As we continue to do all we can to keep our community safe, early intervention related to any emerging COVID-19 cases is critical. Students who are attending in-person classes are expected to complete their Daily Symptom Tracker before coming to campus. For these face-to-face class meetings, as students enter the classroom, they must show that they have completed the Daily Symptom Tracker, available on the Weigel Wellness website.

The tracker will display a green dot if a student is cleared to come to class and has answered the questions for that day. A black or gray dot indicates that either the student has not completed the tracker or it has expired; the student must complete the symptom tracker on their device before entering the class. If a red, yellow, or orange dot is displayed, the student should be asked to leave and call the Weigel Wellness Center at 878-6711. This will assist with identifying any students who may have an emerging concern. We also ask that assigned seating be used to facilitate tracing of possible near-person contacts.

More information about the COVID-19 Daily Symptom Tracker (PDF, 223 KB) is located on the Weigel Wellness website.

Please join us to congratulate Tim Walsh on his retirement from the college and his new role as executive director of enrollment marketing and digital strategy with the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His last day will be Friday, September 18. A farewell reception will be held Wednesday, September 16, from noon to 1:00 p.m. via Zoom videoconference. All are welcome. The campus is also invited to sign an e-card for him.

Each Buffalo State College 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 any performance issues, and to provide positive commentary where appropriate to motivate and encourage excellent performance.

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

Our campus 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 supervisor and employee.

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

This past spring semester, I charged a task force with drafting the foundational structure of the new School of Arts and Sciences. These faculty and staff members shared their ideas and insights at meetings throughout the summer to ensure that the creation of the new school aligned with Buffalo State College’s mission, vision, and values while equally representing the tenets of the current School of Arts and Humanities (A&H) and School of Natural and Social Sciences (SNSS). 

I am happy to report that the task force achieved its goal and drafted the report (PDF, 416 KB), which includes the mission, vision, values, bylaws, and tenure and promotion procedures for the new school. I would like to thank those serving on the task force for their hard work and dedication throughout the summer to complete this important task.

Faculty and staff members of both the schools of Arts and Humanities and Natural and Social Sciences will have the opportunity to comment and provide feedback on the report later this month. An e-mail will be sent to all faculty and staff of A&H and SNSS with a link to the Qualtrics survey. A smaller group, selected by the department chairs from each school, will have an opportunity to take part in a number of focus groups, where they will discuss the report in further detail.

Feedback collected from the focus groups and survey will be compiled and used by the task force to rework the draft into a final document to be presented to the president on November 6, 2020. A website will be launched next week to keep the campus community updated on the progress of the task force and on the status of the search for the founding dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

In a continuing effort to keep the Buffalo State College community as safe as possible during the ongoing coronavirus threat, we have decided to push back the start of the 2021 spring semester by one week and eliminate spring break. This means spring classes will begin on Monday, February 1, rather than Monday, January 25, as previously planned.  

Much like eliminating the fall 2020 break and converting to fully remote learning after Thanksgiving, canceling spring break will add another layer of protection for our students, faculty, and staff members. Students will not be traveling to and from campus as they have in prior breaks, which will deter the virus’s spread; however, students will not lose out on learning time. We will end the spring semester on Thursday, May 13, as previously planned.

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Jerod Dahlgren as interim executive director of marketing and communications, effective September 21, 2020.

Mr. Dahlgren has been a member of the Marketing and Communications team for more than 13 years, most recently serving as director of communications, overseeing the areas of media relations, internal communications, news, social media, issues management, and crisis communications. Prior to joining Buffalo State College in 2007, he held positions in intercollegiate athletics communications at the University of South Dakota and Park University in Parkville, Missouri.

Mr. Dahlgren earned a bachelor of journalism (news-editorial emphasis) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2002 and a master’s in public affairs (dual emphasis in nonprofit management and government/business relations) from Park University in 2007.

Please join me in congratulating Mr. Dahlgren and wishing him well in this new leadership role.

