Every employee on campus will receive an invitation today to participate in a comprehensive study of our collective workplace, campus culture, and level of employee engagement and satisfaction.

While the survey is an extension of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Great Colleges to Work for program, our intention in conducting the survey is different from that in past years. Buffalo State College will use the survey as part of an internal study to help the campus, administration, and newly appointed Institutional Innovation Advisory Council (IIAC) identify the following:

• What are our organizational strengths, and how can we leverage those strengths in new and innovative ways?
• Where are we falling short as an organization, and how can we improve in those areas?

The IIAC has incorporated an additional set of questions into the survey to provide a more comprehensive data set to accomplish these objectives.

Higher education is undergoing significant demographic and technological shifts, which will require us to change how our institution operates, how we collaborate across departments and divisions to solve institutional challenges (retention, enrollment, developing new revenue streams, etc.), and how we prepare our campus workforce to address the ever-changing challenges of the future. The results of this survey and our inclusive and transparent review of its results will better position us to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The survey will be sent to all Buffalo State employees via e-mail today, February 3, and will remain open for responses until Monday, February 17. The survey will be administered and processed by ModernThink LLC, a research and consulting firm focused on workplace excellence. All responses will be anonymous and confidential. ModernThink will not provide any personally identifiable information when reporting results. All demographic questions will be optional, and any open-ended responses will be listed in alphabetical order by the first letter of the response to maintain anonymity. For additional information about the survey, please visit the Professional Development Center website for a list of frequently asked questions.

In May, the IIAC will present the survey findings to the campus community through a series of town hall meetings, providing an opportunity for the campus to ask questions about the data and survey results, while also initiating discussions that begin to address areas for improvement and ways to better leverage our strengths. In fall 2020, the IIAC will issue a written report to the campus community summarizing the survey results, campus feedback, and potential strategies to move the campus forward.

We encourage all members of the campus community to participate throughout the process, not only through the survey and town hall meetings, but also by engaging their colleagues and supervisors in discussions on how everyone can ignite innovation in his or her division or department. In addition to developing and analyzing the survey, the IIAC is concurrently developing a system and structure to cultivate further ideas from the campus community.

Thank you for your participation in the survey and in our collective efforts to move the campus forward. Together, we will ignite innovation and ensure that Buffalo State thrives in the future!

Sincerely,

Katherine Conway-Turner
President

Jonathan Hulbert
Chair, Institutional Innovation Advisory Council
Director, Leadership and Organizational Development

Joseph Marren
Chair, College Senate
Professor, Communication Department

The Instructional Design and Training Department, Professional Development Center, and Teaching and Learning Center encourage all faculty, staff, and administrators to take part in relevant professional and leadership development opportunities throughout the spring 2020 semester. We have created this calendar of events for February workshops as a central source of information for trainings, workshops, presentations, and other opportunities for professional development on campus. Individual events will also continue to be announced in the Daily Bulletin.

The Instructional Design and Training Department, Professional Development Center, and Teaching and Learning Center encourage all faculty, staff, and administrators to take part in relevant professional and leadership development opportunities throughout the spring 2020 semester. We have created this calendar of events for February workshops as a central source of information for trainings, workshops, presentations, and other opportunities for professional development on campus. Individual events will also continue to be announced in the Daily Bulletin.

The Instructional Design and Training Department, Professional Development Center, and Teaching and Learning Center encourage all faculty, staff, and administrators to take part in relevant professional and leadership development opportunities throughout the spring 2020 semester. We have created this calendar of events for February workshops as a central source of information for trainings, workshops, presentations, and other opportunities for professional development on campus. Individual events will also continue to be announced in the Daily Bulletin.

The Career Development Center (CDC) will sponsor the annual JCPenney Suit-Up Event on Sunday, February 23, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. at the Walden Galleria. JCPenney will open its doors to host Buffalo State students and alumni for a private shopping event, offering up to 60 percent off men’s and women’s career dress apparel, shoes, and accessories with a 30 percent Suit-Up coupon. This event will help students prepare for their job and internship interviews and the Job and Internship Fair, as well as teach them about professional workplace attire.

We encourage advance registration to ensure that enough support is available for participants. Transportation will be provided for those who register and indicate they need transportation. The bus will depart campus from the front of the Towers (Tower Road), making stops at the Student Apartment Complex and Neuman Hall. Students and alumni may also travel directly to the store but are still encouraged to register in advance.

