The Teacher Education Unit will hold its annual Program Improvement Retreat on Wednesday, January 22, from 8:45 to 11:15 a.m. in the LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center. Please plan to attend if you are a faculty member in one of the university's educator preparator programs.*

Check-in begins at 8:45 a.m. (breakfast provided) followed by guided discussions, data exploration, and independent tasks for each program from 9:00 to 11:15 a.m.

This year's retreat will focus on (1) revising our clinical practice evaluation system used during methods and student teaching, and (2) gathering evidence of quality program practices.

Please register today.

Please direct questions to Shannon Budin, professor of exceptional education and assistant dean of assessment and accreditation for TEU.

*All programs in the TEU should be represented across all schools.

A reminder that students have until midnight Friday, November 22, to submit their pass/fail requests for fall 2024 through Banner. Advisors are encouraged to monitor their Buffalo State email for any last-minute notifications regarding pass/fail requests.

The Bengals Vote Coalition (BVC) would like to send a big thank-you to all who co-sponsored and supported our last two events on October 24 and November 5 this fall and invite your to our next event, a Post-Election Town Hall on Thursday, November 21, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 151.

The Voting Empowerment Rally on October 24 from noon to 1:30 p.m. successfully drew over 170 student participants to the "Pit" in the Campbell Student Union. We handed out free T-shirts from our "Don't Throw Shade. VOTE!" campaign, and the League of Women Voters of Buffalo Niagara (LWV) handed out free swag as well. We celebrated Buffalo State's being awarded a polling location on campus with pizza and cupcakes, accompanied by inspiring speeches from Interim President Bonita Durand; Associate Professor Peter Yacobucci; student and BVC co-chair Rachelle Clark; Erie County Election Commissioner Jeremy Zellner; Election Commissioner Ralph Mohr's chief of staff, Jessica Smith-Overholt; Young Gens vote creator Jaime Lechner; and LWV's Nile Blass. This dynamic lineup educated our students, faculty, and staff on the importance of voting!

The Election Day Watch Party, led by the Political Science, Public Administration, and Planning Department, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on November 5 in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall was also a great event! The official head count was 145 students in attendance! BVC co-chair Rachelle Clark co-hosted, along with department faculty members Dr. Yacobucci and Dr. Adamu Shauku, who educated the group on what and who are part of the Electoral College, how they affect our democracy, and why the electoral college is likely here to stay. This fascinating dialogue helped inform participants about why our individual vote is so critical, and aimed to keep students voting in future elections. We had a fun Kahoot trivia game, hosted by librarian Justin Crossfox, and some raffle prizes and giveaways. We enjoyed lots of pizza, wings, salad, cookies, little sandwiches, chips, and punch, all generously donated by our co-sponsors. Thank you to everyone who helped make the event feel like home-away-from-home for our students. It was a safe environment thanks to UPD's presence and the messages from the Dean of Students Office and the Weigel Health and Counseling Center to include supportive statements and resources to anyone feeling stress or pressures from the election results. 

We will continue the conversation at the Post-Election Town Hall on November 21, and we remind you that there are many ways to engage in the democratic process, no matter who you are or where you came from. Be on the lookout for more fun and inspiring events coming soon on the CCE Bengal Connect page.

Please join us for a mindfulness walk, "Unpacking the Folklore of American Thanksgiving," on Thursday, November 21, between 12:15 and 1:15 p.m. in Butler Library (second-floor mezzanine by room 210) to unpack the folklore and history behind the holiday we know as American Thanksgiving.

Since 1970, Indigenous people and their allies have gathered to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the American/U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

This event will provide an educational experience to unpack the myth of the first Thanksgiving "celebration" at Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the subsequent use of the holiday in the Civil War and World War II eras for political purposes.

This event is sponsored by the Indigenous Initiatives Caucus, the Center for Social Justice, and the Indigenous studies minor and hosted by the Anthropology Department.

Please email Lisa Marie Anselmi, associate professor and chair of the Anthropology Department, with questions.

Please join us for the webinar "Make the Most of Social Security," presented by Voya Financial, on Tuesday, December 10, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Making an informed decision about how and when to claim your Social Security benefits is key to your successful personal retirement income plan. Many workers are not aware of the nuances to Social Security claiming strategies and how the decisions they make affect their ability to live more comfortably in retirement. This workshop will present key considerations and case study examples of different claiming strategies, to help you make a more educated Social Security benefit decision for you and your family. You will also learn about online resources available to you, how to get started on your own, and the valuable role an advisor can play in this critical retirement planning decision.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Please join us for the webinar "Nearing Retirement," presented by Voya Financial, on Thursday, November 21, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.

