I am pleased to announce that Bhakti Sharma, associate professor of art and design, has received the President's Caring Bengal Award. Ms. Sharma was nominated for the award by her student, Ashley Maggiacomo, an undergraduate in the interior design program. I am so pleased to recognize Ms. Sharma, and I encourage the entire campus community to join me in thanking her for her exceptional effort to make Buffalo State a great place to live, learn, and work. Her award profile can be viewed on the Professional Development website.

I announced the creation and implementation of the President's Caring Bengal Award in December 2017. This award 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.

Members of the campus community are invited to submit nominations for the President's Caring Bengal Award by 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 12. For more information about the award criteria and recipient selection process, or to submit a nomination, please visit the Professional Development website.

After an assessment of use, and in accordance with best practices around the country, Buffalo State will not renew its site license with Clarivate for EndNote. The current contract expires July 31, 2019.

Many free and low-cost citation management software alternatives are available, including EndNote Basic (web only), Zotero, and Mendeley. More information about alternative citation tools is available online.

Librarians are available to assist faculty, staff, and students with selecting an alternative citation management program. Please contact the library for a research appointment.

The Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship Program (USRF) supports eight weeks of full-time research, scholarly, or creative activities in the summer. The USRF program is open to all Buffalo State undergraduates with a graduation date of December 2019 or later.

Each fellowship provides a student stipend of $3,000, a faculty stipend of $1,000, and $500 for travel, supplies, or equipment to support the project. To learn more about the program, please visit the Undergraduate Research Office USRF website.

The deadline for student submissions is Tuesday, April 9. Mentors have until Thursday, April 11, to complete the application. Information about current programs and resources about mentoring undergraduates conducting research can also be found on the Undergraduate Research Office website.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Philip Badaszewski as assistant dean of residential experience, reporting to the dean of students. He will begin work at Buffalo State on Monday, April 15. Dr. Badaszewski brings a breadth of experience in residence life and housing across multiple positions and institutions. Located in Porter Hall 118, he may be reached at 878-3000 or badaszpd@buffalostate.edu. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Badaszewski to Buffalo State College.

Finance and Management and Information Technology are working together to replace existing Sonitrol alarm systems across campus. A short survey has been prepared to help assess the current level of use. If you have a Sonitrol alarm or panic button in any space (e.g., office, lab, conference room), you must complete the survey or risk losing this security feature. Please do not be concerned with duplicate entries; redundant information will be removed. The deadline to complete the survey is Thursday, April 25. Thank you for your cooperation.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis Kois as the next executive director of the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State. Mr. Kois comes to the Burchfield Penney from the Milwaukee Public Museum, where he served as president and CEO for four years.

Mr. Kois, who will begin his duties at the Burchfield Penney on April 22, brings with him an exceptional record of visionary and transformational leadership, fundraising, and community engagement. Before joining the Milwaukee Public Museum, he served as executive director of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Boston and of the Grace Museum in Abilene, Texas. His extensive experience will serve the Burchfield Penney well as it continues to support Buffalo State’s mission as SUNY’s urban-engaged campus.

I would like to thank interim co-directors Carolyn Morris-Hunt and Scott Propeack for their dedicated service during the leadership transition.

More information about Mr. Kois and his appointment can be found on the Burchfield Penney website. Please join me in welcoming him to Buffalo State!

Beginning the week of April 22, ComDoc, a vendor providing print management services, will work with Information Technology to accomplish a campuswide audit of printers and printing volume. During the audit, a representative from ComDoc, along with a representative from Information Technology, will walk the campus and look at every printing device on campus. Individuals in department offices and labs may be asked to provide information to the auditors, or to give them access to their printers. We ask for your patience, and that you be as accommodating as possible so that we may complete the audit. 

At all times the ComDoc consultant will be paired with a representative of campus Information Technology. Do not provide information to anyone claiming to be a consultant unless they are with a representative from IT.

Please contact Maryruth Glogowski, special assistant to the CIO, with questions or concerns.

On behalf of the division of Student Affairs, I am writing to share best wishes and gratitude to Joan McCool, who will retire from her position as director of the Counseling Center in June after 38 years with the Buffalo State community. Please join us as we celebrate Dr. McCool’s dedication, service, and contributions to Buffalo State College.

In her time at Buffalo State, Dr. McCool has been an advocate for students and their mental health needs, has helped establish Milligan's Food Pantry, has been an active community member developing relationships with organizations such as Crisis Services and an advocate for upstander training, trauma-informed practices, and restorative justice as models that can help address student and community needs. Dr. McCool has also been responsible for securing significant grant funding and serving as principal investigator for a suicide prevention grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as well a Violence Against Women on Campus grant focused on preventing sexual and interpersonal violence and stalking. We are grateful for the impact that her work has had on students and the campus.

Dr. McCool’s colleagues in the Weigel Wellness Center will hold an open house at the Counseling Center (second floor) on Friday, May 10, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.  Please stop by for a light breakfast and to wish Dr. McCool well. No reservations are needed.

A celebration of Dr. McCool’s service to the college will be held on Friday, June 14, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Fireside Lounge. More details to follow.

Buffalo State will launch its first day of giving, “Buffalo State Gives,” beginning at noon Tuesday, April 16, and running through noon Wednesday, April 17. During this time, Buffalo State alumni and friends will be encouraged to donate to the college.

The campaign to build awareness for Buffalo State Gives began in mid-March with all alumni and friends receiving an e-mail inviting them to become social media ambassadors. The campaign will build in intensity over the coming week. To date, almost 200 alumni and friends have signed up to be Buffalo State Gives ambassadors and have diligently spread the news, via social media, of the upcoming day of giving. Faculty and staff members can help by becoming Buffalo State Gives ambassadors. Faculty and staff members who choose to donate during the day of giving may do so through the Buffalo State Gives online donation form and have their support counted toward the Faculty and Staff Appeal.

If you have questions about Buffalo State Gives, please contact Scott Burns, associate vice president for development, 878-3395.

As a follow-up to my report at last week’s College Senate meeting, I am announcing that, effective immediately, undergraduate retention efforts and services will be aligned under a new organizational structure.

Interim Provost James Mayrose and Vice President for Student Affairs Timothy Gordon will serve as the new co-leads on undergraduate retention, providing cabinet-level oversight, coordination, and assessment of retention initiatives across campus. The provost and the VPSA will also serve as the new co-chairs for the Committee on Undergraduate Retention.

Additionally, I have approved a new position—senior adviser for student success and retention—to manage day-to-day retention operations and services. The senior adviser will be responsible for the coordination, success, and efficiency of the college’s completion and retention programs and services. To that end, the position will report directly to the provost but will work across all divisions with an especially close tie to the division of Student Affairs.

The senior adviser will coordinate and oversee programs within Academic Commons, Student Success, and special focus populations on campus (i.e., Honors, EOP, Compass, Say Yes, and Pipeline Programs). The senior adviser will ensure that effective data collection and analysis are occurring in all areas, that this information is properly coordinated, and that evidence-based recommendations are made to the co-leads on undergraduate retention and the President’s Cabinet. A search is currently underway for the position.

An organizational chart (PDF, 60 KB) for the new retention structure can be found online.

Sharing Select College Senate Announcements and Reports with All Faculty and Staff
Moving forward, I plan to continue to share pertinent excerpts such as this from the President’s Report to the College Senate—as well as highlights from presentations by members of the President’s Cabinet—on the Mondays following Senate meetings. While full reports and presentations can be found on the College Senate website, I want to ensure that all faculty and staff members are directly informed of updates as we continue to support our model of shared governance.