The IT Help Desk has been advised that an email message regarding a “COVID-19 Support Program” is being issued directly to employees by a sender with a SUNY campus email address domain.

IT believes this message to be a phishing scam.

The email refers to a partnership between Green Dot and SUNY to provide a monetary benefit of “up to $4,000” to assist “all employees and students experiencing financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” and provides a fraudulent link to a “SUNY COVID-19 Benefits” website.

If you receive a suspicious email, do not click on links or fill out related forms. Check official-looking emails against a list of verified Buffalo State credentials, and report suspected phishing emails to the IT Help Desk at ithelpdesk@buffalostate.edu or (716) 878-4357.

The next meeting of the Buffalo State College Council will be held at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in Cleveland Hall 518. A virtual viewing option will be available via Zoom videoconference online or listen by phone at (646) 558-8656 (New York).

Meeting ID: 831 1659 3031
Passcode: 248366

Minutes of the board meeting will be transcribed and posted on the College Council website.

Agenda

1. Call to Order - Linda Dobmeier, Council Chair
2. Action Items - Linda Dobmeier
   Approval of the Minutes: February 8, 2022
3. Chair’s Report - Linda Dobmeier
4. President’s Report - Kate Conway-Turner
5. Committee Reports
6. Announcements - Kate Conway-Turner
7. Executive Session (If Needed)
8. Adjournment - Linda Dobmeier

The Buffalo State College community is invited to attend a public meeting hosted by the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council’s Region Central initiative as it presents four scenarios for reimagining the Scajaquada Corridor on Wednesday, May 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center.

Region Central is a comprehensive, inclusive, and visionary effort to create a better future for all who live, work, play, and travel within the Scajaquada Corridor. As an anchor institution for our neighborhood and city, Buffalo State is supportive of this important project. In June 2021, the college and the City of Buffalo agreed to pause the Reimagine 166-170 Dart Street Project while Region Central completed this important work.

The scenarios for Region Central have been developed over 12 months of research, planning, community outreach, and analysis and represent a range of possibilities for the future of mobility in the Scajaquada Corridor. The meeting on May 4 will provide an opportunity for public comment.

Please register online in advance of the meeting.

Please join Buffalo State College President Katherine Conway-Turner, the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, and the Association of Faculty and Staff of African Descent (AFSAD) for a general interest reception on Thursday, April 21, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center’s Costello Hall. 

AFSAD has a long history on the Buffalo State College campus. After being dormant for several years, the association is being reignited. AFSAD is an employee resource group (ERG). An ERG fosters inclusivity and diversity and provides a forum for those who share a common identity to support one another and build community. Equity and Campus Diversity aims to continue its partnership with faculty and staff members who are interested in cultivating ERGs to foster inclusivity, diversity, and community.

Buffalo State College’s 25th annual Foundation Scholarship Gala—now known as the “Bengala”—will be held Saturday, May 7, in the Science and Mathematics Complex and under an event tent in Lot I-37. Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. with cocktails, followed by a multicourse dinner at 7:00 p.m.

Proceeds from the event fund scholarships for students enrolled in the college’s honors programs. Since the fundraiser began, the gala has helped raise roughly $5 million in scholarship funds.

The evening will shine a special spotlight on the 150th anniversary of the college. This event brings together students; alumni; past and present faculty, staff, and board members; and community leaders to celebrate the current and future successes of Buffalo State. There will be performances, a live auction, and dancing to conclude the evening.

This year’s gala chairs are Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes. The presenting sponsor is M&T Bank.

Faculty and staff members are encouraged to attend. Individual tickets are $250 and may still be purchased online.

For more information, please contact Alexis Greinert, development coordinator, at (716) 878-3467.

Renovation of the Classroom Building, one of our significant campus learning spaces, is underway. The renovation renderings are simply beautiful, and we anticipate a 2026 reopening.

We are also in the early stages of reconceptualizing Building 50, located on Grant Street, as the future home of our University Police Department.

When these facilities reopen, they will become donor-naming opportunities for our campus. As these projects moved forward, I felt it was important to choose temporary names for both buildings. I turned to Robert Warren, professor of biology, to suggest names from nature.

From campus survey input, two favored names have emerged: Elms Hall, for the former Classroom Building, and Karner Hall, for Building 50. Elms Hall captures the title of our original yearbook, Elms. Karner Hall honors the Karner blue, an endangered butterfly found around Lake Erie. These temporary names were reviewed and approved by the Buffalo State College Council on April 19, 2022.

I would like to thank everyone who participated in our survey. I am sure you look forward to seeing these new facilities emerge on our campus.

Commencement is the culmination of our efforts at Buffalo State College and represents the best of our institution to our graduating students and their families.

Commencement volunteers are still needed. You are invited to register to support the Class of 2022 as they celebrate Buffalo State’s 150th Commencement on Saturday, May 21, in the Sports Arena. Your participation as a volunteer at one or more ceremonies is extremely meaningful to our graduates and their families. 

Please join us in honoring them by volunteering to serve as an usher, graduate lineup assistant, ticket taker, or greeter or to be of assistance to our guests.

Please visit the Faculty and Staff section of the Commencement website; registration is online. Thank you!

The Career Development Center (CDC) is happy to announce that the next round of training sessions to become a Bengal Career Champion will take place on Tuesday, May 17, and Tuesday, May 24.

We know that faculty and staff members across campus are having career conversations with students every day. We want to assist you with those conversations when guiding students. As a Bengal Career Champion, you’ll become more familiar with career resources to help keep your students on track and focused on their careers.

Current Bengal Career Champions tell us that as a result of the training program, they feel more prepared and more confident guiding students to future career success, as well as referring students to the CDC. They also recommend this training to colleagues.

To reserve your spot for this in-person training, RSVP no later than Friday, May 6. Please contact the CDC with questions. We look forward to your participation.

Dr. Alvin Turner and I cordially invite all Buffalo State College faculty and staff members to an end-of-year celebration on Friday, May 13, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Student Union Plaza.

Stop by and enjoy some delicious desserts, including cakes, cupcakes, and ice cream, with jazz music provided by Buffalo State students.

All faculty and staff members will be automatically entered in a raffle. You need not be present to win.

RSVP by Monday, May 6.

Dr. Alvin L. Turner and I cordially invite all Buffalo State College faculty and staff members to an end-of-the-year celebration on Friday, May 13, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Student Union Plaza.

Stop by and enjoy some delicious desserts, including cakes, cupcakes, and ice cream, with jazz music provided by Buffalo State students.

All faculty and staff members will be automatically entered in a raffle. You need not be present to win.

RSVP by the end of the day today, May 6.