The College Writing Program is pleased to welcome Nancy Sommers, coauthor of A Writer's Reference, Buffalo State's common handbook, on Friday, September 27, at 3:00 p.m. in Warren Enters Theatre in Upton Hall.

Sommers has taught composition and directed writing programs for 30 years, and now teaches and mentors at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. A two-time Braddock Award winner, Sommers is well known for her research and publications on student writing.  

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. A reception will follow the presentation. For tickets, please e-mail Chris Kessler by Monday, September 23.

Join the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center (VSLC) for Fall Community Service Day on Saturday, October 5, from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. Meet in the Campbell Student Union lobby at 12:30 p.m. to sign up for a multitude of service projects in the community. The VSLC will provide transportation back and forth from campus to the community sites, where students will be building fences, cleaning up streets, winterizing gardens, and more. Students can register for Community Service Day with a group or as individuals by e-mailing vslc@buffalostate.edu, calling ext. 5811, or stopping by Cleveland Hall 306.

The midterm grading window will open in Banner at 10:00 a.m. Monday, October 14, and close at 9:00 p.m. Friday, October 25. In addition to assigning an estimated midterm grade, faculty members can note how regularly a student has attended a course by entering 0 (never attended), 1 (sporadic, unsatisfactory attendance), or 2 (consistent, satisfactory attendance) in the “Hours Attended” field.

Although all faculty members can provide midterm feedback for any of their students in Banner, the Early Intervention Program (EIP) seeks information on particular student populations. Faculty members with EIP students in their courses will receive a list of students requiring midterm feedback. Your comments concerning attendance and performance are deeply appreciated and quite helpful to us in our academic intervention efforts. Students will be able to view their grades in Banner after 9:00 p.m. on October 25. Academic advisers will be able to view their advisees' reported midterm grades as they are posted through their access to the all-college shared drive.

Interactive white boards are fast becoming a common fixture in today’s classroom. This session will focus on SMART Technologies interactive white boards and will begin with an overview of basic navigation of software, hardware, and SMART tools. Learn how to facilitate student learning by creating interactive lessons, working in new ways with programs like PowerPoint and Word, digitally saving notes and comments for future lectures and easily distributing class materials to students in a variety of formats. Presented by Todd Benzin on Friday, October 4, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Professional  Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3269.

Inverting or flipping the classroom involves moving the introduction of content out of the classroom so that class time can be used to address student difficulties, to build deeper understanding, and to apply the content in challenging contexts. History shows that this can be accomplished with or without the use of technology. Explore the concept of an inverted classroom and examine several pedagogical approaches that support flipping the classroom. This presentation is intended as an introduction to the concept of the inverted classroom. Presented by Sue McMillen on Tuesday, October 1, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in the Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B. A light lunch will be provided.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3255.

The Houghton Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association is joining with the Buffalo Museum of Science, SUNY Buffalo State, and Canalside Buffalo to present "The Science of Our City: Exploring Archaeology," today, September 17, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Canalside.

Discover the archaeology of Canalside and see artifacts recovered from the site. Learn traditional pottery-making techniques and make your own pottery. Practice your excavation techniques on a chocolate chip cookie. Test your field and lab techniques in a mock excavation and lab exercise during this afternoon of archaeological activities and workshops for all ages.

The Buffalo State Literacy Center, Bacon Hall 227, is offering free literacy assessment and evaluation for children (grades K–12) of Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff. Sessions are on Saturdays from 9:00 to 10:45 a.m. and begin September 28. There will be five sessions and one parent conference. Parents receive a diagnostic report with instructional recommendations for home and school. Children who attend will be eligible for one-on-one tutoring during the spring semester. Please e-mail garasyka@buffalostate.edu to register.

VALIC Financial Advisors will conduct the workshop "Social Security and Your Retirement," led by Jeffrey Otterstein, on Thursday, September 26, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.

You'll learn

• the best time to start taking Social Security benefits,
• what married couples can do to increase their overall benefits,
• how to maximize your retirement income.

Visit VALIC online for additional information and to register. Space is limited. Lunch will be provided.

The Buffalo State community is invited to join the Richardson Olmsted Complex at the South Lawn Celebration on Saturday, September 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event will commemorate the unveiling of the new landscape between the Richardson Olmsted Complex and Forest Avenue and the transformation of the historic buildings and grounds.

The celebration will feature landscape tours, live music, food trucks, and activities for all ages, including face painting by the Buffalo State Art Education Student Association. Drew Kahn, professor of theater and director of the Anne Frank Project, will serve as master of ceremonies.

The Richardson Olmsted Complex will be adaptively reused as a hospitality venue and cultural amenity for the city. This 140?year?old National Historic Landmark is widely considered to be one of Buffalo’s most important and beautiful structures. The rehabilitation project is overseen by the not?for?profit Richardson Center Corporation, appointed in 2006 by then-governor George Pataki to stabilize, preserve, and rehabilitate the iconic complex using dedicated state funds. The first phase of reuse as a hotel, event and conference spaces, and Buffalo architecture center, is expected to be completed in spring 2016.

This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. Free parking will be available in the Buffalo Psychiatric Center lot on Elmwood Avenue.

More information is available on the Richardson Olmsted Complex website.

If your students would like additional support with regard to Blackboard, please refer them to this tutorial created by the SUNY Learning Network. The tutorial is also located on the Blackboard home page.