The Western New York Writing Project—a branch of the National Writing Project housed in Buffalo State’s Center for English Teaching and led by English education faculty members Katherine Macro, Maggie Herb, and Hilary Lochte—will hold its Summer Institute at the Writing Center in E. H. Butler Library from July 10 to 14.

The institute—a weeklong workshop for teachers at all levels—will focus on the theme “Our Words in the World: Writing for Change,” exploring how teachers and students can use writing to create change in their classrooms and communities. The institute will feature interactive workshops and lesson-planning sessions, as well as time for participants to do their own writing and research.

Teachers and teacher candidates from across the region, at any grade level, with any level of experience, who have an interest in and commitment to advancing writing and the teaching of writing are welcome. Registration is open through Saturday, July 1. Please email the Western New York Writing Project with questions or for more information.

The current security certificate for the campus wireless network expires Friday, June 30. As a reminder, faculty and staff members have a choice of wireless connections on campus: Bengal, the secure wireless network, or BengalOpen16, the public wireless network. Employees are strongly encouraged to use the secure connection (Bengal) for reasons of convenience and security.

The campus uses a third-party application, Cloudpath, to deliver the security certificate to users’ mobile devices. This security certificate allows employees to use their Buffalo State credentials to connect to the Buffalo State secure wireless network (Bengal). Once users install this certificate and log in, they should remain logged in until the certificate expires. The certificate is good for one year. The current certificate expires June 30. Please update your certificate now.

To update your certificate, use your mobile device to go to the Buffalo State Secure Wireless page. Click “Enroll Your Device” and follow the directions. Do this for each mobile device that you use to connect to the Buffalo State secure wireless network.

Edmund Haspett from TIAA will be on campus for individual consultations with Buffalo State faculty and staff members on Thursday, July 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 416.

Appointments are required.

Sign up today. Space is limited! Visit the TIAA website to schedule an appointment or call (800) 732-8353 weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Discuss your financial situation with an experienced TIAA consultant to help you plan for your future and pursue your financial goals. Take this opportunity to review your retirement savings or to increase or start a tax-deferred annuity.

Get answers to these questions and more:

• Am I invested in the right mix of investments to help meet my goals?
• Am I saving enough to create the retirement income I need?
• How do I take income from my retirement account once I stop working?

Space is limited. Sign up today.

Tomorrow, June 30, is the last day of the Special Option Transfer Period, which offers active New York State CSEA, USC, and M/C employees; legislature employees; and New York State retirees the chance to change their elected health plan option.

This special transfer period is the result of new ratified contract(s) with these bargaining units and changes to the Empire Plan effective July 1, 2023.

Information was mailed to employees’ addresses on file as of April 22, 2023, regarding this Special Option Transfer Period and the rate changes.

The publication “NYSHIP July 1, 2023, Rate Changes” (PDF, 700 KB) provides information regarding the special option period and rates. This booklet and other option transfer publications are available on the NYSHIP Online website. Select your group and plan when prompted, then select Health Benefits and Option Transfer.

A 12-minute online presentation explaining the changes to the Empire Plan, effective July 1, 2023, is also available.

Copies of the Summary of Benefits and Coverage for individual health plans can be obtained by phone at (877) 769-7447 or on the Department of Civil Service website.

To change your health insurance option during this Special Option Transfer Period, please return the completed and signed Health Insurance Transaction Form (PDF, 85 KB) to the Employee Benefits Office, Cleveland Hall 403, by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, June 30. Changes will be effective Thursday, July 6.

No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance option.

If you have questions, please contact the Buffalo State Benefits Office, (716) 878-4821.

Please join us for a farewell reception for Laurie Kaiser, interim director of media relations in the Marketing and Communications Office, on Wednesday, June 28, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 205. Ms. Kaiser has accepted a position as news content manager with the University at Buffalo. Her last day at Buffalo State will be June 28.

Joining the campus in 2011 as a public relations staff writer, Ms. Kaiser was promoted to assistant director of communications in 2018 and to interim media relations director in fall 2022. In these roles she has adroitly handled public and media relations; crafted communiqués and talking points for the administration; and promoted Buffalo State through her extensive writing for News, the Daily Bulletin, and 1300 Elmwood, among many other projects. Her expert storytelling has informed recruitment and development efforts for undergraduate and graduate admissions and Institutional Advancement for well over a decade.

