I am pleased to announce some realignment within the division of Student Affairs. This structure will become effective July 1, 2018. This realignment is being driven by a number of factors, but most centrally by the needs of students. Over the past several months, I have worked with our constituents to identify priorities and opportunities related to the overall divisional structure. It is important to note that a key factor in the realignment efforts was to bring about improvement with no increase in expenses. This was accomplished in the following ways:

1. Informal and formal meetings with several groups of students including commuters, various class levels, residential students, and student clubs and organizations.
2. Engagement of the division in identifying opportunities for making student learning and cross-unit collaboration central to our work on behalf of students. This included exercises in envisioning possible structures for the division, identifying priorities, and developing concrete plans for initiatives.
3. Examining findings from the campus’s National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data.
4. Examining the division of Student Affairs and the college’s strategic plan to ensure that education and student engagement remain the core drivers of the work and vision of all units.
5. Identifying opportunities to coordinate and enhance unit-level work to refocus strategic investment in efforts related to retention and, where possible, save money.

These efforts have resulted in the following changes within the division of Student Affairs:

• Refocusing of Residence Life to center on residential learning and experiences that support student engagement and retention. This is especially critical as we conceptualize and support the work in the new honors residence, Bishop Hall, as well as expanded living-learning communities. By focusing on learning, retention, and education, we will continue to partner with Academic Affairs in supporting high-impact practices and delivering a stronger residence hall experience.
• Developing more robust student life and engagement through coordination. The Campbell Student Union will serve as an anchor hub for leadership, learning, and engagement. A one-stop-shop approach will result in the expansion of opportunities to support students of diverse identities, aligning the efforts of student life to encompass mentorship and enhanced leadership development, and creating signature learning and engagement opportunities. The leadership of this area will be coordinated among New Student and Family Programs, the Student Leadership and Engagement Office (formerly the Student Life Office), and the Student Union. Administrative offices will be located on the fourth floor of the union to allow for improved coordination and planning of programs as well as better support of individual students.
• Expanding case management services to support students in crisis and those with other concerns that might affect their retention. The Dean of Students Office received emergency grant funding during fall 2017 to assist students with various financial needs, which has proved successful in several cases. Regular follow-up with these students as well as others who have been referred by faculty or staff members, through the Care Team, is essential in using a micro-approach to support early intervention. This will become more critical as the Bengal Success Portal (Starfish) is widely implemented across campus.
• A broad wellness focus for assisting students in managing stress, transition, and other concerns. This effort began in fall 2017 with the refocusing of the Weigel Wellness Center. This has led to expanded offerings of wellness initiatives such as the Orange Shirt Challenge, yoga, and meditation and the creation of spaces such as the Tea Room. We will continue to enhance and expand these efforts to the residence halls as well as select off-campus locations. Additionally, Sarah Young, Dean of Students, has been asked to lead a divisional group to identify more opportunities to help connect students with dimensions of wellness related to spirituality and faith.
• Coordinated communication, assessment, and budget management. All these efforts require units to have robust and coordinated plans to communicate with students, identify and measure impact, and continue to attend to needed fiscal stewardship as the campus moves forward. These efforts will be supported by decentralized multi-fund budgets and centralized within the division, overseen by the Vice President for Student Affairs Office.

The updated version of the organizational structure for the division (PDF, 26 KB) is available on the Student Affairs website. I look forward to all the great work our newly aligned divisional team will accomplish. We stand ready to partner with our colleagues across campus to support our students and welcome your further ideas. Please feel free to share them via e-mail at gordontw@buffalostate.edu.

I am pleased to announce that Barrett Gordon, academic tutor in the Writing Center, has received the President's Caring Bengal Award. Mr. Gordon was nominated for the award by Maggie Herb, director of the Writing Center and assistant professor of English. I am so pleased to recognize Mr. Gordon, and I encourage the entire campus community to join me in thanking him for his exceptional effort to make Buffalo State a great place to live, learn, and work. His award profile can be viewed on the Professional Development website.

The President's Caring Bengal Award, initiated in December 2017, recognizes supportive colleagues in our Buffalo State community who not only transform the lives of our students but also help create a caring and collegial environment for our faculty, staff, and administrators.

Nominations for the President’s Caring Bengal Award will reopen in September 2018 and will be posted in the Daily Bulletin. If you nominated a member of the campus community who did not receive an award this semester and you are interested in nominating this person again, please resubmit your nomination during the fall 2018 semester. For more information about the award criteria and recipient selection process, please visit the Professional Development website.

I encourage the Buffalo State community to nominate deserving colleagues for 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 on assembling nomination dossiers.

1. Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching
   Due Date: Friday, September 15, 2018
2. Distinguished Teaching Professor; Distinguished Service Professor; Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Professional Service, Librarianship, Faculty Service, or Scholarship and Creative Activities
   Due Date: Monday, October 15, 2018

Please submit nominations with supporting materials electronically to the Provost’s Office.

Please note: 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.

