Laurie Buonanno, professor and chair of political science at Buffalo State, advises the SUNY Model European Union (SUNYMEU) program and says it provides effective experiential education. During the winter break, this assertion was largely amplified through a trip to Izmir University of Economics in Turkey, where she and three of her students participated in SUNYMEU with 10 other universities from across the United States and Europe.

“Students say they learn more in Model EU by participating than they do in a 3-credit class about the European Union,” said Buonanno. “Experiential education is very, very effective.”

Joining Buonanno in Turkey from January 2 to 16 were sophomores Yolanda Rondon and Joseph Mayo and senior Betsy Oquendo. The trip began with a Model EU simulation from January 3 to 5, where students debated issues such as the admission of Turkey to the EU, peace and security in Kosovo, the EU’s Lisbon Treaty (which streamlines the decision-making process now that so many countries are part of the EU), and a resolution on Iran’s nuclear program. Buffalo State students joined students from European universities in representing Germany and the EU Commission, the EU body responsible for writing legislation. In all, about 60 students participated in the simulation.

From January 7 to 15, Buffalo State joined a group of about 30 students and faculty from SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Cortland, and Drake University (in Des Moines, Iowa) for a study tour of Turkey. They toured ruins, visited museums, saw aboveground and underground caves where early Christians lived and where others hid from invaders, traveled to the ancient Ionian city of Ephesus, viewed Ataturk’s tomb, learned about a rug-making cooperative through the Ministry of Education, toured mosques and churches in Istanbul and Ankara, and met with Turkish government officials.

According to Buonanno, SUNYMEU attendees were taken with the Buffalo State students. “Other faculty kept commenting that they were the most mature and best behaved of all,” she said. “They were the first to complete assignments and were actively engaged the entire time. Everyone was so impressed.”

Successful careers are likely in store for the three Buffalo State participants. Rondon wants to become a lawyer specializing in international law. Oquendo also wants to become a lawyer, and Mayo wants to become a foreign diplomat.

“I constantly get letters from past students who tell me how helpful Model EU is for their careers,” said Buonanno. “One student told me that during an interview for a college admissions job, he linked the interpersonal skills he learned in Model EU to those needed for managing freshman orientation. He got the job.

“Unlike the Model UN, you actually play a real person in Model EU,” added Buonanno. “You also can e-mail real staff for advice on issues. Model UN is an international organization focused on diplomacy, whereas Model EU simulates the EU, which is a quasi-federalist state.”

Buonanno said the one drawback to the Turkey experience was the expense. The average price for the trip was about $2,200 per person.

“Luckily, the Dean’s Office paid for the conference fees, the hotel in Izmir, and a small portion of the flight,” she said. “But the trip was still unaffordable for most. We’re reevaluating where our next study-abroad simulation will be in 2010. Financial aid packages did help somewhat, though. And we couldn’t have coordinated all the travel and forms without the help of Lee Ann Grace [assistant dean of international and exchange programs].”

Buonanno believes that SUNYMEU is a model of how SUNY schools can work together as a system to achieve goals. The program began at SUNY Brockport in 1988 and was the first of its kind in the United States. Buonanno directed the program from 1999 to 2005 when she taught at SUNY Fredonia. Today, she serves as a faculty adviser and co-writes the SUNYMEU training manual.

“Together, SUNY faculty and students took part in experiential learning outside the classroom, learning about Europeans, and working with European partner schools,” she said. “This is an example of all of us belonging to a whole system, rather than any one campus. I hope other faculty members can receive college and departmental support to take on endeavors like this in the future. It’s really part of our mission as part of the SUNY system.”

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
—— Martin Luther King Jr.

February is Black History Month, and Buffalo State will celebrate with an array of activities on campus, including film viewings, readings, music, and food.

The month’s origins trace back to 1926, when Carter Woodson, an African American historian, author, and journalist, established “Negro History Week” in a scholarly effort to popularize the contributions of black Americans. Driven by the belief that history books largely neglected the achievements of people of color, Woodson wanted to provide the nation an opportunity to commemorate their successes. He chose the second week of February because it included the birthdays of two important individuals in the history of black Americans: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Not until the United States celebrated its 200th birthday in 1976 did the weeklong celebration expand to the entire month of February.

“We should emphasize not Negro history, but the Negro in history,” said Woodson in 1926. “What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.”

