A minor long requested by students is now officially part of Buffalo State’s academic curriculum. The international relations minor, housed in the Political Science Department, focuses on the interactions and interconnectedness of nation-states and has applications for a variety of careers.

The 18-credit-hour minor comprises three required courses—International Relations, American Foreign Policy, and World Regional Geography—and three electives chosen from international relations and comparative politics tracks.

The minor includes the World Regional Geography class, taken through the Geography and Planning Department, to help students understand political, cultural, and economic geography, according to Laurie Buonanno, chair and professor of political science. She hopes the minor will serve as the basis for an eventual bachelor’s degree program that would include a track focusing on sustainable development, which would be unique among SUNY programs focused on international relations.

With the sustainable development focus, students would learn how to work with agencies to create long-term economic and political infrastructures, such as bridges and freshwater systems, supported by effective governance in developing countries.

“Besides diplomacy and conflict resolution, much of international relations is focused on building good governance, which is increasingly connected to the notion of sustainable development,” Buonanno said. “With sustainable development, students can focus on creating systems that are politically feasible, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, yet also intuitive enough to allow people to maintain them on their own.”

Buonanno said that since she joined Buffalo State in 2006, students have regularly asked her if the college planned to offer a minor in international relations. Although it is housed in Political Science, she said, the new minor can complement many majors and has far-reaching practical applications.

“If, for example, you are an evolutionary biologist and need to do fieldwork in Ecuador, you’ll need to know the larger dimensions of working in that country,” Buonanno said. “The minor can help you learn to write grants, work with nongovernmental and international organizations, understand the United Nations Law of the Sea, and gain knowledge in the areas of world trade and protectionism.”

Kyeonghi Baek, assistant professor of political science, is coordinating the minor. She will continue to identify and develop classes to enrich the academic experience. This summer, she plans to develop two courses in international conflict and international cooperation, focusing on conventional and civil wars and well as terrorism and counter-terrorism.

Buonanno said the minor draws on “deep” faculty experience, fits with existing student programs such as Model United Nations and SUNY Model European Union, and will be a great counterpart to Buffalo State’s foreign-language and study-abroad programs.

She also believes it will provide students with valuable career development skills. Buonanno said many businesses, such as banks and manufacturers, need to interact with governmental officials in a variety of countries.

“The international relations minor helps people know the ‘world system’—which is especially helpful in this day of instant communications,” she said. “You have to know other points of view to know our own impact in the world.”

Baek agrees. “International relations is everywhere in our lives,” she said. “It’s important to understand what’s happening around you.”

Buffalo State College will hold its 137th Commencement celebration on Saturday, May 16, in the college Sports Arena. More than 2,500 students will receive their degrees during two baccalaureate ceremonies and one master’s hooding and C.A.S. ceremony. The college will award a SUNY honorary doctor of letters to playwrightMarsha Norman, keynote speaker for both undergraduate ceremonies. Alan November,educational technology consultant, will deliver the commencement address at the 6:00 p.m. master’s hooding and C.A.S. ceremony.

Distinguished Alumnus Awards and President’s Distinguished Service Awards also will be presented during the three ceremonies.

Norman is a Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and co-chair of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at the Juilliard School. A former journalist and screenwriter, Norman has also received Tony and Drama Desk awards, the Oppenheimer Award, the John Gassner Playwriting Medallion, and an American Theatre Critics Association citation. She won the Pulitzer for her gripping drama ’Night, Mother(1983), in which a divorced woman who lives with her widowed mother announces her intention to commit suicide.

A frequent lecturer and essayist, Norman was formerly the vice president of the Dramatists Guild of America and is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. She serves on the boards of Agnes Scott College, her alma mater, and the Writers Guild of America East Foundation.

November, senior partner and founder of November Learning, is an author and international leader in education technology. He was co-founder of the Stanford Institute for Educational Leadership through Technology and was selected as one of the original five national Christa McAuliffe Educators.

November was named one of the nation’s 15 most influential thinkers of the decade by Technology and Learning magazine. He was also listed as one of eight educators to provide leadership into the future by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse in 2001. In 2007 he was selected to speak at the Cisco Public Services Summit during the Nobel Prize festivities in Stockholm.

His areas of expertise include planning across the curriculum, staff development, new school design, community building, and leadership development. November holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University.

