Members of the campus and the community are invited to bring their art or artifacts to the Art Conservation Department for examination, conservation advice, and possible treatment during the department’s annual Art Conservation Clinic in Rockwell Hall 230 on Friday, September 19, between 9:00 a.m. and noon or 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. Appointments are required. Please note: appointments for objects with Jonathan Thornton are being rescheduled for Friday, October 3. Contact Diana McNerney, 878-5025, to schedule a 30-minute visit.

The Buffalo State College Foundation presents the 11th annual Golf and Tennis Scholarship Classic on Monday, September 8, at the Brookfield Country Club in Clarence. Proceeds will support Buffalo State’s All College Honors Program, which is funded entirely by private donations. The program provides deserving students with scholarships, an honors lounge, special on-campus housing for interested students, and opportunities for internships, seminars, and research.

BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York is the presenting sponsor of this annual event, which includes a lunch buffet, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and dinner. Mike Newman, executive vice president of NOCO Energy Corp., and James F. Dentinger, partner and president of McGuire Development Company LLC, will co-chair the event. Newman and Dentinger both serve on the board of the Buffalo State College Foundation.

“The golf and tennis classic is a wonderful opportunity for our business partners, alumni, and friends of the college to network with each other and support our All College Honors program,” said Pamela Voyer, director of special events and protocol. “We are very grateful for their outstanding support.” The event has been sold out for weeks.

A series of lunchtime discussions geared to boost professional development and promote a better understanding of issues that affect Buffalo State students will be offered this semester.

Sponsored by the Weigel Health Center’s Health Promotion Office in collaboration with other campus departments, “Creating a Civil and Caring Community” is a three-part series that will help faculty and staff better understand the Buffalo State student mind-set, respond to potential student violence, and serve a burgeoning veteran student population.

“Today’s teachers are in the position where they’re often the first responders to incidents,” said Tammy Kresge, coordinator for health promotion, Weigel Health Center. “Whether it’s relationship troubles, alcoholism, physical abuse, or a host of other difficulties, students could be coming into the classroom with more issues than faculty are equipped to deal with.”

Kresge said the goal of the workshops is to help faculty and staff learn how to better recognize problems and make appropriate referrals.

The first of three workshops takes place in Butler Library 210 from noon until 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 11, and will feature information collected from recent student surveys and assessments. Additional workshops are scheduled for Thursday, October 23, and Thursday, November 13, at the same time and place.

Kresge, who interacts frequently with students in the residence halls during evening hours, said she observes many issues that could affect performance inside the classroom. She said she also understands the plight of returning soldiers.

“It’s a completely different world, transitioning from Iraq to the classroom,” Kresge said. “It can be hard for veteran students to adjust. Class discussions could be sensitive, too. What if something said in class gets a student really emotional? How would you respond?”

The brown-bag series is a collaboration between Weigel Health Center, the Dean of Students Office, the Counseling Center, University Police, and the Career Development Center. The workshops are free, and Kresge said they offer a great opportunity to network with others on campus and learn skills to create a better classroom environment.

“Students in today’s world have a lot more ‘baggage,’” she said, “and we need to keep up with it.”

For more information and a complete lineup of presenters, please visit the series Web site.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center and Buffalo State College will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow, September 5, marking the completion of construction of the new Burchfield Penney Art Center and the start of moving more than 7,500 works of art into the new $33 million museum. The museum opens to the public on November 22, when a special campus reception will be held as well.

Hundreds of people from the region and the state are expected to attend tomorrow’s celebration, which will include a laser ribbon cutting as guests walk through the entry doors into the main gallery for speeches, and a formal ribbon cutting with government officials, donors, and representatives from the college and the museum. Keynote speeches by President Muriel A. Howard and Burchfield Penney Director Ted Pietrzak will underscore the unique collaboration that has guided this important initiative and the vision and generosity of the people who made it possible. Vice President for Finance and Management Stanley Kardonsky, who worked closely with the architects and shepherded this monumental collaboration, will provide welcoming remarks.

“This is a momentous occasion for the Burchfield Penney, Buffalo State College, and Western New York,” Howard said. “The new Burchfield Penney will provide an outstanding showcase for artwork and an exceptional experience for our community. It will be a welcoming destination for all and an invaluable resource for the entire college, providing active learning opportunities for students in all disciplines.”

