Buffalo State College will host “Thought to Action: Engaging College, Community, and Students through Service-Learning Partnerships,” a service-learning conference on local, regional, national, and international service-learning partnerships, on October 24–25. Sponsored by Buffalo State, the New York Campus Compact, and the Western New York Service-Learning Coalition, the conference will offer presentations, workshops, and panel discussions for community partners, faculty, and service-learning administrators.

Edward Zlotkowski will deliver the conference keynote on Friday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Rockwell Hall. A renowned expert in the field of service-learning, Zlotkowski is a professor of English at Bentley College who in 1990 founded the Bentley Service-Learning Center, an institution-wide program that has involved all of Bentley’s undergraduate academic departments, more than a quarter of its full-time faculty, and several thousand students.

Zlotkowski writes and speaks extensively on a wide range of service-learning and engagement-related topics, and has served as general editor of the American Association for Higher Education’s 21-volume series on service learning in the academic disciplines. He has also served as editor of Successful Service-Learning Programs,Service-Learning and the First-Year Experience, and other publications.

The conference keynote is free and open to all. Students are encouraged to attend. A full listing of conference workshops and registration information can be found on the conference Web site.

Although earning a degree and finding a job are the end goals of higher education, most students and faculty agree that college means much more. Those who study students’ involvement with activities both in and outside of the classroom know engagement is the best single predictor of learning and personal development.

Enhancing student engagement will be one of the key components of the 2009–2013 Strategic Plan, said Provost Dennis Ponton.

“It’s a continual challenge for all faculty and staff to get students more involved in their education,” Ponton said. “Whether it’s creating a hands-on classroom environment or encouraging students to participate in co-curricular activities outside the classroom, there are so many ways we can complement the learning from class sessions and lectures. It’s a must to maximize student learning. An engaged student is a happy student, and more likely to be a student who graduates.”

Assessment on Many Levels
The National Survey of Student Engagement, or NSSE, is considered the gold standard for measuring student engagement and success. It has been administered at more than 1,200 universities in the United States and Canada since 2000. President Muriel Howard serves on the national advisory board for the organization, and most SUNY schools participate in the survey. But the NSSE is just the beginning. Buffalo State utilizes many other assessment tools to measure performance and better understand student needs.

Two components of the NSSE—FSSE (Faculty Survey of Student Engagement) and CLASSE (in-class NSSE)—assess faculty perceptions of student engagement and classroom interactions, respectively. CLASSE, aScholarship of Teaching and Learning pilot program, measures first-year student perceptions of a class during its first and 10th weeks.

Rosalyn Lindner, associate vice president for curriculum and assessment, said CLASSE is helpful for faculty development. “This assessment has meaning,” she said. “It helps faculty and students determine what aspects of the class are important and then shows if students are getting what they expected.”

The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) survey is administered to all entering first-year students during student orientation and helps track trends in demographics, behaviors, and attitudes. It has been administered every three years since 1983.

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), first administered on campus in 2006–2007, measures the critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and writing skills of first- and senior-year students and then compares results with incoming SAT scores to measure institutional “gains.”

Assessment Results
The 2008 NSSE results compare Buffalo State with three pools of colleges: urban universities, SUNY colleges, and peer institutions. Buffalo State outperformed most of the pools’ averages for two of the five overarching categories: student-faculty interaction and enriching educational experiences. However, it underperformed all pools for level of academic challenge and most pools for supportive campus environment. The college was on par for active and collaborative learning.

Students performed better than their peers in areas such as conducting community-based projects as part of a regular course, engaging in internships and field experiences, and believing that their institution encourages diversity. But students underperformed in areas such as reading more than 10 assigned books or book-length readings, working with other students on projects, and asking questions in class.

During spring 2008, the Dean of Students Office conducted the Student Stakeholder Assessment Project, holding a series of nine focus group sessions and meeting with 194 students overall. The session included a standard survey that mirrored the NSSE but also provided a portion for qualitative answers. Each focus group also had the opportunity to collectively discuss areas that were and were not working well to support student success.

