My husband, Dr. Alvin Turner, and I cordially invite you to attend this year’s Campus Holiday Party on Friday, December 9, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. We also invite you to join us in the giving spirit of the season by bringing a new unwrapped toy for a child in our local community.

Tomorrow, December 2, is the final day to RSVP.

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 within 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.

Emotions are running high across our country, communities, and college campuses today. As we come off a deeply divisive presidential campaign cycle, I encourage all members of our community to be supportive and understanding of one another...

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Vice President Hal D. Payne has informed me that he plans to retire from Buffalo State College effective May 30, 2017. He will step down as vice president for student affairs on December 31, 2016, and will work with me on special assignments focused on community outreach during the remainder of the 2016–2017 academic year.

Hal Payne came to Buffalo State College in February 1990 as assistant vice president for student affairs. In June 1990, he was named acting vice president for student affairs and was appointed vice president for student affairs in May 1991. Over his time as vice president, his service to the college and oversight has spanned Student Life, Weigel Health, Residence Life, Student Success, Enrollment Management, Precollegiate Programs, Student Accessibility Services, Judicial Affairs, and our NCAA Division III athletics program.

Dr. Payne has overseen significant growth and expansion in both the facilities and programs that provide services to our students. Growth in the area of facilities includes residence hall renovation, upgrade and expansion projects such as those in the Frank C. Moore Apartment Complex (1998), the Student Apartment Complex (2008), Cassety Hall, and the Towers. He also oversaw significant developments to the Campbell Student Union including changes to our student dining program. Additionally he provided oversight for the renovations to Houston Gymnasium including the state-of-the art fitness center and swimming pool.

Dr. Payne has been a strong and committed member of the Buffalo State College community and has developed many connections for the college to Buffalo, Western New York, New York State, and beyond. His decision to step down from the position he has held for 27 years will provide him the much-desired time to fully engage in his other interests and pursuits.

Dr. Payne’s wisdom, lengthy knowledge of Buffalo State, and tremendous connections to the community have been invaluable across his years of service. We will officially celebrate him and express our gratitude for his many contributions and years of service during the spring semester. For now, I invite you all to join me in thanking him for his exceptional service to Buffalo State College and wishing him all the best as he embarks on this next new, exciting, and fulfilling phase of his life and career.

In September, I charged the Buffalo State Civic Action Plan Workgroup with developing a Civic Action Plan for Buffalo State in alignment with our campus mission and strategic plan. The purpose of the Civic Action Plan is to forward Buffalo State’s role as an urban-engaged campus in the city of Buffalo and expand our civic and community engagement efforts in ways that advance citizenship and positive social change. 

The Civic Action Plan Workgroup has developed a first draft of a five-year Civic Action Plan to share with the Buffalo State community. Please take the time to read the plan and attend an open forum to provide feedback on Thursday, December 1, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 210. RSVP for this session; a light lunch will be provided. If you are unable to attend the open session, please consider e-mailing your comments and feedback to Alexander Means, assistant professor of social and psychological foundations of education, or Laura Hill Rao, VSLC coordinator, on or before December 1.  

The Enrollment Management unit, which comprises the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Registrar, has a new divisional home within the college’s administrative structure.

Effective immediately, Enrollment Management—under the leadership of associate vice president Erin Alonzo—will report within the division of Resources for Information, Technology, and Education (RITE), which is led by chief information officer David Demers.

The new reporting structure will not change the mission, responsibilities, or duties that are carefully carried out by the offices and staff in Enrollment Management. There will be no change in location of any office spaces at the current time.

Faculty, students, staff, and the community are invited to a Post-Election Forum today, November 17, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in the Ethel Lockman Newman Lecture Hall (Bulger Communication Center North).

The results of the presidential election have generated a sentiment of division for many in our country. Concerns have been vocalized by a variety of Buffalo State’s constituents.

A panel discussion will open the event followed by an open forum. The purpose of the panel discussion is to identify the common strengths that we at Buffalo State embrace as a diversified community. 

As we continue living in a multicultural world, our goal is to foster a respectful environment where individuals are celebrated not only for their differences but also for those things we have in common.    

We celebrate and support the positive attributs of our democracy and embrace the freedom of multiple avenues to implement change.

We support and communicate the proud and confident attributes our students, faculty, and staff have and will continue to nourish.

Buffalo State has been recognized as a leader in diversity and will continue as a model for other institutions during this historic time as we’re observed “putting our best foot forward.”

The Equity and Campus Diversity Office encourages all to attend this event with the hopes of calming the waters and uniting the campus community.

Last year, the SUNY Board of Trustees passed a resolution to ensure that every student in SUNY has the opportunity for an applied learning experience. As part of this resolution, each campus has been asked to formalize an Applied Learning Plan. The plan has each college examining the feasibility of including applied learning activities that meet the criteria for Approved Applied Learning as a degree requirement. Information on the criteria, as well as what has been submitted thus far, is available on the College Senate website.

We need your input by Friday, December 16, on whether or not you believe Approved Applied Learning should be a degree requirement at Buffalo State. This is your opportunity to provide feedback by completing this survey. Your feedback will be crucial to writing the feasibility and collaboration study that must be approved by the College Senate and USG, and submitted by May 1, 2017.

An Applied Learning Leadership Team has been charged with helping the provost complete this plan. That team includes Stephanie Zuckerman-Aviles, Buffalo State representative on the SUNY Provost’s Applied Learning Advisory Council; Amy McMillan, chair of the College Senate; and Ann Emo, chair of the Theater Department.

I know many of you have heard me say it before, but I think it merits repeating: Buffalo State College is a very special campus.

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Buffalo State is joining communities around the world to support the elimination of violence against women and girls.

Please follow my blog at http://kateconwayturner.tumblr.com.