Please join us for our annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, featuring keynote speaker Kevin Powell (PDF, 448 KB), writer and activist, on Thursday, February 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. This event is free and open to the public.
One of the most exciting features of the new Bengal Success Portal is the Student Progress Report. This early intervention tool enables faculty members to inform advisers and students about signs of academic difficulty early on in the term. Advisers can then take steps to reach out to students so that they can make positive changes to their academic habits while there is still time to turn things around.
The Student Progress Report will deploy to all instructors on February 7. An e-mail notification with the link will be sent to all faculty members. Instructors will be able to view their class lists and mark whether a student has encountered an issue or award students “kudos” for a job well done. Students will receive e-mails, and students' advisers will be made aware of this feedback as well. Advisers can then conduct proactive outreach to assist students in helping them meet their academic goals.
Based on user feedback from the first report, we have adjusted the tracking items for this report. These include the following:
Instructors, please watch for the Student Progress Report and complete it when you receive it. Your feedback just might be that extra little “nudge” that students need to put them on the path to success!
The Equity and Campus Diversity Office invites you to take part in its spring 2018 semester programs. Please download the spring 2018 Equity and Campus Diversity program calendar (PDF, 9.4 MB) to view the many inspirational speakers, story-sharers, and on-campus community events. Visit the Equity and Campus Diversity website for more details.
I am pleased to announce that I have appointed William J. Benfanti interim vice president for institutional advancement and interim executive director of the Buffalo State College Foundation effective March 1, 2018. Mr. Benfanti joined the Buffalo State family in October 2007 as associate vice president for government relations. In this role, he serves as the college’s legislative liaison to local, state, and federal government officials. Mr. Benfanti brought a wealth of experience in all levels of government within both the executive and legislative branches to Buffalo State that continues to serve the institution well to this day.
In 2012, Mr. Benfanti’s responsibilities were expanded to include alumni relations. As associate vice president for alumni and government relations, Mr. Benfanti remains responsible for campus advocacy and outreach to all levels of government. Additionally he oversees communication with our more than 116,000 current alumni around the globe. He works closely with the Buffalo State Alumni Association Board of Directors as well as the Buffalo State College Council Government Relations Committee. Under his leadership, alumni programs and events have increased both in number and in participants by over 300 percent. Mr. Benfanti has proved to be an effective advocate with all his constituents and has been successful with leading and assisting on many initiatives that have brought important resources and recognition to the college. Major projects include $93 million for the Science and Mathematics Complex and over $2 million for the Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center. Mr. Benfanti holds a master of arts in American intergovernmental relations from the University of Maryland, College Park.
I am also pleased to announce that I have appointed R. Scott Burns officer in charge of development activities, also effective March 1. Mr. Burns came to Buffalo State in April 2014 as a major gift officer. Since that time, he has served as director of major gifts and interim associate vice president for development. He was promoted to associate vice president for development in February 2017. In this role, Mr. Burns is responsible for fundraising (major gifts, annual giving, and Faculty and Staff Appeal), advancement services, and donor stewardship functions. Before joining the Buffalo State staff, Mr. Burns served as the vice president of institutional advancement at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute. He received his bachelor of arts in economics from Union College in Schenectady, New York.
Both Mr. Benfanti and Mr. Burns will serve in their respective roles until a new vice president for institutional advancement is on board, which I am anticipating will be mid-August. I appreciate their willingness to step up and take on these important roles at the college, and I invite you to join me in thanking them for their service, past and future, to Buffalo State.
I am pleased to invite the campus community to the annual luncheon honoring our colleagues who are in their 25th year of service to SUNY. This year we will add a new tradition by also celebrating those who have reached their 50th year of service. The event will take place on Thursday, April 12, at noon in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Reservations will be accepted through Thursday, April 5.
