Blue & Gold Today

In remembrance of Billy Greene and in support of the “Let’s Save Some Lives” initiative at Alfred State College, University Police is offering a few remaining spots in our upcoming CPR classes.

CPR Class Openings:

Tuesday, October 20th
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
3 spots available

Tuesday, November 3rd
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
4 spots available

Learning CPR can make a life-saving difference when every second counts! These classes are a great opportunity to learn skills that could one day help you save someone’s life.

Interested in signing up? Contact Alfred State College University Police at 607-587-3999 or email howejl@alfredstate.edu to reserve your spot! If these dates listed don’t work for you, but you’re interested in participating, we can also work with groups of at least 8 students to arrange another class!

Together, through the Billy Greene Initiative, let’s learn the skills that can help save lives. 

UUP 2026 Discretionary Salary Increase (DSI) Requests 

Alfred State College is pleased to continue the merit-based request process for awarding Discretionary Salary Increase (DSI) funds in 2026. The process recognizes sustained, meaningful contributions that advance the College’s mission, strategic priorities, and service to students.

The UUP contract provides for discretionary salary increases in Fall 2026 with a pool amount equal to one-half percent of the total of the basic annual salaries on June 30, 2026. This round of DSI is intended to recognize employee performance from June 1, 2025- May 31, 2026. Approved increases will be added to employee’s basic annual salary retroactively to July 1 or September 1 as appropriate to professional obligation.  

Eligibility - Eligible UUP-represented employees may submit a request documenting accomplishments from the applicable evaluation period.

1. Eligibility Dates:
   1. For full-time UUP employees: Must be active or on an approved leave as of June 30, 2026.
   2. For part-time employees: If their employment expired prior to July 1, 2026, they must have been active as of April 30, 2026.
2. Payroll Status: Must be on the payroll as of December 16, 2026.
3. Performance requirement: The employee must have received at least a satisfactory rating for “Performance of Assigned Duties and Responsibilities” during the most recent evaluation period.

How to apply

Each Division has criteria and request form posted on the Human Resource website.

Performance Period

The 2026 DSI process recognizes eligible employee performance and accomplishments from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026. Requests will be reviewed using the criteria established for the employee’s area and the submission form appropriate to the employee’s classification.

Salary Adjustment and Retroactive Pay

Approved DSI increases will be added to the employee’s basic annual salary retroactive to July 1, 2026, or September 1, 2026, as appropriate to the employee’s professional obligation. The December 16, 2026 paycheck will include the ongoing salary adjustment and any retroactive amount due from the applicable effective date. Employees on an approved leave without pay at the time of distribution will receive the salary adjustment and any applicable retroactive pay upon returning to payroll, provided they were selected for an increase.

Timeline:

October 14, 2026       DSI program announced
November 3, 2026     Forms due to Chair/Director/Department Head
November 9, 2026     Forms due to Dean/AVP, where applicable
November 15, 2026   Forms due to Vice President
November 21, 2026   Forms due to President for allocation decisions
November 23, 2026   Final allocations due to Human Resources
December 3, 2026     Award letters emailed
December 16, 2026   DSI increases reflected in paychecks

Submission materials: The applicable criteria and submission forms are available on the Human Resources intranet page under DSI. Employees should submit the completed form to the appropriate Chair, Director, or Department Head by November 3, 2026.

Questions about eligibility, the appropriate form, or the review process may be directed to Human Resources or the employee’s supervisor or division leader.

Do you know a faculty member who should be recognized for their dedication to Alfred State College?  The SUNY Chancellor’s Award committee is soliciting nominations in the following four categories for the 2026-27 award cycle:

• Faculty Service – consistently superior service to the college and/or students
• Scholarship and Creative Activity – excellence in scholarship/research and/or creative performance
• Teaching – consistently superior classroom/laboratory/studio teaching
• Adjunct Faculty - superior classroom/laboratory/studio teaching by an adjunct faculty member

These awards are based on student, faculty, and staff nominations.  Please take a moment to submit a nomination by completing the brief survey available at: SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence - Fall 2026 Nominations

Anyone wishing more information may contact Wayne Bensley at benslewd@alfredstate.edu. Submit nominations by November 13. A complete listing of the awards and criteria is available at  The Chancellor's Awards for Excellence

The E-Learning Committee is now accepting nominations for this year’s Excellence in Online Teaching Award. Excellent online teaching includes:

• Creativity in course content design
• Use of alternative teaching strategies
• Classes structured with online students in mind
• Prompt and thorough feedback; being accessible and reachable when needed
• Empathy, compassion, and fostering a positive personal connection with students

Please consider nominating a deserving candidate using this form and direct any questions to stefannl@alfredstate.edu. This year the committee is circulating the call for nominations in both fall and spring semesters to broaden the pool of nominees.

