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

Agenda (Subject to Change)

1. Call to Order

2. Action Items
Approval of the Minutes: November 12, 2024

3. Chair’s Report

4. President’s Report

5. Committee Reports

6. Announcements

7. Executive Session (If Necessary)

8. Adjournment

The following personnel changes in Academic Affairs are effective immediately:

• Kelly Frothingham has been appointed as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. During her tenure as interim dean, Kelly worked to increase efficiencies in course offerings and has encouraged and overseen program revisions, as well as department mergers. She has a wealth of leadership experience gained while serving as a department chair for nine years, an associate dean for four and a half years, and interim dean for over one year. Her years of dedicated service, along with her work during this interim period supports this well-deserved appointment.
• Catherine Cardina, chair and professor of Health, Nutrition and Dietetics, will serve as the School of Professions
  

   curriculum lead, and Leah Panek-Shirley, associate professor of Health, Nutrition and Dietetics will serve as the School of Professions student success lead, as Vida Vanchan, professor of Geosciences, will continue her work with the Statewide Southeast Asia Consortium. The goal of the interdisciplinary consortium is to help promote research, teaching, and related efforts around Southeast Asia and Southeast Asian Americans in New York’s public universities. In 2025-2026, Vida will focus her efforts on the theme of climate change, sustainability and geography in her role as Cornell ILR faculty associate researcher. Please thank Vida for serving in the role of interim associate dean in the School of Professions during the fall semester.

• After a national search, I am pleased to announce Shannon Budin is the new Horace Mann Endowed Chair in Exceptional Education. Shannon will provide innovative leadership for departmental programs, faculty, and teacher candidates; conduct innovative research; and foster collaborative partnerships with schools and agencies. She will exemplify Buffalo State’s commitment to excellence in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service as they seek to advance the mission of the department and the field of special education.
• Jalen Wright joins Academic Affairs as the assistant director of academic standards. His position focuses on academic intervention. Jalen’s role in Academic Standards will include formulating, executing and monitoring initiatives to support students encountering academic challenges while working with faculty, administrators and students to enhance the continuous advancement of student success and retention. 
• Carolynn Krupp returns to Academic Affairs after a brief stint in the President’s Office. In her new role, she will serve as director of academic planning and technology. Carolynn will provide support for strategic and operational planning and will provide expertise related to the use and integration of technology in planning, assessment and accreditation efforts in collaboration with campus-wide stakeholders.

These changes will enhance the Academic Affairs division.  I want to reassure all our faculty, staff and students that our commitment to providing quality service remains unwavering.

Join us for a series of workshops focused on supporting personal and academic growth. These interactive sessions are open to all students and will provide valuable skills and insights for success.

Dates: February 6, February 20, March 6, March 20, April 3, and April 17
Time: 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Location: TECH 160

The first workshop is scheduled for February 6: Unlocking Your Potential: Goal Setting and Vision Planning. This session will help participants set clear and achievable goals, align their personal values with long-term visions, and create actionable plans for success.
 

February: Celebrating Historical Figures in African American History

Join us on February 11 for an inspiring Black History Month program celebrating the groundbreaking achievements of African American trailblazers who have shaped our society.

Date: February 11, 2025
Time: 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Location: TECH 160

This program will highlight the contributions of historical figures in African American history and offer an engaging space to reflect on their lasting impact.

This event will celebrate diverse voices and perspectives through the art of spoken word and poetry. It promises to be an evening filled with inspiration and connection!
 

The Buffalo State University community eagerly awaits celebrating the Class of 2025 at our 153rd Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 17, in the Sports Arena. Faculty, professional staff, and volunteers are welcome to participate in one of the university’s most auspicious ceremonial events. Commencement is the day for which we will honor and celebrate our graduates and their families for their achievements.

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 Arts and Sciences (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Advanced Graduate Certificate Ceremony)
• 5:00 p.m. School of Education including Individualized and Multidisciplinary (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Advanced Graduate Certificate Ceremony)

To register, please visit the Commencement website ("For Faculty and Staff"). Marcher registration includes platform party members, administrators, and professional staff. Volunteer registration includes staff members. Marchers and volunteers may participate in more than one ceremony.

Commencement rehearsals are required to ensure that ceremonies run smoothly and that all participants are knowledgeable in their roles and responsibilities.