Twenty-one employees are crossing the 25-year mark this year:
Cynthia L. Anthony, Secretary 1, Continuing Professional Studies
Kimberly A. Bagley, Professor, Chemistry
Sarbani Banerjee, Professor, Computer Information Systems
Jeffrey J. Connolly, General Mechanic, Facilities Construction and Maintenance
Connie F. Cooke, Director, Financial Aid
Demetrice Davis, Office Manager, Small Business Development Center
Patrick H. Freeman, University Police Officer, University Police
Yves M. Gachette, Director, Institutional Research
Patricia D. Ghee, Academic Advisement Associate, Academic Commons
Curtis Haynes Jr., Associate Professor, Economics and Finance
Thomas C. Koller, Senior Associate Director, Intercollegiate Athletics
Robert S. LaDuca, Food Service Worker, Chartwells
Michael L. McNally, Senior Manager of Child Welfare Training, ICHP
Diane E. Mulcahy, Nurse Practitioner, Weigel Wellness Center
Michael Niedziela, Assistant Ice Area Manager, Intercollegiate Athletics
Wendy Paterson, Dean, School of Education
Howard L. Payne, Lecturer, Engineering Technology
LaTisha Robinson, CDHS Procurement Administrator, Sponsored Programs
Stephen J. Vermette, Professor, Geography and Planning
Veryan G. Vermette, Lecturer, Geography and Planning
Gary S. Welborn, Associate Professor, Sociology
One employee is crossing the 50-year mark this year:
James M. Shea, Associate Professor, Engineering Technology
To make a reservation, please complete and return the reservation form (doc) to the President’s Office, Cleveland Hall 517, by Thursday, April 5, or contact Melissa Slisz, staff assistant in the President’s Office, 878-4102.
Last year we began celebrating those members of our Buffalo State community who have achieved 25 years of service in SUNY, not just at Buffalo State. If your name is not listed above and you have achieved 25 years of service in SUNY this year, please contact Melissa Slisz.
I am very pleased to invite the campus community to the annual luncheon honoring our colleagues who are in their 25th year of service to SUNY. This year we will add a new tradition by also celebrating those who have reached their 50th year of service. The event will take place on Thursday, April 12, at noon in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Reservations will be accepted through Thursday, April 5.
Twenty-one employees are crossing the 25-year mark this year:
Cynthia L. Anthony, Secretary 1, Continuing Professional Studies
Kimberly A. Bagley, Professor, Chemistry
Sarbani Banerjee, Professor, Computer Information Systems
Jeffrey J. Connolly, General Mechanic, Facilities Construction and Maintenance
Connie F. Cooke, Director, Financial Aid
Demetrice Davis, Office Manager, Small Business Development Center
Patrick H. Freeman, University Police Officer 1, University Police
Yves M. Gachette, Director, Institutional Research
Patricia D. Ghee, Academic Advisement Associate, Academic Commons
Curtis Haynes Jr., Associate Professor, Economics and Finance
Thomas C. Koller, Senior Associate Director, Intercollegiate Athletics
Robert S. LaDuca, Food Service Worker, Chartwells
Michael L. McNally, Senior Manager of Child Welfare Training, ICHP
Diane E. Mulcahy, Nurse Practitioner, Weigel Wellness Center
Michael Niedziela, Assistant Ice Area Manager, Intercollegiate Athletics
Wendy Paterson, Dean, School of Education
Howard L. Payne, Lecturer, Engineering Technology
LaTisha Robinson, CDHS Procurement Administrator, Sponsored Programs
Stephen J. Vermette, Professor, Geography and Planning
Veryan G. Vermette, Lecturer, Geography and Planning
Gary S. Welborn, Associate Professor, Sociology
One employee is crossing the 50-year mark this year:
James M. Shea, Associate Professor, Engineering Technology
To make a reservation, please complete and return the reservation form (doc) to the President’s Office, Cleveland Hall 517, by Thursday, April 5, or call Melissa Slisz, staff assistant in the President’s Office, 878-4102.
Last year we began celebrating those members of our Buffalo State community who have achieved 25 years of service in SUNY, not just at Buffalo State. If your name is not listed above and you have achieved 25 years of service in SUNY this year, please contact Melissa Slisz.
I am pleased to invite the campus community to the annual luncheon honoring our colleagues who are in their 25th year of service to SUNY. This year we will add a new tradition by also celebrating those who have reached their 50th year of service. The event will take place on Thursday, April 12, at noon in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Reservations will be accepted through the close of business today, Thursday, April 5.
