Blue & Gold Today

As we continue to implement new digital services this fall, the student, faculty, and staff portal has launched! When you go to the new my.AlfredState.edu for the first time, you will be guided through a quick introductory tutorial. We also have a new Welcome Card locked on your Home Screen with a link to a Help Desk article with tutorials and a feedback form for submitting feedback.

https://alfredstate.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/277/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=10742

This is a major step forward in helping all Pioneers connect and access the resources that support your daily work and academic life. A big thank you to all who have been working for the past year to make this possible.

Check out the latest news from Alfred State!

Cole, Matteson, and Ronan join the Educational Foundation Board

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Contact Paul Welker - welkerpm@alfredstate.edu if you have a story idea!

If you are posting pictures on your social media make sure to tag @AlfredState or ask us to collaborate with your posts!

Former Alfred State employee, Randie Brewer, passed away on Sept. 22, 2025. He worked at ASC in the facilities office after retiring from Corbins Wood Products.

Randie's full obituary

The Student Success Center will be hosting the Me Motivating Me Workshop on Wednesday, October 1st at 5pm in the Student Development Center, Room 109. If you are struggling with motivating yourself to complete your daily tasks, staying on track with projects, or just need help taking your effort to the next level – come hear how to tap into your unused motivation.  You can do great things!

Find this workshop and future events on Pioneer Link!

View our Fall 2025 Workshop Schedule on the Student Success Webpage: https://www.alfredstate.edu/student-success-center/math-and-writing-labs

It’s that time of year again — we’re pleased to host a free flu clinic in collaboration with Alfred Pharmacy! Here are the details:

• When: Thursday November 6th from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, in 5-minute appointment slots
• Where: Huntington Admin Building, Main Floor Conference Room (Training Room)
• Deadline to Reserve: October 29 (so the pharmacy can order enough supplies)
• What to bring with you: your photo ID and insurance card

Please use the link below to reserve your spot:

[Reserve Your Flu Shot Appointment]

Kindly share this message with your faculty and staff so that everyone who’s interested has a chance to sign up. For your convenience, we'll send out reminders to those who sign up, and we'll also include a copy of the consent form to bring with you on the day of your appointment. Stay healthy and protected this flu season by getting your flu shot on campus!

Did you know you can receive the latest news and updates directly from NYSHIP Online?

To sign up, visit NYSHIP Online.

1. Select New York State Active Employee (NY)
2. Choose your Group (Bargaining Unit)
3. Select either Empire Plan, HMO, or Dental/Vision Only
4. Follow the prompts to enter your email address, first name, and choose the plan(s) you’d like to receive information about

Recent updates include topics such as The Benefits of Pre-Tax Contributions and Is the Opt-Out Program Right for You?

Stay informed and make the most of your benefits by signing up today!

Admissions is pleased to host our fall Open House programs on:

• Saturday, October 18
• Sunday, November 9 

The program will start at 9:30 a.m. with presentations on both the Alfred campus and Wellsville campus. Once students have completed their academic tours on the Wellsville campus, they will be directed to the Alfred campus to go on a residence hall tour, and participate in financial aid and campus life presentations. Open House is a great opportunity to show potential students and their families all that Alfred State has to offer.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., our clubs and organizations will be hosting a Fall Festival on the Spine! Expect seasonal treats, fun games, awesome prizes, and live entertainment—all designed to give prospective students and their families a taste of the vibrant student life here.

All equipment with a useful life of at least two years requires an ownership tag. Any piece of equipment with a unit value of $5,000 or greater and a useful life of at least two years requires a bar code label and entry into the SUNY Property Control System. Generic ownership tags can be provided to any department for application onto equipment below the $5,000 threshold by contacting the Property Control Office; bar code labels on equipment above the threshold will be affixed by Property Control.

If your department has surplus equipment, please contact the Property Control Office with information concerning the surplus asset. The Property Control Office will advertise the asset locally for potential use by another department. If there is no interest in the asset across our campus, the asset will subsequently be offered to all SUNY campuses for transfer. If unable to relocate the asset within SUNY, it will be reported to the Office of General Services for public sale. 

The Property Control Office can be reached at x3986 or mcclaipm@alfredstate.edu.

Admissions will be hosting our next High School Visitation Day this Thursday, October 2, from 9 am - 1 pm. We will be welcoming the following high schools to campus: Avon, Belfast, Fillmore, Geneseo, Hammondsport, and Portville. Thank you for making all our campus visitors feel so welcome!

