting activities taking place,” said Mead-Colegrove.

For example, the Biology Department has designed a scavenger hunt for its first-year students. “We’re sending them to departmental facilities such as the greenhouse and the herbarium,” said Gregory Wadsworth, chair and associate professor. “The idea is to acquaint them with the building; plus, at each location, we will give them useful information, such as their advisers’ names.”

In the afternoon, students will choose from several workshops, each customized for a particular concentration within the major. “Students interested in biotechnology will be able to isolate their own DNA,” said Wadsworth. “Other students will conduct sampling at the Great Lakes Center field station or go to Tifft Farm Nature Preserve.”

At Tifft Farm, students will work in teams to identify specified plants, animals, and ecological phenomena. “The point is that, as they study biology, they will begin to see the world in a new way,” said Daniel Potts, assistant professor.

“Every phase of orientation has been designed with intentionality and purpose,” said Mead-Colegrove. “We want to help students make a successful transition from high school to college academically, emotionally, and socially.” Ecklund explained that holding orientation right before the start of classes will help students connect more strongly to the campus, another aid to academic success.

The Communication Department hopes to deepen that emotional tie by explaining its four available majors to a relatively large group of about 120 students. In the morning, faculty members will clarify the focus of each major; the afternoon activities will give students a chance to do something related to their majors: interview upperclassmen, write a lead, or handle television equipment.

“We want each student to think, ‘I’m looking forward to this,’” said Ron Smith, professor and department chair. Smith will talk to parents about issues such as careers, scholarships, retention, and how the department interacts with parents.

In Campus House, students and their parents will enjoy a taste of the Hospitality and Tourism Department—literally.

“Right after convocation, our new students and their parents will come to Campus House,” said Rebecca Dowsey, lecturer and interim department chair. “A grad will give them a cooking demonstration, and everyone will have a taste.” In the afternoon, students who are active in department-related student organizations will show new students how getting involved is an easy way to make new friends and open up opportunities to attend academic conferences.

One of the college’s most popular majors, elementary education, will use a passport theme to introduce students to the department. With the help of current students, recent graduates, and members of student professional organizations such as the Association of Childhood Education International, first-year students and their parents will divide into 10 groups. Each group will spend 15 minutes at five different stations, each one corresponding to concentrations in the major.

“For example, the English language arts station may involve students in a reader’s theater,” said Leslie Day, a lecturer who is helping to coordinate the event.

In the afternoon, students will attend three sessions introducing them to the advisement process; different academic options such as tutoring, service learning, and student organizations; and the computer lab. “We want to make sure students can access Banner, Degree Navigator, and e-mail,” said Day. “At the conclusion, we want students to feel good about choosing Buffalo State.”

Mead-Colegrove and Ecklund have already proposed a presentation about the new approach to orientation to the National Orientation Directors Association. “The campus collaboration has been phenomenal,” said Mead-Colegrove. “We are looking forward to providing our first-year students with the tools they need to persevere and graduate.”

A new college publication, Making a Difference: The Economic and Cultural Impact of Buffalo State, is available for viewing online. Nearly one year in the making, the publication is based on economic-impact figures as well as examples of the college’s social and cultural influence on the community at large. The publication is intended to reinforce why Buffalo State is worthy of investment to several key audiences—business, community, and government leaders.

Theodore Byrley, chair and associate professor; William Ganley, professor; and Tae-Hee Jo, assistant professor, Economics and Finance, conducted the Economic Impact Study for Buffalo State College in March 2009, which informs this report. Results were obtained using economic multipliers from IMPLAN and RIMMS II models.

Key findings include:

• The total annual economic impact of Buffalo State College on Western New York in 2008 was $772 million.
• Because a large percentage of our graduates remain in Western New York, Buffalo State is a major contributor to the economic and social fabric of this region.
• Many programs the college offers dovetail with occupations that will experience faster-than-average growth rates through 2016.
• As of 2008, more than 1,000 Buffalo State students had performed 23,000 hours of volunteer service, and service learning had been integrated into 64 courses.
• As home to the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College, and with the largest, most comprehensive visual arts program in SUNY, the college attracts thousands of visitors, artists, and scholars to the region each year.
• Buffalo State is deeply involved in preserving Western New York’s rich heritage.