Students viewed relationships with faculty and staff, support services, and safety as the campus’s strongest areas. Areas of high concern included faculty and staff accountability to students (e.g., consistency in grading and teaching styles, responsiveness by staff), out-of-pocket costs of attending college, and parking. Charles Kenyon, dean of students, said Student Affairs will be reviewing the results line by line and will work across campus offices to help improve areas.

Putting Data into Context
Lindner knows that by participating in these surveys, Buffalo State may appear to be exposing its weaknesses. But, she said, the data needs to be put into context.

“Buffalo State has a high percentage of commuters, first-generation students, and those who are working full-time jobs while attending school,” she said.

Lindner believes that despite areas of needed improvement, Buffalo State is moving in the right direction. She said the application of knowledge is critical for student success, and positive survey results in areas such as service learning and internships reflect the college’s drive for integrating inquiry and action.

Buffalo State, as part of the strategic planning process, will consider an institutional goal of achieving a minimum ranking among the top 50 percent of all NSSE institutions for all benchmarks of engagement. It would be a worthy initiative, as assessment tools show that students are leaving Buffalo State in much better shape than they arrive. According to the Collegiate Learning Assessment, which compares results with a national sample of 115 four-year institutions, Buffalo State performed better than nearly 70 percent of four-year institutions, and students fared better than predetermined “expected” scores.

“This shows that we take solid students who can thrive here,” Lindner said.

United Students Government is proud to present Cornel West, one of America’s most provocative public intellectuals, on Thursday, November 6, at 7:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall.

A champion of racial justice since childhood, West uses his writing, speaking, and teaching to weave together the traditions of the black Baptist Church, progressive politics, and jazz. The New York Times has praised his “ferocious moral vision.”

West burst onto the national scene in 1993 with his best-selling book Race Matters, a searing analysis of racism in American democracy. Race Matters has become a contemporary classic, selling more than a half-million copies to date. In addition, he has published 18 other books and has edited 13 texts.

Currently the Class of 1943 Professor at Princeton University, West earned two bachelor’s degrees from Harvard in three years, magna cum laude. Martin Kilson, one of his professors, described West as “the most intellectually aggressive and highly cerebral student I have taught.” After earning his Ph.D. at Princeton, he became a professor of religion and director of the Afro-American Studies program there. West has also taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris.

In his last book, Democracy Matters, West analyzes the arrested development of democracy both in America and in the crisis-ridden Middle East. He argues that if America is to become a better steward of democratization around the world, it must first recognize its own long history of imperialist corruption. His latest CD, Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations, is a collection of socially conscience music featuring collaborations with Prince, Outkast, Jill Scott, and Talib Kweli. West also offers weekly commentary on The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI.

West was an influential force in developing the storyline for the popular Matrix movie trilogy and has served as its official spokesperson, as well as playing a recurring role in the final two films.

Tickets are on sale now for Buffalo State students only ($5). Tickets may be purchased in person at the Rockwell Hall box office with valid student ID and are limited to two per person.

Any remaining tickets will go on sale to faculty, staff, and the general public on Thursday, October 23, for $20 each. Contact the Rockwell Hall Box Office, 878-3005, for more information.

Attaining world peace remains a stubbornly elusive goal, but its supporters persevere. Peace Week, which takes place October 20 to 25, includes the seventh annual Peace Conference, exploring the theme “Community, Diversity, and Peace: Integrating Inquiry and Action.”

The conference will be held on October 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Many dignitaries will speak at the conference, including Abraham Awolich. Awolich is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who fled from his home and family and spent 12 years in refugee camps before being resettled in the United States. He is co-founder of the New Sudan Education Initiative, which is building secondary schools in Sudan. Awolich will speak from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m.

“We are doing something very different this year,” said Jean Gounard, director of the International Student Affairs Office and adjunct professor of educational foundations. “We have reached out to the community, and many community organizations will sign a peace charter.” This document codifies organizations’ efforts to sustain community and celebrate diversity.

Peace Week is timed to celebrate the founding of the United Nations, which officially came into existence on October 24, 1945, less than three months after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The U.N.’s purposes include maintaining international peace and security; cooperating to solve international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems; and promoting respect for human rights.

