Angela Thering, lecturer of higher education administration and adult education, facilitated a professional development workshop on artificial intelligence at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington, D.C., on May 28. Hosted by Ambassador Catalina Crespo, the session—“Unlock the Power of Artificial Intelligence: A Workshop for Diplomats”—welcomed representatives from Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay, Honduras, Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Spain.

On June 1, Kim Chinquee, associate professor of English, completed the IRONMAN 70.3 Tours Metropole in Loire Valley, France, which involves a 1.2-mile swim in the Chez River, a 56-mile bike along medieval and Renaissance castle estates, and a 13.1-mile run through the valley's parks and riverside paths. One of Chinquee's current projects involves writing a book based on her life as an athlete, growing up on a dairy farm, serving in the military, and her experience during the Boston Bombings in 2013. Her next events this year include the IRONMAN 70.3 in Geneva, New York, on July 13; IRONMAN 70.3 in Jones Beach, New York, on September 20; and IRONMAN 140.6 in Cozumel, Mexico, on November 23.      

Maria C. Garrity, senior systems programmer, and Andrew T. Garrity, associate database administrator, were speakers for a professional development session on artificial intelligence and accessibility at the SUNY Technology Conference (STC) in Lake Placid, New York, on Thursday, June 5. The session, titled “A ‘EYE’ (AI) Enhancing Accessibility and Ethical Fairness,” welcomed representatives from SUNY universities and community colleges. The presentation explored how emerging AI tools can be leveraged to improve accessibility in higher education while ensuring ethical fairness and inclusivity. Attendees engaged in discussions on practical applications, challenges, and best practices for integrating AI to support diverse learning needs across the SUNY system. The four-day SUNY Technology Conference was held from June 2–5. The session was well-received and contributed to the ongoing dialogue about the role of AI in advancing accessibility and equity in education.

Lyubov Burlakova, senior research scientist, and Alexander Karatayev, director of the Great Lakes Center, were awarded the prestigious Chandler-Misener Award alongside their co-authors Richard Barbiero (primary author), James Watkins, and Barry Lesht, at the International Association for Great Lakes Research Conference on June 5, for their paper "The benthic nepheloid layer in the offshore waters of the Great Lakes and its post-dreissenid dissapearance." The Chandler-Misener Award is presented annually to authors of a peer-reviewed paper in a current volume of the Journal of Great Lakes Research judged to be "most notable." 

On June 4, Frances Gage, associate professor of art and design (and core faculty of the Global Studies Institute), delivered the lecture “Picturing 'La Vecchia:' Time, Gender, and Aging in the Early Modern Imagination,” at the Huizinga Institute of the University of Groningen (Groningen, Netherlands), where she also contributed to the masterclass “Imagination in Medicine and the Arts,” inspired by her book Painting as Medicine in Early Modern Rome: Giulio Mancini and the Efficacy of Art (2016).

Robin Lazzara, program manager of Buffalo State's Post Production Diversity Initiative, has won the New York Small Business Development Center's Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2025. Selected from more than 30,000 clients, Lazzara is being recognized for her business, Glow Video LLC. Specializing in producing media for a diverse client base, she has worked extensively with the Buffalo State Small Business Development Center with Dr. Susan McCartney, Bailey Brouillard, and Olivia Harbol. Lazzara will be honored at an award ceremony on Tuesday, July 29, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the E. H. Butler Library west lobby.

On July 13, Kim Chinquee, associate professor of English, completed her second IRONMAN 70.3 competition this summer. (Her first this year was June 1 in Tours, France.) This event took place in Geneva, New York, and involved a 1.2-mile swim in Seneca Lake, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run in the Finger Lakes. In addition, she was in Prague from June 22 to July 5 doing research (and participating in a creativity workshop) for her forthcoming book that involves travels, research, and her experiences as an athlete. 

From the Chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee The following have been received in the College Senate Office, logged, and will be reviewed by the Curriculum Committee: Course Revisions: FTT 304 Textile Surface Design I. Prerequisite: FTT 110. The essentials of textile surface design; industry-standard software for textile design; professional methods for transforming original motifs into commercial digital surface pattern; different surface design layout development; color separation and indexing; colorways and coordinates development; and various techniques and considerations for creating captivating textile designs. Offered every semester. FTT 327 Digital Fashion Design II (formerly 2D/3D Computer Patternmaking). Prerequisite: FTT 326. Focus on 3D design and patternmaking; avatar customization; application of digital materials, top stitching, and findings to 3D garment design; advanced garment design and construction techniques; transforming the garment design into a virtual fashion show presentation; implementation of surface design techniques into digital garment projects and assignments and digital fashion show creation. Offered occasionally. FTT 350 Fashion Analytics (formerly Fashion Analytics and Data Insights). Prerequisite: FTT 150. Focus on fashion analytics and its application in fashion retailing; types of fashion-related data and data management principles; experience with spreadsheet packages and databases; data visualization to form data insights; and data-driven decision-making process through effective story telling in written report and presentation. Offered every semester. FTT 358 Fashion Trend Forecasting. Prerequisite: FTT 110. Study of fashion trend forecasting; diffusion of innovation; long-term forecasting and macro trends; short-term seasonal forecasting; fashion trend research; color, textile, and style trend forecasting; and presentation of the forecast. Offered every semester. FTT 455 Fashion Entrepreneurship (formerly Issues in Merchandising and Fashion Retailing). Prerequisite: FTT 150, juniors and seniors only. A comprehensive exploration of fashion entrepreneurship; strategic plans for launching a fashion business; effective operational management; six-month merchandising plan; and fashion business plan development. Offered every semester.

