Call for Nominations for FGSA Executive Board - Deadline Extended!

Do you want to get involved in the graduate student community? Have you wanted to participate in the physics community beyond your graduate work but weren't sure how? We have a number of ways you can get involved.

The APS Forum on Graduate Student Affairs (FGSA) is soliciting nominations for executive board positions, described at the end of this message. Nominations should include a brief biography and a candidate statement in the email, and they should be received by :00 pm EST on Monday, October 22, 2012! Each statement can be no longer than 2200 characters long.

We encourage you to nominate yourself or someone you know for a position with the Forum on Graduate Student Affairs. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with others interested in graduate student affairs, gain valuable experience interacting with a wide variety of both scientists and non-scientists to promote physics and science literacy, and give a voice to graduate student concerns and issues.

If you wish to nominate someone, or yourself, or if you have any questions about the time commitment, responsibilities, or nomination process, please feel free to contact Megan Comins, Nominating Committee Chair, at megan.comins@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Megan Comins
APS FGSA Past Chair

Positions Open for Nomination

Chair-elect
The Chair-Elect will serve as the Chair of the Program Committee for the 2014 March and April meetings, with the opportunity to design the FGSA sessions at both meetings. In addition, the Chair-Elect will assume the duties of the Chair whenever the Chair is unable to perform them. The Chair-Elect will be elected to a three-year term (Chair-Elect in 2013, Chair in 2014, and Past Chair in 2015).

Secretary
The Secretary will maintain the records of the Forum, including minutes of Executive Committee meetings, and ensure they are posted on the Forum's website. The Secretary will notify the Chair of matters requiring Executive Committee action. The Secretary also is involved with preparations for the election including announcing, distributing, receiving and counting the annual election ballots from the membership, and for informing the APS Executive Officer, candidates, and Forum membership of election results. The secretary will serve a two-year term.

International Student Affairs Officer
The ISA Officer will chair the International Student Affairs Committee. The Officer will serve as the principal point of contact between the Forum and similar organizations in countries outside the United States and will act as a student advocate for international student issues to the American Physical Society. FGSA-sponsored international activities, including conferences and student issues, will be reported annually by the ISA Officer to both the FGSA Executive Board and the APS Director of International Affairs. The ISA officer will serve a three-year term.

Member-at-large (2 positions)
No specific duties are assigned to members-at-large, but they play an important role in helping the Executive Committee of the Forum function. Members-at-large may become active in any of a number of areas that serve to bring together the membership of this forum and increase their interaction with other members or groups of members of the American Physical Society. Members-at-large will serve a two-year term.

Attracting and serving a diverse and inclusive membership worldwide is a primary goal for APS. In calling for nominations, we wish to remind you how important it is to give full consideration to qualified women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and scientists from outside the United States.