There is money out there to fund your study-abroad experience. Learn what it takes to write a scholarship-winning essay. Let us help you get started at our Scholarship Writing Workshop on Thursday, October 10, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in E. H. Butler Library 318.

Sponsored by the International Education Office and the Writing Center.

Please encourage first-year students to participate in MAP-Works, Buffalo State’s award-winning retention program.

MAP-Works is an online assessment designed to provide feedback to help students establish realistic expectations and connect with campus resources. The program will once again help us stay connected to first-year students and support those who might be at risk for dropping out.

All full-time first-year students received an e-mail in their Buffalo State accounts inviting them to take the survey. They will be asked about their transition to Buffalo State, including academic behaviors, financial means, and social connections made so far.

Survey results are reported to faculty and staff members who serve as advisers, first-year course instructors, residence hall directors, coaches, and mentors. These faculty and staff members will receive results for their students only, and will have opportunities to intervene if students are reporting high-risk behaviors (e.g., poor study skills, poor support system, not adapting to college life). The idea is to allow us to spend more time helping rather than diagnosing. Survey results are also reported back to each student in an easy-to-understand online report.

For further information regarding MAP-Works, or if you would like to be connected in the system to a distinct group of first-year students, contact Eileen Merberg, ext. 4631.

Love a delicious barbecue? Then don't miss out on Buffalo State Dining's limited time offer, Smokin' Aces BBQ, today in the Resident Dining Hall from 11:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. On the menu is chef's famous Texas style barbecued brisket with garlic mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and brown sugar baked beans.

Enter the dining hall with a meal swipe or lunch door price of $8.99. Faculty and staff members, save 10 percent when you use your Bengal Bucks.

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

Please join us for the second faculty lecture in our annual Philosophy and Humanities Fall 2013 Faculty Colloquia, "How Aristotle's Metaphysics Can Help Us Avoid Catastrophic Ecological Collapse," by lecturer Justin Donhauser on Wednesday, October 9, at 2:00 p.m. in Bishop Hall 242. The commentator will be senior Joshua Terhaar, mathematics and philosophy major and religious studies minor.

The McNair Scholars Program will host an information and recruitment session on Tuesday, November 5, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Science Building 250. The McNair Scholars Program helps prepare first-generation, low-income, or underrepresented Buffalo State students for graduate study. Students who participate in this program are provided with research opportunities and faculty mentors. Please inform any student you feel qualifies for this program. For more information, please call the McNair Office at ext. 3411 or e-mail Jennifer Johnson.

Our Faculty Interest Group discussion on covering what is most essential for any given class will be held on Friday, October 11, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. in E. H. Butler Library 181B. Participants will be encouraged to choose one of their courses and boil its content down to its most essential elements. In addition to content, participants are also encouraged to reflect on essential skills or processes developed in the course. In other words, if students remember only one thing about the course, what would we like it to be?

Bagels and coffee will be available at 8:15 a.m.

If you are interested in attending, please register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3364.

Tickets are going fast! Please tell your students to join us on Friday, November 1, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall for an evening of dining, etiquette, and networking for the new professional. A “mocktail” party with appetizers will teach students how to mingle with employers and make positive first impressions. After mocktails, a five-course gourmet dinner will be served. Instruction will be provided by professional etiquette experts. Tickets are $15 each, are nonrefundable, and must be purchased in advance at the Bengal Card Office, E. H. Butler Library 108, by Friday, October 25. Dining Dollars and Bengal Bucks may be used. For more information, call the Career Development Center, Cleveland Hall 306, ext. 5811.

Please join us for a discussion about ways to take some control over your tenure process while recognizing the institutional contexts on Friday, October 18, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 117. The first part of the discussion will be facilitated by Kevin Railey, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School. The second part of the presentation features a panel discussion by recently tenured faculty representing the four schools. There will be ample time for questions.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3363.

This October marks the 26th annual observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). DVAM serves as a time to remember those who have died at the hands of a loved one, honor those who have survived domestic violence, recognize the progress that has been made in reducing domestic violence, and recommit to ending this devastating crisis.

In observance of DVAM, Weigel Health Center Health Promotions is asking you to Do Your Part and Go Purple with us on Tuesday, October 15, to raise awareness against domestic violence. Go Purple by wearing a purple shirt, pants, shoes, hat, bag, etc., and change your Facebook profile picture to a purple ribbon.

We want to know what you’re doing to Go Purple. Stop by the Health Promotions table in the Campbell Student Union during Bengal Pause on October 15 and tell us about your plans, take photos with us, and share how you will raise awareness. In addition to that, join us on Facebook and share your experiences, thoughts, and how you went purple.

Let’s Do Our Part and Go Purple!

The annual Design Faculty Exhibition opens today in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall. The show features a wide variety of creative work by our talented faculty members in ceramics, fibers, communication design, design foundations, metals/jewelry, and wood/furniture. A closing reception for the artists is scheduled for Thursday, October 10, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the gallery. The campus and community are invited to attend.

The exhibit runs through Thursday, October 17. For more information, please call the Design Department at ext. 6032.