The following graduates of the Class of 2009 will be recognized for their academic and extracurricular achievements, leadership, and service:

President’s Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate Student
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence

Jenelle Orosz earned a bachelor of science degree in secondary English education with a GPA of 3.95 while competing on the college’s varsity women’s indoor and outdoor track and field team and serving as its captain for three years. She made Buffalo State history as the first female track and field athlete to become an All-American in 2007, and she made the all-SUNYAC track and field team three times. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, the national honor society for educators; the Buffalo State All College Honors Program; and the National Council of Teachers of English. She presented her work at the 2007 American Educational Studies Association Conference in Cleveland, Ohio.

Huewayne Watson earned a bachelor of arts in history and a minor in African and African American studies with a cumulative GPA of 3.58. He received the outstanding junior award from the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. He also is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, and the Buffalo State All College Honors Program. He has served the college as executive vice president of United Students Government and as a student representative on the President’s Council on Equity and Campus Diversity, the Commencement Committee, and the College Senate Budget and Staff Allocations Committee. He also served as a research intern for the Buffalo Common Council North District Office.

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence

Gertrude Antwi earned a dual bachelor of arts degree with majors in biology (GPA 3.95) and chemistry (GPA 3.86). Her campus involvement includes the Pan African Students Organization, the Chemistry Club, the Buffalo State College Newman Center, and United Students Government. Her awards include the Biology Honors Research Award, the C-STEP Recognition Award for achieving the highest GPA in 2006–2007, and the Greatbatch Enterprises Inorganic/Physical Chemistry Award. She is a member of Phi Lambda Upsilon, the national honor society for chemistry students; Iota Sigma Pi, the national honor society for women in chemistry; the Buffalo State All College Honors Program, and the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program.

Aimee Levesque earned a master of arts in English with a GPA of 3.89. She is interested in eighteenth- and nineteenth- century literature, and she is developing a specialization in the relatively new field of disability theory. Levesque’s efforts as an advocate for special-needs children have been recognized with several awards, including the National PTA Healthy Lifestyles Award, the PTA Advocate in Action Award, and the National PTA Unit Achievement Award. She has presented her work and served as panel chair at several professional conferences, including the 2009 American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies conference in Richmond, Virginia, and she helped found Buffalo State’s English Club and Sigma Tau Delta.

Lai Sze Wan earned a bachelor of science in forensic chemistry with a cumulative GPA of 3.92. She received two Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships and presented at several conferences, including the American Chemical Society Northeast Regional Meeting. She has also coauthored articles that appeared in scientific journals, including the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. A student of Buffalo State’s All College Honors Program, Wan received a number of awards, including the Greatbatch Enterprises Organic Chemistry Award for outstanding performance in organic chemistry and a certificate of recognition for outstanding job performance during her internship at the New York Police Department.

President’s Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence

Diego Uribe Larach earned a master of science degree in creative studies with a GPA of 4.0. Uribe Larach captured the attention of Tufts University’s Visual Understanding Environment’s software team for his design of classroom and meeting space within the virtual world Second Life. He has been invited to contribute a related article to a special issue ofCreativity and Innovation Management, a European refereed journal. Uribe Larach also served as a creativity and innovation trainer and consultant to clients that include Xerox, IBM, and Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile.

Buffalo State College Council Medal

Dominique Gabriel served as the Buffalo State College Council’s 2008–2009 student representative. Her campus leadership roles also include treasurer and president of United Students Government (USG), treasurer of the Caribbean Students Organization, and service on a number of campuswide committees. She graduates with a bachelor of arts in political science and a minor in public administration.

Buffalo State began participating in GEAR UP, a federally funded grant program designed to increase the number of economically disadvantaged middle and high school students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education, in 2000. When the federal funding stopped last year, however, the efforts of students and faculty in the career and technical education (CTE) program only strengthened.

GEAR UP—which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs—provides funds to colleges and universities to help middle and high school students with academic mentoring. Buffalo State partnered with D’Youville College to help local schools with career awareness, planning, and mentoring.

Under the guidance of John Popovich, associate professor of educational foundations, CTE students and faculty organized career fairs to help students gain exposure to different types of occupations and think about attending college—preferably Buffalo State. Students and faculty have run more than 200 such fairs in schools throughout Buffalo and its suburbs.