From the Chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee The following has been received in the Buffalo State Senate Office, logged, and will be reviewed by the Curriculum Committee: Course Revision: SWK 424 Social Work Group Skills (formerly Groups). Prerequisite: SWK 320. Course focuses on the fundamentals of social justice-focused group practice in social work. This includes knowledge and skills needed to develop, implement, and facilitate general group processes, particularly psych/educational groups. Offered occasionally.

From the Interim President I have approved the following curricular items, which have been recommended by the appropriate dean, the College Senate, and the provost:   New Course: SWK 426 Solution-Focused Case Management  Course Revisions: BXE 682 Field Experience in Bilingual General and Special Education CIS 361 Advanced Programming (formerly Fundamental Concepts in Object-Oriented Programming) ENG 220 Topics in American Literature (formerly American Literature to 1865) ENG 221 Foundations of American Literature (formerly American Literature Since 1865) ENG 315 Shakespeare (formerly Shakespeare I) ENT 314 Applied Solid Modeling (formerly Solid Modeling) EXE 362 Classroom Management and Positive Behavior Supports (formerly Behavior and Classroom Management) FTT 488 Internship/Field Experience Course Revision with General Education 23 Designation: Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice SWK 301 Poverty and Economic Justice (formerly Poverty and Public Policy)  World History and Global Awareness ENG 380 History of the Printed Book Program Revisions: Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (formerly Women and Gender Studies) Political Science/Law 3+3 Combined Pathway Change in Status: Program Deactivation: M.S. Industrial Technology. Effective Fall 2025; Buffalo State will not accept students into the program as of October 2024. Minor in Deviance. Effective Fall 2025; Buffalo State will not accept new students into the program as of May 2025. Minor in Environment and Society. Effective Fall 2025; Buffalo State will not accept new students into the program as of May 2025. Minor in Exercise Science. Effective Spring 2025; Buffalo State will not accept new students into the program as of November 2024. Undergraduate Certificate in Foundations in Theatrical Directing. Effective Fall 2025; Buffalo State will not accept new students into the program as of June 1, 2025. ---------------------------------------- I have approved the following curricular item, which has been recommended by the appropriate dean, the College Senate, and the provost. This program must now advance to SUNY System Administration and the New York State Education Department for final review: Program Revisions: Postbaccalaureate Teacher Certification Program English Education (7–12) B.A. Sociology ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the Provost I recommend approval of the following curricular items that have been forwarded to the interim president by the College Senate. New Course: SWK 426 Solution-Focused Case Management  Course Revisions: BXE 682 Field Experience in Bilingual General and Special Education CIS 361 Advanced Programming (formerly Fundamental Concepts in Object-Oriented Programming) ENG 220 Topics in American Literature (formerly American Literature to 1865) ENG 221 Foundations of American Literature (formerly American Literature Since 1865) ENG 315 Shakespeare (formerly Shakespeare I) ENT 314 Applied Solid Modeling (formerly Solid Modeling) EXE 362 Classroom Management and Positive Behavior Supports (formerly Behavior and Classroom Management) FTT 488 Internship/Field Experience Course Revision with General Education 23 Designation: Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice SWK 301 Poverty and Economic Justice (formerly Poverty and Public Policy) World History and Global Awareness ENG 380 History of the Printed Book Program Revisions: Minor in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (formerly Women and Gender Studies) Postbaccalaureate Teacher Certification Program English Education (7–12) Political Science/Law 3+3 Combined Pathway B.A. Sociology Change in Status: Program Deactivation: M.S. Industrial Technology. Effective Fall 2025; Buffalo State will not accept students into the program as of October 2024. Minor in Deviance. Effective Fall 2025; Buffalo State will not accept new students into the program as of        May 2025. Minor in Environment and Society. Effective Fall 2025; Buffalo State will not accept new students into the program as of May 2025. Minor in Exercise Science. Effective Spring 2025; Buffalo State will not accept new students into the program as of November 2024. Undergraduate Certificate in Foundations in Theatrical Directing. Effective Fall 2025; Buffalo State will not accept new students into the program as of June 1, 2025.