Ann R. Brown has been appointed interim associate vice president for college relations following the resignation of Claire S. Jones. Brown has worked for Buffalo State for nine years and in higher education communication for more than 25 years. A national search for an associate vice president for college relations is under way.

The College Relations Office is responsible for image and marketing, public and media relations, official Web pages, select publications, and internal communication.

An opportunity exists for a member of the Buffalo State professional staff to lead staff development initiatives. The appointee will provide leadership in the following areas:

• The development and implementation of initiatives, policies, and a campuswide culture in support of excellence in professional service.
• Arrange and oversee delivery of professional development opportunities for new, midterm, and senior staff.
• Focus on skill sets for promotional opportunities.
• Coordinate new staff orientation and mentoring programs.
• Disseminate relevant information on staff development.
• Link staff development opportunities with the campus performance program system.

Appointment is for two years through the end of the spring 2010 semester. Provost will negotiate compensation package with the appointee. Starting date is negotiable.

Required Qualifications: Advanced degree, permanent appointment status, prior successful experience with staff development, and evidence of strong organizational and leadership skills.

Submit a letter of application, résumé or curriculum vitae, and names and contact information for three professional references to: Carolyn Martino, Academic and Student Affairs, Cleveland Hall 519, Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222-1095

Electronic applications are encouraged and may be submitted to martinc@buffalostate.edu

Review of applications will begin March 21, 2008, and continue until the position is filled.

An opportunity exists for a member of the Buffalo State faculty to lead faculty development initiatives. The appointee will provide leadership in the following areas:

• The development and implementation of initiatives, policies, and a campuswide culture in support of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.
• Provide programs, services, and information on effective teaching strategies to assist faculty with their continual professional development as educators.
• Oversee the creation of a state-of-the-art learning and teaching center.
• Integrate new professional development efforts with established college initiatives such as leadership development, Carnegie Academy for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program, Scholarship Support Program, and other existing efforts.
• Disseminate relevant information on faculty development opportunities.
• Instruct one class per semester in the discipline and/or in the college’s Intellectual Foundations program.

Initial emphasis will be on programming to enhance teaching. Appointment is for two years ending at the conclusion of the spring 2010 semester. Provost will negotiate compensation package with individual selected for the appointment. Starting date is negotiable.

Required Qualifications: Terminal degree, tenured faculty status, prior successful experience with faculty development, and evidence of strong organizational and leadership skills.

Submit a letter of application, résumé or curriculum vitae, and names and contact information for three professional references to: Carolyn Martino, Academic and Student Affairs, Cleveland Hall 519, Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222-1095

Electronic applications are encouraged and may be submitted to martinc@buffalostate.edu

Review of applications will begin March 21, 2008, and continue until the position is filled.

The Research and Creativity Council is sponsoring its Spring Forum presentation, “Establishing Community Partnerships: Find the Partner, Find the Funding,” from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, in Bacon Hall 217. The forum will focus specifically on how collaborative grant writing can be an outcome of college-community partnerships.

The panel presentation will feature an overview by Marian Deutschman, interim director of the College and Community Partnerships Office. Carol Darstein, coordinator of pre-award and contract services in the Research Foundation, will discuss how to find funding sources. Joan McCool, director of the Counseling Center, and Jessica Pirro, associate director of Crisis Services, will provide actual examples of how community partnerships begin, are fostered, and result in the submission of successful grant proposals, such as “The Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent Violence against Women on Campus,” funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. Their presentation will cover practical issues such as how they made contacts between organizations, how they worked with both organizations, difficulties they faced, etc.

If you plan to attend the Spring Forum, please contactGina Game, executive assistant to the director, in the Research Foundation.

It’s almost spring—time to head outdoors! So why not start by taking part in this year’s 11th annual Bengal 5K Run and Fun Walk on Saturday, March 15? Register by March 12 to get a discount on your registration fee.

“We had so much fun last year,” said Marion Barnett, associate professor of elementary education and reading. “This year, our team is having T-shirts made.” Elementary education was one of the faculty/staff teams last year. (Teams must register by March 12.) Last year, more than 50 faculty and staff took part, along with 85 alumni and more than 100 students.

In fact, the 2007 Bengal 5K broke all attendance and sponsorship records. “We also raised a record $9,600 for the Alumni Association’s Legacy Scholarship fund,” said Jennifer Small, race director and assistant director of alumni affairs.