Designed by the award-winning firm Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, the new museum provides 84,000 square feet of contemporary space dedicated exclusively to the art and artists of Western New York, in particular to world-renowned watercolorist Charles E. Burchfield (1893–1967). The new museum is unique in its partnership with the college and the community, the size and scope of its regional collection, and the rare glimpse it provides into the paintings, process, and perspective of Charles Burchfield. It is also expected to be the first art museum in New York State to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

“The new Burchfield Penney represents a new chapter in the legacy of Western New York art,” Pietrzak said. “The new museum is designed to inspire, engage, and educate for the future.” Elaborating on Western New York’s vibrant arts culture, Pietrzak cited more than 20 museums and galleries in the region, nearly 200 arts and cultural organizations, and hundreds of art spaces. “We have a wealth of talent on which to draw,” he said.

The art center features 18,000 square feet of galleries, as well as more than 5,000 square feet of education and program space, which will benefit from collaboration with Buffalo State’s art conservation, visual arts, museum studies, fine arts, and art education programs.

The new museum will be home to the world’s largest collection of paintings, drawings, and journals by Charles Burchfield. In addition, a wide range of acclaimed twentieth- and twenty-first-century artists are represented, including Elbert Hubbard, Gustav Stickley, Karl Kipp, Frank Lloyd Wright, Edwin Dickinson, Milton Rogovin, Susan Rothenberg, Joseph Piccillo, Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo, Alberto Rey, Hollis Frampton, and Paul Sharits.

The museum is designed to meet rigorous standards in the areas of site sustainability, water use and efficiency, reduced use of energy and atmospheric impact, use of materials and resources, improved indoor air quality, and innovation and design process. In addition to LEED recognition, the museum will participate in the New York EnergySmart New Construction Program, meeting state standards to reduce energy usage and consumption.

CORRECTION APPENDED

A recent report by the National Research Council (NRC) calls for an increase in professionally oriented master’s degree programs that combine a broad-based knowledge of science with business and communications skills. New professional science master’s (P.S.M.) degree programs have come online in the past 10 years to meet market demand.

Buffalo State College has been awarded a planning grant from SUNY, which recently received a systemwide grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, to begin planning P.S.M. degree programs.

P.S.M. programs typically offer coursework in organizational behavior, leadership, and management as well as biology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, technology, and physics. Such programs are becoming increasingly recognized as terminal degrees in preparation for technical or scientific management careers. Banks, financial firms, biotech industries, and defense firms are among those that seek employees with these interdisciplinary skills. The P.S.M. currently has one of the highest growth rates of all master’s degree programs in the United States.

“There is a growing need for individuals with knowledge of science, technology, and/or mathematics, along with mastery of organizational and management skills,” said Kevin Railey, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School. “Buffalo State is excited about its ability to develop programs in these areas.”

The NRC report stated that P.S.M. degrees offer excellent salaries upon graduation. The median salaries of master’s degree recipients tend to exceed those of Ph.D. recipients within the first five years of degree conferral, according to the report.

More than 125 P.S.M. programs are currently offered at more than 60 universities across the country, including five in New York State, according to the Council of Graduate Schools.

Currently, the college has teams of faculty members working to develop degree programs in applied mathematics, mechanical engineering technology, and the health sciences. The college plans to submit letters of intent to SUNY in 2009.

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Correction: September 8, 2008
The original version of this article, published September 4, incorrectly reported that, according to the Council of Graduate Schools, no P.S.M. programs exist in New York State. In fact, five New York schools currently offer P.S.M. programs.

From the Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Buffalo’s summer weather was at its best for this year’s Buffalo State Faculty and Staff Donor Reception on August 21 at the president’s house on Lincoln Parkway.

The annual event recognizes faculty, staff, and emeriti who donated to the Buffalo State College Foundation during the preceding fiscal year. The reception also gives people who haven’t seen each other over the summer a chance to reconnect before the hectic first weeks of the new semester.

I am delighted to report that this year’s Faculty and Staff Appeal was the most successful appeal to date. This demonstrates that you, the people who know the college best, believe that Buffalo State’s mission and students deserve philanthropic support.

Your generosity benefited 169 different funds, including student scholarships and awards, departmental and program funds, deans’ funds, the president’s discretionary fund, and campus beautification. Because of you, students with financial need will be able to pay for their student health insurance or their last year of college. Students who demonstrate academic excellence will receive awards recognizing their effort and dedication.

We raised $165,535—a 9 percent increase over last year’s campaign. This increase is due in part to the fact that 12 percent more people donated this year. Many other donors increased their gifts.

The number who gave to the appeal this year is noteworthy. In addition to contributing every day through the work you do for the college, so many faculty and staff members went above and beyond by giving back to the college and to our students. Each and every gift is important.