Regalia rentals are available to order through the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore until Thursday, April 24. Marchers’ regalia rental pricing and loan request information are provided in the Regalia section of the Marchers web page. Contact Marybeth Keller, general merchandise manager, or call (716) 878-5509 to place rental orders. A limited inventory of doctoral and master’s gowns, caps, and hoods may be available for loan through the Academic Affairs Office until Friday, May 2. Please contact Cathy Cook, administrative assistant 2, for more information or to place your order.

Thank you for your commitment and service.

As we strive to strengthen our academic portfolio and review our online enrollment strategies, I want to reiterate that the Provost’s Office deeply values our graduate programs and the dedication of our graduate faculty. I remain just as committed to supporting faculty who advise graduate students through thesis and project work as I do for undergraduate and online faculty.

It has come to my attention that some faculty members may not have applied for remuneration during the transition period from Fall 2022 to Summer 2024 when Buffalo State moved from having a Graduate School to having a Graduate Studies office, when students completed graduate thesis or project courses. I would like to ensure that those who have provided this important and time-consuming advisement are given the opportunity to receive retroactive remuneration for their work.

If you served as the primary advisor for a student’s graduate thesis or project during this period, please note that you are eligible to apply for remuneration—provided the thesis or project was completed and submitted to Digital Commons, and the corresponding course was graded.

To receive retroactive remuneration for this advising work, please work with your department chair to submit a Current Employee Change Form (CECF). Be prepared to provide the following information:

• The graduate student’s name
• The student’s Banner number
• The semester in which the final thesis or project grade was submitted

All retroactive CECF submissions must be received by the appropriate dean’s office no later than Monday, March 31, 2025.

I value the work you do in mentoring our graduate students and I am committed to ensuring that your time and efforts are appropriately recognized and compensated.  Thank you for your continued dedication to our graduate students and programs.

I am pleased to invite the campus community to the annual luncheon honoring our colleagues who are in their 25th year of service to SUNY on Thursday, April 17, at noon in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. The luncheon will be complimentary for the honoree and one guest. Additional guests may attend at a cost of $35 per person. Reservations will be accepted through Thursday, April 10.

Employees crossing the 25-year mark this year:

Gregg A. Biglieri, Lecturer, English Department

Christopher L. Bordeleau, LMS Team Lead, Information Technology Exchange Center

Shannon M. Casterline, Instructional Support Specialist, Biology Department

Patrice A. Cathey, Director, Director/PL of Liberty Partnership Program

Anna Chirico, Office Assistant 2, Accounts Payable and Procurement Services

Bonita R. Durand, Interim President

Wynnie L. Fisher, Field Experience/Student Teacher Coordinator, History and Social Studies Education

Darren Floyd, Janitor, Custodial Services

Lamar Floyd, President’s Residence Manager, Custodial Services

Kelly M. Frothingham, Dean, School of Arts and Sciences

Maria C. Garrity, Senior Systems Programmer, Information Technology Services

Chaitali Ghosh, Associate Professor, Mathematics Department

Kenneth C. Giangreco, Manager Video Production, Marketing and Communications

Dawn M. Greil, Administrative Assistant 2, Student Affairs

Dwight A. Hennessy, Chair and Professor, Psychology Department

Kenneth A. Herberger Jr., University Police Officer 1, University Police

Susan M. Jaworski, Library Assistant 2, Butler Library

Mark J. Kent, Manager, Client Systems Engineering, Information Technology Services

Carolynn J. Krupp, Director of Academic Planning and Technology, Academic Affairs

Jodelle SW Magner, Associate Professor, Mathematics Department

Susan E. McMillen, Professor, Mathematics Department

Nigel R. Marriner, Registrar, Registrar’s Office

Carolyn M. Murphy, Assistant Director, Admissions

Mary F. Perrelli, GIS Lab Supervisor, Geosciences

Michael J. Radomski, Assistant Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Exchange Center

Todd W. Randall, DBA Team Lead, Information Technology Exchange Center

Gary S. Solar, Chair and Professor, Geosciences

Michael J. Vasi, Trades Generalist, Facilities Office

Pamela M. Voyer, Alumni Center Coordinator, Alumni Center

Amitra A. Wall, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Mark K. Warford, Associate Professor, Modern and Classical Languages

Brian D. Wittmer, Design and Construction Manager, Facilities Design and Construction

Please complete and return the guest reservation form (PDF, 5 KB) or call Laurie Graziano, administrative assistant 2, at (716) 878-4101, to attend.

