In a dramatic recasting of the assassination of president William McKinley, historian John Koerner presents the first case for conspiracy to execute the nation's 25th chief executive. This groundbreaking book, The Secret Plot to Kill McKinley: Conspiracy, Curses and Ghosts in Western New York, uncovers an extensive, meticulous plot that reaches far beyond assassin Leon Czolgosz. Please join us for a book signing on Tuesday, December 6, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore.

Inextricably woven into the summer fabric of Western New York and Southern Ontario from 1890 through 1989, the amusements of Crystal Beach Park provided escape from the rigors of daily life. Author William E. Kae captures the decades of sounds, scents, and screams that emanated from the midway in his new book, Crystal Beach Park: A Century of Screams. Please join us for a book signing on Thursday, December 1, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore.

Join us in celebrating Computer Science Education Week in the Bulger Communication Center main lobby on Tuesday, December 6, and Thursday, December 8, during Bengal Pause from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Encourage your students to stop by and play video games developed by CIS freshman students. Recognize the tremendous job growth in the computer industry, which is causing a shortage of computing professionals in the United States. Discover what women and minorities have contributed and can contribute to computer science. Learn about local technology companies and job opportunities, the CIS undergraduate program at Buffalo State College, internships, scholarships, and computer science education in general.

Join us in celebrating Computer Science Education Week in the Bulger Communication Center main lobby on Tuesday, December 6, and Thursday, December 8, during Bengal Pause from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Encourage your students to stop by and play video games developed by CIS freshman students. Recognize the tremendous job growth in the computer industry, which is causing a shortage of computing professionals in the United States. Discover what women and minorities have contributed and can contribute to computer science. Learn about local technology companies and job opportunities, the CIS undergraduate program at Buffalo State College, internships, scholarships, and computer science education in general.

This year, Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sundays. Under the state’s attendance rules, the holidays will be observed on Monday, December 26, 2011, and Monday, January 2, 2012. The college will be closed on those days, and employees will not be required to charge leave accruals.

CSEA employees are reminded that the five days of deficit reduction leave must be used by March 31, 2012.   Depending on the operating needs of specific campus departments, it may be easier for supervisors to approve multiple employee requests for time off during the week between the Christmas and New Year holiday, spring break, President’s Day recess, or other times when no classes are scheduled. Requests for and approval to use deficit reduction leave should not be limited to any particular dates, but employees should be aware that if the days are not used by March 31, they will be forfeited. CSEA employees are encouraged to plan for this and submit their requests for deficit reduction leave in advance. Supervisors are encouraged to be as flexible as operating needs allow regarding requests.

Ellen Peterson of the U.S. Department of State will speak on job opportunities with the Department of State today at 3:00 p.m. for the Comparative Criminal Justice graduate class in Classroom Building B320. She will also speak at 5:00 p.m. to a graduate class in Public Administration and Policy in Caudell Hall 315 on the same topic. Peterson is giving these lectures under the sponsorship of the Department of State (Hometown Diplomats Program). These two lectures are sponsored by the Political Science and Criminal Justice departments and the International Student Affairs Office at Buffalo State.

These lectures are open to anyone interested in knowing more about job opportunities with the Department of State.

The Research Foundation/Center for Development of Human Services College Partnership Development Office is now accepting graduate and undergraduate student applications for their Public School Mentoring Program for the spring 2012 semester. Applicants must be enrolled full time at Buffalo State College, have excellent written and oral skills, and previous experience tutoring or working with groups of children in an educational setting. Undergraduate students must be at least second-semester sophomores and have strong skills in the areas of mathematics, art, or English as a second language. Interested students should pick up an application as soon as possible from Bacon Hall 114 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily, and complete and return the application before the end of the fall semester.

The Burchfield Penney is pleased to welcome Mary Ramsey and Friends to the museum for Holiday Happy Hour on Friday, December 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The lead singer-violist for the internationally acclaimed folk-rock group 10,000 Maniacs will bring her voice, strings, and friends John Lombardo and Nelson Starr to the Burchfield Penney.

The group will perform a melody of traditional Celtic music, holiday favorites, and selections from their celebrated body of self-penned songs. Ramsey and Lombardo, of the critically acclaimed folk duo John and Mary, have been writing and performing music together for over two decades. Ramsey has worked with such well-known artists as Billy Bragg, Alex Chilton, Warren Zevon, Jules Shear, Jackson Browne, and Buffalo's Ani DiFranco and the Goo Goo Dolls.

The Museum Store will also host its second annual Museum Store Open House, featuring new work by Western New York artists, holiday promotions, gift membership specials, and free gift wrapping.

Admission is free for Burchfield Penney members and $10 for "not yet" members. For  more information, contact Kathleen Heyworth, ext. 4529.

Father Pat, director of Catholic Campus Ministry at the Newman Center, welcomes all faculty, staff, and students to join him on Thursday, December 8, at 12:05 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center East 2 for Mass to celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mass will also be celebrated at 6:00 p.m. in the Newman Center Chapel at 1219 Elmwood Avenue. All are welcome!

The SUNY Learning Network will offer a workshop on open educational resources (OER) on Tuesday, December 13, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 318. As the quantity and quality of Internet resources grow, so do our instructional possibilities and choices. This two-hour workshop will focus on how to identify and implement rich content from various sources. Faculty participants will take away skills that will enable them to

• identify rich content for their disciplines;
• curate their findings for themselves and their students;
• embed content into their courses;
• implement their content with instructional design.

Register for this workshop on the SUNY CPD website. When completing the registration information, be sure to choose Faculty - Experienced. The workshop will be listed as 12/13/11 Instructional Design Institute Workshop 7.  If you are unable to attend on December 13, this workshop will also be provided as a webinar on Monday, December 19.