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Five named to UBF board
Five individuals have been named to serve three-year terms ending June 30, 2010, on the board of the University at Buffalo Foundation Inc.
They are Jeremy Jacobs Jr., executive vice president of Delaware North Companies; Ashok G. Kaveeshwar, Ph.D. ’69, administrator in the U.S. Department of Transportation; James W. McLernon, B.S. ’50, retired chief of the board of American Axle & Manufacturing Inc.; William A. Niese, J.D.’61, retired from the Times Mirror Company; and Marjorie E. Winkler, Ph.D. ’80, B.A. ’75, senior director of Genentech Inc.
The UB Foundation supports and promotes the activities and programs of the university. It provides advice and counsel regarding philanthropy and fund raising, manages gifts and grants, provides a wide range of financial services for the various units of the university, develops and manages real property and provides a strong base of private-sector support for the university through its trustees and directors.
Foundation board members are selected for their distinguished achievements in business, industry and the professions, and for their commitment to the advancement of the university. The board members appoint the officers of the foundation, establish the foundation's operating and investment policies, and approve all budgets and major expenditures of the foundation.
Cohen to speak
Richard A. Cohen, Isaac Swift Distinguished Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and a finalist for the position of founding director of the Institute for Jewish Thought, Heritage and Culture at UB, will deliver two lectures on campus next week.
Cohen will discuss “America, Judaism and Education: Thinking About the Institute for Jewish Thought, Heritage and Culture” at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus.
A reception will follow the lecture.
He also will speak on “Prophecy in Spinoza and Levinas” at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in 141 Park Hall, North Campus.
Both lectures are free and open to the public.
Cohen, who received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Stony Brook University, also serves as director of the Alice Tate Lecture Series in Judaic Studies at UNC-Charlotte.
He has published two books—“Elevations: The Height of the Good in Rosenzweig and Levinas” (1994) and “Ethics, Exegesis and Philosophy: Interpretation After Levinas” (2001)—and has three forthcoming that deal with issues of philosophy, ethics, science, morality and politics.
UUP pact to be discussed
Fred Floss, interim president and chief negotiations officer for United University Professions, will meet with members of the UB Center and Health Sciences chapters to discuss the union’s tentative contract agreement with New York State from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 13 in 215 Natural Sciences Complex, North Campus.
A light buffet supper will be served.
UUP represents members of UB’s faculty and professional staff.
The meeting is free, but space is limited. Anyone wishing to attend should contact Chris Black at 645-2013 or cmblack@buffalo.edu by Feb. 6.
Free tax help available
IRS-certified accounting students from the School of Management will again provide free tax preparation services to individuals and families with annual incomes below $40,000.
Area residents and students are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity, which will be expanded this year to include locations on the North and South campuses. The IRS estimates that using such free services can save taxpayers between $100 and $300 in preparation fees.
This service can be especially valuable to low-income tax filers by helping them apply for earned income-tax credits that can provide a needed boost in annual income. The tax credits, which can reduce or completely eliminate income taxes by refunding taxes already withheld from wages, can mean as much as $4,700 for a family with two children.
Earned income-tax credits also can be collected from back tax filings. The service will prepare tax filings for the two previous years, as well as 2007.
Tax preparation will be offered from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on a first-come-first-served basis in 109 Allen Hall, South Campus, on Feb. 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24, and in 143 Park Hall, North Campus, on March 22, 23, 29 and 30 and April 5, 6, 12 and 13.
Participants must bring proof of identification; Social Security card; date of birth for self, spouse and dependents; wage and earning statements (Forms W-2 and 1099) from all employers; interest and dividend statements from banks (Form 1099); a copy of last year's federal and state tax returns, if available; and bank routing numbers and account numbers for direct deposit
The tax service is provided by students in the UB Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the national honor society for accounting and finance students. Questions can be directed to mgt-freetaxprep@buffalo.edu or 829-3099. Services on the South Campus are available thanks to support and equipment provided by the UB Office of Community Relations.
Please note that tax preparation for nonresident aliens requires special processing that is beyond the scope of the services provided by Beta Alpha Psi. UB international students on a nonimmigrant visa should visit the UB International Student and Scholar Services Web site for more information.
Applicants sought for DOD scholarships
Undergraduate and graduate students seeking degrees and employment in information assurance disciplines may apply for scholarship support from the U.S. Department of Defense.
