Looking for an inexpensive and easy catering for your next meeting? Buffalo State Catering has a new working lunch menu now available for the campus community! This working lunch menu was created for the hardworking groups who are short on time. Check out our menu and place an order today!

Benefits of ordering with Buffalo State Catering:

• No worry about delivery fees or delivery times
• Inexpensive options that are better priced compared with Wegmans or Panera
• On-campus pick-up! Don't worry about losing your parking spot

Many retirees wish they began focusing on financial and retirement planning much earlier in their lives. To help active members avoid that pitfall, the New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS) offers a proactive approach to prepare for retirement: the Pension and Retirement Education Program (PREP).

NYSTRS has posted the fall 2024 schedule of seminars, which is available on the Retirement Planning/Pension and Retirement Education Program page at nystrs.org.

The PREP seminar educates members of all ages and career stages on the value of careful financial and retirement planning. The seminar further helps you understand your NYSTRS benefits and how your future pension fits into your overall retirement picture. This information is a key piece of the plan that helps you achieve your retirement goals and dreams.

The half-day seminars, which are free and held throughout the state, cover the following topics: NYSTRS benefits, financial planning, Social Security, estate planning, and the retirement process. Seminars are held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with registration beginning at 8:00 a.m. There is no fee to attend, and members are welcome to bring a guest, but all attendees must be registered in advance. (Note: These seminars are not designed for individual retirement counseling.) Spots fill up quickly, so register soon. 

PREP seminars are not intended for individual benefits counseling. Members interested in a benefit consultation should visit the Retirement Planning/Benefits Consultations page to learn how to schedule a personal consultation.

Please join the School of Education and Professional Development Schools (PDS) Consortium for the annual Teacher Tailgate on Tuesday, October 8, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall.

This open house, information-gathering event is time for anyone interested in education-related fields or working with children or youth to collaborate with peers, build relationships with colleagues and professors, collect information about opportunities on and off campus, and enjoy tailgate pizza.

Buffalo State and Western New York departments, programs, clubs, offices, and organizations will be available to share information and materials about campus, local, national, and international opportunities. 

Faculty members who would like to offer this experience as extra credit can email Tamara with the course and instructor name. Teacher Tailgate is free and open to the campus community.

The following International Professional Development Schools (IPDS) programs are now accepting applications from teacher candidates and students from other disciplines who are interested in working with children or youth.

• IPDS Chile
• IPDS Germany
• IPDS Zambia

Please join us for an information session to hear about these programs, including details about our partnerships, excursions, classroom activities, and financial costs and support:

• Wednesday, September 25, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 1, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Sessions will be held in Bacon Hall 305 and virtually via Zoom. Applications are due Friday, November 1.

Anyone interested in learning more about opportunities to engage with children and youth in schools and community centers in Santiago, Chile; Stuttgart, Germany; or Lusaka, Zambia, should plan to attend one of these information sessions or reach out to program coordinators directly.

Please visit the IPDS website for more information and alumni stories.

The Weigel Health Center, in partnership with Wegmans Pharmacy, will hold a flu vaccination clinic for faculty, staff, and students on Tuesday, October 1, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Weigel Health Center. If you are interested in receiving a flu vaccine, please schedule an appointment online. Walk-ins are also welcome.

We are one week away from welcoming back home to Buffalo State University two-time Chopped winner, mental health advocate, and social worker Lazarus Lynch, '16, who will deliver his keynote address on Tuesday, September 24, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center. Mr. Lynch will also open the Anne Frank Project's 16th annual social justice festival - AFP 2024: Home: Building Our Collective Story, the following morning. 

About Lazarus Lynch
Lazarus Lynch is an author of the Amazon Editor's Pick cookbook Son of a Southern Chef: Cook with Soul. He is the former host of Snapchat's first-ever cooking show, Chopped U, ABC's Tastemade Get Cookin', and the Food Network digital series Comfort Nation. He was the first Black queer chef to attend and cook for the Met Gala in 2021. His writings and culinary wisdom are featured in prestigious publications, including Vogue, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Forbes. He appears regularly on national television, including frequent appearances on NBC's The Today Show and formerly The Wendy Williams Show. Mr. Lynch is a proud 4-H luminary, a World Food Prize alum, an ongoing brand partner with Meta Platforms Inc., and a former Reebok Collective member. Today, he supports individuals and families weekly with the tools to improve their mental health and relationships.

Join us for an Evening with Lazarus Lynch! Students are admitted free.

Questions? Please contact AFP's assistant director, Jonise Hall.