Ann R. Brown, assistant vice president for college relations and lead author for the project, examined similar publications from more than 20 institutions of higher education to help shape Buffalo State’s impact study.

“Many institutions focus only on hard numbers when they perform impact studies, focusing on job creation and revenue,” she said. “To accurately tell Buffalo State’s story, we went further. We felt it was important to also talk about our contributions to Western New York culture, historical preservation, and our extensive community partnerships.”

Making a Difference was created in house by the College Relations Office, with the assistance of many campus constituents. The publication was distributed to key community and government leaders in August.

Buffalo State’s undergraduate foreign language education programs in French and Spanish recently received the designation of “nationally recognized” by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The programs are the first in the Buffalo area to receive the recognition.

The achievement raises the value of the degree for students, said Mark Warford, associate professor of modern and classical languages and coordinator of the department’s education programs.

“Attending a nationally recognized program means being subjected to rigorous standards for language proficiency and pedagogy,” he said. “For the institution, there are high expectations for candidates to demonstrate teaching practices that reflect the latest research and standards.”

The “nationally recognized” designation for foreign language education programs began in 2002, and about 85 institutions nationwide have received the honor. NCATE requires the fulfillment of six teaching standards in areas such as linguistics, culture, theory, and professionalism.

“Students must now pass an oral proficiency exam with an interviewer from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages,” Warford said. “There is also greater emphasis on integrating literature and civilization into language teaching. In the end, this creates a much broader portfolio for students.”

Buffalo State’s programs will maintain the recognition for the next five to seven years. Warford hopes the designation will help Buffalo State become a destination for aspiring foreign language educators.

“This is a high-need profession, and we want to improve the number and quality of teacher candidates in Western New York,” he said. “The NCATE recognition will challenge students and faculty to do great things in the classroom. This is a distinctive honor that is good for our campus and for foreign language teaching in the region.”

Buffalo State added a new graduate-level advanced certificate in public management in July. The interdisciplinary program is designed to provide skills for administrative and leadership positions in government and not-for-profit sectors and is the first of its kind in the Buffalo area.

Graduate students must complete 15 credit hours to earn the certificate. Three courses are required: PSC 500: Public Administration; ECO 650: Public Finance; and EDF/BUS/PSY 715: Management Practices and Techniques. The other two courses may be chosen from a list of electives that includes topics such as leadership, human resources, creative problem solving, communication, and economics.

The new program provides a service and fills a community need, said Kevin Railey, interim provost.

“Many people in government in Western New York don’t have this background,” he said. “It makes sense for Buffalo State to offer this applied program. It’s another way for us to help the region and partner with the community.”

The certificate program will be housed in the Political Science Department under the direction of professor Keith Henderson. He and Laurie Buonanno, department chair and professor, worked together during the past few years to develop the curriculum from existing classes across several academic departments.

According to Henderson, students with the certificate will find it useful for management careers in the fields of public relations, human services, finance and accounting, not-for-profit organizations, and government departments at the city, county, state, and federal levels. He said Buffalo State’s program will focus on Western New York issues and that the nearest institution with a degree program is SUNY Brockport.

“This region is one of the few urban areas in the country not served by a master’s or certificate program in public management,” Henderson said. “It’s working elsewhere and has value.”

Henderson is confident that the program will draw new graduate students as well as graduating students at Buffalo State who are enrolled in a similar public administration minor. He believes the timing is right to offer the certificate.

“We’re in a changing political climate,” he said. “With the increasing federal oversight of industries and new positions created by bureaucracy, the government needs people with skills who can help get the work done. The advanced certificate gives students the skills to function effectively as administrators and managers.”

Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, ’83, has offered his support of the program. The city developed a memorandum of understanding with Buffalo State to enroll city workers in classes and subsidize tuition. Currently, three city officials are taking classes. Henderson taught a section of PSC 500 last fall in the mayor’s conference room at City Hall.

Railey hopes the advanced certificate will serve as the basis for a new master’s program in public administration. Lawrence Flood, professor of political science and former dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences, recently spent part of a sabbatical developing the groundwork for such a program, which would require a few new course offerings and professors. The Political Science Department hopes to submit a proposal for the master’s degree to the College Senate by the end of 2009.