Although GEAR UP funding has ended, the career fairs have become so popular that schools provide contracts to Buffalo State to continue running them. Popovich said they have already had eight this academic year.

The fairs are generally held in the evening. Booths are typically set up in the school’s gymnasium and offer interactive, hands-on activities. Buffalo State students and faculty demonstrate practical skills such as cooking, small-engine repair, building small machines, basic auto care, cosmetology services, and nursing skills. The activities are designed to give middle and high school students a taste of the working world and help guide them on career paths. Popovich estimates that more than 200 students and parents usually attend. Food and music add to the fun and excitement of the event.

“When middle school students go to the fairs, they see more reasons to stay in school,” he said. “The fairs are fun and build camaraderie among the CTE students and faculty. Our students also come back to the schools in the weeks following the fairs for two or three small-group sessions to provide mentoring and to discuss how current studies tie in to future careers.”

About 40 students and five to 10 faculty members participate in each fair. Students can earn course credit through CTE 311, Career Mentoring Internship; CTE 350, School and Community Relationship Field Experience; or CTE 605, Occupational Guidance for Career Exploration.

Popovich said his students gain valuable experience by working in the local schools and by applying New York State learning standards in their demonstrations.

He hopes attendees become inspired to think about career possibilities and work hard in school. Ideally, they will become interested in joining the CTE program at Buffalo State and make a career of teaching technical skills to others.

’Tis the holiday season—a most fitting time of year to be charitable. Buffalo State has been active during the months of November and December in giving back to those who are less fortunate in the community. And there are many opportunities for faculty and staff to still get involved.

The Institutional Advancement unit and the Foundation Accounting Office are sponsoring a local family through the Salvation Army’s Emergency Family Assistance Program. The family will receive an assortment of much-needed household items, clothes, and toys later this month. Anyone who wishes to participate should contactClaire Collier, development associate for Institutional Advancement, at 878-5206. Unwrapped gifts, money, and gift cards may be delivered to Cleveland Hall 312.

The Alumni Affairs Office, College and Community Partnerships Office, and Volunteer and Service-Learning Center teamed up again to help the Friends of Asarese organization. Last year’s clothing “sale” turned into a giveaway this year. The event was held on Saturday, December 6, at the Asarese-Matters Community Center. An estimated 100 families received bags of warm clothes donated primarily by Buffalo State faculty, staff, and alumni.

“People were overly generous this year,” said Michele Graves, partnership associate with the College and Community Partnerships Office. “We were really impressed, especially with it being such a tough economic year.”

Additionally, a collection of toiletry items for members of the Asarese-Matters Community Center is under way. More than 130 bags of items have already been gathered, but more are welcome. Anyone wishing to donate items should stop by the Alumni Affairs Office, the College and Community Partnerships Office, or the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center; all are located on the second and third floors of Cleveland Hall.

United Students Government (USG) organized Poverty Week from November 17 to 22 to benefit the Western New York Food Bank and Vive, a local refugee center. A competition among residence halls yielded more than two large barrels of canned goods and nonperishable items as well as bags of clothes.

A party at the end of the week through WBNY-FM 91.3 called “Rock for Socks/Jam for Cans” charged students an “admission” fee of canned goods or clothing. The Buffalo State student chapter of NYPIRG, the New York Public Interest Research Group, also organized a sleep-out to collect more items and raise awareness of homelessness. Altogether, more than 420 pounds of food was collected for the Western New York Food Bank.

But one event during Poverty Week—a “poverty banquet”—was an especially moving experience, according the Kanasha Kennedy, USG’s administrative vice president for community affairs. More than 65 students attended; each was given a colored card upon arriving.

“Most received purple cards, some received blue cards, and very few received yellow cards,” Kennedy said. “The purples had to sit on newspapers and eat oatmeal, the blues sat on chairs and got themselves pizza, and the yellows were seated at a table and were served a three-course meal. But by the end, students began to share food.”

“This helped students learn how even the most seemingly small actions of the upper class can profoundly affect the lower class, and how easy it can be to work together,” she continued. “Unbeknownst to us, one student who attended was once homeless and decided to share his story at the end of the event. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place after he spoke.”

Employees through CSEA Local 640, most notably those with Campus Services and the Financial Aid Office, supported a food drive for St. Lawrence Parish in Buffalo. Additional items, including food, clothing, and money, are being collected for a second drive. Items may be dropped off during business hours through Friday, December 19, at the Financial Aid Office, Moot Hall 230.