Ben Palka, Class of 2009, qualifies for the scholarship because his father attended Buffalo State. “The scholarship helped me pay for my textbooks,” said Palka, “and allowed me to do extracurricular activities, too. So thanks to the Alumni Association and everyone who supports us!”

Perks for Buffalo Staters
Special awards are given to several Buffalo State participants: the faculty/staff team with the fastest overall time, based on the top five finishers; the faculty/staff team with the largest number of participants, including volunteers; the top male and female faculty/staff finishers; the top male and female alumni finishers; and the top male and female student finishers. Awards are also given to the student group with the largest number of runners and walkers, and the student group with the most volunteers.

“Last year,” said Small, “student groups from Residence Life, USG, men’s hockey, the Chemistry Club, GASPA, and Sigma Phi Epsilon were among those who took part.”

Queen City Triple Crown
The Bengal 5K Run and Fun Walk follows a 3.1-mile course around the campus, a course described as “fast and flat.” It’s part of the Queen City Triple Crown, which includes the Chilly Challenge, staged by Canisius High School, and Canisius College’s Shoes for the Shelter.

The fastest time last year was 15 minutes, 43 seconds.

Participants’ time is recorded as they cross the finish line, thanks to a computer chip in each runner’s shoe. Results will be available at the post-race Bengal Brunch. Awards are given to the top overall male/female finisher and the top three male and female finishers in each age group.

Remember, you can walk the route, too. For safety reasons, in-line skates, dogs, and strollers are not allowed.

Mylous Hairston, ’86, news anchor at WIVB-TV, will shoot the starting gun at 9:30 a.m., and Howard Simon, ’84, host of WGR-AM 550 sports radio’s morning show, will serve as master of ceremonies at the post-race party.

Fun Stuff
Participants will get a free goodie bag, and the first 450 registrants will receive a designer T-shirt. The post-race Bengal Brunch, which starts at 10:00 a.m., is free to participants. Guests and late risers can enjoy the brunch for $5. Last year, door prizes included restaurant gift certificates, fitness memberships, and running apparel.

Lend a Hand
If it’s still too early in the season to go 3.1 miles under your own steam, please lend a hand. Volunteers are needed to help with day-of-race registration, chip collection, distributing door prizes, and brunch. Last year, more than half the volunteers were students.

To register or find out more, please contact Jennifer Small, (716) 878-6001, or visit the Alumni Affairs Web site.

The college’s newest minor program, the study of understanding community, diversity, and peace (the peace minor), grew from the dedicated work of the committee of the same name.

Approved by President Muriel Howard and initiated and coordinated by Jean F. Gounard, the committee’s first effort was the inaugural Peace Conference, a half-day program in October 2002 dedicated to promoting peace and accepting diversity. The event has grown into an annual daylong conference featuring renowned speakers, authors, and United Nations officials.

Gounard, director of the International Student Affairs Office and adjunct professor of educational foundations, as well as several members of the committee, including Kim Irvine, chair and professor of geography and planning, and Carmen Iannaccone, professor emeritus of exceptional education, have been instrumental in bringing about the new minor.

“People have to learn to work together in peace and harmony,” Gounard said. “We have to teach the next generation.”

The minor is offered through the Geography and Planning Department, but it draws course offerings from 23 academic departments. Its proponents note that while helping others may improve the world, propagating peace demands a thorough understanding of how to create it.

The 21-credit minor offers students an opportunity to examine the world and themselves through two required components. The first component, foundations of understanding peace, focuses on moral and ethical development of tolerance and peacefulness as necessary building blocks toward peace. The second component focuses on the social aspects of peace, including community, diversity, and science and the environment. It also includes social analysis to enable students to understand and apply principles that support community, diversity, and peace. A field experience, which may be local, regional, national, or international, caps the minor.

Patrick McGovern, assistant professor of political science, teaches one of the required courses, Democracy and Peace: The Urban Experience. It is a service-learning course that explores the intersection of democracy and the urban experience, allowing students to understand how democracy works within the context of a community. “We try to unpack the notion of democracy,” said McGovern, “and look at what it takes to achieve it, including education and peace.”

Please give generously to the 2008 annual Faculty and Staff Appeal. This year, the Faculty and Staff Appeal Committee hopes to increase both the amount of money raised and the number of donors.

