Dear Members of the Asian and Asian American Faculty and Staff Council:

Welcome back to the start of a new term! I am writing with important news about board leadership. As you all know, our chair, Theo Gonzalves left for a job at the Smithsonian about a year ago and our secretary, Susan Han has also left UMBC. We wish them the very best in their new endeavors and look forward to establishing new leadership for the council.

And so, I am writing with two very urgent requests:

First, please consider running for a board position. Are you interested in becoming the next chair or vice-chair for the board? Could you see yourself serving as secretary? I am happy to run as chair—but in that case we would need a vice-chair and secretary. The members at large for our group (Fan Yang, Amy Bhatt, and Shuyan Sun) are going to remain in their positions, so we will have their support through this transition. If you are interested but have any questions, please feel free to reach out!  We would LOVE to see the involvement on the board spread out through our colleges. It’s a great opportunity to think about how to recruit, retain, and promote Asian and Asian American faculty and staff on our campus as well as to think about programming for faculty, staff, and students.

Second, many departments are in the midst of hiring. We really need support from our members to meet with potential candidates. If you can help the board serve in this capacity please let me know (tbhalla@umbc.edu).  We already have requests that we can’t handle alone. It’s another great way to be involved and support AAAFSC even if you can’t serve on the board.

Many thanks for your attention to this email! Please feel free to nominate folks you think might be good for these positions as well!

Again, please feel free to reach out with any questions at tbhalla@umbc.edu.

My best wishes, for a great spring semester!

Tamara

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What is Transit Alerts? Alerts provide a way for UMBC Transit to communicate with you - the rider in a way that is more reliable, more personal, and more secure than standard email. 

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Who to Contact if you have a question about a Transit alert, while reading an alert, click the From to contact the sender. You can also contact UMBC Transit office at 410.455.2454 or transit@umbc.edu.

 Emergency Alerts: UMBC has partnered with Campus Alert to create an emergency alert system using your text messaging or email.

The Pathway to Graduate Study Program (PGSP) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) is a NIH-funded post-baccalaureate training program that prepares students with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in the Physical or Life Sciences (if interested in Basic Biomedical Science study) or a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public Health or related social science degree (if interested in Clinical and Population Health Research) for doctoral study in the biomedical sciences.

During the 12-month PGSP training period, program participants take a curriculum of graduate courses relevant to their area of focus (basic science or clinical and population sciences) and a simultaneous year-long, mentored, research experience. This allows trainees to focus on developing their research skills and acquiring the foundational academic knowledge that is necessary to undertake leading-edge biomedical research. Program participants also receive advising from an assigned faculty advisor and peer mentor.

PGSP participants are required to develop an Individual Development Plan that identifies areas for development during the program, strategies for maximizing development, and the identification of PhD training programs that are “best fits” for the trainee. Trainees also participate in a bi-monthly series of professional and career development activities with PhD students participating in the UMMS Initiative to Maximize Student Development. These sessions focus on several critical topics, including: research presentations, time management, effective oral communication skills, and networking skills. These sessions also help to build a sense of community.

PGSP trainees also receive:

1. Financial support to attend and present at national scientific and career development meetings
2. Networking events with UMMS leaders, as well as other local and regional leaders in academia and industry
3. Close interaction with the UMMS Center for Biomedical Career Development

The result is a graduate who is competitive for admission into top-tier graduate programs. Of note, program participants are presented to the relevant UMMS PhD admissions committees in the spring for consideration for admission into the PhD program in the fall.

All PGSP participants receive a salary, health and dental benefits, and coverage of tuition and fees. To be eligible, applicants must be US citizens or Permanent Residents and have completed their undergraduate studies no more than 36 months prior to matriculation into the PGSP. The application deadline is February 28.We are happy to provide application fee waivers for students with financial need. Students requiring fee waivers should contact PGSP@umassmed.edu to request one.

More information regarding the PGSP can be found at the PGSP website.