Jackson to discuss "fate of stories"

Bruce Jackson, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Samuel P. Capen Professor of American Culture in the Department of English, will discuss "The Fate of Stories" on Monday as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Lecture series.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Screening Room of the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

The lecture will address how our place in the world is defined and changed by the stories we read, see, hear and tell, and how those same stories change in shape or meaning as we learn the lessons they have to teach.

For more information, call 645-2711.

Pulp fiction to be topic of senior alumni lunch

The golden age of pulp fiction-the popular, cheap, sleazy, sensational novels that played a role in American pop culture-will be the topic of the Senior Alumni Luncheon to be held at noon on March 1 in the Center for Tomorrow on the North Campus.

Speakers will be UB alumnus George L. Kelley, who donated his extensive collection of the easy-to-read thrillers to the UB Libraries, and Judith Adams-Volpe, director of Lockwood Memorial Library.

The luncheon programs are designed for UB senior alumni and their guests. Seniors in the community also may attend on a space-available basis.

The deadline for reservations is Tuesday.

The cost is $15 per person. Call 829-2608 for reservations and information.

Independent Health is a corporate sponsor of the Senior Alumni Luncheon Series, which is presented by the Office of Alumni Relations.

Trial teams win regional contests

UB Law School teams have finished at the top of two major regional moot-court competitions.

The mock trial team beat 21 law schools from three states to win the National Trial Competition regionals, held Feb. 8-10 in Buffalo. The three-member team advances to the national finals next month in Dallas.

In addition, the Jessup team won the regionals of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, held last weekend in Dayton, Ohio.

The four-member team will compete in the World Cup April 4-7 in Washington, D.C.

The team will represent the United States, along with 11 other regional champions.

“UB Today” sets March lineup

Interviews with two vice provosts will highlight the March edition of “UB Today,” the monthly Adelphia Cable television program showcasing UB faculty, staff, students and programs.

The show is sponsored by the UB Alumni Association.

Among the highlights of the March program will be interviews with Kerry S. Grant, newly named vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School, about his book on the Pam Am Exposition, and Stephen C. Dunnett, vice provost for international education, about UB’s international education program.

Also featured will be Mitch Green, executive director of the Faculty Student Association, who will talk about campus food service, and baseball Coach Bill Breene, who will discuss the team and the coming year.

Each new program runs throughout the month at 6:30 p.m. on Sundays on Channel 18 International and Channel 10 in Lancaster, Clarence, Orchard Park and Elma, and at 9 p.m. on Mondays on Channel 18 International.

CFA to present “Anne of Green Gables”

The Center for the Arts will present the ArtsPower National Touring Theatre’s production of “Anne of Green Gables” at 1 and 4 p.m. on March 4 in the Mainstage Theatre in the CFA on the North Campus.

Based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s internationally popular novel, this original musical delights young audiences with its celebration of the power of imagination and the importance of love and trust. Free activities for children will be provided one hour prior to each performance.

“Anne of Green Gables” has been performed in some of the leading cultural centers across the United States.

The show is part of the Center for the Arts’ Family Adventure series sponsored by Target. Media sponsors are Adelphia Media Services and WJYE-FM.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. They are available at the Center for the Arts box office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, call 645-ARTS.

Retirement program planned

Human Resource Services and the Office of Special Events will offer food for thought for members of the university community on the topic of retirement during a program to be presented on March 2 in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.

Similar sessions will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1-4 p.m. An information fair will be held throughout the day.

Up to three hours of release time, at the discretion of the supervisor, is available for those interested in attending the free program. Employees are asked to work with their supervisors to coordinate times and ensure adequate coverage in their area.

The program will provide faculty and staff members with the opportunity to talk one-on-one with representatives from a wide variety of agencies, companies and financial planners as they contemplate retirement, either as a short-term or long-term issue. The forum will cover the full range of retirement issues, including financial planning, estate planning, government services, relocation and travel, aging dependents, maintaining health and fitness, volunteering and more.

In addition, Human Resource Services will present a series of seminars throughout the day on topics specific to UB’s organization and its diverse linkages to New York State and SUNY benefits, including short- and long-term financial planning, retirement-distribution options, assisted living, aging, estate planning and trusts.

Among the agencies and companies participating in the event will be the New York State Employees’ Retirement System, TIAA-CREF, New York State Deferred Compensation, Aetna, MetLife, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, TIAA-CREF’s Trust Division, Social Security Administration, Amberleigh, Canterbury Woods, Hogan and Willig PLLC, the American Cancer Society, the Emeritus Center and REV-UP.

E. Suzy Shallowhorn, personnel associate in Human Resource Services and an organizer of the event, urges all UB employees “to take advantage of this unique opportunity to contemplate important decisions about their futures.”

“This type of cooperative programming will provide important information and resources that can ultimately lead to more productive and enjoyable lives in retirement,” Shallowhorn says. “At minimum, it will be a valuable wake-up call for some to begin considering important life decisions.”

For further information about the event, including an updated list of participants, visit the event Web site at http://www.specialevents.buf-falo.edu/retire. Pre-registration at the Web site is recommended, but not required, to assist Human Resource Services in providing appropriate seating arrangements and handouts.

