By Mark Norris

“The New York State Thruway’s closed, man!” Arlo Guthrie uttered those immortal words 40 years ago to half a million concertgoers at the Woodstock festival. And audiences have been shouting it back to him ever since.

Guthrie appears at the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall on Wednesday, May 6, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at theRockwell Hall Box Office, available online or by phone at 878-3005.

Like a catchphrase, a familial legacy can be a hard thing to overcome. For many musicians, having a famous relative can be an outright burden. Yet for Arlo Guthrie, being the son of Woody Guthrie, one of this country’s most revered singer-songwriters, hasn’t impeded his success one bit. The younger Guthrie has embraced his musical heritage while garnering his own fame and glory.

The younger Guthrie’s freewheeling brand of folk music first earned the songwriter an international audience in 1967, the year his song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” was released. An autobiographical epic detailing the musician’s arrest for littering, the song marked Guthrie as part of the new generation of outspoken young lyricists.

Both the song and the litter have since moved into history. An envelope containing the refuse that led to Guthrie’s arrest is now part of the American Popular Song exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Guthrie has made a bit of history himself. With a career that spans four decades and 25 recordings, the musician has become a folk luminary in his own right and has used his fame for a greater good. In 1991, Guthrie purchased the old Trinity Church in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, which provided the setting and inspiration for “Alice’s Restaurant.” Reopened as the Guthrie Center, this not-for-profit foundation provides health care, food services, and education to the local community.

In recent years, Guthrie’s recordings have come full circle. A re-recorded version of the Alice’s Restaurantalbum was released in 1997, and a collection of his father’s songs, Woody’s 20 Grow Big Songs, was issued as a children’s album in 2005. Arlo Guthrie now regularly records and performs with his own family.

From the Associate Vice President for College Relations
Buffalo State hosted representatives from three top higher education marketing firms in March (via the RFP process) who presented their proposals to assist Buffalo State College in developing its brand platform strategy. Through participation and attendance over six sessions, more than 100 faculty, staff, and students contributed feedback and evaluated the proposals.

Stamats Inc. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been selected as Buffalo State’s education consultant, and Beatrice Szalas will serve as the college’s point person. Tim Walsh, associate vice president for college relations, is leading the project for the college.

Cognizant of the tight time frame before students, faculty, and staff leave for the summer, College Relations has arranged for Stamats’ team members to come to campus on May 6 and 7 for a project planning meeting and campus visit. Over the two days, Stamats will conduct interviews and group discussions with students, faculty, administration, alumni, donors, and community leaders. A project planning meeting with Buffalo State’s brand development team will also be held to discuss vision, mission, core values, and strategic direction and determine how they will influence and inform the brand strategy.

Key campus stakeholders and constituent groups of students, administrators, faculty, and staff will be invited to engage via small groups to discuss Buffalo State College, providing insight into the heart of who are we, what we stand for, and what we promise and deliver to students. It is our turn to tell the Buffalo State story, with the end goal of establishing strong brand position statements and strategies for future campuswide endeavors.

The following open forums will be held in E. H. Butler Library 210:

For All Faculty and Staff Members
Wednesday, May 6
2:30 to 3:30 p.m. 

Thursday, May 7
9:00 to 10:00 a.m.

For All Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Wednesday, May 6
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 7
10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

For more information, contact Tim Walsh, 878-4201.

From the Vice President for Institutional Advancement
The Buffalo State Alumni Association seeks nominations for the 2009 Young Alumnus Achievement Award, which will be presented at a special awards reception on Friday, September 25, during Homecoming Weekend.

Now in its eighth year, the Young Alumnus Achievement Award recognizes alumni of the last 20 years who have (1) achieved significant professional advancement; (2) provided outstanding service to the community; and (3) demonstrated loyalty and commitment to Buffalo State College. The deadline for 2009 nominations is June 1.

The Alumni Association welcomes nominations from alumni, faculty, staff, emeriti, students, and friends of the college (self-nominations are also accepted). Recipients must be able to attend the awards reception on September 25. The reception will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall, followed by hors d’oeuvres and desserts in the Fireside Lounge.

For nomination forms or more information, contactJennifer Small, 878-6001. Nominations may also be submitted online.

From the Vice President for Finance and Management

Senior Assistant to the Vice President
Jill A. Powell has been appointed senior assistant to the vice president for finance and management, effective April 15. As part of this role, Powell serves as records access officer for Buffalo State College. She is responsible for responding on behalf of the college to all requests made under the Freedom of Information law.

Powell has served Buffalo State College for nine years, most recently as senior assistant to the vice president for institutional advancement.

