On behalf of the division of Finance and Management, I extend my gratitude and best wishes to Kris Kaufman, who will retire from his position as director of maintenance repair and residential planning and officer in charge of facilities on March 17, after 31 years of service to the Buffalo State community. His last day on campus will be Friday, January 27.

Mr. Kaufman holds a bachelor’s degree in public justice from SUNY Oswego and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Buffalo State. He began his career at Buffalo State in the fall of 1992, after working at Clemson University for four years. He progressed through various positions within the Residence Life Office, serving as associate director for facilities and budget, interim director of residence life, and director of housing. In fall 2018, he was named to his current position of director of maintenance repair and residential planning, while also taking on responsibilities as officer in charge of facilities in April 2022 upon the retirement of Steve Shaffer. Mr. Kaufman served as a board member on the statewide SUNY Residence Life and Housing Administrators group for over 10 years, where he was honored with the 2014 Beth Purk Distinguished Service Award. He has also received the Golden Bengal Award for exemplary service to Intercollegiate Athletics, along with the University Police Appreciation Award. 

Mr. Kaufman has served the campus with dedication and has managed many multimillion-dollar wholesale residence hall renovations (Tower 1, 3 and 4; Bishop Hall) while also initiating a multitude of other improvement projects within the other residence hall facilities. In addition, he supervised the maintenance and custodial operations assigned to the residence halls. In his current role, he manages the more than 200 staff assigned to the maintenance trades and custodial operations, while also assisting with numerous committee assignments and managing the daily campus operations to the benefit of all faculty, staff, and students.

Please join us for a celebration of Mr. Kaufman’s many accomplishments at an open house on Tuesday, January 24, from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 418. RSVP by email by Thursday, January 19.

We also extend our gratitude to Cheryl Byer, director of campus business operations, who has agreed to assume the role of officer in charge of facilities upon Mr. Kaufman’s departure. Information about the search for Buffalo State’s next facilities leader will be announced at a later date.

Winterim provides a variety of activities to support the intellectual, personal, and professional growth of the Buffalo State community. Winterim will be held January 17–20 and is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and learn from one another. Sessions this year include What Really Works for Our Students: Lessons Learned from the Title III Initiatives; Anne Frank Project Story-Based Learning Project; American History and Global Engagement Discussion on Assessment Results; a card game series; team trivia; community service activities; and many more. Please register for sessions through the Workshop Registration System (LibCal).

The Marketing and Communications Office will provide resources and guidelines regarding the transition from SUNY Buffalo State College to SUNY Buffalo State University. The department will update its standards and policies on referring to Buffalo State, email signatures, and other communication procedures moving forward. More details should be available by next week.

The official name change is effective January 15, 2023. Please discontinue use or distribution of any communications using the word “college” after this date. Please note: The current Buffalo State logo will not change and should still be used. Existing letterhead and business cards should also continue to be used. Please watch the Daily Bulletin for updates. Thank you.

Buffalo State continues to prepare for its Middle States Commission on Higher Education campus evaluation visit, which will take place March 12–15, and our additional International Graduate Programs for Educators (IGPE) location visits in Colombia and Brazil scheduled for February.

The campus community is invited to review our standards-based self-study draft report and provide comments by Friday, January 20. After review of feedback, Marketing and Communications will assist in creating a “polished” final report that will be available to the campus community. The final self-study report and Verification of Compliance with Accreditation-Relevant Federal Regulations Report (PDF, 124 KB) will then be submitted to Middle States by the late January due date.

The self-study draft is available online. Please submit comments via this Qualtrics form. Please contact Tiffany Fuzak with technical questions about the survey. Abdi Hajikandi, Kelly Frothingham, and Kim Barron are available for questions about the self-study. Additional details can be found on the Institutional Effectiveness and Planning website.

We are excited to welcome all new faculty and staff members to the Buffalo State University community. New Faculty and Staff Orientation will begin with breakfast on Wednesday, January 25, 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 university’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 employee with the opportunity to participate.

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

From the Chair of the Buffalo State Council and the Chair of the Buffalo State Senate
As you may be aware, elections were held by each of the three academic schools in November to seat faculty members on the Presidential Search Committee. We would like to sincerely thank all those who participated in the nominations and voting. In presenting our nomination and election results to SUNY, we have been asked to revisit the process. The SUNY guidelines for presidential searches changed in 2016, and we must ensure that our process is in complete conformity with the most recent guidance; therefore, we have agreed to hold a new election using a process that is uniform across the schools, with the goal of electing six full-time faculty members—two from each academic school—who possess a diversity of thought and opinion, through a uniformly agreed-upon voting process. The presidential search staff will share the revised nomination and voting procedures directly with eligible faculty members in the near future.