A team of students and faculty from the Exception Education Department participated in a “Polar Plunge” on Saturday, November 22, for the Special Olympics. Led by department chair and associate professor Kevin Miller, the team raised $7,000—more than any other participating team.

The department also contributed to a project organized by the Student Council for Exceptional Children. Together with Kappa Delta Pi (International Honor Society in Education) and Best Buddies, they created 90 holiday baskets for Hopevale. The baskets were individualized according to age and gender and included a card and photo of the volunteers. They will be delivered next week.

The Elementary Education and Reading Department is pooling money to support a high-poverty-school program listed on www.donorschoose.org. Donations to the site help fund items such as books, classroom supplies, and curricula.

Many additional charitable activities have likely taken place in recent weeks or are in progress. Faculty and staff are encouraged to support the ongoing efforts of the college. Happy holidays to all, and thank you for your continued generosity.

The Bridge the Gap Scholarship Fund was initially created to answer an urgent need. That urgency has resurfaced. With a sudden SUNY tuition increase enacted a few weeks ago, students will be paying more next semester to attend college. Some students are close to graduating, but are already on very tight budgets and may not be able to afford to complete their studies. That’s where Bridge the Gap comes in.

Faculty, staff, emeriti, alumni, and friends of the college are encouraged to donate to the fund. According to Kent McGowan, director of financial aid, time is of the essence.

“The sooner there is more money available, the sooner we can let students know there is help,” he said. “It could be the difference between students being able to finish their education or dropping out.”

The Bridge the Gap Scholarship Fund began in May 1995 in response to tuition increases. Since that time, the non-endowed fund has provided more than $162,000 to needy juniors and seniors, and has been especially beneficial for students in times of unforeseen tuition increases.

Donations for Bridge the Gap typically come from faculty and staff during the annual Faculty and Staff Appeal in the spring but are accepted year-round. Donations can be made online, through payroll deduction, or by check or credit card. All contributions made on or before December 31 will be tax deductible for 2008 returns.

Students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average or higher to be eligible for a Bridge the Gap scholarship. For more information or to give, please contact Claire Collier, development associate for Institutional Advancement, at 878-5206 or Pat Ghee, scholarship coordinator for the Financial Aid Office, at 878-4019.

A successful college career depends in large part upon a student’s ability to employ the language of the higher-education community. That language is not simply good writing; it is a particular kind of writing. The College Writing Program has revamped the traditional composition courses to help students develop the necessary skills.

“Nearly all Buffalo State students take at least one of the two courses we teach,” said Michele Ninacs, interim director of the College Writing Program. Those courses, CWP 101 and CWP 102, formerly were taught through the English Department.

“The trend in the field [of college writing] is moving toward teaching students to write for the academy,” explained Ninacs.

Students are placed into either CWP 101 or CWP 102 based primarily on standardized test scores. In CWP 101, students are introduced to what Ninacs called “the vocabulary of academic discourse,” which enables them to write the kind of papers their professors expect.

“It is really a way of enculturating students into the academic community,” she said. “As students learn academic writing, they move from seeing themselves as students to recognizing that they are scholars and partners in their own educations.”

In CWP 102, students learn to conduct research and to develop research papers. Ninacs’s students conduct surveys and interviews through which they learn the process of engaging in academic research as well as the skills involved in writing a paper.

The College Writing Program has about 35 instructors, five of whom are full-time lecturers. In addition to teaching the composition courses, faculty members staff the Writing Help Center in E. H. Butler Library 214. There, students can ask for help with research or writing on a walk-in basis.

Students who score below 400 on the SAT’s language section are assigned to CWP 099, which is taught through Academic Support Programs (ASP).

“We offered six sections of CWP 099 this fall,” said Roswell Park IV, director of ASP. “Many of our students speak English as a second language. We keep the classes small so that we can offer a guided and directed program that meets their needs and prepares them for CWP 101.”

All students must complete two additional writing-intensive courses to graduate. Professors who teach these courses—designated by a W—use writing as a learning tool.

Other programs that help students develop their writing skills include the Educational Opportunity Program and the Student Support Services Program. Students also have access to tutors through the Writing Center in Ketchum Hall, where students who have been trained to serve as tutors help fellow students.