This year’s event is co-sponsored by the CDC, the Fashion and Textile Technology Department, the Professional Development Schools Consortium (PDS), and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

If you would like a CDC staff member to briefly speak to your students about professional dress or specifically about this event, please call the Career Development Center at 878-5811.

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Gabriel Marshall as director of the Title III initiative.

Dr. Marshall has a strong background in student success and retention through his work with the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program, Project Excel, Young Scholars Program, and First-Generation Student Initiatives at his prior institution. Please join me in supporting him in his new role. We look forward to the leadership he will bring to the project.

I would also like to thank Luke Krieg for his leadership and tireless effort getting the Title III initiatives off the ground while also leading all other institutional effectiveness initiatives. His willingness to step up and move the institution through the first year of the Title III grant is greatly appreciated.

The campus community is invited to submit nominations for the Buffalo State College Presidential Diversity Award. These awards recognize the accomplishments of faculty, staff, students, units, and departments of the college that contribute to diversity and inclusion through exemplary leadership. Nominations may be submitted by individual employees, students, college organizations, employee networks, or diversity councils. The nomination period runs through Sunday, March 15. More information, including selection criteria and application instructions, is available on the Equity and Campus Diversity website.

Four candidates for the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs have been invited to campus for on-site interviews. The name of the candidate will be released two days before his or her scheduled visit. The candidate’s curriculum vitae will be available (and collected) during the open forum.

Each candidate will present on the topic “Challenges and Solutions for Today’s Academic Affairs Divisions” during an open forum to the campus community on the following days:

Candidate 1
Monday, February 24
12:15–1:15 p.m.
Bulger Communication Center 217

Candidate 2
Thursday, February 27
12:15–1:15 p.m.
Bulger Communication Center 217

Candidate 3
Monday, March 9
12:15–1:15 p.m.
Bulger Communication Center 423

Candidate 4
WITHDRAWN

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Other open meetings are as follows:

Candidate 1
Students and Student Organizations
Monday, February 24
4:00–4:50 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall

Faculty and Professional Staff
Tuesday, February 25
10:00–10:50 a.m.
Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall
 

Candidate 2
Students and Student Organizations
Thursday, February 27
4:00–4:50 p.m.
Bulger Communication Center 214

Faculty and Professional Staff
Friday, February 28
11:00–11:50 a.m.
Upton Hall 230

Candidate 3
Faculty and Professional Staff
Monday, March 9
2:30–3:20 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall

Students and Student Organizations
Monday, March 9
3:30–4:20 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall

Candidate 4
WITHDRAWN

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Thank you for your ongoing support and participation in this important process. For more information, please visit the Provost Search website.

Buffalo State College Information Technology continues to improve access to communication technology with a project to upgrade campus wireless service. This includes new switches and access points to improve bandwidth, which improves transmission, access, and download speeds over the secure wireless network.

During this first phase of the project, Information Technology will upgrade the three student-centered buildings around the Student Union Plaza: Butler Library, Campbell Student Union, and Bulger Communication Center. Signals from each building will reach the Plaza to support Orientation and other student-engagement activities.

There may be some wireless network downtime during the work. We will notify faculty and staff members in those buildings in advance.

Why are we upgrading the wireless network across campus?
Our equipment is aging; much of it is not replaceable when it breaks. At the same time, campus wireless use is increasing. By upgrading the wireless network, we will increase speed, reliability, and security. All Buffalo State employees and staff are encouraged to use the Buffalo State secure wireless network.

This endeavor supports the following goals and focus areas in the Buffalo State strategic plan:

Goal 1: Provide an Excellent Education Inside and Outside the Classroom
Focus Area 2: Enhance Academic Support Services
> 2.2: Build Academic Achievement Center in Butler Library
> 2.2.a Launch Virtual Concierge to provide students seeking assistance in critical services 24/7 support
> 2.4: Maximize use of technology to provide real-time academic support according to student need

Goal 2: Continue to Create an Engaged Community
Focus Area 2: Provide an Outstanding On-Campus Student Experience
Focus Area 5: Safeguard Our Physical and Human Resources

Goal 3: Enhance Institutional Effectiveness

Goal 4: Provide Appropriate Resources Necessary to Succeed

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, faculty and staff advisers can conduct early outreach so that students can make positive changes to their academic habits.

The Student Progress Report will deploy to all instructors on Monday, February 10, and will remain open until Monday, February 24. An e-mail notification with the link to the survey will be 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.

Have a question about Bengal Success Portal? Please e-mail bengalsuccess@buffalostate.edu or refer to the online user guides.