Observances of Black History Month at Buffalo State College will include the following activities. An ongoing list of events at Buffalo State is available on the Student Life and the African and African American Studies Web sites.

Beginning February 11, an exhibit by associate librarian Musa Abdul Hakim, titled Breaking the Silences on the Holocaust of Slavery: Remembering the Multiple Legacies of Enslavement and Trade in Africa’s Human Population,will be on view in E. H. Butler Library lobby. A collection of photographs, book covers, and film slides will illustrate the experiences of black Americans and depict slavery, plantation life, the Ku Klux Klan, the Black Panthers, riots, poverty, and segregation.

On February 21, a screening of Malcolm X will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Fireside Lounge. The event is sponsored by the Student Life Office, the African American Students Organization, Black Active Minds, the Pan African Students Organization, Silver Screen, and Omega Phi Beta.

On February 22, a “post” Kwanzaa Dinner will be available for all Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff at 6:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. Local professional storyteller Karima Amin (left) will provide a reading. The dinner includes a candle-lighting ceremony and a discussion of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Cuisine will include catered African, Caribbean, and soul food.

On February 28, the African American Students Organization will present the third annual Mahogany Pageant at 6:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the Rockwell Hall box office. Gail Wells, director of student life, says the event contrasts typical beauty pageants and fits with African heritage.

“The Mahogany Pageant celebrates uniqueness in a culturally reaffirming way,” she said. “You don’t have to be thin to be beautiful. The pageant stresses the beauty of non-physical attributes and different body types, and this year we’re celebrating African-inspired fashion that has influenced European design.”

The weakened U.S. dollar might be seen as a deterrent for students to study abroad. Stories of economic recession have dominated the media, including a recent article from the Chronicle of Higher Education that explains the struggle for colleges to control the cost of study-abroad programs. But at Buffalo State College, the number of students studying internationally has increased steadily through recent years.

International and Exchange Programs, headed by assistant dean Lee Ann Grace, sent 148 Buffalo State students to 22 countries from summer 2006 through spring 2007. And the Special Programs Office, directed by Wendel Wickland, sent 60 students to universities throughout the United States and Canada for a full academic year during the same span.

Grace says short-term study-abroad programs—lasting from 10 days to three weeks—have seen the greatest increases in participation. Wickland manages the National Student Exchange program and says that low tuition rates attract students. The NSE serves more than 200 colleges and universities throughout 48 U.S. states, three U.S. territories, and six Canadian provinces.

“Regardless of the dollar value, you’re always going to have students who want to explore other areas,” said Wickland. “Some students want to experience the flavor of a region, and others attend another college for a specialized track of courses not offered here. No matter the reason, the great advantage to the NSE is that they will pay either Buffalo State tuition or the resident tuition of the campus they attend.”

But Grace and Wickland know the declining dollar is an important issue, especially for international opportunities.

“We budget each study-abroad experience at a rate that’s lower than the current exchange rate so that we have a buffer,” said Grace, “but no one has a crystal ball [for how the markets will change].”

Wickland says other factors can dampen interest in international study, like political turmoil or the threat of terrorism. And Grace and Wickland point to several reasons beyond the changing dollar for the increased financial burden on students: costlier visas and airfare, and reduced financial aid.

“When I started 16 years ago, about a third of study-abroad students used financial aid,” said Grace. “Today, all students rely on financial aid. Any increases in tuition or decreases in financial aid hurt our programs. The middle class is hardest hit, because wealthier families can better manage costs, and lower-income students typically receive more financial aid.”

Many parents initially experience “sticker shock” upon seeing the costs of studying abroad, according to Grace and Wickland. To alleviate worries, both offices host recruitment opportunities that offer parents and students the chance to learn more about programs, meet faculty, and explore financial-aid options.

“Cost is a barrier to participation, but I think it’s often a perceived barrier,” said Grace. “With the right planning—starting a year out, so that no application deadlines are missed—students can find the financial support they need.”

In the end, more participating students mean lower program costs for all, said Grace. She looks to faculty and staff for assistance in marketing programs to Buffalo State students, and for flexibility in their academic curricula to accept courses taken abroad.

“I think students recognize that we need to understand other cultures more than ever right now,” said Grace. “I advise parents, students, and faculty to focus on the study-abroad experience as an investment in the future,” she said.

