All faculty members are encouraged to begin training in Brightspace, the new SUNY-wide learning management system selected to replace Blackboard. The Brightspace Fundamentals Workshop Series is designed for instructors new to Brightspace and is suitable for instructors teaching in any modality: face-to-face, hybrid, or online.

Workshops in the series are Navigation and Interface; Communication Tools; Authoring and Publishing Content; Gradable Activities: Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes; and Gradebook.

Starting with J-Term 2023, all courses will use Brightspace, and content and student data will begin to be archived for historical purposes. Faculty members teaching in J-Term and spring 2023 are able to access their courses now. Log in at Buffalo State's Brightspace, and be sure to use the network log-in and your Buffalo State credentials. If you are experiencing log-in issues, please submit a ticket via the IT portal.

Training Options
Online synchronous workshops will be provided by the SUNY Center for Professional Development. Registration is open.

Online asynchronous modules are available within the Buffalo State Brightspace environment. You can log in to mylearning.buffalostate.edu using the Network Login option with your Buffalo State username and password. If you are experiencing log-in issues, please submit a ticket via the IT portal.

In-person sessions will be offered by Instructional Design and Distance Learning (IDDL) and the Teaching and Learning Center. These sessions will be hosted on campus in a variety of labs across campus. Registration is through the Workshop Registration System.

Please contact Jamie Tabone, instructional designer, with questions. Please see the IDDL website for more information.

Please join us for a panel discussion with faculty members who are currently working in the new Brightspace learning management system on Thursday, November 17, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 314.

Buffalo State has 25 pilot faculty members teaching more than 90 course sections to over 900 Buffalo State students for the fall 2022 semester. This is your opportunity to ask questions of your colleagues who can share their experience with you! We will begin the session with a brief overview of the project and where we are currently are with the implementation.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Desire2Learn Brightspace was selected as the new learning management system for the SUNY Digital Learning Environment. Starting with J-Term 2023, all courses will use Brightspace, and content and student data will begin to be archived for historical purposes.

Faculty teaching in J-Term and spring 2023 are able to access their courses now. Log in at Buffalo State's Brightspace, and be sure to use the network log-in and your Buffalo State credentials. If you are experiencing log-in issues, please submit a ticket via the IT portal.

Please contact Jamie Tabone, instructional designer, with questions. Please see the Instructional Design and Distance Learning website for more information.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The next meeting of the College Senate for fall 2022 will be held Friday, November 11, at 3:00 p.m. in Newman Lecture Hall, Bulger Communication Center 215. Kimberly Kline, professor of higher education administration, serves as chair of the College Senate for the 2022–2023 academic year. Please contact Dr. Kline with questions.

We encourage everyone to visit the College Senate website to catch up on Senate news, find podcasts and minutes of past meetings, review reports and resolutions, and more.

Butler Library is conducting a faculty survey related to its Alternative Learning Materials Initiative (ALMI).

Faculty members are invited and encouraged to complete a brief survey (2–4 minutes) indicating which courses they are teaching during the spring 2023 semester that have zero textbook costs (ZTC). ZTC courses do not require students to purchase textbooks or other learning materials; instead they use open educational resources (OER), library resources, faculty-created resources, and other materials that are freely accessible to students. Gathering this data will enable us to meet SUNY reporting requirements. 

Designating your course as ZTC will help make the costs of higher education more transparent to students and will increase equitable access to the materials students need to succeed. 

Please take a moment to answer this brief survey. You will be asked to provide the spring 2023 CRNs for your ZTC courses. ZTC courses will be designated in Banner so that they are easily identifiable by students during registration. Your department administrator should be able to provide CRNs. The survey also asks for information about the use of OER in courses. 

Please contact Chris Hulsman, faculty librarian in Butler Library, with questions.

'The time has come', Ol' Benji said,
'To think about the Spring.
To gather books, both large and small,
and throw them in the ring.

'You see our students tend to thrive,
when we do this one thing.
Submit your texts and course supplies,
You'll make Ol' Benji sing!

'I am here to help you out,
if questions do arise.
So please reach out, don't hesitate,
I love to socialize!'

I hope you liked my little poem, but more important, I hope it got your attention. Here's how you can submit your adoptions for spring: Log in to Blackboard, go to Faculty Resources, select Adoption Insight Portal (AIP).

Please contact me, Trista Hayes, textbook manager at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore, (716) 878-5509, with any questions or problems with the portal.

Thank you!

Please join the Higher Education Administration Department and the Buffalo State community in honoring the life and legacy of Althea Jones-Johnson on Thursday, November 10, at 5:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall.

Ms. Jones-Johnson was a 2022 alumna of the higher education and student affairs administration (HESAA) graduate program. She served as an assistant complex director in Residence Life, a graduate intern for Orientation, and a teaching assistant for Upward Bound; in her last semester, she took on a full-time role as the student conduct coordinator at Buffalo State.

