SOM ranks 21 on Forbes small-school list

Forbes magazine has included the School of Management in its annual ranking of 50 business schools that provide MBA students with the best return on their investment.

Forbes ranked the School of Management No. 21 among 25 "small" business schools, ahead of University of Washington, Boston College, Penn State and Oklahoma University. The magazine also ranked the return on investment of 25 "large" business schools, a list that was headed by Harvard. The magazine categorized the size of the schools based on tuition costs.

It is the first time UB was selected for the ranking, which was published in the magazine's Oct. 15 issue.

According to Forbes, the rankings show which business schools offer the "best bang for the buck" by comparing the cost of attaining an MBA—tuition, plus forgone income—to salaries earned by MBA graduates upon graduation and five years after graduation.

The results were based on a survey of 20,000 MBA graduates from the Class of 1996.

According to the ranking, the average Class of 1996 UB MBA graduate had a five-year gain in compensation of $40,000, after subtracting the cost of tuition and forgone salary. In 2000, their salaries rose to an average of $75,000, a 240 percent increase from their pre-MBA average salary.

"The Forbes ranking indicates that we're producing graduates who achieve a high level of career success, which is helping the School of Management earn a reputation as one of the nation's best," said Jerry M. Newman, interim dean of the School of Management.

Feal named chair

Rosemary G. Feal, professor of Spanish, has been named chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Senior editor of Latin American Literary Review, one of the leading journals in the field, Feal is a member of the nominating committee of the Modern Language Association and the advisory committee of the its journal, PMLA. She previously was chair of the MLA's Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession.

Feal received a doctorate in Spanish from UB in 1984 and was a member of the faculty of the University of Rochester from 1986 until joining the UB faculty in January 1999. She specializes in Caribbean and Spanish-American literature, including Afro-Hispanic studies and feminist criticism.

Book fair to aid SEFA

A "SEFA Book Fair" to benefit UB's 2001 SEFA campaign will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Student Union Lobby on the North Campus.

Hundreds of children's books, cookbooks, general interest books and works of fiction will be available. Cash, checks and major credit cards will be accepted.

Nominations sought for Hall of Fame

The UB Alumni Association is accepting nominations for the 2002 inductees into the UB Athletic Hall of Fame.

Its Athletics Committee is seeking the names of former UB athletes from intercollegiate and club teams, as well as athletic professional staff, to be considered for induction. It also is seeking nominations of alumni who have made significant contributions of time and resources to UB's athletic program for its Russell J. Gugino Award.

The induction dinner and ceremony for the next class of inductees will take place on Feb. 22, 2002. Nomination forms, which must be submitted no later than Nov. 2, may be downloaded at www.alumni.buffalo.edu/News/HallofFame.html.

Applications sought for German scholarships

Applications are being sought for German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Fellowships for the academic year 2002-03. DAAD fellowships carry a monthly stipend and include tuition, fees and a travel allowance.

Graduating seniors may apply for a Deutschlandjahr Scholarship for 10 months (2 semesters) at a German university. Doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers from all units of the university—except medicine, dentistry and pharmacy—may apply for a Graduate Scholarship to support one to 10 months of study and/or research in Germany.

Applicants in the arts, humanities and social sciences should have a reasonable command of German.

To apply, contact Patricia Mazon in the Department of History, 584 Park Hall, at 645-2181, ext. 584, or at mazon@acsu.buffalo.edu.

The deadline is Monday for students in music, performance and the fine arts; Nov. 26 for all others.

Students excel in CPA exam

Undergraduate accounting students achieved the highest passing rate in New York State on all or some parts of the May 2000 Certified Public Accountant exam, according to a report released by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.

The UB students, all first-time candidates for CPA status, were among 53,691 candidates from more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country who sat for the exam.

The university also distinguished itself nationally, according to the report. UB undergraduate accounting students achieved the second highest passing rate in the United States on the "accounting and reporting" section of the CPA exam and the fifth highest passing rate in the U.S. on the "business law and professional responsibilities" part of the exam.

"The results are a tribute to the hard work and professionalism of our students and the faculty who teach them," says Ronald J. Huefner, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and chair of the Department of Accounting and Law.

Teaching workshop set

Two winners of the Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching will present a workshop from 1-2:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in 120 Clemens Hall, North Campus, that is designed to help faculty members expand their instructional repertoires.

J. Ronald Gentile, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, and Richard Sarkin, associate professor of clinical pediatrics, will lead the workshop, entitled "Adventures with Lectures: Methods for Involving Students.

The session is sponsored by the Office of Teaching and Learning Resources and the Faculty Senate Teaching and Learning Committee.