Buffalo State University will hold a Voter Registration Day: Community Action Fair today, September 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the foyer of Bulger Communication Center. This event will allow students to meet with community partners who are making a difference in the community and taking action daily to address the issues that will be on the ballot this November. Meet active Bengals and local civically engaged advocates from various organizations, and receive help with your questions.

Attendees include the Buffalo Center for Health Equity, the League of Women Voters, Partnership for the Public Good, and Voice Buffalo. Volunteer and internship opportunities are available that go beyond your vote.

This event is sponsored by the Civic and Community Engagement Office; the Political Science, Public Administration, and Planning Department; and the Student Political Society Club at Buffalo State. For more information and resources, please visit the Bengals Vote web page. Contact the Civic and Community Engagement Office, (716) 878-3919, with questions.

The Political Science, Public Administration, and Planning Department; Civic and Community Engagement Office; and Student Political Society Club at Buffalo State University will host a voter registration drive today in conjunction with a panel discussion titled "Do What I Say, Not What I Do: SCOTUS' Slow Undermining of Democracy" today, September 17, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 215.

The discussion will focus on the conceptualization of democracy based on recent opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Panelists include William C. Altreuter, lecturer; A. K. Shauku, assistant professor; and Peter Yacobucci, associate professor, of the Political Science, Public Administration, and Planning Department. Please contact the Civic and Community Engagement Office, (716) 878-3919, with questions.

Applications are being accepted for the E. O. Smith Arts and Humanities Faculty Development Fund for the period of January 1-December 31, 2025. The deadline for submissions is Monday, November 4, 2024.

These competitive, peer-reviewed projects support opportunities for the professional development of full-time Buffalo State University faculty members in programs related to the arts and the humanities. Eligible candidates must be members of programs included in the arts (art, design, art conservation, theater, music, dance, film) or the humanities (history, art history, philosophy, religious studies, literature, English, modern and classical languages) and teach discipline-specific courses in the arts and humanities.

Candidates are required to submit their proposals to the selection committee detailing how they would use the funding and include a curriculum vitae and detailed project budget. Funds may be used only for expenses directly related to professional development in their discipline, including research, supplies used in research or the publication of research, travel, or other similar professional activities. Adherence to SUNY spending and travel constraint rules and regulations will be followed. Funds may not be directed toward internal administration (including course release fees) or social functions or for personal use. Any proposed budgets that include personnel expenses (e.g., student assistants) must detail those expenses.

Projects consistent with the mission and goals of the Monroe Fordham Regional History Center will be given preference. Previously funded candidates may reapply (for a new phase of the funded project, or a new project), but previously unfunded candidates will be given preference. Applicants cannot serve on the selection committee.

The announcement of funded proposals will be made in December, and expenses according to the approved budget must be incurred during the calendar year from January 1 to December 31, 2025. Recipients will be required to complete their projects during that time. A final report and participation in the 2024 Fall Forum is expected.

The fund's benefactor, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and historian Edward Owen "E. O." Smith Jr., became a member of the faculty of the Buffalo State History Department in 1963, serving as chair of the History and Social Studies Education Department for many years and as the first director of the Monroe Fordham Regional History Center. He also founded the college's museum studies certificate program. He retired from Buffalo State in 2013.

During his 50-year tenure, Dr. Smith was known for his concern for students, his chairmanship of numerous college committees, and his efforts to improve the economic and cultural life of Buffalo's West Side. He also held a deep interest in art and the visual image as a document, and was honored by the Burchfield Penney Art Center for his participation in and leadership of many collaborative center projects. He was named a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in 1999 and had previously received the President's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. Dr. Smith died in March 2014, and his gift endowing this fund leaves a lasting legacy at Buffalo State.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Thiamine Deficiency Complex in the Great Lakes Region," presented by Jacques Rinchard, professor and chair of the Environmental Science and Ecology Department at SUNY Brockport, today, September 23, at 3:00 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 151. Attendees are welcome to enjoy coffee and cookies during the seminar.

Abstract
Early mortality syndrome is a reproductive disorder affecting salmonid species in the Great Lakes region, caused by a thiamine deficiency in eggs due to inadequate maternal transfer. This deficiency leads to high mortality rates in offspring from the yolk-sac stage to the swim-up stage. In this presentation, Dr. Rinchard will review the symptoms, causes, and effects of thiamine deficiency in fish and explore potential solutions. Additionally, he will highlight documented cases of thiamine deficiency and current monitoring efforts in the Great Lakes region.