UUP 2025 Discretionary Salary Increase Process

The UUP contract provides for discretionary salary increases in Fall 2025 with a pool amount equal to one-half percent of the total of the basic annual salaries on June 30, 2024.  

We are pleased to share that this year we are returning to a fully merit-based request process for awarding DSI funds, moving away from funding across the board percentage increases on this alternating year.  Along with this shift, you will also notice a minor update to the submission form for non-academic professionals as well as updated criteria across several areas. To enhance transparency in individual award level, we will also include the employees final rating in the individual notices– whether meritorious, highly meritorious, or exceptional.  

Why are we making these changes 

• We heard you. The recent Great Colleges survey made it clear that transparency and a stronger connection between performance and recognition matter deeply to our employees. Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping these updates.
• Annual increases are negotiated through your union contract. These guaranteed, contract-based increases are separate from DSI. Discretionary increases remain our way to recognize and reward outstanding individual contributions among UUP-represented employees.
• We’re prioritizing campus values. The updated criteria and forms reflect Alfred State’s strategic goals, including student and employee success, collaboration, innovation, leadership, community engagement, and professional growth. 

With these enhancements, we reaffirm our commitment to celebrating excellence and ensuring that every UUP-represented employee at Alfred State feels valued for their unique contributions—helping to make recognition meaningful.

Eligibility

1. Eligibility Dates:
   1. For full-time UUP employees: Must be active or on an approved leave as of June 30, 2025.
      1. For part-time employees: If their employment expired prior to July 1, 2025, they must have been active as of April 30, 2025.
   2. Payroll Status: Must be on the payroll as of December 3, 2025.
   3. Leave Without Pay: Incumbents on approved leave without pay at the time of distribution will receive any retroactive pay and salary adjustment upon their return from leave, provided they are selected for an increase.

Requesting DSI

This round of DSI is intended to recognize employee performance from June 1, 2024- May 31, 2025.  The updated criteria and request documents are available on the Human Resources intranet page under DSI (login required).  We encourage everyone to carefully review the updated criteria and submission materials.  Approved increases will be added to employee’s basic annual salary retroactively to July 1 or September 1 as appropriate to professional obligation.  

Timeline

October 10, 2025 – Request Forms for DSI Request are due to Chair/Director/Department Head for review and recommendation

October 17, 2025 – Request Forms for DSI Request are due to Dean/AVP (where applicable) for review and recommendation

October 24, 2025 – Request Forms for DSI are due to the divisional Vice President for review and recommendation

October 31, 2025 – Request Forms for DSI are due to the President for review and allocation decision

November 7, 2025 – Approved DSI amounts are due to Human Resources for processing. Dean/Director will inform faculty/staff of their DSI placement

November 14, 2025 – Human Resources anticipates emailing DSI award letters to employees

December 3, 2025 – DSI increases show in employee paychecks

If you have questions or need guidance, please reach out to HR, your supervisor or division leader. Thank you for your dedication to Alfred State’s continued success.

Please excuse the following students who are visiting the Holland Land Museum in Batavia, N.Y. on 9/30/25 with Professor Nick Ford. Lucas Bowen, Cooper Danskin, Colin Dunn, Erin Gregoire, Jonathan Mahibir, Jolynn Merry, Matt Pawlicki, William Schwiebert, Gavin Stearns, Allison Strausbaugh, Daniel Taylor

Accessibility Tool of the Week

You have heard us talking about making our materials Screen Reader Accessible.  Have you ever wondered what a screen reader user’s experience might be?  Please check out these two short YouTube videos to gain a better perspective on a screen reader’s output of an accessible website and document and the experience with a non-accessible document/website.

How a Screen Reader User Experiences an Accessible and an Inaccessible Website 

Screen Reader User's Experience and MS Word

The Oasis isn't just for students - it's also for faculty, staff, and administration!

Reach out to Mallory Winant winantm@alfredstate.edu if you'd like to plan an event at the Oasis! Times can be arranged for private events!

Off-Hours Access to the Oasis

To ensure the safety of our facilities and staff, we ask that you coordinate with Mallory (winantm@alfredstate.edu) before entering the Oasis outside of regular business hours.

This is a critical step in maintaining our sanitation and fire safety protocols. Neglecting to inform Mallory of your access could lead to a breach in these procedures and potentially result in an employee being held responsible for any discrepancies.

Your cooperation helps us maintain a safe and well-managed environment for everyone.

Sunday: 10:00am - 9:00pm
Monday: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Tuesday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Wednesday: 3:00pm - 9:00pm
Thursday: 10:00am - 9:00pm
Friday: 3:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am - 9:00pm

Stop by and get your relax on!!