If your name is not listed above and you have achieved 25 years of service in SUNY this year, please contact Laurie Graziano or Melissa Slisz, senior executive assistant to the president, in the President’s Office.

Buffalo State University is preparing an application for the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement for the 2026 cycle. Buffalo State was awarded classification in 2015, and our renewal process is an exciting opportunity to complete a self-study of our efforts and impacts related to community engagement. This classification is an internationally recognized designation that affirms our institution’s broad commitment to the mutually beneficial relationship between our local community and our institution, through which the exchange of knowledge and resources through partnership and reciprocity reinforces our identity as an urban engaged campus. As valued members of the campus community, your input and feedback are essential to the accuracy and completeness of our application, which covers a wide range of topics. 

Below are links to access both the current draft of the application and a structured questionnaire to provide feedback about the current application draft.

• Current Application Draft
• Feedback Survey

Please consider reviewing the materials and providing your valued feedback in the coming weeks through March 7, 2025, when the survey link will close. Thank you so much in advance for your ongoing support and partnership. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Al Delmerico at delmeram@buffalostate.edu.

I am pleased to announce that the Academic Affairs task forces have met and are now officially charged with their respective assignments. The teams will be working diligently on critical components of the Academic Unit Restructuring process, focusing on improving our systems, processes, and the overall structure of our academic environment.

The Co-Chairs of each task force will provide updates regularly. These updates will be shared both in the Daily Bulletin and on the Academic Affairs website.

Academic Affairs Department Merger and Curriculum Synergies Task Force

Chair: Jill Norvilitis

Co-Chairs: Carol Beckley and Elisa Bergslien

Geraldine Bard, Laurie Buonanno, Joaquin Carbonara, Catherine Cardina,

Al  Delmerico, 

Alayla Ende, Danae Hardy, Kristin Fields, Fred Floss, Andrea Guiati, Keith Fulcher, Ann Liao, P. Rudy Mattai, Dianne McCarthy, Kevin Miller, Kathleen O'Brien, Meghan Pereira

Charge is to recommend deliverables by May 2025:

• Inventory of existing courses across all programs to determine opportunities for combining similar courses into single offerings.
• Identify opportunities for course sharing, faculty collaboration, and resource optimization.
• Facilitate discussions with faculty, staff, students, and administration to gather input and feedback on proposed department mergers, curriculum adjustments, and potential impact on accreditation and compliance.
• Identify potential challenges and concerns from affected stakeholders and develop strategies to mitigate negative impact.

Student Success Task Force

Co-Chair: Tiffany Bromfield

Co-Chair: Kevin Williams

Andrew Binder, Dan Blum, Dorothea Braemer, Atta Ceesay, Jill D'Angelo, Jamayne Fleming, Judi Harris, Elizabeth Hartz, Tomas Henriques, Beth Holleran, Drew Kahn, Melissa Meehan, Sierra Mills, Josue Rosario-Caliz, Raquel Schmidt, Gary Solar, Tao Tang, Kaylene Waite, Marcus Watson

Charge is to recommend deliverables by May 2025:

• Identify student success goals for reorganization and venues for divisions to encourage open discussion about student progress.
• Communicate reorganization to students, working with institution-wide communication offices.
• Seek feedback from Academic Affairs Department Merger and Curriculum Synergies ad-hoc committee on reorganization from student government and student groups.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to identify resources and support structures for student involvement in opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for students to engage with the two-unit structure through undergraduate research, entrepreneurship programs, community projects, experiential programs and projects.

Process Improvement Task Force

Co-Chair: Leasa Rochester-Mills

Co-Chair: Charles Lyons

Lisa Marie Anselmi, Ikhee Cho, Julian Cole, Ken Fujiuchi, Keli Garas-York, Scott Goodman, Alexis Greinert, Michelle Hockett, Matthew Karovski, Corinne Kindzierski,

Peter Loehr, 

David Marcinkowski, Kristen Mruk, Stephanie Richards, Macy Todd, Kim Zittel-Barr

Charge is to recommend deliverables by May 2025:

• Inventory processes, systems, and functions to determine if adaptation, streamlining, or elimination is required in the two-school structure.
• Collect feedback from faculty and staff on process improvement and identify best practices for process and system streamlining.
• Update language in unit-level academic and administrative policies to reflect the two-unit organization and leadership and determine any policies that need to be rewritten entirely.
• Review faculty handbook and bylaws to identify any language referring to departments or chairs and update to reflect the two-unit model.

