Buffalo State recognizes that student organizations are an important part of the college experience. The learning experiences students gain from being in a student organization complement the college’s commitment to the intellectual, personal, and professional growth of its students. Student organizations enhance the co-curricular education of Buffalo State students to empower them to succeed and are charged with providing meaningful, fulfilling, and culturally enriching contributions to the campus community.

Student Leadership and Engagement supports roughly 70 student organizations on campus with more than 50 social and academic organizations, 10 Greek-letter organizations, and 10 honor societies. The office registers all student organizations annually and oversees the registration process for all new student organizations that wish to be affiliated with the college. SLE offers numerous services to all student organizations including the Student Organization and Achievement Resources (SOAR) workshops, the Bengal Stripes Leadership Program, advisement, space reservations, and organizational development.

Does your academic or campus department support a club or organization not listed as a registered student organization? Please contact Student Leadership and Engagement to learn how to register your organization and get connected with students on campus.

Upcoming Club Fairs
Student Leadership and Engagement and United Students Government (USG) will host two club fairs in September. The first is ORG-A-PALOOZA! on Friday, September 2, at 7:00 p.m. in the Student Union Plaza. The second is the Bengal Connect Student Organization Fair during the week of Homecoming on Tuesday, September 20, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in the Plaza.

Bengal Connect and the Corq App
Bengal Connect helps students connect with campus clubs and organizations, learn about programs and events taking place on campus, and learn how to get involved when attending Buffalo State. Faculty, staff, and students can log on using their Buffalo State username and password.

The Corq app allows students, staff, faculty, and the community to find events and student organizations around campus from their mobile devices. It is a great tool to find things to do. You can search by the type of activity you are interested in—the arts, music, athletics, cultural, learning, service, social, spirituality, and more. You can sort events chronologically. You can even find events that offer free food!

Butler Library is proud to announce a new Social Justice Book Club open to students. During the fall 2022 semester, we will read Choice Words: Writers on Abortion, a literary anthology of poems, stories, and essays about abortion.

The book club will meet in person for five sessions, every other Tuesday from 3:00 to 4:15 p.m., beginning September 20. Session dates are September 20, October 4 and 18, and November 1 and 15.

Seats are limited. Book club participants will receive a free copy of the book.

This program was made possible with the support of the Butler Library, Equity and Campus Diversity, Student Leadership and Engagement, Muriel A. Howard Honors Program, and Haymarket Books.

Students who are interested in joining the book club should register online by Friday, September 16. Location information will be provided to registered participants.

I am pleased to announce the following administrative liaisons and presidential appointees to the College Senate for the 2022–2023 academic year:

Committee Chair: Kimberly Kline, Professor of Higher Education Administration; Chair of the College Senate
Academic Plan: James Mayrose, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Budget and Staff Allocations: Laura Barnum, Vice President for Finance and Management
Bylaws and Elections: William Benfanti, Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Curriculum: Amitra Wall, Associate Provost; Ex Officio: Nigel Marriner, Registrar
Faculty and Staff Welfare: Jamie Warnes, Interim Associate Vice President, Human Resource Management
Instruction and Research: Wendy Paterson, Dean of the School of Education
Standards for Students: Philip Badaszewski, Assistant Dean of Residence Life
Student Welfare: Rock Doyle, Assistant Vice President for Wellness
Presidential Appointee: Brian Cronk, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
Presidential Appointee: Carol DeNysschen, Dean of the School of the Professions

Please join me in sharing best wishes and gratitude to Connie Cooke, who will retire from her position as director of financial aid on October 3, 2022, after 11 years of service with Buffalo State and a total of 29 years of exemplary service with the State University of New York (SUNY). Ms. Cooke was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Professional Service in 2020 for her outstanding work at Buffalo State. I would like to thank her for her long and outstanding leadership and service to Buffalo State and our students.

Christine Auman will assume the role of interim director of financial aid, effective September 13. Please join me in supporting her in her new role. We look forward to the leadership she will bring to the Financial Aid Office as we begin a national search for a permanent director of financial aid in the weeks to come.

Please join me and our Buffalo State students and colleagues as we participate in Bengals Dare to Care Day on Saturday, October 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bengals Dare to Care Day is a morning of service in the community, where we show our Bengal colors and demonstrate our commitment to the community. As SUNY’s urban-engaged anchor institution, Buffalo State highlights its civic mission in many important ways, and Bengals Dare to Care Day is one more way to exemplify how Buffalo State fulfills its goal of community collaborations that benefit student learning and community priorities.

Bengals Dare to Care Day projects are identified in partnership with community organizations across the city of Buffalo, and transportation and lunch are provided—all you have to do is register! There’s something for everyone, including some behind-the-scenes work and plenty of leadership opportunities. A complete list of projects and registration information can be found on the Civic and Community Engagement website.

You are invited to participate and be part of the Buffalo State tradition. See you at Bengals Dare to Care Day!

Under the terms of the 2016–2022 UUP contract, 2022 discretionary awards will be additions to base salaries rather than one-time lump-sum payments.

The contract provides for a pool equal to 1 percent of the total basic annual salaries of UUP employees as of June 30, 2022. One half of that pool will be available for discretionary awards, and one half is to be used to address salary equity, compression, and inversion.

Discretionary salary increases will appear in paychecks dated December 21, 2022. For the portion of the 1 percent pool that is to be distributed at the discretion of the president, the campus will follow guidelines used for past discretionary awards. For the portion of the 1 percent pool that is to be distributed to address salary equity, compression, and inversion, the campus will continue to follow State, SUNY, and UUP guidelines and methodology.

