Paint a portrait of your favorite fluffy pet at the Pet Portraiture Painting Workshop Series, an acrylic painting workshop, on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Burchfield Penney Art Center throughout the month of October. Artist-instructor Shanel Kerekes will guide participants through the step-by-step process, providing tips, painting terminology, and techniques to complete a portrait of your furry friend.

Fee: $120 for Buffalo State staff, faculty, and students and Burchfield members/$160 for not-yet-members
? Supplies included
? Bring a printed photo you will be using on 8˝-by-11-inch copy paper.

Workshop 1, October 5: Creating an Underpainting

Workshop 2, October 12: First Layer of Color–Color Blocking

Workshop 3 , October 19: Second Layer of Color–Blending 

Workshop 4, October 26: Final Layer of Color–Details 

Register on the Burchfield Penney Art Center website. For more information about this series, please email Kathy Shiroki, outreach and adult programming educator, or call (716) 878-3549.

To avoid a conflict with this Friday’s Graduate Studies meeting, the first talk of this year’s Conversations in and Out of the Disciplines Lecture Series, originally scheduled for September 22, has been changed to Friday, October 20.

Please join us on Friday, October 20, as Gavin Leighton, assistant professor of biology, presents “The Evolution of Complex Communication and Visual Deception in Birds.” The talk, followed by a brief Q&A, will begin at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. A short wine and cheese reception will follow. Everyone is welcome.

Please also mark your calendars for the second talk of the fall semester, when Naomi McKay, associate professor of psychology, will present “Stress Eating: It Can’t Be All Bad!” on Friday, November 17, at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320.

Finally, stay tuned for more information about our upcoming talks this spring, which will include presentations by Mary Beth Sullivan, lecturer in the College Writing Program; and Jason Knight, associate professor in the Political Science, Public Administration, and Planning Department.

The “Conversations” series was started 16 years ago by Ann Colley, SUNY distinguished professor emerita of English, to “celebrate and draw attention to the research being done in various departments at Buffalo State University.” Over this time, colleagues from anthropology, art conservation, art history, biology, chemistry, English, history, mathematics, philosophy, political science, and secondary education, among others, have shared their work with the Buffalo State and Buffalo communities.

Spiritually drained? Need a break from school? The Newman Center at Buffalo State will host an off-campus retreat at the Abbey of the Genesee, near Geneseo, New York, from Friday, September 22, to Sunday, September 24. There will be ample time for prayer, reflection, and recreation... and an opportunity to meet a real live monk! Food and transportation will be provided. Interested? Contact the Newman Center today!

Feel free to email us directly at newmancenter@buffalostate.edu or call us at (716) 882-1080.

The Undergraduate Research Office is accepting applications for the fall 2023 Early Undergraduate Research Opportunity (EURO) Program, which provides lower-division students with the opportunity to serve as a research or creative assistant to a faculty mentor. Stipends of $1,000 (full EURO award) and $500 (EURO micro-projects) are provided for student participation, with an additional $100 available for supplies. Students must be classified as freshmen or sophomores with at least 12 and no more than 60 earned Buffalo State credit hours at time of application. Student contributions to a faculty research or creative project will be presented at the 25th annual Student Research and Creativity Conference in May. Faculty applications are due by Wednesday, September 27. For more details on fall semester programs, please visit the Undergraduate Research website.

The Women and Gender Studies (WGS) Interdisciplinary Unit is searching for faculty and staff members with an interest in serving on the WGS Minor Oversight Committee. This committee is open to faculty, staff, and student participation. 

The oversight committee will be reviewing the course offerings in the WGS minor, actively recruiting new minors, and planning programming, including events for Women's History Month. Committee meetings are held on the second Friday of each month from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. 

Any faculty or staff member interested in serving on the WGS Minor Oversight Committee should email the coordinator, Jennifer Toohey, before Friday, October 6.

Please join us for the presentation "Democratic Governance and Courts as Political Insurance" on Thursday, September 21, at 12:15 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 217. A. K. Shauku, assistant professor, and Peter Yacobucci, associate professor, of the Political Science, Public Administration, and Planning Department, will discuss the decline of the rule of law and the court’s role as a guardian of democracy. Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome.

This event is sponsored by the School of Arts and Sciences, Student Political Society, and Global Studies Institute.

The Neurodiversity Network of WNY, a nonprofit organization that advocates the acceptance and belonging of neurodivergent individuals, such as those who are autistic or have ADHD or other developmental and neurological differences, will be on campus Tuesday, September 26, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby, looking for volunteers.

Please contact the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call (716) 878-3919 with questions.

Review Buffalo State University Interim President Bonita R. Durand, Ph.D.'s remarks from the State of the University address held Thursday in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Dr. Durand reviewed highlights of the past year, provided updates on the current state of the university, and outlined a future vision and plans.

The Undergraduate Research Office is accepting applications for the fall 2023 Early Undergraduate Research Opportunity (EURO) Program, which provides lower-division students with the opportunity to serve as a research or creative assistant to a faculty mentor. Stipends of $1,000 (full EURO award) and $500 (EURO micro-projects) are provided for student participation, with an additional $100 available for supplies. Students must be classified as freshmen or sophomores with at least 12 and no more than 60 earned Buffalo State credit hours at time of application. Student contributions to a faculty research or creative project will be presented at the 25th annual Student Research and Creativity Conference in May. Faculty applications are due by Wednesday, September 27. For more details on fall semester programs, please visit the Undergraduate Research website.

The Dr. Katherine S. Conway-Turner Civic and Community Engagement Office brings to you a semester of voter engagement and voter education programming, starting with voter registration and Citizenship Day events on Monday, September 18, and Tuesday, September 19.

A list of events for this semester appears below. Please visit the CCE Bengals Vote page for a full semester lineup with updates and additional information. Registration is not required, but we encourage all to RSVP to help us better prepare for handouts, supplies, and resources:

Citizenship Day Button Making Service Project
Monday, September 18
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Tabling in the west lobby of E. H. Butler Library

League of Women Voters
Tuesday, September 19
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Tabling in the west lobby of E. H. Butler Library

SUNY Constitution Day
Tuesday, September 19
Four sessions from 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. on Zoom (link will be provided upon registration)

Democracy SPS Movie Night: Fight for Democracy
Tuesday, September 26
6:00–8:30 p.m.
Caudell Hall  123

League of Women Voters
Tuesday, October 3
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Tabling in the west lobby of E. H. Butler Library

Voter Education Week Panel
Thursday, October 5
12:15–1:30 p.m. (Bengal Pause)
Caudell Hall 127

Celebrating Voter Education Day
Thursday, October 26
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
E. H. Butler Library

Walk to the Polls
Tuesday, November 7
Four departure times between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Meet outside the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore in the Campbell Student Union.

Please email the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call (716) 878-3919 with questions.