To contribute to the Faculty and Staff Appeal directly or through payroll deduction, please contact Claire Collier, special fundraising projects and stewardship, at 878-5206.

Thank you for all you do for Buffalo State.

The phrase “people with disabilities” is part of today’s vernacular. But people with certain types of disabilities—such as learning disabilities—were not recognized even a few decades ago by most of society. Buffalo State, however, has long kept a careful eye on special needs and, in 1989, established the Disability Services Office.

Located on the first floor of South Wing, the office accommodates disability-related needs for Buffalo State students. Its staff members commonly provide academic support, such as note-taking assistance, extended time allowance and quiet locations for exams, and adaptive technology to aid learning.

According to director Marianne Savino, the office is considered a model by the New York State Disability Services Council. And it has had to continually evolve during the past two decades.

The office currently serves about 900 students, more than 13 times the number it did in 1989 (68 students). During her tenure as director, Savino has also seen new disabilities and new methods of documentation emerge. Roughly 10 percent of Buffalo State students with identified disabilities have multiple disabilities.

“Most of the students we serve have learning disabilities or attention disorders,” Savino said. “The college has one of the highest percentages of students with emotional disorders and substance-abuse issues in the SUNY system.” Other examples of disabilities include physical impairments and chronic illnesses such as diabetes or cancer.

The number of students with disabilities continues to grow, but Savino said many have been top scholars, athletes, and leaders on campus. “There’s a perception sometimes that they’re ‘less than,’” she said.

The office’s overall goal mirrors the college’s mission: to provide access for students. Savino adds, however, that the office doesn’t try to change admission requirements or departmental standards. Instead it works within the system to provide reasonable accommodations under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Given the local unemployment rate of 70 percent for people with disabilities, Savino and her staff want to do all they can to help students graduate and contribute to society.

“They have to survive out there,” she said. “We have to prepare them for work and life. Some students, for example, might need more time on an exam, but no one should be granted a paper extension without a mitigating circumstance.”

Savino said faculty and staff interactions with students with disabilities have improved “drastically” over the years, but challenges remain for faculty in knowing where legal boundaries lie.

Savino said it is illegal, for example, for a faculty member to ask a student if he or she has a disability. Likewise, the Disability Services Office cannot legally reveal a student’s disability to a faculty or staff member without the student’s permission, nor can it disclose the nature of the disability.

“We are the official clearinghouse for the accommodations that are being requested by the students, and our exam and classroom requests are meant to help faculty and staff as much as the students,” she said. “When in doubt about what to do with a student who has a disability or who they think might have one, we want faculty to call us to see what would be the best way to help.”

The three staff members of the Disability Services Office offer presentations at department meetings, assist theRisk Assessment Committee, and conduct research in addition to their daily support tasks for students. Savino says that no two days are alike, and each task is like solving a puzzle.

She advises faculty members to “keep planning for the fact that you don’t know who’s coming into your class” in order to ensure accessibility to higher education for all.

Students, faculty, and staff can enjoy expanded dining options and menu choices this semester when a new marché, or market, style dining facility opens tomorrow in the space of the old student cafeteria off the main lobby of the Campbell Student Union.

All members of the campus and local community are invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, August 29, hosted by President Muriel A. Howard. New York State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, ’92, who helped jump-start Student Union dining space renovations, will be a featured speaker.

While the new dining facility has been designed to meet the needs of resident students, all students, as well as faculty and staff, may dine in this new facility. A fee of $7.99 for lunch, $11.99 for dinner, or use of a meal-plan card at the door buys all you can eat from a range of stations where food is prepared as ordered: grill, vegetarian, international, main entre, and pizza. There is also an extensive salad bar and a dessert area complete with soft-serve ice cream.

“With the opening of this new dining facility, we have dramatically improved our dining options,” said Hal Payne, vice president for student affairs. “We have also provided areas for small group meetings.” Completion of this project will render the Social Hall, previously a resident-student dining site, available for student programming. Included within this new facility, which encompasses 11,000 square feet and seats 400, are two private dining rooms that can be opened to the overall space or closed for group meetings. Each room seats about 45 people. A reservation process is being developed.

In contrast to bold, bright colors that define the dining center on the north side of the Student Union, this newer facility provides a more subdued dining environment. Natural materials—wood, granite, and tile—in subtle colors contribute to the relaxed atmosphere. Floor-to-ceiling windows that bring in natural light and frame views of trees in the Quad complete the effect. Plans to make the upper terrace available for dining are being considered.

