Alex Means, assistant professor of social and psychological foundations of education, will present "Toward a Human Security Agenda in Urban Education" at the Buffalo State Professional Development Schools (PDS) Consortium meeting on Friday, November 15, from 7:45 to 10:00 a.m. at Lafayette High School.

Means will share his research on urban change and urban schooling, specifically focusing on the need to develop a "human security perspective" in urban education. The human security perspective shifts the focus away from blaming public schools, teachers, and communities for current educational challenges, and instead seeks to identify and support the social conditions that are necessary for promoting human and educational flourishing for democratic ends.

The PDS Consortium holds four regular meetings each year in addition to its annual retreat.

This event is open to all members of the PDS Consortium.

The College Relations Office will present the webinar "Information Architecture: The Journey, the Destination, and the Return Trip" on Wednesday, November 20, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205.

Presenter Fran Zablocki has worked with information architecture (IA) in some capacity his entire career. He revamped the IA for Nazareth College’s entire website in 2008 and reimagined the IA for SUNY Geneseo’s alumni website and online community in 2011. He currently works on IA with schools nationwide, including Miami University in Ohio, Whittier College, Webster University, the American University of Paris, Salem State University, and the State University of New York, as part of his role at mStoner. Zablocki holds a bachelor’s degree in business with a specialization in technical writing and information design, and an M.B.A. in marketing and information systems.

What You’ll Learn
You will gain a comprehensive understanding of IA best practices in higher education. We will answer questions that cover a range of topics, including user behavior, labeling, user experience (UX), training, governance, top-down IA, bottom-up IA, and staff and professional development.

• What is IA? What isn’t IA?
• Why can’t visitors find anything on my site?
• What are some common mistakes and solutions?
• What paths do people commonly take to find information?
• What should I call this link?
• Where does IA fit into UX, and how can it improve overall UX?
• How can I educate people on my campus about what IA is?
• What does a professional IA practice look like? Which staff positions should be responsible for IA?
• What do I do beyond the first level of navigation?
• How do I turn this wall of text into something usable?
• What skills are required for working on IA?
• What are some good resources for IA? Where do I start?

Who Should Attend

• Any office, program, or center embarking on migrating their own site over to Drupal
• Faculty or staff members invested in the success of their department or office site as a recruitment or retention tool
• Faculty or staff members who serve as primary web contacts
• Online influencers within a department or office

RSVP to Mark Norris, associate director of web administration, ext. 4859, by Tuesday, November 19. Refreshments will be provided.

The Registrar's Office has added a new page to its website, Academic Levels. This page contains detailed information on academic levels (class level) and how they relate to timeticket assignments for registration. Please be sure to bookmark this page and review this important information to assist you when working with students.

The SUNY Faculty Advisory Council on Teaching and Technology (FACT²) is an advisory body to the SUNY provost, advocating and acting as a resource for university stakeholders at the nexus of technology, pedagogy, and research.

Buffalo State campus representatives to SUNY FACT² are Carlos Jones, assistant professor of theater, and Melaine Kenyon, director of instructional technology in Instructional Resources.

The purpose of FACT² is to

• improve the learning environment and expertise of faculty and instructional support staff;
• enhance the teaching and learning process through the use of technology;
• increase networking, collaboration, and sharing of best practices;
• advocate for appropriately equipped and designed learning space.

FACT² is also involved with the Innovative Instruction Technology Grants (IITG) as well as the annual Conference on Instruction and Technology (CIT).

Your FACT² campus representatives serve an important role in communicating news and information to the campus. We will provide updates via the Daily Bulletin on initiatives such Open SUNY and Open Textbooks as well as the SUNY Task Groups and the upcoming call for proposals for CIT 2014, to be held at Cornell University May 27–30. Please contact Jones or Kenyon directly if you have questions.

Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP) Open Enrollment Period
Eligible CSEA, PEF, UUP, and M/C employees who are enrolled in the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) may forfeit vacation or personal leave in exchange for a credit toward health insurance premiums in 2014. A complete PEP description, including eligibility requirements and enrollment forms, is available on the Human Resource Management website. The open enrollment period ends Friday, November 29.

Annual Period for NYSHIP Enrollees to Make Changes to Their Coverage
NYSHIP enrollees have until Saturday, November 30, to make the following changes for 2014 without a qualifying event:

• Voluntarily cancel health insurance
• Change from family to individual coverage
• Change pre-tax status for insurance deductions

Note: Unless you are a new employee or have a qualifying event, the 10-week waiting period still applies to enroll in health insurance for the first time, or to add previously eligible dependents to your coverage.

Employees who wish to make the above changes to their coverage are encouraged to complete and return the NYS Health Insurance Transaction Form to Cleveland Hall 410 as soon as possible.

