The President's Council on Equity and Campus Diversity is pleased to announce that it has connected events that center social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into a co-curricular JEDI social justice path in Bengal Connect. Students, faculty, and staff members can organize events they may want to see as well as track their attendance. Everyone on campus has access to Bengal Connect. The path extends beyond Black History Month and includes women's history, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, LGBTQ awareness, and more. The idea is to continue to build out this centralized location for JEDI content each semester.

This is an excellent way for faculty members to enhance their courses or reshape their content to be more inclusive. It is an opportunity to build the curriculum as we move to the new SUNY general education requirement of social justice.  

Please log in and check out these no-cost options to diversify student education. For more information, please contact President's Council on Equity and Campus Diversity co-chairs Carlos R. A. Jones, associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, or Charles Lyons, director of Butler Library.

The Equity and Campus Diversity Office and the Civic and Community Engagement Office are opening the application process for two faculty Social Justice Faculty Externship opportunities for summer 2023. This summer partnership initiative focuses on collaborative faculty-community partner connections that deepen understanding and build opportunities to expand and strengthen equity and justice in our community. The faculty member and community organization each receive financial benefit and funds for materials through a summer partnership focused on learning and sharing. Faculty participants will engage in learning opportunities with community organizations that provide leadership in addressing issues of social justice, and will work to extend their learning to students through curricular change. At the same time, the organizations will benefit through faculty time and attention to a project using the faculty member’s skills and experiences. Please review details and application materials and contact me or Laura Hill Rao, director of civic and community engagement, with questions. The application deadline is Friday, March 17.

As we begin the process of identifying the next president of Buffalo State University, we would like to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to complete this important survey and share your thoughts about the priorities, traits, experiences, and practices that you think the next president of Buffalo State University should possess.

Over the next few weeks, representatives of our search firm, Storbeck Search, will be participating in a number of meetings with groups of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and administrators on campus. We know that not everyone will be able to participate in those meetings. To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to have their voices heard in this process, we are inviting you to fill out the survey.

While you will find some overlap in the questions, this is intentional and will help the search firm interpret the results.

Your responses are confidential and will go directly to our search firm, where they will be aggregated and analyzed. Our search firm will present themes, patterns, and trends to the Presidential Search Committee and the Buffalo State Council.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete the survey.

Sincerely,

Linda A. Dobmeier, ’71
Chair, Buffalo State Council

To facilitate discussions regarding future pathways, opportunities, and possibilities for Buffalo State University, I (along with Senate Chair Kimberly Kline) will appoint a small representative group of campus members to digest campus input and to codify suggestions in a white paper that will be shared with the campus community.

Three or four forums will be scheduled during the spring to receive campus input. The Future Forward Committee will receive campus feedback from these forums, and this information will serve as the basis for the Future Forward paper.

To facilitate these discussions, an external facilitator will be present to guide the discussions. Also, graduate students from the higher education and student affairs administration program enrolled in HEA 650: Assessment in Higher Education will assist in gathering, coding, and theming the information shared.

If you are interested in being considered for this committee or wish to nominate someone, please complete this form by Monday, March 6.

Thank you for being a part of this important campuswide discussion.

Buffalo State Gives 2023 is taking place March 15–16 from noon to noon. This is the university’s fifth annual campuswide Day of Giving, when the Buffalo State community near and far comes together to raise funds for the needs of our students and critical campus initiatives.

Please join me in supporting Buffalo State students in one or more of the following ways:  

1. Mark your calendars for Buffalo State Gives, noon to noon March 15–16. 
2. Visit www.buffalostategives.com to learn more about Buffalo State Gives and the departments and programs you can support this year.
3. Make an early gift to the on-campus cause nearest and dearest to your heart. Donations open at noon today.
4. Spread the word by sharing social media posts from the Alumni Association and the university’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.
5. Better yet—sign up to be a fundraiser, and let your friends, family, and professional networks know how much Buffalo State means to you. (Learn how here.)

No matter how big or small, every gift made during Buffalo State Gives lifts up our students and makes a difference. Again, you can explore the participating departments at www.buffalostategives.com, from academic programs across all three schools, professional internships, food security, and emergency assistance for Buffalo State students.

Thank you, as always, for everything you do for Buffalo State and its students!

If you have questions about Buffalo State Gives (or to learn how your department can participate next year), please contact Kate Lockhart, assistant to the vice president for institutional advancement, (716) 878-3077. 

Buffalo State University is pleased to announce a new course material delivery program, Bengal Book Bundle (previously referred to as First Day Complete), which will reduce the cost of materials for students and ensure that they have all their materials across all courses before the first day of class. Pending final SUNY approval, this program will begin with the fall 2023 term.

With this new program, all physical (rented) or digital textbooks, access codes, and publisher courseware are included as a charge on students’ bills, at an average savings of 35-50 percent of anticipated textbook costs. The cost is $19 per credit hour, or roughly $285 for a typical semester course load of 15 credit hours. The Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore will provide each student with a convenient package containing their physical books, and digital content will be delivered directly through Brightspace.

With this new model, there are no restrictions on the course materials faculty may select for their courses. All physical or digital textbooks, access codes, or courseware, from any publisher in any preferred format, are included in the program. Book adoption information will be emailed in early to mid March from the bookstore. All adoptions for course materials must be turned in to the bookstore by Monday, May 1. Submitting course material information by this deadline will help positively influence student success and retention. Please be sure to submit your course material adoptions to the bookstore so materials are ready and available for students before the first day of class.

