All professional staff members, faculty members, and librarians must submit their 2019–2020 individual annual reports online. Unique links were e-mailed to all faculty and professional staff members on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, and will remain open through the deadline for submission (June 30, 2020). Respondents can save and return to this form at any time from any device. Our hope is that early access to this form will allow faculty and professional staff members to collect and enter accomplishments throughout the year.

Once the form is submitted, respondents will see a summary of the information submitted and a link to download the report as a PDF. Respondents will also receive an e-mail confirmation that includes a response summary in the body of the e-mail. Though annual reports must be submitted online, a template of each form is available on the Institutional Effectiveness Resources web page.

If you have questions about the content of the annual report, please contact Luke Krieg, interim associate vice president for institutional effectiveness. If you have technical questions, please contact Tiffany Fuzak, research analyst.

Beginning today, April 6, campus heating and ventilating systems will be modified to operate in normal conditions only in buildings currently in use. Work spaces known to be in use will remain in normal mode; other spaces will continue to be heated and ventilated but in a reduced mode usually reserved for nighttime (“nighttime mode”). This action is being taken to save energy during reduced building usage resulting from the COVID-19 emergency response.

If your work space heating and ventilation system is in nighttime mode and you would like to request that it be changed to normal mode, please e-mail us at vpfm@buffalostate.edu and include the following information in your request:

• Building name
• Room number
• Names of the essential employees working in the space

Requests will be reviewed by the appropriate President’s Cabinet member. If your request is approved, Facilities Operations staff members will arrange for the heating and ventilating systems to be returned to normal mode.

Thank you. 

Please note the revised scheduled pay date for displaced FWS students (below, 2.c.)

Governor Cuomo’s current directive requires that Federal Work-Study (FWS) students be paid at least through April 15, 2020. Buffalo State's Financial Aid Office will fully comply with the governor’s requirement and extend this time frame to ensure that eligible FWS students are paid through the last day of the spring 2020 semester (May 14, 2020).

As a reminder, Work-Study is a federal financial aid program. As a result, COVID-19 guidance for FWS students will differ from that of other student employees (student assistants and graduate assistants). FWS students’ payments will be based on federal aid regulations and institution discretion as permitted.

Below is a high-level overview of a few of the differences for FWS students when compared with other student employees.

1. FWS students who are still able to work on-site with supervision must report to work to receive payment. This FWS group must continue to submit a biweekly time sheet, and they can earn up to their full scheduled FWS award amount. 

2. Eligible FWS students who were displaced by COVID-19 and are unable to work on-site will receive one lump-sum FWS payment based on their spring 2020 average hours worked.

a. Displaced FWS students are not required to participate in telecommuting (remote work), as this is not a requirement to pay FWS students.

b. Displaced FWS students are not required to complete the alternative work form.

c. Wednesday, May 6, 2020, is the revised scheduled pay date for displaced FWS students.

The Financial Aid Office is in the process of notifying FWS students and FWS supervisors regarding next steps. Questions or concerns should be directed to Financial Aid via e-mail at finaid@buffalostate.edu.

As our campus community continues to adjust to new ways of working and learning during this unsettling time, I want to take a moment to recognize and thank the “unsung heroes” of Buffalo State College. These are the workers who continue to play a significant and important role behind the scenes to ensure the continued support and safety of our reduced number of residential students and the essential operations of our physical campus. Please listen to my video message.

The following deadlines and academic policies for Spring 2020 have been revised because of disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus.

Registration for both Summer and Fall 2020 begins today, April 8. Students can check Banner directly for their assigned registration time tickets.

Advising PINs will be required for first-year students, undeclared students, and students on academic probation only. Additionally, registration holds have been temporarily lifted from all Spring 2020 student accounts to facilitate registration for the upcoming semester. Students registering now for the fall semester will not receive an initial bill until July, and payment will not be required until August. Please encourage students to register early to get the courses they need for the best possible schedule and for timely graduation.

Undergraduate pass/fail policies have been revised for Spring 2020. The pass/fail option permits any matriculated student to take a course for credit without receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D, E, or EV. A pass/fail credit may be applied toward a degree.

Key changes include no limit to the number of courses that may be taken pass/fail and the possible eligibility of select major and minor courses to be taken as pass/fail. Students must still submit pass/fail forms with adviser approval as part of the revised pass/fail process, although the form and submission process may now be submitted electronically. Guidance for advisers to share with advisees, including a listing of courses organized by majors and minors that are approved for the pass/fail option, is available on the Pass/Fail Courses Spring 2020 page of the Coronavirus Information website to assist advisers in addressing all concerns the pass/fail option may raise for students.

Deadlines Extended to May 8
The deadlines for pass/fail, course withdrawal, and the removal of I grades (incomplete) from Fall 2019 and J-Term 2020 have been extended until Friday, May 8, to give students time to assess their academic standing and seek guidance from faculty and advisers. All other academic deadlines for Spring 2020, such as leave of absence and final grading window, remain unchanged.

