Please join us for an informal gathering as we say farewell and thank you to Tom Kostusiak, production technical manager in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall, for his 26 years of service to Buffalo State on Thursday, May 25, in the PAC. Stop by anytime between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. to wish him well in his retirement. Refreshments will be served.

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, June 20.

Buffalo State will move to the new discussion creation experience in Brightspace on Wednesday, May 24. The create and edit screen for Discussion topics will have the same layout as in Assignments and Quizzes, making it familiar and easy to learn.

Beyond the restructuring of the topic creation page for consistency, the new experience also includes updates and wording changes to a few settings.

For full details on the change, please review the article "Introducing the New Discussion Creation Experience" on the D2L Brightspace community website or the video "New Discussions Creation Experience | Instructor" on the Brightspace Tutorial YouTube Channel.

Questions about Brightspace functionality can be directed to the SUNY Online Support Desk or through the IT portal via a Brightspace Report an Issue/Ask a Question Ticket.

SUNY and D2L continue to work to provide a quality experience for campuses using Brightspace. When changes to the faculty and student experience occur, they will be highlighted as Brightspace Feature Updates in the IT Knowledge Base and communicated via the Daily Bulletin. 

At the beginning of each month, D2L will release enhancements for all Brightspace institutions. Some of these will be related to administrative aspects and others will be changes to the faculty and student experience. These changes can be referenced in the Knowledge Base article D2L Brightspace Updates.  

SUNY's Campus Implementation Planning Work Group, which is made up of over 100 members of SUNY from across a wide variety of campuses, will also be recommending and making changes within the SUNY DLE environment. These changes can be referenced in the Knowledge Base article SUNY DLE Global Configuration Updates. 

Questions about Brightspace functionality can be directed to the SUNY Online Support Desk or through the IT portal via a Brightspace Report an Issue/Ask a Question Ticket.

A new blended online learning certificate program with a concentration in writing is now available for CSEA-represented NYS employees.

The six-week program, Level Up Your Writing, provides a self-directed way for employees to gain practical skills to write clear, well-organized, and effective business documents. By the end of the program, participants will

• learn to avoid the most common grammar and punctuation mistakes;
• identify methods to successfully plan and organize their writing;
• enhance their writing by using clear, concise language.

Employees are required to complete a specific set of activities each week. Participants must be able to set aside three hours a week to complete the activities:

• Participate in one live webinar a week for the first three weeks. Webinars will be held Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. If you cannot attend one of the live webinars, you will be permitted to view a recording.
• Take four self-paced online learning courses at any time during the program period using the Statewide Learning Management System (SLMS). You must achieve a passing score of 70 percent or higher in each online course.
• Complete weekly writing assignments. Homework assignments are submitted through Canvas, which is a web-based learning management system.
• Choose to participate in optional learning activities. Participants are not required to complete optional courses or activities to receive a certificate; however, these are recommended if you have time.

Employees can apply for this program between Friday, May 12, and Monday, June 12.

The program begins Monday, June 19. To earn a certificate, participants must complete all required courses by Sunday, July 30.

Space in this statewide program is extremely limited. Employees will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. A waitlist will be maintained if necessary. You must have supervisory approval to participate in the course.

Detailed information on the course and registration information are available on the NYS & CSEA Partnership website or by contacting the NYS & CSEA Partnership, (800) 253-4332.

Edmund Haspett from TIAA will be on campus for individual consultations with Buffalo State faculty and staff members on Monday, June 12, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 416.

Appointments are required.

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

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?

Internship coordinators and the Career and Professional Education staff are pleased to recognize 12 recipients of the Department Intern of the Year Award. Interns were selected by their academic departments because their hard work, dedication, and performance exceeded employer and faculty expectations. Additionally, they demonstrated a high level of learning and growth during their internship while maintaining exceptional professionalism. A ceremony on May 11 recognized the following students, faculty members, and community partners. Please join us in congratulating this year’s award winners:

Daisy L. Ambrusko, Social Work
Internship Site: Preventionfocus – The Supper Club

Alana Bengert, Business Administration
Internship Site: Moog

Bradley Benz, Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration
Internship Site: Trocaire College

Kashmir Bowser, Anthropology
Internship Site: International Institute of Buffalo

Cassandra Brown, International Relations
Internship Site: SUNY Buffalo State University