Buffalo State’s $8.2 million renovation of the Student Union Quad will provide improved amenities—both above and below the surface—for students, faculty, and staff.

While the campus community will be drawn to the additional green space and expanded outdoor seating upon completion in late fall 2010, the rehabilitation project also focuses on the critical maintenance of power lines from nearly 10 different utility systems located underneath the quad.

“The need for this project had been lingering for a few years now,” said Steven Shaffer, design and construction manager with Facilities Planning. “In addition to the deteriorating pavement, we had been having multiple utility interruptions in recent years. We knew we wouldn’t want to replace the pavement without replacing all of the utilities underneath.”

Virtually all campus utilities are found underneath the quad’s surface, including high- and low-voltage electrical lines, telephone, security, fire, storm sewer, sanitary sewer, and steam lines.

“The utilities are very old; some are older than the four buildings surrounding the quad,” Shaffer said.

During initial excavations, contractors also discovered the bed from a roadway that used to cross campus prior to the construction of Cleveland Hall and Bulger Communication Center, Shaffer said.

Another significant element to the current project is the creation of a new storm-water retention and filtration pond adjacent to Lot Y, in accordance with state Department of Environmental Conservation guidelines.

“Environmental guidelines state that whenever we disturb one acre of land, we have to treat the storm water associated with the project before it is discharged into an existing waterway,” Shaffer said. “All of the storm water from the quad will be routed to the pond to be treated before being discharged into Scajaquada Creek.”

While the infrastructure improvements will be obscured upon the quad’s completion, the additional amenities will not. A new outdoor café at the northwest corner of the quad highlights the project, which will also feature contemporary walking paths and enhanced illumination in addition to the added green space and outdoor seating. The new café will be connected to the recently renovatedStudent Union Retail Dining Center.

Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to visit theconstruction Web site for updates and advisories about this and other campus construction projects. Questions about campus construction may be e-mailed toVPFM@buffalostate.edu.

Buffalo State has received continued funding from the U.S. Department of Education for its Upward Bound program, a federally funded project that offers intensive need-based collegiate preparation to high school students. Dozens of students are now in the midst of a six-week summer program.

This year’s students will be at Buffalo State through August 13, living in Tower 1 Sunday through Friday nights. The program, which serves high school students from low-income families and from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree, is designed to increase the rates at which students complete high school and enroll in and graduate from college.

“The students learn pretty quickly that the program means business, and that this isn’t like a typical summer camp,” said Don Patterson, director of Upward Bound at Buffalo State. “But they quickly form close friendships. And most realize that if they stay committed, they can go on to college and do great things. That’s the goal.”

Buffalo State is one of a few colleges locally and one of hundreds nationally to offer Upward Bound. The U.S. Department of Education has cited Buffalo State’s chapter among the top 10 percent in the nation for results. Patterson said the college enrollment rate for program participants exceeded 90 percent last year.

The college chapter began in 1986 and today primarily serves low-income, first-generation-college students from East, Lafayette, and McKinley high schools.

A typical day for an Upward Bound student begins at 6:00 a.m. and entails six one-hour classes, recreation time, meals, creative classes such as art and music in the evening, study time, and about 90 minutes of supervised free time. No television, cell phones, or video games are allowed.

Patterson works with a dedicated staff of three throughout the year but hires about 30 people to help with the summer program. Some are Buffalo Public Schools teachers; others are Buffalo State undergraduate students who serve as teacher’s aides, tutors, and resident assistants.

Participants take classes in English, math, science, and Spanish. Patterson said the overall experience is much like college.

“The students have to travel from building to building on campus to get to their classes,” he said. “And they’re ultimately accountable for themselves. If they act up or don’t do their work, they don’t stay. Upward Bound is a serious commitment.”

And that commitment stretches well beyond the summer. During the school year, students meet with Upward Bound staff members up to four times a week after school for tutoring and every other Saturday for a special training program. Juniors and seniors receive help with SAT and college admission preparation as well as financial-aid planning. They also partake in a group road trip in the spring to tour colleges. Patterson said the Upward Bound program cannot recruit students to Buffalo State, but many do apply.

