To continue to balance budgetary constraints with the priorities of retaining students, continuing relationships with employers and potential donors, and ensuring the safety of our students and student-athletes, I am pleased to announce that the following individuals will assist the campus in leading the areas of Career Development and Intercollegiate Athletics.

Director, Career Development Center
Denise M. Harris will begin her role as director of the Buffalo State College Career Development Center on Monday, June 22. Ms. Harris brings over 16 years of higher education experience, most recently serving as director of Career and Professional Engagement Services at D’Youville College. She earned her bachelor of science in communication from SUNY Fredonia and her master of arts in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University, and she is currently a doctoral candidate in the field of educational leadership at D’Youville College. Ms. Harris is a certified career counselor and an ATIXA-trained Title IX investigator. 

Ms. Harris will fill the role of the current CDC director, Stephanie Zuckerman-Aviles, who will retire in June.

I thank the search committee and committee co-chairs Amy Wilson, associate professor and chair of the Higher Education Administration Department, and Laura Hill Rao, director of the Civic and Community Engagement Office, for their work in leading the search.

Officer in Charge, Intercollegiate Athletics
Thomas C. Koller will serve as officer in charge of intercollegiate athletics beginning Wednesday, July 1. The current search for a permanent athletic director has been paused based on updated guidelines from the New York State Division of the Budget.

As officer in charge, Mr. Koller will provide leadership critical to ensuring that the campus is following NCAA, Education Department, and other regulations, and most importantly that Buffalo State College is providing the best possible support and tools for success for its more than 400 Division III athletes.

Mr. Koller’s appointment will follow the retirement of the college’s current athletic director, Jerry Boyes, on June 30.

I thank the members of the search committee and committee chair Sarah Young, dean of students, for their work in leading the search to this stage.

I am encouraged that even in these difficult times, these individuals, along with their colleagues in the division of Student Affairs and our faculty and staff colleagues across campus, will continue to keep students at the center of their efforts. Please join me in congratulating them on their appointments and wishing them great success in their new roles.

Teach Access will administer curriculum development awards of $5,000 each for eligible faculty and instructional staff members. Teach Access was developed in 2016 to promote the development of teaching of accessible technology design and development to undergraduates in computer science, design, human computer design, user experience research, and related fields. Applications are due Monday, June 1. Application information is available on the Teach Access website.

The Accessibility Skills Hiring Tool Kit has sample language for job duties and qualifications for different roles supporting accessibility at each institution.

I am pleased to announce that Jeffrey R. Hammer has been appointed director of environmental health and safety for Buffalo State College. Mr. Hammer has served as interim director of the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Office since June 2018 and has played a key role in Buffalo State’s response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Mr. Hammer also serves as radiation safety officer and chemical hygiene officer for Buffalo State. He has 23 years of experience in the field of environmental health and safety. Previously he served as senior staff assistant in the EH&S office.

Before joining the Buffalo State community, Mr. Hammer worked in the University at Buffalo's Occupational and Environmental Safety Services Office in roles as environmental health and safety officer, radiological waste manager, and health physics specialist.

Mr. Hammer is a certified hazardous materials manager and an experienced instructor in such areas as asbestos management, fire and life safety, respiratory protection, and blood-borne pathogens; and in various elements of OSHA compliance. He holds a bachelor of science in earth sciences with a concentration in environmental geoscience from Buffalo State College.

Please join me in welcoming Mr. Hammer to his new position.

Applications for Teach Access curriculum development awards of $5,000 each for eligible faculty and instructional staff members are due today, June 1. Teach Access was developed in 2016 to promote the development of teaching of accessible technology design and development to undergraduates in computer science, design, human computer design, user experience research, and related fields. Application information is available on the Teach Access website.

The Accessibility Skills Hiring Tool Kit has sample language for job duties and qualifications for different roles supporting accessibility at each institution.

New York State continues to reopen on a regional basis as each region meets the criteria necessary to protect public health during the COVID-19 emergency. Industries coming back online have been categorized into four phases.

While the full reopening of higher education is part of Phase Four, the return of higher education administration is included in Phase Two. Phase Two applies to business activities where the core function takes place within an office setting.

