Promotion
Upon completion of the review procedure at the department, dean, and vice presidential levels, I am pleased to announce the following promotion:

Promotion to associate professor, effective January 25, 2007, and continuing appointment, effective January 28, 2008:

John Thompson (Computer Information Systems)

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Campus Safety Forum
The following faculty, staff, and student members will serve on the Campus Safety Forum for 2006–2007:

Anthony Hotchkiss, Technology, chair; Charles Kenyon, Student Affairs, administration liaison; Keli Garas-York, Elementary Education and Reading; Ronald George, Counseling Center; Koleen Greenawalt, Custodial Services; Brian Haggerty, Residence Life; Shirley Hayes, Art Education; Tammy Kresge, Weigel Health Center; Maureen Lindstrom, E. H. Butler Library; Samuel Lunetta, University Police; Latonia Marsh, Judicial Affairs; Carolyn Murphy, Admissions; Paul Murphy, Custodial Services; James Shea, Technology; Joseph Zawicki, Earth Sciences and Science Education; and student representatives Michael Brennan, Benjamin Palka, Maria Rivera, Christine Santoro.

The Campus Safety Forum consists of faculty, students, and staff charged with reviewing current campus policies and procedures, making recommendations for their improvement, educating the campus community about personal safety and crime, and responding to inquires from concerned persons. Members of the campus community who have concerns about issues related to personal safety may present them to any member of the forum.

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Candidate Presentations
All are welcome to attend the campus presentations of candidates who have applied for the following positions at Buffalo State College:

Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Internal Search)
For a complete description of the duties of this position, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/vacancy_pro.asp?page=6.

• Richard J. Herdlein, associate professor, Student Personnel Administration, on Tuesday, January 30, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center West 2.
• Zeki Y. Al-Saigh, professor, Chemistry, on Thursday, February 1, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.
• Kevin J. Railey, chair and professor, English, on Tuesday, February 6, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.
• Richard A. Stempniak, associate professor, Technology, on Tuesday, February 13, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.
• William F. Wieczorek, director, Center for Health and Social Research, on Thursday, February 15, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center East.

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Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities
For a complete description of the duties of this position, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/vacancy_pro.asp?page=10.

• Richard J. Helldobler, associate provost/associate vice president for academic affairs, California University of Pennsylvania, on Thursday, February 1, from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. in Rockwell Hall 124.

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Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Fellowships
The Advisory Committee of Buffalo State's Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) and Academic Affairs announce three one-year, $3,000 faculty development fellowships to promote the scholarship of teaching and learning on campus. All tenured and tenure-track Buffalo State faculty members are eligible to apply. Research funded by these fellowships can be empirical (qualitative or quantitative studies, measurement of student learning or teaching effectiveness, etc.) or conceptual (design of educational innovations, curriculum development, pedagogical problem analysis, etc.). The advisory committee welcomes all proposals that represent the scholarship of teaching and learning; however, the committee will give priority to projects that focus on the following areas:

1. Supporting the Learning of Transfer, Nontraditional, or First-Year Students—This fellowship focuses on contributing to our understanding of ways to support students' successful transitions from one educational setting to another, or from adult work and family roles to undergraduate studies. Studies in this area might focus on the development or evaluation of programs or strategies that facilitate the integration of students into the values and ethics of academic culture, or the investigation of strategies for overcoming the primary barriers to learning encountered by these students.

2. Liberal Arts—This fellowship focuses on documenting the potential of the liberal arts to enrich the student experience. These projects can examine the effect of the liberal arts on learning and/or thinking within general education classes or within a major. The college is particularly interested in projects focused on the impact of Intellectual Foundations as a pedagogical strategy promoting an awareness of the value of the cognate areas within the liberal arts, interdisciplinary, and integrative learning.

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3. Reflective Practice—This category includes work on aspects of teaching and learning that are most amenable to self-study, as well as the description of the process through which we come to reflective decisions. Examples include ways to accommodate student diversity in the classroom, documenting the creative process, and portfolio development.

4. Pedagogical Research—This category enables individuals who are interested in collecting or analyzing data on student learning to design studies such as:
   • Classroom-based research
   • Program evaluation
   • Learning resulting from out-of-class experiences e.g., service learning, internships, co-curricular activities, undergraduate research
   • Advancing student learning through the review of creative work.

