The College Writing Program created the Writing Help Center last spring as part of E. H. Butler Library’s Information Commons. The service continues this fall with expanded hours and more professional tutoring, and it has become a permanent part of the Information Commons.

A part-time writing faculty member is available to offer writing help to students on a first-come, first-served basis from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. No appointments are necessary.

Instructors can help with story ideas, grammatical edits, wording options, and clarity for overall direction of compositions. Susan Leist, director of the College Writing Program, says the service is designed to be highly visible to students and may be particularly helpful to students who speak English as their second language. She says that both students and professors have responded positively to the service.

Established to complement existing tutoring programs, the Writing Tutoring Help Desk is intended to offer immediate assistance to students, helping them to eventually become desirable and marketable graduates who are effective and competent communicators.

“Many business professionals tell me they wish today’s graduates wrote clearer e-mails, memos, and proposals,” said Leist. “It’s so important to have good writing skills. Writing is the major vehicle by which any person communicates thoughts, feelings, and information that last and exist even when the person is no longer there. The Writing Tutoring Help Desk is there to support the actualization of effective writing skills among our students.”

Three Buffalo State employees will head to China this month as part of a delegation with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

Lee Ann Grace, assistant dean of international and exchange programs; Lin Xia Jiang, chair and professor of fine arts; and Sandra Burnham, senior admissions adviser, will visit Beijing from October 19 to 22 as part of AASCU’s annual trip. Grace will attend a conference with AASCU delegates and faculty members from Chinese colleges, while Jiang and Burnham will participate in a two-day recruiting fair. The conference includes a briefing by U.S. Embassy officials regarding Chinese student travel overseas, and allows time for group sightseeing tours of the city and the Great Wall.

Grace hopes the experience will lead to a steadier flow of international students to Buffalo State. “The upcoming trip is an excellent opportunity to network,” she said. “And we’re trying the fair to get a feel for how it works.”

The fair is expected to draw 30,000 students and families, according to Grace. The full AASCU delegation includes only 75 people, so Buffalo State has an opportunity to capture attention on an international stage. President Muriel A. Howard currently serves as chair of AASCU’s board of directors.

“We’re hoping the fair will help us determine if these activities are worth more investments in the future,” said Grace. “We can learn from others who are used to regular international recruiting.”

Jiang will provide English-Chinese translation, offering a better first impression of Buffalo State for Chinese students and parents who do not speak English.

Grace thinks students interested in fine arts and design might particularly want to attend Buffalo State. “There are many reasons to come here,” she said. “We have many specialized programs, class sizes are small, and faculty members teach classes, rather than teaching assistants.”

Grace says students can learn better English at schools that do not have a large international population. She also says the prospect of their children studying in a bigger city can create a frightening impression for international parents. Nevertheless, Buffalo State’s proximity to Niagara Falls and Toronto is a draw for Chinese families. Buffalo’s low cost of living and many cultural attractions also appeal to students.

The provost is providing funding support for the trip, and AASCU is offering reduced rates. Grace will present research from the experience to the Academic Council in November. “This trip is one major step toward greater internationalization of the campus,” she said.

Buffalo State College’s Hospitality and Tourism Department has received reaccreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA).

Fewer than 20 percent of hospitality and tourism programs in the nation are accredited, making Buffalo State one of just 32 four-year programs in the United States to hold such a distinction from ACPHA.

“Earning ACPHA reaccreditation puts a stamp of approval on the continued hard work by the faculty in the Hospitality and Tourism Department,” said Kevin Mulcahy, associate professor and department chair. “This recognition also adds to the credentials of our students, who are prepared now more than ever to excel in hospitality and tourism professions.”

The reaccreditation, which runs through the summer of 2014, caps a two-year process that included a comprehensive self-study and an on-site evaluation by an accreditation team. Lori Till, associate professor of hospitality and tourism, headed the accreditation efforts.

“Going through an intensive self-study and accreditation process is very cleansing and rewarding,” Till said. “I have been at Buffalo State since 1985, and I can’t believe how much this program and the college have grown in that time. Earning accreditation brings everybody up to an incredible standard, which directly benefits our students.”

Buffalo State’s Hospitality and Tourism Department is dedicated to educating and developing enterprising students who become leaders in regional and global hospitality-tourism professions. Recent graduates have been hired as commercial food service and catering managers, hotel front-desk and sales managers, restaurant managers, executive sous-chefs, casino food and beverage managers, sales coordinators, and purchasing agents.

Buffalo State’s institutional accreditation with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools was described in the September 27 issue of the Bulletin. The same issue contained a summary of accreditation with NCATE(National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education). NCATE covers our teacher preparation programs, which are housed in all four schools.

Discipline- or program-specific accreditation is awarded when standards of a national organization for a distinct discipline are met. Buffalo State’s Academic Plan adopted in December 2003 established the goal to “achieve 100 percent accreditation of eligible programs.” In 2003, approximately 70 percent of the college’s eligible programs were accredited. As of today, 90 percent of our eligible programs have received accreditation. These are as follows:

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)*
Electrical Engineering Technology (Electronics) B.S.
Electrical Engineering Technology (Power and Machines) B.S.
Mechanical Engineering Technology, B.S.

Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA)
Hospitality Administration, B.S.

American Chemical Society (ACS)
Chemistry, B.A.

American Dietetic Association (ADA)
Dietetics, Coordinated Program, B.S.
Dietetics, Didactic Program, B.S.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Speech-Language Pathology, B.S., M.S.Ed.

Council for Interior Design Accreditation
Interior Design, B.F.A.

Council on Social Work Education (CSW)
Social Work, B.S.

National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT)
Industrial Technology, B.S.

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)
Art Education, B.S., M.S.
Design, B.S., B.F.A.
Fine Arts, Art, B.A.
Fine Arts, Art History, B.A.
Fine Arts, Painting, B.F.A.
Fine Arts, Photography, B.F.A.
Fine Arts, Printmaking, B.F.A.
Fine Arts, Sculpture, B.F.A.
Interior Design, B.F.A.

National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)
Theater, B.A.

NASAD and NAST have awarded accreditation to our programs since 2004. We continue to pursue disciplinary accreditation with the following organizations:

• Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC): This is for programs in communication; an accreditation site visit took place this week.
• National Association of Schools of Music (NASM): This is for programs in music; an accreditation site visit is scheduled for March 2008.
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB): Actions to support progress toward this accreditation are in process. A projected date is not possible at this time.

The above discipline-specific accreditations, awarded or in process, are those previously identified as appropriate for Buffalo State. Suggestions to pursue additional accreditations are sometimes made. When these occur, deans are asked to consult with departments to determine if we should pursue and to develop a work plan. We also investigate the new accreditation organization to confirm that they are approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and check with other schools to ascertain their experience with the accrediting body.

Accreditation awards for specific programs are typically valid for a five- to 10-year period. When it is time to renew, a self-study is prepared per accreditation organization guidelines. This is followed by a site visit led by individuals from peer institutions. Recommendations of the review team are used by the accreditation organization in their decision to continue the accreditation.

*Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 347-7700.

The following Equity and Campus Diversity Minigrants have been approved for funding:

Capital Normal University/Buffalo State Exchange of Student Art Exhibition at Upton Gallery, Upton Gallery, Buffalo State College
Dates: October 25–November 6 
Approved Amount: $1,900
Submitted by Richard Ross, Associate Professor, Design, and Lin Xia Jiang, Chair and Professor, Fine Arts
In the summer of 2006, professors Jiang and Ross were awarded a grant from the Research Foundation of SUNY to investigate the possibility of a dual-degree program between Capital Normal University in Beijing and Buffalo State. Toward the end of Jiang’s stay, they curated a show of fine art and design student work at CNU for exhibition in Upton Gallery at Buffalo State. Ross remained in China to observe classroom instruction and teach a class of 23 graphic design freshmen in graphic icon development. The traveling student show from CNU is expected to include 120 works from four disciplines areas: fine art, environmental design, graphic design, and new media. The show is scheduled from October 25 to November 6 with an opening reception on October 30. In addition, three professors from CNU—Xueting Hao (graphic design), Yan Bai (traditional ink painting), and Chen Wei (oil painting)—are invited to give lectures and observe classroom instruction in our design and fine arts programs. Bai will also demonstrate her traditional ink painting technique. The Buffalo State student show (fine arts and design) will open at Capital Normal University on Tuesday, November 13. Jiang and Ross will transport the work to China and install the show with the assistance CNU students.

Ishmael Reed, Author, Critic, Musician, Activist, and Favorite Son Comes Home to Buffalo: A Collaboration between Buffalo State College and Erie Community College
Date: November 2
Approved Amount: $500
Submitted by Ralph Wahlstrom, Chair and Associate Professor, English
Ishmael Reed, preeminent American writer and musician, will read, entertain, provoke and inspire the students of Buffalo’s two urban SUNY campuses. He will share his literature in readings on both campuses; speak at the African American Cultural Center, 350 Masten Avenue, at 7:00 p.m. Thursday evening; and bring words and music together Friday at Buffalo State College from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Upton Hall 230. Reed’s work can be humorous, yet it cuts to the heart of inequity and hypocrisy in America. His essays are crisp commentaries on our society.

Women in Science and Mathematics Speaker Series 2007–2008
Dates: Various; TBA
Approved Amount: $2,000
Submitted by Karen O’Quin, Associate Dean, School of Natural and Social Sciences
The Buffalo State Women in Science and Mathematics will bring to Buffalo State College five women who are active in science and mathematics. The first speaker will be a chemist, Associate Professor Penny Brothers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The second speaker will be Marianne Moore, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Wellesley College, who studies plankton communities and how variables such as temperature, light, and predation affect them. The third speaker will be Michelle Millar, associate professor in the Chemistry Department at SUNY Stony Brook, whose current research is directed toward the design, synthesis, and study of new transition metal complexes. The fourth speaker is Jennifer C. Smith, assistant professor at the University of Texas, Austin, whose research interests involve undergraduate mathematics education and problem-based mathematics teaching. The fifth speaker will be Diane Ramos, assistant professor in the Department of Natural Sciences at Daemen College, who studies genes and cloning in butterflies.

