VOLUME 31, NUMBER 22 THURSDAY, March 2, 2000
ReporterBriefly


send this article to a friend

Reporter to take break next week

The Reporter will not publish next week due to spring break.

The next issue will be published March 16.

Author Berube to give CAS lecture April 7

Noted author Michael Berube, whose "Life as We Know It: A Father, A Family and an Exceptional Child" was selected one of the best books of 1996 by The New York Times and the National Public Radio program "Fresh Air," will speak at 8 p.m. April 7 in the Center for the Arts Screening Room on the North Campus.

Berube His lecture, "Disability and the Difference it Makes," will be of special interest to the parents of exceptional children, clients, patients and those involved with agencies and organizations that serve those with disabilities. The final lecture for the semester in the College of Arts and Sciences' "The University and the World" series," Berube's talk will be free and open to the public

Berube notes that disability, as a category of identity, has yet to be adequately confronted by national institutions devoted to the arts and humanities.

But, he says, our approach to both mental and physical disability has influenced profoundly a variety of issues, including immigration and theories of criminality.

He will discuss the complex relationship between disability, national identity and the impact of disability studies on the cultural politics of memory and national self-representation in the United States.

Director of the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, Berube is a professor in the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Other books he's written are "The Employment of English: Theory, Jobs and the Future of Literary Studies;" "Higher Education Under Fire: Politics, Economics and the Crisis of the Humanities" and "Public Access: Literary Theory and American Cultural Politics."

Correction

Due to an editing error, the Reporter last week incorrectly reported the name of the foundation that supplied initial funding for the U.S.-Indochina Educational Foundation and misidentified a Cambodian studying at UB.

The name of the foundation is the Paul J. Koessler Foundation; Sokna Hang is a scholarship student in UB's English Language Institute.

Prasad to speak at "UB at Sunrise"

Paras Prasad, executive director of UB's Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, will discuss the institute's groundbreaking research at the "UB at Sunrise" breakfast Tuesday.

The program will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. in the Center for Tomorrow on the North Campus.

Prasad's lecture will highlight research on photonics, including lasers, and other optical technologies that may be employed in products and services from price scanners to cancer treatment.

The institute-based research is expected to spur Western New York's economy by establishing high-tech industries and providing them with a skilled workforce.

Prasad is a SUNY Distinguished Professor and Samuel Capen Professor in the departments of Chemistry and Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Tickets for the program, which will include a full breakfast, are $12 for Alumni Association members and UB staff, and $15 for all others. For information and reservations, call 829-2608.

The "UB at Sunrise" community breakfast series is presented by the Alumni Association and supported by the offices of University Development, News Services, Publications and Public Services and Urban Affairs, all at UB.

Saxophone quartet to appear at luncheon

The globe-trotting Amherst Saxophone Quartet will combine music and humor at the Senior Alumni Luncheon, to be held at noon March 9 in the Center for Tomorrow on the North Campus.

The group, which is in residence at UB, recently was spotlighted in a major story on CBS-TV's "Sunday Morning." During the luncheon, the quartet will treat the audience to music from its Renaissance CD, plus classical music, ragtime and jazz.

Designed for UB senior alumni, their guests and spouses, the cost of the luncheon is $12.

For more information or to make reservations, call the Office of Alumni Relations at 829-2608.

Sponsors of the Senior Alumni Luncheon Series are Independent Health and Financial Education Resources.

"Dining Dollars" accounts open to faculty and staff

Meal plans are not just for students. Faculty and staff members now can take advantage of "Dining Dollars," the pre-paid, debit-card account that can be used at any UB Dining Service location or in the hundreds of Faculty Student Association vending machines on campus.

Dining Dollars accounts, which can be opened with as little as $75, are accessed via UB Cards. The amount spent at vending machines or at such dining spots as the Greenery, the Tiffin Room, Putnam's or Harriman Cafeteria is deducted electronically from the balance on the card, and the remaining balance is displayed at the cash register after the purchase.

Dining Dollars never expire, and can be carried over from semester to semester. Additional funds may be added to accounts in $25 increments.

Faculty and staff members who deposit $200 or more to their accounts will receive a 10 percent bonus from FSA. In addition, participants will receive discounts and information about special food promotions throughout the academic year.

Those interested in opening a Dining Dollars account can stop by the UB Card offices in The Commons on the North Campus or Harriman Hall on the South Campus. Cash, personal checks, MasterCard, VISA and Discover are accepted. For further information, call the UB Card office at 645-6344.

Residence halls participate in newspaper-readership program

The University Residence Halls will present a newspaper readership pilot program from March 20 through April 17 for students in the Governors Complex on the North Campus and Goodyear Hall on the South Campus.

The four-week pilot program, coordinated by USA Today, will make available three free newspapers for students in the designated residence halls. Papers-including USA Today, The Buffalo News and The New York Times-will be available Monday through Friday at building entrances and dining areas.

The purpose of the program is to enhance the learning environment on campus by helping students understand the world in which we live, to encourage acquisition of skills important for educated citizenship and to develop a newspaper readership habit.

"Reading a daily newspaper is a wonderful way to obtain a better understanding of our world," said Dennis Black, vice president for student affairs. "We hope this program will encourage our students to read and to understand. Newspaper readership can spill over into the classroom as well, by developing a much more informed student body."

A study conducted by USA Today found that 75 percent of students at one university said that the availability of newspapers in the residence halls contributed to the habit of reading a paper on a regular basis. Students also said they felt that newspaper reading contributed to their ability to discuss current issues, having opinions about national/international concerns, being informed about the community, understanding ethical dilemmas, participating in class discussions and connecting real life and class concepts.