If you have questions about these changes, staff members within the deans’ offices, Academic Commons, and the Registrar’s Office can provide answers. Additionally, please visit the Faculty and Staff Resources and Keep Learning pages of the college’s Coronavirus Information website for updates and material that will help you stay well-informed as you lead and support our students through these challenging COVID-19 times. Thank you again for your continued dedication and flexibility.

Nominations are open for the Celebration of Community Engagement awards. Although we cannot come together as a community for this annual celebration,​ the college will still honor service learning, civic engagement, and volunteer partnerships that occurred throughout the academic year. Please consider submitting a nomination on behalf of a deserving student, faculty member, course, student organization, or community partner. You may also self-nominate. As a campus community, we are determined to show sincere appreciation and gratitude to those who are committed to civic responsibility—now more than ever.

Student Awards
Outstanding Service-Learning Course  |  Outstanding Service-Learning Student  |  Outstanding Student Volunteer  |  Outstanding Community Service by a Student Organization

Community Partner and Faculty Awards
Outstanding Community Partner  |  Reciprocal Partnership Award  |  Early-Career Faculty Award for Community Engagement  |  Mid-Career Faculty Award for Community Engagement  |  Leadership in Community Engagement

Please submit award nominations through the Civic and Community Engagement website. The nomination deadline is Monday, April 27.

Karen A. Clinton Jones, chief diversity officer, has informed me that she will be leaving Buffalo State College this summer to take on a new role as vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Binghamton University. Dr. Jones, ’84, started her role as chief diversity officer at Buffalo State in 2012 and has expertly guided our institution to numerous advancements and accolades for our commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity. That unparalleled commitment has been nationally recognized by Insight into Diversity magazine, which has presented Buffalo State with the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award seven years in a row. Additionally, Dr. Jones played an integral role in Buffalo State’s selection as the first campus to participate in the State University of New York’s Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Growth (PRODI-G) initiative—a vital program to recruit and retain early to mid-career faculty members from underrepresented groups. Her leadership as our campus’s Title IX coordinator has ensured compliance with federal regulations and fostered a supportive and safe environment for all our students, faculty, and staff—work that will be sustained in the future thanks to the strong foundation she has established. We are grateful for her wonderful work and contributions to Buffalo State.

Dr. Jones will be leaving Buffalo State in mid-June to assume her new duties at Binghamton. I will announce interim leadership for Equity and Campus Diversity in the coming weeks, but for now, please join me in congratulating Dr. Jones on her new position and wishing her well as she moves forward.

Four candidates for the position of athletic director 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 his or her vision for advancing opportunities and addressing challenges in today’s collegiate athletics Division III environment to the campus community on the following days:

Candidate 1
Wednesday, April 15
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Candidate 2
Thursday, April 16
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Candidate 3
Friday, April 24
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Candidate 4
Friday, May 1
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Please note the revised scheduled pay date for displaced FWS students (below, 2.c.)

Governor Cuomo’s current directive requires that Federal Work-Study (FWS) students be paid at least through April 15, 2020. Buffalo State's Financial Aid Office will fully comply with the governor’s requirement and extend this time frame to ensure that eligible FWS students are paid through the last day of the spring 2020 semester (May 14, 2020).

As a reminder, Work-Study is a federal financial aid program. As a result, COVID-19 guidance for FWS students will differ from that of other student employees (student assistants and graduate assistants). FWS students’ payments will be based on federal aid regulations and institution discretion as permitted.

Below is a high-level overview of a few of the differences for FWS students when compared with other student employees.

1. FWS students who are still able to work on-site with supervision must report to work to receive payment. This FWS group must continue to submit a biweekly time sheet, and they can earn up to their full scheduled FWS award amount. 

2. Eligible FWS students who were displaced by COVID-19 and are unable to work on-site will receive one lump-sum FWS payment based on their spring 2020 average hours worked.

a. Displaced FWS students are not required to participate in telecommuting (remote work), as this is not a requirement to pay FWS students.

b. Displaced FWS students are not required to complete the alternative work form.

c. Wednesday, May 6, 2020, is the revised scheduled pay date for displaced FWS students.

The Financial Aid Office is in the process of notifying FWS students and FWS supervisors regarding next steps. Questions or concerns should be directed to Financial Aid via e-mail at finaid@buffalostate.edu.

Our first candidate for the position of athletic director at Buffalo State College is Renee Carlineo. Ms. Carlineo will present to the campus community during a virtual open forum on Wednesday, April 15, 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 14. 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 15, to 11:00 p.m. Thursday, April 16; responses will be anonymous. For more information, please visit the search website. Questions may be directed to Sarah Young, search chair. Thank you for your ongoing support and participation in this important process.