Admissions will be hosting our next High School Visitation Day this Thursday, October 15, from 9 am - 1 pm. We will be welcoming the following high schools to campus: Broome-Tioga BOCES, Canaseraga, Franklinville, Hornell, Sherman, and Wayland-Cohocton. Thank you for making all our campus visitors feel so welcome!

Below is a link to the list of students participating in a field trip to the Corning Museum of Glass on Wednesday, October 14th, leaving campus at 8:45 am and returning at 4:00 pm.

ARCH 1184 Student Field Trip Attendee List.xlsx

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Cultural Life Center is hosting "Sazon Sensation: Celebrating Unidad" on Thursday, October 15th at 7:30 pm in the SLC Parkspace. Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating Latin American culture, heritage, and cuisine! Enjoy vibrant music, connect with community, and capture memories at our photo booth featuring flags from across Latin America. Everyone is welcome! Space is limited, so please RSVP here: https://pioneerlink.alfredstate.edu/event/12844663.

Hello Faculty and Staff,

We invite you to encourage your students to attend Are You Smarter Than a Gaslighter?, featuring Marissa F. Cohen, on Wednesday, October 28th!

This fun and interactive trivia and game show-style event will give students the opportunity to compete for prizes while learning about important topics such as healthy relationships, consent, gaslighting, toxic behaviors, and recognizing red flags.

Through friendly competition and engaging conversations, students will gain valuable knowledge and tools to help them navigate healthy relationships and recognize potentially harmful behaviors.

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, October 28th
• Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Location: SLC Park Space

We encourage faculty and staff to share this opportunity with students, promote it in classes, and help spread the word! Your support in encouraging student participation helps make educational programs like this successful.

If you have any questions, please contact Tyler Ribble at ribblet@alfredstate.edu.

Thank you for helping us promote this important and engaging event!

If you recall back to opening remarks when President Mauro talked about SEFA.  What is SEFA - Sefa is the State Employees Federated Appeal.  Instead of making donations outside to your favorite charities, you can look online at the Sefa web site: https://sefanys.org .  There are hundreds of charities to choose from.  Whether you want to donate $26($1 a pay or more).  Money will not start coming out of your check until January and last all year, next year.  There are charities from each county and anywhere from cancer, scouting, animal charities.  We also will be having giveaways this year. The Buffalo United Way is our administrator for this campaign, and they have their own giveaways- weekly for donating.  Ashley furniture gift cards, bills tickets, tops gift cards or Wegman's gift cards. You can be thrown into Buffalo's giveaways just by donating. For our giveaways, the first one will be an Adirondack chair (courtesy of the building Trades).  An Alfred State T shirt - courtesy of the Book store, gift cards to the Jet - courtesy of President Mauro and then a couple certificates for the Refinery in Wellsville, curtesy of culinary.  Won't you consider making a donation?  I have paper forms here if you would like or you can go right online and make your donation.  This is a quick and easy way of making your donation and having it count towards our campaign also. Please get your donations in now to be included in our giveaways.

In accordance with annual EADA (Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act) reporting requirements, information from the 2025-26 academic year will be available to the campus community beginning October 15th by request.  A direct link to the full report will be available beginning October 31st here: Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act - Alfred State College.  Requests can be made to athletics@alfredstate.edu.

🍂 Check out our October Monthly Newsletter! Explore upcoming events, important updates, and opportunities to get involved! Health & Wellness October Newsletter.

Makerspace sessions! Two days, first day is pedagogy and techniques, second day you will apply and explore what you've learned! Have an opportunity to communicate and share your creation with other faculty.  You are not required to attend both sessions but if you complete both days you will earn a recognized certificate of completion from LIFT!

Day 1:

10 min: Pedagogy

20 min: Tool foundations

Day 2:

MakerSpace Session

20 min: Create and Build

10 min: Faculty shop-share(show off your creation and talk with other faculty about their experience!)