Assistant Vice President
Lisa H. Krieger has been appointed assistant vice president in the Finance and Management Office, effective April 1. Krieger has served Buffalo State College for 15 years, most recently as senior assistant to the vice president for finance and management.

The following grants were awarded through the Research Foundation at Buffalo State College in February. For more information, contact the principal investigator or the Research Foundation at Buffalo State College.

February 2009

Theresa Janczak, Assistant Professor, Exceptional Education
$370,813 (Funds for First Year of Five-Year Project)
New York State Education Department
“New York State Response to Intervention Technical Assistance Center”

Randal Snyder, Associate Professor, Biology
$48,357
New York Sea Grant
“Improved Predictions of Condition and Growth in Alewives: Effects of Dietary Fatty Acids, Temperature, and Ration”

By Tony Astran

The application deadline for the 2009–2010 Service-Learning Faculty Fellowship Program is Tuesday, March 10. Faculty fellows receive service-learning course-conversion training, resources to assist with course development, and VSLC support through the implementation of the course. They also receive $200 for costs associated with travel, research, and supplies. Training sessions for the program will take place May 19–21 as part of the Summer Pedagogical Institute.

“Any course in any department could be converted to a service-learning course,” said Laura Hill Rao, coordinator of the VSLC. “We work closely with faculty to make the course successful for them and their students. Students support this format and report that they learn more through service learning.”

This is the sixth year the VSLC has offered the Service-Learning Faculty Fellowship Program. More than 60 faculty members have participated. The program is coordinated through the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in partnership with the Western New York Service-Learning Coalition.

Additional information and applications are availableonline. Contact Rao, 878-5811, or Gary Welborn, associate professor of sociology and faculty coordinator for service learning, 878-6428, with questions.

Eric Reitan, associate professor of philosophy at Oklahoma State University, will present “Is God a Delusion? A Reply to Religion’s Cultured Despisers”—a rebuttal of biologist Richard Dawkins’s 2006 bestseller,The God Delusion—at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall.

“Reitan is taking on Dawkins in this book,” said Kimberly Blessing, associate professor and chair of the Philosophy and Humanities Department. “Dawkins is perhaps the most famous advocate of a certain version of atheism that is popular especially among academics. Reitan, a philosopher who studies the philosophy of religion, argues that Dawkins’s view of religion is flawed. It should make for a lively and engaging exchange of ideas.”

A common criticism of Dawkins’s book is that Dawkins, a biologist, displays little knowledge of relevant theology or philosophy of religion. Reitan and others have argued that this ignorance fatally undermines his case against theism and religious faith. But in the preface to the paperback edition of The God Delusion, Dawkins maintains that his scientific expertise is sufficient, and to require that he study theology before debunking religion is like requiring fairy skeptics to first examine treatises on the properties of fairy wings. In his lecture, Reitan will address what he sees as the serious inadequacies of Dawkins’s response.

Reitan received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University at Buffalo in 1993. He specializes in ethical theory, applied ethics, nonviolence theory, and philosophy of religion and has published numerous articles and reviews. Reitan won OSU’s Arts and Sciences Junior Faculty Award for Scholarly Excellence in 2004, and his fiction has garnered several awards, including the 2008 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Crème de la Crème award for his short story “Malaguena.”

His new book, Is God a Delusion? A Reply to Religion’s Cultured Despisers (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008), is available for purchase at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore. He will sign copies following his lecture at Buffalo State and at Talking Leaves, 3158 Main Street, on Friday, March 13, at 5:00 p.m.

His presentation, sponsored by the Philosophy and Humanities Department and the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, is free and open to the public. ContactBlessing, 878-5136, for more information.

By Phyllis Camesano

When the Joad family drives to California in the Theater Department’s spring production of The Grapes of Wrath,they will be riding in the actual truck from the original 1988 Steppenwolf Theatre production.

The iconic car with its downtrodden but hopeful passengers is just one of many stage elements and effects employed in this epic production of John Steinbeck’s landmark 1939 novel, adapted for the stage by Frank Galati. Joe Price, associate professor of theater, directs the performance, presented in collaboration with Casting Hall Productions.

“It’s a story that is bound to resonate,” said Price. “While our current economy has not reached Depression-era depths, there is hardship, and we are all hoping for a brighter future.”

The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joads, a poor sharecropping family, as they are driven from their Oklahoma homestead by the 1930s Dust Bowl to journey across the country in search of jobs, dignity, and the Promised Land: California. Along the way, they are joined by many other equally hopeful families enduring similar plights.

