As your school year winds down and yet another senior class leaves your care, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all you do to help your students navigate the college admissions process. We are excited to welcome in a very large and talented freshman class to the University at Buffalo later this summer. There is one more thing you can do to help in your students’ transition to UB. The students who will be enrolling at UB need to submit a final high school transcript to the UB Admissions office that confirms graduation.

It is important that we receive the final transcript before classes start on Aug. 26, 2013. Transcripts can be uploaded to the SUNY website. Of course, if your school prefers, you can mail the final transcript to us. Common App School Forms will close down in mid-July. An exact date has yet to be set for that shutdown. Notices will be posted on the Common App login page a few weeks before the actual shutdown.

If you know of a senior who will not be graduating, please let us know. We will send the student a letter to request an outline of his or her plans for meeting graduation requirements if he or she wants to enroll in the fall. If you have any questions about transcripts please contact Missy Hartman, assistant director of admissions, at mhartma@buffalo.edu or 716-645-6426.

Thanks again!

The University at Buffalo program formerly known as the Center for Academic Development Services (CADS) is now the Cora P. Maloney College (CPMC).

Chartered in 1976, the CPMC aims to improve the UB experience by focusing on a range of educational issues, including academic achievement and enhancement, social justice and cross-cultural awareness. The CPMC program includes:

CPMC is directly involved in UB’s mission to increase access and opportunity, support orientation and first-year student services, enhance academic support and retention, offer academic enrichment and undergraduate research, support community involvement and community service, and prepare students for graduate study.

CPMC fosters the interconnection between UB students and their living and learning communities, providing for a transformative undergraduate experience that supports growth in Buffalo and Western New York.

The University at Buffalo’s Department of English has announced a new undergraduate certificate program in creative writing, effective fall 2013. The program is open to all students regardless of major and includes workshops at the introductory and advanced levels. Students in the program will publish their own literary magazine, participate in poetry readings and work closely with faculty mentors who are published writers representing a broad range of stylistic approaches and techniques.

For more information about the creative writing certificate program, visit the English Department website.

Before they arrive on campus for the fall semester, our incoming Educational Opportunity Program students participate in a mandatory summer program designed to assist them in acclimating to university life. The transition to college is challenging, both academically and socially. The EOP Summer Program is a four-week residential program that aims to help students understand and adjust to the university’s environment and culture.

The program is highly structured and intensive. It is centered around academic courses to strengthen students’ reading, writing, mathematics and communication skills. Participating student will have a full schedule of recreational and social activities, and they will also be introduced to performance expectations, academic workload and behavioral strategies important to college life and academic success.

In working with accepted EOP students, please make mention of this program and assure them that we will do everything possible to ease their transition from high school to college.

University at Buffalo chemical engineering majors Christopher Dundas and Phillip Tucciarone are now a part of the prestigious group of students to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was founded in 1986 with the goal of alleviating the critical shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers. The foundation was authorized by the U.S. Congress in honor of Sen. Barry M. Goldwater, and is financed by a trust fund that has been established in the U.S. Treasury.

More than 1,000 nominees apply each year in hope of receiving $7,500 toward the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board on the condition they pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering.

Dundas, a sophomore, plans to obtain his PhD in biological engineering and research protein engineering at a university. Since his freshman year, he has studied protein engineering in the UB Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering under Sheldon Park, assistant professor of chemical engineering. Dundas handpicked the research program because it combines his interests in biology, physics, mathematics and chemistry.

Tucciarone, a junior and member of the University Honors College, has a number of accolades of his own. His research on silicon-based nanomaterial has been awarded the University Honors College Research and Creative Activity grant, and the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Award of Distinction. The study will attempt to use nanomaterial to develop non-toxic bio-imaging, which could be used in cancer treatment.

Read more.

A front-page story in The Buffalo News featured a project conducted by a team of University at Buffalo engineering students and its upcoming trip to space.

The shoe box-sized satellite was one of 24 projects selected this month to piggyback aboard one of NASA’s upcoming space missions.

Some 40 UB students – mostly undergraduates – have been involved in building the satellite, which will be used to track thousands of items of “space junk” orbiting the Earth. The research could help predict the path of debris and avoid future orbital collisions.

Read more.

The University at Buffalo School of Nursing has received approval from New York State to offer a master’s degree in Nursing Leadership in Health Care Systems beginning this summer.

The new MS program educates baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses for middle- and upper-level management positions in a variety of health care systems and settings. It can be taken full time, which would allow completion in one year (four semesters), including summers, or part time.

According to the program coordinator, Janice Jones, the leadership program of study will partner with UB’s Schools of Management and Public Health and Health Professions.

Jones said that the program is accepting applications until April 22, with classes starting in the first summer session. The program will start in the summer this year (all future groups will start in the spring) and plans to admit at least 10 students in its first cohort.

“Our community partners identified the need for a program designed specifically to educate baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses to assume leadership and executive roles,” said Marsha Lewis, UB School of Nursing Dean. “Today’s health care settings require nurse managers to take on expanding roles in management to promote innovative change and quality outcomes. As a leader in nursing education, the school has taken up the challenge to provide a program of study to meet the needs of a complex and ever-changing health care environment.”

Patient care and management of nursing staff have become more demanding, requiring advanced education, Jones added.

Read more.

Several University at Buffalo graduate and professional degree programs have been recognized as among the best in the country by U.S. News and World Report in its annual ranking of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”

“UB has many outstanding graduate programs, led by very talented scholars,” said Charles F. Zukoski, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We’re pleased to be recognized for the excellent education we provide our students.”

Among the U.S. News rankings for the best professional schools, the UB School of Social Work is ranked No. 26, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is ranked No. 61; the School of Nursing is No. 79; the Graduate School of Education is No. 79; and the Law School is No. 86. The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is ranked No. 64 for medicine research and No.79 for primary care.

The UB School of Management’s MBA program is ranked No. 75 out of 448 programs surveyed, up 14 places from last year.

Read more.

We always encourage students and their families to make time to visit us and get a true sense of what the University at Buffalo is all about. But this spring, we are especially excited because we are offering two new events to help visitors get the most out of the experience.

Our Accepted Students Day will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2013. This event is for students who have been accepted to the university and want to learn about living and learning at UB in more detail. It includes opportunities for in-depth exploration of majors and academic programs, student services and academic information tables, tours of campus and residence halls, a student clubs fair and more. We’ll even accept deposits.

Spring Open House for Juniors, to be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, provides a broader overview of UB and is geared to prospective students. Visitors can tour our North and South campuses and get information on their academic areas of interest.

For more information on either event, including registration details, visit our Open House website.

The University at Buffalo’s priority due date for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is March 1. However, we encourage students to file as soon as possible to be considered for the best financial aid package.

The federal title IV school code for UB is 002837.

Once the FAFSA is processed, students can view and print their Student Aid Report (SAR) online. The SAR will indicate the expected family contribution as calculated by the federal processor. UB’s financial aid office receives this information electronically, so it is not necessary for students to send a paper copy. Financial awards will be sent beginning in March.

New York State residents will initiate the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application process while completing the FAFSA. A separate application is required for TAP, which can be filed electronically while filing the FAFSA. UB’s TAP code is 1010.

For more information about financial aid at UB visit the Office of Financial Aid website. Students can also visit our Meet Your Financial Aid Advisor page to locate the financial advisor they will be working with throughout their college career.