Professional Development/Classroom Presentation with Award-Winning Educator Sharon Draper
Dates: Monday, February 4, and Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Approved Amount: $2,000
Submitted by Theresa Harris-Tigg, Assistant Professor, English
Award-winning author, speaker, educator, poet, and 1997 national Teacher of the Year Sharon Draper will kick off the local Black History Month Celebration and the 19th annual National African African-American Read-In Chain hosted by the Western New York Librarians’ Association, the Buffalo Public Schools, the Metro Buffalo Alliance of Black School Educators, and Buffalo State College. Draper will begin on Monday, February 4, conducting two speaking engagements at two Buffalo Public Schools sites. Later that evening, she will give a community presentation at the Merriweather Public Library.

On Tuesday, February 5, she will conduct a series of three programs at Buffalo State College: a presentation for students in the English Department in the morning, a professional development presentation for English department faculty in the afternoon, and a professional development presentation for preservice teachers, college supervisors, cooperating teachers, and alumni from Buffalo State College’s English Department, School of Education, and Graduate School in the evening.

Information about Equity and Campus DiversityMinigrants can be found on the Equity and Campus Diversity Web site.

A copy of the Buffalo State College 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 may also be obtained from the U.S. Department of Education Web site or the Buffalo State University Police Department Web site.

The Internal Control Act of the State of New York establishes certain standards that define a minimum level of quality acceptable for internal control systems. These internal control standards apply to all operations and administrative functions.

Among these standards is one for execution of transactions and events. Specifically, transactions and other events are to be authorized and executed only by persons acting within the scope of their authority. Another standard provides that all transactions and other significant events must be clearly documented and that the documentation be readily available for examination.

Grading and grades constitute administrative functions that are subject to the internal control standards. The advent of online grading makes it all the more important that these standards be explicated and followed.

Therefore:

• The entry of grades for students taking any coursework at Buffalo State College or any subsidiary thereof must be carried out by the faculty member in whose course the student is registered.
• In the event the faculty member is for any reason unable to personally enter these grades, a delegate must be named. This delegation must be approved in advance by the faculty member's department chair and dean. The process for this approval will be as follows:

The faculty member shall, no later than two weeks prior to CEP, petition in writing to the dean via the department chair for permission to delegate to a specific individual. If approved, the faculty member and the delegate shall be advised in writing. The original request to delegate grading and a proven copy of the approval shall be retained in the dean's office for inspection as needed. The two-week deadline may be waived by the dean in emergency situations.

• Under no circumstances may a faculty member delegate grading entry responsibility to an employee who is a student at the college.

New York State procurement rules and regulations require that a state purchase order be prepared prior to the delivery of goods or services. The Purchasing Office will not process for payment any invoice for goods or services without an official purchase order already on file. If goods or services are delivered before the purchase order is issued, the employee who placed the order with the vendor may personally be liable for the payment of the goods or services.

An audit of the college by the New York State Comptroller's Office cited Buffalo State for not always adhering to these regulations by processing confirming orders, i.e., requests to pay for goods or services without a preexisting official purchase order. Violation of this policy may result in fiscal controls being placed on the offending department(s).

If you have any questions about ordering goods and services, call the Purchasing Office at ext. 4113.

The college will remain open during the weeks of December 24 and December 31, except for the official state holidays, December 25, 2007, and January 1, 2008.

Individual employees may, of course, request vacation and personal leave for other days between December 24 and December 31.

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on Mondays this year, and we anticipate that many employees will request to use vacation or personal leave on one or both of those days. If all employees in a department or unit request leave on December 24 and/or December 31, department heads have been notified that they may request approval from their vice president to close the office.

Supervisors and department heads may approve requests for other days in the holiday week (December 26, 27, and 28) as long as there is adequate staffing to allow the department to remain open and provide services. Deans and other unit heads will establish plans for provision of service during the period. Supervisors are encouraged to be as flexible as possible in granting leave requests during the holiday week. Because the holiday week is a relatively quiet time on campus, every effort must be made to ensure the safety of employees who would be working alone or in isolated areas. Department heads have been asked to contact Susan Earshen, director of human resource management, to discuss any concerns regarding employee safety.

The Erie County Department of Health has distributed aspecial advisory on prevention and detection of community-associated methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA infections have increased nationwide, especially in close living situations, health clubs, and athletics facilities.

Infections, which can occur in young, healthy people, are most common among those prone to cuts and scrapes, such as children and athletes. MRSA typically spreads by skin-to-skin contact and the sharing of personal items such as razors.

As a preventive measure, Buffalo State College is stepping up education and awareness initiatives with students, athletics coaches, and residence hall staff and students. In September, a special DVD on MRSA with personal hygiene suggestions was made available to coaches seeking to jumpstart awareness and prevention with athletics teams. The administration hopes to make this DVD available to the campus shortly.

For more information, contact Theresa Stephan Hains, director of Weigel Health Center, ext. 6711.