4th annual University Convocation is Oct. 1
The fourth annual University Convocation will be held at 3 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Mainstage theater of the Center for the Arts. It will open with an academic procession of faculty and staff.

Kerry S. Grant, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will present an address, "The Best and Worst of Times: Affirmative Responses to 'The Age of Diminished Expectations.'" Recipients of the SUNY Chancellor's Awards and faculty members named to the SUNY Distinguished Professor ranks will be honored. The New York State United Way Public Service Award also will be presented.

A reception in the CFA atrium will follow the ceremony, which is open to the UB community.

Bellanti is Distinguished Medical Alumnus
Joseph A. Bellanti, director of Georgetown University's International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology, received the Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at a dinner held recently in The Buffalo Club. Bellanti, an expert in developmental immunology, earned a bachelor's degree from UB in 1954 and a medical degree in 1958.

He joined the Georgetown faculty in 1963 as an assistant professor of pediatrics and microbiology, and by 1970 had attained the rank of professor in both fields. He also is director of the Division of Immunology and Virology in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Georgetown University Hospital.

Adopting a multidisciplinary approach to medical research before it was fashionable, Bellanti spearheaded development in 1975 of the International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology at Georgetown. He has been director of the center since its inception.

Brian Lipke named 1998 Executive of Year
Brian J. Lipke, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Gibraltar Steel Corp., has been named 1998 "Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year" by the School of Management.

The award will be presented at the 49th annual School of Management Alumni Association Awards Banquet on Nov. 3 in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

The award honors a Niagara Frontier resident who has distinguished himself or herself in a career marked by executive success, a willingness to assume a leadership role in civic affairs and a demonstration of high personal integrity.

Philharmonic to give free concert at UB
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will appear on UB's South Campus on Sunday in the second annual performance co-sponsored by the university and by Kevin J. Helfer, University District councilmember. Organized by UPTOWN Coalition, Inc., this year's event, "Fall In with the BPO," will feature performances by the local jazz group, Straight Forward, as well as area comedians and visits from some of Buffalo's sports mascots including Sabre Tooth, Buster Bison and Spike.

Pre-concert activities, including food sampling sponsored by the University Heights Business Association, will begin at 2 p.m. The BPO will perform at 3 p.m., followed by Straight Forward at 4 p.m. The event is being provided as a community service by the BPO. A volunteer committee of area residents has planned "Fall In with the BPO," and area businesses and professionals have donated to the event.

Admission is free and those attending are encouraged to bring chairs, a picnic lunch and family and friends.

Volunteers needed for WBFO fund-raiser
Volunteers are needed to answer telephones during the Fall fund-raiser for WBFO-88.7FM, UB's national public radio station and a major public-service provider of the university.

The fund-raiser will run from Oct. 17- 24. Volunteers are needed from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays; 7 a.m.-10 p.m. weekends. Those who can volunteer to fill a two-hour shift or more are asked to call 829-6000.

Lawrence Castellani resigns as chair of UB Council
Lawrence Castellani, chair of the UB Council, has resigned his position, effective Sept. 1.

In an August letter to Thomas Egan, chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees, Castellani said that he had accepted a position as president and chief executive officer of Ahold Support Services, South America, and will be headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"I am not comfortable maintaining such an important leadership role at UB knowing that I will not be readily accessible or available to state, university and volunteer leaders," Castellani wrote.

Castellani, former president and chief executive officer of Tops Markets, Inc., a subsidiary of the Dutch firm Royal Ahold NV, was appointed to the UB Council by Gov. George E. Pataki in January 1996. He was named chair by Pataki in January 1997.

Castellani noted that during his term on the council, the group developed a closer and more effective relationship with the SUNY Board of Trustees, and worked closely with President William R. Greiner and his staff to advance the university's mission and successfully execute a plan for two state-of-the-art student housing complexes.

"The council's important leadership role is vital to the success of the University at Buffalo and to ensuring that UB remains a top-flight, nationally respected research university," he said. "I am confident that the council's highly skilled and committed membership will continue to strengthen the university."

Castellani has been affiliated with the Board of Trustees of the UB Foundation, Inc., since 1986 and served as chair from 1993-96.

He was named Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year by the UB School of Management in 1995.

PS&UA seeks proposals for Faculty Development Public Service Initiative
The Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Urban Affairs is seeking proposals for its Faculty Development Public Service Initiative.

The purpose of the initiative is to provide UB faculty with opportunities to engage in scholarly research and/or new service projects that are designed to consider and enhance the role of public service in the university.