UB participates in stroke study

UB is one of 60 medical centers across the United States and Canada participating in a major study of a new procedure to prevent stroke.

L. Nelson Hopkins, professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and director of the Toshiba Stroke Research Center, is the principal investigator of the Buffalo portion of the study that will compare carotid endarterectomy, a common operation to prevent stroke, to a new procedure called carotid artery stenting.

The study—called the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy Stenting Trial, or CREST—is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health.

Buildup of atherosclerosis occurs preferentially at the point where the carotid—a main artery that supplies blood to the brain—divides into the internal and external arteries. If the internal carotid artery is blocked by atherosclerosis, a stroke may occur.

During a carotid endarterectomy, physicians clean out and repair the carotid. With the new carotid artery stenting, a metal device called a stent is placed in the narrowed part of the carotid artery to hold it open.

Half of the patients in the study will get a caroid stent, while half will undergo the endarterectomy. A total of 2,500 patients will participate in the study, with about 50 coming from Buffalo.

Exhibit examines war in Colombia

An exhibit exploring the current civil war in Colombia, as well as the war being waged against drugs both by the United States and within Colombia, is on display on the first floor of the Oscar A. Silverman Undergraduate Library in Capen Hall, North Campus.

“Plan Colombia: A War Against Drugs in a Country at War with Itself,” combines a variety of images and texts dealing with war and drugs in Colombia, including color images from the Associated Press photography archives and recent articles culled from Colombia-published newspapers and magazines about “Plan Colombia”—a $1.3 million U.S. aid package to help fight the war on drugs in Colombia.

Also included are books explaining the historical origins of the Colombian war, government documents and books that discuss United States-Colombia relations and poetry.

The exhibit also will feature weekly updates to reflect changing conditions and continuing debate.

The exhibit, curated by Tatiana de la Tierra, UGL reference librarian, will be on display through April 15.

For more information, call 645-2943, ext. 237, or email de la Tierra at mailto:td6@acsu.buffalo.edu.

Mini-med school set for spring

Medicine in the media, emergency rescues and trauma, pain control, and advances in genetics and psychiatry are among the major topics of discussion slated for the UB Mini-Medical School’s spring program, “Current Topics in Clinical Medicine.”

The course, which runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on five consecutive Tuesdays, will begin March 13 and wrap up April 10. Lectures for the five sessions will be held in Butler Auditorium in Farber Hall on the South Campus.

Advance registration is required for the course, which will feature talks ranging from “The Human Genome: A Blueprint for Life and Medicine” to “Effects of Trauma on Children and Adolescents,” as well as “From the Accident Site to the Emergency Room: Is It Like What You See on Television?”

The course, a community service program of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is sponsored by Esther and Don Davis.

Individuals interested in signing up may call the Mini-Medical School at 829-2196 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, visit the school’s Web site at .

Nancy Welch nominations sought

The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs is seeking nominations for the 22nd annual Nancy Welch Award.

The award—given annually in honor of the former residential coordinator of Rachel Carson College—is reserved for undergraduate residential students who have made significant contributions to the university community through the development of creative programs or projects and volunteerism throughout the academic year.

To obtain an application packet, contact Caroline Puccio in the Student Affairs office at 645-2982 or email her at cpuccio@buffalo.edu.

Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. March 21.

UB Women’s Club to hold elections

The UB Women’s Club will hold its annual Election Meeting at noon on March 3 in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus.

Members will vote on the following slate of officers: president, Marla Coburn; vice president and program chair, Lucille Gasparini; president-elect, Eugenia Smith; treasurer, Julia Cohan; recording secretary, Ardis Stewart, and corresponding secretary, Joan Ryan.

Afternoon tea will be served and entertainment will be provided.

The UB Women’s Club is a service organization open to all women in the community. Club activities support the Grace Capen Academic Awards.

SIS to expand academic menu

The School of Information Studies (SIS) has announced that it will introduce a new undergraduate track in “informatics,” expand its doctoral program in communication and implement a new master’s degree program in September.

Thomas Jacobson, professor and interim dean of SIS, said the school will add a new undergraduate study track in informatics to its existing baccalaureate program in communication. Jacobson describes “informatics” as a term that originated in Europe to refer to the convergence of digital and networked communication systems. The new track will joint existing communication-study tracks in mass media, organizational communication and international communication.

Jacobson also said the school would expand its doctoral program in communication, adding a track with a strengthened research component in library and information science with faculty jointly appointed from the SIS departments of Communication and Library Studies. The program currently offers research concentrations in mass media, new technologies, organizational change and international and intercultural communication.

In addition, he said UB has received approval from the New York State Department of Education for a new master’s degree in information technology and communication that will begin this fall.

The new program, which was announced last fall, will offer a 36-credit-hour graduate degree designed to equip graduates to enter the information workforce in a wide variety of fields. Its curriculum is grounded in a year of extensive research on workforce and education needs.

The program will be unusual in that emphasis will not be only on technological skills, but also on competencies in communication, team-building, critical thinking, organizational culture and organizational strategy.