Annual Option Transfer Period
Eligible NYSHIP enrollees have 30 days from the date the 2014 rates are published to:

• change their NYSHIP health plan; employees may choose from the Empire Plan or one of two health maintenance organizations: Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY or Independent Health;
• change from a NYSHIP health plan to the Opt-Out Program;
• change from the Opt-Out Program to a NYSHIP health plan.

The Employee Benefits Office will announce the new health plan rates and deadline dates in the Daily Bulletin as soon as they are published. The New York State Employee Benefits Division will also mail information about the 2014 rates and deadline dates to enrolled employees' home addresses. "Choices," a comparison booklet of the insurance plans, will be available on the Human Resource Management website and in the Employee Benefits Office by early December. 

Representatives from Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY, Independent Health, and the Empire Plan will be at the NYS Health Benefits Fair on Tuesday, December 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210 to answer questions about current health insurance plans and anticipated changes in coverage for 2014.

Please call the Employee Benefits Office at ext. 4821 with questions.

It is time to start planning for Winterim 2014. Winterim is that period between semesters when there are fewer classes, and faculty, staff, and students have a chance to participate in training sessions that are fun and professional. In the past, Winterim sessions have included soap making, photography, yoga and relaxation, and a variety of professional development sessions.

Winterim 2014 will run from Monday, January 6, through Friday, January 17. I am looking for ideas and suggestions for workshops for Winterim 2014. Do you have an interest you would like to share with your colleagues? Is there a topic you have an interest in and would be willing to present? All ideas will be considered.

If you have an idea for a workshop, contact Paul Reynolds, ext. 3361.

Please include the following information:

• Name of workshop
• Description of workshop
• Preferred date, start and end times; secondary date and times
• Name(s) of presenter(s)
• Presenter(s) bio(s)
• Equipment or room needed to present
• Maximum number of attendees
• Materials attendees are required to bring
• Prerequisites, if any
• Cost, if any
• Any other special notes or requirements for presenters or attendees

All faculty and staff members are invited to join the Newman Center, 1219 Elmwood Avenue, for Newman’s Fall Retreat with Father John Gillespie from the Diocese of Raleigh, who will help deepen our experience of trust in the love of God. The retreat will take place Sunday, November 17, through Tuesday, November 19, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. 

As we travel through the last days of the liturgical calendar year, we can look into the rearview mirror of our lives. There we might see disappointments, some lifelong and deep enough to rupture our relationship with God. By cultivating our hearts with fresh images of scripture, we can start the season of Advent freer of hurts from the past and full of images of hope for the future.

Sunday’s topic: Traumatic Disappointment in God: Contemplating the Book of Job (bring a Bible, if possible)
Monday’s topic: Parable of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Courageous Trust
Tuesday’s topic: Advent: A Season of Heartfelt Wanting, Not Just Hopeful Waiting

To help us plan for materials, please register by calling 882-1080 and we will add your name to the list.

Support the Dress for Success Buffalo and the Tribute Garden by donating gently used professional clothing for traditional and nontraditional work fields for women at the Cupcakes and Champagne event given by the WNY ACE Women's Network Inclusive Excellence Group (formerly known as WNY Women Leaders in Higher Education).

This free event is taking place on Wednesday, November 13, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 20 Court Street in downtown Buffalo. Hope to see you there.

E. H. Butler Library announces the acquisition of the e-Libro database, which contains over 60,000 Spanish language academic-level e-books covering many subject areas.

This stand-alone database features an easy-to-use interface provided on the popular ebrary platform, including the handy “bookshelf” option, where users may save favorites. Please note that at this time, you must use the e-Libro database link to access the books; listings in our catalog for these e-books will become available at a later date.

For best results and retrieval in e-Libro, install a Spanish language keyboard option on your computer.

Try e-Libro now.

Links to e-Libro are available in various places on the library’s web page, including the Library Databases list, the Electronic Books resources page, and in the Modern and Classical Languages and Multicultural and Diversity Studies subject guides.

Feel free to share this information with Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff. If you have questions, please contact Al Riess, electronic database librarian, ext. 6320.

The Dietetics and Nutrition Department's Nutrition Club presents India Night, a night of traditional Indian food and entertainment, on Monday, November 18, at 6:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. The evening will feature a five-course dinner, a classical and folk dancing show, henna art, and an Indian fashion show by students of the Dietetics and Nutrition Department. Come and dance the "Garba" with us.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students. Proceeds will support the Nutrition Club. Tickets are available in Caudell Hall 207. Call ext. 5913 for more information. Limited seating. Book early. Hope to see you at the celebrations.