For more information about the Bengal Book Bundle, please visit the program page, which includes the message sent to students. If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Puma, bookstore manager, (716) 878-5509.

Thank you for your support in launching this exciting program for our students!

The Class of 2023 eagerly anticipates celebrating at the 151st Commencement on Saturday, May 20, in the Sports Arena. Your participation in the most auspicious campus event of the year makes it especially meaningful for our graduates and their families. Please honor them by marching in the procession or serving as a volunteer to help with graduate lineup and processional, assist in the Robing Room, distribute programs, take tickets, or help with other duties.

CEREMONIES BY ACADEMIC SCHOOL

9:00 a.m. School of the Professions
Bachelor's, Master’s, and Advanced Graduate Certificate Ceremony

1:00 p.m. School of Education including Individualized and Multidisciplinary Studies
Bachelor's, Master’s, and Advanced Graduate Certificate Ceremony

5:00 p.m. School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor's, Master’s, and Advanced Graduate Certificate Ceremony

Please visit the Faculty and Staff section of the Commencement website. Registration for the following is online:

• Volunteer registration
• Marcher registration, including all platform party members and administrators
• Rehearsals

Regalia rentals are available to order through the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore until Friday, April 7. A limited inventory of doctoral and master’s gowns, caps, and hoods are available for loan through the Academic Affairs Office until Monday, May 8. Please place loan requests early for best options. Rental pricing and the loan request information are provided in the Marcher Regalia Rentals and Loans section of the website.

Thank you for your dedicated service on Commencement Day.

Career and Professional Education (CAPE) will host its Job and Internship Fair on Thursday, March 9, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. This event is open to students from all majors and class years, as well as alumni.

Students, staff, and faculty will have the opportunity to meet with local, regional, and national employers recruiting for full-time and paid internship opportunities. Over 60 employers will be in attendance this year, representing a diverse cross-section of industries. Many of the recruiters are alumni, eager to hire Buffalo State students and graduates! Gold sponsors for the Job and Internship fair include Aurubis, Calspan, Encorus Group, and M&T Bank.

The Job and Internship Fair is a great opportunity for our students to explore a variety of jobs and paid internships. Please encourage students to dress professionally and bring multiple copies of their résumé.

More information, including a list of participating employers, is available on the CAPE website.

Institutional Marketing Plan
Over the last few months, the Marketing and Communications Office has been working to establish an institutional marketing plan (PDF, 264 KB) that outlines departmental goals and strategies and attempts to align marketing and communications efforts across campus. The new plan, which remains a fluid, working document, is available on the Marketing and Communications website. The next steps in implementing and activating this plan are to develop individualized integrated marketing and communications plans for key areas to align marketing initiatives with academic and enrollment priorities. This work will require collaboration with department directors and deans.

Advertising Initiatives 2022–2023 and 2023–2024
Below is a comprehensive list of tactics we have activated for 2022–2023. Examples of some of our advertising efforts are available on the Marketing and Communications website.

These tactics encompass multiple campaigns for undergraduate and graduate admissions and brand awareness.

• Targeted digital
  • Search engine marketing or paid search
    • General undergraduate and graduate
    • Targeted program clusters
  • Digital display (web banners - retargeting and contextual targeting)
  • Paid social media
    • Program-focused
    • General awareness
    • Event-based
    • Lead generation
• Traditional radio
• Traditional TV
• Billboards
• Streaming radio

For 2023–2024, we plan to align and coordinate our advertising efforts based on the priorities outlined in the forthcoming integrated marketing and communications plans. We will organize our advertising plan(s) over the summer in an effort to be proactive and coordinated in our campaigns and not reactive or one-off endeavors.

Brand Study and Refreshed Brand Standards
We will begin phase one of a comprehensive brand study later this spring. We are working with Red Cactus Marketing to perform an image and perception study, which will entail conducting a quantitative online survey with various internal and external audiences. This phase will also include a summary of key findings, competitive and environmental positioning analyses, and a brand positioning matrix. After phase one, we hope to continue the study to include qualitative research to further inform our brand platform and advance our visual identity, messaging, and position.

We will be asking for your participation in this important process. Please watch the Daily Bulletin for updates.

I am pleased to announce that the Buffalo State University Presidential Search website has launched. The website contains information about the search—including timeline, all previous announcements, and a campus profile—and will be updated with listening sessions, search committee membership, and the search prospectus as they become available.

In regard to the Presidential Search Committee membership, please be advised: In accordance with the SUNY process, after SUNY Chancellor John King has approved the entire committee and we confirm each individual candidate’s willingness to serve, the Presidential Search Committee will be formally charged by the chancellor. After this, the search committee members will be announced to the Buffalo State community in the Daily Bulletin and will be published on the Presidential Search website.

If you have not done so already, please take a few minutes to complete the Buffalo State University Presidential Search Survey, distributed on February 28. Thank you again for your time and attention to this vital search.

I would like to sincerely thank the presidential search staff and the staff in Marketing and Communications for developing a beautiful and informative landing page.

Sincerely,

Linda A. Dobmeier, ’71
Chair, Buffalo State Council