Wednesday, August 19, 2015

PIER Newsletter: August 18, 2015



In This Issue:

Announcements
PIER Chair Announcements
PIER Announcements

Job Postings

PIER Chair Announcements

I am sure you are all very busy with the start of your Fall enrollments. It is a busy time of year for all schools as they prepare freshman and continuing students.  The PIER Board is in the process of planning the annual meeting with the Department of Homeland Security and State Department and will have details as soon as they are available.

PIER Membership

Thank you for your participation in PIER last year, we would look forward to continuing to have you as a PIER member for the 2015-2016 membership years. The dues are $10.00 per individual, not institute for the 2015-2016 membership years.  Following your membership application submission, you will receive a statement from PIER.  This year, PIER has more options to pay your membership dues. Please click on the link below for more information about are organization and to join. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TPPF378

PIER Travel Grants

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 Region XII 2015 Conference in Hawaii to support registration/travel/lodging/meals expenses.
Eligibility
Applicants must be current members of PIER or become a member prior to the NAFSA 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 Wednesday, December 3, 2015. 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 and submit with your statement of objective and letter of recommendation no later than 11:00 p.m. September 3, 2015.
PIER will award Travel Grant funds no earlier than December 3, 2015. Recipients must submit receipts prior to fund distribution. The PIER Board will mail full details and requirements to the award recipients.
Follow this link to the complete application and information about the PIER NAFSA Region XII 2015 Travel Grant https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_w1YQqwbR5XQ2RNeXJCckJNWk03dkp4aXZhWW1YWjNIY19J/view?usp=sharing
NAFSA Region XII Conference Registration
Registration is now open. Start making plans now to attend the conference. See the registration FAQ's for more information about registration fees and the early session proposal discount. http://www.nafsa.org/Connect_and_Network/Engage_with_a_Community/NAFSA_Regions/Region_XII/Conference

OPT STEM Extension Ruling

On August 12, 2015, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a rule that vacates the 2008 federal regulation for STEM OPT 17‑month extensions and cap-gap relief to certain non‑immigrant students with pending H-1B petitions.
We know this is disheartening for many schools and institutions. SEVP sent out a Broadcast message to all users on August 14, 2015 stating, DHS is currently reviewing the ruling and will issue additional guidance in the coming weeks on how this ruling impacts our stakeholders. In addition, NAFSA has a STEM OPT resource page for members. PIER will do our best to keep members up to date with any resources and special meetings or webinars. 

Below are resources for our PIER Members regarding the OPT Stem Extension.

NAFSA STEM OPT resource:
Court documents:

Survey on Meeting Date Availability

PIER is constantly looking for input from our members. Prior to choosing our meeting dates for the 2015-2016 year, we would like to hear from you. If you haven’t already done so, please go to the link and do the quick survey. Thank you. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PZV6FDP

PIER Announcements

PIER Meeting

Please save the date for our “regular” PIER meeting (following the soon-to-be-determined Federal meeting) on December 3, 2015 from 2pm to 4pm at National University.  We are in the process of planning our meeting dates and locations for 2015-2016. Please go to our website www.piergroup.org for the most up to date information with locations, dates and agendas. As soon as dates and locations are available, we will post in the PIER website calendar.

Job Postings

There are three employment opportunities within the Admissions Office (SDCCD).  The job posting is scheduled to close soon.  SDCCD offers competitive wages and excellent benefits. 

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PIER Board

Chair - Kasey McCarthy, Gemological Institute of America Kasey.McCarthy@gia.edu
Chair-Elect - Eric Abutin, National University eabutin@nu.edu
Treasurer - Martha Delgadillo, EC San Diego MarthaDelgadillo@ecenglish.com
Membership Coordinator - LyKai Johnson, EC San Diego lykaijohnson@ecenglish.com
Communications Coordinator – John Akapito, National University jakapito@nu.edu



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