Erie County remains in Phase One of its reopening, but movement to Phase Two is expected shortly. Please note that Erie County’s progression to Phase Two will not signal an immediate return to campus for Buffalo State employees using alternative work arrangements.

As campus return-to-work plans are completed in compliance with health and safety guidance (including decreased density, social distancing, and use of face coverings), Buffalo State employees using alternative work arrangements should continue to do so and should await further guidance from their supervisors.

As a reminder: The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations alternative work arrangements (the state’s telecommuting pilot program) have been extended through July 17, 2020. As a result, Temporary Work Location/Flexible Work Schedule Agreements at Buffalo State will remain in effect through this date. It is not necessary for employees to submit requests for extension of these agreements.  

Terms of the original, approved agreements will remain in effect as follows.

The employee agrees to, and understands, the following:

• I am responsible for creating a work plan, including hours worked and work performed; and I must submit my signed document to my supervisor or manager.
• I will be available for work-related discussion online or by phone.
• I will need to use my own equipment, supplies, and telephone/Internet connection to perform job duties.
• I must continue to fulfill my professional obligation and must continue to meet the performance expectations of my position.
• If I do not produce a work product and my essential functions are not performed, I will charge my leave accruals in order to be paid.
• In the event of any circumstances that make work from an alternative location impracticable, my supervisor may require me to report to the regular work site OR charge appropriate leave accruals.
• I am subject to the same federal and state laws, policies, and procedures applicable to employees at the regular college work site.
• The college is not liable for injuries to third parties at the alternative work location or liable for damages to the employee’s personal or real property.
• Any approved temporary request is subject to revision, suspension, or revocation based on future guidance by the college or the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations (GOER) and/or SUNY or the Research Foundation of SUNY.
• These protocols will be in place only as current circumstances involving the COVID-19 pandemic warrant.

Should you have concerns that you are unable to continue the terms of the original agreement, please contact your supervisor immediately. Thank you.

New York State continues to reopen on a regional basis as each region meets the criteria necessary to protect public health during the COVID-19 emergency. Industries coming back online have been categorized into four phases.

While the full reopening of higher education is part of Phase Four, the return of higher education administration is included in Phase Two. Phase Two applies to business activities where the core function takes place within an office setting.

Erie County is expected to move to Phase Two today, June 2. Please note that Erie County’s progression to Phase Two does not signal an immediate return to campus for Buffalo State employees using alternative work arrangements.

As campus return-to-work plans are completed in compliance with health and safety guidance (including decreased density, social distancing, and use of face coverings), Buffalo State employees using alternative work arrangements should continue to do so and should await further guidance from their supervisors.

As a reminder: The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations alternative work arrangements (the state’s telecommuting pilot program) have been extended through July 17, 2020. As a result, Temporary Work Location/Flexible Work Schedule Agreements at Buffalo State will remain in effect through this date. It is not necessary for employees to submit requests for extension of these agreements.  

Terms of the original, approved agreements will remain in effect as follows.

The employee agrees to, and understands, the following:

• I am responsible for creating a work plan, including hours worked and work performed; and I must submit my signed document to my supervisor or manager.
• I will be available for work-related discussion online or by phone.
• I will need to use my own equipment, supplies, and telephone/Internet connection to perform job duties.
• I must continue to fulfill my professional obligation and must continue to meet the performance expectations of my position.
• If I do not produce a work product and my essential functions are not performed, I will charge my leave accruals in order to be paid.
• In the event of any circumstances that make work from an alternative location impracticable, my supervisor may require me to report to the regular work site OR charge appropriate leave accruals.
• I am subject to the same federal and state laws, policies, and procedures applicable to employees at the regular college work site.
• The college is not liable for injuries to third parties at the alternative work location or liable for damages to the employee’s personal or real property.
• Any approved temporary request is subject to revision, suspension, or revocation based on future guidance by the college or the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations (GOER) and/or SUNY or the Research Foundation of SUNY.
• These protocols will be in place only as current circumstances involving the COVID-19 pandemic warrant.

Should you have concerns that you are unable to continue the terms of the original agreement, please contact your supervisor immediately. Thank you.

Get ready for a fresh new look and feel for the Buffalo State College website!