Twenty-one employees are crossing the 25-year mark this year:
Cynthia L. Anthony, Secretary 1, Continuing Professional Studies
Kimberly A. Bagley, Professor, Chemistry
Sarbani Banerjee, Professor, Computer Information Systems
Jeffrey J. Connolly, General Mechanic, Facilities Construction and Maintenance
Connie F. Cooke, Director, Financial Aid
Demetrice Davis, Office Manager, Small Business Development Center
Patrick H. Freeman, University Police Officer, University Police
Yves M. Gachette, Director, Institutional Research
Patricia D. Ghee, Academic Advisement Associate, Academic Commons
Curtis Haynes Jr., Associate Professor, Economics and Finance
Thomas C. Koller, Senior Associate Director, Intercollegiate Athletics
Robert S. LaDuca, Food Service Worker, Chartwells
Michael L. McNally, Senior Manager of Child Welfare Training, ICHP
Diane E. Mulcahy, Nurse Practitioner, Weigel Wellness Center
Michael Niedziela, Assistant Ice Area Manager, Intercollegiate Athletics
Wendy Paterson, Dean, School of Education
Howard L. Payne, Lecturer, Engineering Technology
LaTisha Robinson, CDHS Procurement Administrator, Sponsored Programs
Stephen J. Vermette, Professor, Geography and Planning
Veryan G. Vermette, Lecturer, Geography and Planning
Gary S. Welborn, Associate Professor, Sociology
One employee is crossing the 50-year mark this year:
James M. Shea, Associate Professor, Engineering Technology
To make a reservation, please complete and return the reservation form (doc) to the President’s Office, Cleveland Hall 517, today or call Melissa Slisz, staff assistant in the President’s Office, 878-4102.
Last year we began celebrating those members of our Buffalo State community who have achieved 25 years of service in SUNY, not just at Buffalo State. If your name is not listed above and you have achieved 25 years of service in SUNY this year, please contact Melissa Slisz.
Michael F. LeVine, vice president for finance and management, has informed me that he plans to retire in summer 2018 after 40 years of dedicated leadership and exceptional service to the State of New York. Mr. LeVine began his career as an auditor in the Office of the New York State Comptroller, where he worked for six years. He then spent 28 years at the University at Buffalo in roles of progressive responsibility, from internal auditor to assistant vice president for financial services to associate vice president and controller. Mr. LeVine joined the Buffalo State family in August 2012, and for the past five-plus years has served as vice president for finance and management, providing outstanding leadership and guidance in the areas of finance and budget, capital projects, internal operations, public safety, and human resource management. His Buffalo State career is marked by many significant accomplishments.
He oversaw the design and implementation of a new campus system in 2014 to facilitate all-funds financial reporting and to provide the required infrastructure for an all-funds budget model. Mr. LeVine also enhanced the broad-based fee student consultation process and improved ongoing communications with the College Senate’s Budget and Staff Allocations Committee.
Mr. LeVine completed a multiyear negotiation process that led to acquiring the necessary land for the Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center and established private housing options to help address the college’s student housing needs. He led the completion of a comprehensive update to our Facilities Master Plan, and expanded the plan to include a Student Housing Master Plan. He was instrumental in Buffalo State’s participation in the START-UP NY program, which is now successfully in place.
We have also seen automation and improvement in several internal processes during Vice President LeVine’s tenure. These include SUNY’s electronic timesheet system for all faculty members and professional and classified staff, which rolled out in 2014–2015, and the automation of the entire procurement process and the employee change form process, anticipated to be completed by fall 2018. Under his leadership, the Administrative Policy Library was designed and implemented to locate all nonacademic and non-student policies into one fully searchable online database.
A significant reorganization was also completed for our Campus Services and Facilities Planning units to address operational and succession planning concerns, and to provide new leadership opportunities for some of Finance and Management’s highest performers. And the consolidation of the pre-award, post-award, and CDHS administrative operations into one unit to support research and training activities on campus and to address compliance issues was also a significant accomplishment that will serve the institution well for the future.
In addition to his work at Buffalo State, Mr. LeVine has held various leadership positions in the State University of New York Business Officers Association (SUBOA). He is a leader among his colleagues, and his advice and guidance is frequently sought from SUNY peers.
Mr. LeVine has agreed to assist the college with identifying the next vice president for finance and management by serving as chair of the search committee. We are fortunate to benefit from his expertise during the search process. I will announce more details regarding the search soon.
