From the Chair of the College Senate
The first meeting of the College Senate for the spring 2021 semester will be held tomorrow, February 12, at 3:00 p.m. via the videoconferencing platform Zoom.

Zoom meeting link
Meeting ID: 852 4856 6567
Passcode: 575139

Please join us for free meditation sessions, “Be Embodied: A Guided Meditation to Calm Your Mind,” facilitated by Jenna Fadale, registered dietitian and buffalo state alumna. Four guided meditation sessions will be offered. Please feel free to sign up for one or all of the following:

• Tuesday, February 23, 12:15–1:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 3, 9:00–9:45 a.m.
• Monday, March 29, 12:30–1:15 p.m.
• Friday, April 16, 9:00–9:45 a.m.

This 45-minute meditation session will teach participants how to calm their minds using the body and breath as tools.  The session will start off with light stretching to help the body get comfortable for seated meditation.  Guided relaxation and breath awareness techniques are used to help participants develop their mind-body connection.  At the end of the practice a sacred sound, known as a mantra, is used to help deepen concentration and promote relaxation.

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

The Campbell Student Union is prepared to begin limited tabling in the upper lobby in order to provide an outlet for information sharing and interaction among the campus community. COVID-19 protocols will be promoted, monitored, and enforced.

• Tabling will be available by reservation only from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday–Friday (except on holidays).
• Table reservations are nontransferable. Groups may not redistribute unused time to other groups.
• Four tables will be available for individual groups.
    ¤ Tables will be spaced 6 feet apart.
• One individual may staff the table at any given time.
     ¤ Individuals at the table must always be masked.
     ¤ Individuals may not eat at the information tables but are permitted to hydrate. Masks may be removed only when drinking.
     ¤ Sign-up sheets are permitted, though there must be enough writing utensils for one-time use or a method of sanitation for a communal writing instrument.
• Props, supplies, or other displays are permitted on the table surface only.
• Sign-up sheets are permitted, though there must be enough writing utensils for one-time use or a method of sanitation for a communal writing instrument.
• Music will be provided by the Student Union and played throughout the lobby. Individual amplified sound is not permitted.
• Groups are permitted up to one reservation per week.

Please note: in-person events and programs advertised must have prior approval from the Campus Events and Visitors Committee before tabling.  

To request a table, please complete the online request form, which can also be found on the Student Leadership and Engagement website. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail our staff. 

As previously announced, the Graduate Advisory Council is accepting nominations for Outstanding Master’s Theses and Outstanding Master’s Projects. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding student research and applied work at the graduate level. Up to three thesis awards and three project awards will be made. Applications will be accepted for students who graduated in J-Term 2020, May 2020, August 2020, or December 2020.

Nominations may be made by thesis or project advisers or by students themselves. Additional reviews are required from the department chair and one external evaluator. Guidelines and forms are available on the Graduate School website.

The deadline for submission of nominations, evaluation forms, and copies of theses and projects to the Graduate School, is Wednesday, February 24. All documents and questions can be sent directly to Marnie Letzelter, executive assistant to the dean of the Graduate School.

Interested in learning how to find your dream job? Are you unsure where to start?

Student Leadership and Engagement, the Career Development Center and the Small Business Development Center would like to invite students, faculty, and staff to attend the Corner Office Speaker Series on Thursday, February 25, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Corner Office is part of the Bengal Stripes Leadership Program and brings leaders from local, regional, and national businesses to share their stories in leadership. Additionally, it delves into the professional journeys of entrepreneurs, innovators, and idealists to share with the campus community what they have learned in their careers. This semester’s theme is Celebrating Black-Owned Businesses.

The event will include the following panelists:

• Thaddeus Dunn, Founder and CEO of Right Fit Recruiting
• Janell Eason, Owner of Nikki’s Chocolates LLC
• Arba Cooper, Founder and CEO of DYI Marketing
• Dan Adams, Owner of Kerns Ave. Bowling Center
• Shawnell Tillery, Founder and CEO of Afrochick Yoga

To register and receive a meeting link, RSVP in advance.

For more information or with questions, please e-mail Student Leadership and Engagement.

Please let your students know that fall 2021 scholarship applications are available in the Campus Application Portal for Scholarships (CAPS). Students may apply for fall 2021 scholarships until Sunday, April 11.

Please e-mail scholarship@buffalostate.edu with any questions.

