The campus community is invited to attend the New York State EAP webinar “What Am I Planning to Eat Today?” on Wednesday, March 3, from noon to 12:30 p.m.

In order to eat healthier, there are a simple set of questions to ask yourself daily, starting with “What am I planning to eat today?” During this seminar, Linda Carignan-Everts, EAP wellness coordinator, NYS Work-Life Services, will help you honestly answer these questions to set yourself up for making the best choices. Please join us to find out the additional questions.

To join the webinar: 
Visit the NY State Webex training website.
Enter your name and e-mail address.
Enter the session password: Wellnys2021.
Click "Join Now."
Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Information Technology will perform a required service to network technology on Friday, February 26, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Employees working off campus who use Direct Access to connect to the Buffalo State College network will not have access to personal or department network file shares during this period. Access will be restored once service to the network is complete. Please check the IT Alerts page for information on outages.

Who is affected? Those who use Direct Access to connect
If you are working off campus and connect to personal or department network file shares via Direct Access from your PC laptop, you will not have access to your personal and department file shares during the scheduled downtime.

Who is not affected? Those who use Remote Desktop (RD) to connect
If you are working off campus and use Remote Desktop to connect to personal or network file shares on campus, you will continue to have access to your personal and department network file shares during the scheduled downtime.

Please join us for the second presentation in the Data Science and Analytics Spring 2021 Seminar Series, "Renewable Energy Analytics," presented by Nick Gilewski, outage coordinator and operations supervisor for the New York State Power Authority, on Thursday, March 4, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Dr. Gilewski will speak about about why data analytics are so important in understanding the smart electric grid, and renewable energy in regulated and deregulated states.

Talking Points

• New York State Grid
• Renewable Energy in Regulated and Deregulated States
• Data Analytics and Statistical Analysis

Please join the session through Zoom.
Meeting ID: 816 6076 0717
Passcode: 569434

The spring 2021 “Conversations in and out of the Disciplines” series kicks off Friday, February 26, at 3:00 p.m. on Zoom as Jevon Hunter, Woods-Beals Endowed Chair in Urban Education in the School of Education, and interim chair of the Social and Psychological Foundations of Education and Adult Education departments, presents “#BlackBoyJoy...All Day, E’erday: Learning from the Literate Lives of Buffalo’s African-American Adolescent Males—with Appreciation, Gratitude, and Love.”

Join the Zoom meeting.
Meeting ID: 876 5348 3462
Join by phone: (929) 205-6099 (New York)

Please also mark your calendars for the second and third talks of the spring semester: Kristen Pastore-Capuana, assistant professor of English, will present “Invested Stayers: How Teachers Thrive in Challenging Times” on Friday, March 19; and A. K. Shauku, assistant professor of political science and public administration, will present “Considering the Costs of Circuit Conflict" on Friday, April 30. Each talk will be held on Zoom (details forthcoming) and will begin at 3:00 p.m. As usual, following each talk, we will have a “Q&A” with the speaker and a (virtual) wine and cheese reception. Everyone is welcome.

The “Conversations” series was started over a decade ago by Ann Colley, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emerita of English, to “celebrate and draw attention to the research being done in various departments at Buffalo State College.” Over the last decade, colleagues from Anthropology, Art Conservation, Art History, Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, and Secondary Education, among others, have shared their work with the Buffalo State and Buffalo communities.

The Banner Document Manager (BDM) production platform will be temporarily unavailable during scheduled maintenance from 5:00 p.m. Monday, February 22, until about 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 23. 

During this maintenance window, there will be no access to BDM to perform these related tasks: scanning via Image Capture/Batching/Indexing/Lookups or use of Report Manager (PDF dropbox processing). This maintenance is required so that Enterprise Infrastructure Services can install the most current Microsoft 2021 security updates on the Windows server hosting BDM production.

Please note: Neither Banner 9 PROD Admin Pages nor Self-Service Banner (SSB) will be affected. Both areas will be up and available for use.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.

The Undergraduate Research Small Grants Program provides up to $400 to assist undergraduate students in carrying out a research, scholarly, or creative activity during the academic year (up to $600 may be requested for a single project that involves two or more students). Funding is intended to help defray the cost of supplies and other materials necessary to conduct the project and is currently limited to non-travel expenses due to COVID-19 restrictions on college-funded travel. Award recipients will be required to participate virtually in the 23rd annual Buffalo State Student Research and Creativity Conference (Digital SRCC 2021), to be held asynchronously in May. The spring application deadline for submission of the student portion is Wednesday, February 24; faculty mentor approval is due by Friday, February 26. For more details, please visit the online application portal on the Undergraduate Research website.

Please join us for the professional development workshop "Facilitating Effective Project Planning, Implementation, and Continuous Improvement with a Committee, Department, or Working Group," presented by Jonathan Hulbert, director of leadership and organizational development, on Thursday, March 4, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. 

You have been asked to lead a project or initiative that involves planning and implementation of a task in partnership with different staff and faculty members. Now you might ask yourself, How do I start this project? How do I gather input from this group to inform the project? How do I ensure that we complete the initiative on time and each group member completes what is asked of him or her? This workshop will provide faculty and staff members with tools, strategies, and structures to lead a group of colleagues through a collaborative process to plan, implement, and continuously improve a new initiative. 

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Please join us for the professional development workshop "Express Yourself: The Benefits of Expressive Writing," presented by Rebecca Eggleston, professional development assistant, on Tuesday, March 2, from noon to 1:30 p.m. 

James Pennebaker, a social psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, developed an expressive writing prompt to identify the potential health benefits of writing about emotional upheaval and stressful or traumatic events. Pennebaker's research has been replicated many times with positive outcomes and is referred to as the Pennebaker Paradigm. Some of the health benefits that have been linked to expressive writing include better sleep habits, improved mental health, and a reduction in blood pressure. 

In this session, we will

• explore and understand the impact expressive writing has on our physical and emotional well-being,
• practice expressive writing, and
• discuss the writing experience.

For more information or to register, please visit the Workshop Registration System.

Episode 8 of the Data Science and Analytics program podcast Buffalo State Data Talk is now available. This episode features Peter Yacobucci, associate professor of political science and public administration at Buffalo State College. Dr. Yacobucci walks us through how he collects and analyzes data and how his results have influenced the decisions of future court rulings. Tune in to hear how his roundabout pathway led to a career in analytics and his advice for how to be successful in your career.

Buffalo State's Data Talk podcast series introduces listeners to data and explores careers that involve data. Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

From the University Faculty Senators
Call for Papers: AAUP Shared Governance Conference
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) will hold its shared governance conference online June 14–18. Proposals for paper presentations are sought from individuals or groups on topics relating to college and university governance. Authors are encouraged to explore connections between their institutions and other institutions, and to consider the application of AAUP governance policies. Proposals of one to two pages should be e-mailed to Michael DeCesare, chair of the AAUP’s Committee on College and University Governance, by Friday, April 16. 

SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference: April 16
This year’s (virtual) SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC) will be held on Friday, April 16, with both synchronous and asynchronous sessions hosted by SUNY Old Westbury. Undergraduate projects completed during the 2020–2021 academic year are eligible; online proposal abstracts are due by Friday, March 12. The Undergraduate Research Office supports registration fees for all accepted Buffalo State student presenters and their faculty mentors. For more details, please visit the SUNY-SURC website.