We will officially celebrate Vice President LeVine and express our gratitude for his many contributions and service at an event later this semester. For now, I invite you all to join me in thanking him for his exceptional service and commitment to Buffalo State College and wishing him all the best in this next phase of his life.
As part of my address to the campus community in October, I shared with you a broad overview of the budgetary challenges we face and previewed some of the steps that we will take together to rebalance our campuswide expenditures to match available resources. Today I am writing to provide an update on those efforts.
In short, numerous years of escalating expenses and declines in our overall enrollment, despite strong first-year enrollments, have continued to challenge our ability to maintain a balanced budget. These issues are not unique to Buffalo State, as colleges and universities across the state and country are facing similar budget scenarios. Fortunately, in recent years, our once-healthy cash reserves helped us weather this storm. But while we have made several adjustments to control spending, these measures have only marginally decreased our expenditures.
While we had some good news this past fall with a modest increase in our overall enrollment, the financial gains were also modest; therefore, we must still take significant steps to rebalance our budget and bring spending into alignment with available operating funds. With little hope for increased tax support on the horizon, we anticipate that the campus will soon have to absorb more than $5 million in costs related to negotiated salary increases, resulting in a structural budget deficit of more than $7 million.
Because of the significant planning that must occur to close a $7 million gap, and to ensure that we insulate our students as much as possible from the impact of the reduction in operating resources, we will work together over a three-year period to rebalance our resources to best meet current and future institutional priorities.
Following a careful analysis of how our instructional and administrative costs compare with those of our SUNY peer campuses, each of the college’s vice presidential areas has been assigned a one-year and three-year rebalancing goal to help close our overall gap. During this period, we will maintain a careful review of all hiring to maximize savings through attrition but will fill essential positions to support mission-critical needs and strategic rebalancing investments. Because we are already more than halfway through the 2017–2018 fiscal year, each vice president has already presented plans to the President’s Cabinet to address our collective reduction of $1.4 million in operating expenses this year. Two additional reductions of $2.8 million in operating funds must be achieved in both 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 to realize the $7 million total reduction.
To rise to this challenge, we need your help. During my fall 2016 opening address, I called on each of you to find new ways to contribute to student success and to recommit to our collective work of attracting, retaining, and graduating our wonderful students. Many of those efforts have taken shape and have had a positive impact, but if we are to close the gap, we need to do more. Providing an academically engaging, student-centered, and welcoming environment is critical to improving our retention rate, which in turn is a significant factor in achieving a balanced budget. I ask each of you to find ways to contribute to our recruitment, retention, and completion efforts.
Later this month, the Budget Committee Support Group, which was appointed in November, will hold a series of open meetings to share information about the current rebalancing of the budget and why it is necessary. During those meetings, I encourage you to share your comments or ideas for addressing the difficult task at hand.
A budget rebalancing website has been constructed to keep members of the campus community informed about this process. Please visit and monitor the page for updates and information, including a collection of frequently asked questions and answers.
Despite these challenges, I am confident that together we will continue to move forward and fulfill Buffalo State’s mission and commitment to excellence, engagement, and social responsibility. As an anchor institution for the city of Buffalo and the only urban-engaged campus in SUNY, we are a special college with a long and laudable legacy. That will not change. As always, I thank you for the many ways you support Buffalo State and our students.
I encourage the Buffalo State community to nominate deserving colleagues for Buffalo State President’s Awards and SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. Guidelines can be found on the Academic Affairs website. Please visit the Nomination Resources section for helpful resources and tips for assembling nomination dossiers.
President’s Awards for Excellence
President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advisement; Advancement of Equity and Campus Diversity; Career Achievement for Faculty; Career Achievement for Professional Staff; Faculty and Staff Mentoring; Graduate Research Mentor; Librarianship; Research, Scholarship, and Creativity; Service to the College; Teaching; or as an Undergraduate Research Mentor
Due Date: Monday, March 5
Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence
Please submit nominations with supporting materials electronically to the provost’s office.
Please note: For SUNY Chancellor’s Awards, nominators should prepare their nomination letters in the format of a Summary Presentation as specified in the SUNY Award guidelines. A Buffalo State Nomination Checklist Cover Sheet (PDF, 272 KB) should be included as the first page of all nominations.
Questions may be directed to Carolyn Martino, assistant to the provost, 878-5903.