Most colleges can only dream of a 98 percent retention rate through graduation. Buffalo State’s All College Honors Program boasts just such a rate. If it were its own college, it could well compete with some of the nation’s finest institutions.

According to Andrea Guiati, professor of modern and classical languages and honors program director since 1999, more than 155 students are now in the program, and the college hopes for 200 students by 2013.

Honors students will attend a luncheon today hosted by President Muriel Howard in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall. The idea behind the gathering, held for the previous three years, is to “make sure the students understand what it means to be a recipient of the scholarship,” according to Guiati. The luncheon will put students in contact with college donors and past honors program directors, encouraging them to remain connected to Buffalo State after graduation.

The honors program has demanding admission and retention criteria. Roughly 40 first-year students enter each year with a minimum high school grade point average of 90 and a score of 1100 or better on the SAT. Guiati says freshmen who are “close” may be invited in as early as their second semester, dependent on their Buffalo State grade point average. “This semester, four students joined us who earned a 3.8 or better in the fall,” he said. Once admitted, students must maintain a 3.5 grade point average or better to graduate with honors.

But the number of students in the honors program is based on the amount of funds raised, as the program is privately funded. Each student receives a $2,000 scholarship, and the money comes primarily from two key events held during the academic year: the Scholarship Gala and the Golf and Tennis Scholarship Classic. Proceeds from these two events cover about 80 percent of the scholarships each year, with individual annual donors and endowed scholarships making up the remainder. Guiati credits the Buffalo State College Foundation for its leadership and support of the program.

The investment is worthwhile. Most honors students attend graduate schools, apply for Fulbright and other scholarships, and compete for prestigious internships. Guiati said one student, Kimberly Cline, joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation last summer as an intern in the forensic chemistry department. He added, however, that honors students make an impact well before graduation.

“The students are visible—they start giving back to the school even while they’re here,” said Guiati. “All you have to do is throw out a little bait to motivate them, and they will take it. They will work hard.”

First-year honors students take seven specific honors classes during the course of their undergraduate years, including a freshman seminar (HON 100) and a senior seminar (HON 400). Other than the seminars, all class sections are limited to 25 students and taught by honors program faculty members. Honors students endure more rigorous assignments than non-honors students and receive priority registration for class scheduling.

Honors students also have access to an honors lounge in Twin Rise, receive added advisement via Guiati, and can choose to live in an honors program suite within North Wing. They benefit from extracurricular activities, such as guest lecturers and field trips. This year’s students are currently organizing a fall 2008 trip to Whispering Pinesto help first-year honors students feel better connected to the program.

Recently, honors students put learned theories intopractice. The Honors 301 Values and Ethics class sponsored a warm-clothing drive to support Journey’s End Refugee Services and Vive, two organizations that help refugees adjust to life in the United States. Guiati said there were so many bags of clothes stored in his office, he had no room to walk.

Guiati believes that the experience of teaching honors students is highly gratifying.

“I would advise all faculty members to teach an honors class if they want to fulfill the desire of any teacher,” he said. “And that desire is having an entire class respond to your teaching and who wants to work.”

Buffalo State faculty and staff are invited to attend the next “Why Bother?” lecture, “Exploring the Digital Frontier: ‘Natives’ and ‘Immigrants’ Learning from Each Other,” presented by Debra R. Sprague, associate professor at George Mason University, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, February 22, in E. H. Butler Library 210.

“Digital natives” are twenty-first-century students immersed in technology, with access to information and resources unprecedented in previous generations. They are comfortable using computers, digital cameras, cell phones, and iPods. Their teachers, “digital immigrants,” often lack the understanding and skills needed to use these same technologies.

How do teacher educators embrace these technologies, used by their students since infancy? How can they create a culture that promotes the use of technology to address challenges and that integrates technology into instruction? This session will enable participants to reflect on their own practices, learn about technology-rich alternatives, and be inspired to transform some of their classroom routines to involve technology.

Sprague is a 1984 graduate of Buffalo State College and an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University. Her research interests focus on the use of technology to support teaching and learning and the integration of technology in K–12 teacher education. She is the coauthor ofTechnology for Teaching and serves as editor of theJournal of Technology and Teacher Education. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico.