UB students are eligible to apply for the scholarships because the university has been designated as a Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Research and Education (CEISARE) by the National Security Agency.
UB has been very successful in obtaining these scholarships, notes Shambhu J. Upadhyaya, associate professor of computer science and engineering, and director of CEISARE. Two students received scholarships in 2002 and in 2003, and one student was awarded a scholarship in 2005 and in 2007, he adds.
Information assurance encompasses the scientific, technical and management disciplines required to ensure computer and network security. These disciplines include, but are not limited to, mathematics, biometrics, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, computer programming, computer support, database administration, computer systems analysis, operations research, information security (assurance) and business management or administration.
The scholarship pays the full cost of tuition, fees, books, lab expenses and supplies and equipment. Undergraduate scholarship winners also will receive a stipend of $12,000, while graduate students will receive $17,000 stipends.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
The full application package can be downloaded here. The deadline for applications is Feb. 8. Awards will be announced in May.
For further information, contact Upadhyaya at 645-3180, ext. 133, or at shambhu@cse.buffalo.edu.
Women’s Club to hold wine tasting
The UB Women’s Club will host its annual wine tasting at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Buffalo Launch Club, 503 East River Road, Grand Island.
Proceeds from the event, which will feature the food and wine of France, will benefit the Grace Capen Academic Awards.
The cost is $60 per person and reservations must be made by Feb. 5 by calling Joan Ryan at 626-9332.
Lovett, Hiatt to perform in CFA
The Center for the Arts will present “An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt” at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Mainstage theater in the CFA, North Campus.
Four-time Grammy Award-winner Lyle Lovett initially won great acclaim as an alternative-country singer in the 1980s, but has since proved his skill far beyond those boundaries, attracting fans from a wide spectrum of genres, including pop, rock and blues.
John Hiatt emerged as a major force in the late 1970s and his brand of American vintage music has been covered by an impressive roster of fans, such as the Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton.
Tickets for “An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt” are $50, $45 and $40 for general admission and $25 for students, and are available at the CFA box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.
For more information, call 645-ARTS.
Global warming focus of talk
Ted Scambos, lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, will discuss “Of Ice and Fire: Polar Impacts of Global Warming” at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in the Screening Room in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.
The lecture is sponsored by the Department of Geology, College of Arts and Sciences.
Scambos specializes in the use of satellite images of sea ice and the ice caps to develop methods to measure changes in ice speed, elevation and temperature. He has been on nine expeditions to Antarctica.
‘Led Zeppelin IV’ to be recreated in CFA
One of rock music's all-time great albums —“Led Zeppelin IV”—will be recreated note for note, cut for cut on stage in the Center for the Arts during a performance of “Classic Albums Live—Led Zeppelin IV” at 8 p.m. Feb. 2 in the CFA Mainstage, North Campus.
Toronto-based “Classic Albums Live” is a concert series in which top musicians perform classic rock albums in their entirety. Many well-known classic rock albums have been performed, such as Pink Floyd's “Dark Side of the Moon,” Bruce Springsteen's “Born to Run” and the Rolling Stones' “Sticky Fingers.”
“Led Zeppelin IV” includes such classic rock radio staples as "Stairway to Heaven" and "Rock and Roll."
Tickets for “Classic Albums Live—Led Zeppelin IV” are $20 for general admission and $12 for students and are available at the CFA box office and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.
For more information, call 645-ARTS.
SOMAA elects officers
The School of Management Alumni Association has elected its officers for 2008 and has appointed four new board members to three-year terms.
The 2008 officers are Sujata Yalamanchili, Hodgson Russ LLP, president; Christopher Hart-Nova, EscapeWire Solutions LLC, vice president for membership; Kenneth W. Paulin Jr., M&T Bank, assistant vice president for membership; Larry J. Skerker, vice president for programs; Mark J. Notarius, Premium Wine & Spirits, assistant vice president for programs; Eileen Connor-Costilow, Lumsden & McCormick LLP, vice president for student relations; Michael Giammusso, Bristol Myers Squibb, assistant vice president for student relations; Bruce A. Morlock, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, secretary; Daniel T. Liebel, treasurer; and Paul A. Quebral, Reid Petroleum Corp., assistant treasurer.
The newly elected board members are Thomas M. Barney Jr., Delaware North Companies; Thomas P. Cogan, Citigroup’s Global Consumer Group; Timothy M. Hilker, Ernst & Young LLP; and Rick J. Licursi, Siemens PLM Software.