The following documents are available on the Human Resource Management website:

• 2022 UUP Discretionary Award Schedule (PDF, 100 KB)
• 2022 UUP Discretionary Award Process Outline
• 2022 UUP Discretionary Award Nomination Form (DOCX, 32 KB)

Please note that eligible employees may self-nominate for a discretionary award by completing a Nomination Form and submitting it to their department chair, director, associate vice president, or other direct supervisor by September 28, 2022. Self-nominations and nominations initiated by supervisors and department heads will continue to be forwarded through all appropriate approval levels. Please refer to the process outline for eligibility requirements.

Employees will not be notified of the recommendation at each level. There will be an opportunity to appeal after the president has made her decisions and sent out letters to employees informing them of their awards. Award letters will be sent on November 2, 2022. A brief period to submit appeals will follow the distribution of award letters.

Please contact Jamie Warnes, interim associate vice president of human resource management, with questions.

As we begin the semester, you may observe or interact with student in your courses, in group activities, or through other modes of communication who are struggling or may need extra support. We urge you to connect with students and remind them of the resources of the Buffalo State Care Team. Members of the Students of Concern Care Team are available to assist faculty, staff, and students by providing information, strategies, and techniques for working with students of concern on campus. When reports come in, our team reaches out to students to offer support and connect them with someone from the Care Team they can communicate with if they need help.

The Care Team seeks to identify and provide support for students who may be in distress for a variety reasons, may be considering harm to themselves, or have exhibited behavior that is concerning or disruptive. Your help in providing notice of any students of concern is essential to keeping our campus community safe. Notify the Care Team whenever a student’s behavior gives reason for uncertainty about harm so that we can investigate the situation, develop a plan for action, and follow up with appropriate intervention.

To contact the Care Team, please complete the online report form.

If you wish to invite members of the Care Team to meet with your department or office to discuss “red flag” warning signs, ways to report a concern, legal or FERPA issues, or how to respond when confronted by a student in distress, please contact Kristen Helling, associate director for student care and support, at deanofstudents@buffalostate.edu.

As a reminder, if your concern is an emergency, please call the Buffalo State University Police Department for immediate response at (716) 878-6333.

Members of the campus community are invited to submit nominations for the President’s Caring Bengal Award by 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 14. Please visit the award website for more information about the award criteria and recipient selection process or to submit a nomination.
 
Award Description
Each of us knows a faculty member, staff member, or administrator who transforms the work and personal lives of their colleagues by supporting them with compassion, care, respect, and collegiality. These caring colleagues in our community can be found at every level of our institution, and although they create positive work experiences for each person they encounter, their contribution to our community sometimes goes unnoticed. To recognize these supportive colleagues in our community, each month faculty, staff, and administrators across all ranks, unions, and titles can be nominated by a colleague or student to receive the Caring Bengal Award.

The Faculty and Staff Recognition Committee, which includes faculty and staff representation from UUP, CSEA, the College Senate, and the Professional Staff Caucus, reviews award nominations and selects the award recipient each month.

Spring 2022 Winners
March 2022: Sujit Suwal
April 2022: Linda Rizzo
May 2022: William Altreuter

Please contact Rebecca Eggleston, staff assistant in the Professional Development Center, with questions about the President’s Caring Bengal Award.

I am pleased to announce that Matthew Heidt will join the Buffalo State family as the assistant vice president for marketing and communications effective Monday, October 3. Mr. Heidt has spent the past 18 years working in the marketing and communications field, including as an athletics communications assistant at Syracuse University as well for the Buffalo Bills as a website operations assistant, later promoted to manager of media and radio services. For the past nine years, he has served as assistant vice president for marketing and chief communications officer at Hilbert College. Mr. Heidt will bring a wealth of industry expertise and strategic communications experience to his new role at Buffalo State. He holds a bachelor of arts in public relations from SUNY Oswego and a master of science in sports administration from Canisius College.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Deborah Silverman, chair, and the rest of the search committee for their hard work and dedication throughout the search process. In addition, I want to personally thank Melissa Meehan, interim assistant vice president for marketing and communications, for her leadership and commitment to our students, faculty, and staff while serving in this interim role since late July. I truly appreciate her hard work, dedication, and professionalism to the Buffalo State community over the past few months.

Again, please join me in welcoming Matt Heidt to the Bengal family!

I write today to share the news that I have decided to retire after 43 years of higher education leadership and on the conclusion of my ninth year as president of this wonderful institution. My retirement will be effective in the summer of 2023. I did not make this decision quickly or lightly. But after careful consideration, I have decided that it’s time for me to concentrate on my next chapter and to commit more time and energy to my family, traveling, and writing the memoir I have mentioned from time to time.

It has been my pleasure and extreme privilege to lead this fine institution for so many years. Buffalo State has an unwavering commitment to the transformative role education plays in the lives of students. I have so many memories of the work we have completed together, the tasks we have finished, the hurdles we have traversed, and the ways we have continued to move forward despite the significant pressures that higher education faces. We have cheered together, worried together, and leaned into what is best for our richly diverse and vibrant student body—together.

I myself am an example of the transformative power of a college education. As a girl who was born in a tiny town in the Midwest and raised in a family that struggled to put food on the table, I could not have imagined how education would transform my life and the lives of my family. In just one generation, our family moved from one in which no one had earned a high school diploma to one that could claim college-educated family members. I have always felt a kinship to our first-generation students and those who have personally faced discrimination because of race, gender, or economic status.

We will still have the year to complete more projects, work together for the betterment of the college, and say our goodbyes. In the meantime, a search will be underway for the next president of Buffalo State.

I will undoubtedly repeat this sentiment frequently, but today, as I announce my impending retirement, I thank all those who have supported and continue to support our collective vision for a superb urban-engaged campus where excellence, engagement, and social responsibility provide our foundation. I will always love Buffalo State, and I know the Buffalo State community of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni will continue to roar.

Sincerely your president,
Kate Conway-Turner