The Do's and Don'ts of creating engaging video content for today's students

Dates:  October 20th - 2:30pm - 3:00pm - Session 1: Pedagogy and Foundations

        October 21st - 2:30pm - 3:00pm - Session 2: Makerspace

Dear faculty, here’s what’s happening at CITE this week: [Each earns 5 points toward the Annual CITE Excellence in Professional Development Certificate and Award]

• Mon Oct 12 | EJ 106 and Teams | 3 to 3:45 pm: Think Beyond a Lesson Plan: Develop a Teaching Strategy
  Bring your lesson plans and leave with a purposeful teaching strategy you can reuse and adapt.
• Tue Oct 13 – Sun Oct 18 | Reading Exchange Channel on CITE Team: Weekly Reading Exchange: This week's article proposes strategies to help students think critically in the age of AI. Read the article posted in the channel, and post a reflection connecting one prompt to your own teaching.
• Thu, Oct 15 | 12:30–1:00 PM | EJ 106 + Teams : Weekly Reading Exchange Roundtable Conversation
  Join a live conversation about the article posted on Teams. Snacks and coffee available in EJ 106 
• Thu, Oct 15 | 2:30–4:00 PM | EJ 106 : AI Pedagogy Studio [Drop-In Session for 1:1 training on using CoPilot for developing instruction materials and activities]

If interested, you can also earn 15 points by implementing an innovative strategy that is shared through a CITE workshop or event. Email cite@alfredstate.edu or stop by EJ Brown 106 to get started. Ongoing PD opportunities: Beyond this week's events, you can earn professional development credits year-round by (i) joining a peer learning community, (ii) implementing an innovative practice in your course, (iii) leading a CITE program, or facilitating a CITE event. Find details and sign-up information on CITE SharePoint.

Parking lot 20 (near Pioneer Stadium) will close at 4:00pm on Friday October 16th, and will remain closed through the conclusion of the football game. If you are leaving campus for the weekend or traveling for sports, please remove your vehicle from lot 20 beforehand. Vehicles that remain in or enter closed parking lots are subject to enforcement. 

Our new NYSHIP website makes it easier for enrollees to find information about plan benefits, changes to coverage and NYSHIP resources and support.

Check out the video and article libraries to learn how to make the most of your NYSHIP coverage now, and plan for your future with tools like the sick leave credit calculator. Learn More About the New Website 

Alfred State College and John G. Ullman & Associates are excited to invite you to attend our second of (2) financial education virtual workshops in 2026, From Saving to Spending: Investing Strategies for Retirement Income - Thursday, October 22nd. Join us for a free educational webinar where you’ll learn about strategies to help get you to and through your retirement years.

The virtual session, scheduled to begin at 11a.m, will feature and be led by Jakob Brost, CFP®, RICP, MS, Advisor and JGUA Charlotte Branch Manager- 2021 Alfred State Graduate 

For more information and to REGISTER or contact- Jason Sciotti in Institutional Advancement at ext. 3936 or sciottjm@alfredstate.edu 

Join Global Engagement and Civic Wellbeing for our fall commUNITY Potluck series in the village of Alfred!

Make a dish to share a taste of “home” and help enhance our culture of care in Alfred. The commUNITY potlucks are a monthly gathering for our entire community to engage in conversation and foster care and connection over foods that remind us of home. We are in our 3rd academic year running this initiative, which is sponsored through the Center for Civic Leadership.

• Location: Union University Church Center (building next to the Collegiate on the corner of Main and Church street - enter in center of building on Church Street)
• Time: 6pm-8pm
• Remaining Dates:
  • Wednesday, October 21st 
  • Wednesday, November 18th  
  • “Tasters Choice” awards are given at each event for the favorite dishes on the night.

We give thanks to all our wonderful contributors (which could be you) who warm the event with a homemade dish and conversation. We also have some very special shoutouts to our sustained contributors:

• Special thanks to N'Dulge Bakery for sponsoring a birthday treat each potluck so we can celebrate birthdays at our event!
• Special thanks to Collegiate Restaurant for sponsoring one dish each potluck!
• Special thanks to Alfred Box of Books Library for supporting an engaging activity for young attendees at each potluck!
• Special thanks to Union University Church Center for allowing us to utilize their space for this community building initiative 

Come join us and help celebrate commUNITY!

If you pay for electricity or natural gas in New York, you may qualify for monthly savings through New York State's Energy Affordability Program (EAP). Eligibility for the program recently expanded, allowing many New York households to now qualify. Anyone who is eligible can receive recurring discounts directly on their monthly utility bills and could save hundreds of dollars per year. You may qualify based on your household income or participation in programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, TANF, or other public benefit programs.

Even if you have not qualified for utility assistance in the past, you may be eligible under the expanded guidelines. Learn more about eligibility and how to apply at ny.gov/EAP.