Buffalo State College will impose a one-year moratorium on new campus computer labs, effective immediately, to allow the Educational Technology Advisory Committee to review existing computer lab spaces and collect relevant data to aid in future resource allocation. A computer lab is defined as any space with more than one computer for student use. Special or extenuating circumstances will be addressed by the RITE Governance Advisory Committees (PDF, 187 KB). Thank you for your cooperation. Please direct questions to Melaine Kenyon, director of technology support services, 878-6679.

There are many members of the campus community whom I see regularly in both formal and informal ways; however, some members I see rarely...

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

I am happy to report that the 2018 Faculty and Staff Appeal, which wraps up May 31, has reached 90 percent of its goal.

Whether you made a one-time donation or chose a payroll deduction throughout the year, you are helping Buffalo State students purchase textbooks, conduct research, study abroad, and attend academic conferences, among other things.

Contributions to the appeal also help with life’s unexpected obstacles. For example, one student could not afford to fly home to attend the funeral of a parent who died during the semester. The appeal’s emergency fund covered that flight. If you are looking for a fund that directly assists students in their time of need, I would ask you to consider contributing to the emergency fund (No. 310407, Student Support).

Multiple funds and scholarships within the Faculty and Staff Appeal lift students up. Students who otherwise might have to discontinue their studies because they can’t pay a bill or purchase books can stay in school thanks to the generosity of our campus. 

To everyone who has already made a contribution, please accept my sincere thanks. I also would like to thank the members of this year’s appeal committee—Rebecca Catalano, Brian Dubenion, Carolyn Fusco, Mario Hicks, Tamara Horstman-Riphahn, Megan Keogh, Lisa Krieger, and Holly Quicksey—for their hard work.

There is still time to contribute before the appeal’s conclusion. Please drop your contribution forms off in the Institutional Advancement Office, Cleveland 304, before May 31. If you have any questions, contact Mario Hicks, appeal coordinator, 878-3467.

Reminder: Administrative and academic departments will complete and submit their annual reports in Taskstream. Open drop-in work sessions offering Taskstream support for academic department chairs and administrative unit directors will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as follows:

• Today, May 24 | Bacon Hall 123
• Tuesday, May 29 | Bacon Hall 123
• Wednesday, June 6 | Bacon Hall 123
• Tuesday, June 12 | Classroom Building C104

For process or content questions on the annual report, please contact Brad Fuster, associate vice president for institutional effectiveness.

For technical assistance, please contact Tiffany Fuzak, research analyst in Institutional Effectiveness.

Forms for submission of the 2017–2018 annual reports for faculty, librarians, and professional staff are posted on the Human Resource Management website.

Submission of annual reports for 2017–2018 are due on or before the following dates:

• Saturday, June 30: Individual reports from faculty, librarians, and professional staff due to director or department chair
• Monday, July 23: Department reports due to dean or associate vice president
• Friday, August 10: Associate vice president and dean reports completed in Taskstream

Reminder: Administrative and academic departments will complete and submit their annual reports in Taskstream. Open drop-in work sessions offering Taskstream support for academic department chairs and administrative unit directors will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as follows:

• Wednesday, June 6 | Bacon Hall 123
• Tuesday, June 12 | Classroom Building C104
• Monday, June 25 | Bacon Hall 123 
• Monday, July 9 | Bulger Communication Center 122 
• Wednesday, July 11 | Bulger Communication Center122

For process or content questions on the annual report, please contact Brad Fuster, associate vice president for institutional effectiveness.

For technical assistance, please contact Tiffany Fuzak, research analyst in Institutional Effectiveness.

Forms for submission of the 2017–2018 annual reports for faculty, librarians, and professional staff are posted on the Human Resource Management website.

Submission of annual reports for 2017–2018 are due on or before the following dates:

• June 30, 2018: Individual reports from faculty, librarians, and professional staff due to director or department chair
• July 23, 2018: Department reports due to dean or associate vice president
• August 10, 2018: Associate vice president and dean reports completed in Taskstream

At its May 11, 2018, meeting, the College Senate voted to forward the following recommendation to the president for review and consideration: 

Drafted by the College Senate Academic Plan Committee.
Introduced at the April 13, 2018, College Senate meeting.
Presented for discussion and vote at the May 11, 2018, College Senate meeting. 

Fostering and furthering of student success must be at the core of any assessment process. As such, the following principles are recommended for high-quality student and programmatic assessment: 

1. SUNY Buffalo State’s assessment practices should be guided by our institutional mission, strategic plan, and learning outcomes. Practices should be driven by a desire to improve student learning through a comprehensive campus assessment process. 

2. Assessment is the shared responsibility of all campus constituents (e.g., College Senate, faculty, staff, students, administration) and is to be ethically conducted using intentional methodologies. 

3. Assessment is an ongoing process used to answer meaningful questions, and findings should be broadly shared. This includes measuring the effectiveness of the work of each unit, the progress toward meeting educational outcomes, and providing useful information as a basis for continuous improvement. 

4. Individual units are responsible for assessing themselves and responding to the results of that assessment. 

5. Assessment must not conflict with academic freedom (PDF, 656 KB) or be used for individual faculty or staff performance review.