The U.N. remains relevant in struggles for peace and freedom around the world. When Myo Thant, ’05, went door to door in his native country of Myanmar (formerly Burma) seeking support for democracy, he talked to people about the United Nations human rights declaration. In the lobby of E. H. Butler Library, a Peace Week exhibit provides information about the United Nations and its many global efforts toward its goals.

Students in University College’s Writing Program took part in a peace essay contest, and the winning authors will read their work at the conference. “The essays are wonderful because they are written from the heart,” said Wendy Scott, an lecturer in the program and coordinator of the contest. “The topics are broad. Students meditate on the meaning of peace and tolerance, the richness and problems presented by diversity, and their own experiences with prejudice.” Scott also serves on the Committee for the Study of Understanding Community, Diversity, and Peace, which developed the minor of the same name.

Local and college organizations will also present at the conference. Students for Peace president Cliff Cawthon said, “We’re taking theory and thought and transforming it into concrete action to advance the cause of peace and social justice. Students respond to these issues every day, through volunteer activities, the peace minor, and activism.”

Peace Week officially begins with the raising of the flags of the United States, the United Nations, and Buffalo State in front of Campbell Student Union at noon on Monday, October 20.

From the Provost
W. Scott Lewis, faculty member with the University of South Carolina’s Daniel-Mickel Center for Executive Education and a partner with the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management, will present “Classroom Management: Preventing and Responding to Disruptive Students” for faculty and staff on Wednesday, October 22. The same presentation will be repeated three times to allow as many people to participate as possible.

Session 1
9:00–10:50 a.m., Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall

Session 2
11:00 a.m.–12:50 p.m., Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall

Session 3
2:00–3:50 p.m., Carmine Grande Conference Room, Cleveland Hall 418

Lewis has more than 15 years’ experience as a student affairs administrator, faculty member, and consultant in higher education. He is a frequent keynote and plenary speaker, nationally recognized for his work on behavioral intervention for students in crisis and distress. He is noted as well for his work in the area of classroom management and dealing with disruptive students. He presents regularly throughout the country, assisting colleges and universities with legal, judicial, and risk-management issues, as well as policy development and implementation.

He serves as an author and editor in a number of areas including legal issues in higher education, campus safety and student development, campus conduct board training, and other higher education issues. His recent works include The Returning Veterans (Magna Publications) and “College and University Liability for Violent Campus Attacks” (Journal of College and University Law, April 2008). He did his undergraduate work in psychology and his graduate work in higher education administration at Texas A&M University and received his law degree and mediation training from the University of Houston.

If you wish to learn ways to intervene in the classroom to address behaviors that can interfere with teaching and learning, please attend one of the sessions. Participants will learn skills to prevent disruptive behaviors, ways to react to them, and tips on how to enhance their own campus procedures to address unwanted behaviors. For more information contact Charles Kenyon, associate vice president and dean of students, 878-4618.

University College is proud to cosponsor a series of interactive town hall discussions around issues related to the upcoming presidential election. Using the 2008–2010 Academic Theme, “Inconvenient Truths,” University College invites the campus community to explore specific dimensions of issues affecting the presidential race and the potential impact of particular policy platforms advanced by the candidates on these issues.

The town hall meetings will be structured as interactive conversations for the campus community. Each meeting will feature a facilitator/discussant, three student presentations (individuals or groups of students), and one faculty presentation, after which, the floor will be open for conversation.

Faculty and students are invited to submit original pieces rooted in the context of current coursework to be considered for presentation at these discussions. Students can submit works to Twin Rise 100 or by e-mail to univcollege@buffalostate.edu. Student presenters at each session will receive a $100 credit toward next semester’s textbooks at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore. Students may submit individually or as part of a group, whether the submission is a group project done in class or developed through a student organization.