Ms. Jones-Johnson was a native of Aurora, North Carolina, but she began her higher education journey in 2016 as a student at Finger Lakes Community College, where she earned an associate of science degree in human services. Inspired by her own experiences at FLCC and the needs she saw for students of color, she and a fellow friend and alum of FLCC created the George Floyd Scholarship at FLCC.

Ms. Jones-Johnson received the HEA Department Award for Authenticity in May 2022, which seeks to honor an individual who consistently demonstrates an understanding of, and commitment to, their personal values and sense of self. This award will be renamed the Althea Jones-Johnson Award for Authenticity as a reminder of both the spirit and intent of the award, which she exemplified both personally and professionally.

Those who are looking to honor her legacy and ensure that her mission and lifework are carried forward may consider making a donation on her behalf to the FLCC George Floyd Scholarship. Please be sure to specify your donation to the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship, and please consider typing "In honor of Althea Jones-Johnson" as the other designation.

We’re having a fiesta! Fiesta Friday is way to say thank you for being good members of the community. To qualify for consideration, students must not have any conduct violations or open sanctions. Stop by for refreshments tomorrow, November 4, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby. Please bring your Buffalo State ID.

Sponsored by Student Conduct and Community Standards.

Nothing warms our hearts in the Continuing Professional Studies office more than seeing high school students earn SUNY Buffalo State college credits. Fun fact: We had 284 students earn college credit with us during the 2021–2022 school year and are up to 26 dual-earning courses. We work very closely with guidance counselors and teachers, but we realized that we are missing a crucial stakeholder—parents! And we also realized that there are lots of parents right here on our campus.

We are looking to pull together a contact list of faculty and staff members who are currently navigating high school as a parent or in a parental role. We may send you a survey or two, arrange a quick focus group, or ask for your opinion. We promise the time commitment will be minimal.

If you would be willing to share your perspective with us, please complete this brief form to join our contact list. You will help us create a first-in-class dual-credit experience.

Are you interested in integrating community-engaged learning in your courses but aren't sure where to start? Would you like to connect with other Western New York faculty members who are interested in community-engaged teaching? Join the 100-plus Buffalo State faculty members who have become faculty fellows with the Civic and Community Engagement Office (CCE) and the Western New York Service-Learning Coalition. 

Faculty fellows sessions will be facilitated by Edward Zlotkowski, professor of English and media studies at Bentley University, and sponsored by the WNY Service-Learning Coalition. The training will take place virtually on Wednesday, January 11, and Thursday, January 12, 2023, and will be broken into three sessions, as follows:

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JANUARY 11
Session 1
Service-Learning and Community-Engaged Learning Overview
10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Session 2
Reflection
2:00–3:30 p.m.

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JANUARY 12
Session 3
Course Design and Community Partnerships
2:00–3:30 p.m.

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Fellows acquire an in-depth understanding of service-learning pedagogy and are then supported through the process of converting an existing course or creating a new course that incorporates service learning. Time will be dedicated to exploring ways to maintain high-quality, community-based learning in distance-learning and on-site environments. Dr. Zlotkowski’s two-day master class in service learning is appropriate for both long-term practitioners and beginners. Fellows must commit to attending the entire program.

Details and application materials can be found on the WNY Service-Learning Coalition website.

If interested, please register (preferably) by Tuesday, December 27. Please contact the Civic and Community Engagement Office, (716) 878-3919, with questions.

Congratulations to Lori Mabry from Financial Management, who won the Buffalo Bills package in the latest SEFA drawing. Because the raffle was such a success, we will have another basket raffle from D’Avolio’s containing gourmet olive oils, balsamic vinegar, healthful flavored risotto, and a $25 gift card to Wegmans to use for yourself or as a Thanksgiving gift. You will be automatically entered into the drawing if you increase your pledge amount from last year. The names of those who already submitted an increased pledge will be entered into this drawing as well.

Please consider giving to these agencies who need your support: the Buffalo State Child Care Center (57-00160), SPCA Niagara County (57-00712), SPCA Erie County (57-00158), Horizon Health Services (57-00457), Journey’s End Refugee Services (57-00112), or any of the several charitable agencies in the 2022 SEFA booklet (PDF, 5 MB). Hurry and get your pledge in; the next basket drawing will be held Thursday, November 17.

Additionally, SEFA/United Way Campaign internal prizes to be awarded at the end of the campaign are as follows:

• 150th Sunday brunch for 10 people at the President’s House, donated by President Conway-Turner
• Reserved parking space, donated by Vice President Barnum
• Office pizza party for up to 12 people, donated by Provost Mayrose
• Bengal deck party for 10 people, with seasonal refreshments at a fall 2023 football game, donated by Vice President Gordon
• Two tickets to the Bengala Scholarship Gala, donated by Vice President Finnerty
• $100 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore, donated by Lynn Puma
• Lunch for four with other surprise items to celebrate Campus House's 20th anniversary, donated by Jeffrey Hirschfelt.

Please consider making your donation before the end of the SEFA/United Way Campaign. Contact your departmental ambassador or email hejnamc@buffalostate.edu for more information.