Effective January 1, 2023, the new standard mileage rate for personal automobile travel has increased to 65.5 cents per mile. 

For more information, please see the Office of the New York State Comptroller website. Please contact Buffalo State Accounts Payable with questions.

The Bengal Stripes Leadership Program (BSLP) seeks to prepare students and develop the essential skills necessary to be personally, professionally, and academically successful at Buffalo State University and beyond. Starting in spring 2023, BSLP will consist of experience-based education, training, and development opportunities.The program is free and open to all Buffalo State students. Participants will track their progress using the Bengal Connect paths feature.

The program will include group projects and community-building activities to help students to create long-lasting connections with their peers, increasing students’ sense of belonging to Buffalo State.

Students who have completed all program requirements will be honored at the Dean of Students annual Bengal Banquet and earn the certificate of recognition in student leadership. The certificate of recognition is non-credit bearing. 

Please visit the Student Leadership and Engagement website for a full list of workshops and programs. 

Bengal Stripes Leadership Program Goals

Students will

• build a supportive and inclusive peer network;
• establish relationships with college staff;
• become familiar with and use campus resources;
• better understand personal strengths and communication styles;
• learn or improve important transferable skills including time management, stress management, leadership, mindfulness, critical thinking, problem solving, goal setting, résumé development, resilience, and conflict management.

Please contact Student Leadership and Engagement, (716) 878-4631, with questions or to request more information on the program.

The campus community is invited to attend the New York State EAP webinar “Explore the Eight Wellness Dimensions!” on Wednesday, February 1, from noon to 12:20 p.m.

A wellness lifestyle includes practicing healthful choices within all the dimensions of well-being. Join us as we share information about each dimension and learn how they are all connected to each other. This 20-minute seminar, presented by Linda Carignan-Everts, WLS wellness coordinator for NYS Work-Life Services, will provide a wellness challenge to engage in for the month of February (or attendees may choose their own challenge). All participants who attend the webinar live will be invited to a follow-up webinar on February 28.

Please register through the WebEx meeting registration page. You will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the webinar. This session will be recorded and made available on the WellNYS Everyday website.

Need assistance with your course in Brightspace? All faculty members and students are encouraged to attend Brightspace Open Lab sessions in Butler Library 314 on Monday, January 30, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. or Tuesday, January 31, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

This lab is an open forum devoted to answering questions and solving problems that faculty members and students may have about navigating Brightspace. Bring your course-specific questions and have them answered here.

Register for the January 30 workshop.

Register for the January 31 workshop.

Join the Johnetta R. Cole AMVETS Post 24 and the African American Veterans Arts and Culture Corporation in the Campbell Student Union lobby every Tuesday from February 21 to March 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The African American Veterans Arts and Culture Corporation honors African American veterans with tours, exhibits, and celebrations. The organization spearheaded the first annual parade in the nation to honor African American veterans for their service and sacrifices. The AAVACC is looking to expand its reach within the university community.

Please contact Buffalo State alumna and veteran Debbera M. Ransom, (716) 563-2536, with questions or comments.

Please remind students that when they are signed in to Banner, they can click on the Schedule Planner link. Students can easily search for Open Classes Only (classes that have seats available) by selecting this option in the Course Status field and selecting spring 2023 for the term.

Join the Faculty Development, Online Learning, and Instructional Design and Distance Learning teams from Buffalo State University, D'Youville University, Niagara University, and Siena College for the webinar "ChatGPT and What It Might Mean for Higher Education" on Friday, February 3, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. The teams will provide insight into the benefits and drawbacks of ChatGPT in education and will share their own experiences using this AI tool.

Don't miss this valuable opportunity to collectively grapple with this emerging technology and its implications.

Please register online. Zoom information will be sent to registrants the day of the webinar.

Please contact Jamie Tabone, instructional designer and lecturer, with questions.

Buffalo State faculty and staff members may request a Brightspace Community Organization for campus-related activities. Organizations are an ideal place to connect users that share common interests or extracurricular activities.

Organizations are available upon request for campus-related purposes, such as hosting discussions or content for committees, research teams, or departmental training, or to communicate with department majors, minors, and concentrations.

Organizations can support instruction and academic courses; however, student assignments, feedback, and grades should not be included in these organizations but should be retained within the official course site that correlates with the official course the student is registered for in Banner. 

An organization is created only once for a particular leader and purpose.

This Knowledge Base article, Learning Management System (Brightspace): Community Organization, explains the steps to take. 

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 SUNY Online. 
• If you need on-campus assistance from Instructional Design and Distance Learning, please submit a ticket through the IT portal. 
• Check for upcoming Brightspace workshops on campus in the Workshop Registration System. 

The Creativity and Change Leadership Department will run its signature workshop, Applied Imagination, on Friday, February 10, from 9:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Chase Hall 215. You'll discover how you solve challenges, understand how your peers solve challenges, and experience tools to solve challenges better together.  Discounts are available for faculty, staff, alumni, educators, and nonprofits. Please contact the Continuing Professional Studies Office, (716) 878-5907, for more information. Registration closes Thursday, February 2.

More information including registration is available on the Continuing Professional Studies website.

CSEA employees, advance your career at no cost with the latest courses and webinars from the NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and Training. The partnership is pleased to announce its 2023 spring webinar series. Live, instructor-led courses and webinars provide CSEA-represented employees with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to meet their personal and professional development goals. 

To view a list of available courses and to register, please visit the NYS & CSEA Partnership website. Webinar classes fill quickly, so please register as soon as possible. A PDF version of the catalog (2.7 MB) is also available.

To participate in a webinar, employees need access to a phone, computer, and internet connection. Your supervisor must approve your enrollment for your request to be finalized and for you to be officially enrolled.  More information on enrolling can be found online.

For more information, please visit the NYS & CSEA Partnership website.