From the Vice President for Finance and Management
New York State, in conjunction with public employee unions, is pleased to announce NYS-Balance, a free confidential resource and referral program for state employees. Designed to help employees save time and better balance work and life, NYS-Balance offers fast, confidential services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in an array of areas including:

• Parenting.
• Education.
• Child care and elder care.
• Health and wellness.
• Midlife and retirement issues.
• Personal budgeting.
• Home repair.

NYS-Balance offers:

• Real people to talk to. Trained consultants provide customized answers to your questions and guide you to appropriate services.
• Referrals to resources, services, and support groups in your community.
• A comprehensive Web site.
• Free booklets, audio recordings, online articles, newsletters, workshops, seminars, webinars, and other resources to help you get the information you need in the format you want.

NYS-Balance is currently available to employees represented by CSEA, PEF, and UUP, and those designated M/C employees. The number of employees eligible to use the service will increase as collective bargaining agreements are reached with the other unions.

Call (866) 320-4760 or visit www.nysbalance.ny.gov. More information about the program, including the user name and password required to access the Web site, was distributed with May 13 paychecks.

From the SUNY Board of Trustees
The State University of New York Board of Trusteesvoted unanimously on Tuesday to appoint Dennis K. Ponton interim president of Buffalo State College, effective August 1. His appointment will continue until the board names a permanent college president.

Ponton currently serves as Buffalo State’s provost and vice president for academic affairs.

From the Interim Director of College and Community Partnerships
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll has announced its application process for 2009, honoring “campus commitment to civic engagement” across the United States.

The College and Community Partnerships Office, in conjunction with the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, is preparing Buffalo State’s 2009 Honor Roll application. To complete our application, we need to accurately account for all the many hours that Buffalo State students volunteer in our community. 

Last year we were able to verify over 116,000 volunteer hours. But we know the real number is close to three or four times that amount. 

That’s why we need your help! All campus organizations, clubs, classes, events, and programs that include volunteerism should contact the College and Community Partnerships Office, 878-5444, by Friday, October 16,with the following information: 

• Number of participating students and number of corresponding service hours.
• Number of participating faculty/staff and number of corresponding service hours.
• A short description of the project. 

We do not need student names; however, we do need to know if any participating students are Vista/AmeriCorps volunteers. 

As Interim President Dennis K. Ponton has said, “The people of Buffalo State College make a real and vital difference to the quality of life in Western New York. As a public institution, we take seriously our mission of giving something back to our community. It will only strengthen our impact to quantify the great number of hours our students, faculty, and staff give to volunteer work, and to show the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll just how strong the spirit of service is at Buffalo State.”

From the Chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee

Advanced to the Curriculum Committee
The following have been received in the College Senate Office and forwarded to the Senate Curriculum Committee for review and approval:

New Course:
GEG 585 Interactive and Web-Based Mapping.Prerequisite: GEG 425, GEG 525, or equivalent introductory GIS course. Introduction to interactive and Web-based mapping. Different approaches to communicating with maps on the Internet; how to create Web-based mapping applications.

New Course and Intellectual Foundations Designation:
ORAL COMMUNICATION
GEG 461 Issues in Southeast Asia Environment and Development. Prerequisite: Junior or senior status. Geography, environmental problems, and solutions using a sustainable development framework for countries of Southeast Asia. Sustainable development and environmental management theory in the context of case studies for the region.

Course Revision:
FTT 110 Survey of the Textile and Apparel Industry. Introductory survey course of the global textile and fashion industry; overview of the textile/apparel design product development process; design principles and elements; quality of the finished product; how fashion designers, consumer groups, and marketing researchers influence design.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Advanced to the President
The following has been approved by the Senate Curriculum Committee and forwarded to the president for review and approval:

Course Revision and Intellectual Foundations Designation:
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
BIO 104 Environmental Biology

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, October 16, in Classroom Building C122. The agenda will be posted on the Senate Web site on September 30.

From the Chief of University Police
A copy of the Buffalo State College annual security report and campus crime statistics as reported annually to the U.S. Department of Education will be provided upon request. Please direct all such requests to the Chief of University Police, Chase Hall, Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, (716) 878-6332. Information can also be obtained from the U.S. Department of Education Web site athttp://ope.ed.gov/security or the Buffalo State Web site athttp://www.buffalostate.edu/offices/police/pdf/securityreport2009.pdforhttp://www.buffalostate.edu/offices/police/safety/default.asp?sub=crimestats.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
Please join the SEFA Campaign Committee for the 2009 SEFA/United Way Campaign Kickoff at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, October 1, in E. H. Butler Library when Interim President Ponton will launch the official State Employees Federated Appeal/United Way Campaign with help from special guests from the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. Mark your calendars and enjoy refreshments while learning about the needs in our community and ways your SEFA contribution can help. Solicitors will gather before the kickoff, at 9:30 a.m. in E. H. Butler Library 208, to receive their packets, discuss changes to the pledge card, and hear words of advice on how to conduct a successful campaign.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
This policy describes the assignment, use, and management of desk and cellular telephones and mobile computing devices by employees of Buffalo State College.

Policy
Desk and cellular telephones and portable computing devices are to be used for official business-related activities only. Personal use of telephones should be limited to emergency calls. Payment for reimbursement of personal desk or cellular telephone calls should be forwarded to the Accounting Office. Personal use of laptops and other mobile computing devices should be kept to a minimum.

Cellular Telephones
Cellular telephones and broadband cards may be assigned only to employees whose duties and responsibilities require immediate or remote communications capabilities. The assignment of cellular telephones and broadband cards must be approved by the vice president for finance and management, who will review assignments annually to ensure compliance with this policy.

Each employee assigned a mobile device shall be primarily responsible for its security and maintenance, and must immediately report any theft, loss, damage, or vandalism of the unit.

New York State law prohibits the use of handheld cellular phones while driving.

Questions about this policy may be directed to the Vice President for Finance and Management’s Office, 878-4311.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management
All contracts and agreements that involve the use of college-owned equipment, supplies, or facilities and/or require the college to provide any nature of services shall be approved prior to execution, and signed by the appropriate vice president and the associate vice president for finance and management/comptroller, or an authorized designee. Purchasing agreements for goods or services may be signed only by the college president, the vice president for finance and management, the associate vice president for finance and management/comptroller, or the director of purchasing. Any other college employee who signs a contract or agreement may be held personally responsible for its performance (payment, liability, etc.). Any contract executed by an employee without express prior authorization is not valid or binding on Buffalo State College. The Public Officers Law is meant to protect state employees only in the performance of their official duties. Employees place themselves at potentially great financial risk by entering into such agreements, written or oral, on behalf of the college without express prior written authorization.

From the Interim Provost
Start dates for Summer Session 2010 are revised as follows:

Session A: June 1–June 26
Session B: June 28–July 24
Session C: July 26–August 14
Session 1: June 1–July 17
Session 2: June 1–August 14