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Message from the Steering Committee Chair
Welcome to the Group on Student Affairs (GSA) web pages. This is
an exciting and gratifying time to work in the area of student affairs.
Changes in medical education, technology, demographics, and health
care delivery are having a profound impact on our students and our
work. As we navigate in an almost constantly changing environment,
we are fortunate to have access to the dedicated professionals at
the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and to work
in a community of student affairs professionals who are known not
only for their expertise, but also for their collegiality and collaborative
spirits.
The GSA web site includes information on GSA constituent committees,
GSA regional groups, and GSA resource documents.
GSA Constituent Committees
The Group on Student Affairs is one of 13 professional development
groups within the AAMC. Established in 1958, the mission of the
GSA is to advance medical education and to represent the interests
of medical schools and medical students in five areas of practice
and expertise: " Admissions " Financial Aid " Minority Affairs "
Student Affairs " Student Records
Each of the five areas has its own committee and detailed information
about each of these committees is included on this site. A few of
the priorities in each area are summarized below:
Committee on Admissions (COA): Priorities for COA include enhancing
the admissions process by developing methods to assess professionalism
among applicants, developing tools to assist medical schools in
performing "holistic reviews" of their applicants, and developing
a system for submitting medical school letters of recommendation
electronically.
Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA): COSFA is continuing
to develop a "virtual notebook" on financial aid and debt management
as well as a joint effective practices document regarding students
who leave medical school prior to completing the MD degree program.
The Minority Affairs Section (MAS): MAS will continue to assist
and facilitate in the development and implementation of methodologies
that will enhance the recruitment, enrollment, retention, and postgraduate
education of minority medical students.
Committee on Student Affairs (COSA): COSA is planning to survey
student affairs officers on the compensation, staffing and funding
of their offices. They are also developing best practices documents
regarding letters of recommendation for the Match and for supporting
students during the Scramble.
The Committee on Student Records (COSR): COSR is revising its Handbook
for Student Records Administrators, which will include an effective
practices document on increasingly popular joint/dual/combined degree
programs.
The items listed above are just a few of the issues the Group on
Student Affairs will be working on during the next year. I encourage
you to visit each committee's web page for additional information.
Regional GSA Groups
In addition to information from GSA committees, the website contains
information from each regional student affairs group: Central Region
Group on Student Affairs (CGSA), Northeast Region Group on Student
Affairs (NEGSA), Southern Region Group on Student Affairs (SGSA),
and Western Region Group on Student Affairs (WGSA). You can find
contact information for the leadership of each group and information
regarding upcoming regional student meetings.
GSA Resource Documents
Finally this site includes a wealth of handbooks and documents including
information on student health, chemical dependency, financial literacy,
crisis management, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and
preparing for the Match.
We look forward to another productive and gratifying year as student
affairs professionals and we hope some of the information on this
site will assist you in best serving your students.
Best wishes for the 2008-2009 academic year!
Georgette A. Dent, M.D.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
2008-2009 GSA National Chair
georgette_dent@med.unc.edu
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