Faculty members will enter their fall 2012 grades using Banner. The grading window will open today, December 7, at 9:00 a.m. and close Wednesday, December 19, at 9:00 p.m. In preparation, faculty members are encouraged to log on to Banner to be sure that all their courses are listed under their accounts. Detailed documentation for entering grades is available at http://buffalostate.edu/banner/documents/grading.pdf. Additionally, assistance is available by calling the Computing Help Desk at ext. 4357 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

If you have any questions about grading, please call the Registrar's Office at ext. 4811. We have provided a grading tip sheet so that your end-of-semester grading will be smoother and more successful.

Andrew Furco, Ph.D., is a renowned expert in service learning and community engagement, and we are privileged to bring him to Buffalo State on January 15 and 16, 2013. Please join us for "An Introduction to Service Learning" with Professor Furco on Tuesday, January 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205. This workshop is geared to faculty interested in service-learning pedagogy and new to the practice of incorporating a community-based project in the curriculum. He will address the basics of the theory and practice of service learning, how to convert a course to include a project, and how to effectively assist students in reflecting on the experience and connecting the service to course learning and citizenship.

Furco is the 2012 Campus Compact Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award recipient, and is the associate vice president for public engagement and associate professor of organizational leadership, policy, and development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. The Thomas Ehrlich Award is bestowed annually to recognize one senior tenured faculty member for exemplary leadership in engaged scholarship, contributions to the public good, and advancing students’ civic learning (our own Gary Welborn was a runner-up for the award this year).

Please consider joining us for this fabulous opportunity to learn from a true scholar and leader in the field. This visit is made possible through the AASCU grant that was awarded to the School of Education to create the minor in urban civic education (design team leaders Amitra Wall and Kathy Wood).

R.S.V.P. to Rose Coates, ext. 5811. We look forward to seeing you.

Andrew Furco, Ph.D., is a renowned expert in service learning and community engagement, and we are privileged to bring him to Buffalo State on January 15 and 16, 2013. Please join us for "An Introduction to Service Learning" with Professor Furco on Tuesday, January 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205. This workshop is geared to faculty interested in service-learning pedagogy and new to the practice of incorporating a community-based project in the curriculum. He will address the basics of the theory and practice of service learning, how to convert a course to include a project, and how to effectively assist students in reflecting on the experience and connecting the service to course learning and citizenship.

Furco is the 2012 Campus Compact Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award recipient, and is the associate vice president for public engagement and associate professor of organizational leadership, policy, and development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. The Thomas Ehrlich Award is bestowed annually to recognize one senior tenured faculty member for exemplary leadership in engaged scholarship, contributions to the public good, and advancing students’ civic learning (our own Gary Welborn was a runner-up for the award this year).

Please consider joining us for this fabulous opportunity to learn from a true scholar and leader in the field. This visit is made possible through the AASCU grant that was awarded to the School of Education to create the minor in urban civic education (design team leaders Amitra Wall and Kathy Wood).

R.S.V.P. to Rose Coates, ext. 5811. We look forward to seeing you.

The Burchfield Penney Art center welcomes Elska at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, December 8, to the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium. With a blend of theater, storytelling, and musical performance, Elska whisks away children and families on a musical tour of her arctic home and introduces them to the island’s wonderful inhabitants. She is a modern pioneer who discovered a newly formed volcanic island off the coast of Iceland, where she lives a life of beauty and wonder among a cast of unusual friends, including a pensive Winter Bear, a friendly Goobler, a mysterious Arctic Fox, and a vast colony of Lost Socks.

To create her fictional world, Elska worked closely with New York–City based record producer Allen Farmelo (the Cinematic Orchestra, Mikael Jorgensen/Wilco). Combining the whimsy of Winnie the Pooh and the otherworldliness of Dr. Seuss, she and Farmelo intentionally set out to create a new classic in children’s music and entertainment.

For more information, visit http://islandofelska.com.

Tickets: $10 for general public; $8 for Burchfield Penney members and kids; and free for kids 2 and under. Call ext. 6011 during gallery hours or buy tickets online at www.burchfieldpenney.org.

“Pure of heart, unique, musically sophisticated, and, quite frankly, absolutely breathtaking…a transcendent work that your young children will adore and hold dear.” -- Jeff Bogle, Out with the Kids

“Childlike and playful, sophisticated and clean, the sound, concept and presentation are fresh, inventive, and inviting.” -- Claire Green, President, Parents’ Choice Foundation

“Elska is crazy awesome electronic funderworld faerie tunes for the whole family.” -- Mike Jorgensen, Wilco

We are aware that many students may have been affected by Hurricane Sandy or may have family and friends who are affected. They may have become even more aware of the devastation after going home for the Thanksgiving break.