During the workshop, Gentile and Sarkin will demonstrate a number of methods that can be used within lectures to increase students' active participation and processing of information, and monitor whether students are comprehending the information provided.

Faculty members interested in participating should contact Jeannette Molina, associate director the Office of Teaching and Learning Resources in 415 Capen Hall, North Campus, or by e-mail at jmolina@buffalo.edu by Nov. 2.

Alums to speak in EOP series

UB's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) will sponsor the third segment of the EOP Distinguished Alumni Speakers Series at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in 107 Talbert Hall, North Campus.

The event, co-sponsored by the EOP Student Association, will be free and open to the public.

The speakers for the event will be Mark Anthony Neal, faculty member in the Department of English, University at Albany, who has written extensively in the areas of African-American cultural studies; Scott J. Turner, chief executive officer, majority owner, and founder of Parkside Computing Inc. in Buffalo, and Cheryl Fortson, a registered nurse with the Cardiac Care Unit of Kaleida Health.

The series features EOP graduates who are professionals and experts in their fields.

Photography to be exhibited

The rich legacy of African-American photographers is explored in the comprehensive exhibition, "Reflections in Black: Smithsonian African American Photography, A History Deconstructed," which will be on display Oct. 26 through Dec. 8 in the First Floor Gallery of the UB Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts, North Campus

An opening reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 26.

During the past two decades, African-American artists have used their work to help tear down and redefine rigid concepts of race and gender. These artists redefine the photographic image by looking at it as a document and metaphor, often deconstructing and reconstructing their personal histories and public personas. The symbolic and expressive imagery of the works produced during this time offer a different visual paradigm.

Among the featured artists whose works will be displayed in "A History Deconstructed" are Albert Chong, Lynn Marshall Linnemeir, Stephen Marc, Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems and Cynthia Wiggins.

"A History Deconstructed" originally was presented by the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture as part of the broad exhibition, "Reflections in Black: African American Photography: 1840 to the Present," that examined how black photographers throughout history have played a central role in influencing how African Americans visualized themselves. The exhibition is presented as a series of three thematic sections: "The First 100 Years: 1842-1942," "Art and Activism" and "Reflections in Black: A History Deconstructed." While not a comprehensive survey, this history of African American photographers presents a context for reflecting on the works of many black photographers whose images weave an extremely rich and diverse collective history.

The exhibition is curated by Deborah Willis, former curator of exhibitions at the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture of the Smithsonian Institution. Willis also is a photographer, historian and the author of the book "Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present" (Norton, 2000).

Book event planned

WBFO 88.7 FM, UB's National Public Radio affiliate, is among co-sponsors of "If All of Buffalo Read the Same Book," being presented by Just Buffalo Literary Center Inc.

The community-wide event encourages Western New York residents to read Joan Murray's "Queen of the Mist," the story of Annie Edson Taylor, a destitute, unemployed, 63-year-old school teacher who, on Oct. 24, 1901, became the first person to shoot Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive. The project is being funded by The John R. Oshei Foundation.

As part of the event, there will be an "Annie-Verse-Ary Celebration" on Wednesday; a public discussion, "Overcoming Barriers," at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, 1 Lafayette Square, and public discussions of "Community Heroes" at 1 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Niagara Falls State Park Visitor's Center, Niagara Falls, and at 8 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Allendale Theatre/Theatre of Youth, 203 Allen St., Buffalo.

Murray will participate in a one-hour interview and live call-in show with Bert Gambini at 3 p.m. Oct. 26 on WBFO. That evening, the author will participate in a panel discussion, "Who You Calling Old? Perceptions of Aging," at 8 p.m. in Allen Hall on the South Campus. Tickets for the panel discussion, to be broadcast live on WBFO, are $5 for Just Buffalo, WBFO, WNED and Olmsted Parks Conservancy members; $6 seniors/students, $7 general public. Call Just Buffalo at 832-5400 for tickets.

PSS plans workshop

A workshop on "Strategic Communications" will be held by the Professional Staff Senate from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Nov. 8 in the Holiday Inn Amherst, 1881 Niagara Falls Blvd.

The program will focus on helping participants understand effective communication techniques that take into consideration individuals' communication preferences.

It will be conducted by Frank J. Ciccia, director of UB's Leadership Development Center and a certified DiSC Workshop facilitator.

The $30 registration fee includes breakfast and the fee for a DiSC Personal Profile Assessment that participants will complete online prior to the program.

For information, contact the Professional Staff Senate Office at 645-2003 or by email at pssenate@acsu.buffalo.edu. Seating will be limited.