In the April meeting of the College Senate, the Academic Plan Committee brought forth for a vote a resolution to revise DOPS Policy I:01:02 Dual Admission Programs. The College Senate voted in favor of the resolution, presented by committee chair Senator Carol DeNysschen on April 8, 2022.

BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS
Policy Number: 1:01:02        
Date: Revision
Subject: Dual Admissions Program

Original DOPS Policy: 
BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS
Policy Number: I:01:02  
Date: Updated February 2009
Subject:  Dual Admission Programs Erie Community College, Genesee Community College, Monroe Community College, Niagara County Community College
First-time freshmen who expect to receive an A.A. or A.S. degree from Erie Community College, Genesee Community College, Monroe Community College, or Niagara County Community College and are in a parallel program may file a single application for simultaneous admission to one of the two-year colleges and to Buffalo State College. These students follow a definitive curriculum at the two-year college and receive counseling and advisement that will facilitate enrollment into a parallel program at Buffalo State College upon completion of the associate’s degree. They will matriculate at Buffalo State College as juniors and can expect to earn the baccalaureate degree for most programs in four additional semesters of full-time study. Students planning to pursue programs requiring certification (e.g., education) may require more than four semesters of full-time study to finish.

The admission, Intellectual Foundations, and major requirements for the bachelor’s degree at Buffalo State College will be those in effect at the time of the student’s application for dual admission at the two-year college. Further details are available from transfer admission services at Buffalo State College or the counseling office at the participating two-year college.

Revised DOPS Policy:
BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS
Updated: April 2022
Policy Number: I:01:02 
Subject: Dual Admission Programs

Students who expect to receive an associate in arts (A.A.) or associate in science (A.S.) degree from participating community colleges, and are in a parallel program, may file a single application for simultaneous admission to one of the two-year colleges and to Buffalo State College. These students follow a definitive curriculum at the two-year college and receive counseling and advisement that will facilitate enrollment into a parallel program at Buffalo State College upon completion of the associate degree. They will matriculate at Buffalo State College as juniors in credits and can expect to earn the baccalaureate degree for most programs in four additional semesters of full-time study. Students planning to pursue programs requiring certification or accreditation (e.g., education and professions) may require more than four semesters of full-time study to finish.  

The admission, general education, and major requirements for the bachelor’s degree at Buffalo State College will be those in effect at the time of the student’s application for dual admission at the two-year college.  Further details are available from the undergraduate admissions office at Buffalo State College or the counseling office at the participating two-year college.

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate and charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.

Please join us to congratulate Jerod Dahlgren, interim executive director of marketing and communications, on his new role as senior director of issues management and internal communications at the University at Buffalo during a farewell reception on Thursday, July 28, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Grande Conference Room, Cleveland Hall 418. Light refreshments will be served. Mr. Dahlgren's last day at Buffalo State will be Friday, July 29.

Buffalo State College will welcome new and returning Bengals to its residence halls and to campus August 24–27.

We need members of the Buffalo State community to volunteer to assist Residence Life with check-in for new and returning residential students. Additionally, Student Leadership and Engagement is looking for volunteers to help with Bengal Bound programs to welcome our students back to campus and celebrate the start of another academic year. If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the volunteer registration form. A representative from Residence Life or Student Leadership and Engagement will follow up with your assignment based on your selections. Thank you.

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Joy Guarino as the new director of Buffalo State College’s Maurene Callahan Bouras Center for Global Engagement. Ms. Guarino served as the center’s interim director between April 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022, before taking on the role of director June 1.

Before her year with Global Engagement, Ms. Guarino served as a professor of dance in the Theater Department and as faculty coordinator for service learning with the college’s Civic and Community Engagement Office. Dedicated to creating a worldview for students, she has led numerous short-term study-abroad experiences and supported international student programming, helping students grow into well-rounded individuals and global citizens. In her role as interim director of global engagement, she was committed to enhancing Buffalo State’s global engagement impact and advancing student comprehension of cultural humility and global citizenship. In addition, Ms. Guarino has presented her research on kinesthetic learning, global learning for all, service learning, and civic engagement, both nationally and internationally. She brings a wealth of experience and passion to the position. Please help me welcome Ms. Guarino to her new role.

The Center for Global Engagement was renamed earlier this year in honor of Maurene Callahan Bouras, a 1969 alumna who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and participated in the semester-abroad program in Siena, Italy, in 1967. Now retired, Ms. Bouras enjoyed a teaching career in the Maryvale and Greece central school districts. Through a generous commitment to the college via her estate, she established the Maurene Callahan Bouras Center for Global Engagement Scholarship Fund to support current and future students in semester-long study-abroad programs in Europe.

Save the date for Homecoming Week 2022, September 19–24! This year’s Homecoming theme, “Bengals Bouncing Back,” represents strength, unity, and community.

Bengal tigers are incredibly strong and are icons of beauty and power. These qualities could not be truer of all the members of our community, including our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. What better way to celebrate our resilience and commitment to community than by coming together for a week full of exciting events and activities for all our Bengals. We invite each one of you to join us for Homecoming Week 2022 as we bounce back!

More information will be shared in the coming weeks about upcoming events and how to participate in Homecoming and Family Weekend. We are excited to once again celebrate our Bengal community as part of Homecoming.

Please email Student Leadership and Engagement with questions or for more information regarding Homecoming.

Welcome to the next installment of “Faculty Engaged,” our 13th episode!

For this segment, we spoke with Arlesa J. Shephard, associate professor of fashion and textile technology, who explains how she ended up at Buffalo State College and why she loves her job. She also discusses why she loves working with our students and the joy she gets from watching her students grow and become more creative as they progress through their college experience...