On-campus surveys will be conducted during the pilot program to determine students' readership habits. Based on the results of these surveys, UB administrators will decide if the university will participate in the program on a long-term basis.

UB to host SUNY conference

More than 700 faculty and staff members and administrators from SUNY colleges and universities will converge on UB May 30-31 and June 1 for SUNY's largest annual conference on instructional technology in education.

Sponsored by SUNY and the Faculty Access to Computing Technology (FACT) committee, the ninth annual Conference on Instructional Technology (CIT) will feature workshops, demonstrations, panel discussions and papers on the latest developments in instructional technology. Titled "New Partners/New Possibilities," the conference will focus on using instructional technology to provide new opportunities for cooperation in the traditional classroom, as well as for distance learning. It will showcase new technologies, as well as allow for discussion of the larger questions surrounding instructional technology, including its appropriate use, impact on learning and projections for student success.

"The Conference on Instructional Technologies is an outstanding example of utilizing the resources of the entire system. Individuals from throughout the State University will meet to share their experiences and expertise," says Harry Pence, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry at SUNY Oneonta and chair of the FACT committee.

Registration for the event is ongoing through May. For more information, contact CIT conference director Leslie Mayville at the SUNY Training Center at 315-464-4114 or visit the CIT Web site at http://www.cit.suny.edu.

WBFO call-in show to feature Greiner

Greiner President William R. Greiner will take questions from callers during a live-radio forum, "Talk of the University," scheduled for 7-8 p.m. March 28 on WBFO 88.7 FM, the National Public Radio affiliate operated by UB.

Dennis Black, vice president for student affairs, will appear on the show with Greiner.

Anyone wishing to speak with Greiner during the show can call the radio station at 829-6000.

Disability Services to present teleconference

The Office of Disability Services will host a teleconference on "Emerging Disabilities on Campus: What You Need to Know" from 1-3:30 p.m. March 13 in 120 Clemens Hall on the North Campus.

The teleconference, designed for students, faculty and staff members, will feature internationally acclaimed teachers, writers and advocates from the fields of law, psychology and disability services in higher education. The session will be broadcast from the University of Vermont.

Topics will include trends and issues in emerging disabilities, documentation and legal requires, at-risk student and conduct issues and application of the American Disabilities Act in the high-tech age.

For more information, call 645-2608.

Grants to fund Asian course development

The Asian Studies Program, through a United States Department of Education Title VI grant, is offering summer faculty grants of up to $2,500 each for undergraduate-course development in Asian studies.

The program seeks proposals for the development of courses at the 300 and 400 levels, subject area open. Proposals for work on lower-level courses also will be considered. The end product can be a new Asia-centered course, a significantly revised offering or an Asian module in an existing or projected course.

Tom Burkman, director of the Asian Studies Program, says the purpose of the grant program is to stimulate an increase in the variety and quality of undergraduate courses with Asian content.

In past years, similar grants helped create or augment such courses as "Health, Illness and Health Care in Japan;" "Communication in Asia and Pacific Rim Countries;" "Industrial Geography;" "Japanese Architecture and Urbanism;" "Culture and the Arts in East Asia," and "World Music."

The application deadline is April 3. For further information, contact the Asian Studies Program at 645-3474 or at burkman@buffalo.edu.

Sultz to speak at emeritus meeting

Harry Sultz, professor emeritus of social and preventive medicine, will discuss "UB's Mini-Medical School: A Community Outreach Program" during a meeting of the Emeritus Center to be held at 2 p.m. March 14 in 102 Goodyear Hall, South Lounge, on the South Campus.

Sultz, who also has served as dean of the School of Health Related Professions, is the founder of the Mini-Medical School.

For more information, contact the Emeritus Center at 829-2271.

Lecture competition announced

Nominations are being sought for a new lecture competition designed for junior faculty members recently promoted to tenure.

The competition for the Junior Scholars Distinguished Interdisciplinary Lectures is designed to stimulate contemporary intellectual exchange on campus, says William Fischer, vice provost for faculty development. Advanced junior faculty members-those who have received tenure during the past two years-are most likely to be participating in the newest developments in the disciplines, Fischer says.

Lectures will be held once each semester, beginning this semester. The winner in each semester will present a public lecture about the salient debates in his or her field. The lectures will be non-technical in nature, designed to speak informatively across disciplinary boundaries to colleagues outside of the speaker's specialty and encourage questions and conversation following the lecture.

The lecture competition was conceived by, and will be conducted under the auspices of, the Provost's Junior Faculty Advisory Committee, a group of junior faculty representatives appointed by the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences and the professional schools.

Any full-time faculty member who was promoted to tenure in 1997-98 or 1998-99 is eligible. A $1,000 honorarium and certificate will be presented to the winner by the provost at the time of the lecture.

Eligible faculty members may self-nominate, or deans may present nominations. Each nominee must submit to the review panel-a four-member committee consisting of members of the Junior Faculty Advisory Committee-a current vita and an abstract or full text for a 45-minute lecture presentation. Materials should be sent to the Junior Scholars Lecture Review Panel, Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Development, 407 Capen Hall, North Campus. The deadline is March 24. The winner will be notified by March 31, with the lecture being presented sometime in mid-to-late April.

For further information, contact the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Development at 645-7788 or wfischer@buffalo.edu.




Front Page | Top Stories | Briefly | Q&A | Electronic Highways | Obituaries
The Mail | Sports | Exhibits, Jobs, Notices | Events | Current Issue | Comments? | Archives
Search | UB Home | UB News Services | UB Today