Fellows will conduct studies related to their specialty areas during the 2007–2008 academic year. They also will work closely with Cheryl Albers, coordinator for the campus programs for CASTL, and Janet Ramsey, associate vice president for undergraduate education and dean of University College, to promote faculty development efforts related to their fellowships. In addition, fellows are required to serve as members of the CASTL Advisory Committee and present their finding at a public forum. Fellows are responsible for compliance with any applicable research approval conditions as set out by the Research Foundation.

Full application guidelines and selection criteria are available at www.buffalostate.edu/orgs/castl/news.html. Applications will be accepted until Monday, April 9.

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Computer Training, SkillSoft E-Learning, Web Templates, and Web Site Support
Computing and Technology Services and the Information Commons offer monthly computer training classes. Unless otherwise stated, classes are held in CyberQuad, E. H. Butler Library 318. Please bring a USB flash drive (to save your work), a pen, and paper. For a complete list of courses and registration information, visit http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration. Contact Paul Reynolds at ext. 3361 or reynolap@buffalostate.edu with questions.

Student Workshops
All computer training classes are now open to students. Announcements for these classes are made through student e-mail and/or flyers distributed on campus.

To register, students should contact Paul Reynolds at reynolap@buffalostate.edu or ext. 3361 with the following information: name, e-mail address, telephone number, and name(s) and date(s) of desired workshops.

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Class Registration
Internet Explorer 5.0 or 6.0 is necessary for online registration. Enter the following information in the required fields:

PC Users
User Name: bsclogon\your user name (e.g., bsclogon\publicjq)
Password: your password

Mac Users
User ID: your user name (e.g., publicjq)
Password: your password
Domain: bsclogon

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February 2007 Workshops

Accessing Your Office Computer Remotely	Monday, February 5	1:30–2:30 p.m.
Mac Users - iLife Suite - iPhoto* (CyberQuad 315)	Thursday, February 8	9:30 a.m.–noon
ANGEL: Using Animates	Thursday, February 8	2:00–3:30 p.m.
Accessing Your Office Computer Remotely	Monday, February 12	9:00–10:00 a.m.
Webmaster Training: Using the Web Template System	Tuesday, February 13	10:00–11:30 a.m.
ANGEL: Using Animates	Wednesday, February 14	1:00–2:30 p.m.
Mac Users - iLife Garageband - iPhoto* (CyberQuad 315)	Wednesday, February 14	1:30–3:30 p.m.
Webmaster Training: Introduction to HTML	Friday, February 16	9:00–11:00 a.m.
Web Site Statistics: Urchin	Wednesday, February 21	10:00–11:00 a.m.
Webmaster Training: Using the Web Template System	Tuesday, February 27	10:00–11:30 a.m.

*Class meets in CyberQuad 315.

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SkillSoft E-Learning
Faculty, staff, and students also may participate in SkillSoft, an online learning program of more than 800 courses and a variety of certificate programs that allow participants to demonstrate mastery of a set of skills. More information about the SkillSoft E-Learning Program is available from the Human Resource Management Web site, www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr. Employees also may register for courses on the site.

This month's SkillSoft courses may be taken in CyberQuad's Faculty/Staff Workroom, E. H. Butler Library 310, by appointment only; call Paul Reynolds at ext. 3361 for an appointment. Please check in at E. H. Butler Library 315 (CyberQuad) before starting. SkillSoft courses also are accessible from your home.

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Web Templates and Web Site Support
Web template training, service, and support are available for academic departments and administrative offices. College Relations Office offers training especially for campus Web developers. Courses include Using the Web Template System, Introduction to HTML, Customizing Your Web Site for Search Engines, and Understanding Site Traffic Logs. Employees may review course descriptions and register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration.

The College Relations Office offers full-service Web development support for academic departments and administrative offices. Please contact Melissa Meehan at ext. 3903 or meehanme@buffalostate.edu for more information.

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Internal Control Standards
The Internal Control Act of the State of New York requires Buffalo State College to communicate the following information on agency responsibilities and standards:

The internal control standards define the minimum level of quality acceptable for internal control systems in operation and constitute the criteria against which systems are to be evaluated. These internal control standards apply to all operations and administrative functions (both manual and automated), but are not intended to limit or interfere with duly granted authority related to development of legislation, rule making, or other discretionary policy making in an agency.

