Join the Buffalo State Newman Center for an ice cream social on Monday, August 28, at 6:30 p.m. There will be a variety of flavors and toppings to enjoy. Stay to play board games, card games, and more. Meet other students at the Newman Center as the semester begins. All are welcome! 

Check out the Newman Center website for a full schedule of activities. The Newman Center is located at 1219 Elmwood Avenue (directly across the street from the Burchfield Penney Art Center). Please call (716) 882-1080 or email the Newman Center with questions.

The Social Justice Book Club will read a variety of short stories from the science fiction genre this semester, emphasizing authors of color and featuring social justice themes.

The book club meets in person every other Thursday, beginning September 14, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library, Group Study Room 6. Meeting dates are September 14 and 28, October 12 and 26, and November 9 and 30. Drop in for one session, a few, or all six!

The book club is free and open to all Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff members. Readings will be provided as PDFs to all registered participants.

Anyone interested in joining the book club should fill out the online form.

More information is available on the Social Justice Book Club website.

Questions can be directed to Julie Setele, senior assistant librarian.

This program was made possible with the support of E. H. Butler Library, the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, Student Leadership and Engagement, the Muriel A. Howard Honors Program, the Women and Gender Studies Interdisciplinary Unit, the Grant Allocation Committee, the Anne Frank Project, and Haymarket Books.

The Newman Center at Buffalo State will gather as a community of faith to formally open the academic year and celebrate the Annual Convocation and Liturgy of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, September 10, at 10:00 a.m. We welcome all members of the community to join with students, staff, faculty, family, and friends for Mass in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. This year, we will honor and present the John Henry Cardinal Newman Award to Kristen Helling, associate director of student care and support, in recognition of her support of Catholic Campus Ministry.

A light reception will follow the Mass. To help us prepare for this event, please email the Newman Center or call  (716) 882-1080 if you plan to attend. Please include your name and the number of people who will be attending.

Please join the Buffalo State community for Bengals Dare to Care Day on Saturday, September 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bengals Dare to Care Day is a morning of service in the community where we show our Bengal colors and demonstrate our commitment to the community.

As SUNY’s urban-engaged anchor institution, Buffalo State highlights its civic mission in many important ways, and Bengals Dare to Care Day is one more way to exemplify how Buffalo State fulfills its goal of community collaborations that benefit student learning and community priorities. 

Bengals Dare to Care Day projects are identified in partnership with community organizations across the city of Buffalo. Transportation and lunch are provided—all you have to do is register! There’s something for everyone, including some behind-the-scenes work and plenty of leadership opportunities. A complete list of projects and registration information can be found on the Civic and Community Engagement website.

The 26th annual Buffalo State Foundation Golf and Tennis Scholarship Classic is set to take place on Tuesday, September 26, at the Orchard Park Country Club. We are excited to extend a special offer to both current and retired faculty and staff members, providing discounted rates for participation. Golfers can take part for $300, which includes brunch, a round of golf, and on-course snacks and beverages, as well as dinner and awards.

All proceeds generated from the event will go directly toward supporting student scholarships. Golf registration will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. Please contact Elizabeth Grady in Institutional Advancement to register or for more information.

The SUNY Center for Professional Development (CPD) OTTER Institute (Online Teaching: Technology and Educational Resources) is an opportunity for practitioners, regardless of teaching modality, to learn more about online education’s innovations, trends, and challenges; see examples of best practices for course design and delivery within Brightspace; and learn about the tools and features within Brightspace that will help them create and deliver effective and engaging digital course content. 

The 2023 OTTER Institute consists of weekly two-hour webinars. The webinars are recorded, and the recordings will be available on the Digital Learning Environment (DLE) website and in the companion Brightspace course. Following the weekly webinars, participants will have an opportunity to work with instructional designers and Brightspace experts.

The following webinars will take place from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.:

Customizing Your Course with Release Conditions and Intelligent Agents
Monday, August 28

Grading and Providing Formative Assessment
Tuesday, September 5

Assessing Your Course
Monday, September 11

Making Iterative Changes/Refreshing Your Course 
Monday, September 18

Learn more and register on the SUNY CPD website.

Buffalo State University will host a public Citizen Preparedness Training as part of National Preparedness Month on Tuesday, September 19, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Newman Lecture Hall, Bulger Communication Center 215.

With severe weather events becoming more frequent and more extreme, it is more important than ever that New Yorkers be prepared for disasters. The NY Citizen Preparedness Training Program teaches residents to have the tools and resources to prepare for any type of disaster, respond accordingly, and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions. This training course will provide an introduction to responding to a natural or human-made disaster. Participants will be advised on how to properly prepare for any disaster, including developing a family emergency plan and stocking up on emergency supplies. Each family that attends will receive one preparedness kit (one per household). This event is free and open to the public.

All participants must register in advance.

More than 80 live instructor-led courses and webinars will soon be available to CSEA-represented employees through the NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and Training’s Fall 2023 Skills for Success catalog.

Participants will gain the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to meet their personal and professional development goals. Courses and webinars run from September through December. The catalog contains course and webinar descriptions, dates, and start and end times.

Additional information is available on the NYS & CSEA Partnership website.

All CSEA-represented employees are encouraged to take advantage of these valuable training opportunities. Employees may enroll through the Statewide Learning Management System or by completing the application form located in the catalog or online.

For more information, please email the NYS & CSEA Partnership or call (800) 253-4332.

All faculty members are encouraged to attend training for Brightspace, the SUNY-wide learning management system.

Training Options
In-person and online training sessions are being offered by Instructional Design and Distance Learning (IDDL). Please visit the Workshop Registration System to view and register for Brightspace workshops and open labs.

Have other questions or need assistance?

• The Buffalo State IT Knowledge Base has many articles to assist with Brightspace. Use the search bar at the top to find information on other topics.
• Please direct any questions about Brightspace functionality to the SUNY Online Help Desk.
• If you need on-campus assistance from Instructional Design and Distance Learning, please submit a ticket through the IT portal.

Buffalo State will welcome back its returning residential students on Saturday, August 26. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., all students will check in at the Sports Arena, but please expect additional traffic across campus all day. University Police will have officers assisting with traffic flow, unloading, and parking. We thank you for your assistance in welcoming our returning students.