The current security certificate for the campus wireless network expires Monday, June 30. As a reminder, faculty and staff members have a choice of wireless connections on campus: Bengal, the secure wireless network, or BengalOpen16, the public wireless network. Employees are strongly encouraged to use the secure connection (Bengal) for reasons of convenience and security.

The campus uses a third-party application, Cloudpath, to deliver the security certificate to users’ mobile devices. This security certificate allows employees to use their Buffalo State credentials to connect to the Buffalo State secure wireless network (Bengal). Once users install this certificate and log in, they should remain logged in until the certificate expires. The certificate is good for one year. The current certificate expires June 30. Please update your certificate now.

To update your certificate, use your mobile device to go to the Buffalo State Secure Wireless page. Click “Enroll Your Device” and follow the directions. Do this for each mobile device that you use to connect to the Buffalo State secure wireless network.

The Buffalo State University community is saddened by the death of Richard “Dick” Seibert, associate professor emeritus of sociology, who died June 5, 2025. Dr. Seibert joined the campus in 1964 and retired in 1997. Father of Terri (Mark) Bellanca, Chris (Mark) Bonn, and the late Scott Seibert. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life Memorial will be held at Trinity Church in Grand Island, New York, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice Buffalo. More information is available online.

Dance recital season at the Performing Arts Center wraps up this weekend with Barb Denny's Studio of Dance Arts presenting "45 Years of Adventure," this Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22, at 12:00 p.m. each day. Expect large crowds in and around Rockwell Hall during these times. These performances are open to the public and tickets can be purchased online here.

Mark your calendars for the 4th annual Alumni Legacy Family Tree Picnic on Thursday, June 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Enjoy lawn games, refreshments, cookout-style buffet, and games on the front lawn of the LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center. Cost is $5.00 per person and includes BBQ favorites, one complimentary beer/wine ticket, and a special Buffalo State alumni gift.

Celebrate generations of Orange & Black pride with fellow grads. Register now or call the Alumni Engagement Office at ext. 6102 for more info.

The grading window for summer “ES” session will open on Wednesday, June 25th at 9:00am and close on Thursday, July 3rd at 9:00pm.  Faculty will enter their summer “ES” grades using Banner. 

In preparation, faculty are encouraged to log in to Banner to make sure all their courses are listed under their account.  Detailed documentation for entering grades can be found here.  Additional assistance is available by calling the IT Help Desk at ext. 4357 (M-F 8:30am-4:00pm).

To assist you in successful grading, we have provided a Grading Tip Sheet and other resources at https://registrar.buffalostate.edu/faculty-grading-and-resources. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Registrar’s Office at regofc@buffalostate.edu or (716) 878-4811.

Effective April 29th, 2025 Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the new discretionary thresholds for purchases from NYS certified Minority-and-Woman-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (SDVB). The discretionary purchasing threshold when buying from these entities has been increased from $750,000 to $1,500,000.00 . This law precludes the University from performing a formal competitive bid, when utilizing certified MWBE’s.

Campus departments are encouraged to utilize certified MWBE’s and SDVOB’s where possible. A searchable statewide MWBE directory is available for the campus to utilize on the Procurement webpage and can also be found here: NYS MWBE Directory.

Departments should contact Procurement Services for purchases that are anticipated to be over $50K using state funds if the intention is to use a MWBE or SDVOB for planning purposes.

Please reach out to Kristy Mediak, Director of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing, with any questions.

Buffalo State University annual First-Year Convocation will be held on Friday, August 22 at 11:00 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall as part of students’ final day of Welcome Week.

First-Year Convocation is a Buffalo State tradition that welcomes our new students and provides them an opportunity to engage with administrators, faculty, alumni, and their peers before beginning their journey at the university.

As part of the ceremonial segment of the event, faculty, librarians, and professional staff are invited to march in the processional. Academic regalia is required. Marcher regalia rentals are available through Barnes & Nobel at Buffalo State Bookstore. Please contact Marybeth Keller, general merchandise manager, or call (716) 878-5509 by Thursday, July 31, to place your rental order for standard shipping charges and guaranteed hood colors. A limited inventory of regalia is available for loan at no charge through the Academic Affairs Office. Contact Cathy Cook, administrative assistant 2, to make your regalia loan request by August 12.

Please click Marcher Registration to secure your place to march in the First-Year Convocation 2025. Direct questions to Kimberly Jackson, deputy director of commencement operations and ceremonial events.

We look forward to your participation in the First-Year Convocation!

The Marketing and Communications Office offers and supports a feature-rich Drupal 10 website template that mirrors current industry standards, as well as the university’s main site. All other campus templates—some upwards of 13 years old—are in Drupal 7. Due to discontinued support, we must depreciate all Drupal 7 template sites by September 12, 2025.

Many campus sites have already adopted the new template. Samples include the Television and Film Arts; Elementary Education, Literacy, and Educational Leadership; and Music departments. Marketing and Communications has been assisting and will continue to directly assist academic departments by moving them into the new framework. Please file a ticket to initiate migration to the new template.

If an office, center, area, or initiative still using a Drupal 7 template wants to move to the new look, that migration must be done manually by the site manager. Server space is limited due to shrinking budgets, so a recommended alternative to moving is to shut down any outdated, unused, or low-traffic Drupal 7 site. If you wish to shut down a site now, please file a ticket.

Sites that are not migrated in time will automatically be shut down and no longer available online or archived once Drupal 7 is sunsetted by our web host. 

Because we support campus users with any transition to a new product, Drupal 10 training is required and provided virtually by Dan Schmidt, associate director of web development. Details are discussed during the ticket process.

Questions about the migration process or the new template may be directed to Melissa Meehan, web director, Marketing and Communications.

The campus community is invited to attend the NYS Employee Assistance Program’s monthly webinar “Discover the New York State Parks Wellness Challenge” on Monday, June 30, from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Join the New York State Parks and Historic Sites team as they share information on this year’s Wellness Challenge – a year-long, participatory challenge inviting you, your family, and your friends to discover how to achieve wellness in a variety of ways. With many ways to get involved, take on the Wellness Challenge today!

REGISTER for this free 30-minute webinar through the WebEx meeting registration page. You will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the session.

If you cannot attend live, this webinar will be recorded and posted on the WellNYS Everyday website.

WellNYS Everyday is a wellness initiative dedicated to educating, engaging, and empowering New York State employees to engage in healthy behaviors. For more information, visit oer.ny.gov/wellnys/everyday

$7 Friday barbecues are back this summer starting July 11! Every Friday, you will be able to enjoy barbecue favorites for lunch on campus in the Student Union Plaza. $7 Friday barbecues will be held on the following dates: July 11, July 18, July 25, August 1, and August 8. Rain location is the Bengal Kitchen.

We hope to see you there!