This seminar provides insight on 10 key steps to take to build a healthier financial life in order to retire well. It ideally focuses on those ages 50-60 but can be a valuable lesson no matter your age.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

The CSEA Local 640 Veterans Committee will place a wreath by the Veterans Memorial Rock this morning, November 14, to honor our veterans. The Veterans Memorial Rock is located in Horace Mann Quad, between Bacon and Rockwell halls. A silent march, coordinated by Kenneth Williams, director of student veteran services, will begin at the memorial rock at 10:30 a.m. and proceed to the Campbell Student Union, culminating with a veteran guest speaker in the Social Hall. All are welcome.

Thank you to all who have served our country.

Campus map (PDF, 3.5 MB)

CEP week is a busy week at Student Accessibility Services. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a successful end to the semester.

Please read closely and note the guidelines for the administration of tests at Student Accessibility Services during CEP week, December 9-12:

• The SAS Testing Center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, December 9, through Thursday, December 12.
• Tests will be administered to start at times specified for the CEP week schedule: 7:40 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 11:40 a.m., 1:40 p.m., and 3:40 p.m. 
• Faculty members are asked to please upload their finals to the Accommodate Portal at least 24 hours (one day) before the scheduled test date and time.
• Faculty members should answer all questions on the form to ensure that SAS staff members clearly understand the parameters of the test.
• The last day for students to make a seat reservation at the testing center is Thursday, December 5. (After this date, students will have to meet with us to schedule tests in person.)
• The last time slot to schedule for students with 2.0X (double) accommodated time will be 1:40 p.m.
• Students with three or more tests are encouraged to work with at least one of their faculty members to schedule their test for a different day. 
• For tests that are shorter than the 110 minutes allowed, please specify the time in the notes section of the form so that SAS staff members can manually adjust the accommodated test time for the student.  
• Faculty members will receive an email when a student makes a seat reservation. Please check for accuracy the scheduled date and time selected by the student. SAS staff members will assume that students have approval from their faculty members to take the test at the time specified in the correspondence.  
• Students with back-to-back tests may need to select a time that differs from the scheduled time, but one that is closest to it.  
• Please feel free to upload your tests if you know that you have a student with accommodations in your course.
• All completed tests will be scanned and uploaded in Accommodate, unless otherwise stated.

Please note: SAS will not administer at-home Brightspace tests; however, if your Brightspace exam is being administered under faculty supervision in the classroom, please inform SAS as soon as possible.

Please follow the directions to extend the time in Brightspace Quizzes.

Please join the Geosciences Department and the WNYGIS Users Group in celebrating GIS Day on Tuesday, November 19, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center. The event will feature speakers from across the GIS sector. A social hour with refreshments will follow from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. All are welcome!

Agenda
1:15-1:45 p.m.
Application of GIS with the Gas Utility System
Presenter: Jennifer Wehrfritz, National Fuel Gas

1:45-2:15 p.m.
Advanced Nutrient Management through GPS Precision Agricultural
Presenter: Allen Young, Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District

2:45-3:15 p.m.
Using GIS for Emergencies
Presenter: Karyn Tareen, Geocove

3:15-3:45 p.m. Exploring Climate Change Mitigation with GIS and the Living Atlas, Along with Other New and Innovative ESRI Technologies
Presenter: Mark Scott, Esri

The Great Lakes Center is pleased to release our fall 2024 newsletter (PDF, 2 MB). This issue features a workshop hosted by the Great Lakes Center for the New York State Master Teacher Program, our Dunkirk Buoy being chosen as GLOS's buoy of the month in their newsletter, our fieldwork in Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes, the importance of coupling invasive species management with native plant restoration, using Landsat images to track algae blooms in Lake Erie, and the retirement of our field station manager.

Each article is also posted separately in our news section:

Newsletter #25: GLC workshop for Master Teachers

Newsletter #25: Dunkirk Buoy named 'Buoy of September'

Newsletter #25: Exploring Lake Erie: Great Lakes scientists conduct CSMI survey

Newsletter #25: GLC successfully completes another summer survey

Newsletter #25: Invasive species management and native plant restoration go together like fall and pumpkin spice

Newsletter #25: Applying satellite images to study environmental issues for Lake Erie

Newsletter #25: Happy retirement, Mark!

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for future editions of the newsletter, please email the GLC.