Encourage your students to explore the world through Buffalo State's International Studies minor! A free pizza luncheon will be held on Tuesday, April 8, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Bacon Hall 217. International Studies is an 18 credit interdisciplinary sequence of courses that can be tailored to students' specific interests. The minor requires proficiency in a foreign language up to the 301 level and encourages a study-abroad experience. Dr. Lee Ann Grace, assistant dean, International and Exchange Programs, will describe the many opportunities available overseas.

Music industry veteran and cable television executive Tom Calderone, a graduate of Buffalo State, is the next speaker in the Leadership Lecture Series. The campus community is invited to hear him on Thursday, April 3, at 4:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler 210. Tom is responsible for the leadership, strategy, and management of the network that keeps viewers in touch with the music and pop culture they love through a wide variety of series, specials, live events, and digital media. The Leadership Lecture Series is free and open to the public.

The College and Community Partnerships Office is sponsoring a coffee/information session for tenured and tenure-track Buffalo State faculty members to discuss partnership minigrants. Join us for coffee on Tuesday, April 1, anytime between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. in Cleveland Hall 211A. The session will provide an opportunity to ask questions, provide ideas, and to discuss the minigrant process.

The Third annual Scholastic Book Fair is scheduled for Tuesday, April 1, through Thursday, April 3, from noon to 4:00 p.m. in Caudell Hall's Margaret Grant Lounge. There will be a variety of children’s books available for your shopping pleasure. No ordering is necessary (cash, personal checks, and credit cards are accepted). Remember, books make great gifts for the children in your family. Proceeds will benefit the Buffalo State College Child Care Center. If you have any questions, please e-mail Gina Game.

Members who joined the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) on or after July 27, 1976 have been required to contribute 3 percent of their salary to their ORP contract.

The African and African American Studies Interdisciplinary Unit (School of Natural and Social Sciences) celebrates the 50th anniversary of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, a seminal novel in African and World literature, Tuesday, April 1, 4:30-10:00 p.m., in Ketchum Hall 328. The program will include screenings of Chinua Achebe (with Bill Mohers) (30 minutes) and Chinua Achebe: the Importance of Stories (60 minutes) and several scholarly presentations. Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students are invited.

Dr. Lorraine Pflaumer will speak on Tuesday, April 1, 10:00–11:00 a.m. and 2:00–3:00 p.m. in Upton Hall 410. Relating art to other disciplines in a K–8 setting (specifically history, literature, and drama), Pflaumer will discuss ways to use such themes and subjects as the ice age, medieval times, ancient Greece, the Continental Congress of American characters, dogs, and the Lion King as organizing units.

More than 500 runners and walkers and a record number of volunteers (over 125) came out to brave the elements and support the 11th annual Bengal 5K Run and Fun Walk on Saturday, March 15.

Students may now see their registration start date in Banner under "Registration Status." Registration start dates will run from April 9 through April 22 inclusive. Holds, if any, will also show under "Registration Status" and should be resolved at least two working days before students intend to register.

By 2010, consumer electronics and small appliances could account for 30 percent of a typical home's electricity bill. Power adapters are commonly bundled with today's consumer electronic and information technology products. Sales of these products continue to show explosive growth worldwide. By comparison, the average household today spends 45 percent of its energy bill on heating and cooling, and just six percent to continuously run a refrigerator. What can you do?