Patterson credits the Academic and Students Affairs Office for the program’s continued success for the past 23 years. He specifically thanks Hal Payne, vice president for student affairs, and Charles Kenyon, dean of students, who helped write a grant in 2007 that secured more than $2 million in federal funding through 2012. The funding allows Upward Bound at Buffalo State to serve about 80 students each year.

Patterson encourages faculty and staff to consider teaching a summer course. He also has students occasionally observe college courses and would like to increase those opportunities in the future.

“We see the potential in teenagers,” Patterson said. “With a little bit of guidance, they can go far.”

Maureen A. Lindstrom, associate director for information commons at E. H. Butler Library, has been awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Librarianship.

Lindstrom’s career at Buffalo State began in 1986 when she was hired as an entry-level clerk at the library. She earned her master in library science degree in 1995, and in 1996 became the first distance-learning librarian at the college, traveling around New York State to provide library instruction to students participating in distance learning. In 1999, she became electronic services librarian, a role in which she worked to ensure proper technical support for the library’s electronic resources, participated in library management, and planned activities for various digital initiatives.

In 2002, Lindstrom was appointed head of access services, overseeing operations in the circulation department, media services, and microforms. She introduced the concept of an information commons to campus, and guided it to successful implementation. As a result, students have a single centralized location to obtain assistance in using the library, resolving computing issues, learning software, and borrowing digital equipment including laptops and digital cameras.

During her career as an administrator, Lindstrom has continued to serve as part of the team of reference librarians and to teach course-related library instruction to students. She has also served on many significant college committees, including the College Planning Council, the Campus Safety Forum, the College Judicial Board, and several committees of the College Senate. She is also active in the State University of New York Librarians Association and the Western New York Library Resources Council.

Service to students, faculty members, and the entire Buffalo State community has characterized Lindstrom’s career. She has shared her knowledge and her passion for her work through extensive presentations and publications. Maryruth Glogowski, associate vice president for library and instructional technology, said of Lindstrom, “No one on campus has a stronger desire to collaborate to provide excellent services for our students.”

The award will be formally presented to Lindstrom during the college’s Academic Convocation ceremony on September 17 in Rockwell Hall Auditorium.

The stars will align for a great night of entertainment at the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall on Saturday, July 25, when acclaimed singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert performs a benefit concert for Buffalo State’s Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium.

The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available by calling (716) 574-0293.

Highly regarded for his literate blend of folk, soul, and jazz, Gilbert has shared the stage with a variety of performers, including Grammy Award–winning musician Shawn Colvin and comedian George Carlin.

While his original material is certainly not limited to astronomical anthems, Gilbert’s plaintive tribute to the former ninth planet from the sun, “Goodbye Pluto”—a track from his latest recording, Up on Rockfield—is quite stellar.

Proceeds from Gilbert’s performance will benefit the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium, Buffalo’s only planetarium. This on-campus facility provides students and visitors with viewings of stars, constellations, nebulae, galaxies, planets, and more, all on one 24-foot-diameter dome.

Located in the Science Building, the 70-seat planetarium regularly offers seasonal shows open to the campus community and the general public. The planetarium’s “Midsummer Marvels,” a live tour of the summer night sky, can be seen on Fridays and Saturdays through September 5.

Empower Youth Entrepreneurs (EYE), a business literacy, marketing, and leadership training program for high school youth, has helped facilitate this event. EYE students produced promotional packets for the concert with guidance from the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and EYE’s founder and director, Kathy Gielow. Gilbert will review the students’ work before the concert.

Buffalo State faculty and staff provided an unforgettable study tour of Western New York for a group of 40 French-speaking Belgian, Swiss, and French nationals July 2–9 through the Buffalo-Lille Association, part of Sister Cities International.

Jean F. Gounard, director of international student affairs, was the central organizer of activities for the delegation from the region surrounding Lille, France, one of Buffalo’s seven Sister Cities. The group—which included business owners, physicians, teachers, architects, painters, and the deputy mayor of Mouscron, Belgium—aimed to build international partnerships and develop exchange programs.