LeeAnne Dutkiewicz, Art and Design
Internship Site: 26 Shirts

Morgan Harrington, Psychology
Internship Site: Peaceprints of WNY

Grace Maciejewski, Computer Information Systems
Internship Site: Buffalo State Information Technology – Client Systems

Matilda McDonough, Applied and Computational Mathematics
Internship Site: Independent Health

Emily Purcell, Hospitality Administration
Internship Site: Hilton Garden Inn

Sajad Sahi, Computer Information Systems
Internship Site: Buffalo State Information Technology – Client Systems

Liam Sperrazza, Art History
Internship Site: Burchfield Penney Art Center

The Career and Professional Education Center is excited to announce the summer 2023 recipients of the Bengal Internship Award. The award was created in 2022 to financially support students in unpaid or underpaid internships and was made possible by generous donations from M&T Bank, Enterprise Holdings, and faculty, staff, and alumni donors through the Buffalo State Day of Giving. Recipients were celebrated at the Department Intern of the Year Celebration on May 11. 

2023 Award Recipients

• Giselle Aguirre, Hospitality Administration, AIFS, Barcelona Spain
• Joseph Bastian, Digital Music Production, Mammoth Recording Studio
• Mimi Byrne, Biology, Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Ashley Casillo, Dietetics, Harris Hill Nursing Facility
• Tyler Chen, Business Administration, Ithaca Children's Garden, Ithaca, New York
• Jessica Fernandez, Political Science, Studio Legale Ferrando, Genoa, Italy
• Stephanie Hassell, Dietetics, Buffalo General
• Sophie Jones, Public Relations, Kiawah Resort, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
• Takiah McElroy, Individualized Studies, BestSelf Behavioral
• Alexis Reed, Business Administration, Hamburg Town Hall
• Victoria Sasso, Psychology, Horizon Health Services
• Mykayla Williams, Environmental Geography,  Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District

Thank you to members of the Bengal Internship Award Committee: 

• Sue Maguire, Associate Professor, Internship Coordinator, Anthropology Department representing the School of Arts and Sciences
• Dae-Young Kim, Associate Professor, Internship Coordinator, Criminal Justice Department representing the School of the Professions
• Atta Ceesay, Chair and Associate Professor, Internship Coordinator, Political Science and Public Administration Department representing the Graduate School
• Maureen Huber, Associate Director of CAPE
• Christina Clark, Student Representative and 2022 Recipient of the Bengal Internship Award

If you would like to make a donation to the Bengal Internship Award, please visit our donation page.

Our Buffalo State Team has over 45 individuals registered, but we’d love to see so many more to run or walk or just commune and support.

The J. P. Morgan Corporate Challenge will be held Thursday, June 15, in Delaware Park. The 3.5-mile race starts at 6:25 p.m. The registration fee is $38 per person. Registration closes Tuesday, May 23. Please register online for the Buffalo State University team.

Please encourage your colleagues to register, too. The Corporate Challenge is a great time to connect with colleagues and community partners. The registration fee includes the hospitality tent, a team T-shirt, and much more.

More information is available on the J. P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge website.

J. P. Morgan Chase is proud to support City Year as the 2023 J. P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Buffalo beneficiary. Buffalo recruits and trains student success coaches (SSCs) ages 18-25 from diverse backgrounds to serve full time in underserved local schools. SSCs help ensure that all students at these schools—regardless of race or economic background—receive an excellent education. SSCs support teachers and deliver additional tutoring and coaching in literacy, math, and social-emotional learning so students can build the academic skills and attitudes to reach their full potential.

The SUNY SAIL Institute offers a complimentary webinar series, Leaders Learning Live, every third Thursday of the month from noon to 1:00 p.m. This interview-style webinar series provides insights into a wide variety of higher education leadership topics and best practices at no cost. Simply register in advance to receive the Zoom link. We look forward to engaging with you online and hope you will share this exciting opportunity with your colleagues.

2023 Webinar Lineup

• I've Served as Chair, What's Next? - June 15
• Cabinet Dynamics - July 20
• Strategic Planning - August 17
• Change Leadership at SUNY - September 21
• Building a Transformative Research Culture - October 19
• Meditation: What to Do? - November 16
• Community Colleges SUNY's Hidden Treasure - December 21