The Academic Skills Center is staffed by professionals who provide tutoring services as well. Tom Renzi, the center’s coordinator of tutorial services, said, “Most of the students who use our services are A and B students. They come because they know that tutoring will help them maintain their grades.”

They were once Buffalo State students. Now they have careers. And many are sharing their most valuable asset with current students—their knowledge.

Some call these benevolent professionals “alumni mentors,” but that is just one way to describe them, said one staff member in the Career Development Center.

“Our alumni are more like ‘people resources’ or career advisers,” said Jessie Lombardo, senior career counselor. “They help students get to know the real day-to-day duties of an occupation—both good and bad. Students gain insights into careers and learn about the skills needed for a job and whether or not the field is competitive.”

Lombardo manages a mentor connection program for students. She said that the mentor database is populated by alumni as well as local and regional employers. But she fears that not enough students are taking advantage of the resource.

“Networking is how people find jobs—especially around here,” she said. “I’m looking to make the program more marketable by visually showing faces with names and including podcasts.”

While the Career Development Center’s program acts as a clearinghouse for a wide spectrum of careers, other academic departments work in concert with them to offer more defined alumni mentoring options.

The Social Work Department, for example, launched ane-mentoring site three years ago. Most mentors are Buffalo State alumni. Faculty members say the tool is working very well.

“It’s good for our students to have dialogues with people in their fields,” said Ronnie Mahler, associate professor. “Students get a good feeling about the college and the social work program when they see alumni being successful and giving back.”

“Students have so many competing demands for their time,” said Deborah Renzi, coordinator of field education, who together with Mahler manages the e-mentoring site. “The site allows us to use our technology in a different way.”

“The site helps students develop close, long-term relationships,” Mahler added. “And for some students the electronic connections are not as intimidating as face-to-face meetings.”

Renzi said the connections help students see pathways to careers and also provide resources for overcoming challenges they may experience during field training.

“I remember one student who was pretty shaken up by a death at a nursing home she was working in,” she said. “The student asked one of her e-mentors how she dealt with it on the job, and received very helpful advice.”

Mahler hopes to eventually create a division of the site where senior-year students can be e-mentors, too. “I think it would benefit juniors to learn about field experiences and agencies ahead of time from seniors, to help them determine if their decision will fit on both a personal and professional level,” she said.

The new television and film arts program, offered through the Communication Department, recently received muchattention for its use of high-profile alumni as mentors. Other departments are also developing similar important industry connections. The Speech-Language Pathology Department, for example, is already in the process of creating a program. Its alumni chapter, created in 2006, is working with a student organization—the Buffalo State College chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association—on a formal alumni mentoring system.

“We expect that Speech-Language Pathology alumni will provide not only one-on-one mentoring but also mentoring by phone and e-mail so that there will always be connections between current students and alumni,” said Constance Dean Qualls, professor and department chair. “Alumni can inform current students about the realities and expectations that they will face when they enter the workforce and also share valuable knowledge such as how to balance home life and work life.”

Other alumni chapters, such as Economics and Finance, Geosciences/Earth Science Education, and Student Personnel Administration, are investigating ways for their members to become mentors to current students. Additionally, the Alumni Affairs Office and the Career Development Center are partnering to provide new online system for alumni to register as career advisers.

Many Buffalo State faculty and staff serve as Social Work Department e-mentors, and Lombardo encourages faculty and staff from other departments to consider adding their names to the Career Development Center’s database and to remind students about the benefits of mentoring.

“It’s never too late for a student to start mentoring,” she said.

For the nearly 100 students and faculty members who are part of Buffalo State’s learning communities, today is a capstone. An evening of presentations and performances will convene members of all four learning communities to share their knowledge and experiences throughout the semester.

Held today in E. H. Butler Library 210 from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m., the fourth annual learning community event will feature group and individual presentations on specific research topics and overall experiences. The event is open to campus, but seating is limited; faculty and staff are asked to contact University College to reserve a place.

Scott Johnson, interim dean of University College, said the presentations have historically been both creative and scholarly. “Many of the presentations are amazingly good,” he said. “The students ask hard questions and put a lot of time and effort in their research.”

Johnson said the presentations also dispel the myth that learning communities are designed to provide remedial help. “The learning community is an incredible opportunity for a first-year student to have an exceptional, academically rigorous experience,” he said.

