Welcome Back
Welcome back for the 2004–2005 academic year. I hope everyone had a rewarding and restful summer. Building on our orientation theme, this will be a year of "thinking big." We expect to see the culmination of a great deal of planning and preparation as we continue to implement our strategic plan. A major element of this is the reorganization proposal, which is forthcoming. We will also respond to SUNY's Mission Review II and to the requirements outlined in our Middle States report. Both of these are due in November.
These initiatives will help us focus our efforts on student success by addressing such important issues as retention and the academic profile of incoming students. As part of this process, we will establish curricular and other priorities, and will examine the meaning and importance of scholars in the classroom, academic advisement, scheduling practices, and other student support issues that have an impact on the academic success of our students.
As you may know, we have not received our budget for this fiscal year. We believe it will be made available to us in the days ahead. It appears likely that we will receive our capital budget allocation, and that the Burchfield-Penney Art Center project will receive funding support. We are still awaiting details from the governor regarding a $100 million appropriation to the Richardson Complex–Burchfield-Penney Art Center project.
I encourage every member of the faculty and staff to attend Academic Convocation on Thursday, September 23, at 12:15 p.m. in Warren Enters Theatre. Garrick Utley, journalist and president of SUNY's Neil D. Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce, will deliver the Bonnie and Vern L. Bullough Academic Convocation Address. Actor André De Shields will receive an honorary doctorate of fine arts. Members of the faculty and staff will be honored for outstanding accomplishment and service. This event marks the ceremonial beginning of our academic year.
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Promotions
Upon completion of the review procedures at the department, dean, and vice presidential levels, I am pleased to announce the following promotions:
Promotion to professor, effective September 1, 2004, and continuing appointment, effective September 1, 2005:
James Maxwell (Business)
Promotion to associate professor, effective September 1, 2004, and continuing appointment, effective September 1, 2005:
Harriet Blitzer (Fine Arts)
Lori Quigley (Elementary Education and Reading)
Karen Sands-O'Connor (English)
Tingyao Zheng (Mathematics)
Continuing appointment, effective September 1, 2005:
Drew Kahn (Performing Arts)
Promotion to librarian, effective September 1, 2004:
Gail Marinaccio (E. H. Butler Library)
Promotion to associate librarian, effective September 1, 2004:
Marianne Foley (E. H. Butler Library)
Promotion to associate librarian, effective September 1, 2004, and continuing appointment, effective August 8, 2005:
Musa Abdul Hakim (E. H. Butler Library)
Appeals
Negative decisions on promotions may be appealed. Appeals are probably best suited to instances in which an individual believes that his or her case was misunderstood or inadequately advocated. If an appeal seems warranted, the president should be notified in writing of the intent to appeal by Thursday, September 23.
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Hiring Freeze: Applicant Pool for Internal Searches Defined
The governor recently approved the fiscal year 2004–2005 New York State Budget. It includes largely what was specified in the Executive Budget and line-item vetoes all legislative additions. The veto that most affects Buffalo State relates to the SUNY-wide Educational Opportunity Program and whether it will be fully funded. And, although the $58 million sought for SUNY remains in the budget, it appears SUNY will be authorized to expend only a portion of that this year. While SUNY is actively working on calculating final budgetary allocations for the campuses, the college has not yet received confirmation of this year's budget, and we must therefore continue to plan for a year in which total resources will not satisfy all institutional priorities.
Consequently, and until further notice, we must continue current expenditure controls. This includes a general hiring freeze to contain total payroll costs on state payrolls. Containing overall payroll costs this past year has been accomplished by the general hiring freeze, as well as the use of internal searches for those vacant positions approved for searches. Please note that during this period of constrained hiring, full-scope searches for institutional priority positions have been, and will continue to be, conducted with the president's approval.
To assist campus managers in identifying appropriate applicant pools for authorized searches, the following definition is provided:
Internal Search
An internal search process is limited to those employees at Buffalo State who are currently paid from any State-Appropriated Funds payroll (i.e., State Funds, Income Fund Reimbursable, Residence Halls, Summer Session). Part-time and temporary employees on state lines may be considered candidates for full-time positions. Employees of the Research Foundation and the Buffalo State College Foundation are not state employees.
Questions may be directed to Rebecca Schenk, director of the Budget Office, ext. 4312.
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SEFA/United Way Campaign Kickoff
Please join the SEFA Campaign Committee at the Day of Sharing, the kickoff to the 2004 SEFA/United Way Campaign, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, September 16, in E. H. Butler Library 210.
At the kickoff, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to visit with representatives from local not-for-profit agencies and learn how the State Employees Federated Appeal helps strengthen the community. Refreshments will be served. Please join us!
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Women's Soccer Wins LaRoche Tournament
Buffalo State defeated Albright 2-0 and tied Juniata 1-1 over the weekend to win the LaRoche Tournament Championship in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Bengals are now 2-0-1 to start the season.
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Home Athletic Events
Volleyball
Buffalo State vs. Penn State Behrend
Tuesday, September 14
7:00 p.m.
Sports Arena
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Religious Holidays
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 15. This period of penitence and spiritual renewal marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year and commemorates the creation of the world. Although the period of observance lasts 10 days, the most holy period of Rosh Hashanah can last one to two days and is celebrated with prayers and religious services. People observing Rosh Hashanah can be expected to be absent from classes and/or work from sundown Wednesday, September 15, through sundown Friday, September 17. Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day on the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Friday September 24, and ends at sundown Saturday, September 25.
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College Policy on Students Unable because of Religious Beliefs to Attend Classes on Certain Days
- No person shall be expelled from or be refused admission as a student to an institution of higher education for the reason that he or she is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to register for or attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirements on a particular day or days.
- Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to attend classes on a particular day or days, shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements.
- It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to each student who is absent from school because of his or her religious beliefs an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study, or work requirements that he or she may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to said student such equivalent opportunity.
- If registration, classes, examinations, study, or work requirements are held on Friday after 4:00 p.m. or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, study, or work requirements shall be made available on other days, where it is possible and practical to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student for these classes, examinations, study, or work requirements held on other days.
- In effectuating the provisions of the Education Law, it is expected that faculty and the administrative officials will exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student for availing himself or herself of the provisions of this section.
- Any student who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty member or administrative official to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court of the county in which such institutions of higher education is located for the enforcement of his or her rights under this section.
- The term "religious beliefs" shall mean beliefs associated with any corporation organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes, which is not disqualified for tax exemption under Section 501 of the United States Code.
- At Buffalo State College, we sharpen the mandate of the state and endorse the policy that the administering of evaluative examinations on Rosh Hashanah (September 15–16, 2004) Yom Kippur (September 24–25, 2004 ), and Good Friday (March 25, 2005) will not be permitted.
Complaints regarding violation of this policy can be reported to Dolores E. Battle, Equity and Campus Diversity Office, Cleveland Hall 415, ext. 6210. Complaints also can be reported to any vice president, dean, director, or department chair.
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College Senate Meetings
College Senate meetings for the fall 2004 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Fridays, September 17, October 15, November 12, and December 10, in E. H. Butler Library 210.M
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Curricular Items
The following have been received in the College Senate Office and will be forwarded to the Curriculum Committee for approval:
Program Revision:
Mathematics Education 7–12, Postbaccalaureate Teacher Certification (7055)
Minor Revision:
Biology (1725)
Course Revision:
MAT 581 Mathematics for Teachers: Probability and Statistics. Probability, probability distributions, sampling, design of experiments, hypothesis testing, regression, analysis of variance, nonparametric statistics.
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