Faculty who either teach the course for which the project was completed or serve as adviser to the group will receive $250 for travel or supplies. We encourage students, faculty, and staff to submit original works that could be presented at the following discussions:

Contemporary Race Relations: What Do the Candidacies of Barack, Hillary, and Bill Richardson Mean?
Tuesday, October 21
Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.)
Bulger Communication Center East

Energy Independence: What Are the Options? How Do We Get There?
Wednesday, October 22
4:30 p.m.
Bulger Communication Center South

Economic Stimulation: What Has to Happen to Make a Difference to Your Wallet?
CANCELED

National Security: What Now in the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
CANCELED

A follow-up discussion of the economic crisis, titled “Wall Street Meltdown 2: Why We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet,” will be held today, October 16, at 12:15 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center South. The Honorable John J. LaFalce, who served in Congress for 28 years, will join the panel.

From 1999 to 2003, LaFalce was a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, which oversees the nation’s housing and financial services sectors. While in Congress, he also served as chair of the House Small Business Committee.

Economics and Finance Department chair and professor Ted Schmidt and assistant professor Joëlle Leclaire are the other panel members. The discussion will be moderated by Bruce Fisher, director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies.

Part one of the panel discussion on the current economic crisis was held on September 30.

Buffalo State College honored more than 150 of its most dedicated supporters during the 22nd annual President’s Circle Dinner, held at Kleinhans Music Hall on October 15.

“We are very grateful to these individuals,” said Susanne P. Bair, vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the Buffalo State College Foundation. “They contribute to the success of the college, and we appreciate their unfailing generosity and loyalty.” The guests who were invited gave $1,500 or more to the Buffalo State College Foundation in 2007–2008.

President Howard presented the Foundation’s Leadership by Example award to John T. and Susan S. Hoskins. “Since John Hoskins accepted the appointment of chair of the Buffalo State College Council in 1997, he and his wife, Sue, have displayed an unwavering dedication to Buffalo State,” Howard said. “They are extremely generous and diverse with their support, hosting receptions for alumni, sponsoring events, and establishing scholarships. Together, John and Sue have led the way as stewards of the college.”

Richard J. Lee, ’68, dean emeritus of the Faculty of Applied Science and Education, received the Faculty and Staff Leadership award for his many years of service, his generosity to the college, and his unflagging enthusiasm for Buffalo State. “Dick is both an alumnus and a former dean,” said Bair, “who has served on the boards of both the Buffalo State College Foundation and the Alumni Association. Among his many generous acts, Dick recently made a gift that has enabled Campus House to expand by adding a patio.”

The John R. Oishei Foundation received the Foundation Leadership Award for its generosity to Buffalo State. The Oishei Foundation’s mission is to strive to be a catalyst for change to enhance economic vitality and the quality of life for the Buffalo Niagara region.

“The foundation regularly demonstrates its commitment to this mission through its sustained leadership giving to Buffalo State College,” said Linda A. Dobmeier, ’71, chair of the Buffalo State College Foundation. “Over the past decade, the Oishei Foundation has supported critically important college initiatives such as the Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education, the art conservation program, and the new Burchfield Penney Art Center.” Robert D. Gioia, president of the Oishei Foundation, accepted the award.

Sodexo Inc. received the Corporate Philanthropic Leadership Award for its contribution to the quality of student life through a $1 million donation toward the renovation of Buffalo State’s Campbell Student Union retail and resident student dining centers. Paul F. Kerns Jr., regional representative of Sodexo, accepted the award.

The Volunteer Leadership Award was given to the Burchfield Penney Capital Campaign Cabinet: Paula Joy Reinhold; Richard C., ’52, ’55, and Rita A. Auerbach, ’54, ’74; James Brandys, ’71, ’73; Gary M. Brost; Robert M. Budin; Audré J. Bunis; Paula Devereaux; Peter Fleischmann; Arnold B. Gardner; Carmine A. Grande (deceased); Muriel A. Howard; Nancy H. Jewett; Stanley Kardonsky; Lisa H. Krieger; Cindy Abbott Letro; William J. Magavern II; Ted Pietrzak; Calvin G. Rand; Karl Riner; and Victor Shanchuk Jr., ’61, ’72. Thanks to their extraordinary efforts, the plans for the new Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College became a reality.

