Suzanne Vega brings her "Close-Up" tour to Rockwell Hall on Friday, April 9, at 8:00 p.m. This event is part of the Performing Arts Center’s 2009–2010 Great Performers Series, presented by M&T Bank. Tickets are $30–$35 each, with a discount for seniors and Buffalo State faculty and staff. Rush tickets are available for students. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Rockwell Hall Box Office, or the Student Union Box Office, by calling (716) 878-3005 or online at www.buffalostate.edu/pac.

This workshop will present basic information about the power of a test, how it is determined, and trade-offs of either increasing or decreasing the power of a test. Effect size will also be discussed.

Designed for Emerging College Leaders and those who have experienced the FourSight thinking profile tool, this workshop will help you to identify which of the four thinking modes you are naturally drawn to and how to use your strengths to achieve better results as a manager or leader. Workshop will be held Tuesday, April 13, at noon in Bulger Communication Center 104. Refreshments will be served! Register online.

The Women in Science and Mathematics Lecture by Dr. Libby Jewett, Tuesday, March 16, has been relocated to Upton Hall 230. Please join us at Bengal Pause. Dr. Jewett, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will present "Hypoxia (low oxygen) in Coastal and Great Lakes Waters: A Growing Threat to Aquatic Ecosystems."

The Employee Benefits Division has implemented a change in policy regarding enrollees that have elected to participate in the Pre-Tax contribution Program (PTCP) and cover a non-federally qualified domestic partner or spouse. Previously, these enrollees would have had a split-tax deduction, the part of the premium they paid for the dependent portion of their coverage being taken as after-tax. Effective January 1, 2010, enrollees who elected to participate in the PTCP and who cover a non-federally qualified domestic partner or spouse will have their full employee share premium contribution for the cost of family health insurance coverage deducted on a before-tax basis.

The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) will host its third biannual Student Professional Development Conference, Saturday, March 20, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This free one-day symposium is open to all students interested in pursuing a career and/or graduate school.

People do it all the time—avoid difficult conversations about issues such as diversity or social justice, hoping the issues will go away. If left unaddressed, issues can fester —causing bigger issues for you, your students and/or your colleagues.

As part of the Earth Sciences Lectures, the 2009–2010 Jack Mack Lecture in Astronomy and Planetary Science will be given, Wednesday, March 17, at 4:00 p.m. in Upton Hall 230. The talk will be given by Angela Zalucha, a Ph.D. candidate from MIT. Contact williakk@buffalostate.edu for more information.

Join the staff of the Burchfield Penney on select Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. for in-depth looks at aspects of Heat Waves. Each Conversation brings a unique perspective to a specific work of art.

Everyone familiar with Groundhog Day knows it is used as a colloquial barometer in determining the start of spring. But in the real world, many other creatures announce the coming of spring long before that poor woodchuck is yanked from his den!