In response to the continuing COVID-19 public health emergency, Governor Cuomo has extended until April 15 the directive that all non-essential New York State employees should not report to work.

This is a reminder that all employees—whether deemed essential or non-essential—using alternative work arrangements must have completed a request form. Alternative work arrangements include both telecommuting and flexible scheduling.

All requests must be reviewed and approved by employees’ supervisors or department heads, respective cabinet members, and Human Resource Management. Employees should work with their supervisors to complete the request form, which will include specific expectations regarding the continuity of operations.

Essential employees are defined as (1) those whose job function is essential to the effective operation of the campus, or (2) those who are involved in the emergency response to COVID-19. Essential employees may need to report to campus and be physically present to perform their jobs OR may be able to report to a remote location (home) to perform their jobs.

Non-essential employees are defined as (1) those who do not need to be physically present to perform their job functions, or (2) those who are not currently required to meet the core functions and programs of the college during this emergency response.

Supervisors should have contacted their employees regarding essential vs. non-essential status.

Three candidates for the position of director of the Career Development Center will participate in virtual open forums on the following dates. The names of the candidates will be released two days before their scheduled visits, along with a Qualtrics link that Buffalo State community members may use to receive an invitation to the candidates’ sessions, which will be conducted via Zoom videoconferencing.

Each candidate will present on the topic of “innovative approaches to career development that would specifically support the success of diverse, first-generation students at Buffalo State College” to the campus community on the following days:

Candidate 1
Tuesday, April 7
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Candidate 2
Wednesday, April 8
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Candidate 3
Thursday, April 9
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Over the past several weeks, faculty members have risen to the challenge of shifting their courses to remote instruction for the remainder of the semester. On behalf of the college community, I want to applaud our faculty members for their hard work.

At the same time, staff members in the student services areas have been working on innovative ways to continue supporting students as they make the transition to learning at a distance. Advisers, mentors, counselors, coaches, and others have adapted to new ways of engaging with students through instant messaging, web conferencing, and social media.

To help make sure our students successfully navigate their new learning environments at such a challenging time, I ask that all faculty members take a few minutes to respond to a progress survey that will be released in the Bengal Success Portal this Saturday, April 4, and will remain open through Saturday, April 11. An e-mail notification with the link will be sent to all faculty members when the survey opens.

Simply check the areas that apply to any of the students listed in your courses, and a team of advisers and support professionals will be alerted. This team is charged with conducting aggressive outreach to get these students the technology, resources, and support they need to successfully finish out the semester. Please take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey—you might just make the difference for one of your students in need!

Need help with the Bengal Success Portal? Check out the Knowledge Base of how-to guides and video tutorials, submit this tech ticket if you encounter an issue, or pass general ideas and feedback along to bengalsuccess@buffalostate.edu.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of James Mayrose as Buffalo State College’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs, following a national search. Dr. Mayrose has served as Buffalo State’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs since January 2019.

A member of the Buffalo State community since 1999, Dr. Mayrose joined the college as a part-time lecturer of engineering technology, eventually rising to the rank of full professor in 2015. From 2015 through 2018, he served as dean of the School of the Professions—a period that also included service as the interim chief information officer and vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communications (2017–2018).

Dr. Mayrose’s keen understanding of our institution through his varied and progressive academic and administrative experiences over the past 20 years, combined with his steady and strategic leadership, made him the ideal choice to lead the division of academic affairs now and in the future. Over and over again, I have heard student, faculty, and staff accounts of Dr. Mayrose’s welcoming, supportive, and collaborative disposition—an approach that I have witnessed firsthand and am confident will serve our institution well.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Mayrose on his new position at Buffalo State. I invite you to read more about his background and experience below.

I thank the members of the search committee and the committee chair, Timothy Gordon, vice president for student affairs, for their efforts and service to the college.

About James Mayrose
James Mayrose joined the Buffalo State College community in 1999 as a part-time lecturer in engineering technology. He was appointed assistant professor in 2006 before earning promotion to associate professor in 2010 and professor in 2015. He was honored with the Buffalo State President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009 and received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2015.

From 2012 to 2015, Mayrose served a term as chair of the Engineering Technology Department before being named dean of the School of the Professions from July 2015 through January 2019. During the 2017–2018 academic year, he temporarily stepped aside from the deanship to provide leadership as the college’s interim chief information officer and vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communications.

Serving for the past year as the interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, Mayrose has overseen a number of important and transformative initiatives, including serving as co-chair of the President’s Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Retention, leading the College Planning Council, and overseeing a reorganization of the Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education as well as a reorganization and refocusing of efforts in the area of Continuing and Professional Studies. Most recently, he has led and coordinated the college’s efforts to move to remote instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An accomplished entrepreneur, Mayrose was invited to the White House in 2014 to receive the prestigious Tibbetts Award for Innovation from the U.S. Small Business Administration. He is the CEO and founding partner of Tactus Technologies Inc., a maker of virtual reality products for the education and industrial training fields. The company has garnered more than $5 million in federal research grants. Two of Tactus’s biggest products are V-Frog, a virtual frog dissection simulator, and a virtual forklift safety trainer.

