Welcome PIER members and the PIER team. Going forward PIER will mail out information in the form of a bi-monthly newsletter to all PIER members. In the future, this letter will be posted to the PIER website. If you would like to announce a job or submit a resource or event for the PIER Newsletter, please email to piergroupsd@gmail.com for consideration. The PIER Board will take all submissions under consideration for posting in the PIER Newsletter.
Thank you,
The PIER Board
In This Issue:
Announcements
PIER Chair Announcement
PIER Vice-Chair Announcement
PIER Announcement
PIER Chair Announcement
I would like to send a big thank you to our SEVP San Diego Field Representative, Cassie Hero, who presented at our February 11, 2015 PIER meeting. She wanted to pass along a few resources that you as stakeholders may find beneficial. PIER Note: Ms. Cassie Hero’s contact information is intended for PIER Member’s use only and should not be distributed for any other purposes.
Study in the States (http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov): We recently launched an enhanced version of the site with a new look and features, such as an interactive glossary of terms, an “Ask a Question” section with answers to frequently asked questions, an interactive map where prospective international students can search for an SEVP-certified school and mobile accessibility on smartphones and tablets.
Some of the resources you will find on Study in the States include:
SEVP Field Representative Page
(http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevp-field-representatives): this informational webpage provides a basic overview of the SEVP Field Representatives mission, duties, and related resources.
SEVP 101 Video (http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/2014/01/sevp-101): This video explains how SEVP supports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) mission to support and protect national security. It highlights SEVP's interagency coordination with government partners, in addition to how the program works with academic officials to support more than one million international students, exchange visitors and their dependents within the United States. SEVP 101 provides seasoned or new designated school officials, current or prospective students and the academic community with a better understanding of the various regulations that affect them.
SEVP Fall/Winter 2014 Conference Presentation (http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/schools/conferences): This recorded presentation covers the latest SEVP news and updates. Users can view it, along with a downloadable executive summary, on the Study in the States Conferences and Outreach page.
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Webinar Series (http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/webinars): SEVP conducts a series of webinars to address new SEVIS enhancements and provide information on upcoming changes. The webinars, a video message from the Director of SEVP and more information about SEVIS enhancements are available on the Study in the States SEVIS page.
Our Blog (Studyinthestates.dhs.gov/blog): New blog posts are regularly added to Study in the States with good-to-know tips, current events, answers to common questions and other interesting topics related to international education. For the latest information on Study in the States, read our blog, follow us on Twitter (@StudyinStates) and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/StudyintheStates.
To further our communication with stakeholders, we produce the quarterly SEVP Spotlight newsletter and the monthly SEVP Conference Bulletin.
o SEVP Spotlight — a newsletter distributed quarterly to more than 35,000 DSOs, as well as top academic associations and SEVP government partners. Each newsletter provides updates on the latest news affecting our stakeholders and the program.
o The SEVP Conference Bulletin — a one-page bulletin distributed monthly to inform our conference stakeholders of the latest news and events related to SEVP outreach.
o If you would like to be added to either distribution list, please email SEVPCommunications@ice.dhs.gov and request to be added.
You can also visit SEVP’s official homepage on ICE.gov at www.ice.gov/sevis
Finally, we encourage you to take our online Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey and provide us with your thoughts and opinions, so we can continue to serve you and improve our communications. We recently updated the survey to better gauge your opinion of SEVP hosted and attended events, as well as the features available on Study in the States.
Once again, thank you for the opportunity to attend the PIER meeting. As always, if you have any questions, please feel to contact me at your convenience.
Regards,
Cassie Hero
Field Representative
PIER Vice-Chair Announcement
Are you a new SEVIS Designated School Official? The PIER New Professionals Workshop is training from experienced PIER Members for new professionals working with F-1 students. Learn best F-1 procedures and best practices to take back to your school. This workshop is geared towards those working in the field less than three years or new to working with F-1 students. If yes, please register for the New Professionals Workshop at: http://www.piergroup.org/. Date: Friday, March 20, 2015 Location: National University, La Mesa campus (7787 Alvarado Road, La Mesa CA 91941). Time: 9:00 am to 4:15 pm Fee: $35.00 Payment Due Date: March 2, 2015 Late Fee/On site Fee: $5.00 Price includes breakfast, full workshop and workshop materials booklet. Detailed information is posted on http://www.piergroup.org/
PIER Announcement
PIER 2014 - 2015 Meeting Dates
All Meeting Times are at 2:00 pm with the exception of the PIER Workshop
March 20 - PIER New Professionals Workshop – Location: National University La Mesa Campus
April 15 – Location: Grossmont College
June 17 – Location: USD
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PIER Board
Chair - Kasey McCarthy, Gemological Institute of America Kasey.McCarthy@gia.edu
Vice - Chair - Yasue O'Neill, Palomar College Yoneill@palomar.edu
Treasurer - Martha Delgadillo, EC San Diego MarthaDelgadillo@ecenglish.com
Membership Coordinator - LyKai Johnson, EC San Diego lykaijohnson@ecenglish.com
Secretary - Eric Abutin, National University eabutin@nu.edu
Web Coordinator - Cadence Ellis, National University cellis@nu.edu
