I am delighted to announce that Kristine Kaminsky has been appointed as the temporary administrative assistant 2 in the President's Office, effective October 10. She will be taking over the duties of Melissa Slisz, who recently stepped into the role of interim executive assistant to the president.

Ms. Kaminsky has been a dedicated member of our Buffalo State family since 2006, showcasing her capabilities and commitment in multiple roles across the university. In her most recent position, she has provided outstanding support in the Enrollment Management division, where she has staffed several offices and executives during this time, making her a natural choice for this temporary assignment.

She has earned an associate’s degree from Jamestown Community College and is currently pursuing her bachelor of arts in English at Buffalo State. Her extensive knowledge about our institution, combined with her admirable work ethic and dedication, make her ideally placed to temporarily fill this position. I am confident that she will continue to provide exceptional service to our office and to the university as a whole during her tenure as temporary administrative assistant 2.

Please join me in welcoming Kristine Kaminsky in this new role and supporting her as she takes on these additional responsibilities.

On behalf of the division of Academic Affairs, I extend my warmest wishes and gratitude to Rita Zientek, who will retire from her position as associate dean of the School of the Professions on December 18, 2023, after 37 years as an exemplary member of the Buffalo State University community.

Dr. Zientek began her career at Buffalo State in 1987 as a clerk in the Registrar’s Office. She worked in the Graduate Studies Office and then served as the institution’s teacher certification officer. She became interim associate dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Education in 2003 and was then named associate dean of the newly formed School of the Professions. Dr. Zientek has also served several terms as interim dean of the School of the Professions.

A 1990 graduate of Buffalo State, Dr. Zientek received the Young Alumnus Achievement Award in 2010. She has also been honored with the Edwin D. Duryea Jr. Higher Education Memorial Award for excellence in the higher education profession by the University at Buffalo in 2009, and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 2019.

Dr. Zientek has truly served with dedication and distinction. Buffalo State has been fortunate to benefit from her expertise, exemplary understanding of the campus community, and wonderful collegiality.

Please join us for a reception on Friday, December 1, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Campus House as we celebrate Dr. Zientek’s service and many contributions to Buffalo State.

Mark your calendars for Buffalo State Gives 2024, our sixth annual Day of Giving, happening in March 2024. This is our biggest online fundraiser of the year.

March may seem like a long way away, but our planning process to get this event off the ground starts now. We are committed to making Buffalo State Gives bigger and better every year. That means raising more money and raising money for more departments and programs across campus.

Last year’s Day of Giving raised nearly $109,000 across 30 participants. If you are one of those departments, I hope we can count you in again.

If you haven’t participated before, Buffalo State Gives is a great, low-effort way to raise money for your department and to engage your alumni. You do not need to know anything about fundraising to take part. I invite you to visit buffalostategives.com and take a look at last year’s results.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Kate Lockhart, assistant to the vice president, (716) 878-3077, by Thursday, November 30. But don’t wait too long to decide. The sooner we know you’re in, the better!

Internal applications are being accepted for the following position on campus. This is an internal job posting open to employees of Buffalo State University who are currently paid from any state-appropriated-funds payroll.

Title: Staff Associate/ACE Program Director
Department: Enrollment Management, VP Office
Salary: Competitive
Negotiating Unit: UUP

Brief Job Description
Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE) is a SUNY-wide retention initiative that is a comprehensive program designed to help students complete their academic journey to the bachelor’s degree by providing participants with a clearly mapped program of study, comprehensive academic advisement, and career support services. A press release from SUNY describing the systemwide initiative can be found on the SUNY website.

To lead this effort, the ACE program director, reporting to the interim assistant vice president for student success and retention, will be part of a dedicated team who will work cooperatively to launch this initiative and then directly manage program operations and personnel thereafter.

Essential Responsibilities
30% Develops and monitors a comprehensive program of academic advisement, career counseling, and other support and financial aid services for a designated cohort of ACE students.

15% Develops and implements strategies to improve retention and performance of ACE students in collaboration with ACE advisors and career and employment specialists.

15% Implements academic interventions and other initiatives to improve students’ performance and retention.

5% Evaluates program services and develops interventions for probation and at-risk students; makes recommendations to improve program offerings.

5% Oversees program’s budget and daily administration, including scheduling and timely delivery of services.

5% Establishes and maintains relationships with academic departments, including scheduling of ACE classes.

5% Oversees recruitment of new students, including coordination with other college offices.

5% Prepares reports for immediate supervisor, the Provost’s Office, Enrollment Management, and the SUNY Office of Academic Affairs and University ASAP Director (SUNY Central).

5% Serves on applicable steering groups and committees as determined.

5% Attends monthly meetings at the SUNY Central, and other periodic program-wide events.

5% Supervises dedicated ACE advisors, career services, and instructional and/or clerical staff.

To view the required qualifications and to apply, please view the posting on the Buffalo State Job Opportunities website.

The posting is open for consideration of internal candidates through Tuesday, October 31.

I am pleased to announce the following interim administrative appointments in the School of Arts and Sciences:

Kelly M. Frothingham, Ph.D., associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, will serve as interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

Julian C. Cole, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and interim chair of the Modern and Classical Languages Department, will serve as interim associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

Andrea Guiati, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Modern and Classical Languages Department, will serve as chair of the Modern and Classical Languages Department.