Design specifications and menu choices were influenced by site visits to other campuses and recommendations from students. United Students Government (USG) members attended design meetings, and many students expressed opinions on concept designs displayed for that purpose in the Student Union.

Renovation of Student Union dining spaces was initially projected at $7.3 million. Both projects came in at a combined cost of about $6.5 million. Sodexho contributed $1 million, and the SUNY capital budget fund and the State University Construction Fund provided the rest. The entire upgrade began in 2006 when Payne and USG leaders contacted Hoyt about the need for upgraded dining facilities in the Student Union.

Architectural firm BHNT served as design and research consultants on the renovation. Patrick Development acted as general contractor. Buffalo Hotel Supply provided the kitchen equipment.

“We are deeply grateful for the expertise, generosity, and foresight of the many people who helped make this much-needed renovation possible,” Payne said.

The dining center will be open Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, brunch will be offered from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., followed by dinner from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Rubble, orange cones, and bulldozers have been quite visible at Buffalo State in recent months, and there’s plenty more to come. Here’s an overview of progress on current and future construction projects at Buffalo State:

Phase II reconstruction of the Campbell Student Union will be officially unveiled tomorrow. The new resident-student dining facility seats 400 students and provides a more controlled entry and exit. The architecture complements the stunning look of the newly openedRetail Dining Center, and the space includes two rooms that may be reserved for group meetings.

“The dining hall is a ‘marché’ style, which means the food is prepared in front of the customer,” said Timothy Ecklund, associate vice president for campus life. “There’s a pizza oven, international area with stir fry, grill, salad bar, dessert area, and more. Nonresidents also may come for lunch and dinner.”

Coyer Field now sports a newly resurfaced playing field. The more than $1 million project included the construction of a new fence and provides better turf for football, soccer, and lacrosse.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center, the first freestanding museum to be built in Buffalo in more than 100 years, continues on course for its November grand opening to the public. The spacious interior will double gallery exhibition areas and provide more than six times as much space for education and public programs. An official dedication of the museum takes place with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 5.

Other completed projects on campus include a refurbished parking lot near Ketchum Hall, new concrete sections in the Student Union Quad, new piping and wiring under Iroquois Drive in conjunction with the installation of a new electrical substation, and extensive renovations to Cleveland Hall, including asbestos abatement, refurbished elevators, and the remodeling of conference room 418.

With the recent securing of $93 million from New York State for the new science and math complex, construction should commence sometime in summer 2009. The building will include a 50,000-square-foot addition, upgraded labs, a glass atrium, and a new planetarium.

Slated for construction in early 2010 is the newtechnology center, which will house seven technology-based programs of study under one roof and allow greater sharing of resources. The building will be locatedwhere Central Receiving and Building 46 currently stand; the building design is not yet finalized.

Buffalo State is continuing to work with two national engineering firms to study the location, features, environmental effects, and budget for a new outdoorathletics stadium. Talks are progressing with the City of Buffalo for the college to purchase the impound lot on Grant Street.

According to Stan Medinac, associate vice president for facilities planning, the State University Construction Fund will provide a consultant this fall to begin work on a new master plan for the campus. The “desperately needed” plan—the first in more than a decade—should take one to two years to complete.

Two additional major campus projects are slated to begin next summer: possible construction of a new residence hall on Grant Street that could house a minimum of 200 residents (a feasibility study is under way), and extensive renovation of the Student Union Quad, including pavement and landscaping.

“The quad will have an entirely different look when it’s complete,” said Medinac. “You won’t recognize it.”

The Bulletin will continue to provide campus construction updates throughout the academic year.

The Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall has announced its 2008–2009 Great Performers Series, presented by M&T Bank. The Great Performers Series features world-class artists in the intimate setting of Rockwell Hall.

The series includes performances by a cappella legendsTake 6, October 4; guitar icon Earl Klugh, November 8; Louisiana blues phenomenon Marc Broussard, November 15; a Celtic Christmas celebration with Eileen Ivers, December 20; the new queen of bluegrass Rhonda Vincent, January 23; vocal great Steve Tyrell, April 24; nouveau flamenco guitarist extraordinaire Ottmar Liebert, May 2; and celebrated American folk legend Arlo Guthrie, May 6.

Tickets for the Great Performers series go on sale Monday, August 25, at 9:00 a.m. All shows in the series are priced between $30 and $37. Faculty and staff receive $3 off regular admission. With a Flex Pack, patrons can purchase any three shows for as low as $27 each. Tickets may be purchased at the Rockwell Hall Box Office, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, by calling (716) 878-3005, oronline.

Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.