New Learning Community: Da Capo
Da Capo, the new learning community specifically geared for music majors, will use today’s presentations—part research, part musical performances—as a kind of unveiling.

According to Lisa Hunter, assistant professor of music and coordinator of the music education program, “‘Da Capo’ is a term often seen in musical scores, and it means ‘the beginning.’”

Hunter said Da Capo is designed to help students integrate scholarly and performance aspects of music as early in their career as possible. Today’s presentations will include performances accompanied by a theoretical analysis of the repertoire.

In addition to class work, students and faculty participated in two off-campus experiences: an all-day trip to Cleveland, Ohio, to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and attend a performance of Le nozze di Figero at Opera Cleveland, and a visit to the nearby Ujima Theatre to see In De Beginnin’, a gospel musical about Adam and Eve.

First-year students Brenna McCabe and Adam El-Fawal said the community exceeded their expectations. McCabe, a commuter who described herself as shy before joining Da Capo, said the community gave her confidence and helped her make friends easily. “I’m not the same person I once was—I’m more confident,” she said. El-Fawal added that the teachers made the experience special. “They really knew what they were doing,” he said.

Affirming Careers in Teaching
This year’s learning community for aspiring teachers adopted a new name: “In Teachers We Trust.” And with the new name came new challenges.

Students provided after-school tutoring at School 19, Native American Magnet School, as part of their curriculum. They also visited School 45, the International School, and organized a food drive to benefit school families, according to Kathy Wood, director of the Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education.

“The overwhelming majority of the students feel affirmed in their career choices because of the learning community,” she said. “The students loved the experience, particularly because it helped get them out in the field early in their college journey.”

This community’s presentation topics will include teacher expectations, cultural pedagogy, the overrepresentation of African American males in special education schools, and funding inequalities for urban schools.

Students Find Reasons to Care
Presentation topics from the “And Justice for All” learning community will include immigrant experiences, genocide, voting rights for college students, and media framing.

“Our experiences this semester helped students look at social justice in a new way,” said Amitra Wall, associate professor of sociology. “The issues allowed students to explore why they should care about problems around them.”

The group toured the East and West sides of Buffalo and visited the Colored Musicians Club and Santasiero’s restaurant. Students also provided tutoring and collected baby items for local refugees with the Priscilla Project, part of Jericho Road Ministries. Wall said the experiences helped students to bond with each other and the professors in the community.

“This community is an eye-opener for students,” she said. “It’s a smaller-knit group, so students cannot hide from their work. But they learned to enjoy working together and doing research.”

America Stripped Bare
As Allen Shelton put it, the longtime “Naked America” learning community experienced “Latinization” this semester. The associate professor of sociology said that most students were from the metropolitan New York City region and descended from Latin America and the Caribbean. Tim Ecklund, associate vice president for campus life, agreed.

“Many students signed up for Naked America because they wanted to see the differences of how the country is portrayed to the outside world versus its reality,” he said.

Topics during today’s presentations will include a study of voodoo in Haiti—with ties to Moby-Dick, the music of Bob Dylan, and the construction of femininity (i.e., defining “beauty”).

Naked America faculty organized a miniconference for students in late October called “Uncanny America.” Talks by a historian, artists, musicians, a documentary filmmaker, and Pulitzer Prize–nominee Charles McNair reinforced students’ classroom learning. Naked America will continue for another semester.

An Empowering Experience
Learning community faculty members share a unique teaching experience. “You can do things in a learning community that just aren’t possible in a stand-alone course,” Shelton said.

Ecklund said that faculty members feel invested in their core group of students (normally around 25) and develop close relationships. “The environment allows participants to get to know one another on an intellectual basis,” he said. “And more importantly, first-year students feel an incredible sense of empowerment.”

Hunter is glad that the learning communities unite faculty from various disciplines to help students achieve success. And although the experience culminates today, she says it’s only the beginning for students.

“We’ll see the best results in the future,” she said. “We’ve planted seeds for what it takes to be successful here and in their careers.”

Jerry Boyes returns to the sidelines as head football coach effective immediately while maintaining his current role as intercollegiate athletics director, which he assumed eight years ago. Boyes replaces Paul Shaffner who was relieved of his head football coaching duties this week. Shaffner will continue his role with the athletic department’s external affairs division.