Sincerely,

Linda Dobmeier, ’71
Chair, Buffalo State Council

Kimberly Kline
Chair, Buffalo State Senate

As you know, SUNY Buffalo State officially became a university on January 15, 2023. The Marketing and Communications Office—which oversees the Buffalo State brand, including advertising and marketing initiatives, visual identity and messaging, social media, media relations, and web and creative services—offers the following guidelines on the transition from SUNY Buffalo State College to SUNY Buffalo State University.

Please take a moment to review the following elements, which pertain to all members of the campus community. Contact Marketing and Communications directly with any questions you may have about these guidelines or any of your communication needs.

And don’t forget to join us for the campus celebration on Tuesday, January 31, at 12:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall to officially usher in the new name!

Referring to Buffalo State
The official name of the institution is SUNY Buffalo State University. “Buffalo State University” should be used in running text on first reference in most situations, including internal documents and communication (official memos and forms; Daily Bulletin messages; web pages; email intended for current students, faculty, and staff; etc.) and external communication with audiences already familiar with the institution (1300 Elmwood, alumni newsletters, invitations, fundraising materials, etc.). On subsequent reference, “Buffalo State,” “the university,” or “the institution” may be used.

Writing produced for an external audience that may not be familiar with Buffalo State’s affiliation with the State University of New York system should use “SUNY Buffalo State University” on first reference in running text. Examples include official press releases, recruitment and admissions materials, journal articles and other publications, employment advertisements, and grant proposals. If it is necessary to spell out “SUNY” in these situations, “Buffalo State University, State University of New York” is also acceptable on first reference. On subsequent reference, “Buffalo State,” “the university,” or “the institution” may be used.

The abbreviation “BSU” and the truncated “Buff State” are generally discouraged in formal writing but may be acceptable when space is limited or a casual tone is appropriate, such as social media, marketing content, external news headlines, or broadcast news coverage.

Please do not refer to the institution as any of the following or any similar variation:

• Buffalo State College
• the college
• BSC
• SUCB
• SUNYBSC

Legal Name
The official legal name of the institution, used by New York State and the State Education Department, is SUNY Buffalo State University. The legal name often appears on documents and forms produced for or with the State of New York, for example, student application materials, state budget forms, and diplomas.

Buffalo State Logo, Stationery
The change from “college” to “university” has not affected Buffalo State’s logo, color palette, fonts, or other visual identity components. Please continue to use the Buffalo State logo and your existing supply of letterhead, business cards, or other stationery.

Web and Social Media Presence
Please review your Buffalo State website and web pages, as well as any official Buffalo State social media accounts that fall under your area, for references to “college” and update accordingly.

Email Signatures
Please review your email signatures or other auto-populated forms of electronic communication for any references to “college” and update accordingly.

Please see the Marketing and Communications website for more information.

The next meeting of the Buffalo State Council will be held at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 7, in Cleveland Hall 518.

Agenda

1. Call to Order
2. Action Items
   Approval of the Minutes: November 15, 2022
3. Chair’s Report
4. President’s Report
5. Committee Reports
6. Announcements
7. Executive Session (If Necessary)
8. Adjournment

The dean of the School of Arts and Sciences has forwarded a recommendation from the department faculty to relocate the urban and regional planning programs and faculty to the Political Science and Public Administration Department to form a newly named Political Science, Public Administration, and Planning Department. Applied learning and urban engagement, centered in sustainability and social justice, will continue within a new comprehensive, innovative, and interdisciplinary curriculum guided by the expertise and applied experience of urban planning and public administration faculty members. This change is recommended to become effective July 1, 2023, and should be reflected in official documents.

The dean of the School of Arts and Sciences has forwarded a recommendation from department faculty to merge the previously independent departments of Geography and Earth Sciences to form a newly named Geosciences Department to use faculty expertise efficiently in course offerings and content and to expand opportunities for undergraduate student research. The merger will support the continued, strong tradition of applied learning and mentoring inside and outside the classroom that is a hallmark of the merging departments. This merger is recommended to be effective July 1, 2023, and should be reflected in official documents.