(Based on AAHE’s Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning) 

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate and approve the Buffalo State College assessment principles as presented. I charge the provost with the responsibility of communicating these principles to the campus community.

At its May 11, 2018, meeting, the College Senate voted to forward the following recommendation to the president for review and consideration: 

DOPS Revision: Dean’s Honor List (section within policy) 
Introduced at the April 2018 Senate meeting by the Standards for Students Committee.

Presented for discussion and vote at the May 11, 2018, College Senate meeting. 

WHEREAS, the current requirements for baccalaureate honors designation is completion of 54 credits at Buffalo State; and 

WHEREAS, this means that less than half of a student’s degree may be completed at Buffalo State and still receive honors; and 

WHEREAS, the language within the current policy does not reflect the new senior standing criteria used within the online degree application process; and 

WHEREAS, the current policy lacks clarity regarding eligibility and notification of honors designation, 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Buffalo State amend its DOPS policy on Dean’s Honors List, specifically the section related to Baccalaureate Academic Honors/Gold Honors Cord, as revised in this document, to clarify the eligibility requirements for and enhance the distinction conferred by the honors designation 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this policy change be effective at the start of the 2018–2019 academic year for all entering first-year and transfer students, and that the college catalog and college website be updated to ensure that DOPS language is consistently reflected in the catalog and on the website for this policy. 

DOPS: I:16:06: Deans Honor List (section within policy) 

Proposed Revised Policy 

Baccalaureate Honors Designation 
Baccalaureate honors designation is awarded to graduating seniors who have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 for all work completed at SUNY Buffalo State. Graduates with a cumulative average of 3.80 to 4.00 are designated summa cum laude; 3.65 to 3.79 magna cum laude; and 3.50 to 3.64 cum laude. No degree candidates with outstanding grades of I, N, U, or X may be considered for honors. 

Seniors must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours in residence at Buffalo State to be eligible for honors designation. “In residence” is defined as enrollment in courses offered by Buffalo State on campus or through distance education. To be eligible for honors designation, students must complete their final 30 credit hours in residence. Students who are approved for study abroad or national student exchange in the second-to-last semester before graduating are exempt from the requirement to be in residence for the full final 30 credit hours. Baccalaureate honors designation is confirmed once a final degree audit is conducted and the degree is awarded. Honors designation is noted on the diploma and official transcript.

No honors designation exists for master’s degrees or certificates of advanced study. 

Gold Honors Cord/Commencement Ceremony 
December and January term bachelor’s graduates who meet the baccalaureate honors designation criteria are invited to wear the gold honors cord at the spring Commencement ceremony to signify their academic achievement. Bachelor’s degree candidates who meet the baccalaureate honors designation criteria by the close of either the fall semester or January term just prior to their final spring semester, and have completed or have in progress a cumulative 60 Buffalo State credit hours for the spring semester, may be eligible for honors designation when they graduate. Qualifying degree candidates are invited to wear the gold honors cord at the spring Commencement ceremony. Academic honors are also noted in the Commencement program. 

Only eligible graduates and degree candidates may purchase and wear the gold honors cord. The Academic Affairs Office notifies eligible graduates and degree candidates by mail. An eligibility list is also maintained during Commencement registration and ticket distribution in the campus bookstore where caps, gowns, and honors cords may be purchased. Wearing the gold honors cord at Commencement is optional. 

Gold honors cord eligibility is calculated using the following semester grades and credit hours: 

• December and January graduates: Final cumulative GPA and credit hours. 
• May and August degree candidates: December or January cumulative GPA (whichever term is the most recent), the cumulative number of Buffalo State credit hours earned, and the credit hours in progress during the spring semester. 

Eligibility for baccalaureate honors designation is subject to change based on the calculation of final grades. Eligibility to wear the gold honors cord at Commencement does not guarantee notation of the baccalaureate honors designation on the diploma or transcript. 

Current Policy 
Baccalaureate Academic Honors/Gold Honors Cord 
An honors citation is given to graduating students who have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 for all work completed. Students with a cumulative average of 3.80 to 4.00 will be designated summa cum laude; 3.65 to 3.79 magna cum laude; and 3.50 to 3.64 cum laude. To be considered for an honors citation, a student must complete a minimum of 54 credit hours at Buffalo State College. No student with outstanding grades of I, U, X, N may be considered for honors. 

Degree candidates with a minimum GPA of 3.50 who have completed or have in progress 54 credit hours at Buffalo State College may be eligible for academic honors. These students are invited to wear a gold cord at Commencement to signify their academic achievement, and they are recognized in the Commencement program. They will be notified by Academic Affairs separately from the Commencement information brochure, which is sent to degree candidates’ homes in March. They also will be on a list at Commencement headquarters where caps, gowns, and honors cords are purchased.

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate and charge the provost with the responsibility of implementing the changes in the Dean’s Honor List Policy as listed in this resolution to become effective at the start of the 2018–2019 academic year.