I encourage the Buffalo State community to nominate deserving colleagues for Buffalo State President’s Awards, SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence, and Distinguished Professorships. Guidelines can be found on the Academic Affairs website. Please visit the Nomination Resources – Celebrations of Excellence section for helpful resources and tips for assembling nomination dossiers.

Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence
1. Adjunct Teaching Nominations

Due Date: Monday, September 16, 2019

2. Distinguished Professor, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Distinguished Service Professor, Distinguished Librarian; Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Professional Service, Librarianship, Scholarship and Creative Activities, or Faculty Service nominations

Due Date: Monday, October 21, 2019

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 the first page of all nominations.

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 nominations

Due Date: Monday, March 2, 2020

Please submit nominations with supporting materials electronically to the provost’s office.

Questions may be directed to Carolyn Martino, executive assistant to the provost.

The first week of classes is here, and I am enjoying stopping to greet individual students and groups as they begin the 2019–2020 academic year. It is wonderful to see returning students as they settle back into the pace of academic life and to meet our new students as they find their way around campus…

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

Jerry Boyes, director of Buffalo State Intercollegiate Athletics, has shared with me that he plans to retire on June 30, 2020. As many of you know, Mr. Boyes is an institution at Buffalo State. He joined the college in 1986 as head football coach, serving two stints in that role, spanning 25 seasons until 2018. He was promoted to athletics director in 2000 and served in the dual role.

Mr. Boyes’s leadership in athletics has been guided by his fully embracing the philosophy of a Division III program, and this has provided great opportunities for the students who have chosen to play at Buffalo State. In addition, his focus has been on ensuring that our programs are run with integrity and with a focus on student-athletes being strong scholars, as evidenced by more than 45 percent of our athletes having a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and retention rates greater than 70 percent. Mr. Boyes has emphasized responsibility among coaches and students through the ongoing civic engagement of many of our teams and the commitment of all staff to being trained in sexual and relationship violence prevention.

Coach Boyes is well respected within our SUNYAC conference and the NCAA. Under his leadership, several teams have seen playoff berths, broken SUNYAC records, and been recognized as leaders in the conference.

The search committee to identify the college's next athletics director is listed below and is expected to begin recruitment later this fall. Please join me in thanking Jerry Boyes for his 33 years of service to the college and students. Details regarding the search and a formal retirement celebration for Mr. Boyes will be shared later in the fall.

Athletics Director Search Committee

Chair
Sarah Young, Dean of Students

Staff Representatives
Jamie Brown, Head Softball Coach, Intercollegiate Athletics
David Cox, Assistant Dean, Student Leadership and Engagement
James Fowler, Facilities Manager, Intercollegiate Athletics
Michael Heflin, Director, Equity and Diversity
Michael Lewis, Director, Events Management
Elizabeth Miller, Director, Nutrition Education Center, Weigel Wellness
Timothy Walsh, Associate Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Faculty Representatives
Shashi M, Gayadeen, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice; Faculty Athletic Representative
Bhakti Sharma, Associate Professor, Interior Design
Ronald Stewart, Chair and Professor, Sociology

Student Representatives
Tiffany Easy, Treasurer, United Students Government
Emily O’Brien, Chair, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

Staff Support
Lisa Noreck, Secretary 2, Vice President for Student Affairs Office

Buffalo State College has performance evaluation systems in place that are intended to clarify job expectations, encourage and support professional development, provide quality feedback, and foster continuous performance-related communication between supervisors and employees. I firmly believe that performance evaluations, goal setting, and accountability are, in fact, a primary responsibility of every supervisor, and it is my expectation that they be done each year for all employees.  

Each Buffalo State employee plays a valuable and critical role in helping us fulfill our mission. Supervisors have the added responsibility of providing honest and constructive feedback to their staff members to assist them in addressing performance issues and to provide positive commentary where appropriate to motivate and encourage excellent performance.

Supervisors should be aware that fulfilling this important responsibility will be considered in decisions to award discretionary increases, promotions, and other personnel actions.

I strongly encourage all supervisors to use the process and forms available on the Human Resource Management website and to consult with our Human Resource Management staff members with any questions on the process or for advice on addressing performance issues.

Thank you.

New York State enacted legislation in 2018 requiring all employers, including Buffalo State College, to ensure that their employees complete sexual harassment prevention training by October 9, 2019.

