In This Issue:
·
PIER Announcements
·
Next PIER Meeting
·
US Consulate Tour
·
PIER Travel Grant
·
NAFSA Volunteer Opportunities
·
SEVP InFocus Webinar
·
PIER Meeting Dates
PIER
Announcements
Dear PIER Members,
We hope your spring quarter is
off to a great start. The PIER Board
writes to remind you of some exciting opportunities which are available this
spring. Are you interested in learning
more about visa issuance process or attending the NAFSA 2017 Annual Conference?
PIER is still accepting
applicants for the upcoming tour of the U.S. Consulate, Tijuana scheduled
for Thursday, April 27, 2017. Apply
now for the U.S. Consulate tour (see details below). The deadline to apply is this Friday,
April 14, 2017.
The PIER Travel Grant
Application to attend the NAFSA
2017 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California is OPEN. PIER will
award
two $300.00 grants to
attend the NAFSA
2017 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California to support registration/travel/lodging/meals
expenses. APPLY Now.
Application Deadline: April 21, 2017.
We hope you take advantage of this event and
opportunity. Our next PIER meeting is Friday, April 21, 2017 from 2pm – 4pm at
the University of San Diego. The meeting
agenda will be to follow.
Save
the Date for the next PIER Meeting: Friday, April 21, 2017
Date: April 21,
2017
Location:
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala
Park
San Diego, CA
92110
Time: 2:00pm –
4:00pm
Please see
Agenda and Directions (attachment).
Meeting Agenda
Items: This is a call for meeting agenda
items. Please email PIER at piergroupsd@gmail.com by April 17, 2017 with any hot topic items are interested in including
to the agenda.
U.S. Consulate Tour, April 27,
2017: Application is Now Open
PIER is excited to invite you for a tour of the U.S. Consulate
in Tijuana, Mexico on Thursday, April 27, 2017.
Space is limited, so sign-up today.
• WHERE: We will depart as a group from the San Diego Old Town
Transit Center (4005 Taylor Street, San Diego, CA 92110) public parking lot and
travel by charter bus to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico.
• WHAT: A two hour tour of the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana,
Mexico, including an informational presentation by a U.S. Consular Agent.
• WHEN: Thursday, April 27, 2017 from 8am – 4pm
• COST: $30. INCLUDES: Round trip bus transportation from San
Diego Old Town Transit Center to the U.S. Consulate and back to the SD Old Town
Transit Center.
• IMPORTANT: In order to participate, you must have a valid U.S.
passport or permanent resident card (Form I-551). Documents will be required
for entry to the U.S. Consulate and for re-entry through the port of entry).
Those with a permanent resident card must also have either of the following:
U.S. driver license; U.S. or foreign passport; Foreign national ID with photo;
or U.S. Government issued photo ID (includes U.S. Military ID).
• HOW TO SIGN-UP: Submit the online application at: https://piersandiego.wufoo.com/forms/m1vm7trw01ujkda/
and application fee by no later than April 14, 2017. Registration closes April
14, 2017, but spaces will be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis. Space
is limited, so sign-up today.
• HOW TO PAY FEE: After submitting your PIER Consulate Tour
application, you will receive a statement and a separate email from PayPal
requesting your payment of $30.00 to PIER. A PayPal account is not necessary to
make a payment. If you choose not to use PayPal, you may pay by check: Mailing
instructions to follow. Payment is due no later than April 14, 2017. Payment is
non-refundable.
* All applicants must be current PIER members for the 2016-2017
membership year. If you are not currently a PIER member, please submit your
complete PIER application and $15.00 dues prior to submission of this
application. To access the current PIER Membership form, please go to: https://goo.gl/kx5MjV
We look forward to having
you join us.
PIER Travel Grant
Application is Now Open
PIER will award
two $300.00 grants to
attend the NAFSA
2017 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California to support registration/travel/lodging/meals
expenses.
PIER is pleased
to offer travel grants
on a competitive basis for members to participate in NAFSA Conferences. These conferences provide an
opportunity for
international
educators to acquire and exchange information and
provide an excellent way to begin building a personal
network of contacts
in the field of international education.
Travel Grant Information
PIER
will award two $300.00 grants to
attend the NAFSA
2017 Annual Conference in Los
Angeles, California to support registration/travel/lodging/meals expenses.
Eligibility
Applicants must
be current members
of PIER
or become
a member prior to the
NAFSA 2017 Annual Conference.
Travel Grant Recipient Responsibilities
PIER
requires each
individual
who accepts the PIER
Travel Grant to
present
a 15-minute or longer presentation to the PIER members
on Friday, June 23, 2017 at the PIER Meeting at Mira Costa College.
The PIER Board
will mail full presentation details and requirements to the award recipients.
Application
Procedures and Award Timeline
Please complete the
PIER Travel
Grant
application at: https://form.jotform.us/PIERSanDiego/70677739879178 and
submit with your statement
of objective and letter of recommendation
no later than 11:59 p.m. April 21, 2017.
PIER will award Travel Grant funds no earlier than June 23, 2017. Recipients
must submit receipts prior
to fund distribution. The PIER Board will mail
full details and requirements
to the award recipients.
NAFSA Volunteer Opportunities
NAFSA is
actively looking for people to volunteer at our upcoming National Conference in
LA this May (we need more than 200 volunteers to help make this a successful
conference!). This is a great way for
you to do some networking and get more involved with NAFSA. Also, for people who volunteer 20 – 40 hours,
you will receive a partial to full reimbursement of your conference
registration fee! Reimbursements are
processed about 4-6 weeks after the conference.
|
Hours
|
|
|
40 or more
|
100% reimbursement
|
|
30-39
|
75% reimbursement
|
|
20-29
|
50% reimbursement
|
|
1-19
|
No reimbursement
|
If you would
like to volunteer, you need to register at www.shiftboard.com/nafsa. Once you have registered, you
will be able to select the areas and hours you would like to volunteer. I would recommend checking back frequently as
people will continue to add and drop hours so, more shifts may become
available.
You can also
get more information by visiting: http://www.nafsa.org/Annual_Conference/Registration/Volunteering/
If you have any
questions, please contact Angie Keam or Kerry Gonzales at nafsavolunteers@gmail.com.
SEVP InFocus Webinar: April 12, 2017, 2 to 3 p.m. EDT
Webinar overview:
This webinar will discuss the
latest program news and updates affecting SEVP certified schools and
international
students, including
information about planned SEVIS enhancements and new resources on Study in the
States.
Audience:
The webinar is designed for
DSOs and those with an interest in SEVP news and information.
Access the webinar:
For more information please
visit: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/stakeholder-webinars. You can
access
PIER Meeting
Future Dates
Please save the
date
for
our
next “regular” PIER
meetings
and visit our website
www.piergroup.org for the most up
to date information with locations, dates
and agendas.
Date: April 21,
2017
Location:
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala
Park
San Diego, CA
92110
Time: 2:00 pm
Date: June 23,
2017
Location: Mira
Costa College, San Elijo Campus
3333 Manchester
Ave.
Cardiff, CA
92007
Time: 2:00 pm
Do you have an item or job
posting you would like to post in the PIER newsletter that is valuable to PIER
members? Please email piergroupsd@gmail.com with your inquiry. Thank
you. The PIER Board reserves the
right to edit content.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PIER Board
Chair
- Eric Abutin, National
University
Chair-Elect – Rhonaliza
Reyes, University of San Diego
Treasurer –
Vanessa Fennell, Stafford House San Diego
Membership Coordinator – Mia
Scavone, Mira Costa College
Communications Coordinator – John Akapito,
National University