From 1991 to 2006, Mayrose served in various research capacities with the University at Buffalo’s departments of Emergency Medicine, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Physiology and Biophysics. He also worked with the Grumman Aerospace Corporation in Bethpage, New York, from 1989 to 1991 as an associate configuration engineer supporting the F-14 fighter aircraft program.

Mayrose earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering (2000), his M.S. in mechanical engineering (1993), and his B.S. in aerospace engineering (1989) from the University at Buffalo.

During the unprecedented health crisis caused by COVID-19, please know the NYS Employee Assistance Program (EAP) continues to be a resource for Buffalo State College employees. EAP coordinators are working remotely and are available to provide online support and resources to employees and their families. They can help you address emotional and mental health concerns during this very challenging time.

EAP coordinators can help identify resources to address anxiety, stress, isolation, illness, grief and loss, financial issues, job loss, child care, and other issues. They have resources to help address domestic violence and suicidal ideation concerns as well.

If you are experiencing anxiety or other emotional distress during this crisis, or just want to talk, we encourage you to contact EAP online or via telephone at (800) 822-0244. EAP services are confidential, voluntary, and free. This short video explains how EAP works.

Buffalo State’s EAP website is a link to many useful resources pertaining to COVID-19 concerns and general wellness.

Additionally, New York State’s COVID-19 Emotional Support Helpline, at (844) 863-9314, provides free and confidential support, helping callers who are experiencing increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Our first candidate for the position of director of the Career Development Center at Buffalo State College is Denise Harris. Ms. Harris will present to the campus community during a virtual open forum on Tuesday, April 7, from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m. via Zoom videoconferencing. If you would like to attend this forum, please sign up by 5:00 p.m. Monday, April 6. The candidate’s curriculum vitae is available on the search website and will also be available during the teleconference forum.

The search committee encourages the campus community to provide feedback by completing an online survey, which will be open from 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 7, to 11:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 8; responses will be anonymous. For more information, please visit the search website. Questions may be directed to Laura Hill Rao or Amy Wilson, search chairs. Thank you for your ongoing support and participation in this important process.

Our second candidate for the position of director of the Career Development Center at Buffalo State College is Katherine Marshall. Ms. Marshall will present to the campus community during a virtual open forum on Wednesday, April 8, from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m. via Zoom videoconferencing. If you would like to attend this forum, please sign up by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 7. The candidate’s curriculum vitae is available on the search website and will also be available during the teleconference forum.

The search committee encourages the campus community to provide feedback by completing an online survey, which will be open from 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, to 11:00 p.m. Thursday, April 9; responses will be anonymous. For more information, please visit the search website. Questions may be directed to Laura Hill Rao or Amy Wilson, search chairs. Thank you for your ongoing support and participation in this important process.

Our third candidate for the position of director of the Career Development Center at Buffalo State College is Maureen Huber. Ms. Huber will present to the campus community during a virtual open forum on Thursday, April 9, from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m. via Zoom videoconferencing. If you would like to attend this forum, please sign up by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 8. The candidate’s curriculum vitae is available on the search website and will also be available during the teleconference forum.

The search committee encourages the campus community to provide feedback by completing an online survey, which will be open from 8:00 a.m. Thursday, April 9, to 11:00 p.m. Friday, April 10; responses will be anonymous. For more information, please visit the search website. Questions may be directed to Laura Hill Rao or Amy Wilson, search chairs. Thank you for your ongoing support and participation in this important process.

Over the past several weeks, faculty members have risen to the challenge of shifting their courses to remote instruction for the remainder of the semester. On behalf of the college community, I want to applaud our faculty members for their hard work.

At the same time, staff members in the student services areas have been working on innovative ways to continue supporting students as they make the transition to learning at a distance. Advisers, mentors, counselors, coaches, and others have adapted to new ways of engaging with students through instant messaging, web conferencing, and social media.

To help make sure our students successfully navigate their new learning environments at such a challenging time, I ask that all faculty members take a few minutes to respond to a progress survey that will be released in the Bengal Success Portal this Saturday, April 4, and will remain open through Saturday, April 11. An e-mail notification with the link will be sent to all faculty members when the survey opens.

Simply check the areas that apply to any of the students listed in your courses, and a team of advisers and support professionals will be alerted. This team is charged with conducting aggressive outreach to get these students the technology, resources, and support they need to successfully finish out the semester. Please take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey—you might just make the difference for one of your students in need!

Need help with the Bengal Success Portal? Check out the Knowledge Base of how-to guides and video tutorials, submit this tech ticket if you encounter an issue, or pass general ideas and feedback along to bengalsuccess@buffalostate.edu.

Three candidates for the position of director of Continuing Professional Studies will participate in virtual open forums via Zoom videoconferencing on the following dates. Buffalo State community members are invited to participate by completing the online registration form. Registrants will receive an invitation with candidate information two days before each scheduled presentation, along with a Qualtrics link to provide candidate feedback.

Each candidate will present on opportunities and challenges related to continuing and professional studies on the following days:

Candidate 1
Monday, April 13
3:00–3:50 p.m.

Candidate 2
Tuesday, April 14
3:00–3:50 p.m.

Candidate 3
Friday, April 17
3:00–3:50 p.m.