While we are not able to host our regular on-campus recruitment activities, the Undergraduate Admissions Office has a number of opportunities for prospective students and their families to learn about Buffalo State College. All these opportunities are available on the Admissions Visit website. Questions about any virtual programming can be directed to Tom Karanas, assistant director of admissions.

Opportunities available to prospective students include the following:

Virtual Open House
Virtual presentations from academic and student service departments offered October–November. Students may register for as many presentations as they wish.

Virtual Information Sessions
Half-hour online presentations from our Admissions staff with live Q&A via web chat. Monday–Friday, 1:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, 11:00 a.m.

Transfer-Specific Virtual Information Sessions
Half-hour online presentations from our Admissions staff with live Q&A via web chat. Monday–Friday, 1:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, 11:00 a.m.

One-on-One Virtual Appointments
Online video appointments with an Admissions staff member to help answer students' questions. Monday–Friday at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.

Have an Admissions Adviser Contact You
Students who have questions about their application or next steps after they're accepted may select a date and we'll contact them any way they'd like: phone call, e-mail, or text message.

Video Chat with Buffalo State Students
Students can ask questions and video chat with current Buffalo State students to hear the student perspective. Dates and registration will begin the first week of October.

The time has finally arrived for us to celebrate our 2020 graduates! The campus community is invited to share in celebrating the Buffalo State graduating Class of 2020 this Saturday, September 26, as they join the ranks of Buffalo State alumni. While we aren't able to physically gather to share this momentous occasion, we can still come together virtually to support our graduating Bengals and wish them well as they embark on their next adventures. The undergraduate ceremonies, which will be presented by academic school, will take place at noon, with the Graduate School ceremony at 2:00 p.m. Additional information, including links to the virtual ceremonies, will be posted on the Commencement ceremony website, created for this special moment.

You are invited to participate in the 23rd annual Buffalo State College Foundation (BSCF) Golf Tournament! To keep us all safe this year, our 2020 tournament has a new format. Golfers play at a course and time of their choosing now through Sunday, November 1, in partnership with the 18Birdies app, which records all players’ scores.

Faculty and staff members can make a minimum suggested donation of $20 to participate. Or you can make a donation of $125 per person ($500 for a foursome) or more, receive a special gift bag from Buffalo State College, and be entered to win monetary prizes based on gross and net scores.

All funds raised will directly benefit Buffalo State students through scholarships and much-needed emergency assistance.

If you have any questions, please e-mail Alexis Greinert, development coordinator. For more information, please visit the event website. To register, click on the Alumni Registration tab. After you register, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with more information on how to participate and access the 18Birdies app.

Consistent with President Conway-Turner’s goal of finding new ways to increase efficiency and effectiveness, the college is making changes in the organizational structure of Academic Affairs.

The following reporting structure will take effect October 1, 2020:

Curriculum and Instruction
Led by Associate Provost Amitra Wall, Curriculum and Instruction brings together Individualized Studies, Instructional Design and Technology, the Teaching and Learning Center, Leadership and Organizational Development, and the Anne Frank Project. The addition of these offices to Dr. Wall’s current responsibilities for curricular and catalog oversight better aligns the college’s resources to develop and support learning experiences that are rigorous and coherent at all levels and in all modalities.

Academic Success
Led by Assistant Provost Heather Maldonado, Academic Success brings together Academic Commons (advising, tutoring, Math Center, Writing Center), Student Accessibility Services, Student Achievement Programs, New Student Academic Programs, and the Say Yes Program. The realignment of many of the college’s academic student support services and programs into the Academic Success unit, in addition to Dr. Maldonado’s oversight of Academic Standards for the college, enhances Buffalo State’s commitment to the persistence, retention, and completion of its students by aligning the Academic Affairs professionals into a coherent support system that is intended to contribute to the college’s educational experience and foster student success.

Global Engagement
Michael Lovorn has been appointed interim director of global engagement and will oversee all Global Engagement programs and opportunities that foster teaching, learning, research, and service activities that enable our collective engagement with the world community and promote our pursuit of citizenship and partnership on a global scale.

An updated organizational chart (PDF, 116 KB) detailing these changes can be found on the Finance and Management website.