Upon coming to Buffalo State in 1986, Boyes inherited a football program that was entering its sixth season of varsity competition. He transformed the Bengals into one of the premier Division III football programs in the Northeast. In 14 seasons at the helm, he compiled an 89-62 overall record (.589 winning percentage) and qualified for the NCAA postseason in seven seasons. In addition to being a three-time Eastern College Athletic Conference Upstate Coach of the Year, Boyes claimed CNN Division III Coach of the Year honors in 1995. He also recruited and mentored 12 All-Americans and four Academic All-Americans during his illustrious coaching career.

“Jerry’s football résumé speaks for itself, and we are excited that he will again pursue his passion for coaching,” said Hal Payne, vice president for student affairs. “In turning to Coach Boyes, we seek to build on Paul’s work and improve our record on the field.”

Shaffner amassed a record of 13-36 in five seasons since assuming control of the program in 2004, including a 1-9 record in 2008.

“Coach Shaffner has accomplished a great deal in his career at Buffalo State College,” Boyes said. “I have witnessed a positive change in the approach and attitude in both players and coaches involved with the football program. The team has begun to exhibit the discipline and unity necessary to achieve success.”

For more than 15 years, the Theater Department’s “Thursday Series” has functioned as a veritable testing ground for aspiring actors, directors, designers, and producers. This semester, the long-standing tradition is experiencing a resurgence. And the best-kept secret is that Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend performances—for free.

Every Thursday during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.), the Flexible Theatre is filled with the sights and sounds of one-act plays, dance performances, monologues, and improvisational acting. According to Ivan Rodriguez, a lecturer in the Theater Department and coordinator of the Thursday Series, each performance is an opportunity for students to put into practice what they learn in the classroom.

“Acting is doing,” he said. “You have to do in order to grow.”

Rodriguez also knows firsthand about the significance of the Thursday Series. He and other faculty members have presented performances for the series. In October, Rodriguez directed The Former One-on-One Basketball Champion, written by Israel Horovitz. He worked with Fajri Ansari, head men’s basketball coach for Buffalo State, and Glenroy Carr Jr., a Buffalo State basketball player, to mimic realistic-looking basketball shots on stage, and also collaborated with students for costume design and production.

The Flexible Theatre, located in the Donald Savage Theater and Communication Building, offers performers the ability to easily adjust seating, lighting, and stage design. Interested participants sign up for a time slot in front of the nearby Casting Hall Office and are in charge of their own production costs and props, but are encouraged to work closely with Theater Department faculty for additional help.

James Steiner, a junior-year theater major and production manager of Casting Hall Productions, recently directed Happy Suicides, which was written by fellow theater major and senior-year student Melanie Derblich. Inspired by the life and times of playwright Sabrina B. Emil, the play tells the story of a girl who contemplates the experience of death and its purpose in the world.

“Upon reading the play, it seemed that the message it was telling about suicide needed to be seen on stage in front of an audience,” Steiner said.

In addition to a number of Buffalo State students who worked behind the scenes on Happy Suicides, six others acted on stage. Steiner found the process of executing the play to be extremely beneficial.

“Taking part in the Thursday Series helps students build character and boosts their confidence,” he said. “Another great benefit is that professors come to see the shows and give advice where needed. That not only helps improve future performances but also helps the directors find cast and crew for shows [during the academic year].”

“The Thursday Series allows students to be the directors and collaborate with their peers,” said Derblich. “James and the cast embraced my idea and did so much more with it than I ever would have dreamed. That is what I love about the Thursday Series.”

Drew Kahn, chair and professor of the Theater Department, sees an increase in professionalism, preparation, and creativity involved in the productions. He said the Thursday Series gives students an additional opportunity to test their skills without the restrictions associated with other department projects.

“The Thursday Series has evolved based on the needs and demands of the student generations it serves as well as the entertainment industry’s needs and demands,” Kahn said. “It is a ‘gymnasium’ for young theater artists, where they can write, produce, direct, design, act, and create whatever they would like for a public audience. It is an immediate application opportunity for all they are learning in classes and rehearsals.”

Rodriguez hopes that with continued interest and success, the Thursday Series can expand to Tuesdays as well. He welcomes all students, faculty, and staff to come to shows and see what Theater Department faculty and students are up to.

“This is a great way for students to use the Flexible Theatre,” said Rodriguez, “and the seats aren’t very empty these days.”