Friday, December 2, 2016

PIER Newsletter: November 18, 2016

In This Issue:
·         PIER Chair Announcements                      
·         PIER Membership
·         USCIS Fee Change
·         NAFSA Academy
·         Job Posting
·         PIER Meeting Dates

PIER Chair Announcements

We hope you are having a great International Education Week on your campuses.  Our two NAFSA Region XII travel grant recipients, Jane Lewis and Tyler Runsten will share a presentation they attended from the conference at our next meeting.  We look forward to their presentations and seeing you at our upcoming PIER meeting, December 2, at the National University Spectrum Campus.  The meeting begins at 2:00 pm. 

Next PIER Meeting
Friday, December 2 2016
2 pm – 4 pm

National University
Spectrum Campus
9388 Lightwave Ave.
San Diego, CA 92123

PIER Membership and Dues Payment

If you have not yet registered to become a member for the 2016-2017 school year, you still have time. Please click on this link to fill out the 2016-2017 membership application at: https://goo.gl/LjNFYb. The membership is per person, not institution.

PIER offers three options to pay your membership dues.
1. PAYPAL: You will receive an email from PayPal with full instructions, (a PayPal                 is not necessary to make payment).
2. CREDIT CARD: Pay in person at the December 2, 2016 meeting.
3. CHECK: Make checks payable to PIER. Mail checks to PIER treasurer:

Vanessa Fennell
1111 6th Avenue, 6th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101

Payment is due no later than December 2, 2016. PIER charges a $5.00 late fee for dues received after December 2, 2016. Thank you for your understanding. The PIER membership for 2016-2017 ends June 30, 2017. We look forward to having you as a PIER member.

USCIS Fee Changes 2016

A final USCIS fee rule was published in the Federal Register on October 24, 2016 [81 FR 73292] which will increase U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) application filing fees, effectively on December 23, 2016.  The last fee schedule was adjusted on November 23, 2010.  Effective 12/23/2016, USCIS will increase the filing fee for Employment Authorization (I-765) applications from $380.00 to $410.00. Applications or petitions mailed, postmarked, or otherwise filed on or after 12/23/2016 must include the new fee. For more information on the new USCIS application fee structures please see the NAFSA website.

Join the NAFSA Academy – Application is now open

The NAFSA Academy for International Education is an intensive year-long training program with many networking opportunities. The Academy aids in learning about all areas of international education and prepares you for leadership, both within NAFSA and your own institutions.

If you would like to consider joining the next Academy class, you can read more on the NAFSA website and look for Academy events and members at the upcoming conference. The application for Academy Class 14 is now open.  The deadline to apply is on December 2, 2016You can also email Tracey Ward, the Region XII Membership and Academy Coordinator at tracey.ward@wvm.edu.

Other PIER Announcements

Job Postings

SEVIS Coordinator
National University, San Diego, CA
Go to “Job Postings” and click on “Job ID 5428”

International Student Advisor
San Diego State University
http://hr.sdsu.edu/employment/staffjobs.htm Job #6194

PIER Meeting Future Dates

We have confirmed our meetings for the rest of the year.  Thank you to all who expressed interest in hosting.  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: December 2, 2016
Location: National University, Spectrum Campus
9388 Lightwave Ave.
San Diego, CA 92123
Time: 2:00 pm

Date: February 10, 2017
Location: The Scripps Research Institute
3050 Science Park Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Time: 2:00 pm

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.

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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