I am pleased to inform you that the Buffalo State College SUNY Excels Performance Improvement Plan has been approved by Chancellor Zimpher. The Performance Improvement Plan will be an important guide for our campus as we move forward with the development of the Strategic Plan (2016–2021) for the institution. You will find the plan in its entirety (PDF) on my website.
SUNY has announced the 2016 request for proposals (RFP) for the Innovative Instruction Technology Grants (IITG) program. These competitive, peer-reviewed awards of up to $60,000 are allocated to demonstrate, communicate, and replicate innovations developed at campuses across SUNY.
This year’s RFP gives priority to collaborative proposals that support one or more of the five pillars of SUNY Excels: access, completion, success, inquiry, and engagement. This includes Open SUNY, our multifaceted initiative to expand online education and enhance support resources for students and faculty. Online learning, open educational resources, e-textbooks, mobile devices, flipped classrooms, educational gaming, competency-based and experiential learning, prior learning assessment, and MOOCs are transforming how education is providing access and engaging students and can have a positive impact on SUNY’s overall completion agenda.
The 2016 RFP has been posted to the IITG website along with application details and a list of currently funded projects and outcomes. The SUNY RFP deadline is Tuesday, March 1. To facilitate sufficient campus administrative review for the creation of statements in support of IITG proposals, principal investigators should e-mail proposals to David Demers, chief information officer, by 3:00 p.m. Friday, February 19.
Applicants should create an account in the SUNY online grant management website. Multiple proposals from a campus, each requiring a brief project and budget narrative as well as an assessment plan, are welcome. Proposals featuring multicampus collaborations are strongly encouraged.
Award announcements are anticipated by May 1, which allows time for project planning prior to the distribution of these university-wide program funds. Please note that IITG grants are not connected to the Research Foundation. Recipients must follow state and campus procurement policies, and must identify local campus administrative and procurement support as well as advance funds if a project requires expenditures prior to award distribution.
The biggest change in the program this year is that Tier 2 awards are still expected to have a 25 percent campus match, and Tier 3 has increased from 33 to 50 percent. Please refer to the IITG FAQs or contact Lisa A. Stephens, senior strategist for academic innovation in the SUNY Office of the Provost, or Melaine Kenyon, Buffalo State’s SUNY FACT2 representative, 878-6679, with questions.
As we begin the new semester, it is important to remember the Buffalo State policy on religious observances, which states that it is the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to each student who is absent from school because of his or her religious beliefs an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study, or work requirements that he or she may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such equivalent opportunity.
The policy on religious observances prohibits administering evaluative examinations on Good Friday, which falls this year on March 25, 2016.
For additional information on the Buffalo State policy on class attendance on religious holidays, please visit the Equity and Campus Diversity website.
The U.S. Department of Education is once again reminding us about the importance of maintaining a learning environment in which students are free from discrimination and harassment.
The DOE's "Dear Colleagues" letter provides guidance for educational leaders to focus on these essential protections and use the additional resources listed in the letter.
Our campus must continue to enhance and sustain the worthy steps taken to ensure a respectful and welcoming learning environment.
The next meeting of the Buffalo State College Council will be held on Tuesday, February 2, at 4:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 518.
Agenda
We are aware that students returning to campus from their homes on the East Coast may have experienced or may still be experiencing travel delays because of the weekend weather. If a student is absent today, Monday, January 25, because of a delay caused by the winter storm, we are asking faculty members to be flexible regarding attendance. Students have been asked to contact faculty members regarding an absence and to request any missed work. We hope that all our students travel safely back to campus and enjoy a successful start to the spring semester.
Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff members are encouraged to review the college's emergency closings policy and sign up for the Buff State Alert system to receive emergency notifications. If you have already signed up for Buff State Alert, please take a few moments to verify or update your contact information.
Because the weather in Western New York can vary greatly by just a few miles, there are times each winter when conditions on campus are favorable for classes to be held as scheduled, but some students, faculty, and staff members may experience difficulty traveling to campus. In those situations, students must communicate with their instructors, faculty with their students, and staff with their supervisors if they cannot travel to campus safely.
Students will not be penalized if they cannot attend classes because of severe weather, but instructors may determine that a reasonable amount of additional coursework is needed to make up for the absence. Students are responsible for the prompt completion of any alternative assignments. If an absence situation between a student and instructor cannot be resolved, an appeal should proceed sequentially to the department chair, dean, and finally the provost.
Faculty members who are unable to travel to campus are responsible for making alternative arrangements for their students. If a faculty member must cancel class(es), affected students should be notified via Blackboard and/or direct e-mail as soon as possible.
Staff members who are unable to travel to campus because of adverse weather conditions must communicate their absence to a supervisor and note the absence on their time records. Staff members must charge vacation or personal leave accruals for any weather-related absence.
I am pleased to invite the campus community to the annual luncheon honoring our colleagues who are in their 25th year of service at Buffalo State College. The event will take place on Thursday, March 17, at noon in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Reservations will be accepted through Friday, March 11.
The 13 employees crossing the 25-year mark this year:
Patricia Alessandra, Senior Staff Associate, Academic Affairs Office
Robert Baumet, Director, Accounts Payable and Travel Services
Daniel Cunningham, Professor, Mathematics
Maria Garrett, Foreign Language Assistant, Modern and Classical Languages
Marybeth Keller, General Merchandise Manager, Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore
Rainelle McLeod, Senior Trainer, Research Foundation/CDHS
William Mitchell, Associate Professor, History and Social Studies Education
Raul Neira, Associate Professor, Modern and Classical Languages
Kevin Railey, Associate Provost; Dean, Graduate School
David Reinecke, General Mechanic, Campus Services
Jerrold Richmond, General Mechanic, Campus Services
Thomas White, Professor, Biology
Michael Zborowski, Associate Professor, Psychology
To make a reservation, please complete and return the reservation form (doc) to the President’s Office, Cleveland Hall 517, by March 11. If you have questions, please call Laurie Graziano, secretary 2, or Melissa Slisz, staff assistant, in the President’s Office at 878-4101.
From the Chief Diversity Officer
The Professional Development and Instructional Resources offices are happy to provide the 2016 Professional Development Spring Catalog (PDF). This 26-page catalog is available digitally. We hope you’ll make the most of the available opportunities this spring semester.
The Graduate and Research Committee of the University Faculty Senate is conducting a brief survey designed to identify what resources would help teaching faculty increase their research and creative efforts. Please follow this link to participate in the survey. Thank you.