I extend my deep appreciation to all three for accepting these leadership positions while we launch a national search for the next dean. More information about the search will be forthcoming soon.

The search for a new dean of the School of Arts and Sciences will commence in August 2024 with the goal of having the selected candidate assume his or her responsibilities on July 1, 2025. This timeline will allow for a careful, deliberate search process aimed at identifying a leader who will strengthen our academic community.

New York State enacted legislation in 2018 requiring all employers, including Buffalo State University, to ensure that their employees complete sexual harassment prevention training annually. The Equity and Campus Diversity Office has developed a 20-minute online program that meets all New York State requirements for sexual harassment prevention training.

NYS Labor Law §27b mandates that all public employees participate in annual workplace violence prevention training.

These training programs must be completed online using BizLibrary no later than Tuesday, November 21.

Employees can log in to BizLibrary to complete the training by following these steps:

1. Visit BizLibrary (http://buffalostate.bizlibrary.com), which will bring you to a Microsoft page. Enter your Buffalo State University email address.
2. The Buffalo State log-in page will appear. Enter your campus username and password. After you enter your password, expect a multi-factor authentication prompt.
3. Complete the “2023 Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training” and “Workplace Violence Prevention Training 2023” under My Assignments.

Student employees, including graduate students, work-study students, and student workers, are also required to complete the mandatory sexual harassment training.

Student employees should take the following steps to complete the training:

1. Visit BizLibrary (http://buffalostate.bizlibrary.com), which will bring you to a Microsoft page.
2. The Buffalo State log-in page will appear. Enter your student username and password.
3. Complete the “2023 Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training” and “Workplace Violence Prevention Training 2023 under “My Assignments.”
4. If you experience log-in issues, please contact the IT Help Desk. Please visit the Equity and Campus Diversity Frequently Asked Questions page or contact the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, (716) 878-6210, with questions about the training.

At my request, the director of instructional design and distance learning and the Online Oversight and Readiness Committee have discussed the use of the SUNY Online OSCQR (Open SUNY Course Quality Review) tool for course design reviews of our online and hybrid course offerings based on DOPS IV:07:04 Online and Hybrid Course Offering (PDF, 90 KB). Early this semester, the committee reviewed other alternatives and found SUNY Online OSCQR to be the most appropriate for Buffalo State. It is openly licensed, has been selected by the Online Learning Consortium as its standard scorecard for course design reviews, and will continue to be adapted as online learning evolves.

The SUNY Online OSCQR tool promotes high-quality course design through standards related to course overview and information, course technology and tools, design and layout, content and activities, interaction, and assessment and feedback. These standards also ensure campus compliance with federal regulations. Buffalo State has been using a customized version of the SUNY Online OSCQR tool since 2020, which was modified in 2021 to incorporate the U.S. Department of Education (DoE) regulatory definitions. In 2023, OSCQR was updated based on recommendations from the associate deans of each school. A new version of the tool, which includes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards, is currently being worked on by SUNY; California State University, Chico; and the Online Learning Consortium.

I approve the following recommendations:

1. SUNY Online OSCQR is currently the campus-approved tool to be used for course design reviews for all hybrid and online instructional modalities (PDF, 90 KB).
2. The Online Oversight and Readiness Committee will review the current process and achieve further streamlining of the OSCQR rubric to ensure that regulatory requirements for online and hybrid courses are met.
3. The Online Oversight and Readiness Committee will explore possible options for instituting a continuous improvement model/cycle.

National Distance Learning Week 2023 will be held November 6–10; during that week, sessions will be held on these topics. Registration is open on the Workshop Registration System. Please direct any questions to Meghan Pereira, director of instructional design and distance learning.

Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff members are encouraged to review the university's emergency closings policy (PDF, 125 KB) and sign up for the Buff State Alert system to receive emergency notifications. If you have already signed up for Buff State Alert, please take a few moments to verify or update your contact information.

Because the weather in Western New York can vary greatly within just a few miles, there are times each winter when conditions on campus are favorable for classes to be held as scheduled, but some students, faculty, and staff members may experience difficulty traveling to campus. In those situations, students must communicate with their instructors, faculty with their students, and staff with their supervisors if they cannot travel to campus safely.

Students will not be penalized if they cannot attend face-to-face or hybrid classes in person because of severe weather, but are responsible for making up any assignments, quizzes, or exams promptly, in consultation with faculty members. Students are responsible for the prompt completion of any alternative assignments. If an absence situation between a student and instructor cannot be resolved, an appeal should proceed sequentially to the department chair, dean, and finally the provost.

Faculty members who are unable to travel to campus are responsible for making alternative arrangements for their students. If a faculty member must cancel class(es), affected students should be notified via Brightspace or direct email as soon as possible.

During inclement weather, essential-critical employees are expected to report to campus at scheduled times. Non-essential and essential-remote employees who may be able to conduct work from an alternative location must consult with their supervisors in advance on all such decisions. Non-essential and essential-remote employees who do not report to work must communicate the absence to their supervisor and charge the absence to appropriate leave accruals, even when the university cancels classes and activities.

A special meeting of the Buffalo State Council will be held at 7:00 p.m. Monday, November 6, in the LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center conference room.

Agenda

1. Welcome
2. Executive Session (It is anticipated that Chair Linda Dobmeier will call for a motion to convene an Executive Session under the provisions of Section 105 of Article 7 of the Public Officers Law.)
3. Return to Public Session
4. Adjournment