This session is jointly sponsored by University College and the Buffalo State “Why Bother?” endowment fund, which asks alumni to reflect on and share their professional evolution with students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The 2008 program, the second “Why Bother?” lecture, has been designed for members of the Buffalo State College Teacher Education Unit and alumni who are teaching. Other alumni and members of the Buffalo State community are also welcome.

This free event includes a continental breakfast, a book fair, a book signing, and door prizes. Free on-campus parking is available (with shuttle van) for alumni and teachers attending the session.

For more information, contact Sharon Cramer, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Exceptional Education Department, (716) 878-4334.

Applications and nominations are being accepted through Friday, February 15, for the May 2008 Emerging College Leaders program, a five-day leadership developmentprogram for faculty and professional staff interested in increasing self-awareness and improving leadership skills. The program runs May 13–15 and 20–21, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with follow-up sessions in September and January.

The Emerging Leaders Program includes assessments, workshops, and planning designed to enhance individual leadership potential. Participants will increase their self-awareness as leaders, reflect on leadership skills needed and those they possess, enhance skills in problem solving and communication, create a development program for leadership, and set up systems to support this development. The program is open to full-time faculty and professional staff.

Applications and nominations forms are available onlineand in the Strategic Planning Office, Caudell Annex 122. Contact Marie Mance, director of leadership development, or Cara Angie, staff assistant, at (716) 887-3841 with questions.

During the fall 2007 semester, the College Senate experimented with posting a summary of each meeting, along with linked documents, on the Senate Web site. The goal of this posting was to provide members of the Buffalo State College campus community with more timely access to events taking place within the Senate, rather than waiting until the minutes were approved and posted at the subsequent meeting. These materials can be found under the College Senate News section of the Web site. 

For example, in the summary of the November 2007 meeting, a resource was developed, stimulated by the College Senate’s Constituent Questions during the fall 2007 semester, for individuals with computers with the Vista operating system. Documents prepared by Melissa Miszkiewicz and her staff describe how students can make sure the documents that they send to their professors or that they post on Angel can be opened and read.

The spring 2008 semester will include not only the use of these updates but forums on topics that are slated to come before the Senate for a vote during the spring 2008 semester. Please check the forum section of the college Web site (which has been changed to provide easier access via use of NT sign-on rather than the previously required special forum user name/password) or other parts of the Senate site for information or discussions about some or all of the following Senate Action Items (and associated committees):

Representation of graduate students and graduate faculty on the College Senate (Ad Hoc Graduate Issues Committee, Greg Wadsworth, chair); reconsideration of number of required upper-division credits for undergraduates (Instruction and Research Committee, Heather Maldonado, chair); budget analysis and implications (Budget and Staff Allocations Committee, Ted Schmidt, chair); bylaws revisions (Bylaws and Elections Committee, John DeNisco, chair); how to put the “R” (research) back in instruction and research (Instruction and Research Committee, Heather Maldonado, chair).

Elections will be conducted within all units, as appropriate, this semester. The College Senate will elect three at-large senators and one University Faculty Senate (SUNY) senator. Announcements about elections will be forthcoming in early spring. In addition, the Senate will be following bylaws of the Senate Intellectual Foundations Oversight Committee (SIFOC) and conducting a required review of the assistant dean of intellectual foundations, Douglas Koritz. SIFOC is defined as the Review Committee, and the chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee (or designee) is designated as the chair of the Review Committee. Nancy Chicola, chair of the Curriculum Committee, and Gary Solar, senator and current member of the College Senate’s Curriculum Committee, will co-chair the Review Committee. The co-chairs will provide information about the process to be used for the review within the next month.

College Senate meetings will be held in Classroom Building C122 for spring 2008. Leading to the relocation were the improved visibility (e.g., all senators are easily within sight of each other and of the projection screen), as well as overall improved sound quality within the room. All College Senate meetings are open to the entire campus community. The schedule can be found on the College Senate Web site. The rosters of senators andcommittees include contact information. Please share ideas, concerns, and kudos with your senators, and (if your schedule permits) please attend a Senate meeting this semester.