The visit was the sixth time a delegation from Europe visited Western New York since the Buffalo-Lille Association formed in 1989. Members began each day at Buffalo State College before departing for sites throughout Western New York. They exchanged gifts with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, met with Erie County Executive Chris Collins, spent a day in Niagara Falls, and toured leading businesses, cultural organizations, medical centers, and educational institutions.

According to Gounard, who also serves as president of the Buffalo-Lille Association, the visit created significant connections between the local and international communities. “Buffalo State was at the center of a community-oriented program that benefited all of Western New York,” he said. “It was much more than a tourist trip. We included professional tracks for business, educations, arts, and health.”

Clifford Bell, senior business adviser with the Small Business Development Center, organized the business track. About a dozen tour group members visited General Mills, CertainTeed Corporation, New Era Cap Company, Sorrento Lactalis, Rich Products, Calspan Corporation, Delaco Steel, and HealthNow New York on July 7 and 8.

“I’ve wanted to tour many of these companies myself for years,” Bell said. “The group was able to see some of the very best Western New York has to offer, and they’re certainly going to have something to talk about back at home.” Bell also organized a soul food dinner and jazz music for the delegation on July 6.

Daniel Cunningham, associate professor of mathematics, Marianne Foley, associate librarian with E. H. Butler Library, Richard Herdlein, associate professor of student personnel administration, and Joanne Merlino, secretary 2 in the Academic and Student Affairs Office, were among 13 area host families for the delegation.

“I was part of the American delegation to Mouscron last year, and I returned the favor to the family I stayed with,” Merlino said. “For Buffalo State, this tour was a great opportunity to show our European friends an urban campus that is surrounded by great things.”

Herdlein, who was also part of last year’s delegation, organized a farewell party at his house on July 8. “Two of my graduate students also went to Belgium last summer,” he said. “They now have European connections and a very unique experience to add to their résumés.”

Merlino hopes more faculty and staff will participate in the next trip to the Lille region and will consider becoming host families as well. “It’s such a great experience,” she said. “I’m going to have these friends for the rest of my life.”

Newly appointed State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher will visit Buffalo State College on June 22 and 23 as part of her statewide tour of the university system this summer. The tour, which includes visits to all 64 SUNY campuses, will allow Zimpher to meet with campus leaders, hear various concerns, and learn the strengths and challenges of each institution.

The briefings are the first step in developing a comprehensive SUNY Strategic Plan for the next five to 10 years. Meetings in Albany this fall will help craft the plan, which is expected to be completed by spring 2010.

“There is method to our madness,” Zimpher said. “We want to declare this the first phase in a comprehensive plan.” She also stressed the importance of collaboration, saying she is a “strong believer that vision is derived at the hands of many.”

The chancellor’s visit to Buffalo State begins with a perimeter tour of the campus followed by a day of meetings with the president, provost, vice presidents, faculty, staff, students, union leaders, and the College Council. An evening reception on June 23, cohosted with the University at Buffalo, will introduce Zimpher to foundation board members, elected officials, community leaders, alumni, and donors.

Throughout the tour, Zimpher will be accompanied by her husband, Kenneth R. Howey, research professor at SUNY Albany and visiting fellow with the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. Howey is a nationally recognized expert and researcher in the field of teacher preparation, particularly in urban settings. Buffalo State’s School of Education dean and faculty members will host separate meetings for Howey.

Zimpher became the 12th chancellor of SUNY, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive system of public higher education, on June 1. She is the first woman in the 60-year history of the system to be named to the post. She comes to the position after a six-year tenure as president of the University of Cincinnati (UC), where she served as the institution’s first female president.

Under her leadership, UC embarked on a comprehensive process that involved a wide spectrum of the university’s stakeholders and resulted in the strategic vision “UC|21: Defining the New Urban Research University.” The university has also experienced enrollment growth to more than 37,000 students, increased retention and graduation rates, improved student satisfaction, and enhanced national rankings—including the Princeton Review’s 2009 best colleges list.

Zimpher holds a bachelor’s degree in English education and speech, a master’s degree in English literature, and a Ph.D. in teacher education and higher education administration, all from the Ohio State University.

For ongoing updates about the chancellor’s 64-campus tour, visit the SUNY Web site.