SUBMISSIONS WANTED FOR ERGO, ALFRED STATE’S LITERARY MAGAZINE

Take a break, sit quietly, and create a piece of artwork, poem, story, or whatever and send to Ergo, Alfred State’s literary magazine, at Ergo@alfredstate.edu. Become part of the Ergo Committee by attending the 1st meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at noon in the SDC Faculty Lounge (Rm. 242). 

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:  October 31, 2025

ERGO COVER CONTEST DEADLINE:  October 31, 2025

Wondering what to submit?  Full wrap cover (front & back) 17.25" wide by 11.25" high or just the front cover 8.75" wide by 11.25" high, 300 dpi, jpeg.  All entries must fit these specifications for consideration.  Submit to Ergo@alfredstate.edu.

And better yet, there's a prize!  Winner and a runner-up will both get a $100 gift certificate for the ASC Campus Store, and boasting rights for being featured as the author of the cover on the Fall 2025 ERGO publication! 

POETRY READING:  Monday, November 10, 2025, Small Event Space within Student Leadership Center starting at 6 p.m.  Come and enjoy an hour of music, poetry, artwork, and tasty desserts from the Wellsville Baking Production & Management culinary students.  

A peer mentor is an upper-class student who helps students examine academic concerns and perceived barriers to success. 

Common topics peer mentors cover: 

• adjustment to college and general advice on how to succeed
• time management and study skills
• making referrals to campus resources

Students can meet a peer mentor weekly or just a few times in the semester as needed.

This 2-minute form serves as a way for Alfred State professionals to refer students they believe would benefit from meeting with a peer mentor. Please fill out this form (https://forms.office.com/r/c0maNV7xhb)  and we will follow up with the student. Questions? Email Amy Babcock at babcocAM@alfredstate.edu 

It’s almost time for the NYSHIP Option Transfer Period! This is your annual opportunity to review and make changes to your health insurance elections. A Planning for Option Transfer 2026 guide was mailed to your home but can also be found here.

During this period, you can:

• Change Your Plan – Switch your NYSHIP health insurance option.
• Enroll in or Waive the Opt-out Program – Receive an incentive if you have other employer-sponsored coverage.
• Review Your Pre-Tax Contribution Program (PTCP) Status – Decide whether to have your health insurance premium deducted before or after taxes.
• Elect Participation in the Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP) – Exchange eligible vacation days for a reduction in your NYSHIP premium (if eligible).
• Important Program Dates: Key dates and deadlines are included – Please watch the daily announce so you don’t miss your opportunity to make changes.

More Information Coming Soon
Although instructions and forms are not yet available, they will be coming soon!  Watch the Announce for updates — we will share everything you need as soon as they are released. In the meantime, this is a great opportunity to start thinking about your benefit choices and planning ahead for the upcoming Option Transfer period.

If you have any questions, please contact Marci Johnson at Johnsoma6@alfredstate.edu or 607-587-4034. 

Student Engagement would like to announce that Margaret (Maggie) Weiss will now be the primary contact person for any and all event reservations. 

Please utilize https://events.alfredstate.edu/emswebapp/ as the initial reservation software. If you notice that the space you are requesting is not listed, please contact Maggie Weiss at weissmm@alfredstate.edu or visit the Student Engagement Office (SLC 204) for further assistance. 

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We’re excited to welcome you to the newly opened CITE Faculty Lounge in EJ Brown 106 — a space created especially for you to:

• Drop in at your convenience.
• Relax with a hot cup of coffee or tea and light snacks.
• Browse our curated collection of teaching and learning resources.
• Connect with the CITE Team and fellow colleagues.

In addition, we invite you to join us for the CITE Social & Informal Reading Club in the Faculty Lounge:

• Every 2nd & 4th Friday | 3:00 – 4:00 pm
• Every 1st & 3rd Thursday | 2:00 – 3:00 pm

During these informal gatherings, you’ll have the chance to:

• Pick a Classroom Challenge Card and chat with colleagues about possible solutions.
• Share a teaching tip in a fun 2-minute lightning round.
• Post your own teaching challenge on a flipchart and take away crowdsourced ideas on sticky notes.
• Explore our collection of books and articles — borrow a resource and bring back a key insight to share at the next social.

Whether you stop by to sip coffee, flip through a book, or dive into a lively discussion, we hope you’ll find the CITE Faculty Lounge a refreshing space to recharge, connect, and be inspired 

[The CITE Team]