“The culture of philanthropy at Buffalo State is thriving,” said Bair. “It gives us great pleasure to acknowledge the people whose generosity enables us to fulfill the college’s mission.”

College guides, viewbooks, open houses—these are some of the many vehicles that drive prospective students to Buffalo State. But with a declining pool of local high school graduates, increased competition for students from far beyond the Buffalo Niagara region, and an increasingly tech-savvy adolescent population, the college is undertaking new efforts to boost awareness and appeal.

Counselors from the Admissions Office embarked on a first-time coordinated tour of Southern Ontario high schools and college fairs this fall, in addition to the more than 400 U.S.-based programs they attend annually. The move broadens personal interactions to a burgeoning international market that is very close to Buffalo.

Mary Finger, an admissions counselor, said the Canadian Incentive Grant, which offers free room, is only one lure for Canadian students.

“The Canadian students we’ve talked to appreciate the range of programs that Buffalo State offers,” she said. “And our close proximity to Canada is very appealing for many prospective Canadian students.”

Finger said the Admissions Office recently refined its existing counselor visitation system. Besides traveling to well-defined territories, counselors are now also targeting specific high schools within those areas. One counselor lives and works in the metro New York City region, which continues to be an increasing draw for incoming students. One in four Buffalo State students now comes from the area. Efforts to visit Central New York have also increased, because more applications have come from that area in recent years.

The Admissions Office always hopes to achieve an early first-year student admissions close, as it did in 2007, so they can focus on transfer admissions. But despite no early close in 2008, this year’s incoming group of first-year students appears to be the largest in 17 years.

“We’ve been emphasizing college visits and open houses,” Finger said. “Our statistics show that 70 percent of those who visit the campus will apply—and then, of those students who are accepted, 50 percent will make a deposit.”

While admissions counselors use online tools such asinstant messaging and forums to reach students, they’re not the only ones at Buffalo State to harness the power of the Web. College Relations launched search engine marketing earlier this year.

Piloted successfully in the spring, the program relaunched last month and will run for the rest of the year. When students search for key terms through Google, Yahoo, or MSN, a targeted Buffalo State advertisement appears along the right margin. Students who click on the ad are taken to a custom landing page on the Buffalo State Web site that explains the program of interest and includes an option to “apply now.”

College Relations is marketing a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs using hundreds of keywords. The search engine hits and landing page visits are tracked. Altogether, the three-month pilot program yielded 133 “conversions”—people who decided to apply.

“Not a lot of colleges are doing search engine marketing,” said Melissa Meehan, director of Web administration in the College Relations Office. “The pilot program showed us, among other things, that students from outside the area are quite serious about coming to Buffalo State. It also showed us that prospects are ready to apply more quickly than we may have thought.”

College Relations has created custom pages on social networking sites as another way to connect with prospective students. The Web redesign, slated for test launch later this month, will include clickable icons at the bottom of the home page to these new Buffalo State–branded pages on Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Twitter, Virb, and YouTube.

Finger said the “never-ending cycle” of recruitment is most rewarding each year at First-Year Convocation, when she’s reminded of what all the hard work is for. She thinks that now is a particularly exciting time to market the college.

“Buffalo State is like a hidden gem that’s really coming into its own,” she said. “Between all the new majors, the opening of the Burchfield Penney Art Center, and the renovated Campbell Student Union, there are plenty of new things that appeal to students. The college has great tuition, great faculty, and a great location. It’s a great investment.”

The Newman Center at Buffalo State College—in conjunction with members of the Computer Information Systems Department—has organized a winter-clothing drive for the 17 visiting Chinese students from the earthquake-ravaged Sichuan Province. Although most expenses have been paid for these students, some items have not been provided, such as winter clothing.

Needed items include pants, shirts, sweaters, winter coats, gloves, mittens, winter hats, scarves, winter boots, and socks. There are 12 female and five male students, ages 18 to 20. The clothing drive continues through October 14.

Donations may be delivered to the Newman Center, 1219 Elmwood Avenue; Chase Hall 231; or Chase Hall 204. Contact Stephen Gareau, 878-4923, for more information.