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GSA - Message from 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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