Preference will be given to innovative proposals for new projects that integrate scholarship with the university's public-service mission and/or promote faculty application of scholarship directed to public needs through development of related activities, such as service learning, teaching or direct involvement with the university's various communities.

A limited number of projects will receive funding of up to $10,000, and must be completed by Dec. 15, 1999. Deadline for submission of proposals is 5 p.m. Nov. 2. Awards will be announced on Dec. 15.

Applications for the initiative, including its objectives and guidelines for developing award proposals, are available in deans' offices, department chair offices, the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Urban Affairs and on the PS&UA Web site, .

For more information, call 645-2097.

UB parking lots to be reserved for Colin Powell lecture
A number of UB parking lots, including lots located on the south side of the academic spine, will be reserved starting at 3 p.m. today for patrons who will be attending this evening's Distinguished Speakers Series lecture by Retired Gen. Colin Powell, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Persian Gulf War.

Lots that will be affected are the Alumni and Stadium lots, Slee A, Slee B, Baird A, Baird B, Coventry, Special Event, Jacobs A, Jacobs B, Jacobs C, Hochstetter A, Hochstetter B, Cooke A and Cooke B. In addition, the Arena lot will be reserved for handicap parking permit holders.

Faculty, staff and students arriving on campus after 7 p.m. who are not attending the 8 p.m. program are asked to park in the Center for Tomorrow lot, Crofts lot, all lots located on the north side of the academic spine or the Ellicott Complex lots. Shuttle service will be provided.

For more information, call the Office of Conferences and Special Events at 645-6147.

Nursing School names new associate dean
Karen J. Radke, a nurse physiologist, has been named associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Nursing. Radke came from the University of Rochester, where she was an associate professor of nursing in the School of Nursing and an associate professor of pharmacology and physiology in the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

She earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Loma Linda University School of Nursing, a master's degree in biological sciences from Boston University School of Nursing and a master's degree as a family nurse practitioner from the College of Nursing at Texas Women's University in Houston. She obtained her doctorate in physiology, with a minor in pharmacology, from the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Radke was a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis. An active researcher in fluid-electrolyte physiology and endocrinology, she received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Rochester School of Nursing in 1997.

Federman gives readings, takes part in literary festivals
Raymond Federman, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of English and Melodia Jones Chair in French, recently traveled to Germany for the publication in German of two of his books, "Take It or Leave It" and "The Twilight of the Bums." While there, he gave two readings, followed by a lecture series in Japan, presented at universities in Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo.

Federman also participated in a literary festival in Lukebad, Switzerland, where he gave readings, as well as in Finland, where his play, "The Precipice," had its world premiere in Finnish.

A 400-page casebook, "Federman from A to X-XX-X," with 108 photos and edited by Larry McCaffery, Doug Rice and Thomas Hartl, has been published recently by San Diego University Press. Federman reads selections from "Take It or Leave It" on a new CD, produced by Voys in Minneapolis. A chapter in a new book by Jerome Klinkowitz, "Keeping Literary Company," published by SUNY Press, is devoted to Federman's fiction.

Conference to examine legacy of Love Canal
It has been 20 years since families were evacuated from Love Canal in Niagara Falls. How far has the environmental movement come since then, and how has the evacuation affected policy?

National and regional experts from academia, industry, government and citizens' groups will discuss the legacy of Love Canal at "The Twentieth Anniversary of Love Canal: Lessons Learned" on Oct. 8-9 on the North Campus.

Vice President Gore has been invited to address the conference on Oct. 9.

Issues to be discussed include how Love Canal has shaped environmental movements and how it has affected industrial policy, public policy and law. Panelists also will examine Love Canal's history, UB's response to the crisis and research into science and health risks.

The conference is sponsored by the UB Environment and Society Institute, the UB School of Law, the Law School Mitchell Lecture Fund and the Buffalo Environmental Law Journal.

Registration, including lunch on Friday, is $20. For more information, contact Errol Meidinger at 645-2159.

New system to streamline, simplify data access, reporting
The Administrative Computing Services section in Computing and Information Technology has selected a new, Web-based system for general data access and reporting at the university.

Infospace SpaceSQL has been selected to streamline and simplify data access and reporting at UB. It will be used for such information as class lists, enrollment data, admissions reports and accounting reports.

The system is designed to support a large number of users without the common administrative problems. In addition, the system accommodates both power users analyzing data and basic users needing access to common reports through a "point-and-click" interface. The system also enables unified data access across multiple operating systems.