The Equity and Campus Diversity Office is offering the following options to comply with this requirement:

1. Online Sexual Harassment Prevention Training: View two sexual harassment prevention training videos, and review and acknowledge that you have read and understand Buffalo State’s policy and procedures on sexual harassment. All parts of the online training are conducted through Blackboard Learn.
2. In-person sessions are available for those employees who do not have access to Blackboard Learn (for example, Facilities staff members). For more information, please contact Karen Jones, chief diversity officer and Title IX coordinator, 878-6210.

Online Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
The following training meets all New York State requirements for sexual harassment prevention training. Employees can complete the online training in their offices or anywhere else that they have access to Blackboard Learn at a time that is convenient for them. The training takes between 45 minutes and one hour to complete.

This online training is composed of three sections:

1. Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Part 1
   This video explains the definition of sexual harassment and provides examples of harassing conduct.
2. Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Part 2
   This interactive video features quizzes and case studies.
3. Acknowledgment
   After completing the second video (Part 2), participants must read the Buffalo State Policy on Sexual Harassment  (PDF, 137 KB) and acknowledge that they have read and understand the policy.

Accessing the Videos
The sexual harassment prevention training videos may be accessed through the "My Organizations" section of Blackboard Learn. The training link is titled "New York State Sexual Harassment Learning Modules." Completing the training videos and reviewing Buffalo State’s Policy and Procedures on Sexual Harassment complies with the college’s obligation to provide the sexual harassment prevention training and your requirement as a New York State employee to receive and complete sexual harassment prevention training.

For more information, please visit the Equity and Campus Diversity website or review the list of frequently asked questions. For all other questions, please contact the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, 878-6210.

One of the most exciting features of the 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. Upon receiving an alert generated from their instructor's report, students can take immediate steps to improve their performance. When a pattern of concerns arises in relation to a single student, advisers can conduct early outreach so that students can make positive changes to their academic habits while there is still time to turn things around.  

The Student Progress Report has been deployed to all instructors and will remain open until Sunday, September 22. An e-mail notification with the link has been sent to all faculty members. Instructors are 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. If a cause for concern is identified, students will know that actions need to be taken. By the same token, advisers can then conduct proactive outreach to assist students in helping them to meet their academic goals.

Instructors, please complete the Student Progress Report. Your feedback just might be that extra little “nudge” that students need to put them on the path to success.

Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to join the Career Development Center at its annual Western New York Law School Fair on Monday, September 23, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Buffalo Marriott Niagara. This free event is a great opportunity for those interested in attending law school to meet with admissions recruiters from more than 70 programs across the country. 

For a list of participating schools or to register for the event, please visit the Career Development Center events page.

As a New York State employer, Buffalo State College is informing the campus community of the following legislation:

1. New York State Anti-Discrimination Law (PDF, 24 KB)
2. New Law Prohibiting Employment Discrimination against Religious Attire (DOCX, 16 KB)
3. New Law Prohibiting Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Domestic Violence Victim Status and Providing Reasonable Accommodations for Such Employees (DOCX, 19 KB)

As a New York State employer, Buffalo State College is informing the campus community of the following legislation:

1. New York State Anti-Discrimination Law (PDF, 24 KB)
2. New Law Prohibiting Employment Discrimination against Religious Attire (DOCX, 16 KB)
3. New Law Prohibiting Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Domestic Violence Victim Status and Providing Reasonable Accommodations for Such Employees (DOCX, 19 KB)

Buffalo State faculty and staff members are invited to participate in the Association of American Colleges and Universities webinar “The Confounding Promise of Community: Why It Matters More Than Ever for Student Success” on Thursday, September 19, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in Cleveland 418. The webinar explores the following questions:

• What is the role of community—as a concept, an outcome, and an entity—in a liberal education?
• How can community contribute to student success?
• How do students experience community, on and off campus?

This webinar will also examine emerging definitions of community, ongoing efforts to create inclusive pathways for engagement, and ways community-based practices can advance inclusive excellence. From multiple institutional perspectives, presenters will explore how a collective understanding of community can shape a commitment to equity and student success. More information is available on the AAC&U website.

Space is limited for the live webinar viewing, but a recording of the event will be available on the AAC&U website approximately two weeks after the webinar.