“Over the years, this appeal has raised more than $1.2 million,” said Claire Collier, director of special projects and coordinator of the Faculty and Staff Appeal Committee. “We hope to add $165,000 this year.”

Why should you give? “For the basic reasons,” said Collier. “We are an excellent institution. We have excellent faculty and dedicated staff. And we have hardworking students who want to make something of their lives.” 

The Right Thing
Many participants give out of a sense of conviction. Rita Zientek, ’90, associate dean of the School of the Professions, started her career as a temp in the Registrar’s Office. She said, “I give for several reasons: First, I give because it is the right thing to do. Second, I give to higher education because I believe in its power. Third, I give to Buffalo State College because the college mission resonates with me. My three sisters and I all began our quest for better lives here at Buff State. The college did not let us down; it transformed our lives.”

With hundreds of funds from which to choose, it’s easy to find one that matches your own philanthropic interests. Felix Armfield, associate professor of history and social studies education, takes advantage of the appeal to support the Monroe Fordham Regional History Center. “I believe in the work of the Fordham Center,” he said, “and its mission helps us make the most of our town and gown relationship with Buffalo.”

Rebecca Schenk, ’77, director of budget and internal controls, is among those who have donated since the appeal’s first payroll deduction in May 1988. She supports several funds, including the Buffalo State College Child Care Center. “When I was treasurer of the Child Care Center,” she said, “I saw that, without it, our students who have young children might not be able to attend college.”

Schenk also supports the college’s Venture Fund because its funds can be used where the need is greatest. “I believe very strongly in our president,” said Schenk, “and so I want to support those things that she considers important.”

Many faculty and staff members support scholarships and awards. For many students, including those in the All College Honors Program, receiving a scholarship is the reason they decide to attend Buffalo State. Even modest scholarships mean more hours available to students for study and college life.

To find out more about any of the funds, please contactClaire Collier, (716) 878-5206.

Goals and Giving Options
A gift of $136—one for each of Buffalo State’s years since its 1871 founding—enables you to become a member of the Anniversary Club, the lowest giving level acknowledged in the college’s annual report. The President’s Circle is another popular option.

Please be as generous as possible. However, bear in mind that for less than a dollar a pay period, you can celebrate the appeal’s 20th anniversary with $20 and support the cause of higher education at Buffalo State in any way you choose.

The Auxiliary Services Grant Allocation Committee (GAC) is requesting proposals from individuals, departments, and student clubs and organizations for funding of programs, speakers, and events to take place during the 2008–2009 academic year. The application and guidelines have been updated; interested individuals are encouraged to review this document.

The deadlines for submitting applications under this funding cycle are as follows:

Monday, March 31, for fall 2008 and spring 2009 program proposals
Monday, September 15, for fall 2008 and spring 2009 program proposals
Monday, November 17, for spring 2009 program proposals

Questions about the GAC may be addressed to Daniel Velez, assistant to the vice president for student affairs, Cleveland Hall 519, (716) 878-5550.

To comply with New York State Ethics Commission regulations (Title 19 NYCRR Part 930 of the Public Officers Law), the college is required to annually report honoraria received by full-time faculty and professional and management/confidential employees. An honorarium is defined as “a payment, fee, or other compensation given to an individual for services rendered not related to the individual’s official state duties.” It also includes payment for travel expenses when the expenses incurred are unrelated to the employee’s duties.

Examples of honoraria include compensation for delivering a speech, writing an article, or attending a meeting. Honoraria do not include salary, wages, or fees earned from outside employment. Faculty are not required to declare honoraria received within their academic disciplines.

Although reporting honoraria is required, obtaining prior approval of requests to receive honoraria is optional rather than mandatory. However, the college encourages employees to seek prior approval from the president’s designee (your respective vice president) before engaging in an activity that leads to the receipt of honoraria.

If you receive honoraria during the period April 1, 2007, through March 31, 2008, and do not request prior approval from your vice president, you will be required to report the source, date, and amount of honoraria received to your vice president by May 9, 2008.

Information regarding reporting of honoraria can be found on the New York State Ethics Commission Web site. Questions should be directed to Susan Earshen, associate vice president for human resource management, at (716) 878-3042.

The next meeting of the Buffalo State College Council will be held at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, in Cleveland Hall 518.

Agenda
Call to Order
Action Items
-- Approval of Minutes: November 27, 2007
Council Chair’s Report
President’s Report
Committee Reports
Announcements
Adjournment