In compliance with the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989, employees of Buffalo State College should be aware of and must adhere to the policy stated below:

• The unlawful use, possession, manufacture, dispensation, or distribution of controlled substances in all Buffalo State College work locations is prohibited. The term "controlled substance" means a controlled substance in Schedules I through V of Section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21USC812).
• Employees who unlawfully manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess, or use a controlled substance will be subject to disciplinary procedures consistent with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and collective bargaining agreements.
• Employees must notify the Human Resource Management Office of any criminal conviction for a drug-statute violation occurring in the workplace or at a work site no later than five working days after such conviction. An employee so convicted will be required to satisfactorily participate in a state-approved drug-abuse assistance or rehabilitation program as a condition of continuing employment.
• No employee will report for work or will work impaired by any substance, drug or alcohol, lawful or unlawful. "Impaired" means under the influence of a substance such that the employee's motor senses (i.e., sight, hearing, balance, reaction, or reflex) or judgment either are or may be reasonably presumed to be affected.
• Medical testing may be done if the college has a reasonable suspicion that an employee is unable to perform job duties due to the misuse of alcohol, controlled substances, or prescription drugs.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available on campus for employees who wish to seek assistance in dealing with drug- or alcohol-related problems as well as a variety of other concerns. A current list of EAP coordinators can be found on the Web site.

Questions regarding the Policy on Alcohol and Drug Use in the Workplace should be referred to Emmanuel J. Hillery, associate director of human resource management, (716) 878-4822.

From the President
In compliance with the New York State Governmental Accountability, Audit and Internal Control Act of 1999, the campus Internal Control Program ensures that Buffalo State not only meets its obligations to external entities but also provides a supportive and responsive environment that facilitates the achievement of institutional goals and enables individual programs to become more effective.

The objectives of Buffalo State’s Internal Control Program are:

• Achievement of the college’s mission.
• Accurate recording, preservation, and reporting of institutional data.
• Efficient and effective use of program resources.
• Appropriate safeguarding and authorized use of assets.
• College compliance with laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and guidelines.

New York’s Office of the State Comptroller expects all members of the Buffalo State community to be aware of the provisions of the Internal Control Program and participate, as appropriate, in its success. To that end, members of the Internal Control Steering Committee will be reaching out to the campus to secure information and to ensure adherence to program guidelines. Please recognize the significance of this program when contacted or when program changes occur. Successful internal controls are everyone’s responsibility.

If you have questions regarding the Internal Control Program, please contact Rebecca Schenk, director of budget and internal controls, at (716) 878-4312.

Jean-Francois Gounard, director of the International Student Affairs Office, has been elevated to the top rank of “Commandeur” in France’s l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, the country’s highest academic honor. The distinction was bestowed on Gounard on January 5 at a ceremony in Paris.

Founded by the Emperor Napoleon in 1808, the l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, or Order of Academic Palms, recognizes outstanding contributions toward greater understanding of the French language and culture. Gounard is honored for his career-long efforts to promote positive relations between the United States and France, his country of origin, through education, exchange of scholars, and heightened awareness of the Francophone world.

“This is a tremendous honor for Dr. Gounard and Buffalo State College,” said President Muriel A. Howard. “The acclaim is testament to Dr. Gounard’s dedication to teaching and advancing the international community.”

On behalf of the French government, Dr. Suzy Halimi presented the award at the Cercle National Des Armees de Terre de Mer et de L’Air. Halimi, a recognized scholar and author, oversees the education sector of the French delegation to UNESCO. In her remarks to the gathering of family, friends, and high-ranking government and national education officials, Halimi praised Gounard for his passion, commitment, and accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, and research.

Gounard joined Buffalo State in 1982 as the director of International Student Affairs and an adjunct professor of educational foundations and English. His education, through his doctorate, is from the University of Bordeaux, in France. He has published three books and more than 25 journal articles in French and English on African American literature and international education. He has presented more than 200 papers throughout the world and is the recipient of many outstanding awards and honors including two Fulbright grants.

In 1999, Gounard was named “Officier” in l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques in recognition of exceptional university service to France and the United States and for promoting positive relations between the two countries. By a decree signed on November 14, 2003, by the president of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, Gounard was selected to receive recognition for distinguished merit as a “Chevalier” (Knight) in the National Order of Merit, one of only two French National Orders. The National Order of Merit was created by General de Gaulle 44 years ago. The other is the Order of the Legion of Honor, created by Napoleon in 1802.

Through the programs, activities, and publications of the International Student Affairs Office, Gounard serves more than 300 international students and scholars annually and is instrumental in promoting closer ties between his campus, the Western New York community, and the world.