Please follow my blog at http://kateconwayturner.tumblr.com.

We are excited to welcome all new faculty and staff members to the Buffalo State College community. New Faculty and Staff Orientation will begin with a breakfast on Wednesday, August 24, at 8:30 a.m. in Butler Library 318. All new faculty and staff members have been invited and are welcome to attend.

Orientation will focus on informing new employees of the college’s history, our core values, our mission, teaching and scholarship, community involvement opportunities, and campus policies. All new employees are strongly encouraged to attend orientation, and supervisors are strongly encouraged to provide employees with the opportunity to participate.

Please contact Rebecca Eggleston, professional development assistant, if you plan to attend orientation.

The search committee for the assistant vice president for marketing and communications is pleased to announce that the committee has selected four candidates for on-campus interviews. The committee invites the campus community to attend the following open forums, during which the candidates will make a short presentation and answer questions on the following topic: 

Higher education is in a state of disruption, and competition for students is becoming even greater. Given this current state, how would you market Buffalo State College as an urban-engaged campus, leveraging its limited fiscal resources and creating a marketing strategy that highlights the Buffalo State brand utilizing appropriate media platforms to tell our story? 

Candidate 1 - Monday, August 15, 1:00–2:00 p.m., Bulger Communication Center 214 

Candidate 2 - Tuesday, August 16, 1:00–2:00 p.m., Bulger Communication Center 214 

CANCELED: Candidate 3 - Thursday, August 18, 11:00–noon, Bulger Communication Center 427 

Candidate 4 - Friday, August 19, 11:00–noon, Bulger Communication Center 214 

A short survey will be available at the end of the forums for attendees to complete.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of LeVar Nathaniel Burke as Buffalo State College’s next chief of staff in the President’s Office. Mr. Burke, who will officially join the Buffalo State community on August 22, 2022, most recently served as enrollment manager for strategic initiatives at the City University of New York (CUNY) Medgar Evers College, a position he has held since 2016.

Mr. Burke has 17 years of experience in supporting critical and strategic college efforts, including managing confidential matters, implementing enrollment strategies, and advancing cross-divisional endeavors to accomplish campus priorities. His unique work experience and professional credentials, along with his passion for working with students from underserved communities, make Mr. Burke an excellent fit for this position and our campus community.

Please join me in welcoming him to Buffalo State.

I invite you to read more about Mr. Burke’s background in the biography below.

About LeVar Nathaniel Burke
As the enrollment manager for strategic initiatives at Medgar Evers College, Mr. Burke was a member of the Enrollment Management Council and the executive director’s management team, tasked with streamlining the enrollment process for first-year, transfer, readmitted, and continuing students. He also collaborated with colleagues to identify enrollment challenges, develop strategies, and implement tactical plans to increase brand awareness, applications, conversion rates, retention and graduation rates, and other enrollment outcomes.

Mr. Burke also spent nearly a decade as a confidential executive associate at the Medgar Evers School of Business and Public Administration. In that role, he was responsible for advising the dean of the school, providing cursory counsel on human resource and collective bargaining issues. He also designed school-level policies and programs to meet CUNY performance management process objectives and draft related operational plans and reports.

Mr. Burke has also served as a member of the City of Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals (2006–2011) and as an adjunct faculty member at Medgar Evers College (2006–2013) and Long Island University (2015–2017).

He earned a bachelor of arts in history from Morehouse College (1999), a master of public administration in policy analysis and program evaluation from Baruch College (2006), and a juris doctor from the University at Buffalo School of Law (2003) and is duly licensed to practice in the state of New York. He is currently earning a doctor of education degree in educational leadership, administration, and policy from Fordham University (2023).

Save the date for Homecoming Week 2022, September 19–24! This year’s Homecoming theme, “Bengals Bouncing Back,” represents strength, unity, and community.

Bengal tigers are incredibly strong and icons of beauty and power. These qualities could not be truer of all the members of our community, including our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. What better way to celebrate our resilience and commitment to the community than by coming together for a week full of exciting events and activities for all our Bengals!

The weeklong celebration of our amazing Bengal community near and far will include the following activities:

• Chalk the Plaza!
• Benji’s 151st Birthday Party
• The Bengal Connect Student Organization Fair Sponsored by USG
• Office Door-Decorating Contest
• Sundae Fundae (Thursdae Edition)
• Alumni Concert
• Homecoming Pep Rally and Party in the Plaza
• Scholar-Donor Breakfast
• Alumni Tailgate Brunch
• Bengal and Bagel Family Brunch
• Football vs. Morrisville State College
• The Bengal Toss Challenge at Halftime!
• Men’s Soccer vs. SUNY Oneonta
• Class of 1972 50th Reunion

More information on this year's schedule can be found on the Homecoming and Family Weekend website.

Buffalo State’s 151st Birthday Party - September 20
Buffalo State College's 151st birthday is September 13, 2022. We will celebrate alongside Homecoming Week with singing and cupcakes on Tuesday, September 20, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Plaza. All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to join the celebration.

Department and Office Door-Decorating Contest
In addition to joining our activities during the week, we encourage campus departments and offices to participate in the Homecoming Door-Decorating Contest.

Doors are to be decorated by Monday, September 19, with judging to take place on Wednesday, September 21, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Decorated doors will remain on display throughout the week of Homecoming. Judging will be based on the best overall design and best use of the theme, “Bengals Bouncing Back!”

Please register online for the Door-Decorating Contest, and contact Student Leadership and Engagement with any questions regarding Homecoming.