General Standards

1. Reasonable Assurance. Internal control systems are to provide reasonable assurance that the objectives of the systems will be accomplished.
2. Supportive Attitude. Managers and employees are to maintain and demonstrate a positive and supportive attitude toward internal controls at all times.
3. Competent Personnel. Managers and employees are to have personal and professional integrity and are to maintain a level of competence that allows them to accomplish their assigned duties, as well as understand the importance of developing and implementing good internal controls.
4. Control Objectives. Internal control objectives are to be identified or developed for each agency activity and are to be logical, applicable, and reasonably complete.
5. Control Techniques. Internal control techniques are to be effective and efficient in accomplishing their internal control objectives.
6. Continuous Monitoring. Agency heads are to establish and maintain a program of internal review designed to identify internal control weaknesses and implement changes needed to correct the weaknesses.

Specific Standards

1. Documentation. Internal control systems and all transactions and other significant events are to be clearly documented, and the documentation is to be readily available for examination.
2. Recording of Transactions and Events. Transactions and other significant events are to be promptly recorded and properly classified.
3. Execution of Transactions and Events. Transactions and other significant events are to be authorized and executed only by persons acting within the scope of their authority.
4. Separation of Duties. Key duties and responsibilities in authorizing, processing, recording, and reviewing transactions should be separated among individuals.
5. Supervision. Qualified and continuous supervision is to be provided to ensure that internal control objectives are achieved.
6. Access to and Accountability for Resources. Access to resources and records is to be limited to authorized individuals, and accountability for the custody and use of resources is to be assigned and maintained. Periodic comparison shall be made of the resources to the recorded accountability to determine whether the two agree. The frequency of the comparison shall be a function of the vulnerability of the asset.

Audit Resolution Standard

Prompt Resolution of Audit Findings. Managers are to (1) promptly evaluate findings and recommendations reported by auditors, (2) determine proper actions in response to audit findings and recommendations, and (3) complete, within reasonable time frames, all actions that correct or otherwise resolve matters brought to management's attention.

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Public Officers Law
In addition, all state employees must abide by the laws governing ethical behavior contained in the Public Officers Law.

While many private companies and professional associations have their own codes of ethics, state code differs from these in that the state code is also the law. Like private codes of ethics, state code is a list of proscribed activities. The following is a summary of its provisions:

New York State employees are prohibited from engaging in any activity that is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of their duties in the public interest, accepting other employment that would impair their judgment in the exercise of their official duties, or disclosing confidential information gained from their state positions.

State employees cannot use their official positions to secure unwarranted privileges for themselves or others. State employees with financial interests in a business entity should not engage in any transaction between the state and that entity that might be in conflict with the proper discharge of the employee's official duties. State employees also must avoid making personal investments in enterprises that might directly involve decision making or that might create a conflict of interest.

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State employees cannot, by their conduct, leave the impression that they can be influenced based on their family relationship, rank, position, or influence. Nor should they act in a way that raises a suspicion among the public that they are likely to be engaged in acts that are in violation of their public trust.

No full-time state employee, any firm or association of which he or she is a member, or any corporation which he or she owns or controls can sell goods or services to any person, firm, or association that either is licensed or has its rates set by the state agency by which he or she is employed.

Violations of certain restrictions on business and professional activities or the financial-disclosure filing requirement may result in a maximum fine of $10,000. In lieu of a fine, the commission may refer the matter for criminal prosecution. Upon referral and conviction, a violation may be punished as a Class A misdemeanor.

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Under Section 94(13) of the Executive Law, assessment of a civil penalty is final unless modified, suspended, or vacated within 30 days of imposition.

For any violations of Sections 73, 73-a, or 74, the Ethics Commission also may recommend that the appointing authority take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from employment. Where applicable, discipline must be taken in accordance with the provisions of Section 75 of the Civil Service Law or the particular collectively negotiated agreement between the employee's union and the state.

Contact Gary Phillips, associate vice president and comptroller, at ext. 4312 with questions about the Internal Control Act or Public Officers Law.

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