The Academic Achievement Center, currently under design as part of the $7.831 million renovation of Butler Library, has been rebranded the "Academic Commons" to better reflect the nature of the space that will be shared among the various student services that will be located there.

The Academic Commons will comprise much of the first floor of the library and will include a variety of tutorial and other support services, such as the Writing Center, a math lab, EOP’s Academic Center for Excellence, Student Accessibility Services, professional advising services, and peer and professional tutoring in a variety of subject areas. Librarians and the staff of RITE’s Support Desk will also be available in this space to assist students with research and technical questions.

Although the renovation is not expected to be complete until 2019 or 2020, the Academic Commons will have a virtual home as of this summer. Here, information about tutoring, advising, and other support services will be centrally available to students and faculty. Stay tuned for more information.

Please contact Aimee M. Woznick, director of the Academic Commons, with questions.

I am pleased to announce the following students who have been selected for the President’s Medal and SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence:

President’s Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate Student
Jon Battison

President’s Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student
Heather McCarthy

SUNY Chancellor’s Award or Student Excellence (Undergraduate)
Jon Battison
Alexia Matos-Mateo
Jeremiah Perez-Torres
Carly Pershyn
Lydia Sigurdson

SUNY Chancellor’s Award or Student Excellence (Graduate)|
Monique Owens

I am also pleased to announce the following students who have been selected as recipients of their respective Buffalo State 2017 Student Leadership and Humanitarian Awards.

Mildred Keller Campbell Student Leadership Award
Alexia Matos-Mateo

Phillip Santa Maria Award for Student Leadership in Equity and Campus Diversity
Kendry Brown

Luis M. Antonetti Student Humanitarian Award
Jeremiah Perez-Torres

Minnie and Joe Engel Student Humanitarian Award
Darran Booker

Phillip Santa Maria Student Humanitarian Award
Stephanie Hanson

Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges (Undergraduate)
Sakina Ahmed
Samuel Alfonso
Tiffany Bassett
Jon Battison
Matthew Booker
Michael Brunetto
Giannina Callejas
Alexander Cassells
Tiffany Gaines
David Hoerner
Ferdousi Khan
Nicholas Klender
Matthew Kostek
Fatoumata Makadji
Alexia Matos-Mateo
Shontay Morgan
Kweimeiley Nartay
Jeremiah Perez-Torres
Carly Pershyn
Tara Petty
Emma Roberts
Lydia Sigurdson
Morgan Snow
Michael Swierczynski
Viiva Vaattovaara
Margaret Weiser

Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges (Graduate)
Joseph Grande
Rebecca Johnson
Heather McCarthy
Kaicherise McRae
Farhad Mustafa
Monique Owens
Carol Youngs

Buffalo State’s Affordable Learning Materials Initiative (ALMI) is pleased to announce the first round of winners of the ALMI Award Program. This program was designed to recognize the important work of faculty members who are taking steps toward improving affordability for their students.

Department Award for Advancement in Affordability
Fashion and Textile Technology Department
The Fashion and Textile Technology Department has made a department-wide decision to consider affordability in their courses. They have incorporated various cost-cutting strategies including open educational resources (OER), older textbook editions, and course packs over the course of seven semesters. Ten classes in the department do not require textbooks at all, instead relying on alternative sources of academic materials. Their innovations have had a positive impact on students throughout the FTT department.

Award for Exceptional Innovation in Affordability (2)
Kathy Doody, Assistant Professor, Exceptional Education Department
Dr. Doody updated four graduate-level courses using alternative learning materials. She was able to cut out textbook costs completely while creating a more tailored and customized collection of learning materials. She uses a variety of textbook replacements, including library materials and online modules. Her innovation in affordability represents a strong balance between quality and affordability.

Lorena Mathien, Assistant Professor, Business Department
Dr. Mathien took an existing openly licensed course and adapted it using new materials and activities. This resulted in a customized course based on OER that saves her students money while improving their engagement and satisfaction.

Individual award recipients will receive an award certificate and $300 in professional development funds. Departmental award recipients will receive an award certificate and a catered lunch for all department faculty. Congratulations to the winners and to all ALMI Award applicants who are working hard to improve affordability for their students while maintaining the highest academic standards.

The Academic Obligation for 2017–2018 commences Monday, August 21, 2017, and ends Thursday, May 31, 2018.

This is the time of year when I attend many ceremonies that honor some of our most outstanding students...

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The School of Arts and Humanities celebrates the many contributors and donors to the school each year in April. Just this week, we came together to showcase projects and creative work by our students...

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This week I had the pleasure of greeting current Say Yes donors, potential donors, Say Yes staff, and others who are interested in how the Buffalo Say Yes partnership works on our campus...

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After 18 stellar years directing the Muriel A. Howard Honors Program, Andrea Guiati will be stepping aside to devote himself to his first academic home at Buffalo State, Modern and Classical Languages. Dr. Guiati will continue to teach in the honors program as well as in MCL. I would like to thank Professor Guiati for his years of service as honors director, where he took a general idea for an honors program and built it into the thriving program we are so proud of today.

Amy McMillan, associate professor of biology, will serve as interim director of the MAH Honors Program for a two-year term, after which we will conduct a national search for a director. Dr. McMillan has served as chair of the College Senate and has taught in the honors program. I am confident that her considerable leadership skills and interest in student engagement will translate well to this important new role.

I am pleased to announce the creation of a new leadership opportunity for Buffalo State College, the Provost’s Faculty Fellows Program. This program will allow up to four faculty members annually to work on a project of their choosing over the course of the academic year. Provost faculty fellows will identify a collegewide issue they wish to address, will meet with the provost and other relevant college leadership periodically, and will have the opportunity to attend a regional or national leadership development program if they so choose. Faculty fellows will receive $2,500 as either a stipend or an increase to research or travel funds for the year, in addition to the occasional delicious breakfast with the provost.

Faculty members who wish to be considered for this program can send me a letter of interest and a brief description of the collegewide issue they seek to address (no more than one page) along with a CV by Monday, May 15. Topics might include (but are certainly not limited to) predictive analytics and student retention, the future of liberal arts in public comprehensive colleges, forging a distinct identity in a state system, reducing academic impediments to graduation, or other topics of interest. The only requirement is that the issue be institution-wide. The Provost Faculty Fellows Program will begin in fall 2017.

You’ve heard of the Oscars and the Emmy Awards. Well, now you can also look forward to the Buffalo State Intercollegiate Athletics Department’s Benji Awards...

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