Buffalo State will launch a redesigned website on Tuesday, June 16. The new site, developed by the Marketing and Communications web services team, focuses on prospective students while continuing to provide key resources for current students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Preview the new site at https://beta.buffalostate.edu before it goes live and take a brief survey about your user experience.  

Buffalo State’s website has been redesigned in the web content management framework Drupal 8 to keep pace with industry standards, provide increased interactivity, and offer an overall improved user experience.

The new site reflects best practices in modern web development, including accessibility, mobile-first design, streamlined navigation, and more integration of video content, as well as a greater emphasis on the needs of prospective students. Metrics used to help shape the new site include a campus stakeholder survey, traffic and search data, heat maps, and card-sorting exercises. 

New site features:

• Condensed site navigation with Quicklinks to high-demand resources
• New search engine powered by Amazon Web Services
• Redesigned Undergraduate Admissions site and customized landing pages for Financial Aid, Registrar, and Student Accounts
• Redesigned News section
• MYBUFFSTATE Parents and Families page

In addition, the site includes compelling storytelling featuring social media, videos, large-format images, and in-depth articles about students, faculty, and alumni. The site also prominently features the college’s new creative theme: Believe. Inspire. Achieve.

Marketing and Communications web team staff members will host short introductions to the website via Blackboard Collaborate throughout the month of June. Please register for a session to receive a personal and informative guided tour of the new site.

Please feel free to take this brief survey to share information about your experience with the new site, or send e-mail to webadmin@buffalostate.edu.

As you begin to create the curricula for your fall classes, please remember that course material adoptions need to be submitted to Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore no later than Monday, June 15.

It is critical that you attend to this now. I recognize that everyone has been busy adjusting to remote learning this spring, but so far, the bookstore has received less than 40 percent of course material adoptions. Meanwhile, students have shipped thousands of used rental books back to our bookstore over the past several weeks. These books will be transferred to other college bookstores if we do not receive the adoption paperwork for them.

Not only are you ensuring that students have the books and other materials they will need in the fall; filing your course material adoptions keeps the college in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Students are able to access their course materials information through Banner and Blackboard, as our website information is directly linked to their individual schedules. Students can use this information to budget expenses, shop, and compare prices. This access gives ISBN information and pricing for new, used, rental, and digital formats.  

Also, because of COVID-19, many book publishers are working with limited staff or have been temporarily closed, and summer book orders have experienced delays; therefore, orders need to be placed sooner than usual so the bookstore staff can guarantee the books arrive in time for the start of the fall semester.

We need to work together to make sure our students have all the materials they need to succeed as we prepare to embark on a new school year.

I appreciate your attention to this important matter.

 You can send your selections through Faculty Enlight or by e-mail to bookstore manager Lynn Puma.

I am pleased to announce that the Political Science Department will change its name to Political Science and Public Administration to reflect the mission and focus of the department. This new name will strongly associate the graduate program (public administration–PAD) with the undergraduate programs (political science–PSC and international relations). This change will be effective in fall 2020 and should be reflected in official documents.

Buffalo State’s official online data collection tool is Qualtrics. In our continuing effort to reduce costs, Buffalo State will no longer support Wufoo Online Form Builder. If you are a Wufoo user, your Wufoo account and data will be preserved until April 2021. This gives us just under a year to help you transition to Qualtrics.

The campus contracted with Qualtrics in 2014 after it was selected by a campus committee to provide an official online data collection tool for campus. Qualtrics is used by faculty for research, by students with faculty supervision, and by staff members across campus. Qualtrics is intuitive, and the Qualtrics support site provides excellent online documentation and on-demand video tutorials to get you started. Qualtrics is secure and provides an accessibility checker as well as lists of accessible question types and non-accessible question types. The Accessible Survey Configuration tool helps survey creators with appropriate themes, headers, alt tags, and more. Support is also available by telephone and chat for assistance, including complex survey design.

A representative from the IT Project Management Office will contact Wufoo users over the next month.

Qualtrics User Testimonial

“I have found Qualtrics to be a great solution for my online data collection needs. It is flexible, allowing me to vary my research designs as I wish, and I can import my data directly into SPSS. It is easy to use, and when things aren't intuitive to me, I can find the help that I need either through online resources or live chat."
— Jill Norvilitis, Ph.D.,  Professor, Psychology

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