The play includes 80 characters played by 27 students, many assuming four to five roles each. Through special effects, rain streams down, wind blows, and dust flies as the Joads make their way across the country. To accommodate the many scene changes, the semicircular stage includes several minisets: a river, a dirt-filled grave, the Joad family homestead, and a migrant-worker camp. Each vignette is spotlighted as the events and countryside unfold along the cross-country journey.

The sense of place is underscored by the big sky, which is an ever-present, mood-changing backdrop created with lighting effects on a cyclorama that wraps the stage. “The sky is a character,” Price said. “It is always there, embracing, beckoning, scaring.”

For sound effects and music, a group of five musicians performs live on stage. Sputtering car noises, howling wind, and Woody Guthrie– style tunes emanate from the group: Dust Bowl-era music expert and guitarist Tom Naples; Buffalo State student vocalists Jessica Hall, Valerie Wolanski, and Daige-Ann Thompson; Buffalo State student guitarist Sam Alba; and Holland High School fiddler Skylr Carrow. Price describes the group as an “updated Greek chorus.”

“To pull off a play like this, you need a full team,” Price said. “The cast must do its part. But, the scenery, the set, the costumes, and music take it to another level.”

Price joined the Buffalo State Theater Department last fall. Previously, he was the associate head of acting at the M.F.A. Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which is affiliated with the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

Principal roles are played by Buffalo State students Tafik Muhammed (Tom), Alice Cunningham (Rose of Sharon), Dylan Carrow (Casey), and Star Johnson (Ma). The part of Pa is played Justin Washington, ’08. Student Jennifer Arroyo manages the stage, and student Jeff Osterer oversees sound.

Theater Department faculty and staff include technical theater director and production manager Gregory Faust (sets); assistant professor of theater Ann Emo (costume design); and assistant professor of theater Shannon Schweitzer (lighting). Faust drove to Chicago in a snowstorm to pick up the Joad jalopy and truck it back to campus.

Performances will run March 12–14 and 19–21 at 8:00 p.m. and March 14 and 21 at 2:00 p.m. in Warren Enters Theatre in Upton Hall. Tickets are $15 for the public; $10 for Buffalo State faculty, staff, and alumni, college students with ID from other schools, and senior citizens; and $6 for Buffalo State students. Tickets are free for all high school students with ID. For tickets and information, call 878-3005.

By Jerod Dahlgren

The Buffalo State Alumni Association will host its 12th annual Bengal 5K Run and Fun Walk on Saturday, March 14. Race proceeds benefit the Alumni Association’s Legacy Scholarship fund. Legacy Scholarships are awarded annually to deserving students who are the children or grandchildren of Buffalo State graduates.

“We raised more than $8,800 for the Legacy Scholarship Fund in 2008,” said Jennifer Small, race director and assistant director of alumni affairs. “We are grateful for the continued support of not only our outside participants, but the campus community as well.”

Last year, more than 700 people ran, walked, or volunteered, setting a record for the number of participants. A total of 146 volunteered for the event, with students making up more than 50 percent of the volunteer base.

“We had a tremendous turnout last year,” said Small, who has served as race director for the event for seven years. “It was especially encouraging to see so many students volunteering.” Among the student groups lending a hand in 2008 were Phi Beta Sigma, the Graduate Association of Student Personnel Administrators, Residence Life staff, the Caribbean Students Organization, United Students Government, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Alpha Phi Alpha.

Participants are encouraged to register by March 11 to save on entry fees. Faculty and staff may also save by signing up as members of teams of 10. Last year, the Counseling Center, Residence Life, and Weigel Health Center fielded teams. The first 500 registrants will receive a custom-made winter knit cap.

Steve Barber, ’97, news reporter at WKBW-TV, will shoot the starting gun at 9:30 a.m. and participate in the race with his wife. “Steve will be pulling double duty this year—a first for Bengal 5K race starters,” said Small. Chris Parker, ’94, cohost of WGR-AM 550 sports radio’s afternoon show, will serve as master of ceremonies at the popular post-race Bengal Brunch, which is free for participants and $5 for family and friends watching the race. The brunch features door prizes, food, beverages, music, and an awards ceremony.

For the third consecutive year, the Bengal 5K serves as the second leg of the Queen City Triple Crown, which includes the Chilly Challenge (February 22), staged by Canisius High School, and Canisius College’s Shoes for the Shelter (March 29).

To run, walk, or volunteer, please call Small at 878-6001 or visit the Alumni Affairs Web site.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, March 13, in Classroom Building C122 and will feature Carl Wiezalis, president of the University Faculty Senate at SUNY Albany, who will speak at the meeting. All are encouraged to attend.