What does a manager of a department, unit, or division need to do differently at Buffalo State College to be effective in our new environment, which is layered with complexity, uncertainty, and sudden changes (sometimes daily) to how our teams must work as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve? This is a question that the Professional Development Center, management consulting firms, and experts in management development do not necessarily have clear answers to, because this is new for everyone.?

Join your manager colleagues every other week in a problem-solving-focused conversation, facilitated by?Jonathan Hulbert, director of leadership and organizational development, on how we can further improve management effectiveness in our new reality, as well as identify systemic?campuswide challenges that can be?prioritized and addressed. The two manager cohorts that met last semester and will continue to meet this semester encourage other manager colleagues to register for this program, as they found the support provided by colleagues during critical incidents in 2020 and the ideas shared to address management challenges were extremely valuable.

As managers at Buffalo State, we can learn from each other regarding what has worked well for managing our teams thus far during COVID-19 and which systemic shared challenges we can address together or may need to address in different ways as an institution. All conversations will be tailored to each manager community of practice’s most pressing challenges and supported by additional free webinars, articles, and resources that can be accessed at any time. Managers will be placed in small groups based on shared challenges and positions to ensure they can connect with colleagues who are at the same level within the institution. The schedule for each meeting will be tailored to the group’s availability.?

To register for a Virtual Manager Development Community of Practice,?please complete this interest form?by?Friday, February 12.

Based on your availability, you will be placed in a?community of practice that will meet either from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. or from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on?Tuesdays, March 16, March 30, April 13, and April 27 OR?Wednesdays, March 17, March 31, April 14, and April 28.?We will contact you on Friday, February 19, to confirm when your community of practice will meet.?

Please e-mail?Jonathan Hulbert, director of leadership and organizational development, with questions. 

Weigel Health Promotions will be passing out free carnations for Valentine's Day at select locations on campus while supplies last. Pick up one for yourself, a friend, or a loved one. Each flower comes with a special quote or message. Brighten someone’s day or say thank you.

Locations
Butler Library
Campbell Student Union
Science and Mathematics Complex
Technology Building

Share your photos with us on social media.

Like us on Facebook. (Buffalo State Health Promotions)

Follow us on Twitter. (@BSCHealthPromo)

Watch us on YouTube. (BSCHealthPromotions)

Find us on Instagram. (@Buffalostate_healthpromotions)

Follow us on Pinterest. (bschealthpromo)

Please direct questions to Paula Madrigal, assistant director of prevention and health promotion. Sponsored by the Faculty-Student Association.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) connects students and professors in different countries for collaborative projects and discussions as part of their coursework. 

COIL collaborations between students and professors provide meaningful, significant opportunities for global experiences built into programs of study. COIL enhances intercultural student interaction through proven approaches to meaningful online engagement, while providing universities a cost-effective way to ensure that their students are globally engaged. 

The SUNY COIL Center pioneered the COIL model more than 15 years ago and has been helping professors and institutions realize the power of COIL ever since.

I invite you to explore their new website and learn about the possibilities when you bring COIL into your teaching and learning practice.

Buffalo State College is a member of the SUNY COIL network, and as the COIL coordinator, I am happy to work with faculty or staff members in building these collaborative connections. I have an active list of more than 150 professors from institutions abroad who are interested in collaborating with us. If you are interested in implementing COIL components into your courses or designing a new COIL course, please contact the International Education Office to be connected to professional development opportunities and a network of potential partners abroad. 

Melissa Holland
COIL coordinator

The Study Away Office invites students to participate, free of charge, in a dynamic virtual exchange program set in Africa.

Colonization, colonialism, and anti-colonial movements were some of the most definitive events or moments in Africa’s collective past. Colonialism penetrated almost every aspect of life—economic, political, social, and cultural—restructuring and reformatting the key indigenous institutions that governed identity and social relations along the way. Since independence, African societies have had to learn to navigate the resulting fragmented identities and social relations; however, issues of racial and social injustice are not unique to African communities alone. The recent resurgence of Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and across the globe have sparked a renewed global interest in confronting the legacies of colonialism and racism and highlighted the importance of dismantling systems of racism, oppression, and injustice. 

Students are invited to engage with contributors from Kenya, South Africa, and the United States. The program will be hosted Tuesdays, February 16, February 23, and March 2, from 10:00 a.m. to noon

Spots are limited and are first come, first served. Please e-mail your interest to participate to Melissa Holland, director of international education, by Monday, February 15.