Best Buddies and the Student Council for Exceptional Children invite you to join our team, the "Buffalo State Orange Crushers," to help raise money for the New York Special Olympics. This year's Polar Plunge will be held on Saturday, December 7, at Woodlawn Beach in Hamburg, New York.

Free busing is available for those who plan to attend the event. Buses will leave the parking area in front of Cleveland Hall at 11:00 a.m. and return after the plunge. (Reservations and travel forms are required if you plan to ride the bus. Contact bestbuddiesbsc@yahoo.com for the required forms.)

It's a wild and crazy, fun event and a great way to show your Buffalo State colors. Anyone can register for our team, so bring your friends and relatives to help us reach our goal of 50 plungers and $8,000 in donations. To register or donate to Team Buffalo State, or for more information, visit the Buffalo State Polar Plunge website.

We look forward to Freezin' for a Reason with you!

Students are invited to a Fireside Chat with Dean of Students Charles Kenyon and featured guest Dan Vélez, associate vice president for student success, on Thursday, November 7, at 3:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Fireside Lounge (third floor). Vélez will discuss the theme "How Do You Envision Your Own Success at Buffalo State?" Refreshments will be provided.

The Dean's Fireside Chat is an opportunity to discuss the theme of the day or to consider any issues, concerns, or topics students wish to address.

Interested in learning about instructional technologies that can be used to help engage students? Then the Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP): On Demand Discovery Learning Professional Development is just what you need.

TOEP is a web-based discovery learning activity designed to help you learn about instructional technologies that are engaging and functional. TOEP provides hands-on experience with online instructional technologies like creating and editing audio and video, creating engaging presentations, using social media in and outside the classroom, and more that you can explore at your own pace. Complete a series of short discovery exercises designed to help you explore and reflect on innovative and creative uses of online instructional technologies.

TOEP runs through spring 2014 and can be completed in as little as 30 minutes a week. Faculty and staff members selected through peer review will receive funding to be used toward professional development (valued at $300). Other incentives, including iTunes gift cards, will also be awarded.

Visit the TOEP website for more information.

From the Coordinator of Community Engagement
The open forum on the Carnegie application process for becoming an “engaged institution” scheduled for Wednesday, November 6, has been canceled.

The application process for the Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Community Engagement Classification is under way and will be completed during the early part of the spring 2014 semester. This process will further enhance Buffalo State’s growing reputation for community engagement.

The application is being coordinated by a working group, headed by me, that consists of Maureen McCarthy, CEURE associate; Nancy Paschke, associate director of publications, College Relations; Laura Rao, Volunteer and Service-Learning Center coordinator; Debbie Renzi, Volunteer and Service-Learning Center associate; and John Siskar, senior adviser for Buffalo State educational pipeline initiatives. The administrative liaison to the group is Kevin Railey, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.

Please contact any member of the working group with questions about or suggestions for the application. For more information about the classification, please see the Carnegie Foundation website. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Gary Welborn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology

DegreeWorks is the online audit system that will be replacing Degree Navigator in early spring 2014. Come and see an overview of the system and learn more about the new, improved features of DegreeWorks on Tuesday, November 19, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m (Bengal Pause) in E. H. Butler Library 210.

It’s that time of the year. Clean out your storage spaces, desks, and filing cabinets and bring your unneeded supplies to the annual Office Supply Swap.

The schedule for the swap:

Wednesday, November 6
9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Drop-off day. Bring your supplies to Business Services, Moore Hall 124*

Thursday, November 7
9:00 a.m.–noon
Supply shopping for departments that donated

Thursday, November 7
Noon–3:00 p.m.
Supply shopping for the entire campus

This is also a great opportunity to check out the surplus furniture warehouse.

Questions? Contact Lauren Bostaph, ext. 6835.

*Note: The new location of the swap is Moore Hall warehouse, building 28 on the campus map (not Moore Complex).

Buffalo State is engaging in an effort to promote accessibility of instructional materials in classes, including face-to-face, online, and hybrid. This hands-on session will focus on how to use Microsoft Word effectively to create accessible content. Presented by Sue McMillen on Tuesday, November 19, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. and repeated on Wednesday, November 20, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. and on Monday, November 25, from 11:00 a.m. to noon in E. H. Butler Library 318.

Register to attend the November 19 session.

Register to attend the November 20 session.

Register to attend the November 25 session.

Father Patrick Zengierski, director of the Newman Center, invites you to celebrate the lives of all those who have gone before us with a Mass on Friday, November 1—the Feast of All Saints—at 12:05 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 208.

On behalf of the Buffalo State Campus Intercultural Communications Committee, the International Student Affairs Office is delighted to invite all internationally minded faculty, staff, and students to attend our well-known weekly International Student Social Hour, which allows all international students, scholars, and their friends to meet informally.

This special get-together takes place every Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Assembly Hall 1 of the Campbell Student Union.

Coffee, tea, and other light refreshments are graciously shared.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, October 30.

Through National Student Exchange, students have the opportunity to study for a semester or an academic year at one of 200 participating colleges or universities at affordable tuition rates. Please contact Christine Frezza, ext. 4328, to schedule a class visit. Provide your students with this possibility for enriching their college experience and let them know about the upcoming information sessions on Tuesday, November 5, and Thursday, November 7, during Bengal Pause (12:15 to 1:30 p.m.) in Classroom Building B119.