A Provost Advisory Committee has been formed. The committee will focus on providing advisory support and strategic suggestions for Academic Affairs organizational improvement.

Stacy Beauford, Betty Cappella, Yeshevie Hubbard, Joe Marren, Alex Matiash, Rada Montroy, Carolyn Morris-Hunt, Diane Young

Focus  is to:

• Provide Input: Offer advice and feedback on matters concerning academic policies, initiatives, and strategic priorities.
• Share Perspectives: Represent the diverse voices across the university community, ensuring that various viewpoints are considered when making decisions that impact academic affairs.
• Collaborative Dialogue: Engage in open, constructive conversations with fellow committee members and academic leadership to identify challenges, opportunities, and areas of growth within the academic sphere.
• Support Academic Excellence: Contribute to the development of strategies that enhance teaching, learning, and research, helping us fulfill our academic mission and vision.
• Advisory Role: Provide thoughtful, non-binding recommendations to the Provost and Academic Affairs leadership team.

I encourage all members of the campus community to stay informed and engage with Academic Affairs updates as we move forward with the merging of the School of Education and School of Professions. Your input and collaboration are essential to our collective success.

Stay tuned for regular updates and information from each team.

I am excited to share that Buffalo State University will participate in the SUNY Online Enrollment Planning Roundtable. Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management will co-sponsor this activity. Meghan Pereira, director of instructional design and distance learning, is the lead. This roundtable is a free consulting service provided by SUNY system.

The SUNY Online Enrollment Roundtable activity will give Buffalo State the tools to take a strategic view of the path forward for online programs. The participants of the roundtable will consider our academic mission, target populations, ways to serve online students, and strategic opportunities for enrollment growth and scalability. This roundtable is structured to be an interactive dialogue intended to help us with:

• identifying our online program aspirations to ensure alignment with overall enrollment planning aspirations;
• targeting populations that may be ideal for growth or new program development, based on high needs and high demand areas; and
• creating strategies to advance these efforts through a scalability plan to ensure that resources for support can scale with enrollment growth.

Participants:

Co-Sponsors: Amitra Wall and Enrollment Management Designee

Lead: Meghan Pereira

Kelly D'Aloisio, Laurie Buonanno, LeVar Burke, Carol DeNysschen, Bonita Durand, Kelly Frothingham, Scott Goodman, Kristin Fields, Ken Fujiuchi, Tom Killian, David Loreto, Nigel Marriner, Geoffrey Nason, Jim Thor, Wendy Paterson, 1-2 faculty from online oversight

SUNY Pilot – Framework for Enhancing Academic Programs  

SUNY selected Buffalo State to participate in a pilot program that is designed to encourage and support collaborative analysis of academic operations so that we can identify where resources to grow some of our programs should go. The pilot will inform the SUNY assessment policy and procedures related to programmatic review. The hope is to create a flexible, systematic review process that all campuses across SUNY can use so that we can better serve our students by aligning our academic offerings with evolving market trends, optimize resources, and ensure long-term sustainability.  

Dedicated SUNY staff will be assigned to the campus to assist with identifying, collecting, and assessing key performance indicators (KPIs) that will guide our assessment of the effectiveness of programs. Examples of metrics to be used may include the following:

• Enrollment trends and course demands
• Comparison with peer institutions
• Student outcomes and learning experience
• Labor market demand
• Institutional identity and community benefit
• Financial performance and resource allocation

SUNY will establish mechanisms for collecting feedback through regular meetings with the committee. 

Roster:

Kelly D’Aloisio, Bill Benfanti, Laurie Buonanno, Naila Catilo, Carol DeNysschen, Kristin Fields, Yves Gachette, Kelly Frothingham, Ken Fujiuchi, Denise Harris, Nigel Marriner, Sue McCartney, Geoff Nason, Meghan Pereira, Howard Reid, Jim Thor, Jennifer Toohey,  Wendy Paterson, Amitra Wall

SUNY representations: Jay Urwitz, David Cantaffa

Please visit the Academic Affairs website for more information.