Please stop by to wish her well in her new role. Light refreshments will be served.

If you find yourself posting the same materials to different sections of the same course during a semester, you can request that your course sections be combined into a single Brightspace course site.

Courses that are cross-listed in the registration system (Banner) are automatically merged in the system. These cross-listed courses are coordinated between the department and the Registrar’s Office. You do not need to request a merger.

The IT Knowledge Base article Merged and Cross-Listed Rosters in Brightspace provides information on this functionality and how it works. For cross-listed courses and merged courses, the lowest CRN is the parent course. The parent course is the course you should develop content for and make active when ready. While waiting for a merger, you can begin developing immediately in the parent (lowest CRN) course.

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.
• Questions about Brightspace functionality may be directed to SUNY Online.
• If you need on-campus assistance from Instructional Design and Distance Learning, please submit a ticket through the IT portal.    

Buffalo State's Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium has been nominated in two categories of the Kids Out and About top places to bring kids in Western New York! This is a great opportunity to gain some recognition (and free advertising) for the planetarium and Buffalo State University, but we need your votes!

To help us, please take the 2023 Buffalo Area Top-20 Survey and vote for the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium in two categories: the Top 3 Favorite Places to Take Kids and the Favorite Local Place for STEM Education.

The survey will take three to four minutes, and you’ll have the opportunity to enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

This is time sensitive: The survey is open through Monday, June 19. Thank you for your support!

The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan (NYSDCP) will host the following free educational webinars for all employees who wish to attend. The NYSDCP is a supplemental retirement plan, also known as a 457(b) plan, designed to help state and local public employees achieve their retirement savings goals and help bridge any potential financial gap in retirement. Employees may contribute to a 457(b) in place of or in addition to a 403(b) plan.

Join the meetings from your computer, tablet, or phone.

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Countdown to Retirement
Monday, June 19
9:00 a.m.

This webinar discusses some important considerations for those planning for or contemplating retirement. The presentation will discuss longevity, income sources, asset consolidation, and withdrawals or required minimum distributions.

Join the Microsoft Teams meeting on your computer or mobile app or call in by phone (audio only) at (917) 983-6123.
Phone Conference ID: 944 069 087#
Meeting ID: 253 821 800 549
Passcode: zCzySz

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Enrollment
Wednesday, June 28
Noon

This webinar will explain the benefits of enrolling and participating in the NYS Deferred Compensation Plan and how it can help you better prepare for and live in retirement. It will include the basics of investing, investment options, and pre-tax contributions and an overview of the easy and secure online enrollment process.

Join the Microsoft Teams meeting on your computer or mobile app or call in by phone (audio only) at (917) 983-6123.
Phone Conference ID: 758 176 113#
Meeting ID: 271 668 110 31
Passcode: eKx9Rw

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Economic Overview
Thursday, June 29
Noon

This webinar will provide an update on the state of the economy for the second half of 2023, including the outlook for the Fed, inflation, and upcoming prospects of the current year. All are welcome to participate. Registration is required.

Today's faculty-staff meet and greet with Interim President Bonita R. Durand from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. has been moved to the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Hot dogs, hamburgers, salad, corn on the cob, watermelon, and ice cream sundaes will be provided. RSVPs were due by June 13. Please email Tom Gwitt, secretary to the president, with questions.

The Teaching and Learning Center presents a yearlong faculty development program that encourages full- and part-time faculty members to examine their lives as teacher-scholars and become as HIP (high-impact practice) as they want to be. Some will make a series of small tweaks. Others might be looking for a more dramatic overhaul. Whether the goal is to be HIP-ish, HIP-er, or HIP-est, the program seeks to reinvigorate our collective passion for learning and discover additional ways to share that passion with students.

The program kicks off with sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, August 16 and 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (with lunch provided). Five sessions will be held during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) during the fall semester—September 7 and 21, October 12 and 26, and December 7—focusing on a variety of pedagogical topics. Class visits with other members of the cohort will happen in November. The spring 2024 schedule will follow a similar pattern with the dates and times to be determined. The expectation is that participants will commit to the full slate of sessions in 2023–2024 with a completion celebration hosted by the provost in May 2024.  

Interested faculty members are encouraged to complete the online application by Tuesday, July 11.

Please email John Draeger, director of the Teaching and Learning Center, with questions.