It is normal for students to feel strong emotions like anger, sadness, and helplessness as well as experience disturbed sleep and appetite after a critical incident like this. Things that they may find helpful include connecting with friends (rather than isolating), calling family, talking out their thoughts and feelings, and engaging in activities they enjoy.

Additional information is available on the Counseling Center website.

The Dean of Student’s Office is making a session available for interested students to share coping strategies and self-care suggestions, since many of them will soon be returning home.

The following session is scheduled. Please share with students:

Friday, December 7
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Weigel Health Center 203

This event is cosponsored by the Critical Incident Support Team. If you are interested in participating in future events that provide support to the campus, please contact Kim Jablonski.

Learn eight important principles for marketing online programs. After all, it’s not enough to have a great online program; you have to be great at selling it, too. Gain insight about establishing strategic direction, creating a solid communication plan, optimizing your use of recruitment media, and promoting engagement among prospective students. Hear from two people who’ve done it successfully: Amy Thornton and Amanda Cascio from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Join us on Wednesday, December 12, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B. There was no opportunity to preview this webinar. 

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3042.

This recorded webinar is available to all members of the Buffalo State community. You can watch it at the time and location of your choice until January 3. Contact Cara Angie, ext. 3841, for the log-in code and to receive copies of the handouts that accompany the webinar. The webinar details follow:

Teachers understand one concept as nobody else does—in order to teach others, you have to fully understand the material yourself. Why not apply that concept to your students? Why not make them teach the material to their peers to ensure that they fully understand it? If your students must not only repeat the material but also build it into a story via social media so their peers can respond, they will take ownership of their knowledge in a way that traditional testing cannot inspire.

Find out how digital storytelling can unlock your students’ capabilities for demonstrating their knowledge. Digital storytelling involves students in creating a video story that expresses their understanding. The stories can be shared on social media sites for review and feedback from others.

This webinar uses examples to demonstrate the fundamental pedagogy of student storytelling and how it can be applied to different fields. Your presenter, John Orlando, will show you the steps to develop a digital storytelling lesson plan and how to implement that plan when teaching students. The seminar covers how to assess the outcomes of student storytelling while highlighting the free tools available for publishing stories. In addition to invaluable teaching strategies, you will receive a rubric for assessing students’ digital stories, a “next steps” guide, a list of questions for future self-assessment, and other resources.

The Graduate Advisory Council announces a call for nominations for Outstanding Master’s Theses and Outstanding Master’s Projects. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding student research and applied scholarship. Up to three thesis awards and three project awards will be made. Applications will be accepted for students who have graduated (or will graduate) in December 2011, May 2012, August 2012, or December 2012. Nominations may be made by thesis or project advisers or by students themselves. Additional reviews are required from the department chair and one external evaluator. 

Guidelines and forms are available on the Graduate School website. The deadline for submission of nominations and evaluation forms to the Graduate School, Cleveland Hall 204, is Friday, February 1, 2013. Please direct questions to Kevin Railey, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School, at ext. 5609.

The New York State Employee Health Benefits Fair will be held today from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m in E. H. Butler Library 210. Representatives from BlueCross BlueShield of WNY (Community Blue), Independent Health, and the Empire Plan will be there to answer questions about current health insurance plans and anticipated changes in coverage for 2013.

Staff members from the Employee Benefits Office also will be present to assist employees in making changes to health insurance coverage. Attendees may have their blood pressure checked; learn about the benefits of and sample massage therapy; learn how to maximize dental and vision care benefits from a representative of the UUP Benefit Trust Fund; get ideas on how to balance work, home, and life from NYS Balance; obtain information about the Employee Assistance Program and meet EAP coordinators; consult with Fitness Center staff on how to become stronger and healthier; and get informational resources and support on how to quit smoking from the Weigel Health Center staff.

Call Human Resource Management at ext. 4821 if you have any questions.

Holidays are coming, finals are around the corner, and your stress levels are at an all-time high. Find your zen again by making smart meal choices to keep stress in check. Learn how to make smart meal and snack decisions today at Buffalo State Dining's Balanced U: Reduce Stress and Feel Good promotion today in the Resident Dining hall from 11:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Enter with a meal swipe or lunch door price of $8.79.

For more information on Buffalo State Dining, please visit our website.